"Welcome to dragon training!" greeted them Gobber next day morning while he was opening the gate to the training ring. Astrid went in as the first.
"No turning back," she murmured quietly and Ruffnut rolled her eyes. Here it was again, Astrid Hofferson and her brave soldier routine. Thankfully, before Ruff could sink into the thoughts about the other girl's surplus of seriousness, her brother came in and said:
"I hope I get some serious burns!" he looked so thrilled, that it made Ruffnut smile. Yes, that was a spirit!
"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or back," she afforded her vision of successful training outcome. Tuff hummed in agreement and turned to Snotlout to ask about his dream scar. So Astrid's:
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it," heard only Ruffnut and Fishlegs. Was that sarcasm? Ruffnut wasn't sure, Astrid was always to damn sombre. Joking and sardonic comments just didn't suit her.
"Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it!" Well, no doubts about sarcasm here.
"Oh, great, who let him in?" voiced Tuffnut the thoughts of the entire class. Ruffnut sighed internally. Hiccup in the ring full of dragons and sharp weapons? Really not good idea. He wasn't build to fight in the close combat.
Well, neither was apparently she, as showed up at the end of the first lesson. Only one who was able to not getting hit by the gronkle was Astrid. Ruffnut had to admit she was really good. She didn't even get past grabbing the shield. Tuffnut's fault. And Hiccup? Hiccup should be glad he's still alive. Seriously, with the approach like this he won't enjoy much fun.
"Remember, a dragon will always, always go for the kill," warned Gobber in deadly voice and sent them away for lunch. They would meet at the evening again. Ruffnut grabbed her spear and turned to leave with her brother and the others, when something caught her intention.
Hiccup was standing and starring at the wall, where was black circle from gronkle's lava blast still smoking. It had to be scary experience, Ruffnut was sure she would be out of her mind by terror if staring into gronkle's mouth and waiting for death to come. But Hiccup didn't look scared at all. Well, he did before, but now, he was staring on the smoking wall in awe, not a fear.
Suddenly his head turned and he was looking right on her. His eyes were shining with the same strange glow of wonder over unknown like yesterday, when he was telling her about his encounter with the Night Fury, which brought her dreamless night full of rolling over in her bed, by the way. Ruffnut didn't even have a time to put on questioning expression, when Hiccup gave her small smirk and suddenly ran away.
"Huh, bet he went change his undies, he must have soil them!" snickered Snotlout and laughed on his own joke. Needed to say, he was the only one. Fishlegs looked like he may have soil his own skivvies and Tuffnut's attention was on animated describing of what just happened. Astrid just rolled her eyes and left them, saying something about "needing more training". Ruffnut was simply so baffled of Hiccup's amazement of the fact he got almost killed, that she forgot to laugh.
They spent whole afternoon just hanging around and doing nothing. Well, nothing useful, at least according to others. Ruff needed to set her mind on something else than Hiccup and his more then strange behaviour, so she helped Tuffnut with colouring Silent Sven's sheep on green. They had fun with that and even bigger when Sven caught them and they were trying to explain it was for his own good. Really, what dragon would find the green sheep on the green grass?
By the time of the dinner she was in the merry mood again. So much, that she was actually the one who started picking on the Hiccup, when he finally showed up for evening meal and lesson. He probably didn't hear her; anyway, he looked lost in his own thoughts. First sign of being actually in their word he shown only then when Gobber put out the Dragon manual. While rest of them were terrified by idea to actually read it (even she wasn't completely sure if she is feigning this one), Hiccup looked really interested in the book. Well, apparently not as much as of the idea of reading it with Astrid, if his unsuccessful attempt on study date was any indicator, but interested enough to actually stay in the Hall and go through it.
"I thought you already read every book on Berk. Twice," said Ruffnut, when she came back in the Great Hall about two hours later. She and the rest of their gang spent remaining time until bed time out on the cliffs, having the competition in spitting. Snoutlout won, of course and he was so insufferable about that that they seriously comprehended to throw him down to the sea. Fortunately for him, they were interrupted by call from Fishlegs mother and all sent home for the night. Tuffnut was so beaten up, that he fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. So Ruffnut didn't have to wait long before she sneaked out.
"This is a bestseller, have to read it again and again," smirked Hiccup and made a place for her to sit down, while hurriedly trying to hide something from her. Not quickly enough.
"What is it?" asked Ruffnut after staring at the newest drawing in his notebook for a few seconds. Hiccup tried to look innocent.
"Uh, that's nothing. I was just doodling. Bored," he chuckled a little in vain effort to make it less important. But by this time, Ruff already spotted on what page was the Book of Dragons opened before them and connected the dots.
"It looks suspiciously like a dragon," she stated and when boy sitting beside her didn't say anything, she asked straight:
"Hiccup, is that a Night Fury?" Hiccup shrugged and offered the silent:
"Maybe?" on that, Ruffnut hit him hard on the head by his book.
"You said you let it go!" she hissed, trying to sound menacingly and whisper at the same time. Really? Was he insane? Well, of course he was, but that much?!
"I did! He just... didn't go very far!" Hiccup tried to explain it shortly, but on Ruff's blank stare he elaborated more:
"I don't know... he just can't fly. He's downed in the cove not far behind the Raven's point." Ruffnut didn't say anything for a while. Just as she thought that she came to the terms with the fact Hiccup shot down the dragon, she has to deal with the fact he obviously decided to keep it. He was insane.
She examined the drawing in the book. It showed the dragon with four ears like protrusion on its head, big wings and long tail. One of the tail fins was rubbed out for some reason.
"Is it really looks like that?" she couldn't help but ask. It was probably the first display of this dragon. Fascinating, she would admit that much.
"Yes... more or less... I didn't have much time for proper sketch," said Hiccup, sounding almost disappointed. It made Ruffnut snicker.
"Don't say? Good little dragon didn't want to pose for you?" she asked mockingly. Hiccup rolled his eyes in annoyance. He knew this wouldn't go easily, he should be grateful that she didn't turn him in.
"I'm sure he would be wiling, I just didn't have a time. I had to get home to evening fun in the training." He made a small pause, and then he shook his head.
"One of the best jokes my dad played on me, really."
"Oh, so it was your dad. I was wondering what you thought to show up there."
"Yes, you already make that clear." Oh, so he was listening earlier this evening. Ruffnut felt the tightening in her belly. Either her chicken tonight was spoiled or she was feeling guilty. Normally, she would go for chicken, but slight undertone of bitterness she caught in Hiccup's voice made her decide the other way.
"Sorry." Hiccup hummed but he didn't say anything. Ruffnut gave him a while, before she continued her interrogation. What? She wasn't feeling that guilty!
"I'm assuming you still didn't tell anyone." By anyone she meant his father. It was quite clear, actually. Communication between father and son was never a strong habit in Haddock household. Ruffnut knew that much from what Hiccup ever told her about his dad.
"You are assuming correctly."
"As I'm ever... but, Hiccup, you have to tell someone! I mean... it's dragon! Here. On Berk. Wanting to eat us!" It may have sound a little hysteric and honestly, Ruffnut didn't have an idea where it came from.
"He can't even get out from that cave. I think we are just fine for now," assured her Hiccup and Ruff would swear he sounded actually amused by her confused outburst. Oh, that little... Before she was able to come out with some fitting insult, Hiccup quickly spoke again.
"I'm going to ask Gobber, tomorrow."
"Uh... about how to kill it? Now when it's free it could be OK with your moral, right?" she remembered their conversation from the previous night very well and she hoped he came to the same conclusion as her. Maybe all this struggling to kill the beast was just a part of the bigger scheme. Maybe he wasn't so insane after all. Maybe he just wanted to put on the big show. Hiccup and the Night Fury! Fight for life and death. Oh yeah, they would sing a songs about that.
If she was really expecting something like that, she was seriously disappointed. Hiccup, that is to say, definitely didn't intend to kill.
"No!" he shouted. Ruffnut's eyes went wide on his passionate exclamation. Hiccup blushed a little and said again, now in gentler tone:
"No, I... wanted to ask more general questions, I think. You know, stuff what are not in here," he pointed on the book on the table. Pages on which it was opened were surely blank. But on the other side, dragon in the mystery class wouldn't be any more mysterious, if it would be described to the littlest details. And anyway, Gobber may have been the Berk's expert on dragons, but even he knew just as much as was written in there.
"I don't think it's such a good idea," objected Ruffnut carefully. Hiccup was already breathing in for another round, but she didn't give him a chance.
"I mean, what are you going to say? Hey, Gobber," she began in high nasally voice. Hiccup put on suffering expression, but not even that stopped her. "I happen to notice that the Book of Dragons seriously lacking any information on the Night Furies. Anything you would like to add?" she ended, obviously very satisfied with herself. Hiccup gave her deadly stare.
"You are terrible imitator," he growled. But moment later his expression shined up and he smiled on the girl beside him widely: "Hey, that was quite good opening, actually." Ruffnut howled, then grabbed his notebook again and smacked him across his head, second time that evening.
"Hiccup! I'm being serious, for once!" She was, really. Didn't he see in what trouble he would get? He could trust her when she said that something was way across the line. She spent her whole life by testing it.
"Let it go? Fine! But keeping it? Not really. This isn't a joke. It's a... dragon!"
"I'm not joking either!" cried out Hiccup. He stood up from the bench and started pacing around. It took him a while before he found the right words and tried to explain once more.
"Just... imagine that! Having a Night Fury. We could actually learn about him! Maybe we could even find out why the dragons raid us."
"Because they are hungry," deadpanned Ruffnut in forcedly uninterested voice. She wasn't going to support him in this. She became to like him too much then to let him get himself executed for treason. Because that was exactly what was he doing.
"Yeah, but they would just eat fish, wouldn't they? It would be much less risky than fight hordes of angry Vikings every couple of weeks." Of course, it was like talking to the wall. Maybe he wanted to get executed? Ruffnut groaned. Hiccup was obviously getting in the boil. He wasn't listening anymore. She could as well leave now.
"Maybe they like mutton." Instead, she offered her own idea on the problem. As expected, it didn't reach Hiccup's ears.
"If we would know that, we could find out new ways how to protect our animals!"
"Personally, I think that putting the sheep into the stables for night would be a good place to start."
"I... hey!" that finally put him out of his rambling tirade. "That's actually not a bad idea! Did you tell someone?" Ruffnut laughed and nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Tuffnut." Hiccup firstly wrinkled his forehead in confusion and then measured her intently. She didn't stand his intense stare for long.
"What? I don't like mutton! It's rough and tasteless," she exclaimed and threw her hand up to the air for effect. Hiccup stayed absolutely unimpressed.
"Like everything around here," he pointed out.
"Mulch's roasted turnip is actually pretty good," objected Ruffnut and dreamy look spread on her face. For a moment she got caught in the memory of one summer afternoon about two years ago. She, Tuff, the yak masked as evil spirit of the forest and Mulch's forgotten sack with his lunch. Her mouth started watering.
"Did we really just slip from dragons to culinary skills of Berkians?" interrupted Hiccup rudely her trip to the paradise. He looked seriously surprised at the development of their discussion and he would gladly get back to the main topic. Ruffnut, not so much.
"More like a lack of them," she smirked and hoped he would join her. Not such luck.
"Ruffnut," he said threateningly. Hiccup trying to threat to someone was actually pretty funny show, but for once, Ruff wasn't in the mood for the theatre.
"Okay! Okay!" she resigned. "Right... Dragons. In the coves behind the village. Hm... thinking... still thinking... OH! No, sorry, still don't like it." Well, that should do it. She couldn't state her opinion on the matter more clearly.
"You're... are you going to tell someone?" All joking suddenly disappeared from the air. Ruffnut sighed.
"Uh... no." She could disagree with him, she could think he was doing the biggest stupidity of his life, but she wouldn't betray him. And that brat knew that very well. Sometimes, Ruffnut hated herself for her desire to explore and learn which brought her here. Life was much easier when she was pretending to be stupid to everyone.
"Thank you," Hiccup said sincerely. Ruffnut shook her head over herself for the last time and then waved her hand over him.
"I just hope you know what you are doing. Also hope you know that in the case something will go wrong, you will be the first one who's gonna be eaten."
"I can live with that," Hiccup grinned maniacally. There were no doubts about that now. He was definitely insane. Time for him to know.
"You are crazy," stated Ruffnut in her most serious voice. Hiccup just grinned more.
"Well, nothing new then." Huh, apparently he already knew.