I would like to do shout-outs but once again there hasn't been any reviews since last time...
I still hope you enjoy.
Chapter 7
When I arrived at the watch tower that evening, where we were eating dinner, Hilja looked at me questioningly.
„You're looking pensive. Is everything alright?"
I nodded. „I'll tell you later, not here with everyone else around."
She settled with that answer.
When Gobber arrived we ignited the bonfire and our teacher told us from his life. At first I didn't listen properly, until he said something that pricked my ears:
„...And with one twist, he took my hand, and swallowed it whole. And I saw the look on his face: I was delicious. He must have passed the word, because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg."
Fishlegs was overexcited: „Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon? Like if your mind was still in control of it, you could have killed the dragon from the inside by... crushing his heart, or something."
Snotlout seemed to think otherwise: „I swear, I'm so angry right now! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight. With my face!"
Gobber answered this by shaking his head. „Un-unh. It's the wings and the tails you really want. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."
I listened attentively when Gobber said this. He stood up and stretched. Afterwards he turned to leave.
„Alright. I'm off to bed. You should be, too. Tomorrow we get to the big boys. Slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare. But who'll win the honor of killing it?"
After those words Gobber left us. When I felt like nothing was watching I too darted down the stairs. The last thing I heard was Tuffnut's „It's gonna be me. It's my..."
Then I was out of earshot.
Inspired by Gobber's words I went to the forge.
„If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."
Those words resounded in my head, while I built a new tailfin for the wounded Nightfury until far into the night.
The next morning I went to the cove before the lesson started to try out my invention. I had the tailfin tucked under my arm and a basket filled with fish on my back.
„Hey, Toothless. I brought breakfast. I hope you're hungry."
I turned the basket over and the dragon approached me curiously. I introduced him to the variety of fish.
„We've got some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel."
I lifted the eel which made the dragon freak out. He hissed and anxiously back away, while I tried to calm him down again.
„No, no, no, no! It's okay." I threw the eel away and Toothless instantly calmed down.
„Yeah, I don't really like eel much either."
Carefully I sneaked towards his tail while Toothless started eating.
„Okay. That's it. That's it, just stick with good stuff. And don't you mind me. I'll just be back here... minding my own business."
I tried to attach the new tailfin but Toothless constantly moved his tail away.
„It's okay. Okay... okay..." I tried to calm the dragon.
Finally the tailfin fit where it was meant to be.
„There. That's not too bad. It works."
I wasn't able to continue the sentence as Toothless suddenly burst into the air with me still seated on his tail. I clung to his tail to not fall off.
The climb quickly turned into a a dive because the important artificial tailfin just flapped uselessly. Just in time I managed to pull the construction open and was able to prevent a crashlanding.
I started cheering: „OH, MY- IT'S WORKING! YES! YES, I DID IT!"
Suddenly I was catapulted through the air and landed splashing in the lake. When I came to the surface I could just see Toothless crashing as well.
I was still dripping wet when I arrived at home.
„What happened to you?" Hilja greeted me, laughing.
She was having breakfast and curiously looked up when I entered the house.
„Toothless tossed me into the lake." I murmured.
„Who is Toothless? And which lake?" She seemed confused. No surprise here. So far I hadn't been able to tell her what happened yesterday since we hadn't talked since before dinner.
I tried to explain the situation: „Toothless is the Nighfury. We became friends yesterday. This is also the reason why I was lost in thoughts. And the lake is located in the cove where Toothless lives currently. I built him a new tailfin last night and this morning I went to try it out. When he noticed me clinging to his tail he cast me off."
Hilja began to laugh. „Do you know how ridiculous this is? We learned our whole life to kill every dragon that comes near us. And here you are standing in our house, dripping wet, and you tell me you've befriended one. And not just any dragon but the most dangerous one we know of."
I held my hands up and shrugged.
At the start of training Gobber divided us into groups: The three girl were a team, Snotlout and Tuffnut were the second and Fishlegs and I were the third.
Gobber handed each of us a bucket with water, while the arena filled with a greenish gas, in which something hid from sight.
„Today is about teamwork. Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extratricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Your job is to know which is which."
The mist spread and seperated the individual gruops from another. Fishlegs was clearly tense,
„Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, by crushing its victims-"
„Will you please stop that?!" I interrupted him, by now equally nervous myself.
The dragon was nowhere to be seen. Then a scream came from the mist and Tuffnut ran out of it.
„OH, I'M HURT! I AM VERY MUCH HURT!"
„Chances of survival are dwindling into single-digits now."
Thanks Fishlegs. That's more detailed than I wanted to know!
One of the Zippleback's head emerged from the mist. Fishlegs poured his whole bucket over its face and the dragon indignantly sprayed him with gas.
„Oh. Wrong head."
The dragon's head now spewed a stream of gas and Fishlegs ran away, screaming. Then it turned its attention to me, while the second head joined it, sparks coming from its mouth.
„Now, Hiccup!" Gobber told me reassuringly.
I gathered all my strength and tossed the bucket upwards towards the dragon. Unfortunately the momentum wasn't enough.
The Zippleback did a jump and both heads snarled at me. Gobber, standing somewhere behind me, seemed worried.
„Hiccup!"
I raised m arms and indicated to push the dragon away from me. The Zippleback recoiled in fear.
„Back! Back! Back! BACK! Now, don't you make me tell you again! Yes, that's right! Back into your cage. Now think about what you've done."
When the dragon entered its cage it moved further back, even trying to climb the walls. I looked around me, making sure nobody saw what exactly I was doing and then threw the eel, which I had hidden inside my vest, into the cage.
When I finished closing the door and turned everyone was staring at me, clearly shicked. I pretended as if nothing had happened.
„Okay! So, are we done? Because I've got some things I need to, uh... Yep. I'll... see-see you tomorrow!"
I ran away, Hilja following closely behind.
„Hiccup, wait! How did you do this?" She asked, panting.
„Eels." I answered curtly and continued running. I was longing to continue my project.
„Could you please explain this more precisely? You promised me something!"
„I know! Just come along and I try to explain everything."
At the forge I gathered everything I needed. If Toothless needed me to stir his tailfin, then I needed something to sit on, meaning a saddle. As soon as I had gathered everything I started working and at the same time told my sister sbout the events that happened last night and this morning.
„... and that's why I took the eel to the lesson. And the Zippleback was indeed afraid of the fish!" I finished my story.
Hilja seemed totally stunned. Her jaw had already dropped a few minutes ago and so far she hadn't been able to close her mouth again. Tenderly I pushed her chin back up.
„So, now you ride a dragon..." she finally concluded.
„Well, not yet riding. But I'm working on that part."
„And when can I come along?"
„When the moment seems right. But I'm definitely going to keep this promise."
Hilja smiled. Then she nudged me kindly.
„Do you actually know how crazy you are?"
„I'm slowly getting onto that." I answered laughing.
In the meantime I had finished the saddle.
„I'm off to try this thing out. And I start to prepare Toothless that you'll come along sometime."
When I looked at her after this I could see her beaming. I hadn't seen her laugh like this in ages.
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See you next time.
