Snart's Saga, Part I Chapter 14
"It doesn't really seem like Hiccup is in charge," Hildi commented.
"He doesn't rule with an iron hand, if that's what you mean," Snart explained. "He relies on Fishlegs to get the facts, and on Astrid to help him with right and wrong, but he's the decision maker. He has the best 'feel' for the dragons, and he's also the best at getting different people to stop disagreeing and work together."
"And what good are the other three?"
"They're his friends, and he's very loyal. I, for one, am thankful for that. Practically speaking, they keep him on his toes, and sometimes they come up with good ideas. Like these Dragonbags we're carrying; they were Snotlout's idea."
"You mean these backpacks we picked up at the Academy?"
"They're more than just backpacks," Snart corrected her. "The main section is waterproof and smellproof, so we can carry fish around. The side pocket is long and thin, to carry dragon-nip grass. And the rope straps are really the ends of a length of rope that's coiled in the bottom. Rope can be a really handy thing to have."
"And Snotlout thought of these?"
"Hiccup invented them, but Snotlout gave him the idea. He was complaining about how the dragon trainers never had the stuff they needed when they needed it, and that made Hiccup think of a way to carry everything a trainer really has to have, all at once."
"Clever," she said. "So when are you going to tell me how to train a dragon?"
"It depends on what kind of dragon you try to train. They're all different. When you find one that's reacting well to you, I'll tell you what to do."
She stopped and turned to face him, beginning to get angry. "I don't like it when people keep secrets from me, especially if I'm going to be facing wild dragons."
"What do you want me to say, Hildi? There are at least fifteen different kinds of dragons I can think of, probably more. They all have their own strengths, their own weaknesses, their own list of do's and don't's... if I tried to tell you everything now, there's no way you'd remember what you need when the moment comes. You have to learn to trust your dragon, and you have to trust me."
"Trust you? A raider who stole from my village? That's not what I call a foundation for trust."
"Yeah, well, I didn't do a very good job of that. Besides, I didn't tell you any lies. Liking me and trusting me are two different things. Now, you can let me get you started in dragon training, or you can wait until Hiccup or one of the others has the time. Either way, once you get home, you'll have to rely on me for the rest of your training, so you might as well start trusting me now."
She stared at him levelly for a few seconds. "Okay. What's the plan?"
"We'll wander out of the village, up to the unused grazing lands where the wild dragons rest. I think all the dragons that hang out in town are already trained by somebody. You're going to make eye contact with every dragon you see. If you get some kind of response, get a fish ready, and I'll tell you what to do."
"I hope I get a Monstrous Nightmare," she said eagerly. "No one would ever mess with Machen again if I had one of those."
"It could happen, but you can't just pick whichever dragon you want; the dragon has a say in the matter, too. You can train just about any dragon to eat out of your hand, but if you want one to be your friend, there's some give-and-take involved; you can't force it. Keep your mind open. With a clever rider, any dragon can break up a raid."
"Even a Terrible Terrier?"
"Terror," Snart corrected her. "Nobody has really tried to train those; they can't do much on their own, and they're uncontrollable in a flock. Let's just say that, if you can ride it, you can rule the skies with it." They were passing out of the village, headed for a field where sheep had overgrazed. The field was lying unused this year while the grass grew back, which made it a perfect place for dragons to rest between the free meals they got in Berk.
"Rule the skies," she repeated. "Against anything except another dragon rider. What if you and Skyraider try to raid Machen again; then what happens?"
Snart considered. "I don't think a dragon will fight another dragon on command, except to protect its own rider. If I tried to flame a building in your town, all you'd have to do is get in the way, and my dragon wouldn't shoot. So you and I would probably wind up flying in circles, calling each other bad names, until my dragon got tired and I had to go home. You'd have the advantage, flying over your own town instead of coming in from miles away." That answer seemed to satisfy her.
The first dragon they found was an orange Monstrous Nightmare, stretched out and snoring. Hildi started to approach it, but Snart grabbed her shoulder. "Don't you remember that childhood saying, 'Let sleeping dragons lie'? Well, it's really good advice, especially with the Stoker Class. Startle them when they're asleep, and they tend to flame first and ask questions later. Let's keep looking."
They passed three or four Gronckles, at least eight Deadly Nadders, and a Zippleback. All were awake, but none of them showed any interest in the two humans. "I don't get it," Hildi complained. "You said I wouldn't have any trouble finding a dragon. None of these stupid lizards has any... what are you smiling at?"
"You have a strong right-handed bias, Hildi. Look over your left shoulder." She did so — and found herself staring into the right eye of a blue Nadder, less than three feet away.
"Is that enough interest for you, Hildi? No, no — don't touch his face, not yet! Offer him a fish." She fumbled with the cover of the Dragonbag, pulled out a haddock, and held it out at arm's length. The Nadder looked at it, then at her, then lunged and snapped up the fish. Hildi quickly checked to make sure all her fingers were still there.
"That's good, Hildi, you've got his attention now. Slowly step back and approach him from the tail end."
She looked at all the upright spines. "The tail? You can't be serious!"
"I can. Approach him from the tail, and say nice things to him. Show him you're not a threat."
"Snart, I don't think you've been here very long. Can't you see those —"
"Hil-di, do what I tell you..." Snart's voice was sing-song smooth, but his face was darkening. "That's how you approach a wild Nad-der. And don't forget to say the nice things. Do it, before something else distracts him."
The young woman hestitantly obeyed. "He certainly — I mean you certainly have a pretty color, dragon. The girly-girls in Machen would probably try to match your color with their outfits if they rode on you. And your spines are so... venomous." She hesitantly reached for the tail. "I'm stroking it, Snart. Nothing's happening. If one of those spines scratches me, how fast does the poison work?"
"Those spines are for your enemies, Hildi, not for you. Keep stroking him." As he spoke, the spines began to relax.
"It's working! He's doing it! Oh, dragon, you're beautiful! Snart, what do I do next?"
As Snart took a breath to answer, the Nadder began vibrating its throat. It turned its head to face Hildi, and deposited a piece of haddock on the ground next to her feet. "You told me about this and your first dragon. Do I have to do what you said you did?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded.
She picked up the fish and took a bite. "Yecch! I hope I only have to do this once." The dragon gazed at her; she hesitantly reached out and stroked its neck. The dragon half-closed its eyes and rumbled contentedly.
"He's yours," whispered Snart, blinking back a tear. The dragon was a little bigger than Skydancer had been, and lighter in color; it could pass for Stormfly's twin brother. "You two, get to know each other. He probably won't let you fly on him today, but nothing's for sure with a dragon. Give him all the fish he wants. I'll be at the Academy. Join us before the sun goes down." He turned and slowly walked away.
As he passed through town, he saw Fishlegs leaving the Mead Hall. The big young man hustled to catch up with him. "Snart, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What's on your mind, big guy?"
"Everybody thinks I'm this walking book. If they have a question about what dragons can do, they come to me. But when it comes to actually training one, it's like I'm not even here. It's all Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup!"
"Then maybe you need to break out of that mold, and do something that makes people realize you're not just a walking — hey, watch it!" They both ducked as two Terrible Terrors flapped by. One was holding the head of a fish, the other held the tail, and neither one would let go, no matter how close they came to hitting people.
"I'd love to, Snart, but what can I do that the others aren't already doing?"
"Why don't you do something with the Terrors? Nobody else is working with them. They're small, and they're always in the way, but they aren't stupid. They have to be good for something! Find out what. That would be your own specialty, and because there are so many of the little things, it could be an important specialty."
"Hmmm." Fishlegs rubbed his chin as he thought. "You might be right... maybe I'll try it. Yeah! Thanks for the idea!" He ran off, already lost in thought. Snart spent the rest of the day sitting on the sea cliff, watching for his dragon to return.
When he finally gave up, just before the supper hour, he returned to the Academy. Hildi was enthusiastically swapping Nadder stories and girl-talk with Astrid; Hiccup was talking to a Viking woman about some kind of problem she was having with her Gronckle; Ruffnut and Tuffnut were scrubbing Barf and Belch with stiff brushes, while Snotlout reclined nearby and called out suggestions to them; and Fishlegs was lost in the Book of Dragons, bringing the Terrible Terror's pages up to date. "I really like this place," Snart thought.
"Hey, you're back!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Excuse me a moment, Frue. Snart, you're just in time."
"In time for what?"
"In time to check out my newest project. I told you, you make extra work for me." Hiccup pulled something small out of his pocket. It was a silver pin shaped like the head of a Skrill. "The only reason you didn't get this earlier was because you never passed on your training to someone else. Today, you did it. Hildi says she kind of made it hard for you, but you kept your cool, and your student trained a dragon. And you've also done something no one else has done — you've trained two dragons for yourself. So take off that copper pin, Dragon Master, and wear this one. You've earned it."
Snart was speechless as the others applauded. He reached for the pin, but Hiccup closed his hand, took Snart's with his other, and looked straight into his eyes. "Snart, no more going on raids, okay?" he said quietly. "Hildi told us about it. I know it's the Viking thing to do, and you want to be a warrior, but we're trying to show people that they don't have to be afraid of dragons."
Snart looked at the floor, embarrassed. "No more raids. I promise." Then he chuckled ruefully. "I'm not giving up much. I've been on two raids, I never hurt anybody, and I never got one piece of loot. I must be the worst Viking who ever lived."
Hiccup smiled wryly. "Sorry, that title is already taken. But there's more than one way to be a Viking. We're exploring those other ways, and you've been a big help to us already. Let's stay on the same road together. Deal?"
"Deal," said Snart.