El curiously looked at his Mama and Papa as they had a discussion with his big sister Zenna and big brother Elias. From what he could understand, Big Brother Elias, Mama and Papa had to go and help his big sister Aurora while Zenna had a class to teach at the Berk Dragon Training Academy.
What confused El was who was going to look after him. Sure, he can go take a nap for as long as he wanted and could but he was still going to need help with some things every now and then, like getting a snack or having his diaper changed.
El just decided to wait and see what happened next.
"All of my friends are off on a hunting trip with Hiccup, Mom and Dad. They won't be back until after my class. Can't you two take El with you?" Zenna asked her parents.
"Sorry, love, but Aurora needs our help and this flight is going quite the distance. El can't handle long flights just yet," Edgar told her gently.
"El will be fine with you, Zen." Elias added.
"And, besides, you'll only be teaching the young ones. There's nothing dangerous about that, right?" Henna asked Zenna.
The one-eyed Dragon Doctor shuffled her feet apprehensively. "Well, no. But, the thing is, I'll be introducing the Scuttleclaw hatchlings to the students. And, take my word for it, those little guys are impossible to control. I'm just worried that El might get hurt…" she said worriedly.
"I'll be careful Zennwa," El piped up from his high chair. Elias Edgar and Henna both chuckled, turning to Zenna.
"El will be fine, Zen. Remember Aurora trained five of them during her years before she met you. You understood how she did that, right?" Elias questioned.
"Well... yes.." Zenna replied, remembering what Aurora had told her about training Scuttleclaw dragons.
"It'll be fine, love. Your father and I both know that you would never let anything happen to El," Henna reassured her daughter.
"And this is the opportunity you and El have been waiting for. You've been telling us that you can't wait for him to start Dragon Training and El's been looking forward to this moment his entire life, which is really saying something. We might as well let him start early," Edgar chuckled.
"Besides, Aurora left you Dart to keep an eye on El." Elias reminded and Zenna turned to see the eldest Night Light female near El.
Zenna gave in and turned to her baby brother. The littlest Fiersome smiled at his big sister. "You ready to start Dragon Training, El?" Zenna asked him softly.
"Yes!" El replied, throwing his hands up in the air.
Thirty minutes later, little Elias II Stoick Fiersome was ready for his first day of Dragon Training. With a well-fed belly and a new diaper, El excitedly put on the Night Light helmet he got on his first birthday and Eret, his stuffed Night Fury plush.
"Dragon Training!" the little boy giggled and took his big sister's hand.
"Have fun, you two!" Henna and Edgar bade them goodbye as they left the house with Elias. "We will! Take care, Mom and Dad! See you later!" Zenna cheerily waved goodbye to her parents. "Bye, Mama! Bye, Papa! I wuv you!" El said goodbye to his parents as well as he and his big sister Zenna mounted Stryka and they flew off to the Academy along with Dart.
On their way to the Academy, many of the villagers stopped whatever they were doing to greet the Dragon Doctor and coo adorably at El. Zenna giggled a bit as her baby brother shyly smiled and said, "Hello…" while hiding behind her.
When they arrived at the Berk Dragon Training Academy, Gustav Larson ran up to greet them. "Morning, Dr. Zenna!" the now 15-year-old Viking boy greeted the one-eyed Dragon Doctor and saluted Stryka, who purred, before noticing little El clinging to his big sister's leg. "Hello, El," Gustav smiled gently at the little boy.
"Hi, Gustav!" El giggled.
"Are the other trainees here?" Zenna asked Gustav, who was the leader of all the new recruits in the Academy. "All present and accounted for, Dr. Zenna. They're really excited to meet the Scuttleclaws," Gustav reported.
"Scuddleclaws!" El repeated, slightly mispronouncing the dragon's name due to his still developing speech skills.
Zenna smiled, loving her baby brother's enthusiasm, and turned to Gustav.
"Well, we better not keep them waiting," she said primly. With El holding her hand, Zenna entered the arena with Gustav and Stryka.
Already the future Dragon Trainers and Dragon Riders were excitedly crowding around the area where the baby Scuttleclaws were currently hanging out in. Some of them tried to fly but they instantly (and amazingly) behaved the minute Dart came near them.
"Good morning, class!" Zenna greeted the five young Vikings who cheerfully greeted her, "Good morning, Dr. Fiersome!"
El giggled and waved hi to the students as well. "Oh, look! Dr. Fiersome brought her baby brother with her today!" an 11-year-old girl with brown curls named Allie gushed.
"He's so cute!" Allie's best friend, a redhead named Siggy, squealed.
El, a little shy, hid behind Gustav. Zenna smiled.
"Yes, as you guys can see, we have a new member in our class. So I want all of you to set a good example for El, okay? No roughhousing, alright?" she reminded her students gently.
"She's looking at you two, Magnus and Knut," Gustav told the black haired boys who were Hoark's sons.
"We understand, Dr. Fiersome," Magnus said sheepishly.
"No roughhousing, we got it," Knut said in agreement.
Then Zenna noticed a familiar face watching her and El with curious eyes.
"Hey there, Kayla," Zenna smiled at the little girl with short strawberry-blonde hair.
"Hi, Dr. Zenna," Kayla said shyly. Little Kayla was Zenna's favorite student.
Not only was she one of the brightest students in the junior division, Kayla was also pretty close to Eret who had saved her during the battle with Drago.
"Hello, El," Kayla greeted Zenna's baby brother with a smile.
"Kaywa!" El squealed, toddling over to the little girl and gave her a hug. Zenna smiled as Kayla picked El up, slightly staggering.
"You're heavy!" Kayla giggled while El cooed and clapped his little hands.
Then Zenna went to the baby Scuttleclaws' who chirped happily at the sight of her. "Let's get started everyone!" she called out and all the students gathered around.
The lesson was filled with laughter and smiles as the students gamely answered Zenna's questions about the Scuttleclaws. And when the rambunctious little dragons were set loose, all the kids eagerly rushed over to play with them. With Dart and Stryka keeping her eye on them, the baby Scuttleclaws were well-behaved for once.
"Scuddleclaws!" El squealed and toddled over to a group of them. Instantly the Scuttleclaws shifted their attention to the little human hatchling cooing at them. One Scuttleclaw gave El a big lick that made him laugh merrily and he reached out to pet it.
"Sooo cuuuttee!" Allie and Siggy gushed. Magnus and Knut smiled in agreement.
"El's got a natural bond with them," Gustav remarked.
"I think he's going to be a really great Dragon Rider, Dr. Zenna," Kayla looked up at the one-eyed Dragon Doctor with a grin. Zenna smiled as El cooed and cuddled with the baby Scuttleclaws. She could already tell that her sweet baby brother would become a friend to all dragons…
"Fly!" El suddenly giggled.
Before anyone could move, one Scuttleclaw lifted El up by the back of his tunic and placed him on another Scuttleclaw, which promptly flew out of the Academy area with him!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Zenna screamed in horror, her students covering their ears. Luckily Stryka snapped her out of it with a light whack to the head using her tail.
"Follow that Scuttleclaw!" Gustav shouted and mounted Fanghook, his Monstrous Nightmare, and took off.
Then Kayla and the rest of the trainees mounted the other Scuttleclaws and took off as well!
"No! Wait! They're untrainable, remember? Untrainable!" Zenna frantically shouted but her students were already gone. Stryka warbled as Zenna pulled at her hair in a panic. Dart then smacked her with her tail and gave her the 'Don't you remember face'
"Oh, Holy Shields, Mom and Dad are going to kill me!" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor moaned. Stryka sighed and nudged Zenna before lowering herself down. Then the trio heard a chirp behind them and saw a lavander coloured Scuttleclaw coming near them. "What a second... Lilac?!" Zenna recognized.
Lilac was one of Aurora's trained Scuttleclaws that she rescued. Lilac was very playful but acted like an authority figure when the situation called for it and boy did it ever!
"Right…Get El and all the students back before someone finds out…" Zenna muttered, calming down a bit, and mounted the one-eyed Night Fury, flying off in the direction El and the students had gone along with Dart and Lilac.
"Wheeeeeeee!" El squealed in delight as his Scuttleclaw friend whizzed around Berk.
The Scuttleclaw was very careful in flying so it wouldn't drop the little boy but it also had great fun whenever El said, "Faster!" and sped up, El shrieking in delight.
"Again! Again!" El clapped his hands before a large group of dragons, consisting of Fanghook and the rest of the Scuttleclaws, caught up with him.
"El, get off that Scuttleclaw this instant!" Gustav ordered firmly.
"Why?" El cocked his head, confused.
"Just please get off the dragon," Gustav sighed.
"No!" El pouted, crossing his arms and shaking his head.
"Please, El? Zenna's worried…" Kayla pleaded with the little boy. But little El still wanted to fly.
"No! Fly again!" he commanded his Scuttleclaw steed.
Squawking merrily, the Scuttleclaw sped up and left Gustav and the other trainees behind.
"Wow…" Magnus said in awe.
"Whoa…" Knut nodded in agreement.
"El's stubborn," Allie remarked.
"Very stubborn," Siggy added. Sighing, Gustav and Kayla got everyone to give chase. Little did they know that Zenna and Stryka along with Dart and Lilac were gaining on them.
In just a few beats of Stryka's wings, Zenna finally caught up with her students. "Normally I'd give you guys a lecture about disobedience and reckless riding but, now, we have more pressing matters to attend to," Zenna said grimly.
"Like getting your stubborn little brother back safe on the ground before anybody finds out?" Gustav asked innocently.
"Exactly," Zenna nodded before seeing that all the trainees were doing pretty well in controlling the Scuttleclaws.
'They'll make good Riders for sure…' Zenna thought with pride. Then she got down to business. "Lilac, can you get in front of El and the Scuttlclaw?" she asked the lavender Scuttleclaw.
Lilac nodded and flew off to get in front of the duo then Zenna addressed the others, "I want you guys to split into two teams of three. We're gonna try surrounding El and his Scuttleclaw. Gustav, you're with Knut and Siggy – left flank. Kayla, you, Magnus and Allie form the right. Move out!" Zenna commanded.
"M'am, yes, m'am!" the six members of the Dragon Training Academy split up and flew into position.
"Let's get ahead of them, Stryka," Zenna told her draconian sister. Growling with determination, Stryka sped up.
Meanwhile, El was having the time of his life. He even got his Scuttleclaw to do some tricks like upward and downward spirals!
"Wheee! More! More!" El giggled. He and his Scuttleclaw were just about to do more tricks before Lilac got in front of them and chirped at the Scuttleclaw which stopped right where it was. "Hey.." El whined before he saw that they were suddenly surrounded!
"Uh oh…" El mumbled before a black streak whizzed by, picking him off the Scuttleclaw's back. El immediately began to whine in protest before quieting down when he realized that it had been his big sister who had snatched him from his ride. Zenna had a stern face on as she lifted El up onto her lap. Stryka let out a huff, commanding the Scuttleclaws to go back to the Academy.
"Good work surrounding them, guys!" Zenna called out to Gustav, Kayla, Allie, Siggy, Magnus and Knut before giving El a sharp look.
"Elias II Stoick Fiersome, just what did you think you were doing?" she asked, her one violet eye narrowed. El sheepishly took off his helmet and covered his face with it. "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you, young man," Zenna told him firmly.
"I was riding a dragon…" El said timidly.
"Did I give you permission to ride a dragon, El?" Zenna asked him as they flew back to the Academy area
"What's pew-mish-on?" El crinkled his eyebrows.
"Per-mis-sion is when someone lets you do something after you've asked that person. Now did I give you my permission to go dragon riding?" Zenna lectured her baby brother. El made a sad face and shook his head.
Stryka then landed in the Academy area where Gustav and the other students were herding the Scuttleclaws back into their little area. El hopped off of his sister's lap before hopping off of the saddle.
"Zennwa…are you mad at me?" he asked quietly. Zenna's face softened and she gently picked up her little brother and cradled him in her arms.
"No, El, of course not. I could never stay mad at you. But I was really worried when you just took off like that. If you had gotten hurt, I would never forgive myself," she said softly.
"I'm sorry, Zennwa…" El apologized sincerely.
"I forgive you, El," Zenna smiled, kissing El's button nose.
The Scuttleclaws chattered noisily until El toddled over to them. The rambunctious baby dragons immediately quieted down.
That's when Zenna got an idea.
Opening the pens and locking down the exit on one side of the arena, Zenna turned to her students. "Who's up for some Dragon Riding?" she asked with an excited smile.
"Me!" El, Gustav, Kayla, Magnus, Knut, Allie and Siggy squealed.
Not long after, Auroa, Elias Edgar and Henna returned from helping Aurora with Hiccup and the rest of the Dragon Riders. With great baskets of fish and meat for the village's food supply, the company of eleven walked into town to be greeted by Gobber, who promptly herded them to the Academy.
Imagine their surprise when they saw all six students of the Junior Dragon Training class riding on the so-called 'uncontrollable' Scuttleclaw hatchlings like professional Dragon Riders and being led by little one-and-a-half-year-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome and Lilac?
"Up!" El chirped and the Scuttleclaws soared up to the top of the arena.
"Down!" At El's command, the Scuttleclaws dove down.
"Tricks!" El shouted and a dazzling display of fancy somersaults and spirals and spins followed before El said, "Land!" and the Scuttleclaw hatchlings landed in a straight line in front of their stunned audience.
Zenna beamed proudly at El before looking at Hiccup, who was just staring at El with his jaw dropping open. "Yeah, apparently the baby Scuttleclaws don't listen to anyone…except for my baby brother and Lilac," Zenna smiled as her little brother, not even two-years-old, toddled over to his family.
Edgar was the first to speak. "Um…well…how was Dragon Training, son?" he asked awkwardly.
"It was fun! When can I go again, Papa?" El giggled while Zenna sighed and smiled knowingly.
That day, Elias II Stoick Fiersome officially became the youngest student in the history of the Berk Dragon Training Academy.