Hiccup and Kara entered Hiccup's home to see Stoick, seated on a thick slice of tree-trunk. He was slouched over the fire-pit, stirring the coals with his axe. Embers wafted around his beard. Hiccup and Kara tried to sneak past, up the stairs to his room. Stoick seemed none the wiser, when...
"Hiccup." Stoick said. Hiccup gestured that Kara should hide, and she continued climbing. Her ears picked up their conversation, and she peered down to watch.
"Dad. Uh..." Hiccup said nervously. Stoick stood and took a deep breath. "I, uh... I have to talk to you, Dad."
"I need to speak with you too, son." Hiccup and Stoick straightened at the same moment.
"I've decided I don't want to I think it's time you learn fight dragons to fight dragons." They said at the same time, their sentence's morphed together. "What?"
"You go first." Stoick said.
"No, you go first." Hiccup said.
"Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning." Stoick told him.
"Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings, or small home repair vikings-"
"-You'll need this." Stoick handed Hiccup his axe. Hiccup avoided taking it.
"I don't want to fight dragons." Hiccup said.
"Come on. Yes, you do." Stoick said.
"Rephrase. Dad I can't kill dragons." Hiccup said.
"But you will kill dragons."
"No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't." Hiccup insisted.
"It's time Hiccup." Stoick continued
"Can you not hear me?" Stoick forced the axe into Hiccup's hands. Its weight dragged him down.
"This is serious son! When you carry this axe... you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us. No more of..."He gestured non-specifically at Hiccup. "... this."
"You just gestured to all of me." Hiccup said.
"Deal?" Stoick asked.
"This conversation is feeling very one-sided." Hiccup said, annoyed.
"Deal?!" Stoick repeated, louder. Hiccup glanced at the axe in his hands. It was a no-win argument.
"Deal." Hiccup agreed. Satisfied, Stoick grabbed his helmet and duffel bag... and headed for the door.
"Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably." Stoick said.
"And I'll be here. Maybe." Stoick headed out the door, leaving Hiccup holding the axe. Hiccup dropped it and climbed up to meet Kara, who met his eyes with a sad look.
"I'm sorry, Hic." She said. He only sighed.
"I can't do this." He said, panicked. She grabbed his hand with her surprisingly delicate fingers, causing him to look up in surprise. She smiled encouragingly.
"You'll be fine. If it makes you feel better, I'll get the dragons for you, so you don't have to fight." She said.
"Wait, you'll be there too?" Hiccup asked, confused. She nodded.
"Gobber wants me to help out. My challenge is to not hurt the dragons. But if worst comes to worse..." She sighed, her hand falling from his.
"How come you kill dragons?" Hiccup asked. "How is it so easy for you?"
"I..." Kara's eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed. Her hand gripped her hair. "I can't say."
"Kara..." Hiccup said. She stood, determined.
"Meet me in the woods, tomorrow, after practice." She said. She then climbed down the stairs and left.
"Welcome to dragon training!" The recruits filed through the gate, and out onto the arena floor. They took it in like gladiators entering the colosseum. The walls were covered in scorched silhouettes of blasted Vikings. It was a grim yet awe-inspiring place.
"No turning back." Astrid said.
"I hope I get some serious burns." Ruffnut said.
"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back." Tuffnut said.
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid added.
"Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it." The recruits turned to see Hiccup behind them.
"Oh great. Who let him in?" Tuffnut groaned.
"Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village." Gobber said.
" Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or...?" Snotlout said. The recruits laughed.
"Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?" Tuffnut said.
"Real cute, Tuff." Kara remarked, strutting into the arena. The others stared at her in surprise. She already knew how to fight dragons, why was she here. Kara threw a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushered him along.
"Don't worry. You're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target. They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead." Gobber said. Kara stuck him in line with the others and continued on toward five massive reinforced doors with Gobber. Terrible roars and bellows issued from within.
"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight." Kara said. Yeah, that's why she was there. To help teach. Fishlegs bounced and giggled with excitement, barely able to contain himself. "The Deadly Nadder."
"Speed eight. Armor sixteen." Fishlegs said.
"The Hideous Zippleback." Gobber added.
"Plus eleven stealth. Times two."
"The Monstrous Nightmare." Kara said.
"Firepower fifteen."
"The Terrible Terror."
"Attack eight. Venom twelve."
"Can you stop that?!" Gobber yelled.
"And...the Gronckle." Kara continued, giving Gobber a look as he collected himself.
"Jaw strength, eight." Fishlegs said. Gobber pulled a lever, raising the cross beam on the last of the doors.
"Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first!?" Snotlout yelled.
"I believe in learning on the job. Kara, don't kill it!" Gobber said.
"Aww, but that takes the fun out of it!" Kara said, prepping herself.
A Gronkle thundered out of its cave, charging into the ring like an irated rhino. The recruits scrambled in every direction. Except for Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who rushed toward it like pumped-up rodeo clowns.
"Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead." Kara said, sliding under the Gronckle as it charged her.
"Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?" Gobber asked.
"A doctor?"
"Plus five speed?"
"A shield." Astrid said.
"Shields. Go." The recruits scrambled for shields, finding them scattered around the ring. Kara watched.
"Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield." Hiccup struggled to lift his. Kara helped him and sent him running. Ruff and Tuff stood amidst a dozen shields. But only one had a skull painted on it. They both grabbed it.
"Get your hands off my shield!" Tuff yelled.
"There are like a million shields!" Ruff snapped.
"Take that one, it has a flower on it. Girls like flowers." Ruffnut used the shield to bash Tuffnut in the face. He didn't let go.
"Ooops, now this one has blood on it." The Gronckle took aim at the distracted twins and fired. The shield was blasted out of both of their hands. Tuff and Ruff spun like tops and went down.
"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!" Kara yelled.
"What?!" The Gronckle scooped up a pile of rocks and swallowed them. The teens gathered on the far side of the ring.
"Those shields are good for another thing. Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim." Kara said. The kids scooped up weapons and began hammering on their shields. The Gronckle shook its head at the clatter. "Bonus point: What's the only dragon unaffected by noise?"
"Banshee Dragons!" Fishlegs called.
"Extra point to Fishlegs!" Kara called.
"All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"
"Five!" Snotlout shouted.
"No, six." Fishlegs corrected.
"Correct, six. That's one for each of you!"
"I really don't think my parents would-" BAM! Fishlegs had his shield blasted away.
"Fishlegs, out." Gobber spotted Hiccup hiding from the Gronckle's molten slugs. "Hiccup, get in there!"
Astrid bounced on her heels, ready to dodge a blast. Snotlout appeared, trying to hit on her.
"So anyway I'm moving into my parents' basement. You should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out-" She cartwheeled out of the way, allowing a shot to shoot past her and hit Snotlout's shield. He was blasted onto his back.
"Snotlout! You're done!" Kara yelled. Astrid rolled to a stop beside Hiccup, who stirred awkwardly, trying to look cool.
"So, I guess it's just you and me huh?" Hiccup said.
"No. Just you." Astrid rolled away. A split-second later a lava slug knocked Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Hiccup was exposed.
"One shot left!" Gobber announced. Hiccup panicked and chased after his shield as it rolled across the ring. The sudden movement sent the Gronckle chasing after him, leaving Astrid in the clear.
"Hiccup!" Kara yelled, frightened. The Gronckle drove straight toward Hiccup, pinning him against the wall. It opened its mouth and cocked its tail, ready to fire point-blank. Kara lunged in and took the hit herself. She was unaffected, much to everyone's confusion yet relief, but she passed out in Hiccup's lap.
"And that's six!" Gobber said. Gobber wrestled the irate Gronckle back into his pen. "Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry.
"Remember... a dragon will always, always go for the kill." Gobber said, fixing Hiccup with a stern look. Gobber turned and walked away. Hiccup stared at the girl in his lap, shaken and grateful.