"You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?" BAM! A blast took the axe head off of Hiccup's hilt, leaving a smoking hole behind him. Hiccup yelped and ran.
"Focus Hiccup! You're not even trying." Gobber yelled. A Deadly Nadder was loose in a maze-like arrangement of moveable walls. Gobber and Kara called orders from above, Gobber standing outside and Kara clutching onto the upper caging.
"Today is all about attack." Kara said. The Nadder hopped from wall to wall, sending the recruits scurrying.
"Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter." Gobber teens moved in, stumbling over Hiccup and his unwieldy shield. The Nadder spotted Fishlegs' ample rear hiding behind a wall. It whipped its tail of spikes. Fishlegs screamed and lifted an entire wall to shield himself from the spray.
"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods." Fishlegs said. Kara laughed.
"Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike." Kara said. Ruff and Tuff rushed in, diving and rolling up to the Nadder's nose. The Nadder sniffed the air - it couldn't see them. Tuff and Ruff were smashed together, too close for comfort.
"Do you ever bathe?" Ruff hissed.
"If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot." Tuff said.
"How about I give you one!" Ruff yelled. Ruff and Tuff shoved each other, till their movement and noise gave them away. The Nadder attacked, snapping at both of them.
"Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much." Kara laughed, hanging upside down from her legs. Hiccup wanders up to Gobber, while the others dart past.
"Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Hiccup asked.
"No one, except Kara, has ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there." Gobber said, shoving him back in.
"I know, I know, but hypothetically..."
"Hiccup!" Astrid hissed. She put her finger to her lips and gestured for him to hide. A moment later, the Nadder leapt over the walls, surprising them by landing in front of her. Astrid somersaulted into its blind spot, confusing it. She reared back to strike - just as Snotlout leapt, protectively sweeping Astrid behind him.
"Watch out babe. I'll take care of this." he said.
"Hey!" Astrid exclaimed. Snotlout MISSES. Astrid glares at him.
"The sun was in my eyes, Astrid. What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don't have time right now!" Kara rolled her eyes and scaled along the chain ceiling. The Nadder tore off after Astrid, knocking down walls in pursuit. She leapt and dove like a highly trained gymnast. Hiccup wandered up to Gobber again.
"They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?" Hiccup asked.
"Hiccup!" Gobber exclaimed.
"-Hiccup!" Hiccup spun around to see the maze walls collapsing like dominos toward him. Astrid came flying through the dust and crash-landed on top of him, laying him out in a limb-tangled mess.
"Oooh! Love on the battlefield!" Tuff laughed.
"She could do better." Ruff remarked. The Nadder closed in, emerging through the cloud of dust. Hiccup struggled to detach himself from Astrid.
"Just... let me... why don't you..." The Nadder spun around and raced back toward them like a Raptor. Astrid untangled herself and tried to pull her axe from Hiccup's shield... which was attached to his limp, gangly arm. She planted her foot on his torso and yanked the axe free, still burrowed into the shield. Astrid spun and swung the axe and shield, scoring a direct hit on the oncoming Nadder's nose. It yelped and scurried off.
"Well done, Astrid." Gobber said. Kara flipped from the ceiling and wrestled the Nadder back into his cave. Hiccup got to his feet - all eyes were upon him. He turned to find Astrid glaring at him, winded.
"Is this some kind of a joke to you? Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on." She grabbed her axe and stomped off. Hiccup watched, stung. Kara came to stand next to him.
"C'mon, let's get out of here." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He sighed and shouldered her off, walking off and leaving Kara with a hurt expression.
Hiccup tossed a fish into the cove. It hit the ground and slid. A moment later, Hiccup peeked through a gap in the rock, looking around cautiously. Nothing. Hiccup squeezed through and entered the cove. Kara perched on the rocks, resting her chin on her hand. A beat, then Hiccup heard a snort from behind him. Hiccup turned to see the Night Fury, crouched on a rock like a stealthy panther. It descended, approaching him... ready to pounce. Hiccup swallowed his fear and offered the fish. Doing so revealed the dagger at his waist. The dragon saw it and hissed. Hiccup reached for it, eliciting a growl. He paused, carefully lifted it by the handle, and tossed it away. The dragon calmed. As it approached the fish, Hiccup noticed that it was missing teeth.
"Huh. Toothless. I could've sworn you had..." A set of razor sharp teeth emerged from its gums to grab the fish. Toothless snatched and gnashed it up, swallowing it. "... teeth."
The teeth retracted again. Toothless pressed closer with an expectant look. Hiccup retreated nervously.
"Uh, no. No, I don't have any more." The Fury backed Hiccup against a rock, placing himself the same position as before. The dragon closed in over him, staring blankly. A tense moment passed... then Toothless regurgitated a chunk of fish onto Hiccup's lap. They exchanged stares while Kara hid a snicker. Hiccup realized what Toothless wanted him to do. Hiccup crouched slowly and squeamishly picked it up. The dragon waited expectantly. Hiccup gagged and gnawed off a bite of the slimy fish. He forced a smile. Toothless mimicked him. Amazed, Hiccup sat up and tried to touch him. Toothless hissed and flapped off to a crash on the other side of the cove. He blasted the mossy ground to a red-hot temperature... and curled up on it like a giant dog. He turned to find Hiccup seated beside him. Toothless tolerated his persistent presence... until Hiccup tried to touch his damaged tail. Toothless snapped at him. Hiccup took the hint and left.
"Grab the fish." Kara said. Hiccup frowned and picked it up. He threw it at her and she caught it with her teeth. Hiccup paused as he saw that they were razor sharp. Why hadn't he ever noticed that before? She ate the rest of the raw fish and then skipped away, leaving a very baffled boy behind.