A.N: Okay I'm uploading this a little early cause I won't have time to do it later, with work and projects and other such nonsense...also I had it finished earlier than I expected too...sooooo here ya go!
"A paradise untouched by man,
Within this world blessed with love.
A simple life, they live in peace."
Taking a deep breath, I slowly make my way toward the training arena. The axe doesn't feel so heavy now, I'd been working most of the night to get it to where I can hold it with just one hand without toppling over. Let me tell you it was a lot of work…a lot of work. I still can't swing it like a normal Viking can, but I can smack things with it. Not very impressive I know, but it is better than what I use to be able to do with an axe, which was next to nothing. So, for me, this is a great improvement! I'm starting to feel good about today already.
Crossing the bridge, I can see Gobber and the other students already waiting at the gate, 'I hope they just got here…Odin please let them just get there.' I quicken my pace fighting back a yawn. Oh yeah, the reason I was running late this morning is that, as I said, I had been training my arms most of the night to be able to handle the weight of the axe. This resulted in me not getting to sleep until early this morning…so I didn't get much in the way of sleep. 'What great way to start your first day in training.' Slowing my pace I quietly come up behind the group, there was Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut…and…there standing in front of everyone, wielding a double edged axe standing tall and proud was the girl of my dreams, Astrid. Heh, Well I suppose it won't be too bad. Hey, maybe this isn't just my chance to impress my father, maybe it's a chance to impress her too! A smile formed on my face as I thought of her actually talking to me.
I was jolted out of my daydream when a loud clatter suddenly reaches my ears. I look over to see that Gobber had opened the gate allowing us all entrance to the ring.
"Welcome to Dragon Training!"
Sighing I trailed in behind everyone else, 'Well, here goes nothing!' Taking a deep breath I trail in behind the rest of the group.
"No turning back."
Astrids' voice came out smooth as silk, but as strong as a rock. I peek around the group to see her walk forward, tall and proud with her head held high. Just like a Viking should walk. Like nothing can touch them. The thing I love about her is that confidence just oozed off her, I think that if you ever needed to learn the definition of confident you should just look up Astrid. You'll definitely know what it is then, I'm hoping that she can share some of that confidence with the rest of us…mostly me…cause I think that I'm gonna need it. Swallowing I look around at the foreboding arena that had every exit blocked… 'She wasn't kidding…there really is no turning back.' I hear a thud and click, turning my head I see Gobber sealing off the exit. 'Oh man, I hope I'm up for this…' My grip tightens on the axe, palms already starting to sweat. While all the other kids where looking about ready to burst with excitement, I feel like I'm in the wrong place.
Looking around I map out my surroundings, I think that it's a good idea to know where you're at before hand. Better to know now then to guess later. Furrowing my brows, I noticed it had to be a couple yards wide on each side, with a big chain net that hung over the top, its purpose, to keep the dragons from getting out. That's when my eyes scanned over a number of doors which were lined up along the far wall. The doors looked twice as big as Gobber and each was secured by a heavy round wooden plank. Metal clasps firmly held the door in place it wouldn't matter how hard the dragon thrashed, it was mad certain that the door wouldn't give, unless you pull the lever that was placed just on the left side of each door.
"I'm hoping I get some serious burns!"
Rolling my eyes I bring my attention back to the group in front of me, of course they'd want battle scars. It seemed that having a scar is like gaining a badge of honor.
"Yeah I'm hoping for some mauling…like, on my shoulder or lower back."
'Mauling…really?' I shudder at the thought of a dragon attacking from behind, this thought led to images of lots of blood…and death. 'Who in the world would want that?' Trying to erase the images of mauled Vikings out of my head. I cringe. 'Only the twins would try and out do each other in battle scars. I'd be more thrilled if I walked out of here without even a bruise.'
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Her voice cut through my thoughts like a delicate knife. I don't know how she manages to bring me back down to Earth, but all my attention is back to what's in front of me.
"Yeah, no kidding right?" I notice them all look perplexed at me, surprised that I had said something. "Pain…love it."
Tuffnut and Ruffnut both had that irritating raised brow that seemed to question if I was here or not, Snotlouts' expression was that of amusement...at least that's what it looked like to me. Fishlegs just looked shocked to see me. Astrids' expression betrayed nothing. She was the hardest to read out of all of them. I knew she had been shocked but as to if, she thought I was a nuisance or not I really couldn't tell. Now she just looked bored.
"Oh, great, who let him in?"
Thinning my lips I glance at Tuffnut, 'Remain cool, remember why you're here…You can do this no matter what anyone thinks.' Reassuring myself, I square my shoulders feeling more confident.
"All righ' le's get started!" I jolted forward hearing Gobber voice boom out from right behind me. Clutching the axe tightly in my hand I watched as Gobber walked to stand beside me. "Th' recruit who does best will win th' honor of killing their firs' dragon in fron' of th' entire village!"
I couldn't help but flinch at the word "killing" he had said it with such glee that it was almost scary. 'Odin, please help me.' The thought of killing anything made my stomach turn. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.'
"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury so…doesn't that disqualify him."
I rest my case. Not even in the ring for five minutes and Snotlout already has to say something. I shift my eyes to the toe of my boot, confidence slowly being sucked away. Ruffnut and Tuffnut both started chortling loudly at my expense. 'I hate how he can so easily knock me down without even lifting a finger.' Sighing I slump my shoulders. 'Maybe this really wasn't such a good idea…well it can only get better…right?'
Looking down I stare at the floor weighing my decision to even show up today, right now it was looking like a bad one. I was pulled from my thoughts as a hand jerks my shoulder down and causes me to stumble forward. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gobber smiling at me.
"Don' worry, yeh're small and yeh're weak. Tha'll make you less of a target!" I furrow my eyebrows…is this suppose to be a motivational speech to cheer me up. If it is, it's making my confidence go the wrong way…it's really not helping. "They'll see yeh as sick or insane and go afteh the more Viking like teens instead."
He chuckled patting my shoulder and shoved me in line next to Fishlegs. Ah good ol' Gober knows just how to make you feel downright weak and small. Great, that's all I need right now, to feel more insignificant then when I came in. I may need to learn how to fight dragons but he really needs a class on how to motivate…the right way.
"NOW!" His thunderous voice shook me out of my thoughts, 'I really should start paying attention.' I shift the axe so it rested on my shoulder. "These ar' jus' a few of th' many species yeh'll learn tah fight! The Deadly Nadder!"
"Speed; eight. Armor; sixteen!" I glance up at the Fishlegs astounded. 'Did he just…?'
"The Hideous Zippleback!"
"Attack: Eleven, Stealth times two!" I blink watching him eagerly grasping his hammer.
"The Monstrous Nightmare."
"Firepower; fifteen." A crooked smile fell on my face, 'This was actually pretty interesting.'
"The Terrible Terror."
"Attack; eight, Venom; twelve!" 'He's really chocked up about this.' I quirk a brow watching Fishlegs practically hop from foot to foot.
'Geez I'd be happy to if I could list a dragons strengths like that.' My knowledge so far is, 'Look a dragon! Run!' That's pretty much it. It's sad I know, but that's all anyone ever told me to do…so…you can't really blame me.
I glance at Gobber who looks like he's getting ready to explode. I flinch at his expression, getting on Gobbers' bad side is not a good idea. Believe me, it's not a very pretty sight. Turning on the boy Gobber shouts, "CAN YEH STOP THA'?"
Everything was silent and still after that. All of us stood at attention waiting for Gobber to finish listing of the dragons. He walks to the last door and places his hand on the lever.
"An'…th' Gronkle." The smile he got just now gave me the chills.
"Jaw strength: Eight."
'Huh?' I tilt my head toward Fishlegs, his beady eyes shifted from me to Gobber. Blinking I start to look back at Gobber when I heard Snotlout's panicked question.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, aren't you gonna teach us first?"
My eyes dart to Gobber whose grin made my heart drop.
'Oh man I don't like that look…Please don't tell me he's gonna…'
"I believe in learning on the job."
'He's gonna!' Without any more warning he yanked down the lever which caused the wooden plank from the door which suddenly burst open reveling an angry, slightly clumsy, Gronkle. Instinctively I dart away from the dragon. My heart starting to beat loudly in my chest as the growling of the Gronkle reached my ears.
'Learning on the job Gobber? This is Dragon Training! Not sword welding or shield making!'
"Today is abou' survival. If yeh ge' blasted yer dead!"
'Survival, on the first day? This is ridiculous shouldn't it be like…anything else?' My eyes dart across the arena making sure to keep my eyes on the dragon, heart slamming in my ribcage, every fiber of my being telling me to run and hide. As I said it was all I knew, unfortunately I did not have many options.
"Quick! Wha's th' firs' thing yer goin' tah need?"
Not even thinking I blurted, "A doctor!"
"Plus five speed?"
"A shield!" Right, shield of course!
"Righ'! Shield, go!" With that, I took off, looking for the nearest shield to grab. Spotting a red one, I make a break for it.
"The shield is the Vikin's most powerful tool."
'I know, I just can't figure out how to…' I clumsily try to grasp at the handles on the back of the shield. The axe in my left hand wasn't making it any easier. Gods I just learned how to hold an axe, now he wants me to hold a shield! 'Gimme a break geez!' Again, Gobbers' voice rumbled like thunder, breaking through my thoughts.
"If yeh mus' make a choice between th' sword or th' shield…" He grabs my axe, picks up the shield and latches it onto my arm. "Take th' shield!" He then shoves me toward the dragon. Stumbling I come to a halt a few feet from where Astrid and Snotlout stood.
Nervously licking my lips, I willed myself to keep moving, because if there's one thing I know, it's that staying stationary for to long is a very bad idea, especially around dragons. Keeping my eyes on the dragon, I noticed him heading away from me, following its flight pattern I see it head straight for Ruffnut and Tuffnut who were bickering over a shield. Ruffnut had yanked the shield from her brother and smacked him on the head with it. I couldn't help but flinch, I mean he had a helmet, but still having it shoved on your head isn't very pleasant.
My eyes shifted to the Gronkle, it had opened its mighty jaws, preparing to fire a blast at them. The two had started yanking on the shield again; both still too distracted to notice that the dragon was a few feet away. I watched as it uncaringly fired away at them. I couldn't help but lift my shield and flinch at the crack that came off the shield, the after shock sent them both back. 'Well that sounded like it hurt…'
"Ruffnut, Tuffnut yer ou'!"
I would have cheered had not a dragon been flying around. It made me feel good that I had outlasted the terrible twins. 'This is awesome!' I dodged out of the line of sight of the dragon, doing my best to stay behind him. If I stayed behind him, then he couldn't see me, if he couldn't see me then he couldn't target me. That makes sense…right? Unfortunately, he managed to keep me in his sights. Astrid was on my right, Snotlout on my left.
"Those shields are good fer anotheh thin', noise!"
Automatically I start banging my axe against my shield, keeping my eyes on the Gronkle that now looked like he was twitching. "Make lots of it teh throw off a dragon's aim." Furrowing my brows, I run to the left trying to get back behind him.
"Each, dragon has a limited numbeh of shots, how many does a Gronkle have?"
Uhh…I'm drawing blanks! I don't ever remember learning how many shots each dragon has! I just know that they shot fire blasts and to avoid them!
"Five?"
"No six!"
"Correct six! Tha's one for each of yeh!" Of course, Fishlegs knew. I wonder what else he knows…maybe I should find him some time and ask him.
A hiss followed by crack and Fishlegs scream let me know that he had just been blasted.
"Fishlegs, out!"
That was to close for comfort; I ducked behind the wooden planks that held our weapons. It seemed like a safe place to hide .All I cared about was the fact that the dragon couldn't see me and I had no chance of getting blasted.
"Hiccup! Get in there!" I squeeze my eyes shut, apparently, Gobber saw me, and so I inch out. My luck had it that the Gronkle saw me the instant I moved out of the comfort of my hiding spot and shot a blast at me.
"AH!" With that, I shrunk behind the hidden wall again. 'I think I'll stay back here.'
I risked a chance to peek out of my hiding spot in time to see Astrid smoothly roll out from a reverse tumble in front of Snotlout. Her face intensely focused on the Gronkle in front of her. Snotlout leaned forward and started talking to her. My eyebrows furrowed and my stubborn pride got the best of me and I duck out of my hiding spot and started to maneuver myself closer to them. If there is one thing that I cannot stand, it is Snotlout trying to one up me.
Clearly ignoring him Astrid leaped away, as a blast knocked the shield into his chest and forced him back. I couldn't fight the smile that crept on my face, just the thought that I lasted longer then he did was amazing. Seeing a figure pop up next to me caused my smile to get even bigger when Astrid popped up beside me. Nothing mattered anymore, the arena disappeared, and all I could see was the beautiful blonde Viking standing next to me.
"So I guess it's just you and me huh?" She has this affect on me, where my brain shuts off and I start just saying things without even thinking, which makes me sound stupid, especially to a girl like her. Sad thing is that I don't think she even heard me.
"Nope, just you!"
'What?…' I quirk a brow and my eyes then start to register the entire ring again once Astrid was out of my line of sight, and then I saw the dragon, but I saw it just a little to late. Flinching I reflexively hold up the shield at the last minute to block the fire blast that was aimed at me. The force of the blast knocked me back.
"One shot left!"
Blinking myself out of the daze, I then realized that all my warnings were going off in my head. It took half a second to realize that my arm was suddenly lighter. Glancing down at my empty arm, then I frantically look around and noticed that my shield was rolling the wrong direction. My only thought was to get the shield back so I started chasing it. Heart thudding against my ribcage, I start, in vainly, to grasp at my shield. 'Please, please, please! Let me reach it in time.' My fingers almost ghost against the side when I heard Gobbers' voice crack through my thoughts.
"HICCUP!"
Whirling around I see that the dragon was, of course, chasing me. My heart just needs to make a permanent home in my throat seeing as how that's where is half the time. I start to stumble which causes me to fall back, leaving me to crawl backward. My mouth went dry as my back smacked against the wall. Another bad habit I have is cornering myself.
'Oh great. Not again!' I squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head away, after all anything was better than staring down a dragon's throat as it readies to blast you all the way to Hel. Heart beating so loudly in my chest it is the only thing that I can hear until I hear a loud blast above me, and I couldn't help but duck into a fetal position.
"And tha's six! Go back tah bed yeh over grown sausage!" Slowly opening my eyes and taking deep breaths I see Gobber twist the dragon back into it's cage. I slowly lift my head up in time to see all the kids approach Gobber. I took a few more deep breaths trying to calm my heart.
"Yeh'll ge' another chance don' yeh worry. Remember th' dragon will always…" He turned to gaze seriously at me. This causes me to shrink back. "Always…goes for th' kill." He lifts me up to my feet and starts to walk away. Panting I watch them all walk away. Biting my lips, I look back at the blast in the cement wall. Then, for some reason, my mind started reeling all the way back to the Night Fury. 'Dragons will always go for the kill huh…?'
"All dragons…?"
I turn toward the exit and start running out of the arena, 'The Night Fury didn't! He didn't kill me!' Excitement throbbed in my veins as my heart pumped adrenaline into my system. Everything started to blur around me as I ran all the way, to where I found the Night Fury.
Taking hard long breaths, I start to look for the place he fell. Slowing down I slide down the incline and crawl up the hill just to clamber down the other side. Slowly walking around the boulder, I gaze down at the empty space that had held the Night Fury. Running my tongue on my dry lips, I walk over to where the forgotten bola lay. Kneeling down I furrow my brows as I lift the heavy stones in my hands, 'Dragons go for the kill…'
"So why didn't you?"
I bite my lip, staring at the horizon. 'It just doesn't make any sense, if dragons are supposed to go for the kill…then why didn't he?' My mind replays the moment when I was staring the dragon in the face. His luminescent green eyes stuck foremost in my mind. Thinning my lips I look up, my gaze following the direction the dragon had flown off in.
'I wonder…' Curiosity got the better of me, I just had to know…was he different…could that even be possible? Can a dragon process fear, much less register seeing it. As I went over that memory again, I remember that he had the power, the speed, and the opportunity…so…why didn't he? What stopped him?
It wasn't very hard to figure out the direction he went. I found uprooted trees, and broken branches. Following the trail of the ravaged landscape and uprooted trees; I couldn't help but think that he might be badly injured. I carefully moved through the forest until the trail ended at a ledge with, I move around trying to find away to look down, without risking the fear of tumbling down. I walkover to a pile of stones, gasping I continently found a small space that curved into a little cave. Jumping down I duck under a branch and move toward the end.
Beneath the ledge, there was the breathtaking landscape. Walls of stones lined the valley on all sides; splashes of green dotted the stones, getting thicker as they reached the top spanning out into wild trees above the canyon. Birds flew into the sunlight that poured in from the opening and lit up the place like a forgotten paradise. A waterfall splayed out into the lake below, a rainbow spread from the spray of the water fall and disappeared into water below. The lake rested in the middle of the valley, splitting it into two sides. My eyes scanned from left to right, and then back again. I didn't see was the one thing that I wanted to see. My hope started to dwindle, 'Where's the dragon?' Maybe it wasn't here, groaning I start to think that this was a waste of time, like most of the things I've done recently. Disappointment started to swallow me.
"Well this was stupid…" I mutter to myself scanning the valley again, still nothing. Then something glints in the sunlight, quirking a brow I kneel down next to a small black object that rested on a stones. Picking it up I bring it closer so that I can get a better look. Gently touching the black object, I could feel that it was smooth and cool to the touch. It didn't look like a stone I'd ever seen, it was a solid black. Squinting I tilt my head to try to get a better perspective. 'What is…?'
Then a blast shuddered through the little cave causing me to fall back. My heart leaping back up into my throat as I heard scraping sounds and gurgling grunts. Leaning forward in time to see the Night Fury slide down the cliff side and glide back into the valley. Panting, my jaw was agape for a second this was it. I really couldn't believe my luck. Suddenly, I decided I wanted to get closer. Leaping onto a nearby boulder that overhung the valley I lowered myself until my stomach touched the cool surface and I leaned forward to get a better look at the dragon.
I couldn't get over how amazing this was, to be able to sit here and watch a dragon try and fly. I just couldn't wrap my mind around how cool this was. Tilting my head, I watch as he launched himself up at the canyon wall again, his claws scraping the side trying to gain momentum only to fall back on the ground again. Shaking his head, he turned his majestic head toward the wall to try again. Excitement raced through me as I watched him try in vainly to fly again.
Without a second thought, I pulled out my sketchbook and started to draw the creature. Heart pounding and excitement bubbling over, with each line I brought to the page it brought the creature from the ground and into my hand. Glancing up at the creature, I notice him try again. As he fell I couldn't help but wonder why he couldn't get off the ground…
"Why don't you just…fly away?"
Peering curiously at the creature as he fell to the ground and angrily blew fire at the ground, a flick of his tail drew my attention. His tailfin…only had one side. Looking down at my drawing, I erased the left tailfin. 'That's odd…don't dragons usually have two sides to their tailfin?' Thinning my lips, I look to see him leap into the air, his tail flipping out from behind him causing him to fall, yet again. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Slumping my shoulders with the sudden guilty feeling that I was the reason he had been grounded. Biting my lip, I glance down, only to see that I had released my pencil from my grip and it started rolling away. 'Oh gods, no!' I try desperately to grab at it, only to have it slip through my fingers like water.
I suck in my breath as it clattered to the ground, stilling as the creature looked to where the pencil had clattered and then followed where it had fallen from, his eyes meeting mine. Gasping I pull back, the look in his eyes weren't threatening…the looked almost…curious? I watch as he tilted his head eyeing me, just as I did him. Why wasn't he attacking…or as Gobber put it, go for the kill? He may not be able to fly but I've seen he can jump up this and drag me down, but he did. He can breath fire I know…but he doesn't.
'If dragons are supposed to go for the kill…then why aren't you?' My eyes hadn't left his for what seemed like hours. What a strange dragon this was, he is a Night Fury the most feared dragon on the island and here he is…not…attacking me, he wasn't even growling at me. Then the dragon blinked, shook his head and leaped across the lake, further away from me. Leaving me more confused then I was before, blinking I numbly stood up continuing to watch the magnificent beast until he was under the protection of an over hanging tree.
'Why is he…?' A rumble above my head caught my attention, 'Oh…great.'
A.N: I actually had more planned but I didn't want to put it all in one chapter. Also it seemed like a great place to stop.
Thanks for those who are reading and reviewing, I do appreciate it!
Next comes The Dragon Book!