How to Train Your Dragon: The Novelization

Chapter 11: Who Kills Dragons, and Who Befriends Them; A Romantic Flight and Deadly Discoveries pt.3

Back in the Night Sky

The two Viking teenagers continued to soar above the ocean while on Toothless. Hiccup couldn't help but let a small smile grow onto his face. Seeing Astrid right next to him, this reminded him of their childhood days; even though they had not been friends, the two used to be so close to each other. She was always so strong, always the better one of the two of them. She was the one who always had to protect him, rescue him from trouble. In his eyes, Hiccup was the weight on her shoulders.

But… ever since Draco had put him through that training, Hiccup didn't want it to stay that way. Now, he tried his best, but it always ended up the same way. Eventually she distanced herself from him; he pretty much understood why, and he didn't complained about it. In truth, he wanted her to seek out her own happiness without being burdened by a dead weight like himself. And now, when he saw her cry back then, it made him hurt so much inside, because Hiccup didn't know what to do to make her feel better. All he could do was to offer a shoulder for her to cry on. Under her tough exterior, she really was just a girl who wanted someone to love her.

The more he learned about the dragons, the more Hiccup wanted to change the world, such that it didn't hurt anyone else anymore. Dragon or Human alike. At that moment, Hiccup made a silent promise to himself. That he would always be there for his friends: Toothless, Fishlegs, Syn… He then looked to Astrid from the corner of his eye, and back in front, as he silently promised yet again. He would always be there for them… for her. Because he… he…

They continued flying quietly along, with only the steady beat of Toothless' wings against the wind. Finally, Astrid broke the silence with a whispered, "Thank you… Hiccup."

Hiccup was stunned by that, as he looked to her and asked, "For what?"

"Nevermind," Astrid replied, with a smile on her face. But that smile disappeared, as a thought plagued her mind, in which it was brought up. "So what now?" The question lingered in the air like an axe waiting to drop, despite her soft, soothing voice. Hiccup's shoulders slumped, despair taking over once again. In truth, he had hoped to get away from it, but now he realized that running away wouldn't solve anything. But that didn't mean he had to like the idea at all.

"Hiccup, your final test is tomorrow… you know you're going to have to…" She stopped herself as she looked at Toothless. She pulled in closer to Hiccup as she whispered it into his ear, "…kill a dragon."

Choking, Hiccup replied, dejection in his voice, "Don't remind me…"

Suddenly, Toothless's eyes shot open, and his ears twitched erratically. Almost as if his ears acted as some kind of radar system, as he picked up a strange clicking and purring sound. Toothless suddenly veers sharply to the right. Astrid tensed up, grip intensifying yet again, as she was a bit startled, but Hiccup remained calm in order to ensure he could steer, even while Toothless led.

The trio entered into a fog so dense, not even Hiccup or Astrid together could see beyond five meters. "Toothless… What's happening?" Hiccup asked, seeing his friend unable to control himself in the flight, as if being pulled to something.

Ears twitching, neck jerking in various directions, Toothless weaved left and right, as if avoiding invisible pursuers. Out of nowhere, a large shadow zipped past the trio. Both Astrid and Hiccup quickly identify its features; it was a Monstrous Nightmare, possibly more older, due to the enlarged spiked fins on the tail and back, as well as the numerous horns on its head. Astrid recognized it as well, and the two of them crouched forward, bracing themselves against Toothless. Hiccup's pulse quickened so much, he was afraid the other dragons may have heard it. Astrid's heavy, nervous breath against my ear; it nearly tickled the boy, if he wasn't a little nervous about the situation. Toothless swerved to avoid a collision, but banked in the opposite direction almost immediately as a Nadder suddenly burst through the darkness.

As the mist started to clear up just a bit, Hiccup gasped in alarm at the surrounding view. More and more dragons were appearing out of the fog, forming hundreds of black, ominous shadows and silhouettes. The growls and screeches were deafening along with the roar of wings. All sorts of dragons were present in this massive flock: Zipplebacks, Gronkles, Nadders, Volcanobacks, Nightmares, and only a few unknown flown close to one another. The feeling of claustrophobia began to creep up on the trio.

"What… What's going on," Astrid's wavering voice gave away the tension and fear she was experiencing.

She looks at Hiccup nervously, searching for an answer. He couldn't give her none, he was just as clueless as she was about what is going on. The frustration at his own lack of situational awareness added to his already-high stress levels. He knew both of them wanted to get out of here alive, but even he couldn't convince Toothless to help escape.

"Toothless, you've got to get us out of here…", Hiccup whispered to Toothless. Snorting, the Night Fury ignored him with a shake of his head, knocking aside his hand. A bead of sweat rolled down from Hiccup's forehead. This was getting to be a really sticky situation. Another Nightmare flew uncomfortably close to then, and it was then that the teens noticed an object in its claws… a dead camel.

"By Odin…" Hiccup whispered in a gasp, looking all around, it turned out all of them have some sort of livestock or dead carcass in their claws or jaws, "It looks like they must be hauling in their kill."

Astrid gave him a look of desperation. He could tell what she was thinking, even as she asked, "What does that make us?"

Hiccup noticed, as did Astrid, one of the brownish green Zipplebacks look at them, and sneered at the two. Hiccup gulped for a moment as he shrugged, "Uninvited dinner guests, I guess?"

Perhaps it was because Toothless was a Night Fury, the deadliest and most feared of the dragons, that they hadn't been attacked by the others yet. Cold stares were piercing all around them, the hairs on the back of their necks, bristling under the gaze of dragons unfamiliar to them both. Astrid scooted closer to Hiccup, trying to get as close as possible, her arms shifting over his torso.

Without warning, all the dragons initiated a sharp dive. A short yell of surprise escaped them both, as Toothless picked up speed, while leveling out before they hit the ground. Swerving to avoid rock formations that protruded out of the ground, Toothless glided smoothly through the maze, as if he had known this path for a long time. The trio, as well as the whole Dragon Flock, eventually reached a large, smoking fissure in the ground, and all the dragons disappeared into the darkness. Even before they entered, Hiccup could feel the heat from within the crack, as if it were a gateway into Valhalla itself.

Through the proverbial Gates of Viking Hell, both Hiccup and Astrid noticed the change in atmosphere; the cold, melancholic environment of the Inferno was suddenly replaced by the red-hot fumes and crimson glowing flames of Inferno. In every nook and cranny, there were dragons. Hiding in cracks, hanging on walls, perching on overhangs; they were everywhere, hundreds, maybe even thousands of them. In some sections of the cave, some dragons were carefully nursing groups of eggs that had yet to be hatched. And those that had already hatched; little baby versions of the dragons that played with the adults and with each other.

The realization struck Hiccup like a hammer onto an anvil… this cave was their nest, their stronghold. The Dragon's Nest.

"What my dad wouldn't give to find this," Hiccup stated, completely amazed by what he and Astrid were looking at.

Toothless silently landed on a ledge and hid behind a boulder, melting into the shadows. Hiccup heaved a sigh of relief, as he petted his dragon on the neck, "Thanks, buddy."

Toothless, Astrid, and Hiccup leaned from the side of the boulder; their heads peeked out over the edge, quietly observing the dragons. Strange, every single one of them cast their catch down into the smoky crevasse. None of them even kept any food for themselves. None of the youngling dragons even got a smidge of their kill to feed them. They just came in, throw the food 'down the well', and found a comfortable spot.

The irony of the situation didn't sit well with Hiccup, "Well, it's satisfying to know that all our food is being dumped down a hole…"

"Why aren't they eating any of it?" Astrid asked as she cocked an eyebrow, "They're not even giving any food to the hatchlings."

"Well, they've got to be feeding something," Hiccup replied. "You don't throw food down a hole full of lava for no reason."

As if to answer the teens' question, something monstrous happened. A small, staggering Gronckle caught their attention. Buzzing over to the smoky chasm, it regurgitated a single, small Red Snapper fish. Seemingly pleased with itself, it reached behind its ear, scratching a spot there, before attempting to flutter away.

A deep, rumbling growl sound from the depths of the abyss, causing the ground everyone stood on to shake. The entire cavern was drowned in a resounding silence. The Gronckle, who was hovering, heard that was well, and gulped at this. Suddenly, a massive, grey-red reptilian head burst forth from the smoke; its colossal jaws crashed mercilessly onto the Gronckle, swallowing it whole. The beast was reminiscent of dinosaur-like qualities: its head resembled a T-Rex, while the back of its skull was armored by coral-shaped plates. Its blue reptilian eyes scowered all around the cavern, earning fear into the hearts of all the dragons all around them.

The two humans froze in terror, as the rest of the dragons cowered into the darkness.

"What… is that thing?" Astrid's petrified whisper hung in the air; another question Hiccup didn't have an answer to.

Hiccup nearly froze in his tracks, but noticed something about the leviathan dragon's mouth. At the right side of the beast's maw, three teeth were missing from its upper jaw, as well as a nasty looking scar on it.

But that thought was put aside, as Hiccup and Astrid nearly backed away in fear. The massive dragon crawled upward, slowly descending upon all the other dragons with its shadow. Both Viking teens thought they had been spotted… but they weren't. as the Leviathan dragon lifted itself upward, and supported its body with its huge front black clawed front legs. The two teens and Night Fury, both looked up, as they heard the massive dragon let out a pleased growling purr. The two looked upward…

And spotted a cloaked man, standing on one of the cliffs, and petting the massive nose to the massive dragon. Hiccup couldn't believe what he was seeing, nor did Astrid: one small human, had actually tamed such a massive beast such at this, and it responded to him like any other pet would. The leviathan stopped and snarled, sniffing at the air. It was clearly evident that the dragon now knew that there was another smell, unlike its master.

"Alright, bud, we're getting out of here," Hiccup whispered, looking rather distraught.

The leviathan's nostrils twitch and its snout jerks in the direction to where Toothless hid, along with Hiccup and Astrid, having discovered their location.

"NOW!"

On Hiccup's cue, Toothless launched himself off the ledge, just as the Godzilla-sized dragon's large fangs the size of Zealanders, closed around the boulder. Even though it was after Toothless, the giant dragon threw the other dragons into a confused frenzy. Deafening screeches and roars filled the cave, as the dragons took flight to escape the dominating behemoth's wrath.

Angry and frustrated that it couldn't get to the Night Fury carrying the two humans, the beast thrashed its head about, roaring so loudly the vibrations caused some parts of the cave to crumble. In its rage, it consumed yet another few dragons unlucky enough to be in range of its jaws.

Shooting out of the fissure with the speed his species were famed for, Toothless flew straight towards the night sky, rapidly leaving the nest behind them, letting it fade into the horizon. The adrenaline subsided, and once again, Hiccup notice Astrid's arms wrapped snugly around his waist.

"Hey… are you alright?" He asked her deeply concerned, "I'm sorry if you got scared, or hurt… Urk!" In the middle of his sentence, she suddenly tightened her grip, knocking the air out of him. Suffocating, he attempt to turn around, shocked.

"Idiot! What makes you think I was scared…" she fumed out at first, but then turned her face away, not looking at him eye to eye, "…well, yeah, maybe just a little…? No! I wasn't scared!" She released him slightly.

It was at that last sentence, that Hiccup got a good look. And a little smile creeps across his face when he noticed her blushing face. A low growl from Toothless, sounding like a chuckle, caused the redness to intensify.

She really was a girl after all. 'But… I guess that's what makes her so cute,' Hiccup thought.

The fellow who petted the Giant behemoth, stepped outside, watching the Night Fury get out of there as fast as he could.

Later On

Back at Toothless's Canyon

"Astrid saw you guys?" a distraught Syn asked Draco, her eye nearly bulged out her head. "Are you serious?"

"Pretty much," Draco answered her. He was pretty much sitting down, not caring about the situation, when Syn and Fishlegs had arrived. Apparently, Astrid had interrogated the two, and much ear pinching from Astrid to Syn later, she had slipped out the location of Hiccup's hideout. Bu the Elder Dragon had ensured the teens that it would be alright, "Though I doubt she'll tell anyone about this."

"Oh, really?" she shot back, a little infuriated about the dragon's calmness. "This is Astrid Hofferson, the toughest girl on the island of Berk, we're talking about here. She's the kind of girl that kills first and talks never. Trust me. If it took this long for them to get back, then maybe…"

"Did you see the size of that thing? I mean, it eats other dragons! IN ONE GULP!"

Their conversation ended when they heard that familiar voice: Hiccup. The two teens and elder dragon looked up to see the trio flying downward, while Astrid was holding on to Hiccup. A most unfamiliar sight to behold at any seen at all. The elder Dragon looked down at Syn and asked with a cocked eyebrow and a know-it-all smirk, "So… kill first and talk later, eh?"

"Oh, shut up," Syn huffed.

"Survival points have reached 100," Fishlegs chimed out, "The quest fellowship has a barbarian for their group."

As they landed, Astrid was the one to put two and two together, "Well, it totally makes sense now; It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their King… It controls them!"

"No. it doesn't control them. He does," Hiccup corrected her as he hopped off, and helped her down. "That guy in the cloak controls them through that Giant Dragon."

"Ah, you mean the Red Death," Draco stated, getting their attention.

It wasn't long until Hiccup processed that last statement, and nearly went gawk-eyed, as he pointed out the direction they came from, "THAT WAS THE RED DEATH? YOU DIDN'T MENTION IT WAS HUGE!"

"You never asked about it," Draco shrugged.

"Let's find your dad, we have to tell him and the council," Astrid pointed out as she was about to get to the entryway.

However, she was beaten to it when Hiccup ran after her, halting her in her steps. "No!" He blurted out as he lightly grabbed her arm and explained his reason, "No, if we tell them, they… they'll find out about Draco and Toothless! And they'll… they'll just kill them without letting us explain." He sighed, looking down as he lightly shook his head. He then turned away, rubbing his temples, "Astrid, we have to think this through carefully…"

Syn and Fishlegs both looked to see what the outcome of this would be, not wishing to get involved in this as they watched it go on.

"What? Hiccup, we just discovered the Dragon's Nest. The very thing that we've been looking for ever since we came to Berk." Giving him a look of utter disbelief, Astrid calmly stated to him, and slowly started to yell, incredulity in her voice, "And now that we found it, you want to keep it a secret? For what? To… to protect your pet dragon and Dragon Mentor? Are you serious?"

The three other teens, and the two dragons looked to Hiccup, awaiting to see what the outcome would be. Finally, Hiccup made a move and readied himself to answer. Looking back at her, he firmly stood his ground, with a serious face. There was no way he would let any harm come to Toothless, nor Draco.

"Yes," was all he said to her.

It was then, at that one word, that Astrid slightly broke; she let the argument dissolve into nothingness. The look in his emerald eyes pierced through the stone cold wall, she had built around her heart. Clutching it, filling it with understanding.

It was from that one word, Astrid Hofferson had realized how much the Night Fury and the Golden Fleece had meant to him; they were probably his best friends. No… his first true friends in ages. To take both dragons… Toothless and Draco... away from him would be tantamount to murdering the only thing that Hiccup had to live for, removing his only goal in life. She realized this decision wasn't hers to make; it was his, and she had to respect that.

She, along with Fishlegs and Syn had all realized something even more important. This wasn't the Hiccup they normally saw everyday in Berk. The clumsy, careless Hiccup; this was a Hiccup that had been hidden from the rest of the village, the true brave soul encased in the boy that everyone mercilessly tried to protect and shelter. But in that shell of a boy, he has matured into something that far surpassed any of them. And it was through Toothless's, Draco's, and now their eyes that they finally saw it.

Hiccup nearly sighed in defeat as he turned around, not sure if he wanted to meet Astrid's gaze anymore. That is until she spoke up again.

"I… I don't…" Hiccup, not sure on how to answer that question.

Syn, feeling like she should say something, turned to Draco as she asked, "What do you think, big guy?"

The mighty Golden Fleece thought about it, and knew that it would probably have to help in the boy's decision. And so, Draco looked to the four teenagers, and the Night Fury, as he sighed, "I had hoped to tell you this tale until it was time, but I guess it's now." the mighty dragon took a deep breath, and began his tale, "Long ago, before the time of Man, Dragons ruled over the earth. But once Man was young and the Dragon already old, the Wisest of the Seven High Dragons that governed us, saw great potential in them, as he befriended one. A human named Arthur. With this discovery, the two gathered together all the Dragons and humans, and each showed them the unbreakable bond that the two forged together, as well as the strength that they gained from one another. With this realized, they created the Old Code of Avalon, the reminder of the Bond between the Two, creating in effect, the Dragon Riders." He then looked up at the constellation named Draco, as he pointed, "And at the moment of both Arthur's and the High Dragon's death… the night became alive with those stars. And thus was born the Dragon's Heaven."

"A dragon's heaven?" Astrid asked, too stunned by this as she looked up at the stars.

"Yes," Draco answered, but continued, "But unlike Aesgard, not all dragons are admitted to this shining place. For us, we have to earn our right to be there. Otherwise, our souls will disappear and be lost for all eternity, as if we never were." Draco then sighed as he looked to the four teens and young Night Fury in disarrayed sadness, "But… not all humans or dragons abided to the Code, and war broke out between the two. The Dragons, who swore to the oath with all their hearts, were slaughtered the most, leaving humans to drive us to near extinction. Being the last one of my race, I had to do something before the Nest I took care of for the past three hundred years since coming here was all wiped out. And by some miracle, one day thirty years ago… a young Viking that had been outcast, was washed ashore our island." He then looked to the teens as he seemed a bit more composed, and serious, "It was this boy that I had taught all the dragon's secrets and handling techniques, as I did you, Hiccup. So that he and I would help reunite Man and Dragon, and ensure the dragons of Berk a place with them among our ancient leaders." But then he sighed as he finished, "But alas, that did not come to pass, for what I thought to be my people's salvation became both my sin, and their damnation."

It was then that Hiccup had figured it all out, and looked to Draco as he stated the asnwer. "It was him," he said aloud, a look of shock came to his face as he looked to Draco, as did the others, "That guy in the cloak's the one that betrayed you."

Draco sighed sadly as he nodded, "Yes. The boy named Alvin, the one who had been banished from his village, was the one that had cost the only chance we had. Even then, I knew that his feeling of being betrayed by his people had caused a great darkness of hatred in his heart to have been born. But I thought if I could show him our secrets, giving him a newfound strength, he could have changed. but that didn't help at all; in the end, he wanted control of the entire nest to destroy the village that banished him. And so… I refused, and he disappeared for ten years."

"Then he came back," Astrid interrupted, "Along with that Red Death?"

Draco nodded, "With it he used the dragon to overpower me, and to give me a reminder," and touched the claw marks on his left shoulder. He then angrily shook his head as he nearly whispered, "By Odin, I was so naïve, back then."

Hiccup looked away, as he whispered to himself, "No more than I was."

"Okay," Astrid simply replied, indicating that she understood all their positions. He heaved a sigh of relief, but she didn't plan to leave it at that, "So what are you going to do?"

"Just… just give me until Saturday," Hiccup answered, his brow furrowed, as a plan started to form in his head. "I'll work something out…"

"Alright," she replied, but then suddenly, she delivered a swift punch to his arm, for disrupting the mood.

"Ow!" he cried out as he rubbed his sore arm.

"That's for kidnapping me," she simply said.

He turned to the dragons, a look of shock and bewilderment on his face. Draco merely shrugged as he looked away; while Toothless returned his puzzled gaze with a nonchalant shake of his head, and turned to take a drink from the small lake. Rubbing his arm, Hiccup looked back to her, completely unaware of her motives at the moment.

She then shyly looked away for a moment, as she brushed her left bangs away from her eye. And then grabbed his collar, and gave him a light peck on the cheek, withdrawing as quickly as she leaned forth, ending it as soon as it began.

"And that's for..." Astrid stated, but feeling a bit shy around him for some odd reason. Smiling, she just finished off the statement, "...for everything else."

But before he could say anything, or have Syn tease her on it, she sprinted off, blushing furiously. she stopped for a moment, turing to the corner of her eye at him once again. Hiccup had a dumbfounded look on his face, a surprised look on Fishlegs, a know-it-all smirk on Syn's, and Toothless and Draco both observing the scene amusingly. With that, she dashed off.

Hiccup smirked, lightly touching the part of his cheek to where she had kissed him at. Suddenly, Toothless snuck up next to him; the Night Fury's face was in bewilderment at the scene, almost curious about the kiss. He looked to Hiccup, breaking him out of his daze.

Stuttering, and a bit flustered, he shot out, "Ah, what are you looking at?" Toothless merely purred as he shrugged.

Outside the Canyon

When Astrid was sure that she was at a safe distance away, she brought her hands to her burning face, covering her eyes. Astrid's heart was beating faster than ever before; her breathing was heavy. She just couldn't believe she did that to Hiccup.

Her first kiss.

Next Chapter: Dance in the Moonlight; the Enemy Reveals Itself