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Dragon Slayer Ajahn: I'm considering it.
Now, on with the story!
Chapter 3: Welcome To Dragon Training
"Welcome to Dragon Training!" Gobber greeted the teens as the Blacksmith opened the secondary gate to the Kill Ring with his hook and gestured to the Kill Ring with a smile.
The teens have excited expressions. The Thorston Twins, Fishlegs, Snotlout and Ivar Walker, a teenage boy with dark blonde hair and wore dark reddish orange clothes with a bear fur coat that reached down to his knees, and a broad sword in hand and bronze gauntlets on his forearms.
Ivar was an orphan who lost his mother to dragon raids and as for his father? Well, we'll get to that at another time. Much like me, he was an outcast from the teens, despite being two years older than us all and we had hung out together in the winter. And because he lives in a small house near the far eastern side of the island, he rarely comes out to the village during a dragon raid.
Astrid takes a deep breath and mutters, "No turning back."
The teens enter the Kill Ring and look around in awe. "I hope to get some serious burns." Tuffnut said in a eager tone.
"I'm hoping for some mauling like on my shoulder or lower back," Ruffnut said in agreement.
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid said offhandedly.
"What are you guys, masochists?" Ivar asked in mild disgust. "If I'm going to get battle scars, I'd prefer to get them in actual battle, not in class."
"I know, right?" The teens turned around and saw Hiccup behind them with an axe in his left hand. "Dragon Training is supposed to be about avoiding these types of things. Oh, who am I kidding?" he says more to himself in a sarcastic tone. "They're Vikings. Pain, they love it." he said with a shrug.
"Yeah, true," Ivar concurred.
"Oh great, who let him in?" Tuffnut asked in annoyance.
"Uh, Gobber." Hiccup replied. "The same guy that let you in. Do you need to see Gothi? Short term memory loss is no laughing manner."
"What?" Tuffnut said with a glare.
"See? You forgot what I said already." Hiccup snarked.
"Let's get started!" Gobber called out. "The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village," he explained while twisting his hook.
"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or?" Snotlout sounded innocent but he actually was mocking the heir. He and the twins snickered before Hiccup asked, "How many dragons have you killed exactly, Bub?"
This caused his cousin and the Twins to stop snickering and glared at him. "Oh, zero? Then shut up." Hiccup said bluntly.
The three tens were surprised by Hiccup's tone as were Fishlegs and Astrid. Fishlegs looked concerned that a fight could break out while Astrid just shook her head and turned away.
Hiccup sighed at that before Gobber appeared by his side and patted him on the back and walked Hiccup to the line of teens. Even before the two limbed blacksmith spoke, Hiccup knew he was giving one of his pep talks in his own way. "Don't worry, you're smaller than the others." he 'reassured' Hiccup. "That will make you less of a target for the dragons. They'll think your sick or insane and go for the others."
"Shouldn't that apply to Astrid and the Twins as well?" Hiccup remarked drily as he stood next to Fishlegs. "They're smaller than Fishlegs and Snotlot."
"Ha! True, but they're more Viking like," Gobber snarked before he walked ahead of the teens.
"Don't worry, Runt," Ivar said, holding out a fist to the shorter Viking. "You watch my back, I'll watch yours."
"Much appreciated," Hiccup said, bumping his fist against Ivar's.
Ivar was like a brother. Someone I wished to have seen in Snotlout at the time.
Gobber then spoke to the teens. "Behind these doors are a few of the many species you learn to fight! The Deadly Nadder!" he said gesturing the cage door behind him that was shaking and bird like growls are heard.
"Speed 8, Armor 16." Fishlegs said in a eager tone.
"The Hideous Zippleback." Gobber went on as he pointed to a double door cage that sounded as if it had two creatures in it.
"Plus 11 Stealth times 2." Fishlegs muttered.
"The Monstrous Nightmare." Gobber said.
"Firepower 15." Fishlegs said. Hiccup could already tell this was getting on Gobber's nerves.
"The Terrible Terror," Gobber said.
Fishlegs was now grinning widely. "Attack 8, Venom 12."
"Can you stop that?!" The two limbed blacksmith snapped in annoyance before he took a deep breath to calm himself down before moving to the last cage. "And the Gronckle." he said as he grabbed the lever to the cage.
"Jaw strength 8," the husky boy whispered to Hiccup.
"Whoa, wait!" Snotlout said nervously. "Aren't you going to teach us first?"
"Oh you poor, innocent child," Hiccup rolled his eyes. He knew where this was going.
"I believe in learning on the job." Gobber said proudly before opening the cage, unleashing the Gronckle.
"We're going to die." Ivar deadpanned.
"Gobber, you asshole!" Hiccup said in a mixture of fondness, exasperation and annoyance as the dragon flew out of its cage like an enraged rhino.
"Okay, hatchlings, time to play!" the dragon said. She sounded both playful and a little angry. Then again she must have been locked up for a while.
"Today is about survival," Gobber said as the Gronckle slammed into the wall of the ring and ate some rocks. "If you get blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?"
"A doctor?" Hiccup remarked a little sarcastically.
"Burn ointment?" Ivar shrugged.
"Plus 5 speed?" Fishlegs asked.
Ivar froze and turned to him incredulously. "How do you even get that?" he asked.
"A shield!" Astrid declared, bouncing on her feet.
"Shields! Go!" Gobber said and the teens raced to grab any shield they can find. "The most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must pick between a sword or a shield, take the shield." The blacksmith helps Hiccup grab his shield and pushes him into battle.
"Says the guy who fights dragons with one arm," Hiccup called back to him as he held his shield up. He stands next to Fishlegs and Astrid and then sees that the Thorston twins are fighting over a shield.
The Gronckle hovered next to them and paused as if to wait if they would stop and remember that they were supposed to be facing a dragon. But the twins ignored her and still fought over the shield. The dragon glanced over to Hiccup and the other teens.
"Okay, Lesson one hatchlings, is to not take your eyes off your enemy." she said and fired a ball of magma at the shield, blasting it to splinters and knocking the twins off their feet. "That's what happens when you don't pay attention."
"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out." Gobber said as the mentioned twins lifted their heads off the ground, dazed and confused. "Those shields are good for another thing! Noise, make lots of it and throw off a dragon's aim."
The remaining teens began to bang their weapons against the center of their shields.
The Gronckle shakes her head with a disoriented expression. "Okay, I'm confused. Is there six of you hatchlings or is there forty?" she asked looking between Hiccup and Astrid.
"Each dragon has a limit of shots," Gobber said next. "How many does a Gronckle have?"
"Uh, Five?" Snotlout guessed as the teens ran around the Gronckle, trying to stay out of her line of sight.
"No, six!" Fishlegs said excitedly.
"Correct six! Plus the extra shot from the twins! There's one for each of you." Gobber said as Fishlegs raised his shield, happy to have his answer right.
"Hatchling, do you not remember what I said?" the Gronckle asked before blasting the shield off Fishlegs' hand. "Pay attention."
"Fishlegs, out." Gobber called out in a bored tone. Fishlegs threw his hammer and ran away screaming.
"That could have been your head if this was a real fight!" The Gronckle called after him.
The blacksmith then spots Hiccup hiding behind a weapons rack. "Hiccup, get in there!" Hiccup took one step outside and then the Gronckle blasted at the wall next to him.
"Nope!" he said as he ducked behind the weapons rack.
"Come on, Runt!" Ivar called out to him. "You're missing all the fun out here!"
"Getting burned by dragon fire doesn't sound too appealing." Hiccup retorted.
Snotlout and Astrid stood side by side and the Jorgenson boy decided to flirt with the blonde girl. "So, I moved into my parents' basement." he said. "You should come by sometime to workout. You look like you work out."
Whether out of disgust or because she had never taken her eyes off the enemy, Astrid cartwheeled away and the Gronckle blasted at his shield. It knocked Snotlout off his feet and his shield rolled away.
"Snotlout, you're done." Gobber said.
"What is it with you hatchlings not paying attention?!" The Gronckle asked in bewilderment as she accidentally whipped Ivar with her tail. "Oh, sorry hatchling! Didn't see you there."
"Oof!" Ivar grunted as he slid across the arena.
Now Hiccup stood beside Astrid. "Honestly, I never thought I'd make it this far." he said, trying to make small talk.
"And this is far as you're going to get." Astrid said and she ran to the side.
"Huh?" Hiccup muttered in confusion before his eyes widened and he tried to raise his shield to block the incoming fireball, but his shield exploded on impact, knocking him off his feet.
"Pay attention," the Gronckle said to him sternly.
"One shot left!" Gobber declared then the Gronckle stopped and flew over to Hiccup who held his burning left arm.
"You smell like the Night Fury," the Boulder Class Dragon suddenly said. Hiccup paused in brushing the splinters off his arm and looked up to her. "Did you kill the Night Fury?" she demanded.
"Uh," Hiccup took scooted back. He didn't know how to respond without getting the others' attention but decided to nod his head subtly.
If the Gronckle was surprised that he understood her question or not, she didn't show it. Her eyes widened before she growled and charged at Hiccup. "He was the only Night Fury in the Archipelago! What did he ever do to you?!"
Hiccup yelped as the Gronckle pinned him to the wall.
"Hiccup!" he heard Gobber shout. The Gronckle growled at him and opened her mouth, ready to fire at him in point blank range.
Hiccup closed his eyes, readying for pain he hadn't felt in six months before he heard an explosion but it occurred about three feet above his head. He opened his eyes to see Gobber and Ivar pulling the Gronckle away with their hook/hands in the Boulder Class dragon's mouth (Gobber) or on the dragon's tail (Ivar). He glanced up and saw that the Gronckle fired at the wall above him.
"And that's seven." Gobber said before spinning the Gronckle around with his hook alone. "Go back to bed, you overgrown sausage."
"I'm not a sausage!" the Gronckle protested in an offended tone before Gobber threw her into the cage and the two-limbed blacksmith quickly closed it soon after.
Ivar walked over to Hiccup and offered him a hand up. "You alright, Runt?" he asked.
"Just peachy," Hiccup said in a dry tone as he stood up.
"You'll get another chance, don't you worry." Gobber said, he glances over to the teens that all stood in a line in defeat. "Remember, a dragon will always," Gobber called to them before turning to Hiccup. "Always go for the kill."
As his mentor walked away, Hiccup glanced between the scorch mark left by the Gronckle and the said dragon's cage with a thoughtful expression. Always go for the kill, hmm?
Finding where the Night Fury crashed wasn't as hard as the first time. What Gobber said earlier that day repeated over and over in Hiccup's head like a mantra.
"Alright, so let me get this straight," Ivar said, walking with Hiccup in the forest past Raven Point. "You freed the dragon because you don't have the instinct to kill your enemy when it's defenseless."
"Pretty much," Hiccup shrugged.
"And it didn't kill you?" Ivar asked. "But a dragon will always go for the kill."
". . . Well if that's the case. . . Why didn't he?" the young teen asked as he crouched down and held one of the bolas in his hand. He looked back up to the direction he saw the elusive legendary dragon fly off.
He recalled the encounter in his head as he walked ahead. The dragon every reason to kill Hiccup. Him shooting it down being number one followed by Hiccup attempted to cut its head off and gut its heart out.
And yet it didn't. It simply roared in his face, saying thank you but not shot him down again. And even told him to go home.
Hiccup pulled himself out of his thoughts as he jumps down to a rocky crevice and follows it into a rocky cove complete with a pristine spring pool. "Well, isn't this lovely," Ivar said, half sarcastic and half in awe at the scenery before them.
It sure looks beautiful but it's not what Hiccup's looking for.
"Well, this was stupid," he muttered. "I mean what are the chances the Night Fury will stay on the island of Vikings that will want to kill him?" He explained to Ivar's confused expression. Ivar nods in understanding. They both scan the high stone walls before spotting a handful of black scales on the ground. Curious, Hiccup crouches down and picks up one and studies it. He then holds it up to his nose and sniffs at it.
"Dragon scales," he thoughtfully. "Based on the color and smell, it definitely belongs to the Night Fury."
Ivar crouched down and picked up a scale himself. "But if that's the case, where's the-?"
A roar and a black figure jumping past him makes the two Viking teens jump back in fright.
"Come on! Come on!" That voice. . . he scoots over and sees the Night Fury. The black dragon was flapping its wings and clawing at the stone wall as it slide down. "Come on!. . . No! No! No! Damn it!" it growled as it glided to the other side for a rough landing. "So close!"
"Oh, found it." Ivar remarked after poking his head out and seeing the dragon. Blinking, Hiccup watched the dragon, fascinated and weary to be seen by the dragon.
"One more time!" The Night Fury says determinedly as Hiccup jumps to a lower ledge as the dragon leaps into the air, beating its wings furiously. "Just a little. . . further. . . !" Again and again, it rolls uncontrolled and crashes back down.
An idea came to Hiccup as he watches the Night Fury before he pulls out his notebook and charcoal pencil. He flips past old drawings of weapons and designs to a blank page. He quickly sketches the Night Fury.
"Shoot!" the Night Fury said in frustration. "Well if I can't fly out. . . try climbing out!"
The Night Fury claws at the steep rock walls, trying to climb out of the cove. He slips and falls hard. Just as Hiccup finishes his sketch, he mutters to himself, "Why are you having a hard time flying?"
The Night Fury fires off a blast of plasma and growls both frustrated and defeated. Ivar glanced between Hiccup's sketch of the Night Fury and back to the real dragon. "It's missing a tailfin."
Seeing that the older teen was correct, Hiccup used his hand to erase the tailfin he had drawn in.
The Night Fury took off again only to crash land next to the larger white dragon. He let out a whine as he laid down before he heard a fish jump in the pool in front of him. He crawled forward with a limp to the water's edge. He tried to snap at the fish but was not quick enough.
"Great," the ebony dragon grumbled as its stomach growled in response. "Downed in the middle of a cove on an island of Vikings that want to spill my guts. Spectacular, just spectacular."
Hiccup leaned forward at that, unaware that Ivar seemed to have the same reaction before at the corner of his eye he saw his pencil rolling to the edge. He reached to catch it but it was too late. He winched at the sound of its impact on the ground echoed through the cove like a thunderclap.
The ebony dragon turned to the direction of the pencil before glancing up to Hiccup. He winced. He is done for now. The dragon was going to kill him now. Ivar grabbed his shoulder, ready to push him out of the dragon's line of fire.
"It's that stupid skin sack that shot me down from yesterday," the Night Fury growled wearingly. "And he's brought a friend. What does he want?"
This was confusing for Hiccup and Ivar, to say the least. The dragon wasn't going to kill them? Why? He looks back at the Night Fury who still stares back at him, unflinching. Hiccup slowly loses his fear and is filled with curiosity and awe. For once, someone other than Ivar is staring at him and not judging him. More than just someone. A dragon. The enemy of his tribe was staring at him but didn't seem to be eager to spill his blood or eat him and use his body like a toothpick.
Why was this going against everything he was just told about dragons?
By the time Hiccup and Ivar returned to the village from the forest, it started to rain, hard. When Hiccup and Ivar entered the Great Hall, they were completely drenched. "I hope that we don't get sick from this."
"Yeah, that's just what we need," Ivar remarked with an eyeroll.
The two teens see that the Dragon Training Class was sitting near the middle of the Great Hall instead of near the doors.
"Now, where did Astrid go wrong?" Gobber asked the class as the two teens walked around their table. The person who answered was Astrid herself as Hiccup and Ivar walked over to their direction.
"I mistimed my somersault dive." the blonde shield maiden teen said. "It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble."
Hiccup can see eyerolls among the teens sitting at Astrid's table. Apparently, they were annoyed by her self cricitism.
"Yeah, we noticed." Ruffnut said in a sarcastic tone. Which is a surprise. Hiccup never thought she was capable of that. Or was that Tuffnut he thought was incapable of being sarcastic?
"No, no, you were great." And Snotlout tries to flirt with Astrid. "That was so 'Astrid.'" He grabs her hand and she instantly pulls it away with a frown and eyeroll.
"She's right, you have to be tough on yourself." Gobber said. The blacksmith and the teens then see Hiccup and Ivar walking past their table. He can see Snotlout moving on the bench to prevent either of them from sitting with them but Hiccup isn't bothered nor was Ivar. Why would they sit with Snotlout or the Twins at all?
"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber asked.
"Way to open the floor, Gobber. . ." Hiccup muttered as he moved to sit at the other table with Ivar. This just opened the floor for the teens (Snotlout and the Twins) to belittle him and get away with it since Gobber doesn't do anything.
"Uh, he showed up." Ruffnut said with a mocking smile.
"Not my choice," Hiccup retorted. "Besides you showed up too, Bub, so I guess we both went wrong."
Surprised, Ruffnut blinked at that while Tuffnut sneered, "He didn't get eaten."
"And I'd like to keep it that." Hiccup said with a glare to the male twin. "Thank you very much."
"He's never where he should be," Astrid said with a glare.
"Okay, that's about it," Hiccup stood up with an angry expression. The others looked to him in surprise, even more so at his angry expression.
"Uh, Hiccup," Gobber said, albeit nervously.
"No, you have them 'criticize me,' Gobber." Hiccup retorted, his eyes not leaving the teens. "It's only fair that I criticize them for what they did wrong in class today." He looks to the Twins.
"Well, the Twins of Idiocy and Recklessness went wrong with fighting each other." Hiccup said bluntly. "I mean on one hand, siblings always fight. But on the other hand, they were fighting over a shield when there were five other shields next to them and the dragon was there, right next to them. Plus the fact that they're siblings, twins at that, means that they should have had excellent teamwork that would have helped them survive, but instead they focus on their game of tug of war on the shield because it has flame designs on it. And because of that, they were the first two to get taken out and one admittedly cool looking shield is destroyed." He glances over to Gobber. "And you know how hard it is to replace those when they're destroyed."
Gobber had to admit, Hiccup had a point.
"Fishlegs took his eyes off the enemy and left himself open." Hiccup continued and Fishlegs looked at his plate sheepishly. The heir turned to him with an apologetic look. "Knowledge is power, Fishlegs, useful power, but you also need to keep your head in the game. You're lucky the dragon didn't aim for your arm or head."
"Snot-hat, flirted with a girl on the battlefield. Enough said." Hiccup waved his hand dismissively to his cousin as he walked around the table. "You'd think with him being trained by one of Berk's best warriors, he'd know not to make that kind of mistake."
With that, Hiccup turns to Astrid. "Now let's see where you went wrong." He started, ignoring the fact that Astrid was beginning to glare at him. "You were focused, had your eyes on the enemy the whole time, listened to Gobber's instructions, even answered his question correctly the first time. . ." he counts on his finger. "Oh, I know exactly where you went wrong. Don't you Ivar?"
"Yeah, I do," Ivar drawled.
"And what was that?" Astrid asked with a frown.
"It wasn't your 'mistimed somersault dive', I'll tell you that, Blondie." Hiccup remarked dryly. "It was when you left me open for the Gronckle to fire at me. You did it with Snotlout too, now that I think about it. But I think he's too wrapped up in himself to notice."
"You were distracted," Astrid said, shaking her head with a glare.
"Yeah, no I wasn't. All I did was try to make small talk." Hiccup replied with a hollow chuckle. "I did get distracted with what you said. That's where you went wrong. Our class is supposed to teach us teamwork, to be united against our enemies. It was four against one. Yet, when it came down to it, you just thought 'Hel No! Fuck that, every Viking for themselves.'"
The teens gaped. Whether it was Hiccup's criticism of Astrid or the fact that he cursed was anyone's guess.
I mean, with Stoick the Vast as a dad and Gobber the Belch as a mentor, it would be impossible for Hiccup to not pick up some foul words.
Gobber looked briefly proud of his apprentice's words before realizing that he shouldn't. Ivar sipped his drink, clearly entertained with the whole thing.
Astrid stood to her feet with an angry glare.
"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, mockingly. "Can't handle the truth, Blondie? Or is it that you can't take criticism from other people? You seem fine with your own criticism and from those you care about. . . Actually," he furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "No. No, that's not right. . . You only care about yourself."
"That's not true!" Astrid shouted while the rest of the teens began scooting away.
"Yeah . . . You're right." Hiccup said slowly. "There was one person you cared about. . . your uncle. Fearless Finn." He tilts his head with a false confused face. "Or is he called. . .Fearful Finn?" He shrugged. "My memory is a little fuzzy."
It wasn't fuzzy. He knew exactly what the late Finn Hofferson called himself before his death to the Frightmare disgraced his and Astrid's Clan, name, honor and House ten years ago and how much Astrid respected and cared for him. He remembered how many weeks Astrid spent grieving for her uncle before she vowed to redeem her family name and restore their honor.
Everyone looked at Hiccup with wide eyes, even the adults at the other tables at his audacity. "Oh shit," Ivar mouthed to Hiccup with an impressed expression.
The Twins look at Hiccup in a new light. Which would have been great because Hiccup was sure they only respected him for the destruction he caused on accident.
Fishlegs and Snotlout looked fearful, and Snotlout rarely looked fearful for his cousin's safety.
Astrid looked briefly hurt and shocked before becoming enraged. She grabbed her axe and jumped towards Hiccup with a yell and swung her axe.
Hiccup stepped out of the way faster than most of the teens thought he would move. Astrid was briefly surprised that he moved faster than she thought before being infuriated at Hiccup's expression. He didn't look scared or regretful. Instead he reached over to grab his cup and sipped his drink. "Is this necessary?" he asked. "All I did was say some words."
Astrid swung her axe again and again but Hiccup dodged each of her attacks.
"Slow." Step to the right.
"Sloppy." Slide to the left.
"Pathetic," he leaned his head back before taking a sip.
"I'm pathetic?!" Astrid said. "You're the one that can't fight!" She swung her axe again and it came into contact with Hiccup's cup, knocking it out of his hand. He simply raised an eyebrow and glanced at the cup before looking back to Astrid. "I wasn't done with that."
Astrid's glare hardened before swinging her axe again only this time Hiccup didn't dodge, he stomped his foot on an empty bench and used it as a shield to block her battle ax. Astrid's glare was replaced by a look of surprise before Hiccup pushed her back with a shove.
The teens' surprise rose to another level. They honestly expected Hiccup to be cut in half at worse or have an ax in his chest at best.
"Care to test that," Hiccup said, breaking off the bench's legs and holding the remaining boards like a flat staff.
Astrid stared in surprise before scowling at Hiccup's nonchalant expression and charging with a growl that turned to a battle cry.
Hiccup blocked her ax with the bench. The blade sliced the bench in half. Hiccup jumped back to avoid the blade before moving past her and slapping her in the stomach and at the back of her knees with the two broken boards.
Hiccup pulled Astrid's ax from her grip before spinning around and kicked Astrid in the chest and she landed on her back. She grunted in mild pain before her eyes widened just as one of Hiccup's hands grabbed her throat. He then picked her up and then pinned her against a pillar.
But then she felt what she assumed were daggers pinning the sides of her neck and a third poked the middle of her throat. And then Hiccup placed a dagger against her cheek just enough to break skin and draw blood.
"What's wrong, Blondie? Is the Fearless Astrid Hofferson scared that she can bleed like the rest of us?" Hiccup asked mockingly. He tilts his head. "Didn't you say it was fun if you get a scar out of it?"
"Whoa, he actually beat her," Tuffnut exclaimed.
"No one has ever beaten her," Ruffnut said in shock and awe.
Pulling his daggers away, stowing them in his sleeve Astrid assumed, Hiccup stepped back until he stepped on Astrid's axe and then kicked towards her on the floor. She glances between the axe and the heir with a mildly confused expression.
"Pick it up," Hiccup ordered. "Pick. It. Up."
"Enough, lad." Gobber spoke as he moved between the two teens with speed only seen on Gobber Bath Day. "You've made your point."
Hiccup puts his dagger away before tossing Astrid a rag. "For the scratch," he explained as he went to sit back at the table away from the teens.
"Now, he could have said it differently," Gobber said, giving Hiccup a mild scolding look before turning to the other teens, specifically Astrid who sat down. "He is right about yer performances. Ya need tah live and breathe this stuff," Gobber said before pulling out a book from his pants and placed it on the table. "The Dragon Manuel. Everything we know of every dragon we know of."
The blacksmith paused to listen to the thunder outside. "No attacks tonight. Study up." With that said, he left the Great Hall.
Hiccup walked over and picked up the book. "I think no one would object to me reading this." he stated.
"I'm not," Ivar shrugged.
"Hey, what if I wanted to read that!" Tuffnut tried to protest before getting skeptical gazes from Hiccup and the others. "What?"
"Yeah, the day you read, Tuffnut, is the day I'll be proud to call Snotlout my cousin." Hiccup said.
"Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you about?" Snotlout said before pausing once he registered what Hiccup said. "Wait."
Ivar stifled his chuckles in his fist.
"Is he serious?" Ruffnut asked. "He wants us to read while we're still alive?"
"No, he wants you to read when you're ashes at the bottom of the sea," Hiccup retorted with a roll of his emerald eyes. "And when your soul is in Valhalla."
"There's books in Valhalla? I thought it was supposed to be a paradise!"
"Oh, I've read the book seven times!" Fishlegs said excitedly while Snotlout and the Twins look at the large boy as if he suddenly turned into a large crab. "There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face! And this other one that buries itself for a week-"
Tuffnut interrupts him. "Yeah, sounds great. There was a chance I was going to read that."
"But now," Ruffnut drawled.
"You guys read, I'll go kill stuff," Snotlout declared before he went to the doors. The Twins followed with Fishlegs following after, trying to share more of his knowledge.
Hiccup shook his head at seeing what Fishlegs was doing. It was a shame that he was talking to the wrong kids to share his knowledge. When he turned to the book, Hiccup paused, sensing that one teen didn't leave and looked over.
Astrid didn't move from her spot and stared at Hiccup. The auburn haired teen lowered one hand underneath the table and felt his claws begin to unsheath between his knuckles. "If you have something to say, Blondie, speak now or forever hold your peace."
Astrid seemed more surprised by Hiccup's response. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She closed her mouth before she got up and walked to the Great Hall doors.
Hiccup retracted his claws and turned back to the book. Don't you think that was a little harsh? a part of his mind asked. Especially with her uncle?
He sighed in response. It was, he admits to himself in a regretful tone. He briefly felt like a bully. If only a little. Speaking to her like that. I'll apologize to her later.
"So, you have claws too?" Ivar suddenly asked.
Hiccup jolted in surprise. He forgot that the orphan teen was still in the Great Hall. "Uh, what? What are you talking about?" he asked.
Ivar stared at him before raising his hands after making sure that no one was looking over at them. Slowly but surely, his nails grew in length and thickness while curling like sharp feline claws.
Hiccup stared at Ivar's hands in shock and awe before lifting his hands up and unsheathed his own claws. "I. . . I thought I was the only one," he admitted looking between their claws before looking up at the older teen. "You're like me. This. . . changes everything."
"Not entirely," Ivar said. "We're still brothers. And brothers protect each other." He holds up his fist to Hiccup.
"Always," Hiccup agreed, bumping his fist against Ivar's.
When he was the last one in the Great Hall later that night, Hiccup brought over an extra candle to his table. "Dragon Classifications," Hiccup read the table of contents page. "Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class."
The first dragon was a Thunderdrum. Its body seemed flat with a jaw that expanded like a whale shark and a subpair of wings with a thin tail and noticeable gills and short limbs. "This elusive dragon resides in sea caves and dark tide pools." he read another part of the page as he glanced at a drawn picture of the Thunderdrum killing a Viking by roaring. "When startled, the Thunderdrum can produce a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight."
He read the next dragon. It had a serpentine like body with large wings. "Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees." he said and there was a picture of the dragon slicing down a couple of trees like paper with its wings alone. "Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."
The next dragon had a long neck and a large expandable chin for storing water with short limbs and a fish-like tailfin. "Scauldron," he read. "Sprays boiling water at its victims." Well, now Hiccup knows what Fishlegs was talking about earlier. "Extremely dangerous-" A thunderclap outside made the Viking teen jump in surprise and fright before they slowly turned back to the book.
"Changewing." Hiccup read. The dragon had a crocodile like body with thick horns on its head and long antennas. "Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight."
"Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill." Hiccup read, now just skimming through the pages. His imagination took hold as he saw the dragon drawings move on their own and he faintly hears their roars and screeches in his head. "Boneknapper. Whispering Death."
Then he began reading what was said to be methods of how dragons kill their victims. "Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside out. Wait, what?"
"Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight." Okay, now he was feeling exasperated. "Is there any dragon that isn't labeled, 'extremely dangerous' and 'kill on sight?'"
Then he reached one page that was completely blank. No picture whatsoever. "Night Fury. Speed unknown. Size unknown. The Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself." Then to his surprise, there was a different warning for the Night Fury. "Never engage this dragon. You're only chance: Hide and pray it does not find you."
Furrowing his brow, Hiccup pulled out his notebook and opened it to his drawing of the Night Fury. Hiccup soon realized that he may be the first Viking to get an actual look at the legendary dragon and draw it.
But this filled me with more questions. If the Night Fury was said to be so feared and dangerous, why didn't he kill me when he had the motive and two opportunities? I had shot him down from the sky, and crippled him after all. So why didn't he kill me?
Sighing, Hiccup closed both the Book of Dragons and put his notebook in his vest pocket. He walked out of the Great Hall and down the stairs. Luckily the rain was beginning to let up so he didn't have to worry about getting drenched on the way home. But he wasn't going to his house yet. No, there was something he needed to do at the Hofferson house.
Hiccup sighed deeply as he stood in front of the Hofferson House. Either he'll loose some teeth, a limb or have the door shut on his face. A black eye is also possible. Luckily, he has super healing. He lifted his hand to the door and knocked.
The door was opened sooner than Hiccup participated, considering what time it was. Close to midnight. The person who opened it was also unexpected.
It was Astrid.
"Uh, Hey, Astrid." Hiccup said nervously. Yep, same Hiccup. "Can I come in?"
"Hey, Hiccup." Astrid said, slowly before stepping aside and letting the boy in.
"Uh, why are you still up?" He asked. "It's almost midnight."
"I was going for a walk," she replied, this made Hiccup furrow his brow. "In this weather?" he asked, gesturing to the door. The thunder and lightning may be gone but the rain was still not letting up.
The blonde shieldmaiden shuffled before slumping. "Okay, I was planning to walk to your house." she said.
"Oh, okay then." Hiccup scratched his head. "Glad I saved you the trouble." Both teens were silent for a short moment before they spoke again. "We need to talk," they both said. They blink at one another.
"Uh, you first." Astrid offered.
Remembering the last time he didn't take the chance to speak first, Hiccup takes the chance this time. "Okay, first of all I am truly sorry for what I said to you at the Great Hall regarding you not caring about others." he said. "I went too far there especially insulting your late uncle Finn. I meant no disrespect. Second, I am sorry for cutting your cheek."
Astrid stared at Hiccup, a little wide eyed before exhaling. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. It was just a scratch." she tried to joke before frowning. "I've. . . thought about what you said and. . . you were right." she admits. "I shouldn't have distracted you and let you get hit. Looking back through memories, I realize that there were other times where I've done the same to others." she sighed. "It's a shieldmaiden's duty to protect our village, and you're the heir. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for attacking you out of anger and for calling you pathetic. You're not pathetic. You're a good blacksmith for your age and you've shown that you can fight."
"I have Gobber to thank for half of that," Hiccup replied with a shrug. "I accept your apology, Astrid." he holds his hand out to her.
"And I accept yours, Hiccup." The two shook hands before the heir walked to the door. "And Hiccup," she called out. She blushed lightly when he turned to face her before clearing her throat. "Next time, you're facing me with an actual weapon."
Hiccup paused in consideration. "I'll consider it, Blondie." he said after a moment then he added. "Good night, Astrid."
"Good night, Hiccup." Astrid replied before the door closed. She sighed, before raising her hand to run her fingers along the small scratch on her cheek. Then she furrowed her brows.
It didn't look like Hiccup had concealed daggers in his sleeves now that the Shield Maiden thought about it. She shook her head and dismissed it. He probably made daggers three inches long so they could be easily concealed in his sleeves.
The next day, everything would change.
Both in a good way, and in a. . . not so good way.
Or in a good way altogether in the grand scheme of things.
So, how was that?
Since two people have voted for Sabertooth to be an OC, I've decided to introduce the OC in this chapter of this version of the story compared to what I will write on WattPad. Ivar Walker, his attire is a bit based off of Sabertooth's design from Wolverine and the X-Men TV series along but Vikingized with the physical appearance mixed of a teenage Liev Schriber from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Tyler from X-Men (2000) without the sideburns.
I've also been watching Transformers One and figured to base Hiccup and Ivar's dynamic much like Orion Pax and D-16's along with what was said in X-Men Origins.
Next Chapter Hiccup the Wolf will meet this world's variant of the Merc With A Mouth with a cameo of the Merc With A Mouth that is traveling through the Multiverse for a Wolverine variant to be his world's Anchor Being. Expect some references to other movies and there will be the start of the fourth wall breaking, violence, language and cannon divergence.
But don't worry, drugs are the only thing prohibited from being used in this fanfic.
And I bet you are wondering who will be this world's Merc With A Mouth, right?
Well, here's one hint.
His VA featured in only one film (As far as I know) with Hugh Jackman.
Until then. Take care.
Also, I'm moving to a different house with my family, so updates will be spaced out depending when I want to go to the Wi-Fi spots in town.