Chapter 7: The Book of Dragons
Having been caught in the rain, Hiccup, Hicca and the Styrkarssons walked into the Great Hall. "Alright, where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?" Gobber asked as everyone sat down to dinner. "I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble." Astrid said. "Yeah, we noticed." Ruffnut said. "No, no. You were great. That was so Astrid." Snotlout said. "Oh, you are such a kiss-up." Oflugin scolded as he, his siblings and the Haddock Twins grabbed their plates. "Astrid's right. You have to be tough on yourselves. Where did Hiccup and Hicca go wrong?" Gobber asked as Hiccup, Hicca and the Styrkarssons made their way to an empty table. "Uh, they showed up? They didn't get eaten?" Tuffnut guessed. "We weren't where we should've been, you moron!" Hiccup snapped, startling the group before sitting next to his sister.
"Well…thank you, Hiccup. You need to live and breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manuel." Gobber said, clearing a space and setting down a big book in front of everyone. "Everything we know about every Dragon that we know of." But then, he heard the thunder roar outside. "No attacks tonight. Hurry up." He said, walking away. "Wait. You mean read?" Tuffnut asked. "While we're still alive?" Ruffnut asked. "Why read words when we can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout asked. "Oh, I've read it like 7 times. There's this water Dragon that sprays boiling water at your face." Fishlegs explained, making everyone look at him in annoyance. "And there's this other one that buries itself for like a-" "Yeah. That sounds great. Now there was a chance I was gonna read that." Tuffnut interrupted. "But now…" Ruffnut said. "You guys read, I'll go kill stuff." Snotlout said as the group got up to leave, still chattering. "Those guys are gonna be the death of themselves." Blóm said. "Yeah. Speaking of which, we should be heading home too." Oflugin said. "Yeah. We'll see you tomorrow, Haddocks." Sál said as the Styrkarssons got up and left. "Bye." Hicca said, not looking up from her chicken.
Astrid, who stayed behind, looked at the book, then at the Haddock Twins. She picked up the book and placed it in front of the twins. "Astrid?" Hiccup asked in confusion. "I've already read it. Besides, I think you 2 need to read it more than I do." Astrid said. "Really? Thanks, I guess." Hiccup said. "Anytime. See you tomorrow." Astrid said, leaving. "Yeah. See you." Hiccup said as he watched her walk out the door.
Later, that night, Hiccup and Hicca lit a candle and sat down to look at the Book of Dragons. They opened it and started reading. "Dragon classifications. Strike Class, Fear Class, Mystery Class." Hiccup read. "Sharp Class, Tidal Class, Boulder Class, Stoker Class." Hicca read. They turned the page to read about their first Dragon. "Thunderdrum. This reclusive Dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight." They turned to the next Dragon. "Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full-grown trees. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight." Next Dragon. "Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous-" The twins were interrupted as lightning flashed outside, startling them. But they soon relaxed as they went on to the next Dragon. "Changewing. Even newly hatched Dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight." They soon went through the many pages. "Gronkle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Boneknapper. Whispering Death! Burns its victims. Parries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside out. Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight." Until finally, they got to the very important page of them all. "Fury. Night, Light, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind. Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage these Dragons. Your only chance…hide and pray they do not find you." Hiccup got out his notebook, turned it to the Night Fury picture and placed it on the book, wondering how something they thought was so cute could be so dangerous. "What do you think, Hiccup?" Hicca asked. "I don't know. But I'm thinking that it's obvious. Someone's not telling the truth." Hiccup said.
Well, what'd you think? After Hiccup, Hicca and the Styrkarssons returned to the Great Hall, Gobber handed out the Book of Dragons, containing everything they know about every Dragon they know of. After everyone had gone home for the night, Hiccup and Hicca looked through the book, reading how each Dragon was extremely dangerous and to kill on sight. But as they looked at the page containing the Furies, they were wondering why the book said they were so dangerous. Will Hiccup and Hicca ever discover the truth? Will they ever explore the growing connection between them and the Furies? Leave a review if you want.