Chapter 12: Dragon Training: Day 3
Later, at the arena, the Hideous Zippleback blew open its cage doors after Goober unlocked it. The teens were armed with buckets of water for the lesson. "Now a wet Dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Your job is to know which is which." Gobber explained as the teens were separated into groups by the smoke from the explosion. Hiccup and Hicca teamed up with Fishlegs, the Styrkarssons with each other, Astrid with Ruffnut, and Snotlout with Tuffnut. "Razor-sharp, serrated teeth, and inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, crushing its victim…" Fishlegs started to say. "Will you please stop that?!" Hiccup whispered in annoyance. "Yeah, we know what a Zippleback is capable of, thank you very much." Hicca whispered.
Astrid and Ruffnut stayed cautious. Snotlout and Tuffnut prepared themselves for anything. "If that Dragon shows either of its faces, I'm gonna…there!" Snotlout exclaimed, spotting a shadow in the smoke. He and Tuffnut tossed their water at it, only for it to shriek, revealing it to be Astrid and Ruffnut. "Hey! It's us, idiots!" Ruffnut exclaimed. "Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a Dragon." Tuffnut said. "Not that there's anything wrong with a Dragoness figure." Snotlout said, trying to flirt with Astrid, only to have her walk up and punched him in the face while Ruffnut threw her bucket at Tuffnut, knocking them both down. Suddenly, something pulled Tuffnut into the smoke. "Wait." Astrid said as she and Ruffnut heard hissing and Tuffnut screaming. Suddenly, a tail swept them off their feet, knocking them down. Then Tuffnut ran out of the smoke, trampling Ruffnut. "Oh, I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" He cried as he ran away past Hiccup, Hicca and Fishlegs. "Chances of survival are dwindling into single digits now." Fishlegs said with worry.
Just then, one of the Zippleback's heads poked out from the smoke and slithered towards the young Vikings. Fishlegs panicked and tossed the water at its head, only to see it spewing gas. "Oh. Heh. Wrong head." He said, realizing his mistake. The Zippleback blasted him with its gas. "Fishlegs!" Gobber cried. Fishlegs took off screaming, leaving Hiccup and Hicca to fend against the Zippleback themselves. The other head revealed itself, sparking it sparks. "Now, Haddocks!" Gobber exclaimed. Hiccup and Hicca ran up and tossed their water, but couldn't reach the head due to their weak postures. "Oh, come on." Hiccup groaned. "Well, that's infuriating." Hicca said. The Zippleback roared, knocking the Haddock Twins down. "Hiccup! Hicca!" Gobber cried. He was just about to rush over to help, but suddenly stopped at a shocking sight. Hiccup and Hicca were forcing the Zippleback back towards its cage. "Back! Back! Back!" Hiccup exclaimed. The Zippleback shook its heads, catching whiff of something unpleasant. "He said back, you vicious lizard!" Hicca exclaimed. "Now don't you make us tell you again!" Hiccup said as the others looked on in shock. The Styrkarssons looked on, knowing what was going on. Gothi watched as Hiccup and Hicca forced the Zippleback back into its cage. "Yeah, that's right. Back into your cage. Now think about what you've done." Hiccup said. He reached into his vest and pulled out the eel from yesterday, tossing it near the Zippleback, who was revolted. "We're so sorry. We'll come back later and get it out." Hicca whispered before she and Hiccup closed the cage door. But as they cleaned their hands, they saw Gobber and the other teens staring at them in shock. Even Fishlegs dropped the bucket he was holding. "Okay. So, are we done? Because we've got some things we have to…yep." Hiccup said. "Yeah. We've got…coals to burn, metal to mash and…coals to burn." Hicca said. "Yep. So…see you tomorrow." Hiccup said as he and Hicca took off. "Uh, we got some things to do too." Blóm said. "Yeah. Knowing the Haddocks, they'll need us." Hylli said. "Yeah. See you later, Dad." Oflugin said as they followed the Haddock Twins. But Astrid got more confused, wondering how Hiccup and Hicca could've possibly handled a Hideous Zippleback.
Well, how was that? During their next day in training, after failing to soak the Hideous Zippleback's sparking head with water, Hiccup and Hicca managed to force it back into its cage by hiding the eel inside Hiccup's vest, knowing that Dragons hate eels. With that, Hiccup, Hicca and the Styrkarssons leave the arena, leaving the others completely shocked and Astrid confused. But will Hiccup, Hicca and the Styrkarssons learn more about Dragons as they continue training with the Furies? Will the others eventually catch on to what they've been doing? Leave a review if you want.