The first to know

Couldn't or Wouldn't?

We trekked through the woods for hours and found nothing. 

"Oh fate hates us." I said miserably, mentally crossing off another location. Hiccup angrily scribbled out his hastily drawn map of the lovely Berkien forest. 

"How did we manage to lose an entire dragon?" He asked just as miserably. I slapped a branch away from my face in frustration and it came back, as if for revenge, and hit me. Then I saw it ... a deep scrape through the earth as if something, a big something, crashed to the ground at a high velocity. I grabbed Hiccup's shoulder as he continued his internal monologue sulkily and shook him.

"Oh what do you want Idonea." He asked dryly. I pointed wordlessly at the miniature crater and I knew that his brain went into overdrive. I bolted forward and for once I didn't trip on the roots and stones that littered the ground around my feet. The adrenaline in my blood was keeping my normally distractable mind, focused. I slowed to creep up on a particularly deep hole in the newly cut path. I crouched to the earth and crawled to the edge of the impression, and there inside the hole was a sight that made my heart stop.

Hiccup crawled up beside me, an enthusiastic yet weary look lighting up his face. His expression fell to be like my slightly panicked one at the sight.

I'd always enjoyed reading I loved nicking any book I could find and hoarding the knowledge I discovered in my brain. A piece of that knowledge surfaced in my mind coming from a particularly disturbing tome that was currently kept in the great hall. Page 43 of the book of dragons "Your only hope, hide and pray it does not find you." I wouldn't have thought that, if there was just one of the beasts but there wasn't. 

Next to the incapacitated creature, spider webbed by bolas was a a smaller wounded one growling quietly at ... us. Before our eyes it dragged its bleeding body in between us and the other downed fury scooting on his chest with his forelegs folded underneath and using his back legs to push him along the soil. He lost all of his strength and fell to the ground, whimpering loudly, in front of what was originally our prey. I think it was at that moment I lost all of my resolve, the sight of the near to dying dragon attempting to be selfless in the face of danger was such a pitiful sight I lost all interest in killing either of them. In fact the thought spoiled my breakfast a bit. I would be the first viking in 3 centuries who couldn't kill a dragon and little did I know that, at that moment Hiccup would be the first that wouldn't. 

But at that moment He was still of a mind to be proved a man by his deeds so he crept forward and I could do little to stop him. Maybe it would be a kindness I thought morosely as my brother crept toward the tied beast, I watched him trail around the backside of the gasping runt  who tried desperately to aim at him but his head wouldn't turn at the angle. I came up beside him (the dragon) and he whipped his sleek head toward me, preparing a new blast if I got one step closer. I stopped abruptly in my tracks waiting for Hiccup to make the killing blow while I kept the second one distracted.

But He didn't, he held his dagger aloft above the now conscious fire breather. He breathed out and turned toward me 

"I- I did this I won't do it." He was running his hands through his hair in agitation. 

"Good I don't think I was going to be able to either."  I quipped, trying to cope with our newly realized weakness. 

He paled, possibly in relief and turned back to the animal at his feet. I watched apprehensively as he fell to his knees and began undoing the ropes that encased the winged critter. Then quick as lightning the dragon pounced and my heart crashed into my stomach. I ran forward and leaped at my brother's attacker with all of my body weight dislodging him momentarily probably by sheer surprise. He roared in my brother's face as I grappled with something holding my foot, trying to get back up in defense of my brother once again. I looked down deciding it was best to untangle myself using my hands only to find my ankle held lightly between the jaws of the second dragon. I was frozen by fear looking into the sea green eyes of my captor. The Irony of it made me giggle exasperatedly which seemed to confuse the lizard a bit because a questioning look seeped into his gaze. I suddenly felt a large gust of wind throw my forward I toppled onto the creature who released my ankle in surprise. 

 I turned to see Hiccup sprawled on the ground gazing in utter terror at the dragon that seemed to be lecturing him, right now flapping his wings in a mock attempt at flight. Suddenly He took to the sky briefly and alighted clumsily on the dragon I had been thrown on top of And tried to fly away but he only manage a couple hundred yards before they both plunged into a cove below.

Me and hiccup both slumped in exhaustion and we both fainted plum away.