How To Train Your Dragon

2: The Dragon

I drop my bow, flicking a dagger from my sleeve and falling to one knee as the dragons mouth closes around me. It smells really, really bad. I shove my dagger into the roof of the nightmare's mouth. The dragon shudders then lies still. I struggle to open the monstrous nightmare's mouth. I'm not strong enough and the space is too cramped. I struggle to breath in the dark, smelly space.

Suddenly the Nightmare's mouth is yanked open, a large hand pulls me out and roughly puts me on my feet. I stumble back bumping into my brother. I am slick with dragon spit. I pull wet strands of my hair off my face. Looking up I see our father, Stoik the Vast........ leader our tribe.

Stoik has a long fur cape, a green tunic with roughly cut dragon scales below his belt. He has the villages crest, which is a simply sketched nightfury curled up on its side, on his belt buckle and shoulder plates, tangled red hair and beard, gray eyes, and a helmet with horns like all the other adults.

The pole of the giant torch burns in half and then breaks sending the flaming torch rolling down to the bay.

"Sorry...... dad." Hiccup murmurs.

I lower my head in apology highly aware of the damage. Houses are on fire and the dragons are flying away with our livestock. Stoik pinches the bridge of his nose shaking his head with his other hand on his hip.

"But.. I hit a Nightfury." Hiccup says hopefully stepping forward so that he is in front of me. "No one was looking, I had a clear shot. It down just off raven point. Let's get a search party out there-"

"STOP." Stoik roars. People have began to gather in a circle around us. "Just. Stop." He sighs. "I have enough problems on my hands, winter is closing in and I have an entire village to feed."

"Just between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding." Hiccup whispers.

The adults closest to us put a hand on their stomachs. Stoik sighs again. "Gobber, take them home." He looks at the dead nightmare. "Good job Whisper."

I blink twice and shuffle my feet, slightly embarrassed. I look sadly at the dead dragon. I actually like them a bit. Gobber flicks the side of Hiccup's head herding us home.

We pass the other kids of the village sitting on the steeps and leaning against the walls of a house. "Great job out there." Snotlought says. He loves to tease Hiccup, but normally he is harsher about it.

"Thank you. Thank you. I was trying." Hiccup sighs.

The other kids laugh all except for Astrid. "I was talking to Whisper." Snotlought says pronouncing every letter of my name.

I glare at him and he stops laughing his smile falling. I look at the ground. People get creeped out and sometimes scared by my two colored eye stare.

"Good job Whisp." Astrid says.

I beam at her. Then Gobber moves us along, he shoves Snotlought's helmet down over his eyes.

There are five other kids in the village of about the same age as Hiccup and I. Astrid has blond hair tied in a knotted braid with bangs that cover her right eye. Blue eyes and a brown leather band that goes around the top of her head with silver studs. Her shirt is blue with metal shoulders, she has a skirt made of thick leather straps with little silver spikes and a belt of squirrel skulls, and gray leggings and fur boots. Fishlegs is fat with a fur tunic and boots and green leggings, thin blond hair and grey eyes. His knowledge on dragons is vast. Snotlought is a shortish boy with a large chest, black hair and brown eyes, a black shirt, brown leggings, fur boots, and a helmet with horns. Finally that leaves the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Ruffnut is the girl. She has three long, blond, knotted braids, one down her back and the others over her shoulders. She wears a gray skirt, and like her brother has a green shirt, gray leather vest, black leggings, and fur boots. Tuffnut's hair is also blond and is long and straight. They are both tall and lanky though their shoulders are hunched.

While I explain what people look like I might as well tell you what my clothes are. I wear a short black dress with long sleeves, green leggings, and yes, brown fur boots.

Finally we reach the edge of the village where our house stands proud looking out over the other houses and buildings. The wood is shaped into a tall dome with a carved dragon head at the top. The doorway is painted with red, blue, and yellow. I open the door and go inside.

"Why does he hate me?" Hiccup sighs.

I look at him sadly, wishing I could talk.

"He doesn't hate you." Gobber says. "He just doesn't like..." he trails off gesturing to all of Hiccup.

"You just gestured to all of me." Hiccup mutters. He enters the house closing the door behind him.

I look at Hiccup then look at the back door. Maybe looking for the Nightfury will cheer him up. I pull on his sleeve. He looks up at me and I point to the back door. Hiccup nods and then we sneak out of the house dashing into the forest.

~oOo~

We've been looking for hours and found nothing. The only good thing was when I found a river. I laid in it hoping to wash off some of the dragon spit. My clothes and hair are still wet from it.

Hiccup looks at the roughly sketched map he made in his journal. So far we have covered half the island with the village at our backs. He makes another X on the map to show that we already searched somewhere.

Suddenly he angrily scribbles across the map. Putting his pencil in the middle of the journal, he snaps it shut then puts it in a pocket on the in side of his vest.

"Why do the gods hate me?" He sighs. "Some people lose a mug or their boot. Not me. I managed to lose an entire dragon."

I open my mouth attempting to comfort him, but no sound come out.  Hiccup swats at a branch as we continue down a slope. The branch snaps back into place and hits me on the cheek. I hiss covering the right side of my face with my hand.

Hiccup turns around. "I'm sorry Whisper." He says miserably. "I'm even a bad brother."

I lower my hand and frantically shake my head, but Hiccup's attention is elsewhere. He looks at the branch. It is broken.

We look at the ground at our feet. It is darker and freshly turned. Something must have slid down the slop here. We follow the trail and find claw marks on a log. I start to get excited. The slope levels out and we stop behind a large rock, though smaller than a bolder.

Slowly Hiccup and I peek over the top of the rock and there laying tangled in the rope and rock thing is the Nightfury.