12 Bonding with Dragons (2)

It had been a few hours after Hicca and Eugene came back to town, it was now night and Gobber told them and the other teens to go to the watchtower for some of his 'Storytelling'.

Walking to the watchtower and talking with one another, the two teens made their way up as they heard Gobber talking to the other teens.

"And with one twist, he took my hand and swallowed it whole. When I saw the look on his face I knew he thought I was delicious. He must have passed the word because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg." He told them as he swung around an entire cooked turkey.

"Woah... isn't it kinda strange to think that your hand was inside a dragon? Like, what if your mind was still in control of it? You coulda killed the dragon from the inside by... uh, crushing its heart, or something." Fishlegs asked in amazement.

Snotlout on the other hand, loudly screamed in anger. "I swear, I'm so angry right now! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight. With my face!" He yelled, taking a bite out of a chicken leg.

Gobber, finishing a piece of chicken, tore off the wing before speaking again. "It's the wings and the tails you really want, if it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

Hicca became lost in thought after hearing those spoken words. Thinking to herself about the Night Fury.

"I know that look... what're you thinking about Hicca?" Eugene asked, nudging her a bit. 

Turning to him she leaned in his direction before whispering in his ear. "I'm just thinking about what Gobber said... about how a downed dragon is a dead dragon. The Night Fury... it can't fly, and I'm the one responsible for that. I need to help it."

"Alright, if that's what you want just be careful, and don't hesitate to come to me for help." Eugene told her as he playfully ruffled her hair before noticing Gobber stand up.

"Alright then, I'm off to bed. You should be too, tomorrow we get to the big boys. Gradually making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare. Though who'll win the honor of killing it?"

After Gobber left, Hicca got up before running down the stairs determined to make something that'll get the dragon flying again.

'And~, there she goes." Eugene thought as he also got up to leave and get some rest.

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Late into the night, Hicca went to the forge, looking at her sketches of the Night Fury. As she looked over the sketches, she sketched a tail fin to match the dragons. Lighting the forge she placed some metals in before using the large blower to add more heat to melt them.

Taking the metal out she forged it into a thin rod before cooling it, lining it up with the sketch making sure it was perfect. She then took a shield from a stand, removing the nails from the front and heating them before hammering them into the shapes she needed. 

A few hours later she finally finished, picking up the finished tail in satisfaction. Exhausted, she headed home to sleep for the next day.

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The next morning Hicca was back at the cove ready to put the prosthetic tail fin to the test.

"Hey, Toothless~ I brought breakfast. I hope you're hungry." She said, dumping a basket of different marine life on the ground. "Okay, that's gross. Uh... ok, so, we've got some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel."

After digging through the fish Toothless reared back screeching in horror at the sight of the eel.

"No, no, no, no! It's okay." She said, picking up the eel and throwing it aside before rubbing her hand on her pants. "Yeah, I don't really like eel much either."

After that little fiasco, Toothless began eating the fish. While he was distracted, Hicca tiptoed toward his tail.

"Yeah, that's right... that's right, just stick with good stuff. And don't mind me. I'll just be down here... minding my own business." Bending down Hicca tries attaching the new tail fin to the dragon as it swishes its tail.

"Okay... okay... " As Hicca tightens the straps on the tail fin, Toothless stops eating and perks up, seemingly realizing his tail was fixed.

"There! Not too shabby if I do say so myself. It should work." She said smiling to herself right as Toothless took off with Hicca stuck to his tail. As they flew they began heading directly towards a rock wall.

"Whoa! No, no, no!" Quickly adjusting the tail fin Hicca twists it to the side as they barely dodge the wall. "Oh, gosh... It's working! Yes! Yes, I did it!

Toothless, realizing Hicca is still on his tail, throws her off, hurling her into the lake below. Unable to steer the fin on his own, he then crashes into the lake himself.

"AAAAAGGGGHHHHH! Yeah!"

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'I hate Gobbers methods...' I thought to myself as we were in another one of Gobber's training sessions. The arena was filled with a greenish fog, obscuring the dragon concealed inside it.

"Today is about teamwork. Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, and the other head, lights it. Your job is to know which is which." Gobber told us as we held buckets of water, surrounded by the green gas.

"Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, by crushing its victims-" 

'And there he goes... another one of his ramblings.' I thought to myself as I glanced at Fishlegs rambling in Hiccas ear.

"Will you please stop that?!" Hicca shouts as she moves away slightly from Fishlegs.

"If that dragon shows either of its faces, I'm gonna- there!" Snotlout shouted as he and Tuffnut drenched Astrid and Ruffnut, thinking they were the Zippleback.

"Hey! It's us, idiots!" Ruffnut screamed at them.

"Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon." Tuffnut snickered loudly pointing at the two females.

"Not that there's anything wrong with a dragon-esque figure- Ow!" 

Astrid cut Snotlout off with a quick jab in the face, as Ruffnut threw her bucket at Tuffnut, who was then promptly dragged into the wall of smoke.

"Wait…" Astrid told the other two, right before a tail suddenly whipped out from the gas knocking them off their feet.

Running out of the mist Tuffnut began screaming as he fumbled over himself. "Oh, I'm hurt! I am very much hurt!"

As this all was happening Hicca, me, and Fishlegs were huddled together with our backs to one another as we looked for the dragon.

"Chances of survival are quickly dwindling into single digits now..." Fishlegs squeaked out.

As one of the Zippleback heads emerged from the mist, Fishlegs yelped and threw water at its face before it angrily spewed out some green gas. "Oh. Wrong head."

Annoyed, the head then spews a large stream of green gas, making Fishlegs run off screaming. The head then turned its attention to Hicca and me as the other head came into view, spitting electrical sparks.

"Now you two!" Gobber shouted at us. 

Hicca tossed her water at the spark-spitting head, missing atrociously, before I quickly doused the head in water, rendering it unable to light the surrounding gas.

Taking the chance while it was stunned, I smacked the head with my bucket, turning to Hicca and pulling her away from the dragon.

"Stay here I'll try and get it back in the cage somehow." I told her. 

Before I could run back toward the dragon, Hicca grabbed my arm before handing me something. "Wait! Use this, I found out that they really~ hate eels." 

'I kinda already knew that but thanks anyway.' I thought, nodding and running toward the Zippleback. Wrapping the dead eel around my hand I holler at the dragon waving my eel-covered arm at it.

"Back! Get back! Back in your cage!" Forcing the dragon back into the cage I threw the eel inside, shutting the door of the cage as the Zippleback cowered in terror at the sight of the eel. 

Turning around I see Gobber and the other teens shocked, as they didn't expect me to take on the Zippleback by myself.

"Okay! So, are we done? Because me and Hicca got some things to do. See you tomorrow!" He said dragging Hicca along with him out of the arena.

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Hicca could now be seen making a saddle as Eugene was leaning against a wall watching her work.

"I know I told you about my idea about helping the dragon, but why aren't you freaking out that I'm going to try and ride it?" Hicca asked me, shocked that I didn't consider her idea to be crazy like any other Viking would.

"It's not that shocking considering I helped you set the thing free. Plus I still need to help my own dragon." I told her, whispering the last part to myself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Anyways just don't do anything too crazy." I informed her before walking towards the entryway.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to walk for a little bit." He told her before leaving the forge.

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After I left Hicca at the forge I began wandering back to the cave with a basket of fish, as I thought of how things in the future were changing sooner than I thought they would. Sighing, I reached the cave calling out to the Skrill so it was aware of my presence.

As I strolled into the cave I saw the Skrill lying down as it stared at me, unsurprised by my arrival. Grabbing the basket of fish I brought I placed it on the ground before taking a few pouches of water out of my bag.

"Brought you some food and water. This should be enough right?" I asked the Skrill pointing at the food. With a grunt, it began eating the fish as I opened the pouches of water in preparation for it to drink.

"Oi, are you able to stand yet? You're a tough dragon so you should be able to right?" I asked the dragon. As I said this it tried standing on all its legs before stumbling due to its still healing wounds.

"Should've guessed. Alright, don't strain yourself. Rest up, I'll be visiting you a lot from now on, so get used to it." Leaving the cave I headed back to town as I began thinking to myself.

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The next day was another day of training as the group of teens now battled a Gronckle. As it hit Snotlout hurling him away, it began rushing towards Hicca before all of a sudden slowing down and falling over.

Once training was over the teenagers swarmed Hicca asking her questions about how she defeated the Gronckle.

"What was that? Some kind of trick? What did you do?"

"How'd you do that?"

"It was really cool."

"Hey, Hicca, I've never seen a Gronckle do that before!"

As they continued to swarm her I watched from a few feet away grinning to myself. 'Looks like someone becoming popular.' I thought.

As I was thinking too caught up in my daydream, Hicca ran up to me before pulling me along with her as we dodged a rather annoyed-looking Astrid.

Walking, we began talking with one another as I began teasing Hicca about her rising fame. "Looks like someone is getting the attention they wanted."

"Yeah, but I'm not used to having the good kinds of attention so it's a little abnormal for me." Hicca told me as we walked through the village.

"I guess, but hey, at least people are seeing you as less of a screw up." I snicker as she punches me in my shoulder.

"Thanks for your reassuring words…" She told me while rolling her eyes. "Anyways I have things to do I'll see you later Eugene."

"Yeah, see ya." I say, waving goodbye.