How to Train Your Dragon: Rewrite

Chapter 6: Potential

This chapter contains swearing, 

The teens are all gathered around in the training arena, separated into pairs. They got to separate into pairs themselves and Tuffnut was a little hurt when both Hicca and Ruffnut ran off to pair with Fishlegs and Astrid respectively. That left him with only Snotlout…

Gobber could be found near the large double doors that Hicca knew contained the Hideous Zippleback. 

"Today is about teamwork. Work together and you might survive." He announces. 

Gas seeps through the cracks of the door before it just blasts open. A cloud of smoke engulfs the ring, swirling around the paired-up teens. Astrid with Ruffnut. Snotlout with Tuffnut. Fishlegs with Hicca. All carry buckets of water, poised to throw them. 

"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 chuckles ominously from somewhere in the fog, or maybe he is already out of the ring.

The smoke encircles them, cutting them off from each other. The teens try their hardest to listen and watch for any sign of the dragon. 

"Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, crushing its victims in its…" Fishlegs is quietly muttering to himself and Hicca.

"Will you please stop that?" Hicca pleads with her voice just as tense as her body. 

Tuffnut and Snotlout are moving nervously through the fog, back to back. Snotlout is singing quietly to himself to calm his nerves. 

"If that dragon shows either of his faces, I'm gonna--" Snotlout stops speaking to point at an approaching shape, terrified. "--There!"

Tuffnut has no choice but to trust Snotlout and they both hurl their water into the fog. 

"Hey!" Astrid calls in indignation. 

"It's us, idiots." Ruffnut yells, pissed off. 

Astrid and Ruffnut are soaked. 

"Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon." Snotlout stops himself again, turning to Astrid.

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

Astrid elbows Snotlout in the face. Ruffnut drops Tuffnut with a punch to the throat. 

Tuffnut wheezes on his knees and holds his throat, trying to get words out to question his sister before being suddenly yanked back by his vest.

"Wait." Astrid all but whispers.  

The three remaining teens freeze. A tail sweeps out of the fog, taking the girls down, resulting in them spilling their buckets. 

Fishlegs and Hicca stumble into the mess the teens made and come across them. They see the puddles of spilled water. 

Tuffnut comes stumbling out of the fog, breathing quickly in a panic, grabbing Hicca's shoulders while spinning behind her to stabilize himself. Surprisingly he doesn't spill her bucket. 

"Chances of survival are dwindling into single digits now…" Fishlegs jokes morbidly.

"Look out!" Hicca calls suddenly. 

One of the Zippleback's heads emerges out of the smoke. Fishlegs hurls his water at it, completely dousing the head. It leers and opens its mouth, spewing more gas into the area. 

"Oh. Wrong head." Fishlegs nervously laughs.

Gas starts to pool around their legs. Fishlegs tosses his bucket in the air as he flees in a panic.