Watching the HTTYD Franchise

Chapter 6: How to Train Your Dragon

[Scene cuts to Hiccup trekking through the forest again.]

Hiccup weighs the bola with his hands. "So, why didn't you?"

"Good question," Alvin comments.

Hiccup keeps walking until he enters a cove, surveying its emptiness.

"Well, this was stupid," Hiccup mumbles to himself.

He finds some shiny black dragon scales on the floor. He picks one up.

"Did you have death wish, or something?" Astrid asks him.

"No," Hiccup replies. "I was just curious."

The Night Fury swoops past him, but falls back onto the ground, trying to settle down on the cove. Hiccup hides at the entrance and tries to make a sketch of it.

"Why don't you just... fly away?" Hiccup asks as if he were talking to the Night Fury.

As he makes a sketch, he notices the Night Fury is missing one of its tail fins. He rubs off the left fin on his drawing but he slips and drops his pencil, drawing the Night Fury's attention. It stares up at him in recognition.

[Scene cuts to the Meade Hall.]

"Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?" Gobber quizzes the teens.

"I mistimed my somersault dive," Astrid replies. "It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble."

"You did great, Mom," Zephyr whispers to the blonde, who smiles.

Her words didn't go unnoticed by Heather, who looks at the auburn haired girl in confusion.

Hiccup and Astrid smile at Zephyr, and Hiccup pulls her onto his lap, as Nuffink climbs onto his mother's lap. They may not know their future children very well, but they love them already. 

"Yeah, we noticed," Ruffnut says sarcastically.

"No, no, you were great," Snotlout assures her. "That was so 'Astrid'."

Spitelout facepalms again.

"She's right, you have to be tough on yourselves," Gobber says.

Hiccup tries to sit in between Snotlout and the twins, but they quickly block every gap, so he sits at the next table.

All the teens look down guiltily at how they treated their leader.

"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber questions.

"Uh, he showed up?" Ruffnut guesses.

"He didn't get eaten?" Tuffnut adds.

"Feeling the love, guys!" Hiccup retorts sarcastically.

"He's never where he should be," Astrid glares at him.

"Thank you, Astrid. You need to live and breathe this stuff," Gobber says, dropping a large leather bound book onto the table. "The Dragon Manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of."

Thunder booms outside.

"No attacks tonight," Gobber sighs, as he leaves. "Study up."

"Wait, you mean, read?" Tuffnut asks.

"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut adds.

"What, are you going to read when you die, Ruff?" Heather asks.

"Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout asks.

Spitelout facepalms.

"Oh! I've read it, like, seven times," Fishlegs says excitedly. "There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And-and there's this other one that buries itself for like a week-"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Tuffnut interrupts. "See, there was a chance I was going to read that..."

"...But, now..." Ruffnut finishes.

"I would've thought you two of all people would be more interested after hearing what kind of damage and pain the dragons can inflict," Mala comments.

"You guys read, I'll go kill stuff," Snotlout says, leaving.

Spitelout rolls his eyes, and sighs at his son's stupidity.

The twins and Fishlegs follow him.

"Oh, and there's this other one that has these spines that look like trees..." Fishlegs continues.

"So I guess we'll share?" Hiccup asks Astrid.

"Read it," Astrid pushes it away and leaves.

"I really should've been nicer," Astrid sighs apologetically.

"It's alright, Milady," Hiccup replies quietly, squeezing her hand. "You had your reputation to protect. I doubt you were lying about having read it anyway."

"All mine then," Hiccup stammers. "Wow, okay. So, I'll see you, uh..." The door slams loudly. His face falls. "...tomorrow."

He flips open the book, reading its contents aloud.

"Dragon classifications," he starts. "Strike Class, Fear Class, Mystery Class..."

He flips a few pages, and starts to skim through the book.

"Thunderdrum: This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools," Hiccup reads. "When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. Timberjack: This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. Scauldron: Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous. Changewing: Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight. Gronckle, Zippleback, The Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death. Burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside-out.

"Cool!" Both twins exclaim.

Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight..." he flips to the Night Fury page. No picture and very little information is shown on the page. "Night Fury: Speed, unknown. Size, unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance: Hide and pray it does not find you."

"That was ominous," Dagur comments.

He puts his sketch of Toothless where the Night Fury picture is supposed to be.

[Scene cuts to several longships gliding through fog]

"I can almost smell them," Stoick declares. "They're close. Steady. Take us in."

"Could you really, Chief?" Tuffnut asks.

"Were they smelly?" Ruffnut adds.

"Of course he couldn't, you muttonheads," Snotlout scoffs.

"Hard to port... for Helheim's gate," a Viking says.

The boats disappear in the fog. A sudden jump scare shows dragons attacking.

"Was it really that bad?" Heather asks.

"Yes!" All the Berkians who had been on the trip exclaim.

"It wouldn't have had to be like that, if you just did as I said, Stoick," Drago laughs.

Before Stoick can charge at him, the masked rider uses their double-hooked quarterstaff to hit him upside the head, knocking him out.

"Who are you?" Stoick asks.

The masked rider takes off their mask, and all the older Berkians gasp in shock.

"Valka?"

A/N: Here's your chapter, guys. Enjoy. Please comment. It makes my day. Stay safe.