How To Train Your Dragon One-Shots

Scauldy

Hi! I'm really procrastinating these last few days, but law school is truly terrible. I mean, I like it, but it's not easy, and I'm running away from it a little bit. We all need some breaks to have fun once in a while. So here's yet another story about one of my favorite Dragon Riders and one of my favorite dragons. This takes place before Race to the Edge and after the episode "Free Scauldy" (I can't remember if it was from Riders of Berk or Defenders of Berk).

***

It was a quiet night on Berk. Sure, the sound of Vikings snoring was akin to a small earthquake, but around there, that qualified as quiet. There were no dragon attacks, no invading armadas, no Roman galleons deploying soldiers on the docks. The sky was cloudless and there was no wind to rustle the trees nearby. No whispering deaths were busy tunneling their way under the island, and no outcasts were conducting any kidnappings. No Berserkers were howling at the moon and there was no Mildew around to damage property and blame it on the dragons. Even Hiccup and Toothless, a dragon whose species were literally named after the night were asleep. So, therefore, it was quiet. 

It was quiet, except for one thing. If someone had, oh, I don't know, woken up in the middle of a bad dream and decided to walk over to their window, perhaps they would have heard the sound of something clanging to the ground. Perhaps, if they focused, they would intuit that the sound came from something metal being dropped over by the fish hut next to the wood storage area. And if they really focused, and I mean focused, then maybe, just maybe, they would hear the sound of someone squealing near the source of the clanging sound. 

But it was a quiet night, and I can't say that anyone was awake to hear her.

Over by the fish hut, the individual who had dropped the metal held her hands over her mouth. For a moment, she stood there, too afraid to move. She listened, waiting to hear if anyone had noticed her. The seconds passed. Snores rang out from nearby homes, and the ever present sound of the waves lapping against the docks down below continued as it always did, but there was no indication that anyone had woken up. Admittedly, some Vikings could be very stealthy when they chose, but they were few and far between, so it wasn't likely that she would be bothered. 

And so, she collected the fallen metal bowl, grabbed a particularly oily fish from the storage building, and went on her way. 

Ordinarily, no one would try this on such a cloudless night. The moon was so full and bright that it felt like a spotlight was being trained on her as she slinked between buildings and towards the docks. But this was the regularly scheduled night, unbeknownst to the rest of the village. If she wanted to see him, she would have to be extra careful. And she was. Every time she passed near a window, she ducked, just to make sure that if anyone happened to wake up and glance outside, they wouldn't see the light reflecting off her helmet. She made sure that each time she took a step forward, she stepped on the edge of her foot and then rolled onto her full foot, just as Gobber had taught all the youngsters during tracking class. I'd have to put in a good word to the old teacher. She was careful.

When she reached the last line of houses, she breathed a sigh of relief. The metal bowl was still in her left hand and the fish was in the right. Now, all she had to do was walk down the long and rickety path to the docks below. Once she began the journey downward, the quiet night added the sound of creaking wood to its symphony. She didn't look behind her because no one was paying attention. No one noticed her as she made her descent.

Finally, she reached the water.

Down there on the docks, the sounds of snoring Vikings was drowned out by the small waves. The birds that squalled from the cliffs during the day were replaced by the fluttering of bats. She soaked in the quiet, letting it calm her. Life on Berk could be so loud. And yes, she was responsible for a good thirty-seven percent of that noise on a good day, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy some peace now and then, or that she didn't need some peace. Life wasn't all fun and maces every minute.

A moment passed. When she was ready, she walked to the edge of the dock and poured the contents of the bowl into the water.

The fish oil began spreading in the water. This particular oil was smellier than the usual. Thankfully, Vikings were so used to bad smells that she never worried about waking anyone up with the smell alone. She put the bowl on the dock and then looked up, peering through the night, scanning the sea before her. 

Something began bubbling underneath her. She looked down. The water was boiling right where she had dumped the fish oil. Heat emanated from the spot, warming even her. She took a step back, holding onto the fish that she still carried.

From the water, a green horn emerged. Then a head. Then a long neck. 

It was a Scauldron.

But what happened next would surprise any Viking, even one who had been awake and focusing very hard. The girl, ordinarily loud, chaotic, and the very opposite of gentle, raised her free hand. She left it hanging there, allowing the sea-monster to smell it. This occurred without her looking away or appearing to be nervous. In this moment, she was not the Loki loving prankster who approached every situation with the grace of a mace being used to butter some toast. Here, she was someone who had spent countless hours training to interact with dragons. She was a Dragon Rider.

And more importantly than even that, she was someone who loved this dragon.

The Scauldron touched the base of its horn to her outstretched hand.

"It's good to see you too, Scauldy," Ruffnut Thorston said, her voice carrying in the quiet night. She smiled as the dragon nuzzled into her hand. Its throat pouch inflated and deflated, not because it was boiling water, but because Scauldy was excited to see her.

Ruffnut laughed. "It's been a while. You look good though. How's the wing?"

Scauldy lifted both his wings out of the water. The splint that had once been arranged on his right wing was gone. It had been gone for months now. Scauldy had broken his wing after some rocks fell on it, but now he pushed his wing forward and Ruffnut felt a blast of air rush around her.

"That's awesome!" she cheered, careful not to be too loud. "You're like, a whole new Scauldy, Scauldy!"

Scauldy gulped up some water and sprayed it into the air like a wet firework. I always thought that it was uncanny how dragons seemed to be able to smile just like humans. When Scauldy smiled, so did Ruffnut. 

For an hour or so more, the two of them stayed together. Ruffnut sat on the dock while Scauldy floated beside her. What transpired between the two, who can say? After stumbling upon their reunion, it was clear that I should leave them be. No pranks were forthcoming in the morning. At least, no pranks arising from this particular situation. And while a Chief would be obligated to prevent any pranks before they could be pulled, a Chief would never dream to get in the way of a dragon and its rider.

***

Free Scauldy is one of my favorite episodes in the HTTYD saga. We don't get a lot of character development for Ruffnut, especially in the original shows, but this episode began hinting that she might one day become a great dragon rider. She's still clearly not taking the role very seriously, and she's not paying attention to Hiccup's teachings or anything beyond her love of Barf and Belch. But when she finally connects with Scauldy and realizes that she has the potential to befriend dragons and do what all the other riders can do, I think she begins to more fully embrace her own power and initiative. She isn't just the clueless girl who makes noise with her brother. Like the others, she is a Dragon Rider, and she is skillful and valuable and intelligent even if she couldn't recognize it at first. Ruffnut should never be dismissed.

I hope you enjoyed the story! This is a reminder to check out my other stories and check out my podcast "Determination, Deliberation, and Dragons" wherever you get your podcasts for writing workshops featuring dragon-themed stories, book and film analyses, and interviews with published authors.