How to train your dragon Read Online Free Page B
Author: by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III; translated from the Old Norse by Cressida Cowell
Tags: General, Humorous stories, Historical, Children's Books, Juvenile Fiction, Medieval, Animals, Dragons, Mythical, Vikings, Fairy tales; folk tales; fables; magical tales & traditional stories
haven't got a hope in Valhalla of passing Initiation anyway, so --"
"No, I've got another one, in my basket," Hiccup insisted.
Fishlegs' jaw dropped open in disbelief.
"I got it when I went back into the tunnel," explained Hiccup.
"Well, blister my barnacles," said Fishlegs. "How in Thor's name did you know it was there? It was so dark you couldn't see the horns in front of you."
40
"It was weird," said Hiccup. "I sort of sensed it when we were running down the tunnel. I couldn't see anything, but as we were passing, I just knew there was a dragon there, and that it was meant to be MY dragon. I was going to ignore it, actually, because we were in a bit of a hurry, but then you said about not having a dragon and I went back, and ... there it was, lying on this shelf in the tunnel, just as I'd imagined it would be."
"Well, jigger my jellyfish," said Fishlegs, and the boys started running again.
Hiccup was bruised all over, shaking from shock, and he had a nasty dragon wound in his calf, which was stinging like crazy from the saltwater. He was freezing cold and there was an irritating bit of seaweed in one of his sandals.
He was also a bit worried because he knew he should not have risked his life trying to get a dragon for Fishlegs. This was not the act of a Viking Hero. A Viking Hero would know not to intervene between Fishlegs and his Fate.
On the other hand, Hiccup had been worrying about Dragon-catching Day for longer than he could remember. He had been sure he would be the only one
41
to come back without a dragon, and shame, embarrassment, and awful exile would follow.
And now, here he was: a Viking warrior WITH a dragon.
So, on the whole, he was feeling fairly pleased with himself.
Things were looking up.
... .. You know, Hiccup," said Fishlegs a little later, as the wooden fortifications of the village appeared on the horizon, "that sounds like Fate, you sensing the dragon was there like that. This could be Meant to Be. You could have some sort of wonder-dragon in there. Something that makes a Monstrous Nightmare look like a flying frog!You are the son and heir of Chief Stoick after all, and it's about time Fate came in with a sign about your destiny."
The boys stopped, puffing with exhaustion.
"Oh, I'm sure it's just a Common or Garden that wandered away from the rest," said Hiccup, trying to sound careless but unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. He could have something marvelous in there!
Maybe Old Wrinkly was right. Old Wrinkly was Hiccup's grandfather on his mother's side. He had
42
taken up soothsaying in his old age and he kept on telling Hiccup how he had looked into the future and that Hiccup was destined for great things.
This amazing dragon could be the beginning of his transformation from ordinary old Hiccup, who wasn't particularly good at anything, into a Hero of the Future!
Hiccup took the basket off his back and paused before opening it.
"It's very still, isn't it?" said Fishlegs, suddenly less certain of the Fate theory. "I mean, it isn't moving at all in there. Are you sure it's alive?"
"It's just very deeply asleep," said Hiccup. "It was stone cold when I picked it up."
Suddenly he had a strong feeling that the gods were on his side. He KNEW that this dragon was alive.
With trembling fingers, Hiccup undid the latch, took off the lid of the basket, and peered in. Fishlegs joined him.
Things weren't looking so good anymore.
There, curled up fast asleep in the bottom of the basket in a tangled dragon knot, lay perhaps the most common Common or Garden Dragon Hiccup had ever seen.
43
[Image: A small dragon]]
44
Absolutely the only extraordinary thing about this dragon was how extraordinarily SMALL it was. In this it was truly extraordinary.
Most dragons that the Vikings used for hunting purposes were about the size of a Labrador retriever. The adolescent dragons the boys were collecting weren't quite that big, but they were nearly fully grown. This dragon was
"No, I've got another one, in my basket," Hiccup insisted.
Fishlegs' jaw dropped open in disbelief.
"I got it when I went back into the tunnel," explained Hiccup.
"Well, blister my barnacles," said Fishlegs. "How in Thor's name did you know it was there? It was so dark you couldn't see the horns in front of you."
40
"It was weird," said Hiccup. "I sort of sensed it when we were running down the tunnel. I couldn't see anything, but as we were passing, I just knew there was a dragon there, and that it was meant to be MY dragon. I was going to ignore it, actually, because we were in a bit of a hurry, but then you said about not having a dragon and I went back, and ... there it was, lying on this shelf in the tunnel, just as I'd imagined it would be."
"Well, jigger my jellyfish," said Fishlegs, and the boys started running again.
Hiccup was bruised all over, shaking from shock, and he had a nasty dragon wound in his calf, which was stinging like crazy from the saltwater. He was freezing cold and there was an irritating bit of seaweed in one of his sandals.
He was also a bit worried because he knew he should not have risked his life trying to get a dragon for Fishlegs. This was not the act of a Viking Hero. A Viking Hero would know not to intervene between Fishlegs and his Fate.
On the other hand, Hiccup had been worrying about Dragon-catching Day for longer than he could remember. He had been sure he would be the only one
41
to come back without a dragon, and shame, embarrassment, and awful exile would follow.
And now, here he was: a Viking warrior WITH a dragon.
So, on the whole, he was feeling fairly pleased with himself.
Things were looking up.
... .. You know, Hiccup," said Fishlegs a little later, as the wooden fortifications of the village appeared on the horizon, "that sounds like Fate, you sensing the dragon was there like that. This could be Meant to Be. You could have some sort of wonder-dragon in there. Something that makes a Monstrous Nightmare look like a flying frog!You are the son and heir of Chief Stoick after all, and it's about time Fate came in with a sign about your destiny."
The boys stopped, puffing with exhaustion.
"Oh, I'm sure it's just a Common or Garden that wandered away from the rest," said Hiccup, trying to sound careless but unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. He could have something marvelous in there!
Maybe Old Wrinkly was right. Old Wrinkly was Hiccup's grandfather on his mother's side. He had
42
taken up soothsaying in his old age and he kept on telling Hiccup how he had looked into the future and that Hiccup was destined for great things.
This amazing dragon could be the beginning of his transformation from ordinary old Hiccup, who wasn't particularly good at anything, into a Hero of the Future!
Hiccup took the basket off his back and paused before opening it.
"It's very still, isn't it?" said Fishlegs, suddenly less certain of the Fate theory. "I mean, it isn't moving at all in there. Are you sure it's alive?"
"It's just very deeply asleep," said Hiccup. "It was stone cold when I picked it up."
Suddenly he had a strong feeling that the gods were on his side. He KNEW that this dragon was alive.
With trembling fingers, Hiccup undid the latch, took off the lid of the basket, and peered in. Fishlegs joined him.
Things weren't looking so good anymore.
There, curled up fast asleep in the bottom of the basket in a tangled dragon knot, lay perhaps the most common Common or Garden Dragon Hiccup had ever seen.
43
[Image: A small dragon]]
44
Absolutely the only extraordinary thing about this dragon was how extraordinarily SMALL it was. In this it was truly extraordinary.
Most dragons that the Vikings used for hunting purposes were about the size of a Labrador retriever. The adolescent dragons the boys were collecting weren't quite that big, but they were nearly fully grown. This dragon was
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