Both Hiccup and Emily returned back to the village but it was already raining heavily when they did and both were soaked to the bone. The two made their way to the Meade Hall where Gobber told them all to meet up. They entered just in time to hear Gobber ask what Astrid did wrong at the training arena earlier.
"Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?" Gobber asked the teens at the table.
"I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble." Astrid said as she just poked her food.
This got her eye rolls from the twins and Emily who was squeezing the rainwater out of her hair.
"Yeah, we noticed." Ruffnut said sarcastically.
"No, no, you were great. That was so 'Astrid'." Snotlout said with praise as he tried to woo her but he only got a roll of Astrid's eyes at his attempt.
"She's right, you have to be tough on yourselves." Gobber said before he noticed the newcomers as Hiccup just grabbed the two plates of chicken leg available while Emily grabbed two cups of their drink.
But thanks to Snotlout who didn't let them sit with the others, they just went to a vacant table and sat there and across from each other. Hiccup just stared at his food solemnly while Emily just took small nibbles from her food.
"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber soon asked.
The idiotic twins answered and their answers just made him want to go back to the house and hide. Emily looked at him sympathetically while gesturing gently for him to eat at least a little bit of the food to which he did.
"Uh, he showed up?" Ruffnut answered but it just came out as a question as she snickered.
"He didn't get eaten." Tuffnut said with a smirk.
Astrid's answer just made him stop completely from eating his meal while Emily shot the twins a scolding look.
"He's never where he should be." Astrid said as Gobber nodded while smacking the twins on the head.
Emily shoots Astrid and the twins an angry look before her eyes soften as she looks at Hiccup.
"Something tells me they just don't like you that much." She muttered.
"Tell me about it." Hiccup mutters.
"Thank you, Astrid. Now where did Emily go wrong in the ring?" Gobber soon asked as Emily glanced at him with a confused glance.
"Ram against the dragon." Tuffnut said.
"She attacked the dragon without any form of weapon." Astrid said as Emily just rolled her eyes at her. If only she knows what Hiccup saw of what she can do at the empty hill a while ago.
"Thank you again, Astrid. You need to live and breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of." Gobber said before pulling out the dragon book and putting it on the table.
Thunder was soon heard outside when he finished as he just looked at the ceiling before he headed off for the night and left the book with the teens.
"No attacks tonight. Study up." He told them and left.
When he did, the three bullies were just in disbelief while some of them were curious about what the book has.
"Wait, you mean, read?" Tuffnut asked in confusion.
"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut asked like it was the end of the world.
"Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout question while hitting the table with his fist.
Emily just rolled her eyes and looked at Hiccup who looked at her as well and mouthed 'because he doesn't read' as he quickly hid his face on his arms while trying not to laugh out loud as she snickered.
"Oh! I've read it like, seven times. 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-" Fishlegs said as he eagerly started to share what he knew about what's in the book of dragons.
The twins and Snotlout looked at him weirdly like he grew a second head while Hiccup and Emily watched him curiously while Astrid just ignored them. He was then cut off by Tuffnut who used his hand to make him shut up.
"Yeah, that sounds great. See, there was a chance I was going to read that..." Tuffnut said with a smirk.
"... But, now..." Ruffnut finished as she just stared at him blankly with her brother.
Snotlout then stood up to leave since he didn't want to read a boring book.
"You guys read, I'll go kill stuff." He told them before heading off back home with the Thorston Twins and Fishlegs following who kept talking about dragons.
"Oh, and there's this other one that has these spines that look like trees..." He said as his voice trailed off.
Emily nudged Hiccup's shoulder as he looked at her. She motioned with her eyes to the table next to them and he saw that Astrid was the last one to go as she was eyeing the book hesitantly. He looked at his friend who shrugged as she got up and walked to Astrid while gesturing for him to wait.
"Snotlout and the Twins. The three of them don't seem to like learning much, do they?" Emily asked in an attempt to start a conversation.
"You have no idea." Astrid says.
She just doesn't get it. Why is Winters even trying to talk to her when she's friends with the chief's useless son? She just doesn't trust her at all when only Gobber, Hiccup and Gothi seemed to have taken a liking to her. Hiccup soon got up from his seat after he saw that the conversation wasn't going well and Astrid suddenly had the urge to leave the hall and the book.
"So I guess we'll share?" Hiccup asked but was rudely stopped when she pushed the book in their direction as she left.
"Read it." Astrid lied as she left the hall, leaving Hiccup and an annoyed Emily with the book of dragons.
"More for us then. Wow, okay. So I'll see you, uh..." Hiccup said with fake enthusiasm and tried to finish his sentence but was stopped again when she slammed the door closed.
"Tomorrow." Hiccup finished with a sigh.
"She didn't even read the book." Emily told him while crossing her arms.
He let out another sigh as he eyed the book curiously.
"So, wanna read the book?" He asked her hopefully and hoped that she wouldn't back down.
She just laughed and ruffled his hair while nodding.
Later that night, the two returned to the Meade Hall to read the book with Emily. She lit two candles and put them down gently on each side of the book as they sat down and flipped the book open as there were several classes of dragons in it.
"Dragon classifications. Strike Class, Fear Class, Mystery Class." Hiccup started to read before opening the book to a page showing the Thunderdrum.
"Thunderdrum: This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight." Hiccup reads and it shows a picture of a viking getting their head blown off by said dragon.
He flips to the next page as the dragon in it was called the Timberjack.
"Timberjack: This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight." Emily reads and is still disturb of the gory parts of the page.
Hiccup flips the page to the Scauldron.
"Scauldron: Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous-" Hiccup reads but was startled when a huge crash of lightning was heard outside.
They both look to the door just in time to see a flash of lightning. Emily was already on high alert but they went back to reading the book to the Changewing.
"Changewing: Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight." Emily read before Hiccup started to flip the pages and saw all different types of dragons on it.
"Gronckle, Zippleback, Stormcutter, Grapple Grounder, Beezelord, Razorwhip, Rumblehorn, Dramilion, Mudracker, Slithering Smokebreath, The Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death, Death Song, Deathgripper." Both Emily and Hiccup read as they were all surprised by the contents and they shuddered when they noticed the drawings seemed to move by the candlelight.
"Burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight..." Hiccup continued to read before they reached the very last page about the Night Fury.
The page was blank and had no pictures or information about the elusive dragon minus small information about the dragon.
"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." Hiccup reads. He then took out his notepad and placed it on top of the book as the candlelight illuminated it.
Hiccup handed the book to Emily as she turned to the page of the Stormcutter.
"Stormcutter.
FIRE TYPE: Sustained and blazing torus of fire.
FEATURES:
Two pairs of wings, head frills, "Smashed" face, three tail fins.
ABILITIES: Exceptional maneuverability and diving, prehensile claws, twisting head about 180°.
SIZE: Large: 31 feet 3.25 inches (9.53 meters).
WEIGHT: 2,500 lbs (1134 kg).
WINGSPAN: 48 feet (diagonally). Stormcutters are known for their large size, iridescent fish-like scales, and two pairs of wings. They have owlish mannerisms and a second set of wings under their main ones. Stormcutter dragons walk on this second set of wings and their hind legs. The wings can also come close together so they can appear to be one main pair. They have a very muscular and sturdy build. Their face has two long spines that branch off their brow to the side and they have a flattened, owlish face, making them seemingly brachycephalic. They have a three-finned tail, many spines down their back, and a large crown of spikes on their head that makes them look even more menacing. Titan Wing Stormcutters look very similar to their Broad Wing counterparts, apart from differences in color and size. They have brown, leather-like scales. Their wings are red near the body, at the base, and gradually lightens into pale pink towards the edge. They have a larger crown and tail fin, and the spines along their back are bright red and larger. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight." Emily reads as she remembers that Optimus looks exactly how the book described the species and guessed that's the species he's in.
"Guess we figured out what type of dragon Optimus is." Hiccup said as she nodded.
"Yeah. A titan wing." Emily said softly.
They both decided to turn in for the night and left to get some rest for the training tomorrow.
The next day at the Arena, they were there for the second day of dragon training but didn't expect that a maze was set up there. When Gobber let the Deadly Nadder out, the teens all scrambled away and tried to hide from it and Hiccup and Emily got separated when they were making a run for it. And Hiccup took this opportunity to ask Gobber about the Night Fury.
"You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?" Hiccup asked only for him to yelp in shock and surprise when a magnesium fire blast hit the metal part of the axe he was holding.
When he looked in the direction it came from, he was startled out of his wits when he saw that the Nadder was approaching him with a roar like squawk.
"WHOA!" Hiccup yelped.
"Focus, Hiccup! You're not even trying!" Gobber exclaimed as he quickly made a run for it as the dragon lost sight of him and went to someone else.
"Today is all about ATTACK! Nadders are quick and light on their feet! Your job is to be quicker and lighter!" Gobber told them just as the Nadder spotted Fishlegs and launched several of its venomous spikes at him which he quickly
"AAAAAH! I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" Fishlegs exclaimed in fear and panic. How can anyone learn from Gobber?!
"Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike!" Gobber advised them as Emily and Hiccup met up again and made sure to avoid the Nadder together.
And just by luck, the twins accidentally ran in with the Nadder and they both quickly halted in front of it but it can't seem to find them. It moved from side to side and the twins followed its movements while trying to stay quiet but the quietness didn't last long as Ruffnut gagged when she caught a whiff of her brother's body odor.
"Ugh! Do you ever bathe?" Ruffnut said as quietly as she could, hoping the Nadder wouldn't hear.
"If you don't like it, then get your own blind spot," Tuffnut snapped, his voice worriedly loud.
"How about I give you one?!" she shot back, literally butting heads with him.
Their argument escalated that they forgot about being quiet and the Nadder let out a squawk which caught their attention. It breathes out a stream of bright fire at the sound of their fighting. They barely managed to get out of the way in time as Ruffnut quickly grabbed her brother's arm and the two ran off for safety.
"Blind spot, yes. Deaf spot? Not so much. Heh, heh, heh." Gobber said as he laughed mischievously.
Just then Hiccup stopped just below him as he still needed answers to his question as Emily was catching her breath for a minute beside him.
"Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Hiccup asked but only got a half-baked answer to his question.
"No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale." Gobber told him before snapping.
"NOW, GET IN THERE!" Gobber snapped as Hiccup was really desperate for answers.
"Hiccup, you ask your questions later. Right now we need to focus on not getting killed." Emily told him.
"I know, I know, but hypothetically-" Hiccup told her before Astrid's voice caught their attention.
"Hiccup! Emily!"
They both turned their heads to see Astrid and Snotlout was crouching down and possibly hiding from the Nadder which was close by.
"Get down!" She whispered and motioned for them to join them.
She peeked from the corner and saw the Nadder looking to the side as if to get a better look. She took small and steady breaths before rolling to the other side. Snotlout followed next with Emily right behind.
She stopped by the wall and gestured for Hiccup to hurry. He attempted to do the same but he got weighed down by his shield. The Deadly Nadder turns its head and soon spots him. Emily quickly pulls him back up to his feet and both manage to run just as the dragon lunges at him.
The Deadly Nadder jumped up onto the maze walls to try and spot the teens. It forgets about Hiccup and Emily and spots Astrid and Snotlout and jumps down in front of them.
Astrid attempted to swing her axe at it but Snotlout pushed her aside to 'protect' her from the dragon.
"Watch out, babe. I'll take care of this."
"Hey!" Astrid exclaimed in annoyance.
He threw his hammer at the Nadder but it just flew past its head and hit the wall behind it. The Nadder let out a squawk like laugh at his failed attempt while Astrid was giving him a glare at that.
"The sun was in my eyes, Astrid!" Snotlout tried to defend himself but they just made a run for it when the dragon breathed fire on them.
"What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don't have time right now!" Snotlout said and quickly made a turn when the Nadder was chasing after them.
It soon chased after Astrid who slid a sharp turn and caused the Nadder to bump the wall where Hiccup was which caused a chain reaction to the other ones as it all fell down like a set of dominos. The twins were making a run for it while Emily was watching everything from where she took cover with wide eyes.
"They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?" Hiccup said as he was completely unaware of what was happening to his surroundings before Gobber snapped him out of it.
"Hiccup!" Gobber pointed something behind him and he turned around.
He was in disbelief on what was going on at the entire maze but he saw that Astrid was leaping from wall to wall to get away from the Nadder that was still chasing after her. But when she got onto the last wall, she ended up falling down to the heir who was taken by surprise.
"HICCUP!" Astrid exclaimed and he fell on his back as the dust rose.
The dust was settling down as the Nadder seemed to have crashed somewhere while both Astrid and Hiccup were seen in a rather awkward position. Hiccup was burning bright red to the face at their position while both of them were trying to untangle their limbs.
"Oooh! Love on the battlefield!" Tuffnut said loudly in a teasing tone.
"She could do better." Ruffnut said with a grin.
"Just... let me... why don't you- Ow!" Hiccup said but yelped in pain as Astrid was able to untangle herself from him and stood up.
The Nadder rose up from where it crashed and Astrid saw it, causing her to panic and tried to get her ace from Hiccup's shield. She then put a foot on his face and painfully yanked the shield and axe from him and swung it with great force at the charging Nadder.
It was a direct hit as it yelped and whimpered away back to its cage from the pain it was suffering while all of the teens were getting out from their hiding spot.
"Well done, Astrid." Gobber told her as she panted heavily.
She then steeled her expression and turned to Hiccup with a harsh glare who was massaging his jaw while Emily helped him up. He looked up at Astrid and visibly flinched at the glare she was giving him.
"Is this some kind of a joke to you?!" Astrid asked him angrily as he flinched again when she pointed her axe at him.
"Our parents' war is about to become ours! Figure out which side you're on." Astrid told him before leaving with the rest of the teens.
Hiccup watched them leave before he started to cry silently as Emily helped him sit down where there's some seats. Emily comforted him the best as she could while she was pretty much sure that Hiccup won't be feeling anything towards Astrid from what she said.
"It hurts, Emily... It hurts..." Hiccup whimpered pitifully as he huddled close to her for comfort.
He couldn't believe it... After he tried to impress or win the girl of his dreams, her words stung him to the core and he couldn't handle it.
"She's not the perfect girl for you, Hiccup. She's just too proud." Emily comforted him as she tried to comfort him.
She did the same when she was comforting Knock Out when Breakdown seemed to have chosen Airachnid. They stayed like that for a couple of more minutes before Hiccup finally calmed down somewhat.
"Why don't we go and see how our scaly friends are doing? A visit from them might cheer you up." Emily suggested and he nodded slightly with a small smile.
At least Emily was there when he needed a shoulder to cry on.