7 Finding a Dragon

Entering into the forest, the two teens began retracing their steps back where they last saw the Night Fury. Hicca bent down, studying the cut ropes as she thought to herself.

"Let's not bother checking the small things for now. C'mon, Follow me."

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" She huffs trailing behind Eugene.

"Obviously~, I'm going in the same direction we saw the Night Fury fly last time. Get it moving slow poke." 

Hicca groaned at his antics as they continued the hunt for the Night Fury. After a short trek, they came across a small arch in some rocks, going through them we found a huge clearing surrounded by steep walls. 

"Well, this was stupid…" Hicca grumbled, crouching down with her chin in hand. 

"Maybe not..." Bending down, Eugene examines black scales, picking one up and showing it to her. 

Before she could say anything, a large silhouette swooped by them. Hicca tumbled to the ground as Eugene ducked down. Helping Hicca up they looked back at the clearing, spotting what flew past them. 

"Of course," Eugene said sarcastically, waving his hands, "the Night Fury." 

"I'm going to take a closer look." Hicca said, jumping down to a ledge and pulling out her journal. 

"What are you doing?" Eugene asked, sliding down beside her as he kept his eyes on the dragon.

"I'm sketching it. Do you have any idea how lucky we are? We're probably the first people to get such a close look at this dragon! One thing does confuse me though." 

"What is it?"

"Why doesn't it just fly away? I mean it was flying before, when it attacked the village so why can't it fly now?" She said, studying the dragon closely. 

"Probably because it doesn't have its entire tail." Eugene stated, pointing at its tail. 

As Hicca leaned in, trying to get a better look at the tail, she slipped slightly, causing her pencil to fall to the ground.

*tak tak tak*

The clacking of the pencil caused the dragon to turn, as it spotted them observing it, and studying them as they did it.

"I think it's time we head back now." Eugene said, looking up at the sky as it began filling with black clouds.

"Yeah…"

Getting up he takes Hicca by the arm picking her up off the ground before they begin to make their way out of the forest.

___________________

[The Great Hall]

"Alright guys, where did Astrid go wrong in the arena today?" Gobber asked the group of teens sitting all around a table. 

"I mistimed my somersault dive. I was sloppy. It threw me off my game." Astrid said, berating herself.

"Yeah, I think we could all notice." Ruffnut snickered aloud. 

"No, no, you were awesome. It was so 'Astrid'." Snotlout said leaning over towards her before she pushed his face back. 

"No, she's right though, you have to be tough on yourself. Now where did Hicca go wrong?" Gobber said seeing Eugene and Hicca enter into the Great Hall.

"Uh, she showed up?" Ruffnut said, staring at Hicca as they walked by. 

"She didn't get eaten?" Tuffnut questioned sarcastically. 

"She's never where she's supposed to be." Astrid said, glaring at her.

"Give her some slack guys she's putting in the effort which is more than some people..." Eugene said, staring at the twins.

"Huh? What is he staring at?" Tuffnut asked, before shoving his face with meat.

Eugene could only face-palm while shaking his head.

"Alright break it up you guys." Gobber said, pulling out a leather book, with a dragon imprinted on its cover. "You need to live and breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manual. It has everything we know about every dragon we know of in it." He said, thunder outside the hall booming. "No attacks tonight. Study up." He says leaving the teens to themselves. 

"Wait, you mean, read?" Tuffnut asked, perking up as he dropped his knife. 

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

"Why read words when we can just kill the things the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout said, punching his hands together. Snotlout began getting up, leaving as the rest of the teens followed, leaving only Eugene, Astrid, and Hicca.

"So I guess we'll share?" Hicca said, approaching Astrid. 

"Read it." Astrid states, leaving like the others. Hicca sighed before sitting down in front of the book. 

"Why does everybody hate me…" Hicca said leaning on her hand. Approaching her, Eugene sat next to her before comforting her. 

"It's not that they hate you, it's just that they don't know what you can do. Don't let it get you down, you'll have your chance."

"Yeah, I guess… thanks for always being there for me Eugene." She said, smiling before turning back to the book. 

"I guess we should read this huh?"

 "Yep." 

___________________

It was about half an hour after everyone had left the Great Hall, leaving Eugene and Hicca in the dark with only a few candles, and the moonlight as a light source. 

"Alright ready to get this study session underway?" Hicca beamed as she placed the book on the table in front of her.

"Yay, studying… love it." He said, rolling his eyes at her. 

"Oh hah, hah, very funny now come on let's look through this thing." She sat down before opening the book and flipping its pages.

"Ok, first things first. Dragon classifications. Strike Class, Fear Class, Mystery Class." She listed off the dragon classes as Eugene sat down next to her leaning over her shoulder to look.

"H-hey you're a bit too close." She said, coughing into her hand and glancing at Eugene.

"Oh, sorry." He said scooting over slightly.

Hicca pushed the book in between them so they could both look at it before she continued reading. "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."

"Hey look at these." Pointing at some pictures Eugene began to list them off. 

"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." Reading them one by one as he dragged his finger across the pages. 

"Wow, that's a lot of kill on sight." Giving the book back to Hicca, she continued where he left off. 

"Gronckle, Zippleback, The Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death. 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…"

Finally, she flipped to the Night Fury page. Left blank with no picture and no information, nothing. "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."

"Never engage hmm. Yet, you shot one down." Eugene said, nudging Hicca as he smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She said, continuing to read the book. 

"Well, I should get going." Eugene told her as he stood up.

"Hey, shouldn't you at least wait till the thunderstorm passes?" 

"I can't wait Hicca, I might never get this chance again in a long time." Eugene said, walking towards the doors. 

"What do you mean?"

 "If only you knew." Opening the doors he walked into the pouring rain. 'This is my chance to tame a Skrill.' He thought, grinning widely.