How to Train Your Dragon

Nobody had any questions.
"In the unlikely event that you DO wake the dragons -- and you would have to be IDIOTICALLY STUPID to do so -- run like thunder for the entrance to the cave. Dragons do not like cold weather and the snow will probably stop them in their tracks."
9
 Probably?thought Hiccup. Oh, well,that's reassuring.
"I suggest that you spend a little time choosing your dragon. It is important to get one the correct size. This will be the dragon that hunts fish for you, and pulls down deer for you. You will catch the dragon that will carry you into battle later on, when you are much older and a Warrior of the Tribe. But, nonetheless, you want an impressive animal, so a rough guide would be, choose the biggest creature that will fit into your basket. Don't linger for TOO long in there --"
Linger??? thought Hiccup. In a cave full of three thousand sleeping DRAGONS?
"I need not tell you," Gobber continued cheerfully, "that if you return to this spot withouta dragon, it is hardly worth coming back at all. Anybody who FAILS this task will be put into immediate exile. The Hairy Hooligan Tribe has no use for FAILURES. Only the strong can belong."
Unhappily, Hiccup looked round at the distant horizon. Nothing but snow and sea as far as the eye could see. Exile didn't look too promising, either.
"RIGHT," said Gobber briskly. "Each boy take a basket to put their dragon in and we'll get going."
10
The boys rushed to get their baskets, chattering happily and excitedly.
"I'm going to get one of those Monstrous Nightmare ones with the extra-extendable claws. They're really scary," boasted Snotlout.
"Oh shut up, Snotlout, you can't," said Speedi-fist. "Only Hiccup can have a Monstrous Nightmare, you have to be the son of a chief." Hiccup's father was Stoick the Vast, the fearsome chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.
"HIC-CUP?" sneered Snotlout. "If he's as useless at this as he is at Bashyball, we'll be lucky if he even gets one of the Basic Browns."
The Basic Brown was the most common type of dragon, a serviceable beast but without much glamour.
"SHUDDUP AND GET INTO LINE YOU MISERABLE TADPOLES!" yelled Gobber the Belch.
The boys scrambled into their places, baskets on their backs, and stood to attention. Gobber walked along the line, lighting the torch that each boy held in front of him from the great flare in his hand.
"IN HALF AN HOUR'S TIME YOU WILL BE A VIKING WARRIOR. WITH YOUR FAITHFUL SERPENT AT YOUR SIDE ...
11
[ VIKING DRAGONS AND THEIR EGGS
 THE COMMON  OR  GARDEN  and  THE BASIC BROWN 
The Common or Garden and the Basic Brown are so similar that they can Be dealt with together. These are themost familiar breeds - theones we instantly think of whenwe say "dragons." pr They are poor hunters, but they are easy to train. These dragons are the best kind for familypets, although, as with a lion or a tiger, they should never he left unsupervised with very young children.
 STATISTICS 
COLORS: Green and yellow, all shades of brown
ARMED WITH :Basic teeth and claws 3
DEFENSES :Prickly spines 2
RADAR :None 0
POISON: None 0
HUNTING ABDLITY: Lethargic hunters 3
SPEED: Swift inretreat 8
FEAR AND FIGHT FACTOR: good when angry 4
12
... OR BREAKFASTING WITH WODEN INVALHALLA WITH DRAGONS' TEETH IN YOUR BOTTOM!" screamed Gobber with horrible enthusiasm. :
 "DEATH OR GLORY!"yelled Gobber.
 "DEATH OR GLORY!"yelled eight boys back at him fanatically.
 Death,thought Hiccup and Fishlegs, sadly.
Gobber paused dramatically, with the horn to his lips.
 I think this could possibly be the worst moment of my life SO FAR,thought Hiccup to himself as he waited for the blast of the horn. And if they shout much louder, we're going to wake up those dragons before we even START.
"PARRRRRRRRRP!"
Gobber blew the horn.
13
[Image: Gobber and Hiccup]
14
 Chapter 2 INSIDE THE DRAGON NURSERY 
You have probably guessed by now that Hiccup was not your natural Viking Hero.
For a start, he didn't LOOK like a Hero. Somebody like Snotlout, for instance, was tall,muscley, covered in skeleton, tattoos, and already had the beginnings of a small moustache. This consisted of a few straggly yellow hairs clinging to his upper lip and was deeply unpleasant to look at, but still impressively manly for a boy not yet thirteen.
Hiccup was on the small side and had the kind of face that was almost entirely un-
memorable. He DID have
Heroic Hair, which was a very bright
15
red and stood up vertically however much you tried to wet it down with seawater. But nobody ever saw that because it was hidden under his helmet most of the time.
You would NEVER have picked Hiccup out of those ten boys to be the Hero of this story.
Snotlout was good at everything and a natural leader. Dogsbreath was as tall as his father and could do amusing things like farting to the tune of the Berk national anthem.
Hiccup was just absolutely average, the kind of unremarkable, skinny, freckled boy who was easy to overlook in a crowd.
So, when Gobber blew the horn and moved out of sight to find a comfortable rock to sit on and eat his mussel-and-tomato sandwich, Snotlout pushed Hiccup out of the way and took charge.
"Okay, listen up, boys," he whispered in a menacing fashion. "I'M in charge, not the Useless. And
16
anybody who objects gets a knuckle sandwich from Dogsbreath the Duhbrain."
"Ugh," grunted Dogsbreath, pounding his fists together in happy excitement. Dogsbreath was Snotlout's chief sidekick and a great, big gorilla of a boy.
"Bash him, Dogsbreath, to show what I mean ..."
Dogsbreath was delighted to oblige. He gave Hiccup a shove that sent him sprawling headfirst into the snow, then ground his face in it.
"Pay attention!" hissed Snotlout. The boys dragged their eyes away from Dogsbreath and Hiccup and paid attention. "Rope yourselves together. The best climber should go first..."
"Well, that's YOU of course, Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "You're the best at everything, aren't you?"
Snotlout looked at Fishlegs suspiciously. It was difficult to tell whether Fishlegs was laughing at him or not, because of his squint.
"That's right, Fishlegs," said Snotlout. "I AM." And, just in case he hadbeen laughing at him: "Bash him, Dogsbreath!"
While Dogsbreath pushed Fishlegs down to join Hiccup in the snow, everybody started roping themselves together.
17
Hiccup and Fishlegs were the last to be tied on, just behind a flushed and triumphant Dogsbreath.
"Oh, brilliant," muttered Fishlegs. "I'm about to enter a cave full of man-eating reptiles tied up to eight complete maniacs."
"If we. getto the cave ..." said Hiccup nervously, looking up at the sheer black cliff.
Hiccup put the lighted torch between his teeth to leave his hands free, and started climbing after the others.
It was a perilous climb. The rocks were slippery with snow and the other boys were thoroughly overexcited, making the ascent far too quickly. At one point Clueless missed his footing and fell -- luckily onto Dogs-breath, who caught him by the back of the trousers and heaved him back on to the rock again, before he brought the whole lot of them down.