How to Train Your Dragon: Change

A Scalding Situation

 Hiccup and Toothless hovered above the Trading Waters. He was told that a Tidal Class dragon was attacking the Trading ships as they sailed through the Straits of Baldur, but as Hiccup sat there scanning the calm waters below; he saw nothing. "Hmm," Hiccup was puzzled, "Maybe the dragon left?"

'Or maybe it's not here since there is no ship to attack,' Toothless assumed, 'This might be the same situation as with Thornado.'

"Possible," Hiccup leaned forward; hoping to spot a shadow swimming in the water, "But we need to find the dragon first." He sat back up. "Why did Trader Johann not say what dragon it was?"

'That's him for you,' Toothless chuckled.

As they hovered there the two suddenly heard the hissing roar of a Scauldron behind them. They spun around and saw one swimming near a sea stack. "Well there he is," Hiccup watched the dragon. They flew over to the dragon.

'Why do you attack the humans boats?' Toothless asked with a dominate voice. But the Scauldron continued swimming as if they weren't there. Toothless looked back at Hiccup with confusion.

"Wait," Hiccup noticed the problem, "Look, there's rope tied around his head and neck. It must be blocking his ears. Get me closer so I remove it." Toothless did so and as Hiccup reached out the Scauldron finally noticed them. Startled, the dragon attacked them with it's scalding hot water. Hiccup's flight suit burned from the heat as Toothless pulled back. The Scauldron dove down and swam away.

'Well that was simple!' Toothless shook off some of the hot water that had splashed on him, 'Should we go back to Muddy?'

"No," Hiccup decided, "We may never find this Scualdron again. Besides, we're pretty far from Berk. I doubt that a Bewilderbeast can swim here as fast as we can fly. We'll just have to deal with this ourselves."

O

 For the next hour Hiccup and Toothless searched for the Scauldron. They spotted him every now and then and tried to give chase; but the dragon was fast and his sea green scales helped him blend in wit the water. "I don't get it," Hiccup sighed in frustration, "Your the Alpha. How is he ignoring you?"

Toothless thought of the reasons, 'He's most likely an escaped dragon. Like, from a Dragon Hunter. That would explain the rope. Poor thing must be in a complete panic and don't know who to trust.'

"But...your the Alpha. Shouldn't he automatically know to trust you?"

'Not every Alpha can be good, remember?' Toothless reminded Hiccup.

"Right," Hiccup stopped scanning the waters surface and thought hard on what to do. Then an idea struck.

O

Trader Johann stood nervously as his boat sat in the calm water. "Since the Scauldron is attacking ships then we should bait him out with one to attack," Hiccup had explained to him. "Why me of all people!" he groaned, "Times like this make me question Mater Hiccup's way of thinking!" Johann looked around; waiting for the moment of attack. He walked over to the side of his boat and looked down at the water; nothing.

Maybe the Scauldron knows that it's trap? Johann thought in relief. But, as he was about to walk back, the Sauldron erupted to the surface; rocking the ship and sending Johann tumbling onto his butt. The dragon looked down at the man with angry eyes. But then a whistle filled the air and a Plasma Blast smacked the side of the Scauldrons head. Hiccup and Toothless flew past the dragon.

Enraged by the attack the Scauldron flew up out the water and after them. Hiccup looked back. "Well, I think you were right about the Dragon Hunters," he confirmed to Toothless, "That net is one hundred percent dragon proof. That blast did nothing."

'So now what?'

"We get him to use up his shots and tire him out," Hiccup explained, "Then I'll train him."

Hiccup and Toothless took off high into the sky with the Scauldron in tow. The Scauldron shot out four blast of hot water; all missed. Toothless weaved in and out of sea stacks. The Scauldron followed. The chase continued for ten minutes before the Scauldron finally ran out of shots. But the dragon didn't show any signs of slowing down. Hiccup knew that he could keep up this chase forever so he thought on his feet. "Sky Toothless," he ordered.

With a click of a stirrup Toothless shot upward. 'Hiccup,' Toothless had the feeling that Hiccup was about to something crazy.

"Just trust me Toothless!" Hiccup locked Toothless' tail fin. And then, with Inferno in hand, Hiccup spun around and jumped off of Toothless. He smacked into the Scauldrons face. The dragon responded by roaring loudly, folding his wings, and falling towards the waters surface.

'Hiccup!' With a bit of struggle Toothless turned around and fell after them. He watched as Hiccup struggled to hold on and cut the rope with Inferno at the same time.

The Scauldron did a barrel roll and skimmed the waters surface. He shook his head violently, trying to throw Hiccup off. But Hiccup held on to the dragons horn. The dragon snapped his jaws at Hiccups legs, but missed as Hiccup swung them. Slowly and one by one the ropes snapped free.

'Hiccup! Look out!'

Hiccup turned to look ahead and saw that the Scauldron was flying straight for a sea stack! Toothless, who was flying on his locked tail fin a good ten feet away, tried to blast at the dragon, but the Scauldron dodged each one. Working faster than lightning Hiccup finished cutting away the rope. Then, just before the Scauldron hit the sea stack, he pushed himself off of the dragon and into the water. Unable to stop in time the Scauldron crashed into the sea stack with a loud thud. He dropped into the water.

'Hiccup!' Toothless flew across the surface, his locked tail fin staying strong. He sighed in relief when Hiccup breached the surface, coughing up sea water. 'Hiccup! Are you insane!?'

Hiccup chuckled, "Hey, he wasn't going to sit still."

Toothless stopped and hovered above his friend, 'You've been hanging around Snotlout and the Twins way to much...'

Hiccup and Toothless chuckled again. Then he climbed on his dragons back. They sat there waiting for the dragon to surface. "Hmm, he might have swam off," Hiccup assumed. But then, to their surprise, the Scauldron shot up out of the water. He looked at them, studying their movements. Then he slowly flew over to them. Hiccup reached out his hand. The Scauldron accepted it happily; now understanding that Hiccup and Toothless were friends. "See," Hiccup pulled his hand back, "It all worked out in the end."

Toothless rolled his eyes. But then, out of nowhere, a loud and desperate roar caught all of their attention. Toothless quickly flew to where it came from. And he found a Rumblehorn flying and roaring like mad. "Hey wait that's Bertil," Hiccup recognize the dragon, "Bertil what's wrong!?"

Bertil spun towards them, 'Hiccup! Toothless! Oh thank Thor! I've been flying for hours! We have a big problem! Astrid and Luna have been captured!'

"What!? By who!? Hunters?"

'Worse! Romans!'