Challenge 10: Write a Story From a Movie You Like

Hey, Everybody!

Sorry it’s been so long. I’ve been working on this How To Train Your Dragon story a lot. I’m still not finished, but thought I’d give you part one.

Enjoy!

writefury

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“Thump!”

Hiccup’s eyes flew open at the sudden sound that came from the roof. He sat up on his wooden bed and threw aside the blanket.

“Toothless?” he called. Toothless’s bed was empty. Hiccup sighed, jumped out of bed and pulled on his vest. He ran down the stairs as quietly as he could, opened the door and went outside. Sure enough, there was Toothless. He seemed to be trying to scratch his back on the main roof support beam.

“Toothless!” Toothless stopped and turned his wide green eyes on Hiccup.

“Come on, bud. Get down.”

Toothless shook himself a little and glided down to the ground.

“Good,” Hiccup scratched Toothless a little, “Okay, then. You want some breakfast?” Toothless jumped over next to the door of the house and sat down obediently. Hiccup grinned and went inside to get some fish for his dragon. The basket was right inside the door. Hiccup leaned over, grabbed an armload of fish and threw them in a smaller basket.

“Hiccup?” The growly voice of his father behind him made Hiccup jump. He turned around to face him.

“Oh, hi, Dad. Uh… did I wake you up?” Stoick shook his head, swinging his wild, red beard.

“I don’t think so. Unless you were the one making all that racket on the roof.” Hiccup bit his lip,

“Yeah. Sorry. That was Toothless trying to scratch his back.”

“Well, tell him he should do it on trees from now on,” said Stoick, plopping his helmet of his head.

“Sure thing, Dad.” Hiccup picked up the fish basket and lugged it out the door. Toothless was sitting straight up and sitting very still, but it didn’t seem like he was waiting for food anymore.

“Here you go, bud,” Hiccup let the basket drop with a thump in front of Toothless. Toothless didn’t seem to notice or care. His gaze was fixed on the line of trees past the village.

“Hey, Toothless?” Hiccup reached out his hand to place it on Toothless’s back, “Are you okay, bud?” Toothless jumped as Hiccup’s hand touched him. He ran a few yards towards the tree line, then ran back to Hiccup, still looking over his back at the forest every few seconds.

“What’s the matter? Is there something in there?” Hiccup glanced off towards the forest. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Hiccup shoved the fish basket towards Toothless again, but Toothless ignored it, instead going around behind Hiccup and shoving him in the direction of the forest.

“Whoa, there! Okay, okay! I’m going!” Hiccup put his hand on Toothless’s back and they walked to the edge of the trees. Hiccup peered into the woods, still not seeing anything. A voice behind him made him jump.

“So, I see I’m not the only one who got dragged to the forest.” Hiccup turned around to see Astrid, dangling from Stormfly’s mouth by the back of her shirt.

“Stormfly too, huh?” asked Hiccup, walking up and scratching Stormfly under the chin. Stormfly let Astrid go, paced to the edge of the forest, then anxiously walked back, flicking her tail spikes up and down.

“Stormfly, it’s okay!” Astrid walked up next to her dragon, then turned and looked at Hiccup again, “She’s been doing this all morning and she wouldn’t even eat her breakfast!”

“Sounds like what Toothless was doing,” said Hiccup, “He was just fine this morning, but after I went inside for some fish, he just wouldn’t leave me alone about the forest.”

“Well, do you think we should go in and check it out?” asked Astrid as Stormfly nervously flicked her tail again.

“It’s the only way to find out what’s bothering them,” Hiccup pointed out, climbing onto Toothless’s back. Astrid climbed onto Stormfly and they walked as silently as they could off into the forest.

Things seemed normal as ever and Hiccup was thinking about turning back, but even through the saddle he could feel how tense Toothless was. Suddenly, both dragons jolted to a stop. Toothless growled and took up a stance as if ready to fight.

Hiccup slid down off and looked at the ground where Toothless was looking. Dragon tracks indented the ground, but the tracks were not from a Nadder or a Night Fury. Astrid walked up next to Hiccup and looked at the ground, puzzled.

“Zippleback tracks? That’s it? I didn’t think that a…”

“Astrid, these aren’t Zippleback tracks. Look at how much bigger they are! There are even two extra claws on the feet and they sink in more than an inch than a Zippleback,” Hiccup pointed out, getting down on one knee next to the tracks. Astrid looked at the tracks again,

“If they aren’t Zippleback, what then?” Hiccup scratched up the dirt in a spot next to one of the footprints. A glittering, green scale was uncovered and he held it up to the sun, squinting.

“Come on,” Hiccup said, standing up and walking back over to Toothless, “Let’s go find Fishlegs.”

 

*                   *                   *

 

“Amazing!” Fishlegs held up the small scale that Hiccup had found and turned it over, his fingers trembling. “And you said it had two more claws than the Zippleback?” Hiccup nodded.

“Hiccup, do you know what this means?” Fishlegs eyes and smile grew wide.

“No I don’t, actually . . .” Hiccup started. Fishlegs grabbed Hiccup’s shoulders,

“This is almost a whole new species! We can add facts to the legend! We can finish the entry in the dragon book! We can . . .”

“Fishlegs! What is it?”

Fishlegs straightened his back, “My friend, you have just described the tracks of a Snaptrapper.” Astrid and Hiccup’s mouths both dropped open.

“Snaptrappers? I thought they didn’t live on Berk!” said Hiccup, picking the Dragon Book up off the table and skimming through it, trying to find the right page.

“They don’t,” Fishlegs confirmed, “But after all that uproar that happened with the Red Death, their normal habitat might not have seemed as safe to them. And with Berk being as close as it is, the Snaptrapper probably just flew over and decided to stay for a while.”

Hiccup nodded as he found the entry in the Dragon book. There was no picture, and the facts were all very vague, but he got the general idea that it was a formidable dragon they were dealing with.

The Snaptrapper (the book said) had four heads, very sharp claws, powerful wings and a sweet smell that it used to lure Vikings near so it could eat them. Hiccup closed the book,

“Okay, then. Let’s go get everyone else so we can go see what this thing really is.”

 

*                   *                   *

 

“Seriously? Four heads?” Tuffnut folded his arms and looked skeptically at Hiccup.

“Well, we don’t know for sure because we haven’t seen it, but that’s what the dragon book says,” replied Hiccup, “Come on! Can’t you two just get on your dragon and come with us?”

“Fine,” said Ruffnut, “We’re coming.” As they walked off towards the back of their house, Hiccup heard Tuffnut say:

“A four headed dragon is so much cooler than a two headed one. I feel cheated.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes and climbed back on Toothless.

“Okay, bud. Last stop is Snotlout’s house.”

 

*                   *                   *

 

Knock, knock, knock. Hiccup put his hands behind his back and waited again. Nothing. He knocked again.

“Maybe we can just go without him,” suggested Fishlegs.

“Second that!” said Astrid putting her hand up in the air. Hiccup ignored them, looked around both sides of the house and still didn’t see Snotlout.

“That’s weird . . . where could he be?”

“Probably enjoying all that cake without us,” said Tuffnut, obviously not too happy about that prospect. Hiccup spun around,

“What cake?”

“We were talking with Snotlout about ten minutes before you showed up and he left after we smelled cake,” said Tuffnut, examining his fingernails.

“And you’re absolutely sure it was cake?” asked Hiccup. Ruffnut shrugged,

“Well, it smelled sweet and warm . . . what else do you need?” Fishlegs looked scared,

“Uh, Hiccup?” he said, inching a little bit closer, “The Snaptrapper uses a sweet smell to lure Vikings and small dragons into its mouth.”

“I know, I know,” groaned Hiccup, climbing on to Toothless, “Come on, guys. Let’s go find Snotlout.”

 

*                   *                   *

 

Hookfang reared back again and tried to turn around. Snotlout smacked his dragon angrily,

“Stupid dragon! I want my cake!” Snotlout sniffed, “Ah! I smell it! Land here!” Hookfang folded his wings and dove to the ground. He landed on his feet, but tossed his head, throwing Snotlout to the ground. Snotlout coughed out the dirt and sat up, just in time to see the rest of his friends and their dragons landing on the grass beside Hookfang. Snotlout jumped to his feet,

“Go away! I smelled the cake first, so I get it!” he jabbed his thumb into his chest to emphasize his point. Hiccup slid down off Toothless,

“Umm, Snotlout? Did you ever think of why anyone would be baking a cake in the forest?”

“Yes . . .No . . . Shut up, Hiccup,” Snotlout turned away and folded his arms. There was the sound of steps and then Snotlout felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder. It was Hiccup with that weird smile that always meant he had a plan. Snotlout turned back away.

“Snotlout,” said Hiccup, pretending not to notice that Snotlout was studiously ignoring him, “That smell isn’t cake. It’s the smell the Snaptrapper uses to lure victims into its mouth. You seem to know exactly were it’s coming from . . .”

“Well, duh,” said Tuffnut, “Look at how big his nose is! Of course he can smell it better than the rest of us.” Hiccup glared and Astrid smacked Tuffnut’s shoulder. Hiccup continued,

“ . . .so we need you to help us find the Snaptrapper, Snotlout.” There was silence. Snotlout considered the offer and a smirk spread across his face.

“So,” he said, breaking the quiet, “You need me?”

“Yes,” said Hiccup.

“First say: ‘Snotlout is a genius and I’m a dumb dragon geek.’”

“Wha . . .?”

“Say it, Hiccup! Or I’m going home!”

“Snotlout is a genius and I’m a dumb dragon geek,” Hiccup sighed with zero enthusiasm.

“Yes!” Snotlout pointed at Hiccup with both hands, then swaggered off towards Hookfang. “Now that’s one of your quotes I want to frame and hang up on my wall.” Astrid looked disgusted.

“All right, gang, let’s take off!” said Hiccup. The dragons all took to the sky and soared off over the forest. Hiccup stopped Toothless for a moment,

“Snotlout, are we going the right way?” Snotlout sniffed again, then pointed directly ahead,

“You tell me.” A large green head poked out of the forest and was looking directly at them.

“Yep,” said Hiccup, “That’s it. Everyone, land now!” All the dragons and their riders swooped down out of the sky and landed on the forest floor just in time to miss a blast of flame that shot over their heads. Astrid let out her breath in a big puff.

“Okay,” she said, “I’d say that a ground approach would probably be better.” Everyone agreed and urged their dragons forward.

“Man,” said Ruffnut, smelling the sweet smell again, “For a dragon, that Snaptrapper sure is a good cook.”

“For the last time,” Astrid growled, “It’s. . . not. . . cake.” Hiccup held up his hand for silence, crouched down lower on Toothless and went forward slowly.

There was the Snaptrapper. The shade of green on its scales was amazing; it seemed that every time it moved, the color changed. Its four heads each had three jaws and leafy looking horns trailed back from its head. The wings looked large, but Hiccup wasn’t able to tell very well as they were folded. The Snaptrapper’s four heads swiveled in all directions, searching.

It’s looking for us, Hiccup realized. He made a motion for everyone to move back. They did. The Snaptrapper kept searching. The riders and their dragons waited. The Snaptrapper held unbelievably still and almost seemed to become a tree. Nothing moved. All was quiet. Suddenly, the all four of the Snaptrapper’s heads whipped around and stared at them. Hiccup thought his heart would jump out of his chest.

“Up!” he yelled, pulling Toothless into an almost vertical climb. Thankfully, the dragons had seen the danger before it happened and were in the air almost instantly. The Snaptrapper followed them.

“Hiccup,” said Astrid, “It’s right behind us.”

“I know,” replied Hiccup, “Don’t fight it.” Another blast of fire came from behind them and Hiccup ducked.

“Don’t fight it?!” Snotlout yelled, “It’s about to blast our heads off and we’re not supposed to fight it?” Hiccup sighed,

“Snotlout, couldn’t you ever just do what I ask?” then, louder, “Okay, gang! Head back to the village. I’ll keep this guy at bay, then catch up with you.”

“No argument here!” said Fishlegs, steering Meatlug towards the village. The twins and Snotlout were close behind. Astrid stayed a little longer,

“Hiccup, are you sure you don’t need any help?” Hiccup nodded,

“I’m fine. Go back.” Astrid looked at Hiccup a little doubtfully, then followed the others. The Snaptrapper roared and started going after Astrid.

“Hey!” Hiccup yelled, waving his arms frantically, “Over here!” But, Hiccup’s yell is never very loud and the Snaptrapper paid no attention whatsoever. Toothless noticed this and promptly blasted a fireball at the Snaptrapper, barely missing one of its heads. The Snaptrapper immediately turned its attention on Hiccup and Toothless with an angry roar.

“That’s it,” said Hiccup, skimming off over the trees with the Snaptrapper close behind. The village shrunk into the background as they flew to a more isolated part of the island. Hiccup bit his lip, then urged Toothless to fly just off the coast, hoping the Snaptrapper would follow. They hovered there for a moment . . . waiting.

“Please, please, please . . .” Hiccup found himself saying under his breath. All was quiet behind them. Hiccup shifted in his saddle and turned around to see if the Snaptrapper had flown away. There was no sign of the giant, 4-headed dragon. He sighed and turned back around, ready to steer Toothless back to the village, but he nearly fell off the saddle in shock.

The Snaptrapper was right in front of him, staring with all four sets of its eyes. Toothless wheeled and began to gain speed, heading for the land. Holding on for all he was worth, Hiccup squirmed a little, trying to get in a better position, but the wind blew in his eyes so hard he could barely see.

A loud roar sounded from behind him and Hiccup started to duck, but he wasn’t quick enough. Something warm and sticky smacked his right side with such force that his leg jolted loose and he fell off sideways.

“Toothless!” he yelled, spinning in the air as he hurtled towards the green spears of pine trees below. Toothless held out his wings to stop himself, turned around and immediately dove after Hiccup. With his amazing speed, he probably would have been able to catch him, if it wasn’t for his tail. The small wing folded into Toothless’ tail and veered to one side, taking him with it. Toothless let out a roar as he fell, only a little bit behind Hiccup.

Hiccup saw the trees just below him and barely had enough time to cover his head before the first branch smacked him. He closed his eyes as braches came from all directions smacking him and spinning him different ways on the way down to the ground.

Toothless managed to hold onto one of the trees as he had reached them, but he had been unable to catch Hiccup. He watched helplessly as his beloved human fell to the ground with a thud and lay motionless in the puddle of stickiness that the Snaptrapper had shot. Toothless leapt from branch to branch, down to the ground. He nudged Hiccup, making a low, sad purring sound. Suddenly a loud noise came from above them. Toothless instinctively moved his body to shield Hiccup, then looked up.

Stoick the Vast was sitting atop his Thunderdrum and charging right at the Snaptrapper. The four-headed dragon looked surprised for a second, quickly recovered and charged at Stoick, shooting fire and big blobs of goop. Stoick put his hand down and touched a spot on Thornado’s neck. Thornado immediately let out a huge funnel blast of sound at the Snaptrapper, blasting it backwards. Surprised and scared, the Snaptrapper let out a roar, trying to warn the Thunderdrum to stay back, then flew off for another part of the island. Thornado lunged forward to follow, but Stoick jerked him back,

“Not now, Thornado. We’ve got more important things to worry about.” Stoick scanned the forest below, looking for his son and Toothless. Toothless shot a plasma blast into the air, letting him know where they were. Stoick turned his Thunderdrum towards where the bolt came from, spotted Toothless and quickly landed Thornado.

“Son!” he called, sliding off his dragon. Hiccup was just pulling himself up onto his elbows. Toothless helped him up the rest of the way. Stoick rushed over, grabbed Hiccup’s sticky shoulders, looked him up and down and gave him a very hard hug. Hiccup gasped for breath against the force of his father’s squeeze, but managed to give a very weak hug back.

After a very long five seconds, Stoick finally let go. Hiccup sucked in air and coughed a little, then looked up at the sky.

“The Snaptrapper . . .?” he began questioningly. Stoick gave a sharp nod and placed his hand on his dragon’s back.

“Your friends came back to the village and told me you were going after the Snaptrapper. I thought you might need some help, so I came after you. And I sure am glad I showed up when I did,” Stoick laughed heartily, “You shoulda seen the look on that dragon’s face when Thornado blasted him out of the sky!”

“Thanks for coming, dad,” said Hiccup, “But where’s the Snaptrapper now?” Stoick became serious again,

“He flew off. Not towards the village, thankfully. Just off towards another of the abandoned coasts.” Hiccup bit his lip,

“It seems pretty set on staying on Berk. The Red Death battle on Dragon Island must have shook him up quite a bit. If only we could figure out a way to get him to go back . . .” Stoick put a hand on Hiccup’s goop-covered back,

“Let’s go back to the village. Maybe we can ask some other people for ideas.”

 

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I know, I know… That isn’t exactly going out with a bang. But it’ll have to do. Stay tuned for part 2!