How to speak Dragonese Read Free Page A

shouldn't really look a dragon in the eye for too long because their gaze is hypnotic, and he was starting to feel dizzy. But he was so angry he didn't care.
    This dragon had gone too far this time.
    Hiccup had HAD ENOUGH.
    He was going to put his foot down.
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    "I do All these things for YOU," continued Hiccup, "and EVERY now and then I ask you to do a few SIMPLE thing for ME, like catch some mackerel in a Dragon training Lesson, or look out for Sharkworms so we don't all get dragged off and torn to pieces, and what do you do? You go ON STRIKE. Well, you've gone too far this time. I've HAD ENOUGH. I'm putting my foot down. You can just GO on strike then and see if I care."
    "OK then," hissed Toothless. "T-T-Toothless really will go on strike."
    [Image: Dragon on strike.]
    With great dignity Toothless flapped off Hiccup's shoulder and up to the top of the mast where he
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    perched, muttering to himself in a furious undertone, "T-T-Toothless a BIG BABY, is he? HA! We'll SEE about that, M-M-Mister Smartypants Hiccup.
    L-l-let's just find out how l-l-long you last without the help of the BIG BABY..."
    "What's he doing?" asked Fishlegs.
    Fishlegs didn't speak Dragonese, so he wasn't sure what was going on. "Is he listening out for boats so we can get back to the bay?"
    "Er, no ..." admitted Hiccup, whose head was still spinning after the staring contest with Toothless. "We had a bit of a fight and he's gone on strike. But I've had it up to here with that dragon. He's pushed me too far too often .. . I'm drawing a line in the mud ..."
    "Oh, for Thor's sake!" Fishlegs exploded. "We haven't got time for that now ... LOOK!"
    Hiccup's eyes finally swam back into focus.
    He looked.
    The fog had shifted around, making it difficult to see, but for a moment Hiccup thought he might have glimpsed a black fin, with the jagged edge that made it clear that this was the fin of a Sharkworm, rather than that of its less dangerous relative, the ordinary shark...
    "I don't think that was a Sharkworm, you know,
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    Fishlegs," said Hiccup uncertainly. "I think it's just the fog playing tricks on our eyes ..."
    But Fishlegs wasn't taking any chances. He tried to shake Horrorcow awake, but the little reptile only snored all the harder.
    "We need Toothless! " panicked Fishlegs. "For Thor's sake do something! Apologize! Promise him something large that he can EAT!"
    "You could be right," admitted Hiccup. "OK, Toothless," he called up. Through the fog he could just see the dragon-on-strike perched on top of the swaying mast. "I apologize. We need you. If you fly down and help I'll give you all my supper for the next three weeks!"
    "S-s-sixty seconds," said Toothless to himself with satisfaction. "Sixty seconds and they n-n-need Toothless again."
    "N-n-need listening!" he sang down, examining his talons. "H-H-Hiccup not need the help of a BIG BABY..."
    "Honestly I think we're sort of OK," said Hiccup, squinting at the seas around them. "I can't see anything now and Sharkworms really are only supposed to attack if somebody has an open wound ..."
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    Fishlegs was too panicked to hear what Hiccup was saying. He started yelling up the mast.
    "Toooooothlessssss!"
    "Not listening! Not l-l-listening!" Toothless called back with his wings over his ears.
    Fishlegs shut his eyes in the hope that this wasn't really happening ... and then he opened them again.
    "Listen!" he hissed with frantic relief. "Can you hear what I hear? Sea-dragons!"
    Hiccup sat very still.
    And there it was, a very faint noise of dragons shrieking.
    "A Peaceable fishing boat!" said Fishlegs joyfully. "Just in time, too! This is our lucky day!" He grabbed the rudder off Hiccup and swung it hard around to face in the direction of the noise.
    "Come on, come ON," Fishlegs urged The Hopeful Puffin as the wind caught her sails and took her swiftly forward, "and please don't start turning round in circles."
    To Fishlegs's relief the noise of screaming dragons grew louder and louder and the