Read Online How to be a Pirate's Dragon (Hiccup) by Cressida Cowell - Free Book Online
Authors: Cressida Cowell
Stoick, his eyes still shining with that glow Hiccup hadn't seen before. "Think of Alvin's disappointment. Besides, this is my chance for GREATNESS," he huffed, knocking over a big tower of limpets as he blundered along.
"You are great ALREADY, Father," urged Hiccup, "you don't need this treasure. ..."
But Stoick wouldn't leave it behind.
As they passed the burrows Hiccup could begin to hear horrible snuffling noises coming from inside.
He ran a bit faster.
His heart pounding in terror, he bounded through the heather and crashed through the ferns, at one point falling flat on his face.
The smell was now so strong that it was becoming visible, drifting out of the dents and cracks Gobber had made in the chest in a thick greeny-yellow vapor.
The cliffs of the beach were in sight. They had passed the last mound of Skullions. Maybe they would make it after all.
125
And then Hiccup heard a noise that made his stomach turn double-somersaults in terror. The noise of animals like big dogs or lions padding behind him, bounding through the heather.
"R-r-r-r-r-r-r-run!" shrieked Toothless, who was flying three or four feet above Hiccup's head.
Hiccup, Fishlegs, Stoick and Gobber were trailing behind the others, Hiccup and Fishlegs because they were not fast runners, Stoick and Gobber because they were hampered by the box they were carrying.
"So they'll get us first," thought Hiccup.
The Skullions were now so close behind them that they could hear the horrible snotty snuffling noises they were making in their noses and the clicking of their teeth.
Hiccup reached the brow of the dunes and launched himself off it in a huge jump onto the sand below. He landed okay but tripped over his too-large Stretchapoint sword. He rolled over onto his back to look up at the ghastly sight of a gigantic slobbering Skullion, claws outstretched, leaping right on top of him. Its great head was just inches above Hiccup's face.
126
It was the most dreadful thing Hiccup had ever seen, and it would give him nightmares until he was an old, old man. It was a face that wasn't a face, no eyes and ears, just that vast nose and slobbering mouth, punctuated by sparkling silver teeth Black saliva dripped down onto Hiccup's face in a disgusting dribble. The Skullion was holding him down with one clawed paw, while he sniffed down the rest of his body, searching for the tendon in his ankles, the sunlight glinting on that one ludicrously overgrown talon....
Hiccup fumbled for his sword, but the Stretchapoint had fallen out of reach.
Hiccup opened his mouth to shout for help, but no noise came out.
"Help me," he mouthed soundlessly. "HELP ME."
Somebody appeared from nowhere, grabbed the Skullion around the throat and killed it with one blow from his sword.
It was Stoick the Vast.
The strange grip the treasure had on Stoick loosened as soon as he saw his son's life was in danger,
He left Baggybum the Beerbelly to carry the
127
chest to the ship. He was holding the Stormblade in his right hand and an axe in his left.
"MOVE!!!" yelled Stoick the Vast.
Hiccup moved. He stumbled across the sand.
He could hear more of the creatures bounding after him.
"I'm not... going ... to ... make it... to the boats in time," he thought to himself.
There was a hollow tree trunk sunk into the sand in front of him.
"Climb under the t-t-tree! Climb under the tree!" screeched Toothless.
Hiccup scrambled under it in the nick of time. He could hear a Skullion's jaws clanging together just as he pulled his ankle through the dip in the sand below the tree.
The Skullion was too large to follow him but it pushed its revolting quivering nose through the gap and it started to gnaw at the wood around the hole.
Hiccup grabbed a bone lying on the ground and shoved it as hard as he could up one gigantic nostril.
The Skullion fell back with a howl of anguish.
There was a sickening crash from above as a Skullion landed on top of the tree ... and then
128
another ... and
"You are great ALREADY, Father," urged Hiccup, "you don't need this treasure. ..."
But Stoick wouldn't leave it behind.
As they passed the burrows Hiccup could begin to hear horrible snuffling noises coming from inside.
He ran a bit faster.
His heart pounding in terror, he bounded through the heather and crashed through the ferns, at one point falling flat on his face.
The smell was now so strong that it was becoming visible, drifting out of the dents and cracks Gobber had made in the chest in a thick greeny-yellow vapor.
The cliffs of the beach were in sight. They had passed the last mound of Skullions. Maybe they would make it after all.
125
And then Hiccup heard a noise that made his stomach turn double-somersaults in terror. The noise of animals like big dogs or lions padding behind him, bounding through the heather.
"R-r-r-r-r-r-r-run!" shrieked Toothless, who was flying three or four feet above Hiccup's head.
Hiccup, Fishlegs, Stoick and Gobber were trailing behind the others, Hiccup and Fishlegs because they were not fast runners, Stoick and Gobber because they were hampered by the box they were carrying.
"So they'll get us first," thought Hiccup.
The Skullions were now so close behind them that they could hear the horrible snotty snuffling noises they were making in their noses and the clicking of their teeth.
Hiccup reached the brow of the dunes and launched himself off it in a huge jump onto the sand below. He landed okay but tripped over his too-large Stretchapoint sword. He rolled over onto his back to look up at the ghastly sight of a gigantic slobbering Skullion, claws outstretched, leaping right on top of him. Its great head was just inches above Hiccup's face.
126
It was the most dreadful thing Hiccup had ever seen, and it would give him nightmares until he was an old, old man. It was a face that wasn't a face, no eyes and ears, just that vast nose and slobbering mouth, punctuated by sparkling silver teeth Black saliva dripped down onto Hiccup's face in a disgusting dribble. The Skullion was holding him down with one clawed paw, while he sniffed down the rest of his body, searching for the tendon in his ankles, the sunlight glinting on that one ludicrously overgrown talon....
Hiccup fumbled for his sword, but the Stretchapoint had fallen out of reach.
Hiccup opened his mouth to shout for help, but no noise came out.
"Help me," he mouthed soundlessly. "HELP ME."
Somebody appeared from nowhere, grabbed the Skullion around the throat and killed it with one blow from his sword.
It was Stoick the Vast.
The strange grip the treasure had on Stoick loosened as soon as he saw his son's life was in danger,
He left Baggybum the Beerbelly to carry the
127
chest to the ship. He was holding the Stormblade in his right hand and an axe in his left.
"MOVE!!!" yelled Stoick the Vast.
Hiccup moved. He stumbled across the sand.
He could hear more of the creatures bounding after him.
"I'm not... going ... to ... make it... to the boats in time," he thought to himself.
There was a hollow tree trunk sunk into the sand in front of him.
"Climb under the t-t-tree! Climb under the tree!" screeched Toothless.
Hiccup scrambled under it in the nick of time. He could hear a Skullion's jaws clanging together just as he pulled his ankle through the dip in the sand below the tree.
The Skullion was too large to follow him but it pushed its revolting quivering nose through the gap and it started to gnaw at the wood around the hole.
Hiccup grabbed a bone lying on the ground and shoved it as hard as he could up one gigantic nostril.
The Skullion fell back with a howl of anguish.
There was a sickening crash from above as a Skullion landed on top of the tree ... and then
128
another ... and
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