Lois Reads "How to Train Your Dragon" Part 33

chunks of heather to hold them fast, but Stoick, Hiccup, and Toothless were being dragged slowly but surely toward the gigantic black tunnel that was the monster's open jaws. The Green Death paused for a moment before he blew out again, enjoying their terror. This is what happens if you don't listen to dragon lore! Shrieked Toothless to himself in horror as he peered around the side of Stoick's cluke. The monster puffed out his cheeks, and Stoick and Toothless waited for flames to consume them. But no fire came out. The Green Death looked very surprised. He puffed out his cheeks and he blew a little harder. And again— no fire. He tried once again. And now his head seemed to be turning a strange purplish colour with the effort of blowing, and it seemed to be swelling bigger and bigger, as if he was being pumped up with air from the inside. The monster had no idea what was happening. He thrashed around wildly, and his eyes bulged larger and larger, until with a bang that could be heard from hundreds of miles in every direction, The Green Death blew up right in front of their eyes. This may seem like some sort of miracle or an invention on the part of the gods, but in fact there is a logical explanation. When Hiccup was hanging in the sea dragon's throat, desperately repeating, I need to live, I need to live! To himself, he had taken off his helmet and plugged the horns as hard as he could into the fire holes. It was a perfect fit. So when the dragon tried to use his fire, the blockage caused a buildup of pressure that eventually grew so great That the Green Death simply exploded. Now there were pieces of dragon flying in all directions. Stoick and Toothless were incredibly lucky not to get hit by anything, standing as close to the explosion as they were. But a single burning dragon tooth, 8 feet long— one of the monster's smaller ones— Exploded straight towards Hiccup. The boy had been dragged out from under the shelter of Stoick's shield by the intake of the monster's breath and was now lying on the ground a couple of feet in front of Stoick and Toothless, completely exposed. Stoick caught the movement of the tooth out of the corner of his eye and flung himself and his shield forward. Only a Viking could have gotten there in that time. Shooting woodcock with a bow and arrow develops very quick reflexes. So Stoick's shield did save Hiccup's life after all. If he had not been there, the tooth would have impaled Hiccup like a pawn on a stick. As it was, it buried itself deep, deep Deep into the bronze center of the shield and quivered there, blazing with green-edged dragonflames. Stoick lifted the shield, terrified that Tooth might have pierced through his son. But Hiccup was unharmed. His eyes opened, and he was listening for something. He was listening for a strange sound that seemed to be coming from the flaming tooth itself. It was the sound Of a wheezy, echoing singing, like the wind blowing through the coral caves, and it went something like this. I tell the mighty blue whale his life is over soon. With one swish of his armoured tail, I put out the sun and the moon. The winds and the gales are quivering when I begin to roar. The waves themselves are shimmering and trembling back. Listen, said Hiccup happily, just before he's passed out. The supper is singing.