How to be a Pirate's Dragon (Hiccup) by Cressida Cowell

hysterically. "Oh, this is great, on top of everything else, I'm going
    CRAZY."
    Hiccup was feeling nervous about so many things it was difficult to concentrate on which worry
    108
    to worry about most. He HAD to find the treasure. It was bad enough being the worst swordfighting trainee EVER, but if he didn't find this treasure that the Heir was supposed to find, then his father was going to be really disappointed. Hiccup hated disappointing his father, even though he had lots of practice at it.
    And what if SNOTLOUT found the Treasure? Hiccup went cold and clammy at the thought.
    He looked doubtfully at Toothless, who was hitching a ride perched on Fishlegs's shovel. He had shown no promise whatsoever when they had been practicing on Berk.
    [Image: Men and a dragon.]
    109
    But Toothless had triumphed in a crisis before. When Hiccup was swallowed by a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, Toothless had flown up the Monster's nostril, causing him to sneeze, and saving Hiccup's life. So he DID have hidden and surprising depths.
    Maybe he was a hidden Sniffer as well as a hidden Hero. Maybe he really HAD caught a whiff of something.... Maybe ...
    Toothless thoughtfully picked his nose, examined the booger on the end of one talon, and swallowed it. He suddenly flapped off the spade and started leading the little procession in a worryingly aimless fashion. At one point he led them in a pointless circle. At another Hiccup stopped him in the nick of time before he woke up all the Skullions by doing a poo. Finally he settled on a small grassy patch at the top of a little hill. He sat down and scratched his ear.
    "C-c-could be here," he said absentmindedly.
    Hiccup's heart beat a little quicker.
    "Here?" he asked. Toothless nodded in an offhand way. The boys took out their shovels and, forgetting about the Skullions in their excitement, started to dig.
    110
    After about ten minutes of shoveling, they hit on an underground cache of limpet shells.
    "Frittering Freya," said Fishlegs. "These Skullions eat a LOT of limpets. I bet this whole HILL is made out of limpets. I bet this whole ISLAND is made out of limpets. ..."
    Hiccup's shovel hit on something hard and large and heavy just below the surface. Hiccup held his breath. He prodded again. Yes, it was definitely hard and heavy.
    "I think I've got something here," he whispered.
    Toothless leapt up and down in excitement.
    "T-T-TREASURE! T-T-TREASURE!" he chanted. "You going; to be a Hero! And T-t-toothless tie Hero's Dragon! You going to be ..."
    Hiccup reached down, caught an edge of the hard object and, struggling with both hands, p-u-1-l-e-d out of the earth ...
    The most gigantic limpet shell anyone had ever seen.
    At exactly the same moment as Hiccup sat down suddenly, gazing at the limpet, there was the faint, clear sound of a whistle being blown not far away.
    111
    "P-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ep!"
    "Useless," said Hiccup, staring at the limpet. "I really am USELESS. This is the second time the Gods have sent me a sign. The first time they sent me a minuscule dragon three times smaller than anyone else's. ..."
    "Thank you," said Toothless, staring down into the hole. "D-d-d-don't understand it. Really DID smell m-m-m-metal...."
    "... THIS time they send me a gigantic limpet."
    "It's the most enormous limpet I've ever seen," said Fishlegs in awe. "I think you may have discovered a whole new species."
    "Oh brilliant," said Hiccup sarcastically, "that'll impress the Tribe. They're all such NATURE LOYERS."
    He was feeling very black.
    "A limpet," said Hiccup, "HOWEVER big it is, is only ever a limpet. It's not TREASURE, is it? I never heard of a saga where the Hero discovers a new type of mollusk. ..."
    112
    "Meanwhile," Hiccup continued, "I hear that the REAL Heir to the Hairy Hooligan Tribe has found the treasure. PLEASE don't let it be Snotlout.'
    Hiccup repeated this to himself over and over again as they trudged towards the continuous noise of the whistle.
    [Image: Men and a