Chapter 862: Stubborn Hungarian Horntail
Chapter 862: Stubborn Hungarian Horntail
The dragon handlers had a deep bond with the dragons, especially the Fire Dragons. After witnessing Newt packing the eight-month-old Chinese Fireball Dragon into a crate, everyone was filled with reluctance. When it was the Hungarian Horntail's turn, they were overwhelmed with joy and couldn't hold back their tears.
Especially the five handlers who delivered it, several muscular and burly men, hugged each other, crying on the spot.
"The Days of Worry are finally over..."
"Mr. Scamander... such a good man..."
"From today onwards, you're my idol..."
"Tomorrow, I'm going to buy ten copies of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'!"
"I'll buy a hundred!"
Everyone was talking excitedly, and their enthusiasm almost elevated Newt to the skies.
Dorels was beaming, and for the first time, he took out a bottle of brandy and took a hearty sip.
Dragon handlers are not allowed to drink while working, especially strong alcohol, as the smell of alcohol can stimulate the dragon's appetite, and they might get bitten at any time, which is fatal for the handlers.
But Dorels was so happy that he didn't care anymore... At worst, he would take half a day off. Today, he just wanted to enjoy a good drink.
Kyle sat there expressionlessly, realizing that this Hungarian Horntail was no ordinary dragon.
Who would have thought that a Fire Dragon, after being hit by a Stupor Spell, would still want to use its tail to lash out at people?
And so did Dorels.
Perhaps from the moment he mentioned replacing the dragon egg with a young dragon, he had this idea.
This was all a setup, and Dorels' initial intention might have been to send this Hungarian Horntail away.
In the end, he fell for it, after all, between the Welsh Green Dragon and the Hungarian Horntail, anyone would choose the latter.
But he never expected that an eight-month-old Hungarian Horntail would have a larger size than an adult Welsh Green Dragon.
Moreover, judging by Dorels' expression, returning it would likely be impossible.
...
As they left the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, several enthusiastic handlers escorted them all the way, only turning back after seeing them depart using a Portkey.
"Let's go to the Oak Barrel Tavern for a drink, my treat."
"Of course, we must celebrate today, even if I get punished, I'll take it."
"I'll come too, and cancel the order for the hemostatic potion and bandages."
"Do you think Mr. Scamander, at his age, can handle all this?"
"Don't worry, he's an expert in magical creatures, so there won't be any problems..."
"Why don't we chip in some money and send it to him? Otherwise, I feel guilty..."
"Hmm... that's fine too. Let's send more, so he won't feel embarrassed to return it."
Without even returning to the Sanctuary to ask for leave, the group headed to the Oak Barrel Tavern with their arms around each other's shoulders.
On the other side, Kyle and his team also used a Portkey to return to Dorset County Forest, arriving at the entrance of Newt's house.
The enthusiastic house-elf Dobby opened the door and invited them in.
Kyle glanced at Newt, wanting to say something but hesitating.
"If you have any questions, just ask," Newt said with a smile.
"It's just... that Hungarian Horntail..." Kyle inquired cautiously, "Is there something wrong with it?"
"Oh, it's nothing much. It's just a bit temperamental," Newt replied casually. "So far, nineteen dragon handlers have been injured by it. Did you see the long scar on Dorels' arm? That's from the dragon.
"It's said that recently, the people at the Fire Dragon Sanctuary moved it to another area, and three adult dragons almost got bitten to death."
As Kyle listened to Newt, sweat began to appear on his forehead... This wasn't just a stubborn dragon, it was a bully!
No wonder the handlers were so emotional when they sent it away.
"But isn't it only eight months old? How can it defeat adult dragons?"
"That's the most special thing about the Hungarian Horntails," Newt said solemnly. "They have vicious personalities and show no mercy to their own kind. Combined with the limited range of their habitat, to counter potential dangers, Hungarian Horntails have an exceptionally short juvenile period and can grow to thirty feet in just one year.
"For a dragon of the same size, even a Ukrainian Ironbelly would need two years."
"So, are all Horntails like this?" Kyle continued, "Able to kill other adult dragons at eight months old?"
"Oh, of course not," Newt shook his head. "Most Horntails, within a year after hatching, will avoid their own kind and all possible threats, hunting as much prey as possible to make themselves stronger.
"But this is just an exception. According to Dorels, its temperament is the most volatile even among Horntails, and it prefers fighting over the food obtained from hunting."
This...
Kyle gave an awkward laugh, not knowing what to say.
He felt like he had brought a big trouble upon himself, and he had asked for it.
"Also..." Kyle rubbed his forehead, intentionally changing the subject, "What did you say to Dorels to make him agree to give me a Chinese Fireball Dragon?"
"This is it," Newt said matter-of-factly. "I promised to help him solve the problem with the Hungarian Horntail, and he agreed."
"So Newt took the initiative for this?"
Kyle was completely taken aback, as he had always assumed Newt had a lot of face.
But now that things had come to this, it seemed a little late to say anything.
"Quick, come in. I need to take advantage of the Sleep Spell's effect and help you settle them in," Newt put down the box in his hand and jumped in.
Previously, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Kyle's box had always been held by Newt.
"I'll help too, as an after-sales service," Dumbledore said, following him into the box.
When Kyle graduated from second grade, he used the Philosopher's Stone he found as a price to get Dumbledore to help expand the box to its current size.
However, at that time, Dumbledore designed it based on the Forbidden Forest, which was not suitable for dragons to live in.
After all, he didn't think that a few years later, this place would welcome five fire dragons.
By the time Kyle jumped in, Newt and Dumbledore had already started working.
Transforming the environment was a major project that couldn't be completed overnight, so they decided to first move some of the magical creatures, including the basilisk, into Newt's box to prevent them from causing trouble later.
After that, Dumbledore drove everyone out.
"Leave it to Albus," Newt said with a smile. "He's really different from before. The Albus I know wouldn't be so enthusiastic."
"I just hope he doesn't build me a blue castle," Kyle muttered.
If it was the Dumbledore from before, Kyle wouldn't have worried about this issue, but now his mind was filled with thoughts of Ariana, and who knew what sudden brilliant ideas might pop up.
After all, Ariana's favorite colors were blue and earthy yellow, representing the free sky and the solid, heavy earth.
If it was earthy yellow, it would be fine, but if it was the other...
Having a fierce fire dragon reside on a light blue, sparkling castle—this style was too bizarre, and Kyle felt he might not be able to accept it.
"Hmm... probably not..." Newt said, his voice lacking confidence.
To be honest, he also felt a bit unfamiliar with Dumbledore now.
At this moment, a sudden scream interrupted their conversation.
Dobby rushed over, waving his arms and pointing at the sky as he ran.
"Sir... it's terrible... that Hungarian Horntail... it's flying..."
The Hungarian Horntail?
Kyle and Newt turned around simultaneously. The Chinese Fireball Dragon was still fast asleep due to the Sleep Spell, but the Hungarian Horntail had already taken flight, spraying dozens of feet of flames around it.
Perhaps due to the sudden change in its surroundings, it looked exceptionally agitated.
Kyle drew his wand at the first opportunity.
However, at the same time, a similar roar came from a distance.
It was the other Hungarian Horntail from Newt's box, which must have sensed the presence of its kind. It quickly flew over.
The two Horntails met in mid-air, and an unavoidable battle erupted without the use of dragon flames. It was a pure clash of fangs and claws, with their tails swinging like maces towards each other.
Kyle then remembered that the Horntail in Newt's box seemed to be a bit of a troublemaker too, having been returned three times by the Dragon Sanctuary.
"Should we help?" Kyle asked.
"Ah, not for now," Newt sighed with a headache. "If we intervene now, they'll see us as enemies. Let them sort it out themselves."
Newt helped Dobby up and asked him to help disperse the surrounding magical creatures.
In fact, there was no need for this, as the magical creatures in the vicinity had already fled to more distant places when the two dragons collided.
Soon, only Kyle, Newt, and Dobby remained.
It was clear that Dobby was afraid, his legs trembling, but he still stood firmly in front of Newt and Kyle.
"Don't be nervous, Dobby," Newt said, squatting down. "Go take care of Laverly. I just noticed he ran towards the Kelpie."
"But... I want to protect the master..." Dobby said, trembling.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Newt smiled, unconcerned about his safety.
As they spoke, Kyle kept looking up at the sky. He noticed something incredible.
Despite the significant size and strength difference between the two Horntails, the eight-month-old young dragon showed no signs of retreat and even took the initiative to attack several times. Even if it couldn't bite, it wanted to leave a tooth mark on the other's scales.
Kyle's mouth twitched.
Wow, this was too reckless. Was it really that stubborn?
If this creature were to end up in his box...
Kyle shuddered at the thought. He didn't want to open the box one day and see the Horntail wreaking havoc inside.
"But, does Dorels really intend to give it to me?"
"Kyle furrowed his brows. 'To be able to hold off a fully grown Hungarian Horntail for so long and still not give up... in a way, its strength is proportional to its temper, isn't it?'"
"No, you're wrong," Newt shook his head and explained, "The sanctuary doesn't value the power of dragons. They need stability."
"If nothing unexpected happens, this Horntail will definitely challenge the current 'King' after it matures, and there will be another upheaval."
The 'King' of the Dragon Sanctuary?
"Um..." Kyle stiffly turned his head, "I see them getting along quite well. Why don't we stay here and keep it company?"
"Getting along?" Newt was stunned and turned his head in disbelief, pointing at the shattered scales and dragon blood falling from the sky, "Where do you see them getting along?"
"Well, dragons. You can't know them without fighting. Maybe they'll make up tomorrow." Kyle muttered.
"I don't think so," Newt said slowly, "Moreover, I'm already a hundred years old. I'm afraid I don't have the energy to take care of another Hungarian Horntail."
Newt emphasized his age, leaving Kyle speechless.
Newt was already a hundred years old. It wasn't right to pass this trouble onto him.
"Then what should we do..." Kyle sighed, "If I had known it was like this, I'd return it to Dorels even if it meant losing face..."
"It's fine. You're here, aren't you?" Newt said.
"Me?" Kyle pointed at himself and looked at the stubborn Horntail in the sky, who was willing to take a thousand injuries to give the enemy two hundred, "I don't think it will listen to me."
"There's always a way," Newt said, "Don't forget, you still have the Basilisk."
"Can the Basilisk make it listen?" Kyle asked in confusion.
"No, dragons and basilisks are mortal enemies," Newt said.
This made Kyle even more puzzled.
However, Newt didn't explain, just calmly looked at a cave. The Basilisk, which had been transferred, crawled out of the cave, probably stimulated by the dragon blood.
The fifty-foot-long body, thicker than a water barrel, was very oppressive. The layer of velvet cloth covering its eyes was somewhat spoiling the scenery, adding a few more whimsical touches.
The Basilisk licked the dragon blood on the ground, but this action angered the two Horntails in the sky.
The stubborn Horntail from the sanctuary took the lead and flew down, spitting a dragon flame at the Basilisk's head.
The larger Horntail wanted to help too, but halfway through its flight, it changed direction and flew away.
"It saw us," Newt chuckled, "Knowing that this battle couldn't have a result, the appearance of the Basilisk gave it an opportunity, so it naturally didn't want to continue."
"How about we switch?" Kyle asked tentatively.
Newt just smiled and didn't respond.
On the other side, the battle between the Horntail and the Basilisk also ended in a short time.
Although the Horntail had the advantage of flying, it was only eight months old. It charged down, intending to give the Basilisk a hard hit with its tail, but was bitten on the wing by the Basilisk.
The Basilisk had venomous fangs.
Kyle panicked, just as he was about to step forward, he saw that Newt had no intention of moving, standing leisurely in place, so he also stopped.
Until the Horntail fell from the sky like a drunkard, Newt finally took out his wand and waved it forcefully.
The Basilisk, which was about to swallow the Horntail, was blocked by a wall of earth that suddenly rose up and was forcibly pushed back into the cave. The wall blocked the cave entrance, and no matter how hard it crashed, it couldn't come out from inside.
"Very good," Newt breathed a sigh of relief, "Rest assured, the Basilisk's venom can't kill dragons, but it will put them into a stupor, much more effective than the Stupor Charm."
"I'm not worried about the Horntail," Kyle frowned, "I'm just wondering about your purpose in doing this."
"Do you still remember what I said earlier? Dragons and basilisks are mortal enemies," Newt said.
Kyle nodded.
"That's the reason," Newt continued, "With this Horntail's personality, today's humiliation will be a disgrace to it, and in its eyes, there will probably only be the Basilisk left. This is also the way for you to control it."
"Because dragons can understand your words, and you can also command the Basilisk. As for how to maintain a subtle balance between them, you can think about it carefully during this time."
A temperamental Horntail and Basilisk... a subtle balance?
Kyle frowned, "This shouldn't be something you just thought of, right?"
"When I saw you holding that sponsorship certificate," Newt said, "Dorels has been troubled by this matter for a long time, and has written to me more than once, wanting to entrust this Horntail to me. But I refused, as I said, I don't have the energy to take care of another Horntail."
"But you're different. With the Basilisk, you're equivalent to having a bargaining chip, and in the current situation, the help this Horntail can bring you is the greatest."
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
