Little Hiccup

From Hop-o'-My-Thumb/Little Thumb. Hiccup is the scrawniest but also smartest kid on Berk. Toothless is his secret dragon friend. Drago is an ogre who capture teens and children to eat them. Astrid is a strange and unknown girl in the woods who seems to know a lot about Drago. And so the fairtale begins...

Once upon a time, on an island named Berk, lived a tribe named the Hooligans. They were strong, hard-headed Vikings who fiercely fought against dragons. The chief of the tribe was maybe one of the most impressive Vikings ever known. Strong, fierce, loyal and brave, Stoick was a true leader, and people could rely on him. The kind of chief every tribe would want. That was why no one could understand why the Gods gave him a weak offspring. Stoick had only one son, a scrawny little fellow who could hardly lift an axe: Hiccup.

Now, to be fair, Hiccup wasn't the only scrawny fellow around, some other boys were thin and lanky, like Tuffnutt Thorston. But the problem was, Hiccup wasn't only a runt, he was also clumsy, a bad fighter, and was really putting a lot of mess in the village. People would often get exasperrated at him, and most of them really wondered if the boy would ever be a good chief. Now the people who could see overpast his flaws admitted the boy was hard-working, and was quite smart when he wasn't making any mess. Yet smartness wasn't the quality Vikings preffered. His father was desperate at times. He truly loved his son, but just didn't know how to make a good future chief out of him.

Hiccup was aware of this, and it would always make him sad. He wanted to be really part of his tribe, but at times he really felt like he was an outsider. The other kids would often mock him, and sometimes he wished he could just leave this place. He would often go in the forest to forget about everything and think. With time, he learned to know a good part of that forest better than his village. There was only one part of it where he would never go to: a part at the other side of the mountain, it was too far from home, and he always felt like he shouldn't go in there.

One evening, a dragon attack occurred and Hiccup decided to try one of his new invention, in order to catch the ultimate prize: a Night Fury. He ignored Gobber telling him not to go out, he ignored the people telling him to stop and go back inside. He went to an isolated spot, waited and shot. He did touch the Night Fury, the beast fell in the woods, he saw it! He was happier than ever, but no one was around to see it. He was attacked by a Monstrous Nightmare that night, his father had to rescue him, and because of that, some dragons were lost. He was blamed for it of course, and no one believed him about that Night Fury. He swore he would find it again and prove everyone his worth.

Wandering in the forest, Hiccup searched for any tracks of the dragons. Did he lost it? He usually felt good in the forest, it was somehow his second home, he used to play here as a kid, climb in the trees, observe animals, his dad and Gobber had taught him how to make small traps for small beasts. He loved his surroudings, the small and gigantic trees living together, all the little hidden things and ways to explore, it was a place which never totally changed while always renewing itself. He could also be in peace far away from those who would bully or mock him. Once or twice, the kids of the village had tried to pursue him in the forest, but he knew how to hide and had disappeared before they could catch him. They got lost while he had been hiding, laughing at the irony. Yes, the forest was somehow his, and he loved it. Yet today even his familiar surroundings couldn't cheer him up. He had lost the Night Fury and with it, all chances to prove his worth!

"The Gods must hates me...I lost an entire dragon...Wasn't it enough to give me the muscles of a shrimp?!"

He sighed and was about to complain again when he heard something moving in the bushes. Something probably quite big. He looked around, he knew how to make the difference between the sounds of a small animal and a big one. Whatever it was, it wasn't small. A wolf? A wild boar? He looked everywhere but nothing came. Yet he felt observed, as if something or someone was spying on him.

"Is somebody here?"

No one answered, and he heard nothing else. Maybe it was a lonely wolf? Wolves could be tough, but Hiccup knew they tended to avoid humans, especially if they were without their pack. He continued his path and suddenly saw something. Tree branches torn and tracks in the grass as if something had fallen and rolled down. Forgetting the presence close by, he followed the hints and eventually, he saw it: a big black form laid on the ground. He hid, took his knife, and once he was sure the thing was really tied and not awake, he approached. It was dead! He killed a Night Fury!

"I did it! I did it, yeah! This fixes..."

But suddenly the beast growled and he backed away, scared. It was still alive, and it was looking at him...Hiccup truly tried to act like a Viking, tried to stab the thing...Yet he couldn't. The way the beast was looking at him...He just couldn't. So he decided to do something which would have brought shame over him and his entire family: he started to cut the ropes. He was focusing on what he was doing, when suddenly, the still black form moved and before he could understand what was happening, a big weight was pushing and pinning him against a rock. What a fool he had been! He squirmed, the beast above him was giving him a furious look. He was gonna get killed, he was...

His train of thoughts were cut while looking into the dragon's eyes. There was something: anger and fear...The dragon was looking at him and nothing else. Then, the animal rose his head, opened his mouth...Hiccup braced himself. A deafening shriek pierced through his ear, and then, the weight was lifted off of him. He opened his eyes and saw the dragon running away, roaring and screaming. He panted, he was alive, the dragon only roared in his ears! He stood up on his shaky legs, he could have been killed...He never faced the possibility of death like this. He tried to walk away, he had to leave that place...

Yet the shock and fear overcame him and he fell on the ground, darkness surrounding him.

When he woke up, he felt someone shaking him and a voice was uttering ununderstandable words. He managed to open his eyes and saw someone above him, shaking him slightly. Blinking, he discerned that it was a girl, she didn't look really worried, but she was watching him as if he was some strange animal. Hiccup blinked again and realized he had no idea who this girl was. He wasn't really close to the other kids, but he could recognize their faces. This one was new, he never saw her before...

"Hey, you're alright?" Asked she. "Can you hear me?"

He just nodded and rubbed his dizzy head. She pulled on his shoulders to have him sit instead of lying on the ground. He grabbed her arm to keep balance and took some seconds to breath and make the faintness disappear. He didn't know what time it was, probably the late afternoon, the daylight was becoming softer, the rays passing through the trees were starting to cast more shadows than earlier. He turned to her:

"Thanks...Who are you?"

"I was wondering the same about you," she answered.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and sat in a more comfortable position at his side. He felt quite nervous, girls usually tended to ignore or even avoid him, having one close to him felt foreign.

"You freed a dragon and you vanished. What kind of Viking does that?"

Strangely, he noticed no traces of reproaches or spite in her voices, just genuine curiosity. While pushing some strands away from his eyes, he was more and more aware that this girl was quite pretty and he felt even more nervous.

"Why did you do that?" Asked she.

"I don't know...I just...And who are you to ask me that? I don't know you, what are you doing here? You're not from Berk!"

She lowered her eyes, bit her lips quite nervously, and Hiccup started to wonder if she was some kind of thief or pirate who came on their island to put on some mess. But no, it didn't make sense, why would she show herself to him like that? Why would she help him? Sure, he wasn't a threatening guy, but still, it could be dangerous for her. Then it hit him:

"Was it you observing me?"

"I was just wandering around and I was curious when I saw you."

She wasn't looking at him while she was saying that, there was something off with her. He was sure she was lying, but he didn't dare to say it.

"So, you do that often? Observing boys through the bushes?"

She huffed and gave him an annoyed look.

"Don't get enthusiastic, kid."

"Kid? We're the same age!"

"Whatever. You shouldn't come in the forest alone, it's...It's dangerous."

She seemed really worried, Hiccup was struck by it. She was speaking as if she knew something he didn't, it was weird.

"What? I come in here all the time! You're not from Berk, how can you say that place is dangerous if you don't know it? Who are you and what are you doing here?"

She didn't answer immediately, but suddenly jumped in surprise and fright when she heard something in the bushes. Hiccup feared it was a wild beast, but the girl dreaded something else. Once she was sure there was no threat, she turned back to him.

"Listen, don't tell anyone about me, and I won't ever tell to any living soul about the dragon. Deal?"

She extended her hand to him. He hesitated a little, he still didn't know who that girl was after all. Yet if she was willing to keep his secret, it was maybe worth it. He shook her hand.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Astrid."

"Hiccup."

She turned away from him and left. He wished to speak to her, ask her more questions, but he didn't know what to say. He would think about, for now he decided to go home. He didn't know what to do about the dragon or about the girl, but one thing was sure: he didn't want to confront his dad. He wasn't lucky enough for that. His dad was near the fire when he passed the door, Stoick told him his wish was granted: he would go to dragon training. Hiccup was distraught because he didn't want to fight dragons anymore, not after what happened. It was ironical that his father should say yes now! Yet his father wouldn't listen to him as he tried to explain he didn't want to be a dragon killer, and Hiccup felt unlucky that his dad had been around.

Yet the young boy didn't know that he had been actually lucky, because children without parents were often the preys of dangerous creatures, some who were vicious, and who should have been humans' real concern. Unknowingly to the Hooligans, a family of monsters did arrive on their island one night, careful not to be seen by anyone. They had settled in the wildest part of the forest, where humans wouldn't really dare to go, because they would instinctively feel that it was the perfect place for monsters to settle. Tonight they would go out for a hunt.

Little Virn's parents were often busy with their cattles and fields, and sometimes they wouldn't watch him enough. The boy was just seven, and he was in the woods as night was falling, playing with a stick, imagining he was a big warrior. He suddenly heard footsteps and saw something that made him scared: a big man was standing, throwing a big shadow over him. His face was scary. He was about to run away when the man spoke:

"What are you doing here, little boy? Are you lost? Aren't your parents with you?"

The boy just shook his head, not daring to speak.

"Well, that's strange, I sure wouldn't let my children alone."

The boy saw four children of different ages, two boys and two girls. They were either fair-haired or brown-haired and had beautiful faces, though they were all a little too plump. The oldest was almost a young woman already, the two boys were probably in the middle, and the last girl, the youngest, was about his age. She was smiling gently at him. Virn was a little too plump as well, so he was relieved because at least they wouldn't mock him. They looked really nice, and it reassured him a little. Their father spoke again but to his children this time:

"Maybe you should play with your new friend."

The little boy was hesitant, so the eldest girl went to him and smiled gently, to reassure him:

"Come over, little one, we have honeyed milk if you want."

The little boy had been taught not to go to strangers, but that man had children who looked nice. There was nothing wrong with playing with other children, right? Virn went to the family, the father gave him a broth of the most delicious milk he ever drank.

"What game are we going to play?"

"Oh, we're gonna play some funny game at home, my boy. Once you'll wake up..."

The boy was about to say he was already awake, but he felt heavy suddenly, just like when he was about to go to bed. He wanted to speak but suddenly, the broth fell off of his hands...He stained his shirt, his mommy would be angry at him...He heard the man laugh, he suddenly had a very mean grin and the children too...He was scared, he had to leave and call his dad and mom, but his legs went weak and he fell on the ground. Then his eyes closed itselves and he fell asleep.

Little Virn was searched everywhere that night, but no one could find him.

Here it is! The adventure will start. Don't hesitate to review!