Defender

by Mercury Grimm

Hiccup never asked to be different. He never asked to born smaller than everyone else, or to be strange, or have his own outlook on life. He never asked to bullied by everyone else in the village. And he certainly didn't ask to turn into a dragon. But who said life was fair?

1. Awakening

"human speech"

::dragon speech::

Hiccup had fallen asleep in his bed - nothing unusual there. He had gone to bed a little earlier than usual- he'd been feeling sick to his stomach since earlier that day. His father - the Chief of the Tribe - hadn't been home. Work usually kept Stoick out late, and up early in the morning, so he rarely crossed paths with his son.

Hiccup had been plagued with nightmares the entire night, feverish and sweaty, and never able to slip into a deep sleep, instead forced to stick to a light doze, waking every few hours. The night had dragged on for what felt like days, not mere hours, and had seen Hiccup twisting and turning uncomfortably all night long. The pain peaked just after midnight, and he vaguely remembered being torn from sleep with a cry of pain.

So he was understandably surprised when he woke late in the morning in the middle of the forest, the trees around him crushed and splintered. He attempted to get to his feet, but his legs gave out, bending strangely before he collapsed back to the ground. He frowned and finally looked down at himself. . . and nearly passed out with shock. Not only was he quite a bit taller than he was usually, but his legs were long and sleek and muscled and black. . .and there were four of them. He shook his head roughly, certain that he was hallucinating – he knew he had done that several times during the night – and felt long, ear-like objects flap against the sides of his head. He stumbled through the trees, managing to plough headfirst into two before he figured out how to avoid them, until he reached a clearing just off Raven's Point and was able to see his reflection of the water. He swore loudly, but all that came out was a loud growl.

He was a Night Fury. A godforsaken Night Fury. ::As if I wasn't already enough of an outcast,:: said Hiccup angrily, noting that while the words still sounded the same in his head, the sounds coming out of his mouth were without a doubt dragon noises. ::Oh, gods, I'm a dragon… What the hell am I supposed to do? Oh, the gods hate me.:: And then, a darker thought. ::I can't go home now. My dad would kill me. . .literally.:: He swore again. ::What am I supposed to do?:: A flash of blue fire shot out of his mouth as his anger spiked and ignited a tree several meters in front of him. Hiccup froze. Then swore, again.

::I'm so dead.::