HTTYD Fanfic

Mia Likens

Chapter 1

Bang, Bang!

Every morning, it's the same thing.

Bang, Bang!

Even though I'm in my room, with walls and a ceiling surrounding me, I still hear it, loud and clear.

Bang, Bang, Bang-Bang, Bang!

Finally the familiar footsteps come down the stairs with the familiar stutter to their sounds, one faster and with a regular thud against the wood, and another slower with a metallic clang.

My father, Hiccup, the leader of our tribe of Vikings, heading downstairs and out the door to appease his anxious dragon, Toothless, who insists on getting up early every day to bang on the roof of our house to get my father up to go fly. Dad uses it as a good patrol opportunity, but I see it as a humongous annoyance. Even my mother, Astrid's, dragon, Stormfly, isn't that cranky. And insistent. And punctual. Every. Single. Morning.

I guess I don't understand that well since I don't have my own dragon yet. But I have big shoes to fill. I can't just settle on whatever dragon I feel like. No, I have to be just as great as my father.

His story is legend around here. Just as legendary as my grandfather's was when he was Chieftain. The first Viking to ever ride a dragon, the only one to find and tame a Nightfury. Not to mention bring peace between the Vikings and the dragons by defeating the Red Death.

So I've got to be just as good. I have to catch my own Nightfury, and call it my own. He tells me,

"You can't just pick a dragon at random and say, 'I'm going to catch you.' You form a bond with a dragon, and you become friends. You notice your own characteristics reflected in their personalities."

But it doesn't matter to me. When my grandfather was Chieftain, killing a dragon was a teenager's step towards adulthood. Nowadays, it's getting a dragon for your own. But even my younger brother has his own dragon, and he's only seven.

Then again, he doesn't have as much pressure as me. Even though I'm a girl, and I'm lean and short, I'm still the first-born and it's my responsibility to uphold our family's… for lack of a better word, awesomeness.

However, I'm probably boring you with my idle prattle about my big shoes to fill, so we get right along with the story.

I get around and put my clothes on. It seems somewhat warm today, so I don't wear my jacket. I put my blonde hair into its regular hair-do, a high ponytail, and two braids made from my bangs. I walk out the door and I cover my emerald green eyes with my hand to shield them from the sun. Today's a good day to do some tracking.

Stormfly is sitting outside the house, basking in the sun. She trots over to me, and I scratch her scales. She gurgles in approval, and goes back to sitting down when I stop. I can barely see my father out in the distance, flying on Toothless. Meatlug is chopping wood outside his house, while his two kids, Gretchen and Bamtree run around nearby. I see Asmarr (Editor's note: Pronounced Ehs-mar, I think, but I couldn't get the accent over the A. It's from a Norse name I found on the internet so…), my friend, a tall, somewhat broad built-boy. He's proud and arrogant, but he's very charming. He's waiting for me. His soft blue eyes twinkle in the sun, and his dark raven hair flows with the wind, and… and I stop daydreaming. I shake my head, and get it out of my mind. I have to think about getting a dragon before I go along with any other commitments, I tell myself.

I've known for a long time that I like Asmarr. We've been friends for forever, even though he's a few years older than me. His dragon, Whitefang, hasn't ever seemed to take a liking to me though. Must be a feminine instinct or something. I walk up to him and he says "Hi." And Whitefang gives a snort. She's a Monstrous Nightmare, and she's been bred proud. My father's words ring through my head as I think about it.

"You see your own characteristics reflected in their personalities."

I giggle and think 'Ain't that the truth?'

"What's funny?" He asks, but I shake my head and he lets it go. "Are you going to go out searching today? I can give you a ride if you want."

"No, you know that I search better closer to the ground. Plus, I don't want a dragon scent on me if I finally see one." That's not the real reason. They're both true, but the real reason is because last time I rode on Whitefang, she almost knocked me off into the ocean. I swear that that dragon has it out for me.

"Alright, but don't get lost." He tells me, then gets on Whitefang and rides away.

I hear a loud roar behind me as they fly away, and look behind me to see Gobber yelling at Knuckle, his Boneknapper dragon, "All right, already, we'll find your stinkin' bone!"

Gobber's been getting on in years, but he's still every bit as stubborn as he was when he was younger. I look around, knowing that everyone on the island will be up soon if Knuckle's bone isn't found. If you know anything about dragons, you'll probably be telling me that a Boneknapper can't roar without its bone armor complete, but this different. This is a keepsake Knuckle keeps around, and it's a part of his late mate's armor.

I see something move behind a barrel next to one of the houses, and go to investigate. Behind the barrel is Skull, Knuckle's offspring, holding onto to the bone with his teeth, when he sees me lean over around the barrel, he jumps, and cowers more behind it. He's playing a game, but Knuckle obviously doesn't think it's funny. I hold out my hand, and he reluctantly drops the bone into it. I run over to Gobber and Knuckle and reach up to hand the bone to the angry dragon. Skull is hiding behind me, and Knuckle bends his head down to glare at him. I move out of the way, and proceed to watch.

The behaviors of dragons were incredible to me. They acted almost exactly how we do. Though we don't understand, Gobber and I watch as Knuckle gives his son a thorough scolding through growls and slight roars, while Skull looks down and you can see the apparent guilt in his face, though it's blocked by a mask.

While Knuckle and Skull continue to converse, Gobber turns to me and thanks me, then hobbles back towards his home, his false arm swaying back and forth. I take one last look at the Boneknappers, and then head off in the direction of the forest.

It's the same forest as before. I've searched this island top and bottom for Nightfuries, and never found one. You'd think I'd have given up by now, but stubbornness comes with having Viking blood.

I've come up with several theories: Toothless is from another land, and he got lost and ended up here and decided to settle; He's the last of his species (I hate to believe that one); Females are reclusive, so there are few times when breeding will actually occur, and several others.

So, I continue to search. I know this forest like the back of my hand, so I get pretty far and I still know the way back. I decide to dog-leg and then head back to the village.

I still don't see any reason to think there's a Nightfury anywhere nearby, and as I make the final turn back towards the village, I hear roars.

I look up, and through the trees I can see a whole pack of roaring dragons. The leaves block my view, but I can tell that there not any we've seen before. They're calling out war cries, and they're heading straight towards our village.

I know something is wrong, and I start to run. My feet are no match for their wings though, and I lose sight of them quickly, though I can still hear their roars and I huff and dash through the trees, ducking under low branches and hurdling over rocks and fallen trunks.

Soon enough, there are yells and screams of humans mingling with the roars of the new dragons along with our dragons. My pace quickens as I realize that there is a red light escaping through the breaks in the trees. The whole village is almost completely on fire!

I reach the edge of the trees, and look down to see my home going up in flames.