Hello FanFiction, and welcome to my first ever story! This story takes place about a year before the movie, and it is an AU! I will (hopefully) update every Sunday, so be on the lookout then!
Note: - denotes a time skip
Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. Honestly, I swear!
So, without further ado, enjoy!
Hiccup ran through the forest as the taunting calls of his peers came from far behind him. It was the same routine every day. They would always make fun of him and chase him out of the village when his father went on raids. But they always put on the 'Good Viking' act whenever he was around. Of course, Hiccup didn't mind the forest. He could spend days in the forest and he would be happy. The only problem was that if he wasn't back by sundown, the village would send a hunting party for him.
Hiccups mind started to drift away, and he slowed to walk, meandering through the trees. His dad had recently sent him to work with Gobber, and Hiccup liked the man. Gobber was always friendly to him, unlike the other teens and some adults. And Hiccup was very good at being a blacksmith. He actually enjoyed it, and it was one of the few things he was actually good at. That wasn't to say that he'd rather be there than in the forest, but it was his favorite place in the village. Hiccup started as his foot caught onto a rock, and he tripped. Of course, with his luck, he was right next to a hill. Hiccup tumbled downhill, rocks scratching him and leaves crunching under his moving body. He slowly came to a stop as the ground leveled out, and with a groan he got up. Hiccup glanced around. This was not a part of the forest he was familiar with. He quickly checked his pockets to make sure his sketchbook was still there, before looking back up the hill. Hiccup saw that it was a lot steeper than he previously thought, resembling more of a bluff than a hill. He seriously doubted that he could climb back up. Sighing, Hiccup turned and started to walk alongside the bluff, hoping he would find a way to get back up.
Hiccup kicked another branch as he grumbled to himself. He was hopelessly lost. He hadn't found a way back up the 'cursed hill' as he so affectionately named it, so he thought it would be a good idea to go out a little to see if he could recognize anything. Obviously, he went in a little deeper than he wanted to, and now he couldn't find his way back. He would simply have to wait for the hunting party. Hiccup rounded a particularly large rock, before seeing a small entrance into what appeared to be a cove. He walked into it, ducking under a root, and gasped at the sight that met his eyes.
The place was beautiful. Sunlight reflected off a small lake that dominated most of the cove, casting moving shapes of light on the steep walls that surrounded the cove. There was a small patch of trees next to it, as well as a few vines hanging down from the edges, giving the cove a peaceful and serene feeling. A few birds flew out from the trees, chirping as they passed him. Hiccup looked around the small rock that he was standing on, his eyes drinking in the beautiful sight. Hiccup wanted a closer look, but the only way down seemed to be a large group of rocks precariously stacked on top of each other. He slowly navigated his way down the treacherous pile of rocks, constantly worrying if he was going to fall, and finally reached the bottom, exiting out another small passageway.
The view from the ground was even more astounding. The steep cliffs surrounding the cove gave him a sheltered and protected feeling, while the sunlight now on his face made him warm. Hiccup couldn't help but smile and let out a gleeful shout. He ran to the waters edge, peering in. Most of the fish swam away at his sight, but one stayed, unaware of his presence. Hiccup watched the fish a little longer before it seemed to notice him and darted out of sight. Hiccup turned around slowly, letting the incredible view sink in. But he abruptly stopped when something caught his eye. There, previously unseen, was a large black mass, directly underneath a small canopy the cluster of trees formed.
Hiccup though it might be a dragon, but it didn't look like any dragon he'd ever seen. It was long and sleek with glossy black scales. It had large wings, yet it was lacking horns. It had a pair of fins at the base and at the end of its tail. And it appeared to be sleeping. Hiccup's first thought was to run. This was a creature his dad had told him about. His dad had told him about their ferocity, how they would kill you without a second glance. How they would happily rip you to shreds and drink your blood for no reason other than their personal enjoyment. He recalled the stories of their emotionless eyes, the stories about how Gobber lost his leg. But worst of all, he remembered the story of how his mother lost her life.
However this beast looked nothing like that. In fact, now that he thought about it, it didn't look like any dragon he had ever seen, or that any of the villagers had ever described to him. Hiccup took out his sketchbook, excited. Maybe this was a new species of dragon. He would be the first to find out about it, and he would tell everybody about it, just like Bork the Bold. His village would praise him, and the teens would no longer call him 'Hiccup the Useless'. But more importantly, his dad would finally be proud of him. Hiccup's heart leapt at that thought, and a smile slowly made its way onto his face.
Hiccup started to draw, intent on documenting everything about this creature. He didn't need to look at the dragon again. He had an excellent memory, and could recall every detail about the dragon. Hiccup's mind slowly shut out everything, concentrating on nothing except his mental picture of the dragon and the paper before him. That was one of his great flaws, although sometimes it was a blessing. When he devoted himself to something, he completely focused on his task. And this was why he didn't notice the dragon waking up. And why he didn't notice the dragon walking over to him. The only thing that registered to Hiccup was the sound of his charcoal stick scratching against the paper of his sketchbook and the drawing that was slowly taking form. That is, until he felt hot breath brush against him, moving the pages of his book slightly. Hiccup's heart stopped, and with it his hand. He slowly looked up, wincing at the sight that met his eyes, telling himself not to move.
There above him, was the dragon that he was drawing. It looked down at him, its eyes slits, a small growl coming from it. It emitted another breath, and Hiccup gagged at the rancid smell that came from the beast. Hiccup quickly started to back away. The beast snorted again, before it reached out with a paw and pushed Hiccup into the ground. Hiccup gasped as his head slammed into the ground with a great force. The dragon leaned over him, staring at him. Hiccup struggled, looking around frantically for something to use, anything, before his eyes made contact with the dragons. In its deep green eyes, Hiccup saw something he didn't expect.
Hiccup saw emotion. He saw curiosity at this human that stumbled across him, and didn't kill him, yet instead, drew him. He didn't see rage, or malevolence, or anything that indicated that the dragon wanted to kill him. But the strangest thing he saw was compassion. The dragon seemed to take an interest in him, and seemed to see that he was different than the other Vikings.
Hiccups struggles slowly died down, and when they did the dragon sniffed him once, before removing its paw from him and walking away. Hiccup got up shakily, not quite believing what was happening. A dragon, out of all things, had the opportunity to kill him, and it didn't. Surely this wasn't one of the creatures of the night his father described. The cold, heartless killers that destroyed his village on a monthly basis. But there was no denying it. A dragon had spared his life. Hiccup stared in wonder at the dragon, which was now searching for fish in the lake. Hiccup shakily picked up his sketchbook, and cautiously approached the dragon. He watched in wonder as it expertly caught a fish and swallowed it whole. As the dragon opened his mouth to catch another fish, he saw something that made him pause.
"Toothless? Why wouldn't a dragon have any teeth?" Hiccup wondered aloud.
The dragon turned towards him, regarding him with those green eyes, before it started walking towards him. Hiccup quickly backed up, fearful that he had done something wrong. Was the dragon offended by his comment? Did it decide that it didn't want a pesky human around? The dragon quickly caught up to him and placed a paw on him, throwing him onto the ground for the second time that day. Hiccup's breath came in short gasps, and he started fearfully up at the dragon. The dragon's throat started to undulate, and it made a sound similar to one that Snotlout had made right before hacking up a giant wad of spit and fired it. Right at his head.
The dragon opened its mouth and a fish came sliding out. Hiccup scrunched up his face in disgust. 'I would rather take the spit' Hiccup though. The dragon lifted its paw and then… sat? Yes, it appeared to be sitting on its hind legs, and was now staring at him. Hiccup gulped nervously. Surely it didn't expect him to eat the fish, did it? But when the dragon looked down at the fish then back at him, Hiccup knew what the dragon wanted. And he also knew that he was not going to like it. With a sigh, he brought the fish to his mouth and bit down. The taste wasn't as bad as the smell, but it was enough to almost make him throw up right there. By sheer force of will, however, he was able to stop himself. He hesitantly swallowed the piece of fish, shuddering as he felt it slide down his throat. He looked at the dragon, and it made a smacking sound with its lips. Hiccup smiled up at the dragon, not daring to voice his thoughts on how cute the dragon looked right now. The dragon cocked its head for a second, then began to imitate him, its lips slowly pulling back into what was definitely a smile, or as close as it could get to one. There again, Hiccup noticed, weren't any teeth. He stared at the dragon a little more, before its smile disappeared and it motioned at him and the fish again.
"Ohhh no, no no no, not again." Hiccup said with a grimace. He would NOT be eating that fish again, however the dragon had other plans in mind. It did that toothless smile again, and Hiccup had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Something was about to happen, and he knew that it was going to be a lot worse than the first time. The dragon pounced quickly, and for the third time that day he was pushed to the ground none too gently. Hiccup groaned in pain. He was going to have pain there for days to come. He kept his eyes closed, mentally fighting the pain until he felt something slimy slide across his face. He opened his eyes and the dragon was there above him, with the regurgitated fish dangling from its mouth. It lowered the fish closer to his face, and Hiccup squirmed, trying to get away from that horrible smell. The dragon kept the fish dangling there, until Hiccup gave a small hiss through his teeth, admitting defeat. The dragon was clearly not going to let him go until he ate it.
He slowly opened his mouth, bracing himself for what was to come, and he felt the fish drop into his mouth. He forced himself to chew and swallow the remains, resisting the urge to gag. He looked up at the dragon again, who was smiling yet again. "Yeah yeah, you got what you wanted, you pushy reptile." Hiccup looked at the dragon for a little bit, before curiosity overtook him and he reached up an arm. The dragon flinched at the movement, growling slightly. Hiccup retreated his arm. He closed his eyes, knowing this was probably the stupidest thing he would ever do. He slowly reached out his hand again, with his eyes closed and head turned to the side. He heard no warning growl, or any sound from the dragon, but after what seemed like eternity he did feel the smooth scales come into contact with his hand. Hiccup let out a small gasp, and risked a glance at the dragon. It looked so peaceful, before it opened its eyes and looked at him. Hiccup gave a smile and the dragon slowly returned it. That was when Hiccup's gaze shifted and he noticed the sky.
"Oh dang it, Gobber's going to kill me!" Hiccup said as he looked at the pink sky, a warning to all that the sun would soon vanish from the earth. And that was also when he remembered he didn't know how to get back home. Hiccup would have smacked himself, if he could move freely. Hiccup looked back towards the dragon and said, "I'll be back tomorrow, ok? Don't go anywhere."
The dragon huffed, before lifting its paw from him and walking towards the other side of the cove. It breathed some fire into the ground, creating a pile of ashes, while Hiccup watched in fascination at this strange behavior. The dragon settled down and looked at him as if to say 'aren't you supposed to be going somewhere?' Hiccup mentally shook himself before turning and jogging back to the entrance of the rocks. He looked once more at the dragon, which had now closed its eyes and appeared to be sleeping. He smiled as he started climbing back up the rocks. He knew where he was going to be tomorrow.