CHAPTER 1

He first felt the imprint of a hand against his back before his mind registered the immediate danger he was in. It took one hard push to send Hiccup sprawling on the floor. His good foot twisted at the ankle, sharp pain ran up and down the muscles of his right leg. Both of his palms bruised raw and bloodied from the impact against the rough concrete pavement – an unfortunate result of his inept attempt to break his fall.

The hallway was filled to the brim with students, yet not one ventured to help him out. From the peripheral of his vision, Hiccup noted that some smirked in satisfaction. A cackle of derision could be heard from behind. Other onlookers simply turned away, pretending not to see his need, simply too afraid to alleviate his predicament, and not wanting to be the next target of abuse.

He should be used to it by now.

Mocking taunts and jeers sometimes escalated into physical violence. It all depended on the type of bully he faced. All in all, cruelty served a permanent fixture in his day to day school life. They took him for an easy target – the nerdy new guy with a peg leg and a crappy haircut, who looked quite tall yet too thin and wore frayed clothing. Still, Hiccup schooled his features into an indifferent expression, not wanting to give his tormentors a reason to rejoice in his pain. Soon enough, the crowd dispersed, and a single woman stepped forward to offer an outstretched hand.

"Are you okay, Mr. Cloud?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes at the irony of that question but took the offered help nonetheless. It was a teacher, perhaps his homeroom advisor. Not that he bothered to know her name. After all, he never stayed within one school for more than a year or two, so she'll soon be a part of the faceless parade of people who barely had an impact in his life.

"The one who shoved you will be apprehended accordingly," The woman commented with a concerned frown as the disabled student struggled to brace his weight on the metal prosthetic, "Perhaps you should go to the infirmary first..."

"Perhaps I would, if I could walk, but you'll probably just watch me hobble off to my death," Hiccup drawled with a sneer then cocked his head to the side, "Care to escort me, oh great and mighty savior?"

His bawdy attempt at humor was met with a disapproving glare.

His teacher obviously lacked the proper acumen to appreciate his blazing wit. But then again, almost everyone he had met could not appreciate his sarcastic quips. And sometimes his sassiness earned him a quick punch to the face. Lightly biting the tip of his tongue, Hiccup opted to behave and held on to the proffered hand for support. No further words were exchanged as he slowly limped his way towards the infirmary. A nurse hurriedly led him to sit on a chair and carefully prodded his foot before wrapping it in bandages.

"Sprained by the looks of it," the nurse tittered, "It needs an ice compress and some rest. Perhaps he should be sent home?"

"Call his parents then," the teacher said, "I'll leave him to your care."

The door slammed shut, leaving them alone. The medical practitioner turned to the task of disinfecting his bruised palms. Hiccup hissed through gritted teeth, the wounds continued to painfully sting with each swipe of the antiseptic soaked cotton ball. Thinner bandages were swathed around his hands until it hid the injury from his sight. He was then instructed to lay down on one of the available hospice beds while the nurse retrieved his information sheet to find the mobile number of his one and only parent.

There he was, seventeen years old, with one metal prosthetic and a sprained foot, waiting for his mother to pick him up and drive him back home. Forest green eyes stared hard at the ceiling while the desire to punch something, anything, churned within his gut. He hated his life. He hated his situation. He hated the fact that he couldn't even call any tangible place as home. The Dragon Sanctuary at The Bush served as a pit stop, another government protected environmental area his mother was designated to work at. After a year or two the infamous Valka Cloud, Dragon Trainer extraordinaire, would be called upon to work in another country and in another Sanctuary. Uprooting their little family to another unfamiliar place became the norm.

It took two hours for his mother to arrive and by that time Hiccup had already counted every crack on the wall and also noted every pesky insect within the room. Valka's slim form was graceful with every step she took. The simple white shirt and khaki pants she wore accented her figure nicely, her waist length auburn hair held back by a twine of leather at the nape. Muddied combat boots completed the rugged Dragon Trainer look.

Valka's beatific smile immediately turned into a frown as she sat on the edge of her son's bed.

"Are you alright?" she whispered in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine mom," Hiccup sighed, "I can barely walk and my hands feel like the skin's been flayed off and I need a big dose of painkillers for my leg."

Gentle fingers gently touched the bandages neatly wrapped around Hiccup's foot. "What happened?"

This was the part he hated the most. No proper explanation could excuse the viciousness of his peers. All his life, Hiccup knew he was a target, one born with a gigantic bull's eye on his back.

"Well this school is more brutal than the rest," he shrugged nonchalantly, "The last one just made fun of my name. Which is understandable, by the way, since no sane parent would name their precious child as a 'Hiccup'."

He spat the name with such venom that Valka's eyes widened and she reacted in turn. "Would you stop that?"

"Why should I?" Hiccup said, bitterness seeping in his tone, "All my troubles had originated from a name that seemed to attract bullying bastards like a pack of flies to a pile of dung."

"Your name might be a bit different," his mother insisted kindly, "but it is an honorable, traditional family name given to you by your grandfather."

"A grandfather whom I have never met…" he snapped back. "Not to mention that I never met my dad either."

Mother and son exchanged antagonistic glares. The tension in the air was suddenly thick and suffocating to the point that the room felt too small and uncomfortable.

"Hiccup…"

"Don't…" he looked away, his fists clenching in resentment, "Don't tell me that it is okay. You don't know what I've been through. How they laugh at me, how treat me differently…"

Valka briefly closed her eyes, her anger melting away into regretful sorrow. She had too many regrets in her life, too many mistakes. That her son had to suffer the consequences of those bad decisions made and done…

It hurt a lot.

"Someday you will understand why you have been named as such," she smoothed the long auburn fringe covering his face, "someday you will know why our circumstances are what they are but for now…"

Valka rose to her feet and urged him with a hesitant smile.

"Come, child, it is time for you to come home."

-o-0-o-

Dragon Sanctuary was located an hour and a half away from the suburbia hell where his current school was located at. Asphalt paved streets soon gave way to gravel ridden dirt roads. The heat felt unforgiving out here in The Bush and the rented jeep's air conditioning was unable to keep up with the soaring high temperatures. In the far distance, Hiccup could see the mountains ranges that stood out in the horizon. Varied species of trees peppered the land and tufts of bright green dragon grass swayed in the breeze. Above in the bright blue sky, he could hear the distant roaring and crooning of the majestic beasts. He spied a fat yellow Gronkle lazily fly overhead with a purple Deadly Nadder fast in pursuit.

Home was a rectangular canvas tent the size of a small two-bedroom apartment. Hiccup grinned widely, spying his honorary Uncle lumber out of their shared living space, the feeling of emptiness in his heart replaced by sudden warmth. With a quick stomp on the brakes, his mother parked the jeep in front of their temporary home. Valka Cloud welcomed her co-worker and dearest friend with a wave of her hand.

"There you are! What happened to your lad?"

"Hey, Gobber!" Hiccup wiggled his bandaged hands, "Some arsehole pushed me in the hallway. I also sprained my ankle, bruised my palms, and got laughed at."

"Did you bash the vagrant's skull in?" Gobber raised his prosthetic hand and did a rude gesture. "It's not worth the pain if yah didn't hit them back."

"Don't teach my son your war mongering ways, you smelly old fart." Valka chastised in turn. She removed the key from the ignition, stepped out of the jeep, and snorted at her friend.

"Come on, lass, I'm a dentist and a harmless one at that," the older man chortled, "the most violent act that I have done would be wrestling a Monstrous Nightmares to remove some rotted teeth," he gave Hiccup a saucy wink, "Hardly violent if yah ask me."

They all shared a hearty good laugh. Gobber the Belch might be a fearsome sight to behold with his enormous six foot three stature and braided blonde beard, but he's as cuddly as teddy bear when it came to the people he cared about. They might not be related through flesh and blood, but they were family nonetheless.

Hiccup slid from his seat and barely touched his feet on steady ground when a distinctive screech suddenly whistled in the air. With a mighty roar, an incoming black blur flew as fast as a bullet through the sky. Valka and Gobber hardly had any time to scamper out of the way as a gamboling dragon the size of a pick-up truck attacked Hiccup with the power of tongue. The auburn haired teenager helplessly backed himself against the posterior of the jeep and he cackled in delight as the unholy offspring of lightning and death slobbered all over him.

"Come one, bud!" Hiccup groaned, "You know that doesn't wash out!" Sticky dragon saliva covered his whole face and hair and half of his sweatshirt. The substance had a distinct au natural odor of rotted fish and bad breath.

His mother merely smirked in amusement. "I think Toothless missed you quite a lot," Valka gestured to the dragon currently nuzzling its gigantic head against her son's chest. Toothless' prosthetic fitted tail wagged in delight, looking more like an overgrown puppy rather than a feral monster that could kill a human with a well-aimed plasma blast.

"Well, I'm sure there's a better way for him to show me any affection other than 'coat my rider with the stinky breath of death'" he snarked, flicking some drool back at his dragon. Toothless scowled but butted his head into Hiccup's chest once more.

"How's the foot?" Gobber asked.

The young man puckered his brow as he patted the Night Fury's head. He shifted his injured foot then winced. The twisted muscles definitely felt sore underneath the bandages.

"Still hurting like a bitch," Hiccup said as he grabbed his mother's wooden staff from the back of the jeep. He leaned against it, using it as a temporary crutch to brace his injury. "There would be no dragon riding or training for me until it's properly healed but I've had worse injuries." He pointed a finger to the amputated left leg as a testament to that. Toothless crooned in disappointment, light yellow green eyes dilating when he realized his rider would be grounded for the time being, his gummy smile gave way to a silly draconic version of an adorable pout.

The sound of powerful flapping wings signalled the arrival of another dragon. Twice the size of a Night Fury and equipped with two sets of bat-like wings, Cloudjumper looked majestic as he descended gracefully to greet his rider. Valka scratched her beloved companion underneath the jaw and the reptile warbled contently like a purring cat. Eerie golden yellow eyes blinked double lids like a nocturnal owl.

If Cloudjumper was already here, then the other dragons would soon return from their daily feeding trips. The reptilian beasts had to fly to the edge of the property in order to reach a river where they can catch salmon and cod, only to come back to the stables before twilight fell. The Bush, like all other Dragon Sanctuaries in the world, served as a reserve where dragons can lay eggs and live in relative safety. Constant threats from poachers, hunters, and trappers had decreased draconic population to the point that certain species were battling eventual extinction.

Toothless and Cloudjumper were probably the last of their kind.

"We should start to prepare our dinner," Valka lifted the flap of their tent, "Come inside, son." She shooed the Night Fury and Stormcutter dragons away and gestured Hiccup to go in.

"I'll cook," Gobber volunteered immediately, "No offense, lass, but yer cooking isn't fantastic. Yer meatballs could kill more beasts than a battle axe."

"Yet you survived," the brunette shrugged, "but by all means the kitchen is yours."

Their living space can be called utilitarian, their lifestyle obviously nomadic. Rarely have they bought anything of value, opting to keep just an essential few that can be moved to and fro on dragon back. Three futons lain on the dirt floor served as a bedroom. Several pieces of clean clothing hung on a line of string attached near the tent's ceiling. Hiccup settled himself on one of the available chairs and placed his crutch beside the collapsible table in their dining area while Valka placed crockery on its wooden surface. A portable generator cranked out electricity, providing well needed light through some LED bulbs, and powering the television - their one and only luxury that connected them to the civilized world.

Outside their living quarters would be a bath that consisted of a wooden tub and a pail - only used whenever it rained. Just a few steps away would be a makeshift forge where a Hotburple dragon called Grump snoozed the whole day away. With Hiccup and Gobber's blacksmithing expertise, they easily crafted dragon teeth and metal prosthetics for injured dragons. Saddles for riding would only be made whenever good quality leather was available for purchase. The forge also served as a haphazard kitchen with its deeply dug bonfire and iron spit.

Gobber could be heard singing off-tune as he basted, rubbed herbs, and seasoned a raw slab of meat. The pork loin was then speared and hot dragon fire roasted it to sizzling perfection. Mouth watering scents pervaded the tent the moment the blacksmith and part-time dentist came back inside. The family eagerly gathered around to partake of their meal and the television was turned on as part of routine. For a while, the clinking of cutlery was accompanied by the informative chatter of advertisements. Then a male news anchor suddenly flashed on screen to relay a special report.

A tragedy has descended upon one of the small countries in the Barbaric Archipelago. The Kingdom of Berk mourns the loss of its leaders due to a car accident that occurred approximately at eight hundred hours. Initial police reports say that no foul play has occurred and that the driver had simply lost control of the vehicle. All passengers have died upon impact and there are no survivors…

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, noticing Gobber's grave look of dread. His mother's face suddenly drained of all color, looking as pale and haunting as a ghost. A recording of a smashed car with broken glass littering the blood soaked asphalt was featured. Several police officers circled the horrifying scene. Each of their faces held grim expressions.

A public funeral will be held to allow the Berkian citizens to mourn the much beloved rulers. Monarchs, Prime Ministers, and Presidents from all over the world will be invited to attend the sombre occasion…

The next video showed a gathering of grief stricken men and women leaving bouquets of flowers and lighting candles in front of a medieval looking castle. Some were crying, some offered prayers and condolences.

With the loss of its monarchs, it is believed that the oldest son, Stoick 'the Vast' Haddock will be crowned King…

A mountain of a man with an enormous ginger braided beard and determined eyes briefly graced the screen before the television suddenly blacked out.

"Hey, I was watching that!" Hiccup glowered when Gobber pulled the plug from the electrical socket.

"Best fer us to not watch such a morbid story, lad." the older man gestured towards the only woman in their family who continued to stare at blankly at the T.V.

Hiccup frowned, observing his mother hug herself in discomfort.

Something was wrong.

"Mom, are you okay?"

He had never seen her act like this, so affected and disturbed. Quite peculiar since it was a news story about an obscure kingdom located at the opposite side of the world. Several minutes passed by before Valka composed herself. She took a deep breath and sipped from a tumbler of water before regarding Hiccup with a determined stare.

"Do you want to relocate to another school again?"

"What?" The abrupt change of topic baffled her young son. Several questions wanted to burst from the tip of Hiccup's tongue but he halted.

It was his mother's eyes that stopped him. Valka's looked at him earnestly, silently pleading him not to probe further. There was a sense of desperation in her wanting to move on to the new topic at hand and Hiccup was forced to swallow his pride, leaving the mystery untouched for now.

"No," he answered, brutally honest, "I do not want to relocate. I hate school, any school for that matter." Hiccup stabbed his medium-rare meat with a fork, "I'd rather drop out than enroll in another one."

"Perhaps a new environment would prove tah be a better choice?" Gobber wisely advised, "Yer teachers should have been taking care of yah and punishing those bullying bastards. In mah day, when someone gets pushed, we punch back," he raised a fist and jabbed in demonstration, "No dilly-dallying needed, giving a black eye is the best way to handle delicate matters."

"Teacher intervention rarely works and hitting them back in the face would just get me into more trouble," Hiccup shrugged, "Sure, the guy pushed me in the hall today probably got detention for a week, but those kinds of arseholes always finds a way to retaliate. I should know, since I've been bullied in every school I've been in," he deadpanned, "Why can't I just skip all this educational bullshit and just be a Dragon Trainer?"

Valka rubbed the bridge of her nose and felt an oncoming migraine rearing its ugly head. She sighed at her son's naivety.

"The world values education. Those who don't finish their studies are frowned upon by the population at large."

"So what?," Hiccup snorted, "I have ridden dragons since I was five and trained my first Terrible Terror since I was three. I don't need certification."

"But rules are rules," Valka drove the point in, "And those rules are there for a reason. Your uncle and I have to apply for a yearly license in order to legally stay and work within Sanctuaries. Without it, we lose the right to interact with dragons. The only reason why you can still live here with us is because you are still a minor fully dependent upon me."

"Unfortunately, yer mother's right, lad," Gobber said, earning Valka's grateful smile but gaining Hiccup's ire in return. "No Dragon Sanctuary will hire someone without proper paperwork. Best for yah to finish yer studies, get a scholarship and a degree in Dragon Biology in some fancy college, then come back here in the wild to work with the family."

And that exactly was the crux of the problem.

Hiccup cursed, unable to curb his mounting frustration. Dropping out of school meant that he had to say goodbye to Toothless...

And the only way he could avoid that would be to study diligently until he acquired a diploma.

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

He could already see the answer in their faces.

Shit.

Hiccup swallowed thickly and pushed his plate away, "I'm going out." He grabbed the wooden staff for support then he stood on his feet to limp his way towards the exit.

"Son…"

He stiffened, pausing for a moment to gaze back at his distraught mother.

"I'm not angry at you or Gobber, it's just…" he raised a bandaged hand to pull tightly at his auburn hair, "I just need some space, some time to think. I'll be back before midnight."

They watched the boy lift the flap of the tent and disappear outside. A loud excited croon could be heard as Toothless greeted his favorite human. Valka scowled indignantly when she heard the telltale movement of wings. Her son's laughter faded into the distance and she knew all too well that Hiccup deliberately disobeyed the nurse's orders and took off on another midnight flight.

"That boy is so hard headed," she scoffed, "He's going to lose his other foot if he's not careful."

"Hiccup's going tah be fine, Val." Gobber assured, patting her shoulder with his prosthetic hand, "The lad's made out of sterner stuff being descended from a distinguished bloodline of boar-headed stubborn Vikings, eh. And speaking of bloodlines," with a twitch of his beard he gestured towards the television, "What are yah going to do about that?"

Valka turned away and started clearing the dishes, a pensive frown shown on her face. "I don't know what you are talking about." she denied, causing Gobber to snort loudly. The blonde dentist crossed his muscled arms, rolled his eyes, and gave a distinct expression of 'are-you-bloody-kidding-me?'

"Don't insult yer own intelligence by pretending to be ignorant."

"Does it matter?" Valka pursed her lips, "It would be better if he doesn't know the truth…"

"Better for whom? Stoick or Hiccup? Because yer son needs to know that he has a father and his father has a right to know that he has a son. Yah can't keep this a secret forever, Val." he warned gravely, making his friend flinch slightly. "Someday the truth will come out and it might come out in a way that affects everyone."

To be continued...

A/N: Hello dear reader! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this tale. This is a modern AU, by the way, that is also inspired by all the 'Hiccup is raised with Valka and Cloudjumper' fics out there. The storyline is loosely based on a movie. I'm not going to say which one. Feel free to guess.

P.S. I don't have a beta reader so there might be a lot of grammatical mistakes. English is, unfortunately, only my second language.