"Give me something to shoot at."
Hiccup squinted at the black sky looking at the stars glimmering back at them. He could hear the distant screams and roars of the raid happening in the village like the background noise of the ocean. Suddenly a piercing whistle echoed through the night. The watch tower exploded. Aiming quickly Hiccup released the trigger.
The recoil threw him back. Slamming onto his back with a hollow thump all the air left his lungs. He heard the bolas whirl through the air at the ever elusive night fury.
A few seconds and… nothing.
Clambering up peering at the sky the black shape of the night fury soared away. The bolas plopped into the ocean
Hiccup sighed, "Typical"
He wasn't even surprised when the Monstrous Nightmare came clambering up from behind the cliff to eat him. That was just his kind of luck.
"Look, just talk to her." Fishlegs groaned pulling out a weed from his garden into the pale beside Hiccup's feet. He was doodling scowling at the shape of a nadder that wasn't right, "I thought you two were courting."
"In secret."
"then make it official." Fishlegs rolled his eyes at Hiccup's dramatics
"Oh sure Hiccup the Useless talking to Astrid the Loyal, the Shield Maiden of Berk, and the champion of Dragon Training, who set the record on killing her first dragon and a Monstrous Nightmare." Hiccup retorted dryly ignoring Fishleg's grumbling, "Of course she is going to want to talk to the Disaster of Berk."
"I still can't believe that's your epithet." Fishlegs said not unkindly but Hiccup rolled his eyes at his friend's good intentions.
"Technically not an epithet, you only get those after the Rite of Passage." Hiccup murmured.
"I guess a terrible terror counted?" Fishlegs shrugged, "Still wow, it's a horrible name. I wouldn't want it. And to go to Vahalla with that title…"
He caught Hiccup's scowl and hurried to correct himself, "Not that you have a choice! I know it's picked for us after the rite of passage, but Hiccup the Blacksmith would be better even…. "
"Take it up with the counsel if you're so concerned Master Scribe." Rolling his eyes Hiccup huffed leaning back on the rock picking at a blister on his hand.
Fishlegs looked hurt his massive shoulders tensing, "Well if you don't want my company then I'll just leave."
Fishlegs got up rubbing dirt on his hands scratching his beard making the blonde fuzz stand out. Hiccup was instantly waving his hands shaking his head
"No, no that's not what I meant Fish." He ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry Fish I didn't mean it like that. Just nothing has gone my way! I'm 21 and still the disgrace of the village! I'm not allowed back into Stoic's house or even call him father until I revoke the shame on his name! I've gone on my eppa and I'm still worthless...I just don't know what to do."
"Kill a dragon." Fish supplied easily scooting around to face Hiccup who had long since abandoned his drawing, "The next raid go kill a dragon."
"Not like I haven't been trying since I was 15 or anything."
"Look Hiccup it's not that hard, you're stronger now, have quick reflexes; you need to stop hesitating."
Hiccup scowled scuffing the dirt with his shoe, "I could always invent…."
"Oh no you don't remember Chief forbid any inventions, one more and that's a one way ticket to Outcast Island."
"Lovely" Hiccup replied "I'll go let Alvin the Treacherous know; I'm sure he will be best buds with Stoick the Vast's ex-son. Might as well as give Chief an axe and save the boat."
Fishlegs flinched, standing whipping his tunic down brushing the dirt off. Sighing dramatically Hiccup got to his feet looking skeptically at the small bundle of flowers clenched tightly in Fishlegs meaty hand.
"Are those for Heather?"
The girl had washed up on Berks' shores just after Hiccup turned 16 and hit his horrible growth spurt.
If he was a gangly mess now he was even worse as a sixteen year-old. His body seemed determined to reach his ex-father's height but none of the strength or width. (He was still growing! Admittedly a lot slower; thank god the growing pains ended) He was effectively all knees and elbows. He didn't even want to think about how many times he had walked into doors and poles, especially in front of Astrid and her foster sister Heather.
Fishlegs was blushing and fidgeting rubbing his thumb over the soft petals and Hiccup couldn't help but relate. "Gotta keep the new wife happy."
"She didn't strike me as the flowers sort of gal. You sure they are not for you?" Hiccup grinning at the bright blush across Fish's round face.
"Well Heather missed her bleed last month. So here's hoping" Fishlegs admitted.
Hiccup cheered for his shy friend grinning and waving his hands, "That's Fantastic! Congratulations! Do you need a smith? I can help, I could probably whip up a crib! Invite me to the naming and I'll even give you a discount!"
Fishlegs huffed grumbling, "I think you are spending too much time with Gobber, you are becoming a looney old bachelor."
Scoffing Hiccup gestured to himself, "Me? The ladies just can't get enough of all of this raw Viking! Truly I am Thor's vision!"
"Maybe as a lass!"
"oi." Elbowing Fishlegs at the larger man laughed swatting the taller thinner man away easily.
Hiccup fell quiet as Snotlout and Stoick stopped beside a cart of cabbages speaking to Mildew and Warhull. From the Top of the hill Hiccup fell into Fishlegs' shadow checking to make sure he was out of view from both of them.
"You'll regain your honor Hiccup."
"Fish I never passed my Rite of Passage." Hiccup said dryly, "I've caused more destruction from the inventions than any other dragon. Loki's balls! I am even forbidden to even think about inventing."
"You're being dramatic."
"You know Snotlout or Hoark comes back to my shack and burns every paper I have written in every fortnight or so."
"Then how is the book of dragons not ashes?"
Hiccup's secret project. The one thing he could do right only by pretending he wasn't writing in the book. Last time he suggested that he was the author he was laughed into a quiet annoyance. Eventually he showed some of his work to Fishlegs and got the village to accept the work by pretending it wasn't his own writing and drawings.
He didn't particularly mind after a time, it helped saved lives. That was the important thing.
"I have my ways. You don't think I can't hide things from Snotlout of all people?" He waved away Fishlegs indignant look. He fell silent his heavy feet crunching the stone as they walked down the path. Suddenly his expression light up as it dawned on him. Hiccup swallowed a chuckle as his friend scowled rounding on Hiccup.
Shrugging he waved his hands dismissively, "Hey they listened better when they thought the village genius was the author of the Book. After all who would question the wit of Fishlegs of Mimir's Tongue."
"You aren't doing yourself any favours either Hiccup." Fishlegs argued, "Everyone knows the new notes to the Dragon book are nothing short of ground breaking. Trader Johann found one of the loose pages and was asking about it."
"If Odin can sacrifice an eye for wisdom I can sacrifice my name."
Fishlegs shook his head, "Now what I really want to know is how you learn so much about the dragons."
"It's honestly not that hard. I found a watering hole and just watch them for a bit." Hiccup shrugged, "The dragons all know I'm there and still never attack. You know Fish the more I go out to watch them the more I don't think they are what they seem."
Hiccup waved at the Soutbeard as he came out of the Eldrman clan house. The path narrowed with thick slimy mud on either side from the heavy autumn spring leaving the Vikings to walk slowly in a line further down the hill towards the village.
"Don't ever let Stoick hear that." Fishlegs called over his shoulder as they came down the path into the village.
"Not like he listens to me anyways." Hiccup shrugged, "Besides I still haven't gotten close enough to touch them; they tend to be pretty skittish. In the wild they are more likely to fly away, though some are kind of territorial at least on other islands."
"Really you got all that information just from watching them?"
Hiccup swallowed ducking his head greeting a passing villager.
Not at all.
In an attempt to redeem his family's name he had gone on a long voyage. After being lost to sea he found this weird contraption that when lit with dragon fire had a bunch of information about dragons on it. The real trick was getting the dragons to light things on fire and leave so he could pay with the contraption. He had named it the Dragon's eye.
Well that's what he did before everything went wrong in Loki's handcrafted style.
The Dragon Eye sat underneath his shack well hidden under the fire pit in a steel box where Snotlout would never find it, along with his other small inventions and notes he didn't dare put into the dragon book.
He was positive that dragons where not evil but he never had a chance to prove his hypothesis…though the burn mark across his right shoulder would argue strongly against his gut.
"Yeah" Hiccup grinned, "I'd be out there right now but with the Thing coming up Gobber didn't let me leave with the traders this time. I'm hoping to leave next time they come by, it's been over a year since I got back, I've written down most of what I've discovered about dragons down."
He had keep so quiet about what he did during his year abroad that Fishleg's eyes lit up at any mention of the adventure his tight lipped friend had been on.
It all flew over Hiccup's head as he grumbled tugging on his hair gently, "I'm thinking right after the worse of winter has passed a bit before spring. I am trying to plan so I can manage the winters without returning."
Fishlegs glanced at his friend sharply and sighed his shoulders slumping, "Is it really so wonderful out there?"
Hiccup's entire face blossomed. His hands flying in excited jerking motions He waved them about gleaming brighter than the sun.
"Fish you have no idea! It's amazing, the salt and wind! Oh the freedom, you can nearly taste the wilderness and no matter how far you sail to touch Ymir's skull it's still further away!"
He hopped around stretching his arms out, "Fish the lands and people… there's no end! Just once I want to travel so far that I see the branches of Yggdrasil!"
Falling quiet at the melancholy look Hiccup turned away from his friend quenching the little bubble of frustration. They didn't understand, just like always no one understood.
"Heh" blushing Hiccup paused, "Well I'll cross that bridge when I come to it later I guess. Good luck with Heather, say hi for me."
He scampered away back up the hill a bit to get to the forge before he could see Fishlegs's expression.
Hello!
So I had the random thought that Httyd is honestly awesome and I wanted to give my hand at it. Thus here we are.
This story is inspired mostly by the httyd franchise, Season 6 of Race to the Edge. Honestly it was my least favourite episode of the series, it had great ideas but felt really underdeveloped. So instead of studying I've been working on this little project of mine.
Heads up i'm a slow updater. I can't really follow a schedule but I will try to be fairly consistent. And lastly, I'm kinda trying a new style of writing so any and all feedback would be amazing! Even if it is to tell me the writing is confusing (especially if your confused.)
Ok I think that's all for now. I hope you enjoy, until next time :)