A/N: SO, hey there everybody. HTTYD is a new obsession, taking over my mind. I got a little bit of inspiration to start writing up a fanfic, so I figured I may as well post it, right?
A little clarity, before anyone starts reading, I really enjoy these older cast, future fics I've been seeing so this will be my go at one. It'll be a little different, since there are going to be some gaps in need of filling in.
First of all, this chapter is a bit of a prologue, set a few years after the movie and series. Hiccup is nearing his eighteenth birthday here, all the other teens are of similar age. I assume that the dragon academy was established further while the teens were younger, then, once solid, some of our strapping young lads would leave with their fathers during some of the warmer months on raids or fishing trips. I can see that while the others return for the other half of the year on Berk, Hiccup (and maybe a buddy or two?) along with Toothless would venture to other tribes to proclaim that dragons are friends. In total, I can see that he would return for maybe three to four months to teach and live out the harsher months with the other Berkians.
Living like this, up until the story begins, I can see that he would be one busy little duck, with less time for romancing and such. This is excatly how I want it, I want a fresher, more mature blooming between our sarcastic knight is a shining prosthetic leg and the lovely, albeit violent, Astrid.
That all being said, from the end of this chapter, there will be a six year gap before the next. Many things are going to happen in that time, all of which will be relived through memories and such.
Hopefully, when this really gets going, it'll be easier to piece together!
Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon.
"Tend the sails! Tie down the baskets!"
Over the wind, the great Stoic the Vast's voice was somewhat audible. Amidst a roaring storm, two large wooden ships battled the sea. White capped waves battered the sides of each hull with a force nearly twice the strength of a dragon. Above, the sky was black, throwing down torrents of rain and hail upon the decks of the ships. Only seldom did a bright flash spring from behind the cloud cover to light up the raging waters.
Across each deck vikings were thrown about, trying to tie down what they could or steer through the choppy ocean. On each ship, a dragon did what they could to help their human companions. On one ship, a thickset gronkle attempted to steady the ship's weight, while using its body to hold a dozen fish baskets against a wall. A wide, blond teen tried to keep his balance while securing another few of the containers near by, while his own father and a few other men ran about the ship.
Aboard the other ship, a sleek, black dragon scuttled and slipped across the soaked wooden planks to where his brown haired teen was grappling with a rope from a sail, while trying to stay of his feet. The night fury grabbed hold of the rope above the boy's hands, a green eye turned back to him.
"Thanks bud." Hiccup half yelled over the gale.
The two tugged the rope, with little avail against the wind. Nearby, Stoic's meaty hands clamped around another rope. His helmet was askew, and his red beard was soaked through. He panted, looking over at his son.
In any less drastic situation, the chief would have beamed with pride, to see his son, now of nearly eighteen, putting such effort into keeping the ship afloat. Over the past few years, the boy had gone from a fish bone, to a nearly strapping lad. He, and the other vikings of Berk, had found that after Hiccup's great show of courage in uniting with the dragons and defeating the Red Death, if given the chance he could put just as much dedication into practicing more mundane or physical things. Between three month training periods in the academy, and nine month expeditions with the other men, he'd grown up quite a bit.
This was one such expedition, a short fishing trip before Hiccup, his dragon, and one or two of the other men would go to spread the word of dragon training. Unfortunately, the two ships had been caught in a storm that now tossed them up like a dragon with a fish.
A loud crack and boom shook the hulking man from his momentary distraction. Above them, a strike of lightning had hit the very top of the mast, setting it ablaze. Bits of flaming wood rained down on them, causing him to squint. In a desperate search for a solution, Stoic's eyes followed the rope in his hands, secured just below the burning part of the mast. If he could pull hard enough, it would break and fall over the side of the ship and into the sea.
"Hiccup, hold steady!" he called. "Pull hard!"
Hiccup's eyes widened, yet he nodded feverishly. He accepted that he's never understand some of his father's rash, physical decisions and this was one of them. With all his might, and Toothless' help, the three pulled hard on the ropes until they heard a loud crack through the wind's roar.
The thick piece of wood split in a jagged cut, the wind pushing it from its splintered ledge and then downward.
As Hiccup was breathing a sigh of relief, just about to call to his father, he heard the voice of his cousin from across the deck. For a second, he couldn't hear what was being said, and could only just make out Snotlout's fear stricken face and the basket in his arms fall to the deck. It was only when Stoic's bellow came that he realized what was happening.
"Son, move!"
Before he could even think, a great weight hit him full force in the chest and stomach. It was as if the chief himself had body slammed into him. Pain erupted from his chest and he was certain that some of his ribs had cracked under the impact. In a breathless pinch, he realized that the weight that was knocking him down was the fallen piece of the mast. He could barely comprehend what was behind him until the edge of the ship's side broke under the sudden push of his body and the mast.
Unable to bring air into his lungs, he panicked as he fell from the ship. His arms flailed and as he plummeted downward, he could hear a chorus of desperate screams of his name. Again his back was smacked with the force of the water, the churning current pushing him down, this way and that. Water flooded his lungs and he tried to kick and push himself upward to no avail.
Suddenly, in the darkness of the water, a black blur broke the surface above him. It struggled against the waves to reach him, then rise upwards.
"Toothless!" he gasped, coughing and spitting water for a moment before he was ducked under again.
The dragon brought him up again, struggling to put him on its back. Hiccup held onto Toothless' thick neck for dear life, blinking away the salty wetness in his eyes. Already they were farther from the boats than he would have expected. His stomach dropped as he realized that the dragon beneath him was having trouble keeping them afloat, they could never make it back to the others and flying was out of the question.
Heart sinking in fear, he pressed himself to the beast.
"Just stay up, bud, just keep swimming." he urged desperately.
A/N: So? What does everyone reading think? Too early to tell?
R&R
MTD