Chapter One
It really wasn't a good day for Hiccup. Scratch that, actually, this hasn't been a good week.
First, he accidentally sets the forge aflame. Gobber hadn't been mad, he just laughed and shook his head. The forge was mostly fire proof, but there was still some damage. But his dad just heaved a deep, impatient sigh and shook his head when he saw the roaring flames, silencing Gobber and making Hiccup want to just sink into the ground. Then he utterly embarrassed himself in dragon training, almost getting killed for what seemed like the twentieth time. If it wasn't for Astrid slamming the Nadder in the face with the flat of her ax, he'd be dragon chow.
Then his dad almost didn't let him go on the trip to 'Dragon Island'. It was a trip most Viking teens took when they turned 14, alone. It was to prove themselves, show that they were as strong as their ancestors. Honestly, it was really a glorified camping trip. With dragons. While Hiccup wasn't to keen on the whole dragons part, not going meant eternal teasing from Snotlout and everyone's beliefs of him being proven right. He desperately wanted to show his village, and mostly his dad, that he was in fact not useless. If he could just survive a measly week at that stupid island, maybe everyone wouldn't totally give up on him.
After a full three days of begging, Stoick crumbled and agreed. Hiccup had beamed, but quickly schooled his expression into a more casual one. But later that day at the forge, he excitedly rambled to Gobber. The older Viking was honestly just pleased Hiccup was happy for once. Really, that boy was much to quiet and sullen for his age. That fire seen in most Vikings eyes was always missing from Hiccups these days.
The next day Hiccup boarded the ship that would take them to their destination. The other teens had regarded him warily, or just with annoyance.
"Who let the fish bone aboard?" Snotlout spat with a cheeky grin. Hiccup ignored him, knowing a reaction would spur him on. Instead he sorted through his backpack, making sure he had everything. It wasn't like he hadn't checked it a thousand times already...mostly out of nervousness. He was excited, yes, but as a kid who could barely hold an ax over his head, travelling to an island full of bloodthirsty dragons was nerve-wracking.
The air was chill and nipped at his nose and cheeks. He didn't quite care, it kept him more aware. The water was also freezing, and churning restlessly beneath the boat. Mulch was at the helm. He was just to drop them off, then leave. Above, the sky was a wooly grey, forecasting rain. It was still bright out, however. Stray sun rays struggled to leak past the fleecy clouds.
Hours later, an island appeared on the horizon. It was empty of any tribe, and was most known for containing lots and lots of winged reptiles, hence the name. It was about the size of Berk, and was populated mostly by tall, thin pine trees and ferns. The beach was pebbly instead of sandy, and black rocks jutted out here and there from the water at random. Mulch expertly avoided them, and soon they hit the land. Hiccup took a deep breath then released it, attempting to calm his frazzled nerves. As his leather boots hit the shifty, small obsidian pebbles, Mulch started talking.
"Ye all know the rules?" He asked. Everyone nodded. It was noticeably quiet. On the way here, the boat had been alive with excited chatting. Now they were really here and it was sinking in. "Good luck then, kiddos. See ye all Monday!" He said much to cheerfully, then pushed his boat from the shore. He left behind six kids, who were all looking amongst themselves.
"So, are we doing groups or...?" Hiccup piped up, awkwardly rocking back on his heels. Snotlout laughed obnoxiously.
"Yeah, no. Like I would camp with you." He grinned. Tuffnut and Ruffnut both chuckled as well, walking up to stand beside Snotlout. Astrid elbowed him in the ribs, but didn't do much else in Hiccups defence. He could never really tell what Astrid thought of him. During dragon training she always seemed to swoop in and save his butt, and always seemed more and more irritated each time she had too. Hiccup didn't really blame her. He was quite annoying. She never participated in any bullying, but also never did anything to stop it. So she was a semi-decent person.
"Well, whoever wants to survive should come with me. Anyone who wants to be eaten, follow Hiccup." Snotlout chimed. Everyone gravitated over to him, leaving Hiccup looking embarrassed and by himself.
"Ok. I guess I'll see you all Monday." Hiccup mumbled, as they all walked past him. At least Fishlegs had the decency to look apologetic. Hiccup forgave the bulky boy. It was true, you would probably have a better chance at surviving with anyone but him. Kicking a pebble, he headed in the opposite direction. Whatever. Anyways, the 'rules' said they had to survive independently anyways, for the most honour. Of course those rules were there loosely, and no one actually followed them. There was safety in numbers anyways, which was obvious
After walking for awhile through the forest, Hiccup stopped in a small clearing. It didn't seem as damp as the rest of the forest (it seemed to rain here...a lot). He set down his backpack and pulled out a tarp-like blanket and went on the search for some large logs. When he was little, his dad had showed him how to make an a-frame shelter. Of course that's before Stoick realized his son was a failure of a human being. Hiccup grimaced at that dark thought, then buried it as he focused on constructing a little shelter. The ground was slippery with moss and mushrooms, and puddles dotted here and there. Bows of trees hung low, and bumping into them shook look a small shower of water droplets. Hiccup returned to his small clearing half soaked and cold, a frown fixed on his face.
He set down the thin logs and long sticks in a small pile, then began organizing them. Despite being cold and wet, he felt quite content. The forest back on Berk always calmed him, and he always liked exploring. This one was no different. It was new too, which meant more to adventure. Though he wanted to stay away from the mountains, where there were lots of caves. And where there were caves, there were dragons. He hoped he wouldn't have to use the ax his dad had dumped in his arms. After bracing two logs against each other, he dug through his bag for some leather strips he had shoved in. Finding a handful, he used them to tie the logs securely together, on both sides. He moved the structure beneath a big pine tree, to provide extra shelter from the rain. Maybe he would gather some fallen boughs to get more coverage.
The first night went surprisingly smoothly. He had started a small fire, and was reasonably warm all night in his thin sleeping bag. In the morning he munched on some dried fruit, not much though, since he meant to ration his collection of dried food to last all week. It was raining, and a little chilly, so he remained in his shelter, happy it wasn't leaking. He had his sleeping bag wrapped around his shoulders, and was doodling a gnarled tree in his journal. It was quite peaceful, even if he knew finding dry firewood would be a pain in the butt later. He also wanted to stop by the beach, and see if there were tide pools to catch fish or shellfish in.
When it stopped sprinkling, he rolled up his sleeping bag and tucked away his journal. He set the blanket over his backpack, just in case the roof decided to leak. Stretching, he sighed and looked around. Alright. Firewood. And maybe a bigger striking rock. He was about fifty meters from his campsite, lugging along his ax when he heard a crash from not far off. Like a startled deer he froze in place, eyes darting around the greenery. He un-tensed when he saw Snotlout stumble out in front of him, followed by Astrid (who moved much more gracefully).
"Hey! Look! He's alive!" Snotlout said, actually looking surprised.
"You seem disappointed." Hiccup retorted, rolling his eyes. Judging by Snots' disheveled appearance, he was probably doing better than him. Astrid seemed impressed, though. "I'm looking for firewood. What are you guys doing?"
"Same as you." Astrid shrugged. She flipped her own ax onto her shoulder, seeming bored.
"And also checking on you." Snotlout added, his tone not teasing for once. Was he actually worried? Or had he wanted to catch Hiccup embarrassing himself or failing miserably?
"Oh, cool." Hiccup said, a little awkwardly. A silence passed between them for a few beats, until Hiccup turned to look under a bush for some stray branches. The other two followed his example, and started scavenging the area. Soon Hiccups arms were full of reasonably dry downfall, from help from Astrid. They shared between themselves, while Snotlout stubbornly trudged around aimlessly looking for some by himself. Astrid already seemed tired of Snotlouts constant flirting and over-confidence. She didn't mind Hiccups company, mostly because unlike his cousin, he was quiet and quite smart.
Their searching was cut short when they heard a low growl. A shiver clawed its way up Hiccups spine as he turned. Astrid dropped her wood and gripped her ax tighter. The three drifted closer together, looking around. Hiccup gulped as his own forest green met eerie yellow. A large male Nadder prowled out from the trees. It's spines were bristled and jaw hanging open, showing off razor sharp, spiny teeth. Astrid whirled around and watched the predator carefully, waiting for it to charge. Hiccup kept backing up, bumping into his cousin who nervously elbowed him aside.
This wasn't a controlled environment. There was no Gobber to swoop in and hook the creature by its jaw, nor thick steel bars to keep it at bay.
Snotlout (stupidly) acted first. He roared and swung his sword at the Nadders face, who in turn shrieked and flared its wings. Snotlout swung again, trying to be heroic as usual. The Nadder stomped forward and roared, causing birds to fly from the trees and a cold sweat to break out on Hiccups forehead. His hands were clammy and made the heavy ax slip and slide in his grip. His eyes were trained on the now enraged Nadder, who's tail was whipping dangerously back and forth. Suddenly it charged, and Astrid then swung. The Wild Nadder was smart though, ducking under the attack and kicking the girl aside. She rolled away but lifted her ax once more, striking a hit against the vibrant purple hide. The dragon cried out, and stumbled away.
A few magenta scales fell away, but the skin underneath wasn't breached, just bruised. It charged Astrid, who ran behind a tree. It ran around it but met her ax again, the flat of it smashing into the dragons skull. Snotlout also attacked from the other side. Just when it seemed ready to run, it snapped at Snotlout and whipped Astrid with its tail, knocking her to the ground, hard. She didn't get back up. Hiccup rushed to help, but the Nadder stepped in front of her and growled ferociously.
So, here's the fourth worst thing of his week. Being chased by a throughly pissed off dragon.
Hiccup was quite skilled in the art of 'run like hell then hide'. He ran as fast as he could, the dragon hot on his heels. He zig zagged between trees, ignoring scratches and hits from branches. He almost fell a few times, and in the distance he could hear Snotlout yelling about something. His lungs burned, and his feet ached. Every breath cool, humid air raked down his raw throat, and his blood roared in his ears. Why was the dragon suddenly chasing him? He had no idea. But it was sure determined to catch him now.
After what felt like forever, then the fifth worst thing happened. He took another step...onto open air. With a gasp he was suddenly falling, then rolling down a steep, muddy incline. The Nadder slid to a stop at the very edge, knocking soil and quite large rocks loose to tumble after the boy. After at least eight full rolls he thudded to a stop.
He hurt. It was like his whole body was bruised. He was pretty sure he tasted the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, and his shoulder burned with pain. He couldn't quite feel his legs or arms, which was worrying. In the background he heard the Nadder screeching, from somewhere up above. But it was hard to focus on specific things, and most of it sounded like dull murmurs. Whatever he did, it was bad. He didn't have much time to worry though, as soon the outside world was almost completely blocked. He felt himself steadily slipping into unconsciousness...and soon, it was nothing but dark. Peaceful, painless, dark.
((Hello! This is my first time posting a story! Hopefully you enjoyed! Also, some info here. In this story Hiccup has not made friends with any dragons and just continued dragon fighting training. Berk still fights dragons and stuff. Poor Hic is just a lonely little fish bone still. But that's gonna change! Welp, if you like this drop a review, lemme know what you liked or didn't, both helps! I have no beta so all mistakes are mine UwU please be gentle i am but a simple farmer))
