This story takes place in about the early 1900's on an island off the coast of Scotland that I am inventing XD. Ever read the Dragonology books, well someone name Professor Ernest Drake wrote them and he required an assistant or two didn't he?

There will be shipping.

Rated t and I own nothing.

For all my usual readers I combined chapter 1 and chapter 2 because they were both short in length and I decided they fit better together.


Hiccup sat on the garden wall trying to draw a Raven perched in front of him that was nice enough to sit still for him to sketch it. The sun hung limply in the morning sky it would be a cool overcast day.

The birds chirp sweetly in the neighbors' hedges and a squirrel scampers up a nearby shade tree. The foliage of the island had settled into a deep green color a sign that spring was quickly receding giving way to summer.

"HICCUP," his father yelled from the screen door. "HURRY UP YER BUS IS HERE!"

Hiccup snaps the note book in his hands, clamors off the wall, and darts through the hedges of pink, blue, and violet hydrangeas. His mother had planted them when he was a baby and they now soared about his head. Hiccup darted up the steps of the back porch, under his father arm, grabbing his book bag at the base of the stairs rushes out the front door.

The school bus driver pushed open the doors. "Late again Haddock."

"I know I'm sorry." Mrs. Creighton smiled deviously but sweetly. Her hair was slowly fading from its once raven color too white, it had settled on a lavender-ish tint for the time being matching her deep violet eyes that were also slowly fading. You could tell she had once been quite beautiful. "Time is precious child. It's not in your best interest to be late." He shrugs and nods halfheartedly in reply.

He is one of the final stops so the bus had already filled with kids that were chatting noisily and throwing things. A pencil, paper wad, apple or two flew in his direction from younger students as he takes his seat at the back of the bus.

Hiccup folds up his legs and opens the note book in his lap. Ruffnut Thorson pops her head up of the seat in front of him. She grins slyly eyeing the sketch book. "What are you drawing?"

"A bird." Hiccups answers blankly.

"Why."

Hiccup shrugs and continues shading.

"OH Cool I wanna see." Her brother shouts clobbering over the back of the seat trying to get the book.

"No." Hiccup shoves his hand in the boys face trying to keep him away from it. Unfortunately Tuffnut's arms are longer than his own. Tuffnut easily snatches onto it. "Come on I just want to see." Hiccup holds tight to the other end. Both heave on either end. "No way it's mine," Hiccup repeats through gritted teeth. He gives another tug. The book rips at the weak binding sending pages everywhere. The noisy bus quiets immediately with the sight of pages floating around like snow.

"Great." Hiccup mumbles angrily.

"WHO MADE THIS MESS?" Shouts Mrs. Creighton at the top of her lungs from the driver's seat. Everyone slowly turns their head to the two seats where the twins and Hiccup were seated. Suddenly Hiccup felt like he was five years old again.

She huffs, "You're lucky we're here or it'd be a detention for all of yeh." She pushes the level that opens the door and the mob of screaming children rush out like the bus is on fire.

"Just get it cleaned up." She hollers over the roar of the crowd.

"Okay well nice seeing you Hiccup." Ruff says before darting away. Tuff blurts, "Yeah have fun with that," before rushing off behind her. "I just wanted to see what the hell is his problem."He mumbles. "Heh, I dunno," she answers, "I heard his mom killed herself when he was little must have fucked with his brain or something." Hiccup merely rolls his eyes.

"Close the doors on your way out Hiccup, if you would," Mrs. Creighton asks smiling, "I have a class to teach."

"Yeah sure." He drones bending over to pick up the nearest piece of paper. He quickly stuffs all the pieces of paper into his book bag. Most now were sticky and covered in bus soot. One had landed on a seat near the front and was now crumpled up with piece of purple gum stuck in it. Great. It was a portrait of his mother he drew from a photograph awhile back. Oh well it wasn't very good anyway. Hiccup tosses the drawing in the trash on his way out the door pausing to close them behind him. No one meandering on the grounds so the bell must have already rung.

The school was small and made of weathered old brick. Small because the town was small. All grades 1st through 12th were housed in one building. And all the grades could each fit in a classroom. Weathered because the school was old. The town was old as well. Vikings had been the first to settle Berk more than five centuries before. But the school was as a tad bit younger than that.

"You're late Hiccup." The teacher says from her place at the chalk board.

"Thanks hadn't noticed." He answers as he trudges up the isle to his seat beside Snotlout. He glances down before sitting. Tacks were not unheard of. A whoopee cushion. Hiccup leers at Snotlout with the side of his eyes. He's smirking slightly. Hiccup suddenly felt like he was in the fifth grade all over again. "Here," he tosses the thing on Snotlout's desk. "I think this is yours," he says sitting down.

"Snotlout," the teacher says motioning with one hand, still writing on the board, "Bring it here."

"And get a detention slip you're not in primary school anymore, honestly." She shudders shaking her head. She has graying brown hair tied back in a tight bun and wears neat square classes. She throws the whoopee cushion into the rubbish bin. The twins both snicker, and most of the girls merely roll their eyes at his antics. Snotlout glares angrily at Hiccup on his way back to his desk. Hiccup merely sighs and slinks down in his chair. He pulls a wrinkled piece of notebook paper out and begins to aimlessly doodle.

"Class open your English books we are starting with riddle usage in literature."

"Now can anyone tell me what this line means," she says pointing to the writing on the chalkboard.

The wave, over a wave, a weird thing I saw,

Through-wrought and wonderful ornate:

A wonder on the waves, water become bone.

Everyone stares at the board for a few minutes. Ms. Steffensen slaps her ruler against her hand. "Anyone?" She questions. "No, alright then, Mr. Fishlegs what is the answer to the riddle."

The over grown boy in the back row scratches his head, "Is it a description of an ancient warrior sea burial."

"Intriguing answer but no." She then noticed Hiccup doodling. She smiled cunningly. "Master Haddock why don't pull yourself away from your master piece for a moment and tell us all what the riddle on the board means." Hiccup winced slightly. Hiccup reread the chalk letters on the board. It comes from the sea and its ornate….uhhh….. His mind drew a blank. Water become bone….." Oh, Ice?"

Ms. Steffensen raises her eyebrows. "Good. Now on to Beo Wolf," she raps on her desk with the ruler. The class frivolously turns pages. "And that'll be a detention for drawing in class Mr. Haddock."

Hiccup slunk even deeper into his chair it was going to be a long day.

"And the rest of you better shape up as well Dr. Drake always asks riddles when giving away his internships. And whoever gets his internships almost always gett into Oxford. Hiccup could see several people nod including, Astrid in the third row, her family was poor getting into college was going to take more than her archery talents. She then blew a purple gum bubble and popped it. "Ms. Hofferson no gum." The teacher pointed at the trash can. And suddenly Hiccup feels like he was three years old again.

Hiccup could no longer feel his wrist. He had written "I will not draw in class" more than 500 times in the past 2 hours. He had another 37 to go as the clock struck 5 o'clock. Snotlout was forced to help clean out the supply closet on the second floor for the janitor because of his burliness. Hiccup was unsure of which was harsher punishment. The janitor was a small self entitled Narcissistic man with greasy slicked back black hair who felt nothing was more pleasant that to hear himself talk. He would not shut up the entire time and Snotlout would be ready to hurl himself of a window by the time it was over. Hiccup pondered if it was a hidden warning from Ms. Steffensen of what would become of him if he kept his nose in the air for too long. "That will be enough now," the teacher spoke from her place at her desk grading papers, "You may go now." Hiccup wipes his hands off on his gray trousers. They tremble slightly. Thunder sounds faintly in the distance. "And you may wish to hurry if you wish to avoid the storm." Ms. Steffensen adds quickly.

The sky had darkened from overcast over the course of the day. The clouds hung thick like sheep's wool in the sky. Hiccup sighed glancing out the window it was going to pour. He slung his bag on his shoulder and lumbered out the class room. The hallway was painted stark white with wooden floor boards. They were meant to be more practical than beautiful. Not that you could really blame them the school system was poor. Not horrible poverty but still poverty. He pushed open the front the doors the secretary mumbling a goodbye not looking up from her work. Hiccup looked up at the sky a single rain drop hitting the end of his nose. Great. A vacant field sits adjacent to the school with businesses starting farther up the road. Hiccup sighs and starts up the street. Not a single car is to be seen. Its five o'clock and most of the shops have closed early because of the imminent rain. Hiccup glances in the window of the grocery store the cashier had fallen asleep on the counter. He smiles slightly to himself.

Hiccup glances up at the sky again. His smile fades in the ten minutes the sky has grown even infinitely darker. It is only a two mile walk to his house but at this rate he won't make it home before it begins to pour. He pulls his heavy bag up higher on his shoulder and begins to run. But he only makes it three blocks before the blinding rain sets in.

He stops chest heaving when he can no longer see or hear anything besides rain. He kicks the water in puddle in front of him. "REALLY GOD REALLY!" He yells throwing his arms up in the air. Only the pounding emptiness of rain answers him. "God's laughing at me." He murmurs to himself trudging forward blindly. The sight of what appears to be a corner up head after awhile. "Thank goodness only five more blocks." But something catches his foot sending him forward land face first in the mud. "And when I thought things couldn't get much worse." He makes no move to get up merely staring into the storm drain in front of his face. He sighs deeply. A slight rustling comes from the leaves and garbage clotting in the drain. Hiccup glances deeper into the darkness. A flash of dull red vanishes into the muck again. He blinks struggling to shift some of the rain water out of his eyes. No use, Hiccup scoots closer placing his face just inside the hole. He blinks attempting to get used to the darkness. A pair of black irises blink back at him. Thunder crashes in the background. Hiccup stares frozen wide-eyed at the beast. It's a dull red color almost the color of rust. It has a pointed head with several short teeth poking out of the side of its snout. Its lips quiver slightly as it smiles. The rain grows stronger if that we possible. Muck and rain water pour into the drainage pit forcing up against the side of in the gutter. Hiccup ignores this eyes still locked with the beast. And then slowly it opens its mouth, slow enough to be yawning. But instead it reveals to very large fangs. "HOLY SHIT ITS A SNAKE," Hiccup screams pushing himself away from the hole. The mud and rain pouring into the drain pipe adhering him. Thunder blasts again, over head loud enough to be confused with a train passing directly on top of him. A bright light quickly draws closer. Great I'm going to either be struck by lightning or get eaten by a giant snake.

The light becomes blindingly bright along with a deafening sound. The car skids to a stop beside him. The sound of the horn unrelenting. The creature clamps its mouth down and darts back into the pipes. I'm not going to die. The world reaches utter clarity the rain burst back into existence against his face. His eyes grow unbearably s wide. He grabs onto the concrete slab above his head with one and as well as pushes off with one foot. The door of the car opens. Hiccup manages to stand up a hand motions to him from the cab. A pregnant woman with soft brown hair and big shiny blue eyes smiles warmly. She has a round ageless face she could have been fourteen or thirty-five. She motions again with one hand still resting on the wheel. Hiccup hesitates, "Are you offering me a ride." She nods frivolously motioning again, still smiling warmly. Slowly Hiccup sits down in the passenger seat. He turns and looks at the woman. He's never seen her before and in a town of only 200 people that is not something that happens often. "You're….you're not from around here are you?"

The woman shrugged and shook her head. She then wiggles her noise and points at the open door. "Oh sorry," Hiccup mumbles. He pulls the door closed. He turns back around to see the woman staring at him inquisitively. Hiccup swallows. The woman rolls her eyes. She motions with her head forward. "Oh yeah you probably want me to tell you where to go." The woman nods. Hiccup eyes her for a second. "You can't talk can you?" She shakes her head. She reaches behind her seat and pulls out a mini chalk board. She quickly writes something and hands it to him. I've been mute since I was a child. Hiccup gazes back up at the neatly dressed woman. He opens his mouth to ask her how then realizes that is probably a very personal question then closes it again.

She motions again with her head. "Take a left here." The woman steps on the gas pedal and the automobile slowly slides out of place. She turned up the radio to play a soft classical station as she drove. And very slowly she did drive, with good reason. The visibility in the rain was less than a couple of feet. Hiccup's breaths slowly regained normalcy. "Take a right up here this is the street." She nodded as she turned the wheel. "It's the house on the left in the middle." She pulled the car to a stop. She stared at the house for a second, the largest one on the block. She pointed to it making sure it was the right. "Yep that's it." She raised one eyebrow before taking out the chalkboard again. You live there?

"Yes I live there."

Then why doesn't your damn mother drive you in this weather. A person who lived in a house that size was not someone who had a wife who had to work.

"She's dead."

That would pose a problem. Hiccup smiled. "Thank you," He says opening the car door. She hands him a business card then goes back to scribbling on the chalk board. Hiccup looks at the tiny piece of paper. Dr. Ernest Drake

Hiccup's eyes grow wide. "You know Dr. Ernest Drake."

The woman holds up her index finger still writing. She holds up the board.

My names is Aurore Drake, next time there is weather like this call me I sit around all day and have nothing better to do. And yes I know Ernest Drake, he's my father-in-law. And again she smiled a smile that could melt glacial ice. Hiccup tucks the piece of paper in his vest and steps out of the car. He waddles up the front door fumbles with the key for a few seconds before letting himself in. He closes the door behind him and lean against it for support. The house was dark and cold, the furnace was not turned on. His father wasn't home yet.

.

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Dun, dun, dun and the plot thickens, well sort of. Get it with the purple gum stuff….

Yes they had bubble gum back then I checked. Same with the dates of Vikings in Scotland.

Read and review with lots of love. :D I take bad reviews too FWI I'd rather have a bad review than no review.