Well, here's my second story! Won't be regularly updated until I finish my first, but I really wanted to get this on paper so I wouldn't forget it so easily. Please Read and Review…I also need a few opinions. Should I make this story First Person, such as "I saw the dragon..." or Third Person "Hiccup saw the dragon…" If you could state what you like and why I'd appreciate it! As usual, enjoy!

Update 12/3/2012: Few errors fixed…probably still a few more.

Chapter One – The Prodigal Snowboarder

A white Dodge Ram was driving along the abandoned looking Highway 89 during the twilight hours. If you were someone watching from the side of the road, you'd see a light amount of snow that was falling because of the headlights illuminating the small flakes. Normally, snow while driving is frowned upon, even in a big 4X4 truck; however for this truck, it was a good thing. Inside was a young teenager named Matt Haddock, a snowboard bum. Jamming out to Linkin Park in his truck. Matt was heading to the grand opening of Alpine Heights, a new ski resort that's supposed to put all the other ski resorts in Utah to shame.

Matt laughed out loud at the very thought of the new resort, making him giddy at the thought. Enclosed ski lifts with music inside of them; free drinks and dinners for those with season permits, which he had; and special lodge rooms for those recognized as professionals. Matt was lucky enough to be considered as such. The young snowboarder accelerated in the sport, being the youngest in his community as the best snowboarder. Wearing Levi's, and a black Under Armor turtle neck, with Burton skate shoes on, Matt looked like a sharp person as well, being clean cut with slightly shaggy hair and a confident look on his face; he looked smart. The truth could not have been farther from his appearance. In fact, tonight was Thursday with tests in his Math and English classes tomorrow. And the confidence was a small lie as well. At school, Matt just kept with his three friends: Trent, Sarah, Toi from Samoa. All of them were his buddies who boarded with him, just a lot smarter than him as far as balancing work and play. The rest of the time he kept to himself, rarely speaking to others. The only time he would be outgoing was when he was out snowboarding, being himself.

Because he was so good at snowboarding, he achieved a small sponsor from Dragon Alliance; which allowed him to have all the benefits that were offered at the new resort. His dad was a big part of him being able to get it. From helping buy his gear, to paying for his ticket to go to a few competitions, his dad was a big part of his early snowboarding career. Matt slightly went into a somber mood at the thought of his dad. Turning down his music, he threw his mind back three hours ago when he was back home and loading his backpack with his snowboard gear. His dad wasn't particularly happy with his decision to forget school and go to a grand opening of another ski resort. Focusing on the conversation that he had with his parents before leaving, Matt's giddiness quickly wore away. He was in his room, packing.

"Matt…don't do this! You're already failing in Math and close to failing with two other classes! Stay home and study for the tests you have tomorrow" his dad said, with anger in his voice.

"For what, to fail again? Regardless if I stay or go, I'm going to fail them!" Matt said with a little jest in his voice, making it clear that he could care less about school. "And to study? Well that's what the springs for when the season is done. I have a full time job that I need to keep up in this short time that I have it!"

"Matt! It's a sponsorship, not a job and not big one at that. All they do is give you a new snowboard coat and boots every year; not your gas, insurance, or even your truck!" His dad argued.

"Ah…even more reason to go snowboard; to get better in order to get more sponsors." Matt laughed as he strapped his Burton Snowboard to his backpack "Also, I won the truck in a competition remember and they paid for my reservation at the new lodge! I'm pretty sure they've helped me with that! School wouldn't have done or given me anything."

Matt's dad threw his arms up in the air in frustration as he stormed out of the room, seeming to give up. His mom however, sat herself on Matt's bed. Matt knew what was coming; an attempted guilt trip. The sad thing was, was that his mom's disappointment was 100% real. There were no catches or acts to try and get Matt to stay, it was all legit and real; to which Matt grew to ignore. That was probably the one thing that caused him the most guilt, not his mom's pleadings.

"Matt…you know you're able to anything you put your mind to! This is why you're so good at snowboarding!" His mom's voice said, filled with a hefty hint of sorrow "You can equally be as good at school or anything else if you put your heart into it!"

"Mom…" Matt replied softly, changing his attitude and demeanor. He was a lot more respectful as far replying to his mom than he was to his dad. Matt guessed it was just due to the relationships he had with them individually. "I know that I can do what I want and be good at it…but I'm not just good at snowboarding, I'm great at it…I feel that if I don't live it, I'm wasting my talent."

"I'm not saying to not go snowboarding Matt, I'm saying wait for tomorrow! You're friends aren't leaving until then anyways and it will be so much more fun for you to go with other people!" His mom replied, standing up and walking over to him.

Matt could only helplessly watch as his mom grabbed him kissed his forehead. Hugging her in return, he smiled and said "I know, but I have a reservation I need to claim at the new lodge…Dragon Alliance really pulled a few strings for me to go to this. I guess they want to set up a franchise there and they want me to go and well…represent them? If that's the right way to say it."

His mom just looked at him with her face resuming the disappointed look and then turned to walk out of the door; just before leaving, she stopped with a surprised look on her face. It was his dad returning with a book in his hands.

"What now dad?" Matt asked, sincerely interested in why his dad came back, staring at the book he was holding. It wasn't an annoyed tone that most teens would reply with.

Matt's dad looked at the book he was holding with his two hands and then looked at Matt almost teary eyed. "You know the story of our ancestor Hiccup right?"

Matt rolled his eyes at this comment. "Yes of course I know the worn out story of an embarrassment turning into a hero. I know that! What's this book then?" This was the one thing that Matt had little patience for with his family. Supposedly great as warriors and fighters, as well as leaders and rulers; Matt hasn't seen any of that in his family. His dad was a lineman, working for the power company. His grandpa also worked for the power company in California, nothing too glamorous there. Matt was probably the closest one of all his family to be 'great', and that was because of snowboarding.

"I never told you why and how he became a hero…" His dad continued, un-phased with the comment. Opening the book up, his dad began to explain Hiccup to which Matt could mouth along because he's heard it so much. "Here's where I left off at," Matt's dad said, turning the page "I didn't tell you this because I didn't think you were ready; frankly I still don't think you're ready but I'm going to tell you anyways…"

Matt jumped in right at that pause "Hold on dad…I don't think I want to know now…if this is something that means a lot to you, then hold on to it! I'm not ready to accept this yet. I don't want to desecrate what you live for…please dad, not now."

Staring at his son, Matt's dad nodded and closed the book. Pulling something out of the bottom of it though, he handed Matt a dagger. "This was Hiccup's…it's been preserved and kept in prestigious shape. I want you to have it. Even if you don't believe that you were born as a leader, maybe this will help you remember to chase that which will help you. Even snowboarding."

Inspecting the dagger, Matt saw that it was very old. He was amazed that the wood for the handle was still intact! Looking at his dad, he nodded and put the dagger in his backpack. "Thanks dad…I love you."

Putting on his backpack, Matt held his snowboard boots in his left hand as he hugged his parents. Loading his truck, Matt looked through the window of his truck and waved good-bye to his parents. His love for them was strong, even if they had a few disagreements.

Matt pulled his thoughts away from home, for he just passed under a giant banner stretched across the road welcoming the guests coming to visit the new Alpine Heights ski resort. Smiling, Matt turned onto the road that lead up to the lodge. Seeing the lights from the slopes, Matt let out a whoop of joy. This is why he left early! The road was significantly busier than the old highway 89. Couples were walking with each other, hand in hand. Groups of friends were skiing and boarding down small hills to try and kill the excitement that was building in them. Cars were everywhere! Matt saw at least 6 different state license plates.

Seeing his lodge come into view, Matt kept his huge smile on his face as he pulled up. Driving under the stained wood car port, Matt got out and grabbed his gear. A bellboy ran and grabbed Matt's back pack. "I got this sir…I'll have a valet park your truck for you." Matt smiled and handed him a 20 dollar bill for his service and told him to split it with the valet. Looking around the giant lodge, the words "The Heights" were illuminated on top of the building. Under it was a banner proudly displaying a 5 star rating. "Shoot…if this is my job, I'm getting paid better than my dad!"

Walking in the door, he was immediately greeted by one of the many receptionists. "Good evening to you sir! I'll be right with you in a second."

Matt nodded and said "Take your time, I'm still soaking all this in." gesturing to the main lobby. Tables and chairs were set up for people to sit and talk. People were eating dinner on the second floor, on top of a loft. Matt was also blown away by some of the wood animal statues that were carved. Place around the main floor, the detail was amazing with all of them. Looking around, he noticed the people here were sharply dressed, almost as if this was a formal occasion. Matt quickly realized that he was probably the only snowboarder in the lodge! If not, he was definitely a minority Most of it had to be rich people who ski, which caused Matt to laugh as he looked at himself in Levi's and a black Under Armor turtle neck. "Should have worn my dress shoes…maybe that would help me be a little classier" Matt grinned to himself.

Suddenly a voice sounded behind him. "Are actually able to afford a place such as this? I'm sure that the cheapest rooms are too much for you."

Matt turned around to see an older man, probably in his 50's, with his family standing behind him; all of them in suits or formal clothes. On top of that, all of them were staring at Matt with a quizzical looks. Probably wondering why he was here.

Matt went into a cold sweat, he hated talking to someone he didn't know. Laughing to try to calm himself, he simply replied with: "I'm not paying for it." To which the man quickly responded with "Ah. Having your parents pay for you…can you point them out to me?"

Matt silently cursed at the man and also himself for saying a stupid answer. Ready to explain what he was here for, the receptionist called behind him. Grateful for the bailout, Matt quickly turned and faced the lady standing behind the counter. "Ah…yes! I think I have a reservation…" This brought a scoff from behind him. Matt flared up with anger and embarrassment; he never wanted to hit someone so bad, even if the man was older. The receptionist, confused at the scoff given by the man behind Matt asked "Very well, what's your name?"

"Matt Haddock, it may be under Matthew." He quickly replied.

After a few seconds of typing in the computer and scrolling down the screen, the receptionist smiled and said "Ah yes, Mr. Haddock! Your room is one of the suites on our top floor!"

Matt smiled at the fact that she said that loud enough for the old man to hear. Laughing, Matt said "Really!? Well I'm going to have to call my SPONSORS, and thank them." He made sure he emphasized the word sponsors so the old man could hear it and soak it up.

Smiling, the receptionist handed the card key to the bellboy who was still standing there with his snowboard and backpack. Matt followed the bellboy with a smirk on his face as he passed the family who were just staring at him. "Win for Matt" he whispered to himself.


*VVBBBBBBBBBB *VVBBBBBBBBBB *VVBBBBBBBBBB *VVBBBBBBBBBB *VVBBBBBBBBBB. Matt's alarm was going off. Struggling to find his phone that was vibrating away from him, Matt slammed his hand on the nightstand next to him in an attempt to silence the sudden annoyance. His eyes hurt as he tried to open them to see what time it was, even when he knew what it was. "4:00 a.m. I'm waking up at 4:00 a.m. Why in the world am I waking up this early…" struggling to move the covers off of him, Matt stepped onto the plush carpet. Focusing on the window that he was facing, he thought to himself: "When did I get a window facing a mountain?" Then it hit him! He was in The Heights lodge! He was facing the new slopes of the resort! Jumping up, the sleepiness that remained completely disappeared. Running to a chair that was used to hold his clothes, he quickly put on his Levi's and his under armor shirt on. Walking quickly to the kitchen of his suite, he grabbed the second dinner that he ordered last night and threw it in the microwave. Eating steak with a baked potato for breakfast, it wasn't too long before he was full. Running to his gear, he pulled out his snowboard coat and pants. His pants were a light grey color and his coat was coal black. Suiting up, he put on his boots one at a time, lacing them up tight and tying a triple knot to shorten up the slack the laces had left. Pulling out his unnecessary items out of his bag, he quickly filled up the water bladder that was in his bag as well. Testing to make sure the water flowed from the water bag through his hose, he deemed it usable. Putting on his Dragon Alliance beanie on as well as their goggles, he looked at himself in the mirror. The clean cut teen was now a die-hard snowboarder, equipped with name brands and sponsors pinned to his coat, goggles, and backpack. His snowboard was still strapped to the back of his backpack vertically, allowing him to move freely with it. Walking out the door, Matt looked forward to the day.

"Uh…sir?" A receptionist called out "You do know the slopes won't open for another 4 hours don't you?"

"I know I'm just going to go down a few hills before then; you know, to warm up." Matt said, slightly lying.

"Oh, of course sir, have fun!" the receptionist replied, returning his attention to his computer screen, obviously bored having to be on the graveyard shift.

Matt knew that the slopes weren't open until then, but that didn't mean that he couldn't hit them without the ski lifts! Walking out into the cold crisp air, Matt began hiking up the mountain behind the slope. Making sure that he wasn't followed or being watched, Matt continued to climb up the steep mountain side. The snow was still falling from last night, causing the snow to be fresh allowing Matt to walk silently up the mountain.

Climbing never was fun for Matt, but whenever he did, it was always a memorable ride down. He and his friends once climbed the local mountain behind their town, to snowboard down an old sheep trail that ranchers used to take their cattle or sheep down the mountain. It took them three hours to climb it in the snow, but the ride down was the most memorable one they had together. From on top of the mountain, it took them a half hour to board down into town, which they ended up in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Laughing, Matt reviewed the memory. After a few minutes of re-living the past, he returned to the present time. "This hike wasn't going to any different as far as the energy spent walking up" He thought to himself. An hour passed by and Matt was near the top. Excitement trumped his tiredness that he was feeling from hiking so long as he neared the summit. Sweaty and breathing hard, he reached the summit; his excitement immediately vanished into anger. The slope was fenced at the top! No other ski resort did that before! Matt just stared at the obstacle, the chain link fence that wasn't supposed to be there. After a few minutes of resting and thinking, Matt turned around and sat in the snow. "Well, that kind of ruins my plans." He yelled out loud. He didn't care if anyone heard him or not, it was how he vented his frustration.

The snow was beginning to increase, getting heavier and bigger flakes. The sun was beginning to rise because the black starless sky was beginning to turn grey. Staring at the sky and then looking down, Matt smiled as he looked at the wild side of the mountain. Trees and rocks sticking out of the snow, going down to the road lead to the lodge. Smiling, Matt decided to board down that way instead of the way he came. Grabbing his board, he strapped himself onto the board. Standing up, Matt stared one last time at the fence. Then, turning around, pulled his black goggles over his eyes and proceeded to go down the untamed side.

The first 100 feet were fine, easily dodging the few trees and rocks. Then it got tricky. Moving through the trees quickly, Matt maneuvered through the forest like he's done it before. After a few minutes of that, Matt broke out into a clearing. Carving through the snow, Matt could see that a small cliff was ahead of him. Trying to get more speed, Matt kept a straight line. "And…now!" Matt thought to himself as he ollied at the edge of the cliff. It was a good 20 foot drop and as Matt landed his jump, the fresh powder broke his fall, cushioning him as he regained his balance. Almost un-phased at the drop, Matt kept on going. Maneuvering around trees and rocks, Matt got a little air off of a few bumps that stuck out of the snow. Cruising at a fast speed, Matt saw a dead tree bent over, making a small arch. Aiming for the tree, Matt ollied once again, landing the nose of his board on the tree. The snow made the tree slick enough to grind on, allowing Matt to slide from end to end. Shouting at the end of the grind, Matt fist pumped the air. Even though his plans were changed, he was still having a good time.

After riding for 15 minutes, Matt stopped and took a look around. He should have hit the road by now. Confused as to where he was, Matt sat down in a snow bank. The snow was falling a lot harder now, making visibility a good 30 feet. On top of that, the wind was beginning to pick up, whipping the snow in Matt's face. Deciding to take shelter before the storm got worse; Matt unstrapped himself from his board. "Dad's gonna kill me when he hears this story…" Matt said grimly to himself. Carrying his board, Matt made way to some rocks surrounded by trees. Upon arriving at the rocks, Matt found a small cave that led into the mountain side. Walking in, Matt inspected the cave. It stopped the wind and snow from coming in, and it was relatively flat on the ground. Setting his gear down, Matt went back out to break some branches and get some wood. After 15 minutes of gathering wood, Matt had a substantial pile. Grabbing a small survival kit from his bag, Matt grabbed some matches and some fire starting wool. After setting the wool in a place that would help the small branches burn, Matt lit one match and the fire took hold of the wool. Within minutes, Matt had a decent fire in his cave. Resting himself against the wall of the cave, Matt looked at his watch. "7:42,Dang it…I'm going to be late for the opening ceremony…"Looking up from his watch to the opening of the cave, it looked like the storm was a lot worse than when he was out there just barely. Folding his arms, Matt stared at his fire. The early awakening, the hike, and the boarding were beginning to catch up to him. His eyes mesmerized by the dancing flames, began to close. It was only moments before Matt was asleep.


Stirring, Matt saw slowly woke up. He was staring at a smoldering fire with only a few coals still burning warmly. The temperature in the cave was significantly warmer now. Stretching his arms, he looked at his watch. 12:37 p.m. "Funny…it's darker now than it was at morning." Looking up to where the entrance was to see if the storm cleared, Matt found instead a white wall; shocked to find that it had completely sealed itself with snow, Matt ran to the sealed entrance and began to try and clear the snow in a panic. After a few scrapes, he realized that the snow had turned to ice because the heat in the cave caused the snow to melt a little and the water was quickly frozen while running down the side of the snow bank. Turning around to see if he could at least smash his way out, Matt noticed the cave went a lot deeper than he saw at first. Shaking his discovery from his mind, Matt kneeled down and picked up a good sized rock. Facing the ice wall, he began to scrape and pound the ice away. After quite a few hits, he finally broke through the ice only to reveal an intense blizzard outside of the hole he had made.

Relieved and also dejected because of the storm, Matt continued to clear away more of the snow to allow air to flow back in the cave. After making sure the hole was big enough for his satisfaction, Matt dropped the rock and picked up a few more pieces of wood. After setting them on the fire and coaxing it to re-ignite, Matt looked up at the hallway that went deeper into the cave. After making sure the fire would last a while, Matt grabbed a small LED flashlight that he kept in his bag. Walking down the cave, Matt was amazed that this wasn't discovered before! The cave began to get bigger and wider as he progressed through the cave. After exploring for about 5 minutes, Matt decided that he had better turn around and continue to wait out the storm.

As soon as he did so, he thought he noticed something behind him. Once again turning around, this time a lot more slowly, he noticed that there was a faint bluish glow. Turning off his light to see if it was an actual source of light, he squinted to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. They weren't! As sure as he was in the cave, there was a light ahead of him! Slightly running and jumping to speed up his progress in the cave, Matt neared a corner. From where he was currently, the light was getting incredibly brighter. Stepping around the corner, Matt had to shield his eyes because of the intensity of the light that was straight ahead of him. Pulling his tinted goggles down, he walked slowly towards the light. "So this is what it's like to go to heaven huh?" Matt whispered to himself, trying to calm his pounding heart. As he kept going, he found himself at the mouth of the cave near the top of a mountain that he's never seen before! The skies were clear and there was an ocean all around him. Where ever he came out of, it wasn't where he came in. This time there was no blizzard, no fire, no gear, just blue skies. "Where…in the good name of Haddock, am I?"

Hope you like it! Like I said on top, I had to put this up in order to not forget it. In case you were wondering what Dragon Alliance is, it's a brand name. Google it!