It was nine in the morning when the train rolled into the station from the east and stopped at the platform. A scrawny young man, thin and tall, wearing a brown suit with a green tie stepped off of the train and onto the platform, taking in the air of the fairly large town of Sheridan, Wyoming for the first time. A light breeze blew his hair and bangs lightly, blowing past him as he turned around on the platform once or twice. He walked over to the station master, seeing him with his pocket watch out. "Excuse me, do you have the time?" the short man looked up and smiled lightly, bushy grey mustache tickling his lips.
"Nine o three, son," he replied, his eyebrows then furrowing and one of them arching upwards. "You new here?"
The young man nodded. "My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, my father sent me over here after my graduation from college about a month ago."
The station master smiled and nodded. "Ah, I've heard of your father and that big company of his back east. Well, who are you staying with?"
"The gunsmith at the other end of the town." Hiccup nodded his head in a far off direction. "He's a friend of my fathers."
"Ah, well," the station master began to turn away, putting the pocket watch back in the vest pocket of his uniform. "Enjoy your stay at Sheridan."
"Thank you," Hiccup nodded before turning his head to look back at the train car. He whistled loudly. "Here, Toothless!"
A dark haired Irish Wolfhound then bolted off of the train car and then came dashing towards its owner. Hiccup's green eyes widened as he tried to brace himself for the train of a dog about to run him over. "Toothless, don'!-"
Toothless tacked the college boy and sent him flying a few feet before landing on top of him and licking his face, tail wagging and a small bark as a hello. "Toothless," The dogs owner's voice came out in a low growl. Hiccup's eye twitched as he just kept glaring at the brutish beast before pushing him off of himself and standing up and walking over to get his luggage. Toothless followed him and once again assuming his role as his master's "shadow". The station master from before merely watched the scene with a baffled expression before shaking his head and continuing down the platform, muttering something almost incoherent about city-folk or easterners now a days.
The large dog bolted up into the wagon from the back as Hiccup threw his bag in there and then climbed next to the driver, who turned out to be the said gunsmith that was mentioned a few moments ago. Gobber smiled as he saw his nephew throw his bag in the back, eyes following him as Hiccup climbed into the seat next to him. "Well, good to see ya, Hic."
The younger man breathed a small laugh. "Hi, Gobber."
"Long trip from New York, eh?" The blonde man sat up straight, holding the reins between his real and fake hand, which happened to catch the eye of young Haddock.
"Yeah…did you build that?" Hiccup's green eyes flicked upward between his adopted uncle and the prosthetic, metal arm that shined in the sunlight as it flexed almost as a normal hand would.
"Aye, Hiccup. Mah foot too." The older man laughed as he raised his right foot in the air slightly, giving it a bit of a shake before setting it down on the floor of the cart once more. "You'll be learning a lot from me durin' yer stay here in Sheridan, my boy. A lot ind-"
"WOOHOO!" A flash of white hair and a brown colored horse blurred past the cart. Hiccup blinked his eyes a few times, swearing they were getting wider every time they opened again. Toothless' bark kept filling his ears in back of him. He swore he would need a new pair already, and it was his first day there.
"…What was that?"
Gobber chuckled at the confused tone in Hiccup's voice. "That was Jackson Overland Frost. Been gone for about five years or now, so I've heard. He's also nephew to the sheriff and mayor of the town, who we just call North."
Hiccup cocked an eyebrow. "North?"
"It's a long story." Gobber snapped the reins and the one-horse cart jerked forward, causing Hiccup to cling to the underside of the seat and small, round hat he wore on his head. The one-horse cart then slowly tumbled away from the train station and towards the town.
"I think you'll like it here, Hic." The college student wasn't too sure of that statement as he looked down the road and around him. The town seemed nice, he would admit, but the slight churning in his gut told him trouble was near. Couldn't quite place exactly what made him feel that way, something just did. People were walking down both sides of the street either way, the buildings were semi-tall, but nothing compared to back in the city.
The feint tune of a piano's melody reached the college grad's ears from further down the road and grew louder with each passing second. Excited shouting and singing also grew closer…and then Hiccup's eyes found the saloon, a large building, at least two or three floors with curtains covering the windows. And then the cart suddenly stopped and Gobber made his way off of the driver's seat. Hiccup's eyes blinked in confusion. "…Where are you going?"
The older man chuckled lightly at this. "Well, what else for? To get a drink!" Gobber was now laughing like a mad man almost as he hobbled closer towards the saloon's swinging doors. The younger man's green eyes went wider.
"…WHAT!" He was already tossing his hat in the back of the cart and following his uncle inside without even realizing it until the doors swung behind him and the full volume of shouts and music reached his ears. Hiccup definitely knew he would need new eardrums soon. And just when Hiccup thought his eyes couldn't widen any more…
One woman was wearing a saloon dress while swinging on a large swing above the large crowd below her, while two more were dancing on stage. More were serving men and moving about the room from one drunken bum to the other, all the while singing and shouting aloud. The college boy then noticed that Gobber was heading away from him and quickly followed him to the bar where a short and golden haired man with… freakishly golden skin was mixing drinks.
"Hi, Sandy!" Gobber pulled up a stool and hobbled up on it to sit down. Hiccup nervously pulled up a stool and sat down next to him. Sandy looked up and waved, a wide smile on his face. His hands quickly dropped the drink he was mixing onto the countertop and his hands quickly flew into making signs. Gobber chuckled lightly and nodded. "Yeah, de usual, Sandy." Sandy slid the drink he made down the bar countertop and quickly grabbed another glass and a bottle of whiskey and handed it to the older man, who was laughing once more. "Thanks…" he paused, brows knitted together. "Sandy, I'm sorry for being so rude."
The bartender blinked at him with confusion while tilting his head to the side slightly.
Gobber then pointed at Hiccup. "This is mah nephew, Hiccup."
Hiccup laughed nervously and waved. "Hi." Sandy smiled back and starting signing some more. After a moment, Gobber chuckled.
"He doesn't know how to sign, sadly. He's knew here. Just came in on the train this mornin'."
And with that, the saloon doors suddenly swung open, and more shouting could be heard, mostly laughter, though. The three turned to see a group surrounding one particular young man, one with white hair and pale blue eyes.
"GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, JACK!"
"YOU'VE SHOULD'VE COME BACK SOONER!"
"WE MISSED YA!"
Hiccup watched the snow haired young man laugh and make his way over to the bar, stopping right next to Hiccup.
"FIRST ROUND'S ON ME, BOYS! DRINKS FOR EVERYONE!" more laughter erupted from the crowd as more joined in and grabbed the drinks that Sandy was pouring a mile a minute, hands being golden blurs.
Hiccup gulped lightly. "Don't tell me…"
"Yup," Gobber nodded, taking another sip of his whiskey. "It's him."
A small shotglass full of whiskey then slid down the bar counter and bumped into the college boy's hand, who eyed it with minor disgust. Jack then leaned over to look at him at eye level, large grin on his face with twinkling eyes as he held a drink in his hand. "Wht's de matter? Never had a drink before?"
"No, actually," the brown haired man sighed, pushing the drink away lightly. "And I'd rather not start now," he looked back up to see a bewildered Jack Frost, who then smirked.
"Wht's de matter? Chicken?" the former cowhand chuckled before downing his shot down in one go and slamming the glass down onto the counter. Sandy pursed his lips and looked at Gobber, who looked back at him with an exasperated look.
"If you mean that I am nebbish, then no, I am not." Hiccup stood up as he spoke in a dry voice with an annoyed look in his eyes. He then turned to look at Jack square in the eye. "But when someone smells like a distillery, that says a lot about them, don't you think?"
The whole saloon had gone silent; the music stopped, the saloon girls had stopped singing, men stopped drinking, it all stopped.
Jack gave a dry laugh and leaned in a bit closer. "You pickin' a fight with me, City Boy?"
Hiccup only glared back.
Another man then came over, brown eyes and hair and dressed a bit scruffy with worn working clothes. "Guys, no fighting." He was laughing a little weakly.
"Flynn, that's not needed." Gobber took another sip of his whiskey. Flynn looked at the older man, then at Sandy, and then gulped lightly. Gobber then hopped off of his stool and began hobbling towards the swinging doors. "C'mon, Hiccup. Let's go." Hiccup turned to look at him for a moment before looking back at Jack. He turned and began walking toward the door. Hearing some chuckling however, made him stop dead in his tracks. Hiccup took a deep breath of air before turning sharply on his toes.
With a quick pace, he turned and walked back up to Jack, arm winding back. One punch was all it took for chaos to start.
That scene I said would be in this chapter will be in the next one. I just felt like I was dragging this one out. Sorry guys x_x
So tell me what you think? I think it's too dull... uwu
