A/N: Back again! Here's a new installment for all of you darlings! I just want to take a moment to say something really quick: if youre on facebook, I have a quick request to make, but I want to tell you this quick story:
There was once a girl named Jessica. She was full of smiles and joy and happiness. 9 months ago, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She fought the cancer with radiation and chemo therapy. Not only that, but her fighting spirit spread joy to others. She started the NEGU (Never Ever Give Up) foundation, which gave something called Joy Jars (jars full of toys) to other cancer-diagnosed children. All of this was done while Jessie herself fought cancer. Today, January 5, 2012, Jessie died. I had the honor of knowing this girl, and what she did for others while being terminally ill. She has a page on facebook "Jessica Joy Rees", where you can follow her journey and see the amazing strength this girl had for yourself. Her dream was to have 50,000 people "like" her page, to support the 50,000 children fighting cancer. So please, spare a moment and make this girl's dream come true, even though she is no longer with us.
And in case you were wondering: Jessie was only twelve years old. THAT is inspirtation, my friends. So please, "like" her page, say a kind word to her family. The smallest thing is still a help towards Jessie's goal. Thank you for taking the time to read this, it means so much to me.
But anyway, onwards and upwards! What's this: Hiccup's starting to surprise people? And who are Hiccup's childhood tormentors, and what do they want? Read on to find out!
Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD
Chapter Ten: Surprises from the Screw-Up
Hiccup woke up slowly, the sun not yet up. Her eyes fluttered open, and for a moment she just stared blearily at her pillow. She slept for a long time, and was enjoying the feeling of finally catching up on sleep. She'd left the cove, and Toothless, when the sun started to set, and was so exhausted by the time she got home she passed out almost the moment her head hit the pillow.
Sighing, she reluctantly sat up, the covers sliding off her shoulders as she did so. The cocoon of warmth she previously enjoyed slipped away, and only a little bit was trapped by her long-sleeved nightgown. But with another sigh, and after she stretched her arms, Hiccup got all the way up, heading for her clothes trunk. She pulled out a fresh tunic and leggings, and started preparing for the day.
A few minutes later, her hair and face freshly cleaned, the chief's daughter emerged from her home. She had the axe in hand, and her fur vest on to ward off the early-morning chill – especially with her still-damp hair. The girl had slipped something underneath her vest – something that she hadn't decided on whether or not to use, but had chosen to take it to be prepared.
She headed off for the Ring at a leisurely pace because, for once, she wasn't running late. The village was fairly empty still, with the sun barely risen, and Hiccup enjoyed the peace and quiet. No raids, no racket, no bullying. Just her, enjoying a calm morning. She looked out at the mountains, on the other side of which the sun was climbing in the sky, and admired the warm orange glow the light cast on the crags. Suddenly inspired, she slipped her notebook out of it's convenient pocket on the inside of her vest on the compulsion to draw the sunrise. She only had charcoal with her, so there would be no color, but that wouldn't stop her.
"Hey, it's Useless!" and all-too-familiar voice jeered, breaking the silence as well as her focus. Hiccup jumped, whirling to face the source of the noise so quickly that she nearly lost her balance. This only elicited more laughs at her expense.
A group of four Vikings approached with a lumbering, hulking stride. Jabtooth, a vicious girl two years older than Hiccup, led the group. She was enormous, far larger than the smaller girl in both height and girth, all due to muscle. Jabtooth's face was wide and square – very Viking-like indeed – and she had small, beady brown eyes and lank brown hair. The other three were boys of Jabtooth's age – the two dirty-blonde Tarrfoll brothers Claw and Rip, and the black-haired Thrashlock. They made up the group that accounted for a good portion of Hiccup's childhood torment. They also had graduated Dragon Training two years ago.
"We heard the village screw-up is doing a mighty fine job of screwing up in training," Thrashlock sneered, folding massive arms across his barrel-chest. Hiccup backed up a few steps as the four closed in on her. These encounters always, always ended poorly for her.
"Really? Wow, shocking," Hiccup responded sarcastically. Okay, so maybe it wasn't her wittiest comeback ever. But she couldn't just take the abuse in silence. She never had been able to.
"Heard you got yourself almost killed twice already," Claw chortled. "I thought even you couldn't do that badly. It's impressive, really."
"What's impressive is that you can count to two. No, really, I thought for sure you were stumped at one," she shot back. Really, Hiccup? That's all you've got? She scolded herself mentally.
But apparently it was enough to anger Claw and his brother. They growled simultaneously, pounding fists into their open palms. Hiccup gulped – this was the part where she got beat up.
"We're going to have to give you a good one for that," Jabtooth replied snidely, rolling her neck and making the vertebrae crack so loudly that Hiccup had no trouble hearing it.
Well, as long as she was going to get pummeled, she might as well slip one last comment in, lame or not. "Hitting me isn't going to enlarge you brains any. Too bad though, because you all could obviously use some extra brains," she said disdainfully, even as she stepped backwards with every step they approached.
"You know what I think?" Jabtooth continued forward, flanked by the three boys, cracking her knuckles as she went.
"I think that if there's a thought in your head, it's in solitary confinement," Hiccup interrupted. Well, she was feeling brave today. She wondered idly if, by keeping her mouth shut from the start, she could have avoided the physical pain that was to come. Too late now – and a smart mouth was all she had to keep herself from feeling like a complete doormat when she got bullied. Without sarcasm, she had nothing.
"I think it's time for you to shut up," Jabtooth finished, emphasizing her words as her fist connected with Hiccup's cheek. The younger girl cried out, and she toppled backwards from the force of the blow, landing hard on her back. Even through the ringing in her ears, she could hear their laughs. Tears rose in her eyes, both from the exquisite pain in her face and from the injustice of it all. She hadn't even done anything to attract their cruel attention.
Shakily, she pushed herself to her feet. She would not just lay there and let them walk all over her. She had to stand back up, no matter what, as long as her legs could support her. They could beat her, but they could not break her.
Her bullies did not appreciate the effort of will, though. They snickered as her visible shaking, at the red mark on her face, at her scared-but-set expression. After all, it was no fun bullying someone who just gave in. Thrashlock rushed at her, and before the scrawny girl had a chance to react, he pinned her roughly against the wall of the house she had stood a few short feet from. The older boy was harsh, and Hiccup's back slammed into the wood, as did her head. When her vision cleared, she saw Jabtooth stalking forward, her expression menacing.
A sudden shout spared Hiccup any further abuse.
"Jab! Where are ya! Ya and yer gang were s'posed to be down a' the docks ten minutes ago!" the distant voice warned. Jabtooth snarled, and stopped her advance. Everyone knew not to anger the dockmaster, so with a jerk of her head, the thickset girl motioned for her companions to follow her. She turned her back and trotted towards the giant, lumbering staircases and platforms that led down to the water. The three boys followed – but not before Thrashlock shoved Hiccup into the wall again for good measure.
Hiccup watched them leave, her breathing a little ragged as the adrenaline subsided from her system. One hand gently rested against her hurt cheek – she could already feel the bruise forming. She was just lucky she'd gotten off easy today. She knew from experience that Jabtooth liked to finish what she started, which meant she'd have to be on her guard for a little while. One thing she didn't want to do was be caught unawares by that group.
The chief's daughter resumed plodding off in the direction of the Ring. She arrived, still early, to find the gate shut. Sighing, Hiccup sat on the ground, legs splayed out in front of her as she leaned her back against the stone walls of the Ring. She turned her head to look out at the ocean, where the first rays of sunlight were hitting the gray-blue, churning water. She wondered how Toothless was doing, trapped in the cove all alone. She hoped he was alright, not too bored or impatient. The first thing she planned on doing after today's training was going to his cove. She wanted to try flying again, and she was determined to fully restore the Fury's flight eventually. The current problem she faced was figuring out how. She had to be with Toothless while he flew, to keep the fin open and, as she had discovered yesterday, change it's position to allow the dragon to maneuver. In order to stay on Toothless – clinging to his tail really hadn't worked – the best solution she could come up with would be to ride on his back. The dragon was sturdily built, and could easily support her weight without putting undo pressure on his extremities. Hiccup had also noticed that the dragon's shoulders were far enough ahead of his wings to allow enough space for a rider – for her. But she'd have to be able to stay on his back, and she didn't think she could do that unassisted, for his scales were far too smooth. She didn't fancy falling off and dying – that wouldn't get either of them anywhere. A saddle was the obvious solution, but would she be able to make one that was both sturdy and lightweight enough for flying? Hiccup thought so – she knew her skills with metal and leather and her intelligence would be sufficient in this case.
The real question was whether or not Toothless would allow himself to be saddled. She knew the dragon was a very proud, dignified beast just by the way he carried himself, and it was doubtful he would let himself be bound and saddled like some pack animal. She thought he would allow her to ride him. After all, he wouldn't be able to fly without her.
She guessed the best thing to do was to – somehow – convince Toothless that the saddle was a necessity. She'd worry about figuring out just how to do that later. Right now, the others were starting to show up. Hiccup turned her face away, for she didn't want anyone to see the bruise on her face. She wasn't sure if they'd stare, or mock, or laugh, or scorn her, but she wasn't keen on finding out. Luckily, they ignored her, talking (or, in Snotlout's case, shouting obnoxiously) amongst themselves.
"I heard it's the Zippleback today," Ruffnut proclaimed. Tuffnut gaped.
"How did you hear that? I didn't hear anything!" he protested.
"That's because you don't listen, dunce!" Ruff returned with a swat to the back of his head. Tuff shouted, and went to retaliate, when Gobber arrived.
"Tha's enough, both of ya. Please, kill each other on yer own time," he said, stepping between them to keep them seperate. He unlocked the gate, and swung the massive metal grill open, gesturing for the trainees to file in. Hiccup finally got to her feet, and as a result, was the last one in. She tried to hide the left side of her face from Gobber as much as possible, but somehow he knew something was up. It was probably because he'd had years of observing the aftermath when she got bullied, and as such, knew the signs very well. The head ducking, the no eye contact, the hasty walk.
"Hiccup," he said quietly, stopping her with one hand on her shoulder. She looked at her mentor, before remembering that she was trying to hide the truth, and ducked her head back down again. "Was it them?" he asked, pointing to the backs of her peers.
"No," she responded hoarsely. Long ago, she'd given up trying to dodge these questions. Gobber would just keep pestering and pestering, and if she wanted to drop the subject, the fastest way was just by answering.
"Then Jabtooth." it wasn't a question.
Hiccup gave a slight nod, her shame renewed.
"Well, it's a nice purple color, but there's no swelling, luckily," Gobber said, waiting for the girl to meet his eyes. After a long moment, she did, and he was relieved to see no tears. The dullness in them, though, did make him worry a bit. "Next time, you punch them back."
"I've tried before. It didn't hurt them, broke my hand, and made things even worse," she sighed. Gobber wished he could do more, but knew by interfering directly she would only receive more scorn for not being able to protect herself. The only option that would be viable for now was to just keep an eye out, and try to pop up whenever Jabtooth and her gang were around. It pulled at his heartstrings to see the girl get hurt so. He could only admire her strength of spirit, to be fairly resilient under so much condescension. Maybe, someday, something miraculous would happen and her life would improve.
Hiccup headed into the Ring, and Gobber trailed behind. The girl hung her head, her short hair curtaining her bruised cheek, and she stepped into the sunlight. The others were already comfortable, doing warm-up drills with their weapons. Gobber leaned against the wall, observing from a distance. Today was the first day they actually got to move around some before getting a dragon let loose on them. It was a sign that the introduction phase of Training was over – it was time to get down to business.
She watched, feeling awkward, as her peers danced lithely and intricately with their weapons. Snotlout had a sword, and it seemed to slice the very air into ribbons, so precise and powerful were the movements. Tuffnut was rehearsing his lunge-drills, deadly-looking double-ended spear in hand, while his sister whirled about, two single-bladed axes creating a shining blur. Fishlegs wielded a spiked hammer with terrifying power, and Astren was furthest away. He practiced sommersaults and flips, all the while slicing at imaginary foes with his double-headed axe.
Hiccup looked at the axe she held. She was getting more used to lugging it's weight, but was by no means coordinated. Odin, she wasn't even coordinated with her plain limbs! Furthermore, she hated the idea of ever wielding the thing at another creature – violence was not her strong point. Snark, sarcasm, inventing, building, creating, all that she had down pat. But violence? Hardly, and only when she couldn't avoid it.
"Hiccup! Get a move on, get those muscles working! Ya dont want ta be stiff today!" Gobber called to her, noticing her idleness. She jumped, startled.
What muscles? She queried mentally, but started stretching her arms nonetheless. It didn't take long, given that she didn't have much muscle, and therefore, not much stiffness. Once that was done, she switched to using her axe some. She swung it rather haphazardly, desperately gripping the handle to keep it from flying out of her grasp. The whole thing felt – and she was sure, looked – ridiculous, but at least she was trying.
Her arms ached from trying to maneuver with the weight of the axe when Gobber called for them to stop.
"All right. Today, we're not actually going to use weapons, but I'm glad yeh were practicing today. Make sure ya keep practicing on yer own time. Now, today we're using buckets!"
"Buckets! What are those going to do to a dragon," Ruffnut interjected blatanly, expression bemused.
"The buckets themselves don't do anything. It's what they hold that does somethin'," Gobber replied, a smirk on his face.
"Dragons can't breathe fire when their heads are wet," Astren replied in a low tone as comprehension dawned on him.
"Correct, Astren! Now, get yer buckets!" Gobber shouted, pointing to a small collection of water-filled pails. The teens scrambled for them, and each ended up holding one bucket. Hiccup was relieved to note that a bucket was much lighter than an axe.
"Alrigh'. Now, ya will have to work tagether, and find out which one starts the fire." Gobber smirked, heading for another lever.
"What do you mean, 'which one'?" Tuffnut asked, a bewildered sneer on his face.
"He means a Zippleback, you idiot," Ruffnut replied in a drawl.
"Correct!" Gobber said. "One head breathes out gas, and the other head will light it with it's spark. Ya lot have to find out which is which. Remember: teamwork is yer best bet."
And with that, the blacksmith flung down the lever to the Zippleback's cage, and gas poured out into the arena – thick, dark, and smelling like sulfur. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, however, were too caught up in their own argument to notice the recent development.
"Don't call me idiot, Dog-breath!" Tuffnut shouted.
"Troll brain!" his sister retaliated.
"Dung head!"
"Stink beetle!"
"Rat faaaaaaaaaaaace!" Tuffnut's insult was dragged out when he was suddenly yanked into the dense green cloud. Ruffnut took two steps forward before hesitating, unsure where to start. There was a sudden cry before Tuffnut pelted out of the fog, mowing his sister (and her pail of water) over in the process. All the water spilled out of the bucket, and Ruffnut looked enraged.
"Ruff, Tuff, yer out of water, go wait on the sidelines!" Gobber called from his own spot leaning against the stone wall. He looked a little disappointed, but unsurprised, to have called the twins out so early in the training. He watched the four others with interest.
Snotlout, Fishlegs, Astren, and Hiccup all stood well apart from each other, spaced out on the perimeter of the Zippleback's fog, all hesitant to dive in. However, Snotlout was the first to move – he edged into the fog, quickly disappearing from sight. There was a shout, and then a very, very angry Astren. Snotlout had backed into him (obviously not paying attention to where he was going), making the blonde boy's pail spill out. Snotlout, while loosing some water, still had enough to continue on.
"Argh! You! PAY MORE ATTENTION!" Astren shouted. Snotlout smirked, unrepentant.
"Sorry, Astren, yer out fer now. Don't ya worry, ya can try again if no one gets it," Gobber called to the fuming teenager as the younger male stalked over to the twins.
Snotlout, meanwhile, entered back in to the cloud of gas, looking wildly around for any dragon-like shape. Soon, he couldn't tell which way was which, and whirled around wildly, certain the Zippleback was ready to pounce on him. A shape loomed in the corner of his vision, and he swung the pail on instinct, drenching the figure.
"Hey!" Hiccup shrieked. Snotlout could see his cousin, now that the density of gas between them had lessened. She had been fidgeting on the fringe of the fog, and now looked dismayed. "Do I look like a dragon to you?" she cried, swiping her now-soaked bangs out of her eyes.
"Nope. Way too shrimpy," Snotlout chortled, too eager to insult his relative to realize that he was drawing his own intelligence into quesiton. He was too busy laughing to receive Hiccup's glare.
"Snotlout, out! Ya've caused enough trouble fer today," Gobber yelled at him, arms folded across his chest in disapproval as the brown-haired teenager joined his sidelined friends.
"I know!" Fishlegs said suddenly, tone excited. "Zipplebacks like to eat hawks! That's what the manual said!"
Hiccup, still preoccupied with wringing out her drenched sleeves, looked up at the other girl, who had one hand cupped to her mouth while the other clutched the bucket. Fishlegs made a bird call, which Hiccup could only presume was the sound of a hawk. When Fishlegs stopped, there was a moment of silence, but then a scaled dragon head snaked lithely out of the fog. Startled, Fishlegs tossed the water on the dragon head, yelping in fright. The dragon hissed in displeasure, shaking it's head and releasing a small trickle of gas.
"Oops," the bulky blonde girl said in a small voice, fleeing before the dragon could retaliate.
That left Hiccup all alone as the dragon's other head emerged. Hastily, the chief's daughter picked up her bucket, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. As the Zippleback's heads approached, she made her move, flinging the water at the more recently revealed head.
She missed, her throw too short by several feet. Hiccup had to resist the urge to slam her palm into her forehead at her own ineptness. There was the hissing sound of what she assumed was the dragon version of laughter, and she looked up with a cringe. She was unarmed with an irritated dragon.
She stumbled backwards as the Zippleback lunged towards her. As she raised her arms to protect her face, she bumped the thing she'd hidden under her vest that morning. She hadn't planned on using it – she'd brought it more just in case something went awry – and now she was exceedingly glad she'd acted on her whim. The girl opened her vest just enough for the Zippleback to see (and hopefully smell) the item she'd hidden. The dragon, in response, reeled back with a horrified cry, backing up three steps for every one Hiccup took toward it. It even willingly backed into it's own cage, if only to get away from it.
"Get back! That's right!" Hiccup shouted (mostly for show) as she scared the Zippleback into it's cave. "I am a very fearsome Viking!" she crowed to it in a theatrical manner, showing it the black-and-yellow eel that she had under her vest one last time before she tucked the dead fish back under the fur. Satisfied that the Zippleback wouldn't come any nearer to her than it absolutely had to – let alone try to attack her – she pushed the giant doors shut, effectively locking the dragon inside.
Hiccup turned around, a small smile on her face, and noticed the shocked looks of her mentor and peers. They all gaped at her open-mouthed. If she wasn't so pleased with her own success, she would have been slightly insulted. As it was, she just wanted to get to work on Toothless' saddle.
"I'll...um...I'll see you guys later. Um...we're done, right?" she asked, already headed for the exit. When all she got was stunned silence, she took it as approval to leave. The girl slipped out of the arena and ran for the smithy, discarding the eel in an empty barrel along her way.
A/N: alright, please review! And please "like" Jessie's page, make a little girl's dream come true! I think Hiccup channeled a little bit of Jessie's fighting spirit here.
LONG LIVE JESSICA JOY REES!