I am trying to figure out how long I will make this story. I have a few more chapters in mind, which will lead up to the home story of "Morals." Even though I based the story and it's characters off of "How to Train Your Dragon" the more I write about these characters the more I think they a blooming and reshaping. To be quite honest, I actually have been taking the base story of "Morals" and writing a completely separate story from it. One that deals with more detail, more pre-teen and adult. I do hope one day I could maybe publish it, or at least get it out there in some way. If not, it was a good practice run for another story I have been working on in my head as well, completely not related to Fanfiction.

Anyways I do hope you enjoy this chapter.

...

Hiccup swallowed as he made his way off of the bus. He was the last one to get off, purposely doing so. Most of the guys in his grade were driving their cars to school by now. He only had to share the bus with about a dozen other students, and most of them were in middle school or the freshman. This had given him a sense of relief as they most likely had no idea who he was, or that he was arriving to school without a piece of himself for the first time.

He had no idea why he was worrying so much, really. He kept to himself for the most part. Most of the students paid no attention to him or talked to him. Maybe it was because Snotlout had made a big deal about it that day by the mail box. He wasn't sure. Either way, many thoughts rushed through his head as he made his way into the school.

A young girl that had been walking with her friend in front of him had been kind enough to open the first door for him as he made his way inside. She gave him a kind smile, as he passed, and he returned it. At the second set of doors that led into the school, her friend opened the door for him.

"Thank you," he said to both of them. It wasn't until a few seconds later that they passed him did he realize he may have spoken too softly for them to hear. Either way, he was thankful.

Inside the school, to the left he could have gone to the cafeteria to wait for the first bell to ring, which was exactly fifteen minutes before school would start. Everyone was meeting in the cafeteria as a gathering place. It was against the rules to be wondering around the school before then. Sighing to himself, Hiccup headed towards the attendance office instead. There, he was welcome inside by Mrs. Butchers, a very thin, kind woman easily in her mid-sixties.

"Hello, Hiccup, how are you today?" she asked him kindly. He saw her eyes darting up and down him quickly. "Now, what did you do to your leg?"

He felt himself go red, frozen slightly from her question, but she continued.

"Did you fall down that hill in the woods again?"

He found himself smiling, and holding back a small laugh as he leaned his crutches against the tall secretary's desk. He had forgotten one day during his freshman year he had actually fallen down the hill in the woods, practically busting his knee cap from the fall.

"No, ma'am," he said gently. "I did fall, though, it-"

"Broke your leg this time, I see," she said gently. "Sorry to see that. I am sure you will be walking in no time." She stood up from her chair then, and placed her hands up on the desk. "Now, you didn't come in here this early in the morning without a reason."

Reaching into his front pocket, Hiccup pulled out his doctor's note. Mrs. Butchers tilted her head back to look through her glasses to see what the papers said.

"There's actually a few different doctor's excuses in those," Hiccup said quietly.

"I see," she said as she flipped the first page over. "Okay, of course you will need your back pack. I will give you a special pass you can hang onto your bag-and this one-"

Hiccup swallowed, his nervousness setting in. "I have physical therapy twice a week. Unfortunately, I'll need to leave about a half an hour early on Thursdays-"

"Let me see who your teacher is your final period-"

Depending on what class he had, there was a possibility they would have to find some way to work something else out with his PT. Missing class once a week was not going to be pleasant. But, PT was important.

"You have Mr. Brice it looks like," Mrs. Butchers said. For this Hiccup let out a small sigh of relief. He liked Mr. Brice. He taught English, and he was no stranger to Hiccup at all. This would have been the second time he'd have Mr. Brice as a teacher. "Okay, Hiccup, here is your pass to hook onto your book bag, and here is the note I have stamped so you can show Mr. Brice the school is aware of this."

"Thank you, ma'am," Hiccup said to her, giving her a small smile.

Just then, the first bell rang, and it wasn't five seconds later, it was as though the flood gates were released. Students came from the cafeteria in a large group, heading down the hallways towards the classrooms and lockers. Sighing, Hiccup braced himself on his crutches, and headed out behind them.

...

Hiccup did his best not to meet eyes as he made his way around the hallways. Instead of meeting their eyes, he kept his gaze about waist high, so that he could still watch who was walking in front of him, just in case he needed to avoid someone in the pathway, and to watch where he was going. He found it easier than staring at the floor as he made his way down the hallways.

Although Mrs. Butchers told him that Mr. Brice was his last period teacher, Hiccup didn't know the rest of his schedule. The first day of classes, students were to their student adviser, one of the fellow teachers that taught classes. His student adviser just happened to be his art teacher. Which, was where Fish would be at as well. He made his way down the art hallway, passing Mr. Hinkley's photography room to his right. Already he could see some of his classmates inside, anxious to develop the photographs they had taken themselves during break.

He headed into his homework, and was greeted by Mrs. Vickerson. Her smile was welcoming, and she sat his schedule face down at the table he usually sat at while he situated himself.

"I see you've made quite a splash at some point this summer," she said to him.

He nodded, and picked up his schedule without looking at it. "Yeah." He said quietly. He loved Mrs. Vickerson. Even though she was a teacher, she had a way of teaching what she needed to teach but giving all the students some freedom with what they were working on.

"I'll see you in Advanced Art II this afternoon," she said, not touching on the subject again about his leg. "And, here is your lunch pass." It was then that he realized she had multiple papers of different sorts separated between her right hand fingers. Hall passes, schedules, and others. He didn't even have to ask for a pass this year, she automatically assumed, considering he'd spent the last two years in her classroom during lunch hour.

Fish showed up a moment later, took the seat next to him, and pushed a small lunch box towards Hiccup.

"Mom sent this with me today. Since you have your back pack, you can carry it. I didn't want to leave it in my locker all day."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes for a second at his friend. "And where's your lunch at?"

"I was hungry on the way to school, so I ate mine."

"Dude, didn't you just have breakfast?" Hiccup asked him.

"Yeah, well, you know how hungry I get when I get nervous."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and dropped the subject. Fish didn't really know what nervous was.

...

"What'd you do to your leg, Vast?" asked Tony Miller.

Hiccup felt his the breath catch in his chest as he stopped at his seat in second period. Tony was right behind him, probably eyeing his leg. His tone wasn't friendly what so ever. Turning towards Tony, Hiccup sat the crutches on the floor, tucking them beside his seat. Then, he wiggled out of his back pack, which he sat on the floor beside him as well. Tony's black eyes were narrowed at him, but Tony wasn't looking at Hiccup's face. He was studying the pant leg of his jeans.

"I fell," Hiccup said. He was surprised how coldly it came out of his mouth.

"You fell?" Tony repeated back.

"Yes, I fell," Hiccup said to him. Why was this kid even talking to him? Tony and he hadn't had a conversation since the third grade when Snotlout was teasing them both for trading Pokemon cards on the play ground.

Tony rolled his eyes at him, and headed to his seat.

Hiccup found himself staring down at his desk for a few minutes. He could hear a few whispers from across the room around Tony.

"Dude-there isn't a leg there-"

"He's just skinny is all-that's why you can't see it-"

"I broke my leg in fourth grade! I couldn't wear jeans for a lonnnnnggggg time-"

Hiccup sighed and decided to preoccupy himself by digging out his note book. Perhaps jeans weren't such a good idea after all.

...

Throughout the day, Hiccup was forced to show his teachers his back pack pass, even though it was bright yellow and hanging off of his bag. It was like the teachers were on high alert for the troublemakers already in their classes. Most of Hiccup's teachers didn't know him yet, and they were the ones he had to show the pass to. When asked to present it, he could feel eyes from other students looking into his direction, their eyes burning holes into his skin as they cranked their heads over to see if he was in trouble. The pass also presented a problem for him, as it drew more attention to himself multiple times, and students were bound to start studying him moreso because he was different.

During lunch, he made his way towards the art room again, and coming around the corner, he collided suddenly with someone mid-swing on his crutches. He struggled to catch himself, and fell backwards into the wall. Feeling thankful he did not fall, he glanced up to see who he ran into, and to make sure they were okay. The person in front of him was tall, and giving him a look of total discuss.

"Watch where you are going, punk," the kid said to him, throwing his chin up at him, and heading away.

Pushing away his anger and frustration, Hiccup found sanctuary inside the art room.

During lunch, Hiccup was badgered by Fish most of the time with him asking questions about his accident. Still, Fishlegs didn't know what Hiccup had done. And, Hiccup was refusing to talk about it in the art room around other people.

"Can you please keep your voice down?" he said sternly.

"What's your problem?" Fish asked.

"I don't exactly want to flaunt that I have something wrong with my leg," Hiccup explained.

"What's wrong with it?" Fish asked.

Hiccup felt his hands curling into fists with frustration, and was very thankful that the bell rang to head to sixth period.

...

Surviving sixth and seventh period had been difficult but manageable. At least in classes he could hide his legs under his desk, and if someone was staring at him, he was too busy looking at the teacher to notice they were, or at the top of his desk. People could stare all they wanted, as long as he didn't see it, and they didn't ask he knew he would be okay.

Heading into his eighth period class, Hiccup rounded the corner into the doorway, and suddenly bumped into something large, which sent him flying backwards on his crutches. There was no wall to help keep him upward. He struggled to keep his balance on his crutches, but was defeated when he crashed backwards onto the floor. He fell on top of his book bag, slightly softening his fall. Throughout the day, new text books had been added to it's insides, making it heavier.

"Oh, look who I found!"

Glancing up, Hiccup's breath was taken away. Snotlout. Suddenly, he had a funny feeling he had been pushed intentionally.

Suddenly, he felt like an ant surrounded by students walking around him and standing around him, watching him, and looking at his leg.

"How's you first day of school going, Tripod?"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him, but turned his head away. Slowly, despite the crowd of students gathering, he freed himself from the armstraps of his back pack, and began to get back up.

"Is he missing a leg?" he heard someone ask.

"By golly, the kid's missing a leg!"

"What happened to him this summer?"

"Cancer?"

"Snotlout, don't you have someone else to pick on?"

Hiccup raised his head suddenly, and turned towards the voice. Astrid Hofferson was standing between he and Snotlout.

"Oh, hi, Astrid!" Snotlout said brightly, smiling.

"Go away!" she said to him sternly.

Hiccup felt very warm on his face, and his chest was beating rapidly inside his chest. Different noises were around him, engulfing him. Feet scuttling to class, chatter growing loudly and softer as people came closer or grew farther. He blinked multiple times, trying to help his focus.

"The rest of you, move along!" she said.

"I was just trying to help him with his bag," Snotlout said brightly. Hiccup noticed he looked like a lost puppy-dog the way he was blinking at her. His voice suddenly went softer than he'd ever remembered it being before.

"You call that help?" Astrid asked loudly.

Hiccup noticed her hair was pulled over her shoulder in a braid. She was holding her books at her right side, and on the left, her hand was a fist. He'd rarely talked to this girl. Yeah, they'd grown up in almost the same classrooms, but never did he pay any mind that she would be standing between he and one of the biggest bullies in the school.

""Mr. Jorgeson!"

Mr. Brice was now standing directly behind Snotlout. The man looked worst for wear today. Hiccup had noticed last year the as the day progressed he would grow very tired. He was one of the best teachers Hiccup had at the high school, but the student knew how to wear him down, even though he didn't let them walk all over him.

Hiccup saw Snotlout's eyes roll, although their teacher couldn't see him.

"Your seat, now!" he said to Snotlout. "We are starting the school year together like this, are we?"

Hiccup sighed, relieved. Feeling thankful for teacher interference.

Snotlout gave he and Astrid a mean look, then turned and walked backwards past Mr. Brice and into class.

Hiccup started to pick himself back up, turning his body to get back onto his one remaining foot, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looking up, he realized it was Astrid.

"Here," he heard her say gently, holding her other hand out to him. He felt himself hesitate, for some reason he wasn't sure why.

"Took a spill, did we, Mr. Vast?" Mr. Brice said, reaching his other hand down to help Hiccup up. Hiccup let a small smile escape his mouth, and nodded. He took both of their hands, and he rose to his feet.

Suddenly, the bell rang, and Hiccup turned and looked at Astrid. It took a lot for him to make eye contact with her. Why, he wasn't sure. The only eyes he ever avoided were the bullies because they intimidated him. Astrid typically didn't intimidate him. In the few times they had to work together in classes over the years, he was always able to talk to her and look her in the eyes.

"I'm-sorry your late for class," he said quietly.

"No, she's not," Mr. Brice said with a sigh, picking up Hiccup's crutches and handing them to him. "I will right her a pass."

Mr. Brice turned and walked back into the classroom, leaving Hiccup and Astrid alone in the hallway for a moment.

"Are you all right?" Astrid asked him gently, leaning down to pick up his bag, but he reached it before she could.

"I am. Thank you-Astrid,"

She nodded to him just as Mr. Brice handed her a pass to get into her last class without being considered tardy.

"Thank you, again," Hiccup said gently, as Mr. Brice took his bag from him. He looked away, nodded awkwardly, and followed his teacher into class. As he entered, the room went quiet, and he knew that meant two things. One, either the class grew quiet because Mr. Brice had returned into the room. Or, two, the room had grown quiet because every single one of them were staring at him. He had a strong feeling, the later was the cause. And he was certain that while his back was turned, Snotlout had exposed his secret to the whole classroom.

...