Author's Note:

This is my first go for a How to Train Your Dragon fanfic. I had this idea bouncing around in my head and I thought it'd be delightful to get on paper. I do not own the rights of this universe (full disclaimer). Without further ado - Hiccup the Dragon!

Chapter One

Hiccup had always been different. For years, he'd been the scrawniest boy in Berk, clever and inventive. He'd spent hours with Gobber in the forge, making contraptions that helped their plight against the horrid dragons. Although, personally, Hiccup had nothing against them. Sure they had taken his mother away and many other Vikings, but some part of him wanted to empathize with them.

Far be it from him to ever mention that. Hiccup sighed, relaxing his head against the tree he'd been hiding against. He was different in other ways too - his father, Stoick, was the chieftain. Hiccup had to act in such a way that it brought honor to his father at all times. The only time he could truly be himself was when he ran out into the forest. Here, he was free. Here, he couldn't get in trouble for his abilities.

But as far as abilities went, one was odd. He could always sneak around, unseen from other Vikings. He could identify poisonous plants and edible plants from scent alone. He could run from one end of the island to the next without becoming winded. But even more strangely, he could talk to dragons.

Nobody knew. His father always thought of him as odd and quirky, but Hiccup knew the truth. These dragons weren't raving monsters. True they distrusted the Vikings, but he'd heard their whispers and pleas. They were ordered to take food for their Queen, whatever that was. They were like Vikings, except in different forms. The same culture of looting and stealing, with the occasional pillaging and murder. How were they really all that different?

Hiccup sighed, halting his racing thoughts. He dwelled on these matters too much. There was nothing he could do. He was just a small boy in a Viking village. He was nothing. Why had the gods cursed him into speaking dragon tongue? He would've been happy for the ignorance.

Pushing himself off the tree, Hiccup slowly made his way back. The whispers were strong today - tonight there would be another dragon attack. Glancing at the sky, he cursed his luck. Already, hundreds of dragons were flying overhead. They'd beat him to the battle, but that didn't mean he couldn't defend Berk.

Hiccup raced to his newest invention, the Dragon Snatcher. It could launch a net to pin down dragons without overtly harming them. He hadn't introduced it to the village yet - it wasn't quite violent enough for most Vikings' taste - but it would do the job for now.

He spun around and squinted into the sky. A loud whistle came from overhead and Hiccup watched as one of the watchtowers exploded in a ball of blue fury. A Night Fury! The perfect catch! He loaded the sling and carefully tracked a black shape blotting out the stars. There!

"Gotcha!" Hiccup exclaimed, forgetting himself as he launched the net. The Night Fury went down with a screech, falling into the depths of the forest. Hiccup flinched, realizing he'd betrayed his position to the raiding dragons. With a thud, a dragon landed right behind him, clearly pleased at the easy meal it was about to have.

Hiccup jumped and started running toward the village without even looking behind him. "Help!" He screamed, dodging around a burning bush. The dragon easily kept up and Hiccup found himself growing more and more scared. He didn't particularly want to die today, thank you very much.

Just as his dying thoughts were crossing Hiccup's mind, the dragon had enough with its fun and shoved him to the ground. The Deadly Nadder slowly grinned a dragon's savage smile. Hiccup stared up in full-fledged horror before he found himself pleading for his life.

"Please don't hurt me! I promise I won't hurt you if you won't hurt me!" Hiccup gasped, pulling against one of the claws futilely. The Deadly Nadder paused in confusion. Then it bristled it's tail and growled.

"A speaker? Funny how this scrawny thing is saying it can hurt me. You Vikings are lowly beasts. How dare you speak with your superior?" The Deadly Nadder snapped, spitting fire onto the ground next to Hiccup. Hiccup flinched and held up his hands in full surrender.

"I apologize dragon! I don't know how I speak!" He apologized. Anything to get this dragon off of him. The claws were eating into his skin and he was beginning to feel queasy and sleepy. The Deadly Nadder breathed out quickly.

"Can it be? A Viking had a dragon hatchling? You must go to your sire before you are stuck as a cursed Viking," the Deadly Nadder hissed, carefully stepping off Hiccup's chest. Hiccup groaned and coughed. A sire? As in Stoick? Or a dragon sire? What on earth was happening, and why did he feel so terrible? Sure it was his first conversation with a dragon, and also the first time he'd touched one, but how did that make him feel so dreadful?

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Hiccup finally managed, his eyes closing on their own accord. The Deadly Nadder snapped its tail against a tree in irritation.

"The Night Fury will know. You are changing because of me, but without your sire, you will die," the Nadder finally snarled, grabbing him with one talon and launching into the air.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure slipped away through the trees back to the village. What to do with this juicy information?