Chapter 2: The Shot & Disbelief

I originally planned to post this around Halloween as a treat for you guys, but I was swamped with tests & homework. Oh well, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from How to Train your Dragon or Balto. This is strictly for fun, NOT for profit.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(Hiccup POV)

I hear some shifting in another part of the shop and turn to see Gobber trading his hammer appendage for an axe appendage.

"Man the fort, Hiccup" Gobber starts hobbling out the shop. "They need me out there!" Gobber pauses and turns back to Hiccup with a threatening glare. "Stay. Put. There." Hiccup gives him a 'really' look "You know what I mean." Gobber charges into the fray hollering and with a blow dart in his hand and swinging an axe appendage.

I wait a little to make sure he didn't turn back around, and threw a finished weapon to the consumers left in line. Then threw water in the forge fire to put the flames out, but through a thick blanket to keep the coals warm. I grabbed my launcher and pushed through the door. I weave through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as my legs could carry me.

I ran to the open area outside of town, overlooking the smoking remains of Capulet Tower and drops the handles to the ground. I cranked few levers, unfolding the launcher, extending the bow, dropped a bola onto the bow and then pivot it on a ball head toward the dark sky. I listen, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand ready on the trigger. He hears the Night Fury approaching... and turns his aim to the defense tower. It closes in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night.

"Come on. Give me something to shoot at."

It that next second the Tower was blasted and topples. The blast of aura illuminates the dragon for a split second and I pulled the trigger. The flexed arms snap forward, springing the weapon off the ground. The bola made a small arch as it disappeared into the distance, followed by a loud whack, the sound of uneven footfalls, and a wailing howl that sounded forward the west.

"I hit it." I said slightly in disbelief. "I hit it! Yes I hit it! Did anybody see that?" Hiccup's victory is short-lived. A small pack of Monstrous Nightmares approached growling and climbing on top of the launcher.

"Except for you guys." One of the Nightmares snapped at me. "Hey, hey guys! You would attack a thin Alaskan like me. I'm even partly native that should count for something, right?"

The Nightmares on top of the launcher snapped and growled louder as the stomped their paws enough to crush the launcher.

"I guess not." And I proceed to run for my life.

I kept running, screaming, and never looked back until I found myself running through the Plaza with the Nightmare fast on his heels. I saw other people scatter as I dodge a near fatal blast. The Nightmares' sticky, dry-ice clumped up onto buildings, making them steam and gradually eaten away. Hiccup ducks behind the last standing brazier tower. The Nightmare blasts it, spraying dry-ice all around him. I peer around the smoldering post, see no sign of the Nightmares, and turns back to find it leering at me. I was surrounded. Just as they all take a deep breath, Stoick leaps between them, tackling a couple of Nightmares to the ground and Gobber blew darts that the necks at a couple, before the rest ran off. The Nightmares that Stoick wrestling with tried to turn around and burn him, but only coughs up smoke and vapors. He smashes the Nightmares' heads together repeatedly, until they were knocked out to be locked up. Out of breath, Stoick turns to me.

Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know...

The burnt brazier pole from before collapses, sending the massive iron basket crashing. It bounces down the hill, destroying as it goes and scattering the Vikings who were holding down netted Nadders. The freed wolves dodged people trying to tackle them down and escaped... with several sheep and preserved meats in tow. Everyone turned toward me with glares and few of them shaking their heads.

"Sorry, dad." I said with a cringe and everyone continued to glare at me. "Okay. But, I hit a Night Fury." Stoick grabs me by the back scruff of my collar and hauls me away, fuming with embarrassment. "Now, it's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it." I tried to explain in a frantic manner. "You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off the western part of the woods. Let's get a search party out there, before it—"

"STOP! Just...stop." He releases me. "Hiccup. Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!"

"Between you and me" he looked around. "The village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?"

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" he starts to get annoyed, but keeps it together. "Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"

"I… I can't stop myself. I see a wolf and I just have to... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad."

"You are many things, Hiccup. But a wolf killer is not one of them." People watching nods in agreement.

"Get back to the house." Stoick turns to Gobber. "Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up." Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction. Gobber leads Hiccup through the walk of shame. They pass the DYB as they snicker.

"Quite the performance." Tuffnut said with a slow clap

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!" Snotlout as he laughed

"Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so..." I glanced toward Fishlegs & Astrid, who remained silent before and heading up toward a large house, on slightly higher ground on the eastern side of the town.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I really did hit one." I said as I tried to convince Gobber.

"Sure, Hiccup."

"I'm serious! He never listens."

"Well, it runs in the family." Gobber muttered under his breathe.

"And when he does, it's always with this... this… disappointed scowl or worse a silent glare of frustration." We climb up the steps of my house. "Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich."

I stop in front of the door and start to mimic Stoick, "Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts & glory on the side and a dash of the old killer instinct. This here. This is nothing, but an anchovy. No wait, he more of a talking fish bone with the tiniest bit of muscle and fat."

"Now Hiccup, you're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand."

"Thank you, for summing that up." I start to head inside.

"Look." Gobber stopped Hiccup by the shoulder. "The point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not."

"I just want to be one of you guys."

I meet Gobber's sympathetic eyes before turning and going through the front door. I peek through the crack of the front door to watch Gobber hobble away toward the great hall. I carefully creep out the door hurried off to the closest alleyway in the direction I saw the Night Fury run.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I had to practically across town to get to the area where the Night Fury fled. Luckily this isn't the first time I've sneaked out. As I went through the alley, dodging trash cans & weather worn crates (*1), I was mentally retracing my steps from the night before. I was somewhat in the southern part of town when I shot the Night Fury & it saw flee into toward the west, so starting at Raven's Point will be my best bet. I was so deep in thought that I couldn't even sense the snowball hurling toward me until it hit me right in the back of the head and sent me face first into the snow.

"How's the snow taste Hiccup?" I heard Snotlout gradually getting closer. Of course he would be the one to throw snowballs at me.

"In case you didn't notice, I have places to go Snot." I got up and dusted the snow off of me before turning toward Snotlout. Along with him were the Twins, snickering at my cousin's nickname.

"Oh, I'm sorry fishbone. You might need to speak up." Snot shoved by back to the ground.

"He just said that 'he had places to go'." Tuffnut bluntly pointed out, not catching Snotlout's teasing. He turns to his sister, "And he calls us the stupid ones."

"I know right." Ruffnut agreed as the both snickered.

"Yeah, because you guys are beyond stupid." He barked at them before turning back to me. "Hey useless, think you can use some of that spirit mumbo jumbo to give these lug-heads some brains."

"It really doesn't work like that Snot. Besides if it did, I would think that you would need it more than them."

Snotlout suddenly angered grabbed me by my shirt and rose of a fist right in the path of my face. "What you say Hiccup?"

"I said that…"

Before I could finish my sentence, I heard a long low note of some whistle. The next thing I knew I heard howling and started looking around to see where it came from. Fearing that it was wolves or something, Snotlout dropped me as the Twins and he ran away before staying to finding out. I stood up, but didn't run like them, because I recognized that those weren't wolf howls. I listened and followed the howling and found none other than Astrid with a couple of huskies by her side.

You see the Hoffersons were renowned dog breeders for generations long before settlers & pioneers came to the land. Like everything, Astrid exceled in her family's trade and work with training the younger pups to pull sleds and if need be protect their masters from wolves. The huskies by Astrid's side seemed young and obedient as Astrid told them to stop howling. I turn to Astrid, slightly confused on why she was here when she lives in another part of town.

"H…Hey Astrid." I said with a nervous waver in my voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked truly confused on what she was doing.

"Oh you know, just out on a morning jog with some of the older pups." She said as she tried to hide her left hand.

"Then um… What uh…? What's that in your hand over there."

"Nothing." She said a little defensively. I thought I saw her move her hands a bit before her huskies suddenly started to run off. "Oh man! Got to go catch them, See you later Agitaadaan!"

She hid her face as she ran after her dogs. I stood there still somewhat confused, but didn't have enough time to ponder on it. A gave her a slight grin before she was out of sight and I started my run again toward Raven's Point.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(*1.) I would always imagine that when Hiccup was learning to be a blacksmith, he would almost spill or drop hot material on himself. As a result, both Gobber & he developed quick or quicker reflexes then most people would give them credit for. In the case of him being in the alleys, these reflexes allowed him to jump and dodge things in his way as he's running. So, he's basically doing par core.

(*2) "Agitaadaan" = friend. I'm not sure if this translation is that accurate, but it was the best that Google could offer. If I'm incorrect with this or any other translation, please point them out to me.

AN: Another chapter down! I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as me. If you're new to the story, please review and let me know what you think. Every little bit helps. Constructive criticism is accepted, but not flames please.