Ooh, a second chapter. How fun.
Previously: Hiccup gets framed at Hong Kong, and we get an insight into Hiccup's life at school. We also learned that the government have opened up a temporary zoo for wolves in Kent, less than a few miles away from Berkford.
Note: This story is written in British English and will also be set in the United Kingdom, which has a very different education system to the United States.
Disclaimer: 'How To Train Your Dragon' is owned by Dreamworks Animation and Cressida Cowell. Kent is a real county, Berkford is not a real town.
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The Escaped Wolf: Chapter 2
Wednesday 8th September 1999
The big-red curtains were drawn, blocking all light from the bright outdoors. Instead, there was a fire surrounded by a luxurious Victorian fireplace. The carpets were plush, and the walls had a similar grandeur to that of a first-class suite on the Titanic. It was all very traditional, very opulent.
Hiccup's voice sounded stressed and nervous, filtering into a tense atmosphere. 'Look dad, I have to go. I have a project to–'
Stoick held up his hand, effectively silencing the boy in front of him. He had a disappointed scowl on his face, and it looked as if Hiccup was going to get another round of mental bashing from his father.
'Hiccup…what is wrong with you?' he asked in a hushed tone, as if someone was listening to their conversation. 'Why can't you be more like us?'
'Us? Who is us?' Hiccup sneered at his father, seething by the fact that he sees his own son as something else; like he was part of another species. He could never understand his father's mentality, you're either one of us, or one of them.
'The people in Westminster, Hiccup!' Stoick's voice rebounded off the walls, creating a loud echo effect. 'Why can't you just have a political mind, like the rest of us?'
Hiccup looked down at the ground, fighting back the urge to try to attack his father. He never would, of course; he just liked to think that he would. 'Dad, look. I have to g–'
'And what is it with you and all this…animal rights crap!' his boomed even louder. 'You need to realise what vermin all these foxes and wolves are.'
'Of course, father,' Hiccup responded sarcastically. 'Because we just walked in and destroyed their natural habitat, while expecting them to just pack up and leave.'
'That's not the point, Hiccup. You know they're trying to bring back wolves! Less than 50 miles away from here!'
'But dad, we exterminated them in the first place!' Hiccup's frustration was becoming quite obvious, he didn't like the way his dad was taking the conversation.
'They killed hundreds of us! Killed our cattle, killed our–' Stoick was about to continue the rant, but was interrupted.
'And we killed thousands of them! They had to survive so they did what they could!' Hiccup stood abruptly, ending the conversation. 'Now, I need to go. I'm late for a homework session.'
'With whom?' his father asked, his voice softening slightly.
Hiccup paused, he hadn't been expecting his father to have any interest in his school studies, which to him were just overpaid social workers brainwashing children on behalf of the government. Seriously, why would anyone vote for him?
Not getting an answer from his son, he pressed further. 'I asked, with whom?'
Hiccup's eyes dropped to the ground, the carpet suddenly becoming very interesting. 'Astrid,' he mumbled.
'Astrid?' He asked, suddenly going into deep thought. 'The Hofferson girl that Gobber keeps telling me about?'
Hiccup didn't answer, his father never takes an interest in his life.
Stoick's face lit up, as if he had just won the lottery. 'That's great! Her uncle lives next door to Michael Howard!' Hiccup visibly deflated. That's why. 'Good going Hiccup, keep her interested!'
Hiccup stared at him, dumbfounded. 'Dad, you realise she hates me, right?'
'Yes. But you can change that, can't you?' he asked patronisingly.
'No, not rea–'
'You will change that, won't you?' Stoick's voice turned harsh, his eyes narrowing. Hiccup was about to protest again, but Stoick's hand silenced him again. 'Promise me.'
'This conversation is feeling very one sided…' Hiccup complained, trying to move away from his father.
'Promise me!' The words painted the walls and painfully rebounded into Hiccup's ears.
'Fine…' Hiccup relented, exhausted at the small exchange. 'I promise,' he said quietly, although his eyes gave absolutely no indication of him wanting to stick to his words. 'Now I have to leave, I have to meet Astrid.' He didn't give his father time to respond, he didn't want him to respond. He turned on his heel and marched out of the house.
Stoick sat back down in his chair, rubbing his temples thoughtfully. 'Oh Val… What am I going to do with him?'
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Hiccup gulped as he stood in front of the Hofferson's house, less than half a mile away from his own. It was modest, a lot smaller than Hiccup's. It was a more tradition Victorian house built around 1868, if the sign on the front is to be believed. The door wasn't made of oak, nor was it surrounded by grand exterior; it was simple. Pleasantly simple.
The residents of the household, not so much. They weren't simple, and they certainly weren't pleasant. First, you had Mr Hofferson. He was large, burly guy you would often see hanging around pubs and beating people up. Then you had Mrs Hofferson, she was about as manly as her husband; probably more-so. And finally… Astrid. She had an incredibly tough exterior, yet secretly loved animals – especially fluffy ones. However, if you ever dared to even try to discover this… You'd die.
Hiccup stood forward, raising his hand towards the doorbell. He could hear some shouting going on inside, and gulped again when he heard his name coming from the young girl's mouth. He pressed the button, which loudly announced his presence at the front door. He heard light footsteps, and backed away as the door swung open.
Astrid stood there, still wearing her school uniform, with an angry frown sprawled across her face. Her fists clenched and began to rise, something Hiccup took as a cue to back-up further. 'Uh…hi...hi As..hi Astrid…' Hiccup stuttered, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze.
'You're late,' Astrid pointed out, crossing her arms tightly. 'Why are you late?'
Hiccup stuttered again, this time nothing audible coming out of his mouth. Astrid, who didn't have time for people she called 'bozos', had already lost patience with him. She stood forward threateningly, her eyes boring into his.
'Do you even care about the project, Hiccup?' Astrid asked impatiently, watching him continue to shuffle backwards towards the road.
'Yes...uh...yes,' he whispered, trying to sound as convincing as possible. It wasn't working.
The problem all started when their English teacher decided that she would give them some pair work to carry out. But, unlike what usually happens, she chose the pairs. Fishlegs was told to go with Snotlout, Camicazi had the displeasure of having to listen to Tuffnut all week, but most importantly; Astrid had the utmost displeasure of being required to work with Hiccup. Hiccup.
Sure, she knew he was smart – everyone did. He always got A*s in Maths, Science and History results, and always finished English with an A. But he was a socially nonexistent. He didn't like football, or any sport for that matter, and he was more interested in wildlife restoration than getting girls. That was Hiccup's problem.
Astrid had been infuriated when she had been partnered with him, it was not like she hated him, she just didn't like him. Not only that, but it wasn't really socially acceptable to be seen hanging around with Hiccup; even if it is just to do some schoolwork. So she had decided that she wasn't going to take any nonsense from Hiccup, if he was late, or if he didn't show any interest in the project, she would do the project herself.
'Is this some kind of a joke to you?' she growled, stepping forward onto her pathway; forcing Hiccup to move backwards further. 'We have a project due in tomorrow about Socialism and Capitalism and you're late?'
'I'm...sorry Astrid I just–' Hiccup tried reasoning with her, but she wasn't going to listen to him. This situation certainly reminded him of the one had with his father just a few minutes prior.
'No excuses, Hiccup. I told you yesterday that when you came to work with me on this, you had be on time. It's Tuesday and the project is due tomorrow, which means we have like 3 hours before my dad would kick you out,' she informed him. 'So, considering how much of a blabbering buffoon you are…I'm going to do it on my own.'
Hiccup didn't like that, much like he did with his father, he responded harshly. 'Why? Are you afraid that I'll cramp your style?' He regretted those words almost as soon as they left his mouth, and he began looking around frantically. He needed an escape route.
Astrid's eyes widened, who was he to talk to her like that? 'What did you just say?' she asked in a quiet, deadly voice. After a few seconds, she realised that she was not going to get an answer out of him; so she just sighed tiredly. 'Look Hiccup, I don't care what you do. Just let me finish the project, okay?'
Hiccup nodded slowly, disappointed that he wasn't going to get the chance to work with Astrid. Who, even though she almost completely disregarded him, was the girl he had an extreme crush on. Without uttering a word, he turned and trudged out of her front garden. Leaving a very annoyed Astrid at her doorstep.
After a few seconds of staring at him, she turned and made her way back into the house. She sat down on her sofa and opened up her English book. Right, now how does this book teach me about socialism and capitalism?
As her mind swirled around with potential answers, the telly was suddenly turned up. Her father, Mr Hofferson, had obviously found something that was very interesting. She glanced up, and almost gasped at the headline.
Wolf escapes temporary zoo in Kent.
What worried her more, however, was what the reporter was actually saying. 'The latest police report states that they believe the wolf is lurking around the area of Berkford. Kent Police are on high alert and are advising people to keep their pets indoors at all times.'
Astrid stared at the screen, her mouth gaped open. 'Oh my God, a wolf…' There were no words to comprehend how she was feeling, so she just said the one word that came into her head. 'Cool!' She got up and ran to the phone, ready to spread the news.
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So that's another chapter done! Thanks to everyone for their reviews, I hope you can keep them coming. I wrote this while I was supposed to be doing my English homework. Le gasp! And I hope I didn't make these guys too OOC, especially Hiccup. I wasn't really sure how to write Hiccup. Review and tell me what you think.
-CGJ
