Okay, so another chapter. I won't be writing a 'previously' as I only posted the update the other day. Look closely at the dates of the events in both the last chapter, and in this one. And keep a check on the time.
A big shout out to EquinoxKnight01, Roamerfromaofw and blazelight790, who reviewed my last chapter. Thanks guys!
Note: This story is written in British English and is also 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 4
Thursday 9th September 1999
Jeremy 'Spitelout' Jorgenson walked quickly along Heath Lane, making his way to Berkford Academy with the 'DANGER: Animals Traps' sign. He would have brought his van, but he thought that he needed a good walk. He also only had three signs with him, as the rest would be arriving the next day. His eyes glanced skyward, thinking about what his wife had told him earlier.
A smile found its way to his mouth, and he gained an extra stride in his step. He wanted to get to the school and tell Snotlout the good news. 'We're having another baby!' He giggled out-loud, unable to contain his excitement. He crossed the road and made his way through a well-known short cut. It was only about 40 feet long, but it was by far the most common route used by both students and residents.
He checked his watch when he was about half-way through, just as two lanky figures made their way towards him. He smiled and nodded to them in greeting, not noticing the knife in one of the figures' hand. As he passed them, he felt a sharp, but blunt, pain to his lower-abdomen.
He frowned and glanced down, and that was when he fell to his knees, dropping the signs that were being held up in his arms. His hands travelled downwards, touching the penetrated flesh. His eyes widened, as an excruciating pain tore through his body. His other hand travelled to his trouser pocket and pulled out his Nokia 5210, he dialled 999 as and tenderly placed the phone to his ear.
'Emergency, which service' the operator asked calmly, almost as soon as he had put the phone to his ear.
'A-a-ambulance…' Spitelout whispered, his voice barely audible. He was losing a lot of blood, and he wouldn't be able to stay conscious for long.
The phone was redirected through, and now another man spoke. 'Ambulance service, what is your emergency?'
'I...I've been stabbed...in the stomach,' he coughed loudly, spitting out some blood. 'I'm in the shortcut between...Heath Lane and… Common Lane…' He dropped the phone and slumped forward, the last thing he saw was his watch, reading the time 2:15pm. A lone tear fell from his eye as he gradually lost consciousness.
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I stumbled through the trees of the school's forest, assuming that the wolf would be nearby. I'm not sure why I assumed this, as the wolf's last spotting was over two road crossings away. I mean, the wolf had only been sighted near the school.
I glanced down at my left hand, the one that held the knife I picked up from the school canteen. It was blunt, but at least it would protect me. In my other hand I held a small notebook, there it had a map of the forest and possible den sites. I glanced down at my map, sighing as I realised I'd passed every known den, plus even a few more.
'Damn it…' I whispered, 'I'm never going to find that wo–' a loud snap and pained whimper made me pause. I gripped my knife harder, I could feel my knuckled turning white. My breathing became deeper and faster, as I slowly began to turn. My eyes widened as I saw what had made the noise. It was the wolf.
The wolf curled around itself, trying to reach its tail. Loud whimpers being emitted from deep within its throat. I ducked behind a boulder, peering around nervously at the wolf. Then I saw it. A large trap, caught around the base of its tail, rather than its leg.
My eyed widened further, and I began to stare at the wolf. It was a magnificent beast. He had large, broad shoulders and a thick, muscled body. Its head was mostly round, which I thought was rather uncommon, and it had these piercing green eyes, also very uncomm–wait...those eyes...they're staring at me.
I gulped, my hands shaking. I dropped my notebook and stood up. The wolf growled at me, but I ignored him. I raised my knife and pointed it towards the jet-black wolf. It snarled, trying to stand; whimpering as the pain from its tail ripped through its body like a wildfire.
My knife glistened as I raised it above my head. 'You're stuck,' I growled, gripping the knife firmly with both hands. 'I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna cut out your heart and show it to the world. I am the one who'll kill you! Not Snotlout, not Astrid. Me.' The anger, the hate, the need to stop the outrageous bullying that I was subjected to every day. It would all stop...after this, it would all stop.
The wolf whimpered as I glanced down at it, I noticed the pained expression it was giving me, which mirrored my own. But its eyes...its eyes were so full of fear. I can't believe it. He's me. I stared at it, a determined look plastered over my face, it stared at me, pain and fear written across its own. The wolf closed its eyes, and resigned itself to its fate. It waited for Hiccup to strike the blow. And waited...and waited.
I moved back, the knife in my hand falling to the ground. 'I did this…' I whispered. I led him towards me, I made him get his foot caught...it was all my fault. If only I could do something.
My eyes widened again, when I realised I could. I stepped forward, the wolf in front of me whimpering. I reached down and put my hands around the trap. Quickly, I pulled it apart, the mechanism breaking. The wolf's eyes opened suddenly, and his head moved towards its tail. That's when we locked eyes again. Oh god...he was going to kill me.
The wolf snarled angrily, making his way towards me. I tried to back up, but the wolf pounced on me. I tried to scream for help, but nothing left my mouth. It was the end. The wolf's large jaws opened and I stared, for just a moment, into those powerful green orbs. Just before the jaws came down on my neck, the world went white.
Hiccup gasped loudly and sat up. He was breathing heavily, and he noticed that he was drenched in sweat. 'Oh god...it was just a nightmare…' he whispered. Rubbing his temples with his hand. He glanced at his clock, realising that it was 2:20pm, and that he was going to miss his last class, English. He didn't really want to go to English, but he was not going to let Astrid get even more annoyed at him.
Hiccup jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. How could I have overslept for that long? He went to wash his face when he noticed blood on his chin, he frowned. 'Must've had a nose bleed…' He quickly washed the blood off his face and quickly to put on a fresh uniform.
Before he set off, he paused; leaning against his sideboard for support. He thought about the wolf, and its large green eyes. 'It was just a dream, Hiccup…' he reassured himself. 'It was just a dream.' He stood up straight again, grabbed his bag, and opened the door.
As he made his way to school, he noticed an ambulance and a number of police cars driving past his private drive, along Common Lane. He frowned, wondering what was going on. 'Maybe they found the–' he paused, images of the those eyes. Those big, green eyes. He shook his head. 'No, that didn't happen.'
He shook his head, clearing all thoughts, and made his way back into school.
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The last lesson of school seemed to drag on forever. All Hiccup could think about were the eyes of the wolf. How stunning and enticing they were. His exhaustion from earlier had faded, not that he could remember it why he was exhausted in the first place. He still had himself convinced that it had only been a dream.
When the teacher reminded them that they had only a day to go until their Heroes project was complete, Astrid huffed in annoyance. 'That means I have to go home with Hiccup…' She glanced to her left, watching blue lights flashing in the distance. By the time her attention had returned to the classroom, the teacher was already telling them to pack up and go home.
'Remember guys, keep a look out for the wolf. If you see it, scream at the top of your–' the teacher was interrupted, as a man wearing a senior police uniform entered the classroom.
'Afternoon, ma'am. Is Scott Jorgenson around? Goes by the name of Snotlout, apparently.' His voice was soft, but could quite easily become stern. It sounded more like a Welsh city accent more than anything.
Snotlout stood up. 'I...I'm here...am I in trouble?' he asked, slowly making his way towards the police officer. He looked quite nervous, and began playing with his fingers behind his back.
'No, Mr Jorgenson, it is a lot more serious than that. We will need to go to the hospital.' Snotlout's eyes widened, and he quickly followed the police officer out of the classroom; desperate to know more.
The room was silent for a few moments, before the teacher finally broke the silence. 'Uh, okay guys. I think...I think you can go home now.'
Everyone in the room stood up, and slowly made their way to the door. Just before Hiccup could slip though, a soft hand planted itself on his shoulder and pulled him back roughly. Hiccup turned to see who was pulling him back, and gulped when he saw it was Astrid.
'Oh, hi Astrid…' he muttered quietly, immediately looking down at the floor.
'Hiccup, we need to finish the project,' she informed him, crossing her arms and giving him an inquisitive stare. 'It's nearly done, just...I think the teacher will work out that it was just my work…' That wasn't the real reason she wanted his help, she knew that Hiccup was one of the smartest kids in the class, and she also knew that they would get a much higher grade with his input.
Without anything else to do that day, Hiccup agreed, and the two of them made their way to Astrid's house. Luckily for them, her house was on the opposite end of Common Lane, meaning that the commotion happening with the incident would not affect their journey. It took them about half an hour, meaning that they got there for about 4pm.
Astrid sat in front of Hiccup, her fingers impatiently tapping her dining room table as they stared down at their...her almost-completed assignment. She glanced up at Hiccup and pushed the paper towards him. 'Here, I've done it, but it just seems…' Astrid struggled to find the right word.
'Lame?' Hiccup offered, and instinctively winced from an expected blow. It never came, instead, Astrid was nodding her head in agreement.
'Yeah, I feel like it's missing something. You know? Like a crucial fact or detail…'
Hiccup stared at the word before him. It was good, in fact it was really good. But it did seem to lack something. Something that would put an edge on it. After a few minutes, he looked up and smiled.
'No mention of how Nicole would have be shunned by the public if she had told police that Larry LaSalle, the hero of the day, had raped her. Even if she had been supported by Francis, he would have been asked why he didn't do something.' He passed the work back to Astrid, who began scribbling down the notes for her to add to her next copy.
It was at that moment he realised that her work had been typed. 'Hey Astrid, what computer do you have?' he asked. The answer he received was quite unexpected. Astrid stood up and pulled his arm, dragging him into what appeared to be a very small study.
Centred in the middle of the room was a brand new, iMac G3. Astrid made this weird giggling noise. 'It's a Mac! Daddy's company gave it to him as he produces posters and stuff. But honestly...this thing is a complete work of art. It's beautiful!'
Hiccup smiled, nodding in agreement, until he felt himself being pushed up against the wall. He looked down in fear as Astrid stood there, almost snarling at him. He tried stepping back, only to realise he was already as far back as he could go. 'A...Astrid?' he asked, the voice almost cracking into a sob. While Astrid had never actually done anything personally to Hiccup that hurt him, she still had a strong reputation for being people up. Oh, and she hung out with the people who did bully him.
'Promise me you won't tell a soul what I just said,' she ordered, her eyes narrowing at the smaller boy in front of her.
'I...I promise...I won't s..say a thing! I wasn't...I wasn't planning to!' Hiccup felt so small, so weak. One minute ago Astrid had been fawning over her computer, now she was pressing him against the wall. And not in the way that he wanted her to.
It was no secret, Hiccup had an absolutely deep infatuation with her. Ever since they first met, he had never looked at another girl like he looked at Astrid. While he wasn't as bad as he was in year 7, he could still end up becoming a blubbering mess in front of her.
'Go home,' Astrid's voice suddenly brought him back to reality.
'Huh?' he responded dumbly.
'I said go home, you've told me what I wanted to know; so you can go now,' Astrid was beginning to look quite impatient again.
'Bu...but what about the pr...project?' he stuttered out, his feet dragging themselves towards the exit
'I'll do it, you've told me what I needed to know. Now go!' she barked, which caused Hiccup to jump slightly. He picked up his bag, said a very quick goodbye, and scurried out the door.
Astrid sighed, leaning back against the wall. While she still found Hiccup rather annoying, he was still quite useful and even rather considerate. He seemed to agree with me about the iMac, I wonder if he likes dogs too. Her lips formed a smirk. Perhaps he'd like a wolf.
Astrid shook her head, not really understanding why she was still smiling. She glanced at the dining room table, and went over to pick up their homework. She pulled away, she glanced at their television. The headline read:
MAN STABBED IN KENT TOWN
She thought that was rather unusual, but when she saw the area the helicopter was hovering over, it made her stomach drop. Her thoughts almost immediately fell to Hiccup, and she secretly hoped that he would make it home safe. She reached for the remote to turn the television up, and gasped when she saw a photograph of Hiccup in a bloodstained uniform. Her mouth opened silently as she heard what the news reporter was saying.
'Police officers believe that this man, expected to be around 15 years old, is responsible for the attempted murder of Jeremy Jorgenson. If any member of the public sees him, they say that you should not approach him, and call 999 immediately.'
Astrid shook her head. She had just been with Hiccup. He had just walked out of the door. Hiccup couldn't murder somebody...he's...well...Hiccup. She scratched her chin, then her thoughts immediately switched to Snotlout. 'Oh, god. THAT'S why Snotlout was pulled out of class. God I hope he's okay...'
Reaching down, she placed their homework on the table, grabbed her keys, and ran out after Hiccup. He had to know. She didn't know the quickest route there, but she worked out that she could get there in about half an hour if she took the long route to get there.
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It took Hiccup about 40 minutes to get home, and when he did finally get there, he felt a wave of exhaustion come over him. 'Must be lack of sleep…' he muttered, walking over to the sideboard and placing his bag on it. He thought about his meeting with Astrid, and how she thought that his input was necessary on their project.
'Maybe she likes me,' he chuckled, blushing to himself at the mere thought of it.
He slowly made his way upstairs, hanging his blazer and tie up on his bedroom door. He was about to start getting undressed when there was a knock at the door. Groaning, he turned back around and trudged down the stairs.
I wonder if it's Astrid? He thought, a grin making its way to his lips. It fell, however, when he opened the door.
Two police officers were standing there, the blue-lights of their car creating a halo-like appearance. Neither of them looked like they were coming round to say hello to his father.
'Henry Haddock?' asked the taller of the two officers.
Hiccup frowned. 'Yes?'
'I am arresting you on suspicion of the attempted murder of Jeremy Jorgenson. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. We also have a warrant to search the premises.'
Hiccup's mouth dropped, and he stared dumbfounded a them. 'You...what?' Hiccup didn't resist when he was handcuffed, choosing instead to stare at the ground. He barely noticed Astrid running up to them as his body was lowered into the car.
As she approached the car, another police officer asked her to move away. She began to protest, until the car with Hiccup in drove away. She stood still, watching as more police arrived to search their house.
Her eyes lingered on the fading blue lights, as the police car pulled out of the private drive and onto Common Lane. What on Earth just happened?
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And just like that, chapter 4 is over. Funny thing is, I'd not initially planned for this to happen. Originally it was going to be the dream - back at school. It was only last night when I decided that I should include this little extra twist.
And you know, I've just realised...this was the longest chapter yet! If you found any mistakes, please tell me. And I hope everyone who reads this can review, too!
(Just one final note – is there anyone out there who would mind making a cover image for this story? It would be greatly appreciated :D)
-CGJ
