Hey guys, me again! I do apologise if this chapter is slightly tedious to begin with, it is a court proceeding after all. However, this is probably going to be one of the longest and most important chapters in the story.

In the last chapter we saw Stoick essentially disowning Hiccup, and Hiccup being charged with murder. Hiccup calls Gobber who brings up a not-like-the-book private solicitor, Thuggory. We also see that Snotlout has the emotional range of something beyond a teaspoon, with most of the school in disbelief. Spitelout is still in a coma at this point.

A big shout out to EquinoxKnight01, Roamerfromaofw, Charles M Nevin, Francesva and blazelight790, who reviewed my last chapter. Thanks guys! I do try to respond to you, although sometimes I forget who I have and haven't (anonymous review responses are at the end) :D.

Note: This story is written in British English and is also set in the United Kingdom, which has both a very different education system, and a very different legal system to the United States. And, exclusively for Equinox, it's set in 1999! :D

Rather amusing true story: A lion is on the loose in Essex, which is only across the River Thames from where this story is set, in Kent (although there is technically a 13 year time-gap).

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. The cover art was generously made by Francesva.

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The Escaped Wolf: Chapter 6

Monday 13th September 1999

A man stood in the centre of an old, gothic room. It was about the size of a large classroom, and had a variety of different sitting areas. The man was wearing a black cloak, which was the appropriate Usher's uniform. He cleared his throat, and bowed to the three magistrates.

'Your Worships, the list in order of appearance, Lucy Netgil – seeking bail, George Tiptone – legal aid, Alisha Morgan – seeking bail, Henry Haddock – seeking bail, Francesca Liticon – legal aid…' his voice went on and on, reading out the list of cases that would be put forward to the magistrates court that day.

Hiccup sat in a back room nervously, he had Gobber to his left and Thuggory, his solicitor, to his right. They had spent over two hours preparing his application for bail, but Hiccup was still scared that it would be rejected. He was up for attempted murder after all.

Gobber, sensing his apprehension, gave him a reassuring pat on the back. 'Don't worry about it, Hiccup. Just think of it this way, if you don't get bail, you won't have to see your father!'

Hiccup gave him an annoyed look. 'He's the least of my problems.' Snotlout's fist appeared in his mind, and he gave a slight shudder. 'Not getting bail is probably better for me, actually.'

'Don't be stupid,' Thuggory interjected quickly, stopping Hiccup's thoughts. 'There is nothing worse than being stuck in prison bloody three months awaiting trial. Plus, you still need to go to school. Much better to stay at school–' he ignored Hiccup's scoff, 'than to get educated in a prison cell.'

Hiccup sighed, rubbing his temple with his thumbs, an annoying habit he had developed since his arrest. He looked up at the door, and bit his lip. Come on, hurry up! He thought, growling slightly in frustration. After a few moments of silence, the door opened, and the Usher marched into the room.

'Henry Haddock, please follow this gentleman to your seat,' he said in a monotone voice. The 'gentleman' he was referring to was a large bulky figure, with the word 'SECURITY' plastered over the front of his shirt. Hiccup followed him into the court, and then into the secure dock, which was like a glass and wooden cage. He motioned for Hiccup to sit, which he did so.

Thuggory was led into the court by the Usher, who pointed him to his seat and went to get the prosecution solicitor. The brief pause allowed Hiccup's eyes to wonder around the room. Ahead of him, but slightly to his left, was where the prosecution and defence would sit. On the other side was the probation seats, which were empty. Most of the court, in fact, as empty. That is, if you ignored the public gallery to his left, which was packed full. Everyone wanted to hear the bail application for the 'boy-that-killed-his-uncle'.

Also to his left, behind a shield of glass, Snotlout sat with his mother, Bertha, who was glaring at Hiccup angrily. What shocked him more was that Stoick was there. His own father was sitting in the prosecution gallery. Hiccup's head dropped the face the floor, and he glanced to the other side of the lower public gallery. Sitting there was Gobber, who gave him a reassuring smile. Hiccup looked ahead, staring at the Royal Coat of Arms, which signifies the power of the Crown.

Eventually, the prosecution took its place, and the Usher announced clearly, 'All rise.' Everyone in the court stood, as the three magistrates, followed by the legal advisor, entered and took their respective places ahead of the Coat of Arms. The legal advisor took his own place in front of the magistrates. Once the magistrates had sat, the Usher motioned for everyone else to sit, too.

The Chief Magistrate, a woman with dark hair, almost vertical glasses and a bent nose, spoke, 'We are now hearing the application for bail for Master Henry Haddock. The defence, please present your case.'

Thuggory stood up, and cleared his throat. 'Your worships, since his arrest, my client has been fully cooperative with the police, doesn't have any prior offences or convictions, is pleading innocent, is under 16 and can easily be confined within certain rules. My client is willing to be restricted to living at his presented home address, and only allowed beyond that to work at his apprenticeship or to go to school. My client is also willing to ensure that he is escorted at all times when not at home or school. My client is willing to pay a surety of one thousand pounds, and offer a security of fifty-thousand pounds.'

Thuggory glanced at Hiccup, then looked back up to the magistrates. 'Your worships, my client is not a danger to the people around him, nor will his security be affected if he is released. My client is studying his GCSE's and he should be allowed to learn in his own school environment. In addition to this, he is already half way through most of his courses, and it would be highly inappropriate for him to have to change his learning environment with some exams only two months away. With regards to the potential problem of him encountering his cousin, Scott Jorgenson,' Snotlout perked up when he heard his name, 'We have been informed by the school that he is showing signs of regret and has informed us that he does not believe my client is guilty. I do not believe that my client is a threat to Master Jorgenson, nor do we believe Master Jorgenson is a threat to my client.'

Thuggory sat down and shuffled about his papers, he gave Hiccup a reassuring smile. Hiccup returned the smile, although his was a lot more nervous. Their attention was diverted by the prosecution, who's representative stood.

'Your worships, this child is very unpredictable. Most people would recognise him as being sweet and innocent, but what is being proven is that he can turn nasty. Like he did with Jeremy Jorgenson, when he is believed to of stabbed him. In this case, it does not matter whether he has any prior convictions or not; this is a case of attempted murder, not shoplifting. In terms of his education, the same educational facilities can be made available at a Young Offenders Centre, meaning his education will not be affected. Security wise, we believe that being in close contact with Scott Jorgenson, or even his own father, could lead to problems. Your worships, we strongly recommend that he is not granted bail, under any conditions.'

The prosecutor sat down and looked up at the magistrates, who nodded to the Usher. The Usher asked that the defendant leave until the magistrates have made their decision. Hiccup nodded and was led out, only to return two minutes later, being informed that the magistrates had already made their decision. When Hiccup was escorted back in, Thuggory gave him a nervous look.

As Hiccup took his place, he stared up at the Chief Magistrate, who delivered their result. 'Master Henry Haddock, we have granted you bail.'

Hiccup let out a huge sigh of relief, wiping the sweat that had formed off his forehead.

'Under the following conditions: You are prohibited from going within 50 feet of the crime scene, you must be escorted to and from school and your apprenticeship with Gerald Butler, as well as at any other point you are outside either your home, workshop or school. Furthermore, you must attend all your lessons and registered after-school clubs, you must report to the police station every Saturday and abide by a curfew. You are only allowed outside of your home from 7 o'clock in the morning to 5 o'clock in the evening during the week, 9 o'clock in the morning to 3 o'clock in the afternoon on Saturdays and 12 o'clock in the afternoon to 5 o'clock in the evening on Sundays. You will not be required to pay a surety but you may have to pay a security if you fail to turn up to the police station. Do you accept these terms?'

Hiccup stood, and nodded. 'Yes, your worships.'

The magistrate nodded, and Hiccup breathed out another sigh. He turned to look a Thuggory, who was smiling proudly; Hiccup gave him a goofy grin. I'm free, he thought, Well...almost.

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Tuesday 15th September 1999

Hiccup rolled in his bed, snuggling into his pillow. He was reentering a pleasant dream when a loud shout was heard above him.

'Wakey-wakey!' Gobber yelled at the top of his lungs, tearing Hiccup away from his freedom.

'Five more minutes…' he mumbled, trying to shut him out.

'No time for that. It's your first day back at school!' Gobber smiled cheerfully, and began walking away. 'Now I'll go prepare some breakfast.'

Hiccup let out a deep sigh, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. 'Oh great...if school wasn't bad enough, now I've got to go as an attempted murderer…' He thought about the arrangement that Stoick had made with Gobber, or more Gobber forced on Stoick. As their house was rather large, Gobber would sleep in the guest bedroom so that he could take care of Hiccup. Because apparently I'm too dangerous to be looked after by my own father, he thought bitterly.

Slowly, he stretched out, making silly little noises as he did so. He sat up, and slowly made his way downstairs. Everything after that went rather quickly. He had his breakfast, with Gobber claiming made a delicious bowl of Coco Pops from scratch; went upstairs, brushed his teeth, got dressed, all in the same pattern he was use to. It was all the same, his routine only differing slightly to what he use to do.

He couldn't help but chuckle slightly when he heard his father shouting at someone on the phone. Something about the 'Red Death' running the country. Of course, his father was referring to the Labour Party. Considering it was they who first brought the wolves in, and the fact that his father was a staunch Conservative, he really wasn't surprised. He thought that, when he returned to school, his life would all go back to normal. Except it wouldn't, he thought, I shouldn't even show my face.

When Hiccup finally arrived at school, he immediately realised he was right. He was taken to the school-gate by Gobber, before being let free to roam the school. It didn't take long for the name-calling to start.

'Murderer!'

'What did he ever do to you?'

'It's a shame you couldn't stab yourself!'

Hiccup moved through the crowds quicker, desperately trying to reach the other side of the school, where his first class would be. The taunting didn't stop, though, and it only seemed to get worse the closer he got to his class. The school's pips sounded, and gradually the crowd surrounding him began to clear.

Hiccup made his way through the dispersing crowd, only to come face-to-face with the one student he did not want to interact with.

'Hello, Hiccup,' Snotlout snarled, his hands balling into tight fists, 'Or should I say...attempted murderer!'

Snotlout's loud shout made everyone stop and look at them, some quite fearful, others eagerly anticipating the very one-sided fight that was about to ensue.

'S..Sn...Snotlout...I didn't do it,' he whispered, his eyes wide with fear. He had never seen Snotlout this angry before. Sure, he had seen him lose at something, and Snotlout hated losing, but this was real. Snotlout was absolutely furious.

'Oh yeah? Then why do the police think you did?' His voice was now dripping with venom, and Hiccup took an involuntary step back. Snotlout stepped forward, Hiccup stepped back. They continued that routine until Hiccup's back was against the wall, with absolutely nowhere to go.

Snotlout raised his fist, ready to beat the living daylights out of him. 'This is for my father!' he barked, before his fist projected forward; only for it to be stopped by a much smaller, but a very firm, hand. Hiccup, who had began cowering against the wall, looked to see his saviour.

'Snotlout, stop,' Astrid ordered, pushing his fist back. 'Leave him alone. You know they haven't decided if he did it.'

'I did–' Hiccup was about to interject, but with a flick of her hand, Astrid told him to be quiet.

'He tried to kill my dad…' Snotlout whispered, now staring sadly at the floor. 'Why would he do that? He never did anything to hurt him.'

'I didn't do–' Hiccup was once again about to interrupt, but now a chorus of 'shut ups' made him do so again. Obviously Snotlout had already had one of these mental breakdowns, because it seemed as though his friends all knew what they were doing.

As a teacher approached, the crowd dispersed, leaving Hiccup to stand there on his own. He sighed, wiping the sweat off of his forehead, then made his way slowly to class; which they were all running late for anyway. As he made the final leg of his journey, he began thinking about the wolf. I had to of met him…how else would I have got all that blood on my clothes? Most of the day came and went, with Hiccup too caught up in his thoughts to pay attention.

It was just before lunchtime when Hiccup finally made his decision. He would try to visit the wolf...again. But he didn't want to kill it, he wanted to perhaps...reconcile? Capture it and prove that's where the blood came from? He really didn't know what he was going to do to the wolf, Maybe I could adopt it? Hiccup mentally scoffed, Like a wolf would let you adopt it.

That lunchtime, Hiccup asked for a considerable amount of chicken at the school auditorium. When the dinner lady gave him a strange look, he replied by saying that it was the nerves. He sat in a far corner, his food concealed by a large pole that held the roof up, and began eating quietly.

As usual, he ate all his greens, all that stuff they tried to tell him was potato, but left quite a large portion of chicken on his plate. Hiccup glanced around the room, to ensure that he was not being watched. Satisfied, he got out a few tissues from his pocket, and wrapped them around the chicken. Glancing around again, he stuffed the chicken in his bag, and got up.

Astrid frowned, she had been sitting with Snotlout and the rest of the gang when she noticed Hiccup looking nervously around the room. She couldn't see what he was doing, but she noticed he stuffed something into his bag. Does that kid have a death wish? she thought, watching as he stood up and quickly made his way to the door, leaving his plate behind.

Hiccup walked as fast as he could towards the field that sat next to the school's forest. Luckily for him, the weather was warm enough for it to be open. He slipped passed the teachers, who probably wouldn't let him onto the field, and managed to distance himself enough from everyone else so that no one would notice him slip away.

Once he was just out of sight, he began running. He ran around the outer-edges of the forest, before finding a spot of blood on the ground. He smiled, then began following the blood tracks towards where he now knew the wolf attacked him.

As he followed the blood-spilt path, Hiccup began reciting his journey home, how he stumbled into various trees and seemed to have absolutely no idea where he was going. It was still mostly a blur, but some points of his journey had become quite vivid.

Lost in thought, Hiccup hadn't realised he had arrived at his destined location. 'Wow…' he muttered quietly, 'A lot of blood…' Hiccup stepped forward to inspect the blood further, but halted when he heard a growl form behind him.

Eyes widening, Hiccup turned to face the wolf. He took some time to stare at the creature in front of him, it looked absolutely stunning. How can anyone want to hurt this thing? He stared deep into the wolf's unusual green eyes, those glowing orbs seemed to penetrate deep into Hiccup's soul. He was completely transfixed.

And then it was over.

The wolf turned away, trotting awkwardly back to the denser part of the forest. As he watched it leave, Hiccup noticed that the base of its had swollen dramatically. He stood there for a few more seconds, watching It leave, before speaking up.

'Wait!' It was more of a squeak than anything.

The wolf turned to look at Hiccup, and growled when he took off his backpack and opened it. With a surge of confidence, Hiccup pulled out the chicken, and threw his bag away from them.

The wolf stared at him quizzically, sniffing the air. Its ears perked when it smelt what was in Hiccup's hands. It watched as Hiccup slowly moved down to the ground, unwrapping the chicken and presenting it to the wolf in front of him. The wolf sniffed the air again, and slowly approached, but growled at Hiccup's hands.

Hiccup frowned, then realised that the wolf must've thought the tissue could hurt him. He smiled, and pulled the tissue away, letting it whisk away in the wind. He then crossed his legs, making him look harmless, Not that it's that hard, Hiccup thought.

Satisfied, the wolf approached Hiccup again, still incredibly cautious. Hiccup recalled that the animal looked a lot thinner than when he last met him. 'You must be starving...being out here with no food and a damaged tail must feel like you've become toothless…' Hiccup yelped when the wolf bit the food out of his hand, and began attacking it viciously. It looked as though it were going to finish it, but it picked up the last piece and deposited it in Hiccup's lap.

Hiccup stared at the piece of chicken for a few moments, before looking up at the wolf. He noticed that it had sat back on his haunches, and it was looking at Hiccup expectantly. He wasn't sure what to do, so he glanced at his surrounds. His head returned to the wolf's when he heard a snort.

The wolf pointed its head at the food, then back up at Hiccup.

Hiccup looked down, then back up. He let out an exasperated sigh, before slowly picking up the saliva-and-dirt-covered chicken and biting into it.

God it's horrible! He presented the chicken to the wolf again, but the wolf made a swallowing motion. Oh no, he wants me to swallow… He paused briefly, then swallowed the food. The wolf may as well have regurgitated it.

Hiccup placed the chicken on the ground, then reached up to pet the wolf. It snarled and ran off, jumping up on a rock and curling up. Hiccup smiled when he noticed the sheath near his tail. Okay, so it's male. More likely to kill me. He stood, and slowly approached the wolf again. His head looked up, then went back into his stomach, growling irritably.

Hiccup continued his approach until the wolf looked back up at him. Quickly, Hiccup turned around and walked back to his bag, with a sly smirk forming on his face. As he checked his watch, the wolf trudged off to sit somewhere else.Hiccup noted he still had about twenty minutes until the end of lunch, giving him plenty of time to spend with his new...friend.

Although he wanted immediate contact, Hiccup decided that it would be best if he let the wolf trust his presence. He walked up to the now-unoccupied rock, and took out his notebook. For the next 10 minutes, he drew the wolf, who he had started calling Toothless. Before setting aside his notebook and picking up a stick. He leaned forward and pressed it to the ground, hoping to see if it would draw his attention.

As the drew the outlines of the wolf's face, he felt a presence behind him. He gulped, thinking that he had been caught by a teacher, until an animal-like snort was heard. Phew...it's only Toothless. Wait… Hiccup turned his head, but noticed that Toothless was staring at the drawing on the ground. Hiccup suppressed a smile, and continued drawing him.

Toothless watched Hiccup draw for a bit, then it seemed an idea had struck him. He jumped off the rock and bit hard into a larger stick, tearing it from a tree. Hiccup watched curiously as Toothless put the stick to the ground, much like Hiccup himself had done, and began to scrap it, creating a line in the ground. Is he drawing?

Hiccup's curiosity intensified as Toothless spun around in many directions, creating circles and unrecognisable patterns in the ground. After circling Hiccup a few times, Toothless finally dropped the stick, looking proud at his...drawing?

Hiccup jumped off the rock, then began to walk forward. On his third pace, he heard a low growl, which caused him to look down. His foot was touching one of the lines, so he lifted it. The growling stopped. Hiccup looked at the wolf as he slowly placed his foot back down on the line, which caused the growing to start again. He lifted his leg, and it stopped. He placed it on the line one last time, and Toothless let out a snarl. Quickly, Hiccup lifted his leg and placed it on the other side of the line, causing the Wolf to let out a sound of satisfaction.

Hiccup smiled briefly at Toothless, then began navigating his way through the maze of lines. Step after step his journey turned into a dance of curiosity. He crossed the final line, but paused. He felt the wolf's presence behind him. Slowly, fearfully, he turned around to see Toothless sitting back up on the rock, staring at him.

Hiccup stared at him for a few more seconds, his eyes widening in wonder as he reached forward. Toothless seemed to flinch away and growl, but Hiccup ignored him. His hand extended further, only to be met with a snarl. Hiccup's arm retracted, and he resigned himself arm to his fate. He looked away and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, his arm extended again towards the wolf.

There was a brief pause, Okay, he's gonna bite– He sucked in another breath as he felt a wet nose press against his palm, already wincing from a nonexistent pain. But nothing happened, he felt no pain. His head turned in surprise, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Toothless' nose was pressed against his hand, his eyes closed.

Hiccup watched the wolf's eyes opened again, and slowly pull away from his hand. Toothless snorted, jumped off the rock and trotted away.

Hiccup stared after it, and remained standing there for another minute, contemplating what had just happened. He glanced down to his hand, still partially in shock. The moment wouldn't last, however, as he noticed the time.

'Shit!' he growled, turning and rushing to his bag. He zipped it up, and went off to his tutor period. Once again needing to slip past the teachers and avoid the crowd.

He made it there without much bother, but he couldn't take his mind off of what had happened. He would never forget this day.

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Boom! And another chapter is complete. Over 4,455 words. That certainly has brought my average up.

Anonymous review responses:

Charles M Nevin: Thanks for your review. I had considered a situation like that, however, if Hiccup were to escape and run, he would be breaking the law. Hiccup actually being sent down is not something I want happening (which would undoubtedly happen in the event that he escapes from police custardy). BUT, there may be a point in the future where something similar occurs. It just won't really involve the police.

Notes and such: Now I know Gobber is voiced by Craig Ferguson (David Tennant makes a much better Gobber :P), but I thought Gerald Butler's name suited him more. As you can probably tell, I used the 'Forbidden Friendship' scene here. But no matter how much I tried, I just didn't think I recreated the magic…and no innuendo was intended with Hiccup discovering Toothless' sex! Although, him smiling about it was a bit creepy.

Note: If you've been unable to read the writing on the cover image (by Francesva), it reads: 'Escaped Into Freedom – The Escaped Wolf'.

I hope you can find the time to review, even a small message is appreciated. It really helps to keep me motivated and to continue writing these chapters. It'd also be nice if people, like the one above, offer suggestions for future chapters. I may not implement them, but I will certainly consider them. Oh, and please do point out any mistakes.

-CGJ