How to Train Your Dragon and all characters associated do not belong to Travis Church.

Act 4

The day afterwards, Hiccup was very cautious. He thought that Toothless could have been sleeping in the barn or he could have hid himself in the nearby woods. Either way, he was not safe. The place where the other Dragons resided was absolute hell on Earth, outside of the relocation zones any Dragon could be reported and exported out and possibly killed, hiding in the woods offered no protection against the cold, and at any moment Stoic could walk into the barn and find Toothless sleeping there and he could be reported and killed.

Stoic was the kind of man who would take matters into his own hands. So could he slay him on the spot if he could? Yes, he could do so. But would he do so? Hiccup was not sure.

He stood up from his bed and looked out the window. Toothless was laboring outside, cutting some logs the old-fashioned way: axe in the air, a stump for a table, and gravity. It was very labor intensive, but traditionally sound.

Snapping on his prosthetic, he began to carefully walk downstairs to bid Toothless good morning.

Halfway down the stairs, he was surprised as he saw Stoic walking up to him.

"Mornin son," Stoic gruffly said.

"Yeah, morning."

Stoic brushed his eyes over Hiccup quickly and then asked, "Why aren't ya dressed?"

"Dressed for what?"

"Don't ya remember what today is?"

Hiccup shook his head and then vocalized his confusion.

"Today is ya appointment with tha doc."

"Which one?" This response was very appropriate considering his newest handicap and the numerous medical treatments for gas exposure, possible diseases, poor diet while on tour, and the psychological effects of war.

"Doctor Hedgegrove."

Hiccup brightened up at the name. He was the local Berkian doctor for the past fifty years. It seemed as if he knew every generation by face and every disease by name. He was known, respected, even loved by the community.

"Today's ya appointment with the doc. I'll drive ya there and while ya in the doc's office, I'll run some errands."

"Okay." Hiccup then began to walk upwards to get appropriately dressed.

"And, you'll have to take Toothless."

He stopped in his tracks to turn to Stoic. "Why?"

"I don't," he began to think carefully about his words. "I don't trust him here. Alone."

"He's fine here."

"I just don't want him to," he gestured fantastically, "Ya know."

"No I don't know and I don't think he needs to be babysat while we're away," Hiccup said with an aggressive tone.

"I will not argue with you on this!" Stoic's aggressive tone surprised Hiccup and himself. He took a deep breath and then continued. "Just do what I tell ya. Understand?"

There were not words for this conversation. Hiccup and Stoic were very experienced in this type of encounter. Both would not subside. Both would not compensate. Both would not delegate. No cooperation would be achieved. They both turned around and proceeded with their business and Stoic would have his way. Stoic would always have his way when it came to matters of the family.

Hiccup entered his room and did not bother to close the door. He dug through his closet, which he had the time to organize, and began to methodically choose clothes. He settled on a pair of khakis and a golf shirt that he received for Christmas.

He sat down on his bed and carefully weaved his prosthetic leg through one pants leg and gracefully moved the other leg through the other one. As he put his head through the polo that smelled of dust and stale air, he forgot where he put his tennis shoes. He spent a fair amount of time looking for those shoes and found it underneath his bed.

He smiled as the memories of playing with a few of his childhood friends graced back to him. He was not very good at tennis but neither were they. He chuckled at the images that popped in his head as he began to tie the laces around in a symmetric knot.

In the past, there was a sense of safety and humanity in the world.

But war changes everything.

Hiccup finished dressing himself and then proceeded very carefully down the stairway. Each step was deliberate and precise, no use getting hurt on the way to the doctor's office.

He walked outside and saw Toothless chopping up a large log into smaller logs for firewood. He was sweaty, a little red, and by the looks of it—very bored.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out.

The older man turned to him and asked, "What is it?"

"We're going to the doctor's office," Hiccup had to choose his tone very carefully so he wouldn't create any suspicion as to why the man needs to come with him. "Would you like to come with us?"

"I'm not so sure," the memories of their visit to the town diner still fresh in his mind.

"It'll be a chance to not be outside in the sun." He did not look impressed. "Please?"

There was a moment of uncertainty in Hiccup's mind. Why should this person go with them? There was no purpose, no importance, and no necessary objective to accomplish with his aid. Aside from a legal bond to their family name, there was nothing that could force him to Hiccup's call. But was there? Did they not have a friendship? Did they not have some universal connection that transcends origin, nationality, age, and mortality itself?

And as Hiccup considered their friendship as nothing less of professionalism, Toothless put down the axe and agreed to go.

There was no need of him to go, but yet he did so.

They approached Stoic's rusted truck and Hiccup continued to question Toothless's motives. And as they loaded themselves into the bed, there was no reason why their friendship was pure. They bonded through one person's vulnerability. Toothless bonded to Hiccup because of an obligation to him and Hiccup bonded to Toothless because of an obligation to him. It was a completely symbiotic relationship that was perhaps even platonic.

And when the wheels began to move, Hiccup began to question Stoic's motives. Toothless was in no way able to start a rebellion, there were simply not enough guns or ammo in the house, and he was not emotionally capable of executing one. He had no charisma, he was not very remarkable, and he is in no shape for any violence. The war made him sick of sin and blood.

Toothless had no way to escape Berk. He had no money, the forest would swallow him alive, and Stoic would just hunt him down like an animal.

And yet he needed a babysitter? Someone to watch over him like an all-seeing eye? Did he absolutely need such a thing?

Stoic seemed to think so.

The ride was filled with such confusion; it was if a fog had rolled over Mount Sinai.

They arrived at Doctor Hedgegrove's place of work, nestled on Meno Avenue.

Stoic called out to the two in the back, "I'll be back in an hour. Understand?"

Hiccup nodded in affirmation. And when they exited the truck bed, Stoic gently pulled out into the street and left the two for the good doctor.

The clinic, on the outside, looked like a house with a fairly kept yard and a white picket fence.

Pushing aside the wooden gate, Hiccup walked onto the brick path with Toothless trailing behind him. The glass window read, "Doctor Hedgegrove" and the main door had a sign posted that read, "The Doctor is in."

Hiccup knocked on the wooden door and waited patiently. The brick house looked new and clean but in the back of his mind Hiccup knew the house had existed for generations. Perhaps even since the beginnings of Berk. The idea of a straw hut evolving past all ages humored him.

Then the door opened and a kindly old man, perhaps in his early seventies, smiled to the two people standing before his home.

"Greetings Hiccup," he said warmly. "It has been a very long time since your last check up." He then looked over to Toothless and said, "I have not met you before."

"I would be surprised if you did," he replied distantly.

"When did you arrive?"

"A few days ago."

"Ahh, I see." Doctor Hedgegrove began to rub his wrinkled face. "What is your name Sir?"

"Toothless."

"Toothless what?"

"It is only Toothless."

"I see," the words dangled in the air. "Well please do not linger outside, come in and do take a seat. I have a patient currently and it should not take long before I can address you Hiccup."

Upon entering the little office, Toothless quickly realized that this was a person home: a home that doubled as a clinic. Doctor Hedgegrove turned a corner and then disappeared but Hiccup was not worried. He took a seat upon the couch and picked up the latest newspaper that rested on the coffee table.

"Do you want something? Some cheese?" Hiccup offered to the man. "There's a plate of finger foods here."

Toothless walked over to him and saw a plate decorated lightly with a few slices of cheese, bread, sausages, and even chocolates.

"I'd rather not." Toothless replied as he stood next to the couch.

"Okay then. But you can sit you know."

"I'd rather not."

"But why? Doctor Hedgegrove bought these couches for patients. It's not like you're desecrating an ancient artifact."

Toothless seemed a bit unwilling but he gave into the suggestion and sat down onto the couch.

The older man felt odd in this place. The wooden floors, the curtains, the numerous paintings, even the baby grand piano that sat in the background of the living room; it all felt like opulence. And that aesthetic gave him the strangest feeling. He felt angry, hurt, jealous, small, and useless against the vivid colors and eccentric décor. His debt could easily be paid off by that baby grand piano. So what was he in the eyes of the government? A piano's worth? A few paintings worth? A crate of fine wines worth? It made him furious that someone had the gall to assign him a value. How could they know what he was? But it also made him feel worthless that a person could have the money to replace his existence. He was nothing but a part of a larger machine.

"Hiccup?" The doctor's voice yanked him out of his furor. "I am now ready for you."

"Can my," Hiccup did not know the words to describe Toothless. He did not know whether to say servant, friend, or lie to his face.

"Yes," Hedgegrove said, "He may accompany you."

Hiccup sighed as he did not have to go through the ordeal of explaining Toothless's condition to the doctor.

The three turned a corner of the house and entered a room coated in white. White tiles, white walls, white curtains, white bed sheets, white everything. Everything was clean and simplistic unlike the living room that Toothless had to endure.

"So how long has it been since our last checkup?" Hedgegove asked as Hiccup took a seat on the patient's chair.

"Three years maybe?"

"Hmm," he took out a file with Hiccup's name neatly written on the tab. "Yes that seems about correct. Well, let us have a look see."

Hedgegrove was very methodical about the examination; he started with the head and worked his way downwards and every time he asked a question he was direct and to the point for answer.

"So how is the farm?" The doctor asked when he disposed of a glove.

"Not bad."

"I see you have some helping hands over here."

Hiccup looked to Toothless who was busying himself with a manuscript about good hygiene. "You could say that."

"Is he an indentured servant?"

"Yes," Toothless interjected, "I am."

"Hiccup and Toothless, are you interested in a small lesson?"

They both looked at each other and nodded.

"Please follow me."

They walked out of the examination room and into the living room. They turned a corner and into what must have been the doctor's office. Numerous maps and books were in the room and they watched the doctor walk behind his desk and pull out papers with government seals on them and pictures of children and adults with notes written on the back.

"They are so young, do you not agree?"

"What are so young?" Hiccup asked.

"These dragon children."

The two looked at each other and waited for Hedgegrove to continue.

"When the government realized that both adults and children would be absolved into the nation, the first item on the agenda was to design and locate the relocation districts and to design the school curriculum for the children. The government hired contractors and pediatric psychologists for both tasks. Why? For one reason, to create a generation of indentured servants that would accept their grim fate."

He walked over to numerous maps which hung on the wall, each with the trademark small grey square on the edges of the map. He pointed to a map labeled "Berk" and resumed his speech.

"The relocation districts would be positioned in the worst part of the city or town that would have the longest commute into the city or town but also have the largest amount of isolation while still being within the legal geographic jurisdiction of the local government to collect taxes. Then the schools, no the single room sheds, would be positioned on the opposite end of the city or town. Once in the schools, the curriculum would be designed so that way the children would receive material that is a year above them. Second graders would receive a third grade education and third graders would receive a fourth grade education, so on and so forth. The government also created a new law as for child education: children who fail the year examination shall be held back despite the grade assigned by teachers and children shall only be held back eight times before they are expelled permanently from the school district."

He wandered away from the map and sat down in his chair.

"Imagine waking up in a poorly created home, watching your mother and father barely bring food to the morning meal, walking miles to the bus stop, going on the bus and watching all these other children and families inside the town succeed and live happy fruitful lives, going into school and feeling overwhelmed by the material, go home, compare yourself and your family to the other families who are clearly living more successfully, repeat this until the final exam which you fail miserably, and repeat this process for eight years."

He paused to look outside the window.

"What kind of people would arise of this process? What kind of citizens are we creating? The government created a systematic approach to demoralization and it is working magnificently. I have done a study on a few boys and girls and asked them to choose dolls that appeared to have positive qualities and negative qualities. There is no obvious correct answer, but this test establishes a study to show the child's mindset in respect to race. When asked which dolls were 'smart and handsome', they chose dolls that were paler than themselves. As for the 'dumb and ugly' dolls, they chose dolls that had the same skin complexion as themselves. It is obvious that these children find that the natural born citizens are superior to themselves. These children are taught and bred to fail and so they may one day accept their 'debts' and become modern day slaves. And when that day comes, their humanity and ours as well shall cease to exist."

"Why are you telling us this?" Hiccup asked.

"Because I know you would agree. Hiccup, you are the kind of person who would find information and one day try to climb to the tallest mountain to proclaim it. I know you will one day take this and show it to the world. Show the world the atrocities of our people. Science has the power to harm and to do good. Man created penicillin only a year ago but man also created mustard gas, I am sure you have both experienced these two creations. Man created psychology, the study of the mind and how it operates, and there have been many explanations about how man can be designed to become greater. But with it, there is the ability to understand how man can become designed to become inferior."

He walked over to Hiccup and Toothless.

"I know one day that you shall lead us to the light because you carry this fire, this passion, this deep love for all of humanity. And as of now, the Dragons D'Alacala need someone like you to carry them to their promised land. A land where they deserve to live freely and without the fear of oppression, of demonization, and of neglect."

"But how do you know that I can do any of that? I mean, look at me!"

"Do you not care for this man next to you?" Hiccup looked to Toothless. "Do you not fear what he fears? Do you not love what he loves? Do you not need what he needs? I know that you do not have the inherent ability, the natural ability, to hate and to despise and to scorn. You are a good man with a good heart. And I know that somehow and in some way you shall help these people out of their squalor and destitution."

"But how can you have such faith in me? I'm just some average person in a small town with no one behind me!"

"You also have nothing to lose, everything to gain, and you do have someone who will support you in this task."

"Well? Who is this person?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Then I have no one."

"You will have someone who shall support you. This person can be as young as five or as old as a hundred, this person can be man or woman, this person can be intelligent or a fool, and this person can live in the city or in the rural parts of society."

"So who is this person?" Hiccup asked cynically.

"This person has not been called upon yet, because you have not called upon them. This person, these people all have a moral compass that pulls them to their first and only duty: to protect those who are weak. They do not know or choose not to know. But when you force upon them the images of poverty, the stories of the abuse, the names of the broken, they shall rise in legions and fight a battle that shall be won."

"And how can you have such faith?" Toothless asked suddenly. "How can anyone do any of this? How can you believe," a small tear began to well up in his eye, "How can you believe in something… something so impossible?"

"I have faith because I know it to be true. Anyone has the ability to correct any mistake, but we must be presented with that choice before we can act."

The grandfather clock rang signaling to Hiccup that an hour has passed.

"We need to go." Hiccup pulled Toothless out of the office. "Thanks for the checkup."

"You will lead them. I know you shall." And as Hedgegrove could no longer hear footsteps from the two he whispered to an observer, "Be brave young one, he shall leave your safe arms soon."

The day was done.