Thank you all for the reviews!
aubreyabraham97- Oh, I didn't notice before I started. I read through your story and I think it's really good! Hopefully you don't think I'm stealing your idea. I'm planning to go a pretty different direction with the story.
Animal Lover: Hiccup is 15 right now.
Anyway, hopefully you guys like this chapter! It may take me a little while to get out the next one, and it'll probably be a bit shorter, but I'll try my best to get it out soon.
Stoick ran out of the meeting hall to see what the commotion was.
"Dragons! A whole flock of them!" someone yelled.
Great, just when I thought I could take the evening off. Stoick thought.
"Stoick," said Gobber, tapping his friend's shoulder. "Your house."
Stoick's eyes grew wide with fear as he saw the smoke escaping form his rooftop. Hiccup.
He ran, pushing a few Vikings along the way. "Hiccup!" he yelled as he barged into the house. He ran upstairs and saw the massive hole in the ceiling of Hiccup's room. Somebody had put out the flames. It must have been Hiccup, who else could it have been? Stoick relaxed for a moment before his worry crept back. If Hiccup isn't here, that must mean he's out there!
Stoick went the cupboard and pulled out his trusty hammer before running outside. The other Vikings already started putting up a defense. A group of men were trapping Gronckles in nets, holding their mouths closed so they couldn't fire. A female warrior was battling with a Deadly Natter. The dragon fired its spikes, but the woman dodged and dug her sword into the beast's neck.
Stoick saw Spitelout near the catapults and rand towards him.
"What's the status?" Stoick asked.
"We have the sheep stashed in a shed near the arena, and the yaks are hidden near the west gate," Spitelout replied.
"Good. What are we facing?"
"Gronckles, , Nightmares , Timberjacks, you name it. There's even a Snaptrapper attacking the east gate!"
"And Night Furies?"
"You ask me this every night Stoick. We haven't seen a Night Fury in fifteen years! They're probably extinct by now."
"Oh, they're out there," Stoick assured, "I just know it. Load the catapults."
Stoick fought his way to the central plaza, smashing a few Gronckle bones along the way. The thrill of killing dragons he once felt was long gone. Now he just wanted them all gone so that Berk can finally live in peace, and his son could finally be safe.
Just as Stoick was about to crush a Deadly Natter's skull, a large body tackled him, sending him tumbling down a hill. Stoick quickly got to his feet and stared down his opponent. It was a large dragon, larger than any he'd ever seen. Its four wings were stretched out, making it look even larger. Tts owl-like head cocking side-to-side, searching for any weak points. Stoick stood his ground, waiting for an attack. From the corner of his eye, he saw two large fireballs heading towards him. Stoick ducked just in time and tossed his hammer at one of the assailants. The devil set a trap, he thought.
A Gronckle whined in pain as the hammer stuck its hind leg. Before Stoick could react, the large dragon charged. Three wings pinned his limbs; the claw on the fourth wing dug into his right shoulder. The dragon reeled its head back, ready to fire. Stoick freed his leg and kicked upward, striking the dragon in the jaw and forcing fire to erupt in the air. He delivered another kick to the dragon's chest, forcing it to back off. Stoick retrieved his hammer and charged at the dragon, swinging his weapon at full force. The dragon sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow. The hammer crashed on the ground, creating a small crater in the earth.
Stoick was breathing heavily. The wound on his shoulder and the exhaustion from the battle were taking their toll; he didn't know how long he could hold out. The dragon stared at him for a moment before letting out a low, grumbling roar. To Stoick's surprise, it then turned around and flew away. The dragons around it followed suit. Retreating? Why?
Then Stoick heard it: a familiar high-pitched noise coming from the sky. No.
"NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!' A flash of blue erupted from the sky and a catapult burst into flames.
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"Good to see you lad, but aren't you supposed to be inside?" asked Gobber.
"You know me, can't keep all this raw Vikingness inside," said Hiccup as he entered the forged.
"Ah, of course. Well, I guess I can use your help. Grab your apron and get started on sharpening those axes over there."
"On it." Hiccup grabbed a large ax and started grinding it against the sharpening stone. He peered out the window, watching the Vikings battling the ferocious dragons, longing to be out there fighting with them. A fireball fell from the sky, striking a shed. The other teens were quickly on the scene, throwing buckets of water on the fire. Astrid turned to towards Hiccup's directions, prompting him to shift his gaze downwards.
"So, how's Astrid?" asked Gobber, surprising Hiccup and nearly causing him to fall out of his chair
"Erm, she's fine. Why do you ask?" Hiccup asked, trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt.
Gobber chuckled. "Common lad, I know about the pendant you've been making for her. How'd she like it?"
Hiccup blushed. "She liked it."
"Oh? Then what?"
"Then she kissed me." Hiccup could feel his cheeks grow even redder.
Gobber laughed. "Atta boy! I'll be sure to bring you something nice for your wedding day!"
Hiccup laughed nervously. "Yeah, don't think that's going to happen, considering how she called me a useless loser and that she'd never be with me."
"Oh…" Gobber's smile faded. "Well you know, she might not of meant it."
"She seemed pretty sure."
Gobber took a minute to think. "You know, there are plenty of fish in the sea."
"Yeah, there are, what, two girls my age on Berk? One hates me and the other one thinks I'm a loser. Odds are I'll get a girlfriend in no time!"
Gobber sighed. "Listen Hiccup, love is complicated. I know your first love may seem like the most important thing right now, but you're still young. So what if this thing with Astrid doesn't work out? You'll find someone who likes you for you."
"You mean someone who wants a walking fishbone?"
Gobber shook his head. "I mean someone who will look past that, and see the kind, clever lad I've come to know over the years."
Hiccup put on small smile. "Thanks Gobber, that helps."
Gobber face looked puzzled. "Was that sarcastic? Cause you know I'm not good at catching that."
Hiccup shook his head. "I mean it. My Dad and I don't really talk about this type of stuff. It's nice to know you're here for me."
Gobber put on a huge grin. "Any time lad." He began whistling a merry tune as he got back to work.
Hiccup finished sharpening the last axe when a high pitch noise filled the room.
"Is that what I think it is?" said Gobber just as a flash of blue erupted from outside.
"Night Fury," Hiccup whispered.
"They need me out there," said Gobber, exchanging the hammer on his arm for an axe. "You stay. Right here."
Hiccup waited for Gobber to get out of sight before running to the back of the forge and unsheathing the Mutilator. This better work. He wheeled the contraption outside, carful to avoid the battle and attract any unwanted attention. He reached the seaside cliff and aimed the weapon at the sky. Common, give me something to shoot at. A high-pitched noise filled the sky, followed by an explosion as a plasma blast struck a catapult. He saw the vague outline of a dragon and fired. The dragon in roared pain before crashing into the forest bellow. I did it!
"I did it!" Hiccup yelled aloud. He, Hiccup the useless, had downed a Night Fury, the king of dragons. "Didn't anybody see that?" He turned around to find a Monstrous Nightmare staring him down. "Except you."
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"Hold them down!" Stoick yelled. A group of men were wrestling three Deadly Natters to the ground. Stoick grabbed a net and threw it on top of the dragons.
"They're retreating," said Spitelout, pointing to the mass of winged bodies in the sky. Many of the dragons carried off sheep and yak, only to drop them into the ocean once they flew over the cliff. "I don't understand, they don't even eat them!"
Stoick shook is head. "They're devils, there's no point in reasoning with them. What did we lose?"
"About forty sheep and thirty Yak. We're cutting it close."
Stoick sighed. "I'll go see if there are any stragglers." He walked towards the cliff side and saw a silhouette of a dragon running on a hill. It appeared to be chasing something, a small boy. Hiccup! Stoick ran, snatching a sword from a fellow Viking along the way. He saw the dragon fire, the boy barely finding cover behind a pillar. Before the dragon could unleash another burst, Stoick swung his sword, slicing a gash across its face. The dragon whined in pain before turning around and flying away.
Stoick turned to his son. "Sorry Dad," the boy said, his head hanging in shame. The pillar he was standing behind fell over, destroying a few building and allowing the netted Nadders to escape. Stoick grabbed his son by the collar and started dragging him across the village. The other villagers started to gather, but Stoick didn't care, he was far too angry to care.
"Dad, I know this looks bad, but you have to listen to me. I hit a Night Fury! I mean it this time! I-"
"Enough!" Stoick yelled. The boy went silent. "I told you to stay inside! And now, thanks to you, half the village needs rebuilding."
"It's not that bad Dad, just a few-"
"Not that bad! Hiccup, winter is coming, and I have an entire village to feed and we have barely enough to go around. Do you want the village to starve, is that your plan?"
"No, but I-"
"But here you are, making up stories about Night Furies! Do you not understand how serious this is?"
"I know it's ser-"
"But no! You can't listen; you're incapable of it! What were you thinking?"
"I just wanted to be a Vik-"
"A Viking?" Stoick was now yelling at the top of his lungs. He had enough of the boy's excuses. "Hiccup, you are NOT a Viking, nor will you EVER be one! You think you can do all these things but you CAN'T, you just CAN'T, so STOP!" Stoick was breathing heavily when he finished, his face flushed red with anger.
Hiccup's eyes darted to the ground. His father never yelled at him before, not like this, not in front of everyone. Useless, he's calling me useless. Hiccup curled his fingers into fists. He could feel his body shaking, fighting every urge to fall to his knees cry. He felt angry, hurt, but mostly angry. "I hate you," he finally muttered.
Stoick's scowl faded. He felt the words stab into his heart like a thousand daggers. His anger was gone, replaced by hurt and guilt. He didn't know what to say, so just continued blankly staring at his son.
"Erm, I'll take him home," said Gobber, leading the boy away from the crowd.
"Wow, I've never seen someone mess up that badly," said Snotlout with a smug smirk. He expected a sarcastic remark, but Hiccup stayed quiet. Snotlout's smile faded. "Hey, you know I was just-"
"Give him some space," Gobber interrupted. Snotlout nodded and took a step back.
Astrid watched as Gobber led Hiccup back to his home. She wanted to say something, but she stayed quiet. Coward, she thought to herself.
Gobber waited until they were at the door before speaking. "Listen, Hiccup, your dad can be difficult sometimes, but you have to know that he lo-"
"I'm just tired Gobber," Hiccup interrupted. "I'm just going to go to bed."
Gobber sighed. "Alright lad. Let me know if you need anything."
Hiccup nodded then slipped into the house. He made his way into his room and slumped on his bed. He tried to fall asleep, but his mind kept wandering back to all his past screw ups. Like the time he flooded the village trying to build that irrigation system, or the other time he nearly set his home on fire after trying to lure a Deadly Natter into his dragon trap during a raid. And every time his father would have that same disappointed scowl.
Hiccup sighed and turned to the plaque on his bedside. He read the words "Never Give Up." How could he if, no matter how hard he tried, nothing would get better. He sighed and lay on his back. "Maybe I should just go away," he muttered. Hmph, I've never even left Berk, where would I go?
He stared out the hole in the ceiling, looking at the starry night sky. It was serene, as if it weren't filled with fire and chaos less than an hour ago. If only I could be out there. Flying, free, like dragon.
Hiccup jolted up. "The Night Fury," he whispered. There was still a chance to fix everything. He grabbed the plaque and kissed it before running outside, determined to kill his first dragon.
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Ok, you can do this. Astrid stood in front of the door to Hiccup's house. Most of the fires in the village had already been put out, so the teens were free to sleep while the adults finished cleaning up the debris. Astrid couldn't sleep, however. She couldn't stop thinking about Hiccup; about how hurt he was and how she was responsible.
She finally built up enough courage to knock. After waiting a few moments for a response, Astrid slowly turned to knob and creaked the door open. "Hiccup?" she called softly. She got no response, so she made her way upstairs into his room. She hadn't been in his room, let alone in his house, in years, but everything was just like how she remembered it. The same small, wooden framed bed; the same desk covered with notebooks containing hundreds of sketches; the same beautiful wooden box that Hiccup only trusted Astrid to see Save for the giant hole in the roof, everything felt familiar and safe, something she hadn't felt in past few years.
Astrid sighed. I have to apologize, tonight. But what would that change? Even if he did forgive her, would she suddenly be fine with hanging out with him in public? She still couldn't be with him. He was still the town screw-up, after all, and her pride as a Hofferson was the more important, right? And yet she wanted to be with him, more than anything. It didn't make any sense, but that's what she wanted.
Astrid punched the wall in frustrating, creating a small fist-sized hole. Great, one more thing to apologize about. She shook her head. I have to find him, where could he be. Then she remembered. The Night Fury!
Hiccup was a lot of things, but a liar was not one of them. If he said he shot down a Night Fury, then he believed it, and he would be out in the forest looking for the dragon. That didn't narrow down much, however. He could be anywhere in the woods and there was no way Astrid could find them, unless- the hill! She could see the entire island from the large hill where they would watch the sunset together!
Before leaving Astrid pushed the desk, covering the hole she had created. Hopefully he doesn't notice she thought before running out the door.
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Hiccup stared at the downed dragon, his heart racing. I did it! I took down a Night Fury! This was his chance. If he killed the beast he would no longer be Hiccup the Useless; he would be Hiccup the Viking.
He slowly approached the dragon, clutching onto his small dagger. The Night Fury was smaller than he imagined, about the size of a small yak. Its body was pitch black, almost invisible in the night darkness.
Hiccup jumped back as the dragon let out a small growl. "You can do this," he muttered to himself, "I'm a Viking." He held up his dagger, ready to deliver the fatal blow. "I'm a Viking!"
Then he hesitated, looking into the dragon's large, green eyes. He expected to see eyes of a savage, murderous beast. But all he saw was fear. Hiccup tightened his grip on the dagger. Just do it! But he couldn't. He couldn't stop looking at the dragon's eyes. It was scared, terrified even. Just like him.
"I did this," Hiccup muttered as his arms slouched to his sides. He looked at the dragon again. Its eyes were closed now, waiting for the boy to finish it. I can't leave it like this.
Hiccup started cutting the ropes. It went against everything Vikings stood for, but he didn't care. He wasn't a Viking anyway. He cut the last rope and the dragon leaped in the air, pinning the boy beneath its claw. Hiccup's was breathing heavily, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. I'm going to die. But then he looked at the dragon's eyes. He saw anger, of course, but there was something else. The dragon was thinking.
Then the dragon released him and turned around. "W-wait!" Hiccup called as the dragon tried to fly, only to fall back to the ground.
From the trees, two dragons appeared, their bodies once blending perfectly to the foliage. They jumped on the Night Fury, digging their claws into the black dragon's back. The Night Fury roared and flailed, trying to fight off the smaller dragons. Then a Monstrous Nightmare burst from the tree canopy, slamming down on the black dragon. The Night Fury tried to struggle, but it couldn't push off the larger dragon. The Nightmare then looked at Hiccup, a visible gash running across the dragon's face. It's the same one from the raid.
Hiccup stared in shock. He wanted to run away, but he muscles refused to budge. Before he knew it, he felt claws dig into his shoulders and lift off the ground. He stared down, watching, as the treetops grew smaller. He panicked. "Dad!" he yelled, franticly flailing in legs. "Dad!" he yelled again, still getting no answer. No, don't panic. Not now.
He needed to find make the dragon let go. He looked around and noticed a rope hanging from the dragon's back. He swung his body towards it, barely grabbing the rope with his fingertips. He tried to hoist himself upwards when the rope snapped and something fell towards the ground. A bag? What was a dragon doing with a bag?
"Hey! My satchel! You're going to pay for that boy!" said harsh voice. Hiccup looked up. He saw the underside of a Monstrous Nightmare: a powerful dragon, but not one that is known to talk. His eyes grew wide when he noticed a man, dressed in black armor, riding the dragon! "Knock him out Firebreath!" the man yelled.
The dragon whipped his tail, striking the back of Hiccup's head. The boy felt himself drifting out of consciousness. "Dad," he muttered one more time before everything turned black.
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"That's the last of it," said Stoick, throwing a large piece of wood onto a cart. It had been a long night. At least six houses were destroyed and they had lost at least a third of their food supply. And, of course, there was Hiccup. The boy's words still stung. He hates me. Stoick shook his head to clear his mind.
He saw Gobber walking out of the forge and approached him.
"How are the repair plans going?" asked Stoick
"They're fine," Gobber replied. "We'll start by rebuilding the dock. A lot of the wood is shattered, but luckily none of the ships were damaged. Then we'll get to people's houses, and finally the catapult towers."
Stoick nodded. "That's good, um, keep up the good work."
Gobber smirked. "Ok, spit it out."
"W-what?"
"I told you about these plans no less than half an hour ago, which means there's something else you want to talk about. Hiccup, I'm guessing."
Stoick sighed. Gobber could read him like a book. "It's just, the boy never listens, and it's causing too many problems! And after his little outburst today, I don't know."
Gobber nodded. "Yes, he's always been a stubborn one, just like his father. But I think you're being too hard on him, especially today."
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't notice? Usually after you scold him he just roles his eyes, spits out a few sarcastic comments and starts thinking of his next crazy idea. But today, he was quiet. I could see it in his eyes. It was like a bit of his fire was put out."
Stoick nodded. He had seen it too; he just didn't want to admit it. "What should I do Gobber? He's just so different!"
"That's not necessarily a bad thing. You just have steer him in the right direction. Maybe even put him in dragon training, he may just surprise you."
Stoick gave him a look. "That's not an option. He'll be killed before you let the first dragon out."
Gobber shrugged, but decided not to push the subject. He knew Stoick's views when it came to his son's safety. "Just try talking to him, and actually listening for once."
Stoick grunted. Listen? He's my son; he should be listening to me. But in his gut he knew Gobber was right."I suppose I'll give it a shot. Thanks Gobber."
"Anytime. And you should get that shoulder checked!"
Stoick suddenly remembered the wound on his right shoulder. It had stopped bleeding, but it certainly needed to be treated. "In the morning," he replied before heading back to work.
He helped herd the straggling sheep back to their pens and finished fixing the door to an old shed. Just as he was going to call it a night he saw Gobber hobbling towards him. "Stoick!" the one-armed one-legged man yelled, pointing out to the forest.
Stoick looked in that directing and gasped. Dragons were bursting from the trees. Three were carrying a large black creature with them, and other was carrying a small boy. The boy was yelling something, it sounded like "Dad!"
Stoick recognized the voice. "Hiccup!" he yelled. He ran, faster than he had ever ran before, shoving everything and everyone out of his way. He burst into the forest, the blur of green around him as he trampled through the foliage. "Hiccup!" he yelled again.
"Dad!" The voice was louder now He ran towards it, his mind racing, unable to make coherent thoughts. He heard a THUD as he crashed into a mountain, creating a large crack in the rock. It was a dead end.
"Hiccup!" he yelled, looking up into the sky, but he saw nothing. He felt tears forming in his eyes and the world around him started spinning. He's gone. Hiccup is gone.