━━ chapter one
this is berk

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

━━There are many beginnings to a story. Hiccup could start this story from the very beginning of gods and goddesses and Viking warriors, but even then, there was a beginning to that beginning, too. He could start from the day he was born and survived the cold winters night only to turn into the lanky Viking he was now. He could start from the day his mother was killed. He could start from the day his father realised he wouldn't be the son he always wanted. He could start from the day Valkyrie the Vicious was born, but that was a whole other story in itself. There is never one beginning, but many. So, no, Hiccup won't start from the beginning, instead, he'll start from the part most relevant to the story he's trying to tell.

And so, let him describe his home:

He welcomes you to Berk. To find it, one would perhaps search twelve days north of Hopeless, or maybe a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. But, one could be sure, it is located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. An island quite mountainous and rocky, with arms and fingers of cliffs protruding out of the cool water like hands grasping up to the cloudy sky. The village that resides at the mouth of the island━his village━could be summed up in one, single word: sturdy. It has been around for seven generations, though some argue more (though Hiccup will argue that it's true, considering he has seen all the portraits of the chiefs gone and past). But the most interesting part is that though seven generations have passed on the mountain (and perhaps quite many more generations of flocks of sheep) every single building was new. Weird, right? Well, he hasn't finished, you'll soon figure out why.

Berk is a close village where everyone knew everyone. Everyone knew the wild stories of how Gobber lost his foot and hand, or how Astrid Hofferson once pushed Snotlout off the fishing docks when they were thirteen. Hiccup could say it was true, not because he was there, because he wasn't, but because it was Astrid, and everyone knew of Astrid's anger issues.

Some would describe it as a haven; beautiful, bounteous of food and stock, freshwater streams, resources for constantly new buildings. They had fishing, hunting and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problem he was yet to discuss that might just change your mind, are the pests.

Now, when he says pests, what would you think of? You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. But no, no, no, Berk isn't like that. Here, on Berk, they had━

Dragons.

Most people would leave because that was the logical thing to do. But not them. They're Vikings ... they have━uh━stubbornness issues ...

And the day━or rather, early morning━that everything quite literally changes for Berk started with Hiccup (crazy, right?) believing it was a great idea to sneak out again into the morning battlefield.

The streets of Berk were cobbled with stone, and so they pounded under Hiccups's leather-hide boots. Around him, Berk━as it usually was during the early hours of the morning━was up in flames and filled with the ferocious shouts of Vikings, as well as the roars of dragons in their retaliation. Hiccup might as well have been almost trampled six times at the very least as many villagers he knew bounded past with any weapon they could find━axes, swords, maces, crossbows and shields. The best thing about Hiccup (but perhaps also the worst) was that he was skinny, and small, and the size of a fish-bone, so he could squeeze past the crowd like a fast shadow in the night.

(That and his name was Hiccup. Great name, he knows. But it's not the worst. The parents of Berk believed a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls━Like their charming Viking demeanour wouldn't do that ... oh, and also! He's the third of his name, so yes, there have been two Hiccups before him━and trust him, they had it way better off in the looks and muscle department).

Ducking under a jet of water thrown from a bucket, Hiccup bounced down onto the next landing near the docks of Berk, racing up the wooden planks with his chest heaving. A few fellow Vikings had a double-take as they passed him, shouting usual words like, "What are you doing here?", "Get inside!", "What are you doing out?!" and "Get back inside!"

Dragon raids were a normal routine for those of Berk. In the early mornings, the dragons liked to take upon Berk to steal their stock and fish, and it were the residents of Berk that defended their animals━as well as their lives, too, but that was minor ... it would seem. If you die in battle? Great! Valhalla for you━!

A massive hand grabbed Hiccup by his fur fleece vest, pulling him back and away from a line of fire sizzling past from a nearby dragon. "Hiccup!" the rough voice exclaimed, "What is he doing━?" legs dangling, Hiccup winced at the meaty finger pointed at him, "━What are you doing out?! Get inside!"

Pushed along, Hiccup stumbled. Looking back, he took a moment to marvel at the sight that was Cheif Stoick the Vast. He stood taller than most Vikings, with arms the size of boulders and a skull as thick as iron. Thick red eyebrows and an ever thicker beard muddled with braids, the story was that when he was a baby, he popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders. Does Hiccup believe it? Yes, he does.

With a great big throw, Stoick the Vast sent a dragon tumbling away at the smash of a whole wagon. Satisfied, he turned to a fellow Viking━uh, Starkard, Hiccup believed. "What have we got?"

"Gronkles, Nadders, Zipplebacks, Windstrikers," Starkard replied, fixing his helmet ontop of his fleecy hair. "Oh━and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare."

Woosh! Boom!

Hiccup scrambled away at the explosion. Uh, goodbye Hoark's house for now?

While most Vikings ducked for cover under their shield, Stoick the Vast didn't even flinch. He dusted off the ember that landed on his shoulder plates like it was just a leaf from a falling tree. "Any Night Furies?"

Starkard shook his head, "None so far."

"Good."

And like that━while he was distracted━Hiccup was off at a run again through the chaos. "Hoist the torches!" he could hear amongst the yells, and with throws of lit sticks, the fire-towers were pushed up into the sky. It was meant to keep dragons away, however, they breathed fire, so Hiccup could sense a slight flaw in that plan.

Hiccup finally reached his destination, and slipped into the forges with a relieved sigh. Slamming a hammer on the anvil against a bent sword that gleamed with molten, Gobber the Belch let out a laugh at the sight of his apprentice. "Oh! Nice of you to join the party!" he said. Gobber was a mess of a Viking, but has known Hiccup since he was a babe. He had no left hand, or foot, replaced with stumps. Hiccup fixed up his hand, adding a nice mechanism that allowed Gobber to attatch any weapon or tool to his hand━much like the hammer he used this morning. Unlike Stoik, he was short, but meaty, with scarred limbs and hands. He was fair-haired with two braided strands of blond beard falling down the sides of his rock-like jaw. "I thought you'd been carried off!"

Hiccup snatched up his yak-hide apron and fixed it up around his waist. "Who, me?" he scoffed with a light chuckle. "Agh! Come on━" he reached down and with both hands tried to pick up the nearest mallet, "━I'm way to muscular for their taste━" with effort, Hiccup hung up the mallet on the wall. Once he let go, his arms felt like they could fly. "They wouldn't know what to do with all this," Hiccup gestured to his thin body and showed off his best muscle ... well, lack-there-of.

"Oh, well━" Gobber switched up his tool, "━they need toothpicks, don't they?"

"Very funny," he quipped in passing, rushing to the window and pushing open the wooden flaps. (The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands was honestly the best way to describe Gobber. Hiccup has been his apprentice since he was little ... well ... little-er.).

Immediately, there were Vikings waiting for their weapons to be swapped and fixed. Hiccup handled a pile of swords in his lanky arms, tugging them over to the fire. He dropped them onto the coals and ran to the bellow. With a jump, he used his weight to push the heavy handle down, releasing a burst of air onto the coals, jump-starting the fire.

Oustide, he caught glimpse of another house being set on fire. (See? Old village, lots and lots of new houses). A group of young Vikings, much like him━the same age (a ripe fifteen-years-old) but with a lot more stamina were herded to work in putting out the fires. In a line, they worked to fill up buckets with water, rushing straight to the damage. Those Vikings would include the kids Hiccup grew up with! Well ... sort of ... they grew, he didn't really ... and they kind of just ... pushed him to the side (or rather, into the water off the docks. And no, that hadn't been Astrid that time). There were six of them in total, a strange group of friends, but they stuck together and also liked sticking Hiccup out of that together. There was Fishlegs, a large, meaty boy with not much chin because it was all neck and an eager mind to remember anything he could. Next, in stark contrast, was Snotlout. Snotlout was a mean kid, with an equally mean face and jaw; he liked to hope that one day, Hiccup will get mistaken for a sheep and flown off with a dragon. Then, you had the twins: Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Sister and brother. Annoyance One and Annoyance Two. They had many names and equal temper that could rival Astrid's (mainly pointed at each other)━Speaking of Astrid ... she was perhaps one of the toughest girls on the Isle, and if you told her otherwise, she will dunk you into Old Man Björn's well. And yes, Hiccup can say that from experience. Her beauty was as sharp as the blades of her axe, or the spikes on her armour, or the insults laced with dragon venom on her tongue. Hiccup was scared of her ... just a bit. But the one that scared Hiccup the most, the one that also made him weak on his weak knees, the one that just seemed to walk past the explosion like it was her own personal entourage before she dampened it ... was Valkyrie.

Now, there was Astrid aggressive, and then there was Valkyrie aggressive. She wasn't called Valkyrie the Vicious for nothing. While Astrid may be loud in her anger, determined to show everyone up with a physical, "Come on! Show me! And I'll dig my axe into the back of your head!", Valkyrie was the type of vicious that when she was angry, you couldn't bear to look at her. Her eyes were the fire of a dragon's, and her lips curled up into a sneer that told everyone that they knew they should sleep with one eye open that night. And yet, she would never say a word, never brandish her weapon. She was the form of silent aggression, the aggression that made you apologise and beg for mercy even before she raised a finger. Valkyrie Frode's auburn hair was adorned with braids and beads, coiled together and back off her face. In her hand, she held a mallet much like the ones in the forge, except she could actually hold it, unlike Hiccup. The ends of the mallet were adorned with the teeth of a Monstrous Nightmare her own father had slayed and taken as a trophey. The least to say, it was pretty inditmidating.

Hiccup wished he was out there with them. Their job is so much cooler. But when he desperately tried to climb out of the window, Gobber was there to hook his blade under Hiccup's jacket and tug him back inside.

"Come on!" he whined. "Let me out, please! I need to make my mark!"

Gobber set him down roughly. "Oh, you've made plenty of marks," he said, "all in the wrong places━" he jabbed Hiccup's chest lightly.

"Please," Hiccup tried, "two minutes. I'll kill a dragon━my life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date!" Or, Valkyrie might even notice him, for once other than to push him off the docks.

Gobber stared at him, incredulous. "You can't lift a hammer!" he listed them off. "You can't swing an axe! You can't even throw one of these━" he picked up a bola that was snatched from his fingers in seconds. With a swing, a Viking threw it up into the sky, and another dragon was down.

He has a point. "O━okay, fine," Hiccup rushed back to a machine he built himself━a weapon just for Vikings like him! "But this will throw it for me!" he gave it a pat, and it snapped open. Hiccup yelped and jumped back, watching it throw a bola at an innocent Viking just waiting for his weapon to be swapped. Hiccup winced. Sorry?

"See?" Gobber sighed. "Now, this right here is what I'm talking about!"

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck. He stammered, "I━it━uh━it's just a mild calibration issue━"

"No, Hiccup," he cut him off, shaking his head. "If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons you need to stop all ... this."

Hiccup frowned, "But you just pointed to all of me."

"Yes!" with his good hand, Gobber shoved Hiccup's shoulder lightly. "That's it! Stop being all of you!" (What a great inpsirational speech). Before Hiccup could retort with something smart, Gobber dropped a sword into his arms. "Sword. Sharpen. Now."

He gritted his teeth, but let it be. Lugging the sword over to the spinning stone, he set it down with a determined glare out into the morning light. One day, he'll get out there. Because killing a dragon was everything around here in Berk. A Nadder head would sure get him at least noticed. Those beasts were quick and cunning with a halo of spikes around their head and neck and a tail that most definitely hurt if caught in the chest━or any part of a Viking's body. Gronkles, on the other hand, were tough with skin like rock and a jaw meant to crush those rocks. Taking down one of those would definitely get him a girlfriend. Zipplebacks? They were exotic. Two heads and twice the status, one that shot out a green gass, and the other head to light it. Then there were the Windstrikers. They were large, with spikes all down their spine. They weren't the most dangerous of the dragons fire wise, but they had a nasty ability to sky-dive, snatching up Vikings, fish and sheep before being noticed which evened out the status ground. And then ... existed the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They were large, dangerous, and had a nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.

But the ultimate prize was the dragon no one has ever seen. Ever. And in the night, it's fire could be heard miles away, pitching high in the ears of every Viking, and with it, an immense fear. Following it would be a blast of blue and purple, lighting up the night sky with such damage not many could repair from━any Viking who has seen this dragon, has never lived to tell the tale. And it's name was just as mysterious as it's being, they called it the━

"Night Fury!" echoed from outside. "GET DOWN!"

BOOM!

Hiccup poked his head outside, gaping at the blue and purple sonic blasts that lit up the sky. A Night Fury never stole food, never showed itself, and never missed. No one in the history of Berk has ever killed a Night Fury, and that was why Hiccup intended on being the first.

Leaving the sword behind, he stepped back into the main workshop. He watched Gobber fix an axe to his severed hand. Seeing him, he gruffed out, "Man the fort, Hiccup! They need me out there." With a limp, Gobber hobbled out the door. Hiccup watched him leave, thinking what better chance did he have than now? A thought crossed Gobber's mind, and he glanced back. He pointed the axe at Hiccup. "Stay," he said. "Put. There. You know what I mean."

And with a yell, Hiccup was left alone amongst the chaos. He breathed a grin. Perfect.

In seconds, Hiccup was back out in the fire-lit morning day. But this time, he had some extra help. His machine rattled on the stone ground in front of him as he ran with it to the nearest cliff-face. He heard villagers scream his name, shouting their usual, "Hiccup━!", "━Get back here━!", "━What are you doing, Hiccup?!" but he ignored them all. His brown hair blew in the early wind as he darted in and out of Vikings and dragons. This was it, he told himself. I will kill a Night Fury.

He reached the cliffface, and opened up his contraption with eager speed. Holding it up, Hiccup peered into the morning horizon, eyes narrowed. He knew the Night Fury was out there, but he couldn't see it. Gritting his teeth, he focused harder. He heard it━roaring in the distance.

"Come on..." he muttered. "Give me something to shoot at. Give me something to shoot at ..."

The Night Fury roared once again, and this time, Hiccup knew it was getting closer. Next, followed the dreaded high-pitched inhale, like blades on stone━and then he saw it. A pitch black shadow that obstructed the light of the stars━a patch of velvet in the shape of a dragon; the Night Fury.

Hitching his breath, Hiccup aimed━the squeal got louder and louder, and the Night Fury fired on the watch tower. It the light that followed━the burst of purple and blue, the dragon's figure was illuminated for a second━but a second long enough.

Hiccup let go, and the recoil of the weapon sent him flying backwards onto the grass. The bolas flung into the air, and when he heard the screech━the wail━as the dragon fell down out of the sky and into the woods━well ... it took a moment for him to realise what he had just accomplished.

"Oh━oh━I hit it!" realised Hiccup, and let out a laugh of disbelief. Scrambling to his feet, he threw his hands out in celebration. "Yes, I hit it!" He spun around, eager for bystanders. "Did anybody see that?"

The growl behind him caused his hair to stick up on the back of his neck. Hiccup froze, and with trembling knees, glanced over his shoulder. A gigantic foot stamped on his contraption, and the long snout of a red Monstrous Nightmare sneered in front of him━teeth sharper than nails, than axe blades, than the sharpest blade on this earth.

Hiccup gulped. "Except for you..."

The dragon reared it's long and scaly neck, revealing an underbelly of peached yellow. Hiccup knew that that was his cue to run.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hiccup seriously wished there were less stairs in Berk. Because, in comparison to his lanky, runt of the litter self, a dragon like a Monstrous Nightmare didn't need to take the stairs. It had wings, and a big body, with long legs, and claws with real good crip━and did he mention really sharp claws━OH! AND FIRE!

He barely managed to sprint out of the way, screaming at the top of his lungs for help. For such a large creature, the Monstrous Nightmare manouvered pretty well after him, stepping over it's own molten fire━glowing with heat━to snap at Hiccup with a jaw strength that would most definitely break him in half like a twig if given the chance.

This is it! He thought as he hid behind the stump of a flame tower. I'm going to die. I just shoot down a Night Fury and now I'm gonna die! Great! Perfect! Sounds about right!

His skin seared with heat as the beast's flames licked around the stump of the tower, narrowly missing Hiccup with it's embers and full-on liquid lava. He flinched, but wasn't hurt. Oh, thank Odin... with a racing heart, Hiccup peered out around the burning tower stump, unbeknowest to the Monstrous Nightmare who opened it's jaw for the kill right behind him━

Wham! Came the fist of Stoick the Vast, knocking the Monstrous Nightmare away from Hiccup. Rolling along the cobble ground, the chief landed in a stance in front of the dragon. It roared, but Stoick did nothing except fix up the tilt of his helmet. Hiccup watched, frozen amongst the burning wood that made his nose ache as the Monstrous Nightmare tried to burn Stoick alive, except for his fire to fall short ... to nothing.

He had run out.

Stoick grinned and flexed his muscles, "You're all out..."

With a yell, Stoick the Vast charged at the beast, landing punch after punch against it's snout until it flew away with a screech. Hiccup's shoulders were high up to his ears, watching with a shrunken figure as the chief finally turned back to look at him.

(Oh, and there's one more thing you all probably need to know...)

The wood burned away, and Hiccup was revealed from his hiding spot. The fire-tower fell sideways like a tree in the woods━except much more destructive. Vikings jumped out of the way of the fire as it landed on the cliff walkway, breaking the wood and falling further down to the docks. At each hit, each yell, each scream and curse, Hiccup winced.

Glancing nervously back at Stoick the Vast, he muttered, "Sorry, Dad..."

(Yeah, that's what he forgot to tell you...)

As the morning sun slowly rose over the water and cliffs in the distance, the dragons left Berk with their stock━having a much more successful morning than most ... thanks to Hiccup. He could just feel the glares of all the Viking villagers who had come up to circle around the Chief and his son. He caught glimpse of Valkyrie arriving with the rest of the teenagers, and she had that glare on her face━oh, Odin, she had the glare on her face, Hiccup must sleep with one eye open tonight!

Gulping, Hiccup pointed anxiously over his shoulder and met his dad's furious gaze with a weak, "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury━ah!" Stoick hoisted his son up by the scruff of his fleece jacket and carried him away like some troublesome cub. "It's not like the last few times, Dad! I mean, I really, actually hit it! You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party━"

Stoick let him go by the forge, and turned to him with a sharp, "Stop!" Hiccup jumped, and when Stoick realised how loud he had been, he quickly lowered his voice, "Just stop." (To be honest, Hiccup believed he preferred the shout to the disappointed, stern Viking stop). "Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems?"

Bigger problems than your own son? Hiccup thought to himself glumly.

"Winter is almost here!" continued Stoick. "And I have an entire village to feed!"

Hiccup twiddled hs thumbs and glanced around. "Er━between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't you think...?" Oh, I should have kept my mouth shut.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!"

He stopped himself from shouting back, of course, this isn't a joke! You just never listen to me! But he knew that wouldn't help. Instead, Hiccup's gaze fell down sadly to his boots that shuffled against the burnt cobblestone. Sometimes, Hiccup wondered whether everything would have been easier if he just didn't survive the cold night as a babe. It obviously got it wrong. Hiccup wasn't a strong Viking. He was a disappointment, he could clearly see it all over his father's face.

Stoick sighed, and tugged at the thick strands of his firey beard. "Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"

"I━I can't stop myself!" Hiccup tried to defend himself, or perhaps, he was still trying to show himself━prove himself, really━to his dad. "I see a dragon and I have to just kill it, you know? It's ... it's who I am, Dad ..." maybe that would have been believeable if it wasn't so weak ... or if it just wasn't him saying it.

"Oh..." his father rubbed his helmet like it was giving him a headache━Hiccup thought off-handedly that it reminded him far too much of Bucket the Halfwit, "you're many thing's, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them." Hiccup hated how his heart still fell at those words, no matter how many times he has heard them. "Get back to the house." Stoick nodded to Gobber. "Make sure he gets there! I have his mess to clean up."

Sometimes Hiccup wondered whether he was the mess ...

Glumly, he followed Gobber away from the rest of the village. It was terrible to be told off and reminded he was a disappointment by his dad alone in the house, but in front of the entire village? It was ten times worse. But that was the Viking way, he supposed. Tough love ...

He just wished the walk of shame back home didn't include the likes of the other teenagers. Ruffnut didn't even hesitate in cackling as he passed by, her twin brother added in a sneer of, "Quite the performance!"

Snotlout snickered and leered in close to Hiccup's face to say, "I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!"

Hiccup gritted his teeth and stepped away, shooting Snotlout a glare. "Thank you, thank you. I was trying," he snapped sarcastically.

Astrid had nothing to say, sitting on a boulder with Valyrie━a strange set of best-friends━sharpening her double-bladed axe and not even looking at him. Valkyrie was much the same, except her weapon was aside, and she was studying the flowers that creeped out of the crevices of the cliff boulders. Oh, that's another thing━Valkyrie loved flowers, except, it seemed that no one noticed, except Hiccup. Maybe it was because he just always found himself looking at her, and getting to know her from afar because he certainly couldn't do it up close without getting a mallet to the head ... but he found out she loved flowers, and maybe it was because her mother was the village's medicine woman━Hiccup liked to think he was one of the only people who truly knew that about Valkyrie ... or perhaps cared to know.

He watched her pick a flower and tie it around one of the teeth of her mallet ... what a contrasting idea, he thought to himself as he continued his walk of shame.

Every walk was a walk of shame for Hiccup recently ... or just a walk of disappointment. He was the disappointment. Not just to his father, but to the whole village. The oustider━more of an outsider than Mildew ... ugh, Mildew and his stupid sheep. He lived on the other side of the island for a reason ... Hiccup may be a disappointment, but at least he wasn't Mildrew, which he guessed is kind of a positive.

But that didn't make him feel any better. Gobber told him to just be himself, but himself wasn't enough. It was never enough to the likes of a Viking.

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅。.。༅:*·ﾟﾟ·⭑

a/n: here's the first chapter aghhjjadlpjabcpjadsbfdfagpjsavbpaf;iIBF;ABVPAIDHFIUAGFABOAGWSH

^ i might've freaked out just a little bit.

and no i didn't cry when i wrote the chapter name ... what are you talking about ... i wasn't hit with waves of nostalgia in realising the first movie came out in 2010 and that was actually like ten years ago now ... phht, nah ... *sobs in corner*

also, if you know who Bucket is i love you.

(pppst, if there are any mistakes i'm sorry...)