Prologue

Gobber concentrated hard as he morphed his right hand into a small mallet, and then proceeded to hammer in the metal tooth replacement into the dragon's mouth, filling in the empty gum socket. He was a large man with a grimy appearance, a bold head and long braided moustache. Best known as the 'Meathead with the Attitude', Gobber was the blacksmith, mechanic and dragon dentist of Berk, a small town on an island located on the borders of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The island had been home to a tribe called the 'Hooligans', originating all the back to the Viking era, and the people still follow most of the Viking culture.

No one remembers what happened, and the stories of how it did had changed so many times; like a game of Chinese whispers, and some people had their own versions. But, the most popular one was that the gods had walked the Earth a thousand years ago, and bestowed powers upon a few Viking Tribes. Why? No one knew, but everyone knew that they had to hide their abilities from the world. With the help of an ancient power, that they had forgotten how to use, they were able to disguise Berk as a giant iceberg that never drifted or melted. They laughed at the stumped scientists.

While they had hid from the evolving world around them, Berk shared one thing with the rest of the globe. Dragons. Dragons were considered a global pest, stealing food and making messes that no one appreciated. They'd deplete fish stocks and dragons in the countrysides and farmlands had bad habits of scaring the livestock, making the cows stop producing milk and chickens stopped laying eggs, causing devastation. The hidden island had their fair share of the dragon problems and had once been at war with the flying reptiles and hunted them because the dragons kept raiding them for food, but all that came to stop when the most unlikely thing came along.

A hiccup.

The blacksmith laughed at the memory of when his god-son casually walked into the town square with a dragon by his side. Hiccup was always different than the rest, he had never fit in, and came up with the most wild and obscure ideas. Gobber, was like a second father to him, teaching Hiccup all his knowledge on blacksmithing, and letting the boy use it to fuel his inventing skills. The boy was a fast-learner, but clumsy; and was very bright; however he was also quite an enigma, no-one could tell what he was thinking and not a lot of people agreed with his outlandish ideas. It was a shame that he wasn't born with powers.

Gobber had seen children have air manipulation when their parents had shape-shifting and enhanced strength, or enhanced reflexes compared to telepathy and weather manipulation. He had thought he'd seen it all until the boy showed no signs of having powers, they suspected he was a late bloomer, but nothing happened. The boy was already an outcast for not following the Status Quo, and the fact that he didn't have any powers only made his isolation worse. It caused much disappointment among the town, especially to Hiccup's father, as the man had a lineage of strong powered beings.

Over the thousand years, every single generation was born with abilities, most were passed through the family, much like Gobber; his family's legacy for being blacksmiths went back to the time Vikings first got their powers. His ability to morph his limbs into tools and weapons was very well-suited for his career, and allowed him to replace his missing left hand and right leg that he lost in a raid twenty years ago. Now, he takes care of the dental health for the same creatures that caused him pain. How ironic.

As Gobber finished checking the dragons fangs to see if there were any other rotting teeth, the sound of someone clearing their throat caught his attention. Turning around, and morphing his left arm into a wooden hand to replace his non-existent one, he beamed at the sight before him.

"Ah! Stoick!" he greeted with a thick accent. "How are you?"

Standing before him was a mountainous man with a red, fanning beard and grey eyes; Gobber's oldest friend: Stoick Haddock. He was the Chief of Berk, and was never afraid to remind people of it, as the soundwaves from his roaring yells could strip flesh clean off from the bone. He was also Hiccup's father. It was very obvious that Hiccup had taken after his mother more than his father, as the boy was short and lanky with shaggy auburn hair; the physical differences were so distinct that the only way you could tell they were related were their stubborn and boar-headed attitudes. "Morning Gobber," he replied. "I'm doing well. How are things going?"

"I've got orders and appointments up to my skivvies. And without Hiccup around as much to help, it's gonna be a busy week." Gobber closed the dragons mouth and chucked it a fish to send it on its way. "How is he been by the way?"

His old friend chuckled. "You know Hiccup; he never stops. He's been busy organising exercises for the Academy."

While Hiccup had never shown signs of having abilities, he showed plenty of promise in leadership. Shortly after the peace with dragons, there were a few difficulties with integrating dragons in the towns lifestyle, as the dragons still continued to steal food, they left their messes on the streets and set houses on fire. Hiccup had stepped in to help fix the problems with simple solutions such as: feeding stations, dragon stables, fire prevention systems and a training academy to train the dragons. As well as their riders.

"Aye," Gobber agreed."Once he's started something, he won't stop until its finished." The blacksmith brushed off his soot-stained shirt. "But, something tells me you're not here for the usual 'meet and greet'.

Stoick sighed and sat down on a stool that creaked under his weight. "You're right, Gobber. I just received some concerning news. Do you remember the Hunter Tribe?"

Berk wasn't the only tribe that had been blessed with powers. According to the remaining history books, there were five tribes that were bestowed powers, only three of them were known to still be around (Berk included). The Berserker Tribe was one that was notorious for its hunger for war and 'berserk' way of living. They kept minimal contact and resided on an island in the Pacific Ocean. But, despite being a tribe known for their crazed way and culture, they were led by the most peaceful man, Oswald the Agreeable.

On the other hand, the Hunter tribe was different. Berk had stayed away from them, but tried to keep tabs on them; the tribe lurked around in the Arctic circle, and consisted of descendents from the Sami and Inuit people, and were slowly dying out because of the harsh weather. The tribe was fueled by its reputation of trapping and killing dragons; they had once been allies with Berk and the Berserkers, during the war against dragons, but the alliance was broken twenty years ago when the Hunters leader demanded that they bow down to him, Oswald and Stoick refused and turned their backs on the Hunters. Stoick was still cautious of them and kept an eye on the Hunters to see if they were planning anything drastic. However, the tribe had fallen off the radar twelve years ago, and weren't heard from again, until now.

Gobber stared at his friend with concern as Stoick continued to talk: "We just got word from the traders that the Hunters are building some sort of base in Greenland. They didn't say what it was for, but it looked like they were preparing for something." The Chief reached into his jacket and pulled a few photos out. "One of the traders managed to get close enough to take some pictures. What can you make of it?"

The Blacksmith took the photos in his remaining hand and examined them. During the time when the pictures were taken, there had been a snow storm so the photos weren't all that clear, but it you could definitely see a large structure. Gobber flipped through the photos getting a more precise image of the so-called base, as close-ups provided the details that were concerning.

"It's heavily fortified." Gobber stated. "Walls are made of thick stone and some kind of metal i've never seen. And, that's saying something."

Stoick nodded in acknowledgement. "Apparently, it's a metal that was used by the Hunters during the early stages of the dragon war. They stopped using it when they ran out of materials to make it. It seems they have plenty of supplies now."

"Granted it was centuries ago when they ran out." Gobber took a closer look at one of the photos. "Stoick, is it just me or are those armoured dragons hauling in something?"

The Chief stood up quickly and snatched the picture from his hand. Squinting his eyes, Stoick was able to make out some stocky built dragons pulling in wagons filled with crates near the entrance of the structure, and the dragons had a silver coating to them that screamed heavy armour, and were flanked by men bundled in fur clothing and handled whips and spears. "You're right, Gobber. Something's going on."

"What could they be up to? That fortress is huge!"

"I have no idea, Gobber," Stoick sighed. "But, the news doesn't end there." The Blacksmith looked at his best friend and knew immediately that it was bad. Stoick had a sad look in his eyes, one that he had seen only once before. "The trader that manage to get the photos was also able to eavesdrop on a conversation between some Hunters. I don't know how and i don't know when, but the Hunters know of our peace with the dragons now. And, they know how we did it."

Gobber's eyes went wide. "Hiccup! They know about Hiccup?"

Stoick nodded. "I have no idea how they found out and we can't focus on that at the moment. Right now, our major concern is the Hunters, now that they know we are at peace with dragons, and that Hiccup is the one who made it possible..." Stoick trailed off.

Gobber finished the sentence for him. "...They'll go after him."

The two men kept silent as they processed the information. While the people of Berk and the dragons would gladly protect Hiccup, the threat was too great. The Hunters detested any kind of idea that could promote peace with dragons, and would do anything to conquer or kill all of them, sparking a greater war than the last one. Spying wasn't really the Hunter's way, as they preferred a more direct approach, but Stoick wouldn't put it past them and couldn't risk it either. Hiccup was in danger, and if the Hunters had resorted to spying to keep an eye on the boy, waiting for the right time to take or kill him, it would mean war between the two tribes, leading to devastating consequences.

Stoick never had the best relationship with his son, and only just recently he was able to mend their fractured bond, he didn't want to break it again. But, he had no choice but to risk it. He needed Hiccup safe.

"Gobber, i need a favour." Stoick sighed. "I want you to take Hiccup and keep him somewhere safe."

"What!?" The Blacksmith gaped at his old friend.

"Please Gobber! Hiccup needs to be safe." The Chief pleaded. "I can't risk his safety knowing that the Hunters could strike at anytime, whether its to attack Berk head-on or attack Hiccup personally."

"Stoick, think about it. Yes, the Hunters are planning something, and i can see where you're coming from, but everyone and every dragon on Berk will fight tooth and nail to protect that boy. Especially his own dragon. He couldn't be safer."

The Chief stood up. "But, that's the thing! You know how Hiccup will take that! If the Hunters attack, and one person or dragon gets hurt, he's going to blame himself. Which will lead to him sacrificing himself over to the enemy to make sure we're safe. You know how Hiccup is Gobber, he'll do anything to keep the things he loves safe."

Gobber did know it. He practically raised Hiccup, and knew him like the back of his remaining hand. When Hiccup had something or someone he loves, he'd do anything to protect it; not caring if he got killed the progress. He was so much like he mother in many ways, and in other ways, a lot like his father.

There'd be no helping it, and Hiccup was not going to like it one bit. "Alright." Gobber conceded. "I see your point. If this is the only way you can think of, i'll help you."

Stoick smiled at his friend. "Thank you."

The Blacksmith smiled back, but soon looked nervous. "You know, Hiccup is not gonna like this." he said rubbing his thick neck.

"I know." The Chief sighed. "I'll handle it."

And just like Gobber said, Hiccup didn't like it at all. It had surprised the whole village when they could hear Hiccup's outraged shouting from every point of the island; and many wondered how he didn't inherit Stoick's ability to create sound-waves. The shouting had gone on for twenty minutes before he had tired himself out. In some aspects, Stoick was proud to see that his son shared the same fiery and determined personality as his mother, it was endearing to see how much Hiccup had taken after her, but, not matter how much he wanted Hiccup to stay and be protected by his people, he couldn't the chance of a surprise attack.

When, Hiccup had finally calmed down enough, Stoick had explained his reasoning as to why he had to send him away. It wasn't that he wanted to; he needed to. He told his son about what the Traders had found in Greenland, and of course Hiccup wanted to go there to see what was going on but that was quickly shot down when Stoick sent him a look that his son didn't dare to question. However, the Chief did promise that they'd keep an eye on the Hunters and would keep him updated on any changes.

A week later, Hiccup and Gobber were departing Berk, to stay at a small house that Gobber had inherited from his Grandfather in Norway. It was a hard farewell; everyone in the village had come down to the docks to wave them off, giving them warm wished and safe travels. It was especially hard on Hiccup who only just recently was able to make friends after years of being the village outcast, he understood why he had to leave, but it still hurt; at least he had Gobber and his dragon, Toothless, with him.

He waved sadly in farewell to the people and dragons of Berk, who returned it by waving and roaring back. Hiccup had allowed a tear to fall down his cheek as he watched the only home he ever knew grow smaller and smaller; not knowing when he'd return.

Finally!

I finally finished writing this. It was supposed to be finished yesterday but i got distracted by YouTube.

So, I'm sure you've noticed a few changes in the story; like everyone has only one power now instead of three, it's much easier to manage. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them without giving anything away. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.

I'm fully aware that there are most likely grammar and spelling mistakes, i just can't be bothered to go look and fix them as it is midnight.