The Escaped Wolf

[conay]

For the full version with text formatting, please see: www.fanfiction.net/s/7986912/1/The_Escaped_Wolf - as there are four different chapters I'm assuming the rules allow one post per chapter (I think...)

The Escaped Wolf: Prologue

30th June 1997

Jardine House (House of a Thousand Orifices), Hong Kong, United Kingdom.

High up on the 49th floor, a group of British investors, joined by their teenage children, sat watching the British military retreat from HMS Tamar with great sadness. Today would be their last day in Asia, as they were leaving by private jet just after midnight. The sky was almost pitch black, any light being covered up by the thick rain clouds that had been dampening the day's ceremonies. Which, by the way, were going spectacularly well.

'Remind me, why do we have to watch all this? Can't we just…leave?' asked a boy, roughly 13 years old, wearing a black suit with a green tie. The boy looked exceptionally thin, which is probably why the suit certainly didn't suit him.

A beefy man with huge arms and a broad chest sighed disapprovingly at his son's impatience. 'Son, we have to watch all of this because in a few hours time, Hong Kong will become Chinese.'

The boy rolled his eyes, he knew all of this already. 'But how does this affect US? We are already leaving tonight any–' he was interrupted by a shout from the front of the room.

'Shut it, Useless!' called another boy, this time with strong, muscular arms and a rather large nose. 'We're trying to watch the soldiers shoot–wait, what are they shooting the sky?' he asked, his large face forming a frown.

'They're saluting the Union Flag, idiot!' shouted an angry female, who had also been trying to watch the ceremony. She was about to say something again, but she was smacked around the back of the head by a third boy; who looked remarkably like herself.

'No, you troll, they are saluting Prince Charles, you know Prince Cha–' he was swiftly interrupted with a punch in the face. 'Oww, why would you do that?' he continued muttering under his breath until 'Useless'' father's voice boomed.

'Scott, Toby, Rachel! Please shut up!'

'Oh come on Stoick, let them have their fun,' chuckled a second large man, who also had beefy arms and a broad chest. The exception though, is that the man had two realistic artificial limbs. 'It's not as if us watching a military withdrawal is going to make any difference to whether or not we leave.'

Stoick sighed in disappointment again, looking down at his son. 'Hiccup, you realise you're going to need to get used to this sort of thing, right? Because when I be–'

'–because when you're elected Member of Parliament for Berkford, I'll need to attend all your important meetings with lobbyists and ministers,' Hiccup finished for his father. He had had this conversation many times before, and it was boring him tremendously. 'You've told me that so many times!'

'Okay...Hiccup, Stoick, sit down and just watch the flags being lowered, okay?' asked Gobber, although he practically forced them both to their seats with the stern look he was giving them. Nobody ever called Hiccup by his real name, Harry; as they thought Hiccup was a lot more amusing. Although only because when Harry gets hiccups...he really gets hiccups.

The group settled down, although tensions could still be felt between father and son. This had been going on for some time, with Hiccup learning to hate his father's position as a British diplomat. Why does his father have to do all this diplomatic stuff, why can't Snotty's parents do it? Oh wait…

They do.

1st July 1997

Kai Tak Airport (Hong Kong International Airport), Hong Kong, China.

'Mr Blair, I can assure you that my son meant no harm in what he said. He was just being a bit delusio–'

'Mr Haddock, your son told Baroness Thatcher that she was a 'retarded, obnoxious cow' for handing over Hong Kong. Not only that, but he said it in front of the President of China!' The man responding was tall and very charismatic, although appeared now to be wanting to tear the man in front of him apart. 'You're lucky you're a Tory, because I'd have you expelled immediately from the Labour Party.'

'I'm sorry, sir,' Stoick looked down at the ground, deeply saddened and disappointed at what his son said. 'I can assure that nothing like that will ever happen again.'

'Well, let's hope it doesn't. I don't want another controversy in the newspapers. Now I think your son owes Baroness Thatcher an apolo–'

'I would strongly recommend against letting him anywhere near anyone important. At least for now.' Stoick shook hands with the Prime Minister, then grabbed Hiccup's arm as they moved towards their plane.

Hiccup winced in pain, struggling against the force of his father's strong grip. 'Dad! Stop it, please! This is embarr–oww!' Hiccup continued to struggle until his father pushed him aside, just before they got onto the aeroplane.

Stoick looked down at his son with a disappointed frown. 'Listen Hiccup, I know you dislike her; but you can't just go and call her a–'

'–I didn't! It was Snot! He stood behind me and whirled away after he said it,' Hiccup protested, hating the way his father would always blame him. Which was really the truth, Hiccup hadn't called her a cow; but it was assumed that he had because Scott was just so perfect he wouldn't dare do something like that.

'Look Hiccup… Let's talk about this when we get home, okay?' Stoick sighed, then patted his son on the back. Ever since his wife, Val, had died; he had become a completely different man. Rather than focusing on his family, he focused on politics. It was his get-out clause.

Hiccup nodded slowly, walking past his father towards the ramp that led up to their destination. Hiccup noticed Scott and Toby grinning, and he sped up. He knew what was about to come.

'Hey, nice going Useless!' called Snotlout.

'Yeah, she was such a cow, wasn't she?' The pair burst out laughing, along with Rachel; who had been critically following the situation.

'Alright, all of you on the plane!' shouted Gobber, who got his name from being well...gobby. His real name was Gerald, and he was Stoick's best friend and secretary. How he ended up becoming a secretary he'll never know.

After a few more teasing shouts from the other boys, Hiccup, followed by his father; boarded the aeroplane. The rest of the gang were not far behind.

Gobber stood next to Stoick for a moment, leaning over to whisper into his ear. 'At least that Ingerman boy and the Hofferson girl doesn't bully him like that. Maybe it'll get better at home.'

Stoick sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. 'If only Gobber, if only…'

[conay]

The Escaped Wolf: Chapter 1

Monday 6th September 1999

'And then I called her an obnoxious cow, and Hiccup got the blame for it!'

The hall was small, just slightly wider than the size of a 7-a-side football (soccer) pitch. The roof was low, standard for 'modern' 1990s grammar schools. The walls were mostly white, although they had tinted a yellowish-green colour throughout the years. The lights were bright, although mostly made irrelevant by the strong sunlight beaming in through the windows.

All the students were wearing the same thing, a navy blue blazer with the Coat of Arms of Berk Grammar School stitched onto it. They all wore white shirts under it, and they all wore black trousers to compliment the rest. Their palms were sweaty and the smell of sweat overruled that of the tasteless food being produced by the canteen staff.

Snotlout sat down, along with Toby, Rachel and two other students on one of the central tables; recalling the visit to Hong Kong two years prior. All of them were roughly his age, about 15. The oldest, a female, stared at Snotlout angrily. However, unlike most angry-stares, this one was potent. So potent, in fact, that a large boy sitting next to her almost shuddered with the thought of what was about to come.

Astrid was a well brought up girl, she lived in the rich outskirts of Berkford and had a rather wealthy family. She passed her 11+ easily, and was gladly welcomed into Berk Grammar School. She was polite and respectful to those who earned it, and vicious and nasty to those that haven't. If you gave her respect and stayed out of her way, there would be no trouble. However, if you deliberately dared get in her way, or do pretty much anything she doesn't like… You're doomed.

'You what?' she whispered in a dangerous tone, secretly proud of how Snotlout's face suddenly lost colour. He had never told her that part of the story.

'I uh ... Never mind, it doesn't matter,' Snotlout muttered. He remembered how much Astrid resembled the former and only female Prime Minister.

'Snotlout, did you really just tell me that you called Margaret Thatcher, Margaret Thatcher an obnoxious cow?' Her blood was beginning to boil. It wasn't that she didn't like Snotlout, or Scott Jorgenson, she did; she just hated how much of a brainless idiot he could be.

'It was just a joke!' he insisted. 'I didn't mean for her to actually get offended!'

'That's not the point Snotlout. You're on one of the most important trips of your life, meeting both British and Chinese delegates; and you do that!' She stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from her school uniform, and walked away with her fists in balls.

Snotlout looked back down at the table, his face pale. 'I really shouldn't have said that near her…' he muttered.

'So did you go on Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia?' exclaimed Joshua Ingerman, more commonly known as Fishlegs the Shiplegs. He had short light-blond hair and a broad, muscular chest that was the result of years of mixing McDonalds with sailing.

Snotlout glanced up at him, looking very confused. 'What?'

'You know… The Queen's ship…' Fishlegs immediately began to get nervous, he didn't need two of his friends mad.

'I thought I told you we were at an airport?' Snotlout questioned.

Fishlegs shook his head. 'Uh, no actually… You didn't.'

Rachel began laughing, patting Fishlegs on the shoulder. 'Just be quiet Fishy, I'll explain it all later. She grinned slightly, sitting back down when Fishlegs' faced flushed bright pink.

Toby stared at her dumbfounded, scratching his head. 'Fishy? Did you really just call him Fishy?'

'What's it to you, butt elf?' Rachel snapped back.

'Well may–' Toby was about to retort, but he was interrupted by Snotlout.

'Well, well, well, look who it is! Mr Thatcher is a cow!' Snotlout laughed, pointing his fat finger at Hiccup. Toby and Rachel snickered, while Fishlegs remained silent.

Hiccup looked down at the ground, embarrassed. He really didn't want to deal with them right now, so he sped up away from them; desperately trying to avoid becoming the centre of the entire school's attention.

'Hey you! I'm talking to you!' Snotlout stood up, glaring at Hiccup. Suddenly, all heads in the lunch hall turned their way.

Hiccup looked back at Snotlout, gulping quietly. 'Really? I thought you were talking to your gold fish,' he replied sarcastically.

There was a faint sound of chuckling coming from somewhere in the room, angering Snotlout greatly. 'Don't get sarcastic with me, Hiccy,' he snarled, his fists clenching together tightly

Hiccup backed away, completely losing his appetite. He managed to escape through the opposite door from the one he had just entered, scurrying over to the school library. This had become a common theme recently, more so since they returned to school after the trip to Hong Kong.

As Hiccup pushed his way through the crowds to the library, he bumped into a still-glaring Astrid.

'Oh hi Astrid...Hi Astrid...Hi Astrid…' Hiccup stuttered out as he tried to move away from her potential wrath.

Astrid ignored him, making Hiccup release a huge sigh. He hid his face from the rest of the crowd, not that anyone was paying any attention to him, before entering the library.

The library was packed to the brink with students, all wanting access to the limited school computers. They were perhaps the only 'new' thing the school had, and they were one of the only schools to have forked out so much for the multicoloured iMac G3s.

He managed to find a place in the far corner of the library, by the bookshelf with all the old history and geography textbooks. He was studying History, Spanish, Biology, additional Maths and was taking an extracurricular course in Norse Mythology. In addition to all the standard subjects; standard Maths, English, standard Science, Citizenship, RE and PE.

He opened up one of the many old history books, this one focusing on the Weimar Republic and the rise of Adolf Hitler. While modern history wasn't his favourite cup of tea, and Hiccup really loved tea, he still became engrossed in the textbook in front of him.

It wasn't until the bell rang directly above him did he realise lunch was over. He sighed, disappointed with the lack of time he had to read, and slowly trudged outside towards his English class. He didn't really like English, he much preferred mathematics or science where everything was just simple equations and facts. Who cares what JB Priestly thought about socialism and capitalism? It's obvious he'd be better off writing his books in China.

He sat down in his usual seat, right at the front to the left. Joined on his table was Fishlegs, while on the table to their right was Astrid and another girl, called Camicazi. She also had blond hair, although it was a lot longer than Astrid's. The two appeared to get on reasonably well, aside from their casual debate they have over why the author chose to use blue curtains as opposed to red ones. If anything, Camicazi was probably the only student in all of Berk Grammar School that didn't look down on Hiccup.

'Okay guys, today we're going to be focusing on how JB Priestly used dramatic irony in his book An Inspector Calls. Who can point out one piece of dramatic irony?'

Fishlegs' arm shot up, nearly punching Hiccup in the face. The teacher immediately looked in his direction. 'He said the uh, the uh...Titanic! He said the Titanic was unsinkable but we knew it wasn't!'

The teacher did this happy-face thing, Hiccup never understood what made her so fascinated in English. He was about to return to focusing on the answers when Fishlegs nudged him with his elbow.

'Hey toothpick?' he whispered, glancing around to make sure no one could actually see him talking to Hiccup. 'Did you hear about those wolves?'

Hiccup frowned, what on earth was he on about? Sure, there are plenty of wolves, but not here; not in Britain. 'What are you talking about? What wolves?' His voice was just as quiet as Fishlegs' had been.

'On the news this morning, they said that the government are introducing wolves to part of Kent. About 12 miles away from Berkford, near Bogend. They're introducing about 12 of them, weird thing is, they are all black. Or mostly black, anyway.'

Hiccup's frown deepened, why would Fishlegs want to engage with him about wolves… In an English lesson! 'Okay Josh, why are you talking to me abou-'

'Hiccup! Fishlegs! Stop talking!' the teacher snapped, followed by a quiet sniggering coming from Snotlout at the back. After a quick apology to the teacher, they started the task that had been set on the board. The two of them remained quiet for the rest of the lesson, and didn't speak to each other for the rest of the day.

[conay]

The Escaped Wolf: Chapter 2

Wednesday 8th September 1999

The big-red curtains were drawn, blocking all light from the bright outdoors. Instead, there was a fire surrounded by a luxurious Victorian fireplace. The carpets were plush, and the walls had a similar grandeur to that of a first-class suite on the Titanic. It was all very traditional, very opulent.

Hiccup's voice sounded stressed and nervous, filtering into a tense atmosphere. 'Look dad, I have to go. I have a project to–'

Stoick held up his hand, effectively silencing the boy in front of him. He had a disappointed scowl on his face, and it looked as if Hiccup was going to get another round of mental bashing from his father.

'Hiccup…what is wrong with you?' he asked in a hushed tone, as if someone was listening to their conversation. 'Why can't you be more like us?'

'Us? Who is us?' Hiccup sneered at his father, seething by the fact that he sees his own son as something else; like he was part of another species. He could never understand his father's mentality, you're either one of us, or one of them.

'The people in Westminster, Hiccup!' Stoick's voice rebounded off the walls, creating a loud echo effect. 'Why can't you just have a political mind, like the rest of us?'

Hiccup looked down at the ground, fighting back the urge to try to attack his father. He never would, of course; he just liked to think that he would. 'Dad, look. I have to g–'

'And what is it with you and all this…animal rights crap!' his boomed even louder. 'You need to realise what vermin all these foxes and wolves are.'

'Of course, father,' Hiccup responded sarcastically. 'Because we just walked in and destroyed their natural habitat, while expecting them to just pack up and leave.'

'That's not the point, Hiccup. You know they're trying to bring back wolves! Less than 50 miles away from here!'

'But dad, we exterminated them in the first place!' Hiccup's frustration was becoming quite obvious, he didn't like the way his dad was taking the conversation.

'They killed hundreds of us! Killed our cattle, killed our–' Stoick was about to continue the rant, but was interrupted.

'And we killed thousands of them! They had to survive so they did what they could!' Hiccup stood abruptly, ending the conversation. 'Now, I need to go. I'm late for a homework session.'

'With whom?' his father asked, his voice softening slightly.

Hiccup paused, he hadn't been expecting his father to have any interest in his school studies, which to him were just overpaid social workers brainwashing children on behalf of the government. Seriously, why would anyone vote for him?

Not getting an answer from his son, he pressed further. 'I asked, with whom?'

Hiccup's eyes dropped to the ground, the carpet suddenly becoming very interesting. 'Astrid,' he mumbled.

'Astrid?' He asked, suddenly going into deep thought. 'The Hofferson girl that Gobber keeps telling me about?'

Hiccup didn't answer, his father never takes an interest in his life.

Stoick's face lit up, as if he had just won the lottery. 'That's great! Her uncle lives next door to Michael Howard!' Hiccup visibly deflated. That's why. 'Good going Hiccup, keep her interested!'

Hiccup stared at him, dumbfounded. 'Dad, you realise she hates me, right?'

'Yes. But you can change that, can't you?' he asked patronisingly.

'No, not rea–'

'You will change that, won't you?' Stoick's voice turned harsh, his eyes narrowing. Hiccup was about to protest again, but Stoick's hand silenced him again. 'Promise me.'

'This conversation is feeling very one sided…' Hiccup complained, trying to move away from his father.

'Promise me!' The words painted the walls and painfully rebounded into Hiccup's ears.

'Fine…' Hiccup relented, exhausted at the small exchange. 'I promise,' he said quietly, although his eyes gave absolutely no indication of him wanting to stick to his words. 'Now I have to leave, I have to meet Astrid.' He didn't give his father time to respond, he didn't want him to respond. He turned on his heel and marched out of the house.

Stoick sat back down in his chair, rubbing his temples thoughtfully. 'Oh Val… What am I going to do with him?'

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Hiccup gulped as he stood in front of the Hofferson's house, less than half a mile away from his own. It was modest, a lot smaller than Hiccup's. It was a more tradition Victorian house built around 1868, if the sign on the front is to be believed. The door wasn't made of oak, nor was it surrounded by grand exterior; it was simple. Pleasantly simple.

The residents of the household, not so much. They weren't simple, and they certainly weren't pleasant. First, you had Mr Hofferson. He was large, burly guy you would often see hanging around pubs and beating people up. Then you had Mrs Hofferson, she was about as manly as her husband; probably more-so. And finally… Astrid. She had an incredibly tough exterior, yet secretly loved animals – especially fluffy ones. However, if you ever dared to even try to discover this… You'd die.

Hiccup stood forward, raising his hand towards the doorbell. He could hear some shouting going on inside, and gulped again when he heard his name coming from the young girl's mouth. He pressed the button, which loudly announced his presence at the front door. He heard light footsteps, and backed away as the door swung open.

Astrid stood there, still wearing her school uniform, with an angry frown sprawled across her face. Her fists clenched and began to rise, something Hiccup took as a cue to back-up further. 'Uh…hi...hi As..hi Astrid…' Hiccup stuttered, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze.

'You're late,' Astrid pointed out, crossing her arms tightly. 'Why are you late?'

Hiccup stuttered again, this time nothing audible coming out of his mouth. Astrid, who didn't have time for people she called 'bozos', had already lost patience with him. She stood forward threateningly, her eyes boring into his.

'Do you even care about the project, Hiccup?' Astrid asked impatiently, watching him continue to shuffle backwards towards the road.

'Yes...uh...yes,' he whispered, trying to sound as convincing as possible. It wasn't working.

The problem all started when their English teacher decided that she would give them some pair work to carry out. But, unlike what usually happens, she chose the pairs. Fishlegs was told to go with Snotlout, Camicazi had the displeasure of having to listen to Tuffnut all week, but most importantly; Astrid had the utmost displeasure of being required to work with Hiccup. Hiccup.

Sure, she knew he was smart – everyone did. He always got A*s in Maths, Science and History results, and always finished English with an A. But he was a socially nonexistent. He didn't like football, or any sport for that matter, and he was more interested in wildlife restoration than getting girls. That was Hiccup's problem.

Astrid had been infuriated when she had been partnered with him, it was not like she hated him, she just didn't like him. Not only that, but it wasn't really socially acceptable to be seen hanging around with Hiccup; even if it is just to do some schoolwork. So she had decided that she wasn't going to take any nonsense from Hiccup, if he was late, or if he didn't show any interest in the project, she would do the project herself.

'Is this some kind of a joke to you?' she growled, stepping forward onto her pathway; forcing Hiccup to move backwards further. 'We have a project due in tomorrow about Socialism and Capitalism and you're late?'

'I'm...sorry Astrid I just–' Hiccup tried reasoning with her, but she wasn't going to listen to him. This situation certainly reminded him of the one had with his father just a few minutes prior.

'No excuses, Hiccup. I told you yesterday that when you came to work with me on this, you had be on time. It's Tuesday and the project is due tomorrow, which means we have like 3 hours before my dad would kick you out,' she informed him. 'So, considering how much of a blabbering buffoon you are…I'm going to do it on my own.'

Hiccup didn't like that, much like he did with his father, he responded harshly. 'Why? Are you afraid that I'll cramp your style?' He regretted those words almost as soon as they left his mouth, and he began looking around frantically. He needed an escape route.

Astrid's eyes widened, who was he to talk to her like that? 'What did you just say?' she asked in a quiet, deadly voice. After a few seconds, she realised that she was not going to get an answer out of him; so she just sighed tiredly. 'Look Hiccup, I don't care what you do. Just let me finish the project, okay?'

Hiccup nodded slowly, disappointed that he wasn't going to get the chance to work with Astrid. Who, even though she almost completely disregarded him, was the girl he had an extreme crush on. Without uttering a word, he turned and trudged out of her front garden. Leaving a very annoyed Astrid at her doorstep.

After a few seconds of staring at him, she turned and made her way back into the house. She sat down on her sofa and opened up her English book. Right, now how does this book teach me about socialism and capitalism?

As her mind swirled around with potential answers, the telly was suddenly turned up. Her father, Mr Hofferson, had obviously found something that was very interesting. She glanced up, and almost gasped at the headline.

Wolf escapes temporary zoo in Kent.

What worried her more, however, was what the reporter was actually saying. 'The latest police report states that they believe the wolf is lurking around the area of Berkford. Kent Police are on high alert and are advising people to keep their pets indoors at all times.'

Astrid stared at the screen, her mouth gaped open. 'Oh my God, a wolf…' There were no words to comprehend how she was feeling, so she just said the one word that came into her head. 'Cool!' She got up and ran to the phone, ready to spread the news.

[conay]

The Escaped Wolf: Chapter 3

Thursday 9th September 1999

It was early in the morning, just past 7am, and the search for the missing wolf was put on hold. They wouldn't try to find the wolf in daylight, at least not in this area. Any daytime searching was happening across the road, where there was an abundance of holes, burrows and dens that the wolf could stay in.

A police officer nodded, standing alongside a row of trees opposite Berkford Academy. He was writing in the details of the traps that had been laid within the school's forest area. 'Right, so when will the warning signs go up?' he asked.

Jeremy Jorgenson, commonly known was Spitelout for some absurd reason, shifted nervously on his feet. 'Uh, we won't be able to put up the signs until tomorrow, sir.' He glanced towards the forest, the 10 traps he had laid down to capture the wolf if it dare venture towards the school. 'Perhaps, in the mean time, we should just let the school tell the students?'

The officer nodded in agreement, tucking the piece of paper firmly into one of his many pockets. He looked at the man in front of him, almost feeling intimidated by the man's broad chest and beefy arms. He looked so similar to his brother, the MP for Berkshire. 'It's unlikely the wolf would come by this way anyway. From where it was sighted, it would have to cross two roads; one of them being very busy.'

Spitelout stood in deep thought for a few moments. 'But wolves move at night. And this area is like a ghost-town at night. We're not in inner-city London where the streets are always pretty busy. We are in Berkford.' He grinned slightly, remembering where the police officer had previously said come from. 'Must be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to you since transferring from the Metropolitan Police.'

The officer rolled his eyes, staring again at the forest. 'We really should have people actively searching for this wolf everywhere possible. We're putting people at risk by going this. Not only that, but we're endangering other wildlife. Especially considering the traps Kent Police bought last year have this weird delay that makes them snap late.'

Spitelout nodded in understanding, turning around to walk towards his car. 'Well… I'll see you in the morning tomorrow, hopefully with those signs.' He glanced up to the see the officer making his way to the school buildings, giving him the thumbs up. Although his face showed deep signs of concern.

Finding this wolf was probably going to take some time.

–––––––––––––––––––

The grand hall was restless. Well...okay, not so grand. It was more of a simple, not so elegant assembly hall; with half the lights not working and the other half filled with dead flies. The curtains to hide the lack of stage equipment at the front looked old and were riddled with moth holes and small tears. The students that filled the small green chairs buzzed with excitement.

'Now remember, the school field and the forest areas are now out of bounds. If you see any signs of a wolf, report it immediately to a teacher. Alternatively, if no teacher is around, scream was loud as you can and hopefully we'll be able to arrive in time to give your remains to your parents. Have a great day!' the principal finished, smiling happily at the students and staff before her.

There was a loud gasp from the staff, before they began laughing. It was quite apparent though, by the look on their faces, that they were quite worried about a wolf being loose near the school grounds. The students however, after initially staring in shock at what the principal had said, still looked excited at the prospect of there being a wolf near school. They all stood up hurriedly, making their way to form the notorious Berkford Academy scrum by the main exit.

'One of FOUR main exits,' Hiccup muttered quietly, exiting through one of the lesser-used doors. Unlike most assembly halls, the one at Berkford Academy stood alone, meaning all doors led outside. Hiccup had learned quickly to use one of the other exits and wait for the crowd to lessen. His first experience of the scrum was not pleasant.

So, it was official. Astrid went from disliking him to hating his guts, and now there was a great chance of getting eaten by a wolf. 'At least no one would care,' he thought sadly, then an idea sprung to mind. 'What if I could it?' he asked himself, 'What if I caught the wolf? I would become awesome!'

'Shut it, loser,' his cousin, Snotlout, sneered. Toby and Rachel Thorston, or Ruffnut and Tuffnut to most, smirked at him. Astrid glared at Snotlout, she was never a real fan of bullying. But she did find Hiccup's 'shenanigans', as she liked to put it, highly annoying. Fishlegs was the only one there that looked indifferent, he was simply staring at the floor like usual. Hiccup often wondered if he and Fishlegs had more in common that met the eye.

Hiccup looked away, trying to move away faster. He glanced back, noticing that the others had not followed. Instead, their focus had moved onto matters discussed, or dictated to, in assembly. It was then he noticed that Astrid had black bags under her eyes, apparently Snotlout had been trying to talk to her all night. 'Bet she enjoyed that,' he thought. He looked away from the group, resuming his slower-pace towards the auditorium.

'I wanna give it some serious burns!' Ruffnut declared, smirking as she glanced to her brother, who nodded in agreement. She and her brother continued walking towards the auditorium, talking about how they would find the wolf and kill it. The discussion led to the usual bickering between the twins, who were arguing over who would capture and kill the dragon first.

'Meh, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it,' Astrid said nonchalantly, flicking her hair behind her shoulders. She glanced Fishlegs, who looked like he was contemplating someone. 'Hey Fishy, what's up?'

Fishlegs looked up from his food, and smiled sheepishly. 'I was just thinking about how fast it is compared to us...it must have like...+15 speed!' Fishlegs seemed to beam at his statement, proud of his large pool of factual knowledge.

At that moment Snotlout stuck out his leg from under the table. Hiccup had only a moment to move his legs out of the way, stumbling and spilling his drink in the process. He growled and muttered under his breath, straightening his plate and cutlery on his tray. Before he could move away again, Snotlout spoke.

'Hey useless? You know that wolf? I hope you don't find it. I hope it finds you – we'll all be better off if it eats you!' he laughed loudly, turning to Ruffnut and Tuffnut who joined in with him. Astrid had a smirk on her face, which was quickly dropped when she saw the hurt in Hiccup's eyes. She glanced down at her plate, suddenly ashamed of herself. Hiccup had stared at Astrid for a few seconds, noticing her avoid his gaze. He glanced back down at his food, and moved away from the snickering group.

As Hiccup moved away, he began contemplating what Snotlout had said. 'What if it would be better if the wolf ate me? Would anyone actually miss me?' He quickly shook his head, shaking the thoughts out of it. Of course people would miss him...surely someone, somewhere...in fact, the more he thought about it, the less certain he had become.

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Hiccup stumbled through the trees of the forest near the school. In actual fact, is was just a group of about 60 trees within the school grounds, but to him it was the forest he assumed the wolf would be hiding in. He didn't know why he was searching for the wolf here, the wolf had been sighed near the school, not in the school. If anyone had seen the beast lurking amongst the trees in the school grounds, well...they would've finished school and shot it by now.

Held in his hands were two items, his left hand held the knife that he had been eating with. The knife was blunt, however, he still thought that something, even if it was essentially just a butter knife, would be better than meeting the wolf with nothing to defend himself with. In his other hand was a small notebook, more of a sketchbook than anything. There it had a hand-drawn map of the area, and all known dens where he thought the wolf may be staying in.

He glanced down at his map, sighing as he realised he'd passed every known den, plus a few more. 'Damn it…' he whispered, "I'm never going to find that wo–' a loud snap and pained whimper made Hiccup pause. He gripped his knife harder, his knuckles turning white. He slowly began to turn. As his eyes travelled across the trees in front of him, he saw it.

Well, you couldn't really miss it.

The wolf curled around itself, trying to reach its tail. Loud whimpers being emitted from deep within its throat. Hiccup ducked behind a boulder, and peered around nervously. That was when he saw it. A large trap the wolf had trod on, but somehow had only activated after it had moved away. Instead of capturing and crippling its leg, it snapped near the base of the wolf's tail.

Hiccup's eyes widened, and began to stare at the wolf. It was a magnificent beast, he appeared to have large, broad shoulders and a thick, muscled body. Its head was mostly round, quite uncommon for a wolf, and it had these piercing green eyes, also very uncommon. It was at that point when he realised that the wolf was staring right at him.

Hiccup gulped, his hands shaking slightly from fear. He dropped his notebook and stood up, making the wolf growl slightly. He raised the knife in his hand and pointed it towards the jet-black wolf. The wolf snarled, and tried to stand; whimpering as the pain from its tail ripped through his body like a wildfire.

The knife glistened as it was raised above Hiccup's head. 'You're stuck…' he growled, gripping the knife firmly with both hands. 'I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna cut your heart out and show it to the world. I am the one who'll kill you! Not Snotlout, not Astrid. Me.' The anger, the hate, the need to stop the outrageous bullying that happened every single day. He would stop it all, all with a simple action.

The wolf whimpered as Hiccup glanced down at the wolf, pain and hate written across both faces; with fear forcing itself into their eyes. After staring deeply at Hiccup for what seemed like hours, the wolf finally resigned itself. Its eyes closing and its head laying against the ground. It waited for Hiccup to strike the blow that would end its life. And waited...and waited.

The wolf heard Hiccup move back, the knife in his hand falling to the ground. 'I did this…' he whispered. He hadn't, but he was sure the wolf had heard him and followed him out of his den. This would have led to it getting caught in the trap...if only he could do something about it.

He paused, realising that he could do something to save the wolf. His eyes widened, and he stepped forward. The wolf whimpered, finally thinking its end was here. Until a sharp pain came from its captured tail. Its eyes opened and it frantically moved its head around to see the damage. That was when it locked eyes with Hiccup, who's body now shook with fear.

The wolf snarled angrily, pacing forward and pouncing on the young boy, causing him to yelp and topped onto his back. The wolf continued snarling at him, ready to bite into his neck for trying to kill him. Slowly, however, the anger in the wolf began to subside. It realised that the boy's eyes looked almost identical to his own just seconds before. Wide with fear, beginning for relief.

The wolf reared its head back, and snapped its jaw at Hiccup's face. It turned and ran off, bumping into forest obstacles while coating the the ground red with its blood.

Hiccup stared after it, his chest heaving deeply with every breath he took. He lifted himself up from the floor, standing unsteadily and walking precariously towards the tree line. He looked up at the sky and thanked God, well, he thanked every god he could think of, for keeping him alive.

Hiccup spent the next 15 minutes searching the fences for any gaps. He soon found one, and slipped out. From there, he walked home as fast as he could, not wanting to look at another person for the rest of the day. He couldn't, not only because he was just...not in the mood, but he had wolf blood splatted over his hands, arms and stomach.

Hiccup turned the key for his house, opening the door and immediately stripping down to his boxers. He dumped his clothes in the bin, removing any items of interest beforehand; then slowly made his way upstairs to his rather large bedroom. He was absolutely exhausted, and it showed. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, Hiccup fell into a deep sleep.