Hunted

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Five Years Ago

BEEP BEEP BEEP

I groaned, opening my eyes and trying to turn off the stupid alarm clock. I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to get rid of the sleep.

I sighed sadly. It was Monday, which means another day at school, another day of Hel.

My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. No, don't you dare laugh. I'm, in short, skinny, lanky, short, clumsy, which is a lot for a short version. I'm 14 years old, with Auburn hair and forest green eyes, both of which I inherited from my parents.

My father is Stoick Haddock, the mayor of Berk, and of course, works for the government.

My mom? Well, I never really know my mom. She went missing when I was three. Her name is Valka Haddock.

My life, though, is practically Helheim, especially in school. I get bullied in school by my cousin, Snotlout Jorgenson, and his gang, Tuffnut Thorston and Ruffnut Thorston. Then there's Fishlegs Ingerman and Astrid Hofferson, my long lost crush. The whole of Berk thinks I'm a disappointment, which is why I'm known as Hiccup the Useless.

I got out of bed and went to take a shower. After my shower I put on a brown jeans with black shirt, hoodie and red sneakers. I grabbed my school bag and headed downstairs for breakfast.

I hoped my dad already went to work, which he has, thankfully. I know, I know. That's not very nice, but I'd like to avoid any awkward conversation, thank you very much. I grabbed an apple and headed to the the bus stop.

I arrived just as the bus did, and everyone was already in it. I hopped on the bus and headed to the back to find a seat, all the while waiting for someone to stuck their foot out and trip me. When someone did, my books went flying everywhere. The whole bus erupted in laughter.

"What's wrong, Useless?" Sneered my dear old cousin, sitting next to Eret and his gang. "Can't even walk without tripping yourself?"

"Real mature, Snotface." I snapped back while collecting my books, when I realized everyone stopped laughing.

"What did you call me, Useless?" He growled angrily. I could see the fury in his eyes. "Care to say that again?"

He raised his hands, about to punch me, but someone stopped him by grabbing his arm. It was Astrid!

"Come on, Snot. Stop beating him," she said. Hearing her say that gave me a tiny speck of hope that someone finally stood up for me. "Punching a pig is worth a lot more than punching someone like him."

And there goes that hope. My heart shattered to a thousand pieces when she said that. I thought she was different. I thought she would at least think before judging someone. Turns out, I was wrong.

I decided to just settle myself on the backseat of the bus, while forcing myself not to tear up. Those words hurt. A lot.

When I arrived at school I went to my locker then straight to class. As usual, the class gave me looks of hatred. When Astrid came in though, she didn't even look at me. 'Wow. She hates me that much, huh?' I thought. 'Why did I even have a crush on her?'

"Alright class, settle down," said our teacher, Mr. Bludvist. Immediately, the class quietened down. "Alright, class. Today, we will be doing..."

Timeskip

Finally, class ended. I was heading to the entrance when I was roughly grabbed by Snotlout. He pinned me to a locker and punched me in the face.

"Hey, Useless," he sneered. "Leaving so soon already? I was just going to invite you for a beating."

"Actually, I was leaving," I sassed back. "And the invitation? I'm gonna have to decline."

Snotlout growled and punched me again. This time, the twins joined in. The passerby either snickered ignored eye contact.

Snotlout laughed. "See, Useless. No one cares about you. You know why? 'Cause your weak. You don't deserve any attention more than an ant."

Suddenly, a burst of energy hit me out of nowhere. I did the only thing I could think of that wouldn't let them call me weak.

I kicked him where the sun don't shine.

He screamed in pain, and I felt a grim sense of satisfaction. "Get him!" He shouted, while clutching his crotch, but by the time he finished I was already gone.

What they don't know is that was the final time they're going to see me in a long long time.

Astrid's POV

It's been a week since I last saw Hiccup. The last time I saw him was the time he landed that, might I say, amazing kick on Snotlout's you know where.

It was lunch time and we were all sitting at our normal table, eating peacefully. At least, until Tuffnut brought up Hiccup.

"Hey, have any seen Useless?" He asked. We all shook our heads 'no'. Snotlout snorted, "He's just hiding because he knows what's coming for him." Ruffnut snickered, "Yeah. Your balls heading to his feet."

Snotlout just huffed and looked away. "You think it has anything to do with the sirens the past few days?" Heather, a transfer from Berserker High, asked. I looked at them curiously, "Sirens?" She nodded, "They were all over the neighborhood. I can't even sleep!"

I noticed Snotlout looking a little nervous, and asked him what's wrong. "N-nothing," he stammered. I glared at him, "Snotlout?" I demanded. "OK, OK. I heard my dad scream something on the phone about something important stolen and the FBI is dispatched. That's all I heard."

"It's probably nothing." Even though I said that, I was actually thinking about it.

Present

I once again, sat together with Snotlout, Eret, Fishlegs, Heather and the twins. It has been five years. Five years since we saw Hiccup.

We have all grown up now. Fishlegs' not as shy anymore. Ruff and Tuff, if even possible, has turned more destructive. Snotlout and Eret turned even cockier. Heather has grown more pretty.

This is our last year in school before we graduate and join the Berk Hero Division. And by the time we do, we'll be ready for anyone.

Third POV

Hiccup stood on top of Berk Museum, overlooking the busy streets of Berk City. His coat flapped along the wind, giving him an ominous feeling.

Four large, semi-transparent figure stood behind him, all bearing frowns on their faces. His eyes narrowed as his gaze swept over the advanced buildings and vehicles of Berk.

"Home sweet home," he said in barely above a whisper. The black wolf next to him growled in reluctant agreement.