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[HTTYD] Dragon Treasure, chapter 2

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Dragon Treasure, a DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon fanfic by Raberba girl

Chapter 2 - Rescue (rough draft)

 

They struck soon after sunrise, when most of the circus men were still asleep and too hungover to resist their arrests much.  A few did cause trouble, including one of the girls the CWD had come to rescue, and one of the ringmasters nearly got away.  Stoick was helping two police officers subdue the raging hulk of a man when another officer hurried up.  "Sir, there's--  The dragon--  We need, we would like--"

 

"Has the dragon hurt anyone?" Stoick demanded.

 

"Not yet, sir, but--"

 

"I'm on my way.  Stay here and give these two a hand."

 

The dragon and its handler were still in their cage.  The frightened-looking boy was clinging to the dragon's back; the beast itself was snarling savagely at the men who faced them.  "Easy, now," Stoick murmured, holstering his gun and spreading his hands in a peaceful gesture, indicating for his men to back away.  "We're here to help you, lad.  Tell the dragon to calm down, we're not going to hurt either of you."

 

"What's happening?" the boy demanded.

 

"We're from the Child Welfare Department.  We're shutting down this place and arresting everyone who's willingly employed here, everyone who's been hurting you and the other children.  Everything's going to be all right now.  What's your name?"

 

"Hiccup," the boy snapped.  Stoick had heard the strange name once or twice during the surveillance, but hadn't been sure it was a real name, or that he'd been hearing right.  "What are you going to do to Toothless?"

 

"It's all right, Hiccup.  We're not here to hurt him, either.  Dragons are an endangered species, protected by law.  We're going to send him to a very nice dragon reserve in Africa, where he'll be safe and happy.  My wife actually works there, she--"

 

"I'm going with him."

 

Stoick stared, taken aback.  "Lad...Hiccup, it's--  Listen, tell your dragon to calm down, and then--"

 

"I'm going with him," the boy snarled.

 

Stoick exhaled, reminding himself to keep his tone quiet and gentle.  "Listen to me, Hiccup.  Your dragon, 'Toothless' here, he's quite a rare and impressive beast, but he's also an exotic and very dangerous animal.  We don't have anywhere to keep him here in this city.  We have to send him somewhere where he'll be safe, but it's not going to be a place where we can send a young boy--"

 

"I don't care!" Hiccup shouted at him.  "Anywhere he goes is fine for me!  You can treat me like an animal all you want, lock me in a cage and make me eat off the floor, that's fine, I've been doing that my whole life - but you can't take me away from Toothless!  Wherever he goes, I go!"

 

"Hiccup--"

 

"WHEREVER TOOTHLESS GOES, I GO!"

 

The dragon was snarling and shifting in response to its handler's agitation.  To Stoick's horror, the animal opened its mouth, which began to be lit with the purple glow of its fire.

 

"Hush," Hiccup ordered, patting the dragon's neck.  "Toothless, Hush!"

 

The dragon whined and closed its mouth without firing, folding its wings over the boy as if trying to hold him more closely onto its back.

 

Stoick was at a loss.  He knew that the boy and the dragon loved each other dearly, but he hadn't anticipated such a vehement refusal to be separated.  He certainly could not send the boy to a foster home with a dragon in tow, and now he wasn't sure what either of them would do if they were separated by force.  And of course no one with a shred of decency was going to lock up a child in a dragon's cage.  The poor boy probably didn't understand how unacceptable such a thing was; when was the last time, if ever, he had lived a normal life?

 

"Hiccup," Stoick said quietly, "we need to get you to a hospital, and they're not going to allow the dragon inside."

 

"I don't need a hospital."

 

Stoick tried hard to keep his temper.  "Hiccup, this is my job.  I can tell you, as a professional, that you most certainly need to go to a hospital, for some examinations and tests if nothing else.  You will be taken there, even if you need to be sedated first."

 

"You can't take me from my dragon!  You can't take me from my dragon, you CAN'T!"

 

Stoick was waving his hands as if he could physically hold back the boy's defiance.  "We'll let you ride in the same truck!  All right?"

 

Hiccup narrowed his eyes suspiciously, the dragon growling as if to emphasize their shared mistrust.

 

"Will it be better if we take Toothless to the hospital along with you?  He won't be able to go inside, but you can at least ride with him on the way."

 

"I'm not leaving my dragon."

 

"At least come out of the cage, and you can ride in the back with him."

 

"The only way I'm leaving this cage is if Toothless leaves it with me."

 

"The dragon's not going to die if you get a few feet away from him!" Stoick exclaimed in frustration.

 

"We've never been apart," Hiccup hissed.  There was something strange about his expression, something close to fury but not quite.  "Never."

 

In the surveillance footage, during the rare occasions when Hiccup had been released from the cage, his dragon had followed him everywhere, even in and out of the dressing rooms.  Was it really possible that the pair had literally never been out of each other's sight before?

 

"You won't be separated in the truck," Stoick insisted.  "If you want to ride in the back, you'll be right there, close enough to touch him; you just won't be in the cage."

 

"As soon as I come out of here, you'll slam the door on him and take him away from me," Hiccup accused.

 

Stoick was forced to give up.  The best he could do was film Hiccup's vehement refusal as proof of the boy's insistence, then locate a key to the cage and film himself testing it to prove that it worked and then giving it to the young dragon handler.  Hiccup stared at the key as if he thought it was a trick, but eventually he took it and slipped it into his ragged clothing.

 

The animal seemed to be nervous when the cage was transported to the vehicle, but Hiccup spoke reassuringly, and the dragon buried its snout in the boy's stomach and barely moved during the whole trip.  Stoick rode in the back of the truck with them.  Hiccup sat there, murmuring to Toothless and stroking the dragon's hide with such a loving expression that Stoick felt like it would be an intrusion to interrupt unnecessarily.

 

He did, however, speak up when he finally noticed that there was something odd about the dragon's tail.  There was a fin at the tip of it, extending from one side, but there was nothing on the other side, which gave the tail an unbalanced look.  "What happened here?" Stoick asked, reaching through the bars toward the tail but halting before he actually touched it.

 

"Oh...you want me to put his tail on?"

 

"What?"

 

"The fake fin, I mean.  He has to wear it for performances--  Are you taking us somewhere to perform?"

 

"No, Hiccup.  I told you, we're going to the hospital.  What do you mean about a fake fin?"

 

Without letting go of Toothless, Hiccup stretched out his other arm and leaned back, fumbling along the perimeter of the cage until he grabbed hold of something that Stoick had overlooked as a rag or piece of debris.  When Hiccup held it out to him, Stoick realized that it was actually some kind of flap, colored black like the dragon's hide, attached to a couple of straps with buckles.  Fully extended as it dangled from Hiccup's fingers, it now closely resembled the dragon's tail fin in shape.

 

"They cut it off before I met him," Hiccup said in a low voice.  "He has a scar there.  They did it so he can't fly away."

 

"...I see."  Stoick gently laid the false fin beside the dragon's tail, lining it up until he could see how it was meant to be attached and how it mirrored the flesh fin.  He was glad that Valka wasn't here.  She would be beside herself with anger, and heartbroken as well, to discover that a dragon had been maimed and crippled like this.

 

All went smoothly until they parked as close as they could to a hospital entrance and opened the back of the truck.  Stoick beckoned.  Hiccup stared at him like a deer in headlights and tightened his embrace on the dragon.

 

"Come now, lad.  Don't worry, they'll take Toothless somewhere safe to wait for you."

 

"I'm not leaving," Hiccup said, his voice higher than usual.  "And I have the key, so you can't get me out!"

 

"Bludvist had more than one key," Stoick said quietly, drawing a second key from his pocket.

 

Hiccup's face went pale.  "Toothless, Guard Me," he commanded.  The dragon immediately scrambled to its feet and planted itself in front of the boy, growling.

 

They had to tranquilize the animal.  Hiccup flew into a panic in response, screaming and clinging desperately to his dragon and having to be physically pried away, at which point he fought tooth and nail to get free.  They had to sedate him, too, just to get him into the hospital.

 

Hiccup stayed asleep as he was examined and treated for the injuries from his recent beatings, as well as some minor cuts and scrapes.  Stoick was told he could expect to receive various test results throughout the coming week.

 

The boy began to regain consciousness as they were wrapping up his release paperwork.  "Wh-Where's...m-my...dragon?" Hiccup asked, trembling hard enough to affect his speech.

 

"He's right outside, right where you left him," Stoick said soothingly, reaching to stroke the boy's hair out of his eyes and noticing the sweat on Hiccup's skin.  "He's been asleep, too.  Don't worry, lad, he won't even miss you; you'll be back by his side when he wakes up."

 

"T-Toothless...my d-dragon, I n-need my dragon, p-please, please, Tooth-thless...!"  He was gasping now as if he could barely breathe, and a nearby nurse went to fetch some kind of medication.

 

Stoick knew what he should do.  He should wait for the trained medical personnel to tend to the boy, he should follow the rules and protocol when they were put in place for good reasons.

 

But the panic in the child's eyes was hard to bear, and Stoick knew instinctively what the best remedy would be, and before he could give himself time to make a rational decision, he was scooping up the boy in his arms and striding down the corridor with him.

 

"Mr. Vast!"

 

Stoick ignored the people calling after him.  He tried to remind himself to deliberately relax his grip - he was a strong man, and Hiccup was showing all the signs of a panic attack, and the last thing Stoick wanted to do was crush the boy when he was already suffering.  "You'll see Toothless soon.  That's where we're going right now, he's right there outside those doors.  Try to take deep breaths, Hiccup."

 

The truck was rocking slightly from side to side, muffled dragon roars audible from within.  Stoick was afraid to approach, and was starting to second-guess himself, but Hiccup was staring at the truck and straining toward it like a dying man desperate for relief.

 

"Sir, you should keep your distance--" one of his men started to say.

 

"The dragon--"

 

"Very dangerous right now--"

 

Stoick, cradling Hiccup in one arm, reached out with the other to yank open the back of the truck.

 

Toothless was half-awake, staggering back and forth in his cage, slamming his body so hard against the bars that the whole vehicle shook.

 

"Toothless," Hiccup croaked, and Stoick imagined he could almost hear Hiccup's name in the dragon's cries.

 

"Hiccup," Stoick warned, "the effects of the tranquilizer haven't completely worn off, he's--"

 

"I'm dying," Hiccup sobbed.

 

Stoick slowly reached for the key, wondering if he was making a huge mistake.  Yet as he watched, Toothless grew still and sniffed the air, pressing his snout against the bars closest to Hiccup's outstretched hand.  The dragon's glazed eyes struggled to focus on the young human, his roars replaced with a desperate whimpering.  He no longer looked like a vicious beast who would pounce on the closest target and rip it to shreds at the soonest opportunity - he looked like a dog bereft of its beloved master.

 

Stoick, listening to his gut rather than his common sense, set Hiccup down on the floor of the truck and opened the cage door.

 

Toothless staggered out, heading straight for Hiccup.  He collapsed beside the boy, shifting so that he lay partially on top of him, resting his head on the boy's chest for a moment before lifting his chin to lick the boy's neck.

 

Hiccup's arms had immediately gone around the dragon, and he now embraced his companion tightly, fingertips tracing patterns on the dragon's scales as he closed his eyes and whispered.  The change in his breathing was immediate, as if the animal's mere presence was a physical relief.  As Stoick watched, boy and dragon calmed down together, and within two minutes they were simply resting, looking exhausted but otherwise well.

 

"Does this remind you of anything?" Stoick murmured to one of his men.  He had started filming again as soon as it was obvious that the dragon wouldn't harm anyone.

 

"What are you getting at, sir?"

 

"Service animals are allowed anywhere the general public is."  If Toothless could qualify as a psychiatric service animal, it might solve at least some short-term problems....  Stoick would need to ask Hiccup about the dragon's specific training, and get a doctor to evaluate--

 

"No one's going to accept a dragon as a service animal," the man said warily, as if he couldn't believe his boss was even entertaining the idea.

 

Stoick sighed.  "I wouldn't say 'no one,' but...well, I suppose it certainly is a long shot."  Still, it was worth looking into.

 

Although the panic attack had passed, Hiccup now acted both terrified and furious whenever Stoick or any of the men tried to approach.  "Okay, look," Stoick finally said, throwing up his hands and stepping back, "I won't get any closer.  I'm just going to stand here and ask you some questions, Hiccup, all right?"

 

Hiccup stared at him, arms wrapped around his dragon, as Toothless fixed Stoick with a warning glare.

 

"I won't try to separate you again against your will.  I'm sorry.  I can see that you and Toothless care about each other very much."

 

"Don't take him away from me."

 

"I won't.  The problem is that this puts me in a very difficult situation, Hiccup.  We can't keep you in a dragon cage, that's out of the question, and I can't really think of anywhere you can go where Toothless would be allowed, too."

 

"You don't have to keep us if you don't want us.  Just let us go; we'll find somewhere on our own."

 

"I can't do that either, Hiccup...."  Stoick sighed.  Only one possibility had occurred to him, but he really didn't like it.  "Hiccup, is your dragon housebroken?"

 

"What?"

 

It took a minute for Stoick to finally make the boy understand what he was talking about.

 

"Oh.  Yeah," Hiccup said.  He nodded toward a smelly corner of the cage, which was at the opposite end of the nest-like mound they used as a bed.  "We only use that one spot."

 

"So if we were to bring Toothless into a house, he wouldn't have any accidents on the floors, would he?"

 

"Just show us where to pee and stuff, and that's where we'll do it."

 

"Well, you'd be using a toilet, but it's good to know that the dragon will do his business outside.  What about chewing, or knocking things over?  Or breathing fire?"

 

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked, apparently picking up on the fact that these questions were leading somewhere.

 

Stoick sighed again.  "I want to know how badly your dragon will destroy my house if I let the two of you stay with me for a little while.  Not very long," he was quick to add, "just until we can figure out what to do with you."

 

"Your...house?"

 

Stoick nodded, feeling unaccountably embarrassed.

 

Hiccup was looking strangely embarrassed as well.  "...I've never been in a house," he burst out, "but whatever you need Toothless to do, he'll do it.  I'll tell him what to do, okay?  He'll do anything for me, just don't take me away from him.  I'll do anything, just please don't take him away from me.  I'll do--  anyth--"  His breath was coming short again.  Toothless pressed into him and started licking him again until Hiccup had calmed down enough to manage, "Please don't."

 

"All right, all right, Hiccup.  Ssshh, it's all right."

 

Stoick didn't make them return to the cage, and was relieved when they were just as well-behaved as before.  Boy and dragon sat close together, murmuring to each other.  Of course dragons couldn't talk, but Toothless did respond to Hiccup's remarks with vocalizations that gave the impression of a conversation.

 

Luckily, Stoick already had a care bag on hand for Hiccup, so they didn't have to go shopping for clothes and necessities.  They drove straight to Stoick's home, which was a large house in an upscale neighborhood.  Hiccup's expression, when he got out of the truck and stared up at the house, was unreadable.

 

Stoick sent the truck away and reclaimed his car from the man who had driven it to and from the hospital for him.  Left alone with the rescued pair, Stoick took a deep breath, then moved toward the door with his keys.  "I'm not sure what to say, this is such an unusual foster situation....  But we'll do our best and see what happens, eh?"

 

"This is grass, right?" Hiccup asked unexpectedly.  He knelt down to touch Stoick's lawn, and Toothless immediately lowered his head to sniff at the same patch of grass Hiccup was stroking.

 

"You--?!  Er, that is...yes."

 

"I've only ever seen it on TV," Hiccup said softly.  "There's so much of it...it's softer than the little bits that would grow at the circus...."

 

Not sure how to respond to this, Stoick finished unlocking the door and pushed it wide open.  "Come on in.  I called my housekeeper ahead of time and told her to leave early today, so we've got the place to ourselves for now.  If Toothless needs to do his business, have him do it in the back."  Stoick ushered them through the house to the backyard, then was shocked and quickly had to stop Hiccup from unfastening his pants.  "No, Hiccup, er--  The yard is for the dragon.  I'll show you the bathroom, all right?"  A thought occurred to him.  "Have you...ever used a toilet before...?"

 

"Yeah, when I had to shower and stuff for my performances," Hiccup said warily.  "Are we going to be performing here, too?  How often?  Toothless needs a few days to rest in between, he doesn't like pretending to hurt each other and he gets upset--"

 

"No, Hiccup."  Stoick swallowed a curse, furious at anyone who would raise a child in such a way.  "You won't be doing that ever again."  Then he tried to explain what would have been obvious to a child who'd been raised like a human being instead of an animal.  Hiccup kept a hand on the dragon's neck and said nothing.

 

To be continued....

 

Author's Notes:  To put Stoick's problem in a little more perspective, it's virtually the equivalent of having to find a foster home for a child who's inseparable from a tiger. X'D

 

Trucks are "large, heavy motor vehicle[s] used for transporting goods, materials, or troops," and they vary greatly in size.  The vehicle they'd use to transport a dragon would be big enough to do so, it's not like a pickup truck.  (Just to be clear. ^^;)

 

They're called lots of different things, but a care bag is a backpack / duffel bag / etc. that's filled with clothing, toiletries, toys, school supplies, etc. for children who transition between foster homes.  Donating items for care bags, or donating pre-assembled care bags, is an easy way that anyone can help foster children (as an alternative to directly fostering children or donating money.  Not everyone is able to do those things, but most people are able to donate care bag items).

 

Technically, Hiccup ought to have a potty mouth in this fic, due to living almost his entire life in environments where everyone probably cussed all the time, but I'm taking artistic license here. *sweatdrop*

 

I'm worried about Stoick seeming OOC in this fic....  I was trying to keep a bit of his canon personality intact (such as his tendency to make assumptions and his natural inclination to be in control of his circumstances), while keeping in mind that in this AU, he lives in a much more civilized culture and has had a lot of training/education/experience/etc. in child psychology and the like.  I dunno; there's nothing I can do to fix it if it's a problem, but you guys can still tell me if it works or not.

 

I usually don't bother to update already-posted stuff with edited versions until/unless I get around to editing the story for real, but so many things bugged me about chapter 1 of this fic that I made a lot of nit-picky edits and reposted it.

 

My research for this chapter:

 

Service dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

-Service dogs (they pretty much have to be dogs, or miniature horses in certain cases) are specially trained and are considered to be "medical equipment" for their handlers, who would have some kind of physical and/or psychiatric disability, which is why the dogs are allowed in most places.

-ESAs don't have to be dogs and they don't have to be specially trained; as long as a licensed mental health professional writes an official letter stating that it would be beneficial to the patient to have an ESA, ESAs must be permitted in most housing and airline situations.  However, they don't have the same status as service dogs, and you can't take them anywhere except your own home, an airplane, or where ordinary pets are permitted.

-Keep in mind that Toothless is an entirely self-taught "service animal," so he might differ in some respects from true service animals!

-Please do not try to pass off your pet as a "service animal" unless it legitimately is one.  Otherwise, it has a negative impact on disabled people who truly do need their service dogs to be recognized and respected as such.

 

Panic attacks

-I looked up how they work and strategies for coping with them

Comments4
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Komori-Moon's avatar
I still find it unusual that Stoick took Hiccup and Toothless to his house after seemingly not much time thinking on it. And funny (as in haha funny not weird funny) that Hiccup was going to pee in the backyard.