Ch1 - Part 1: Autumn

Hiccup POV:

As I slowly opened my eyes, I could tell that it was nighttime right from when I saw the moon, which was so big and shining bright in the sky. I started to constantly shake and shiver, as if my body was just pulled out from the ocean, and I could still feel the ice cold waves of its' water. I quickly realized I was laying down on an isolated beach, with both of my hands feeling the sand, and the waves of the ocean right in front of me. Before I even began to get myself off the ground, I felt my whole body somehow being lifted higher, and I started to become a lot more scared. My body suddenly started to move up in the air when I was facing the moon, and obviously, I was getting a much better look at it from up here.

"You have nothing to fear, child, because no one is going to hurt you, and you're going to be the light in a dark time to come in the distant future."

I looked down to see that there was still nobody around, so that must have meant that the voice I just heard came from the Moon in front of me.

"Your name is Hiccup Veles." I wanted to find out so much more, as in who was talking to me, and what exactly was going to happen in the distant future.

I was safely brought down to the ground, with both of my feet in fur boots, and I searched through my fur vest to check if I carried anything useful. All I had with me right now were the clothes that I was wearing, so I thought that I shouldn't just stand around and wait for something to happen. I started to walk off from the beach and come into a dark forest when it started to get more windy in the area, but it didn't seem to bother me that much. I instantly noticed that there were leaves falling from the trees around me, and they were different colors, such as red, orange, yellow, and brown. Seeing them all made me easily conclude that the season was autumn, and it was always a beautiful time when it came to the world every year.

What I found to be quite strange was that when most of these leaves had fallen onto both my hair and vest, not even one of them had gone away. Although I tried my best to get all of them off me, more leaves just kept coming down from the trees, and I wondered if it was ever going to end. It wasn't until my vest looked like it was completely made out of leaves and not brown fur, and I could also still feel a bunch of leaves on my hair. Since it didn't seem like any of the leaves were going anywhere, I decided not to bother with them anymore, and go back to getting out of the woods. As I kept walking through the forest, I wondered if there would be something or someone along the way who could help out with finding answers.

It seemed like my mind had been read, because once I finally stepped out of the forest, I found a village close by with a lot of people walking around. I was definitely sure that they would immediately find it very weird to see a boy who had a bunch of leaves in his hair, as well as all over his vest. I got myself much closer to this village, with me being right in the center, to get a better look at these people, and what all of them were wearing. Most of these villagers had on a helmet made of metal with horns attached to each side of it, and they also wore fur vests and boots, just like me. I was beginning to think that maybe I could finally get answers from somebody from this village, even though not even one person looked familiar.

"Hello," I said, as I went up to approach a group of young teens who were all sitting together near a fire. "Can any of you please tell me where I am?"

To my surprise, none of them brought their head up to look at me, and I started to wonder if they were too sad about something to talk with anyone. That didn't seem to be the case though, as I heard one of the teens speak up, and this one was a female, who also had blonde hair which was braided.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but I just can't go on every day and try hard not to think about him, because he was so important to me, and I still miss him." The blonde said.

"You don't think that the rest of us feel the same way? If it wasn't for him, then we never would've got to have the dragons as our friends." Another blonde replied.

Hiccup saw that this blonde was male, being also big and strong, which were two things that Hiccup wasn't, as he was small and scrawny, but it didn't matter right now.

"I know what you mean. This village just doesn't feel the same without him and his dragon around. Real, good change happened because of them." Another male added.

This was coming from a black-haired teen, and the rest of them all moved their heads to look at him, as if what he just said wasn't something he would ever really say.

"I think that it's just unfair how everybody else expects us to get over it and move on. How are we even supposed to do that, when it's just too hard?" A female said.

Just like the other girl whose hair was braided, this girl also had blonde hair, but instead of being done up in one ponytail, her hair was kept in a total of about five braids.

"I'm sure that all of those people would know how we're feeling if they had spent just as much time with him, but it's too late for that to happen." Another blonde added.

This came from a male, who seemed to be related to the girl with five braids, as they shared a slim stature, and each of them wore a necklace with a dragon tooth on it.

"Look, guys, if he were still here, he wouldn't want us to keep on being miserable. He'd want us to enjoy our lives, as if nothing's ever coming in our way." A blonde said.

This was spoken by the same female with her hair braided in one ponytail, and I realized that these five teens had lost someone who must have very close to all of them. Despite everything that I've heard recently, I still wanted to know a lot more, as in who exactly was this person they all lost, and if they had a family living in this village.

"What about his father, by the way? Have any of you seen him come outside his house at least once, and do you think that he's feeling the same way that we are?" Another blonde asked.

These questions came out from the same big and strong male, and I felt like my mind had been read once again, with knowing that whoever passed away still had a family.

"I know that he does make secret trips to the Great Hall, but it's only when everybody else is sleeping, he goes out to have a drink, and prefers to do that in privacy." A male said.

I heard this from the same black-haired guy who had said something earlier that caused everyone else to look up, and I still wanted to know what were the names of these five teens.

"You know, Snotlout, I'm not even going to ask how you know that, but his dad is still the chief of this village, and I just hope that he doesn't drink himself to death." The blonde with one braided ponytail replied.

"Hey, Astrid, the chief may have always been stubborn, just like his son was, but he's not stupid, so I doubt that he hasn't stopped thinking about the village. He just needs more time." The big, strong blonde said.

"Well, Fishlegs, I'm sure that he's going to have all the time that he wants for himself. I mean, first, he lost his wife many years ago, and now his son is gone too." The blonde with five braided ponytails responded.

"Wow, Ruffnut, can you be any more harsh, and besides, the rest of us already know both of those things, but you're lucky that the chief wasn't around to hear you." The blonde's lookalike relative said.

"Yes, Tuffnut's right, the chief is in a very fragile place right now, so it's best for not even one of us to mention the fact that his only child, and his child's mother have both passed away." Astrid suggested.

While I was glad to finally know the names of these five teens sitting right in front of me, I was still hoping that one of them could tell me what place I came walking into.

"Excuse me, guys," I said, coming forward. "Now I'm terribly sorry to hear about your friend, but can any of you please tell me what village this is? I'd really appreciate it."

For the second time, not a single one of these teens looked in my direction and they didn't give me an answer, and I started to think they were pretending that I wasn't there.

"If you want me to leave all of you alone, then I'll do that, but I just need to know what's the name of this village, and you'll never see me again if that's what you want." I added.

I just became even more annoyed with each of these five teens as they continued to talk with each other, while also act like they couldn't see me standing here at all.

"Alright, now if this is supposed to be some kind of sick, twisted game that you guys play with new visitors, then you can stop, because it's not so funny anymore." I said, with my voice getting louder.

Despite what I said, I didn't really believe that the teens were playing a game, since they wouldn't want to if they were mourning the loss of somebody that they all knew.

"Hey, guys, it's getting late, so I'm gonna go home now." I heard Astrid say that as she got up from her seat. "I'll see you tomorrow, so we can talk some more."

I immediately got myself in front of the girl, but Astrid still didn't stop to notice me, and just when I was about to say something to her, she passed right though me.

"Astrid's right, Tuff, we should be heading home too, and besides, neither of us want to get sick, now do we?" Ruffnut asked, as she got up, and walked through me too.

"Right behind you, sis, and I can't believe that I'm actually saying this, but I agree, because I don't want to catch a cold either." Tuffnut replied, following in his sister's path.

I quickly stepped aside so that he wouldn't go through me, just like his sister and Astrid already did not so long ago, and I saw Snotlout and Fishlegs get up from their seats.

"Yeah, I better get myself home too, and besides, I don't want my dad going off on me about staying outside in weather like this, and how it's bad for my heath." Snotlout said.

"As for me, I don't want my parents and even Meatlug to start getting worried, but it was nice for all of us to get together and talk more about. . ."Fishlegs replied.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hear I think what must have been the name of this friend to the teens, as the wind was only becoming a little more heavy and strong. Even when I saw the two boys immediately head for their home, I was still feeling a mixture of many emotions being shock, horror, confusion, disbelief, pain and sadness. Why couldn't any of those teens hear me, or even see me at all? How could they go through right me? Was I some kind of ghost? No, the only way that I could actually become a ghost was if I had. . .died.

Wait, if that happened to be true, then what am I supposed to do now? Was there somebody specific in this town whose life I had to haunt forever? I soon realized that there really wasn't a point in asking myself all of these questions. I remembered that the moon had told me earlier not only what my name was, but a few more things, and I still wanted to know a lot more. When I looked up to the sky, I could see the moon in its' full form, shining brightly down on me, as well as the wooden houses all around me.

"Listen, I know it was you who told me my name, that I had nothing to fear, that no one was going to hurt me, and that I was going to be the 'light in a dark time to come in the future'.

Basically, the things I want to know most from you is one, when exactly is this 'dark time' going to come, two, what am I supposed to do, three, how should I get prepared, four, who can be able to help me out, and finally, why was I chosen?" Even though I knew that was quite a lot of questions to ask, I really believed that if the moon could talk to me before, then it could talk to me another time. Since I remember it had been a man's voice that I heard earlier while I was up high from the ground, I decided that it was best to use the name 'Man in the Moon'. As much as I thought that it was quite silly, I really believed there might be somebody in the moon, since I don't think that they would be alive if they were on top of it.

"Please, Man in the Moon, all I asking right now is the answers for those five questions, and I promise that I'll never gonna bother you about anything else ever again."

I really didn't know exactly how long I kept my head up to the moon and waited to hear that wise and deep voice again, whether it was just minutes or even hours. Either way, I started to get my hopes up when I eventually realized that the only thing I could hear for all of this time was nothing but the cold and scary silence. Maybe I should have said something before, but at the time, I didn't really take any time to come up with important questions for the 'Man in the Moon'. Since I wouldn't really get help from anyone in this village, because they couldn't hear what I'd say, I didn't see the point in staying around here for much longer.

I headed in the direction of where I came from to find the village, which was back into the dark forest, and as soon as I reached it, I took a few slow steps before running. I didn't bother with seeing where I was going through the woods, because I had just began letting out all of the emotions that I was feeling inside by crying my eyes out. However, even though my eyes were getting sore, I could notice that it seemed like the trees all around me had a mind of their own, as both the branches and leaves were moving very fast. I quickly realized that it was all happening due to the harsh windy weather, which didn't actually start until I had discovered that I was invisible to those teens back in that village far behind me.

I came to a stop in middle of the forest and took a few deep breaths to help myself calm down, so I could be able to think about how all of this was happening right now. Did this 'Man in the Moon' not only bring me back from the dead, but also give me some kind of strange and magical powers, and if so, what were they and how exactly could I use them? I crouched down and picked up one of the leaves from off the ground, and even though it was dark out, I could clearly see that the color of the leaf was a dark red.

I wondered if somehow, I was granted a power that could turn the leaf's color into another one, so while carefully staring at the leaf, I thought of the color becoming orange. Just as a part of me began to think that nothing was going to happen, I was amazed to see the color slowly go from being red to a bright orange, just like I was thinking in my head. It made me feel a little better to know that I had a special ability to use with nature, which is why I decided to try it out a few more times until I heard a familar voice.

"Keep walking forward, Hiccup Veles, and you'll soon find someone not only to keep you company, but to also help you out for when the dark time comes."

As much as I wanted to have an answer for all of my questions, I was relieved though that the 'Man in the Moon' was kind enough to give an answer for at least one of them. Right after I went back to walking through the forest, I thought about who I would be meeting, until I came across an opening in a wall of rocks, which led me to a large cove of some sort. I have to admit that even though it was nighttime, the place looked quite beautiful, being so secluded and alive, with both the stars and the moon reflecting off the water of the lake.

I made sure to be very careful with going down the stone ledges, and I was surprised to see a shield stuck between two rocks, which made me wonder if someone had already found this place before. I took a look around while walking further to see who was waiting for me in this clearing, and I it wasn't really a person, but more of an animal, like a big and dark reptile. At first, it was hard for me to see him because he was at a far away distance, but I could be able to recognize him a lot more as the dragon came much closer to me.

"Buddy!" I shouted in a mix of relief and happiness, as I held out both of my arms, but before I could say anything else, I was knocked to the ground by the dragon.

Ever since I woke up on that sandy beach not so long ago, I wondered if there could be anyone who would be there and help me out with what the 'Man in the Moon' told me earlier. The moment when I discovered that I was invisible in that village, from all of those teens not seeing me and walking right through me, I thought that I would be all alone. I was so glad that it wouldn't be that way since I could now be with my best friend, the first being to ever just accept me for who I was, and to just want me around for me. There wasn't a point in making another tail fin for Toothless, because he had his left tail fin back, and I didn't find it necessary for either of us to stay on this island any longer.

"C'mon, bud," I said, after I got up from the ground, and hopped on the dragon's back. "What do you say that we get off this island and find a home of our own?" I suggested.

However, Toothless didn't seem to think that it was such a good idea, and I could tell from the way that he was patting down the grass with his paws, he preferred to stay in this clearing instead.

"You know, bud, I'd like to stay here too, but I was actually given a special job, and it's one that requires me to go around to different lands and bring Autumn to them." I said.

Toothless cocked his head to the side, as he didn't seem to understand what I was talking about, so I told him about everything I'd just experienced from waking up on the beach to finding him here.

I gave him a minute to take it all in, while I took a deep breath before talking to him again. "So, bud, do you now understand why the two of us can't stay on this island?"

Even though he made a soft whine, as if there was something about this clearing that he just didn't want to leave behind, the dragon gave a nod of it's head.

"Good, but before we go, it would be better if you had on some kind of saddle so that I won't fall off of you while we're flying around in the sky." I said before turning to walk toward the entrance.

Suddenly, I stopped to think for a moment, and looked back at Toothless, and since I didn't want to be alone in going back to the village, as well as leave him all by himself in this clearing, I decided that it was best for the two of us to stick together.

"Hey, wait a minute, the deep voice I heard earlier said that if I came here, then I would find someone to keep me company, so Toothless, could you fly us out of this clearing, and to the village?" I asked.

Toothless gave another nod with his head, and I quickly hopped onto his back before he took off into the sky, and to help him out, I pointed in which direction that the village was in, and he flew for only a few minutes before we arrived. We landed near the forge, and I had Toothless wait for me outside, as I went in and looked for the right materials to make a saddle, and I quickly got to work, but although it took quite a lot of work, I managed to have it done, as well as a riding vest. Luckily, Toothless didn't give me a hard time at all with attaching the saddle onto him, and I hopped on his back once more, but not before putting on my riding vest, and now I was feeling a lot more comfortable.

"Alright, bud, it's time for us to spread Autumn throughout the world." I said, before looking up to the moon, as we shot off into the sky, looking for any more land out there for me to do my new job.