A.I.: Orphans of Terra (HTTYD)

1

AN: Happy Holidays to one and all!!! I wish you all the very best!!  

Chapter 1

Year: 24XX (Somewhere in the 25th century)

Location: EARTH (TERRA, as called by the non-Native Earthians)

"Get up Useless!!" Was the first thing Hiccup heard that morning. He groaned and stretched on the cold uneven ground. Cracking open an eye he saw several men from the caravan loading up the supplies.

"AAH!" he yelped when someone kicked him from behind. "I said get up!" Hiccup turned from his position on the ground to see that it was his uncle Spitelout that had woken him up. "We can't have a fishbone like you lazing about," he grumbled. "Get to work!"

He scrambled up and shook the desert sand out of his hair and clothes. Sleeping with a ratty old blanket and using a rock as a pillow wasn't as comfortable as the other Berkians made it seem. "Yes Uncle Spitelout," Hiccup mumbled as he quickly gathered his stuff. It was barely dawn but the red sands of the forever stretching desert could already be seen on the horizon.

"I see Sleeping Beauty finally decided to join us," Hiccup's cousin, Snotlout, muttered as he put his blanket away. "You should have been up an hour ago."

"I was tired," Hiccup stated. "You try lifting a large pack on your shoulders all day."

"Well, I don't have to cause I'm not useless!" Snotlout boasted as he flung his rifle over his shoulder. "Aren't I right guys?" He sniggered while turning to the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut who were loading some boxes onto the rusted bus nearby. The twins laughed as Snotlout continued to make fun of Hiccup "Can't hunt, can't drive, can't shoot a gun. The only thing you're good for is working like a pack mule!"

"Well, technically Hiccup can shoot a gun," Fishlegs, another of the teens commented. He was probably the only one who didn't make fun of Hiccup but he also didn't associate with him much.

"Riiiight," Ruffnut now joined them as she dragged her brother along. "He hit the Chief right in the tush!"

"It was an accident!" Hiccup muttered as he was given heavy boxes to load. "Dad startled me and the bullet ricocheted off the bus and a pan." Tuffnut snickered at the memory only to get whacked by his sister.

The Berkians quickly loaded the vehicles with supplies and put tarps over them to keep them safe from the unforgiving sun. Hiccup grabbed what he was supposed to carry and hoisted it on his back while the other teens got on ATVs and rode ahead of the caravan to scout.

He often wondered what it would be like to join the scouting parties. Not that he would get a chance he thought rather sadly. His father forbade him to do what the other teens regularly did just on the off chance he would screw it up. 'It was entirely unfair,' Hiccup thought. Sure he is inventions had caused some problems when they were still in the safe zone but he had always been there to take responsibility for them. Then people started blaming things on him over time and no one would believe he didn't have anything to do with it.

Hiccup let out a sigh as he looked towards the front of the caravan where his dad and Gobber were walking. The vehicles were purely for carrying their supplies. They had made the trip all the way out here on foot after the Outcast raid on their settlement. He really missed being in the forge. All his inventions had also been confiscated after the twins set fire to the food silo and blamed it on him.

"Come on move it!" A voice grumbled near him and Hiccup noticed the glares he was receiving. Even the other men that dragged the heavy equipment didn't like him much. 'So much for being the son of the 'Great Stoick The Vast' uniter of all the tribes!' Hiccup thought sarcastically. He honestly thought he might be adopted with how everyone was treating him. 'No way my dad would have a fishbone for a son.' His mind supplied.

The trip did not get better as Hiccup huffed and puffed in the hot sun. The scouting party had returned around noon and they reported that there were city ruins nearby. Hiccup already knew what that meant, he just didn't get his hopes up anymore. Once they reached the ruins more parties would be made to scavenge for supplies. He had tried to volunteer for some in the past, hoping to prove to his father that he can handle more than just dragging the supplies and being the occasional mechanic but no one even wanted him on their teams.

Hiccup let out a sigh as he kept walking. The small valley they were traveling through now shielded some of the harsh sun and for that Hiccup was grateful. He often wondered how this place looked centuries ago. Probably lush forests filled to the brim with animal life. He had only seen pictures of some of the animals that had once inhabited the planet from the books that had been salvageable. When surviving, classical literature wasn't on the top of anyone's lists. The caravan moved on and by the evening they had made it to the ruins that the teens had found. Tall rusting metal structures littered the area, reminding the survivors of an era of luxury that they would probably never see again. The city ruins were half-buried under sand as the desert kept growing.

Hiccup approached his father cautiously. The man was large and had a big fiery beard and eyebrows to match. His booming voice spoke over the crowd as he asked for volunteers to scout for supplies. "Dad....." Hiccup mumbled.

"Not now son," Stoick said as he barely looked at his son.

"But dad......" Hiccup said again.

"Hiccup can't you see that I'm busy?"

"But I want to volunteer!" Hiccup finally got out. His father stopped for a moment and then looked at Hiccup incredulously.

"Son we talked about this," Stoick said. "I can't let you go out there until you stop being........... All of that."

"You just pointed at all of me." Hiccup uttered.

"Look son, I have a caravan to run. I don't have time to humor you."

"Humor me?!" Hiccup nearly shouted but Gobber interfered.

"Lad.... come one. Let's go." Gobber told him Hiccup frowned but nodded. It seemed his father had already turned back to the gathered crowd. As he walked away he could hear Snotlout sneering "Useless".

"Gobber why did you stop me?" Hiccup finally asked when they were away from the crowd. Hiccup and his Godfather were leaning against one of the vehicles as they started watching the sunset.

"Your father's under a lot of stress already, what with our water supply being so low," Gobber mumbled. "I just don't want ya to be the one he vents it on."

"But I want to be useful Gobber," Hiccup muttered. "He treats me like I'm a kid."

"You are a kid Hiccup." Gobber patted his shoulders.

"He never listens," Hiccup grumbled.

"Well, you don't either." Gobber shot back. "It certainly runs in the family."

"Gobber I'm being serious." Hiccup sighed. "Whenever I talk to him he always has this disappointing scowl on his face. Like someone left with the last piece of bread pudding."

"The man does love bread pudding," Gobber shrugged.

"Gobber, Snotlout is a year younger than me and he gets to help out with scouting and other stuff. I just want to be more useful than a pack mule."

"You ain't a pack mule Hiccup." Gobber stated.

"Could have fooled me," Hiccup muttered. "You know dad told me to go sit quietly in the vehicle while he taught the other teens to shoot and forage?!"

"Well.......uhm....." Gobber mumbled but Hiccup ranted on. "I want to help out more but every time I ask for him to show me the ropes it's 'Hiccup can't you see I'm busy', 'Hiccup go sit somewhere quietly', 'Hiccup you know you can't do this.'" At this point, Hiccup threw his hands up and started pacing. "Gobber, is it so bad to just be one of you guys?" Hiccup sighed as he kicked a rock.

"Hiccup why don't you let me go have a little chat with your father," Gobber said as he hobbled to his godson. "I might be able to knock some sense into his hard head. I might even get the chance to teach you how to drive."

Hiccup was shocked, to say the least, so he merely nodded. Gobber patted him on the back before heading back into the crowd that was now being divided up. 

AN2: Next chapter update will be Dec 29. :)