"Fires and Arrows"
Trigger warning: There is some slightly gory description of an arrow wound and a pain-induced panic attack. And also, an explosion. Read at your own risk.
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Hiccup was so dead. Well, not literally. Though, he couldn't discount the possibility just yet, he thought as pain jolted through his left shoulder, radiating down his arm, up his neck, and down his spine. Whether the arrow protruding from the back of his shoulder killed him or not, Astrid would be sure to finish him off once she found out how stupid he had been.
Really, he had only meant to go for a steam-burning flight and quick patrol after Snotlout, on the twins advice, blew up his forge after he decided to try to impress Heather by making her special sheath for her axe. She had talked to Hiccup about him making her one that was more secure than what she had cobbled together herself back when she first started riding Windshear. Hiccup had not had time to work on the project yet, and when Snotlout lamented to Ruff and Tuff about how he hadn't been able to win over Heather's affections, they, in a rare moment of perfect memory, relayed Heather's request and Hiccup's preoccupation.
Hiccup wasn't even sure what kind of contraption Snotlout's pea-sized brain had concocted for Heather's folding dual-bladed axe, but he didn't really care when he heard the explosion of his forge from a mile and two hills away. Whatever Snotlout had tried to do had gone badly wrong. The idiot himself walked away from the whole thing with one less eyebrow, a blistered neck, bruised ribs, and a broken arm. The twins, who had been covertly watching and laughing at Snotlout's ineptitude, had been scraped and bruised by falling debris. Astrid, experiencing the most unfortunate timing of her life, had walked by the doorway to the forge just as the explosion occurred and had been blasted ten feet away by the resulting force of Snotlout's ignorance. Other than being dazed and some ringing in her ears, she was okay, thank the gods.
Hiccup and Fishlegs arrived in moments via dragon to find the forge and half of Hiccup's hut in flames and four out of seven riders temporarily out of commission. To say that Hiccup was unhappy was the understatement of the entire Viking era. Heather had come running, too, when she heard the blast. She and Fishlegs had tended to the others while Hiccup directed the dragons in putting out the fire. It was two hours of exhausting work that had left Hiccup nearly completely black from soot and choking with every other breath from ash. The dragons were parched and drooping. He sent them to the stream to drink and cool off while he checked on the injured.
Snotlout had been unconscious when Hiccup had entered the clubhouse, making a bee line for the water barrel. He scooped out a bucketful, and standing in the doorway, he drank straight from it until he couldn't breath and dumped the rest on his head.
"Does anyone know what happened out there today?" he asked, as he reentered the room, unbuckling his wet riding vest to remove it.
Fishlegs twittered nervously, his eyes darting over to the sleeping form of Snotlout, then to the twins, then back to Hiccup. Heather was crouched in front of Astrid, who seemed to be having trouble focusing on her friend. Hiccup took a steadying breath, knowing if it was bad Heather would have already told him. Then, he pinned Fishlegs with his stare. "Fishlegs…I know they told you. Out with it. Why am I minus a forge and half a hut?"
Fishlegs's eyes widened in shock. "It destroyed that much?"
"Yes, Fish, it destroyed that much. Fires tend to do that when they get out of control. Now, quit changing the subject, and tell me what you know." Hiccup tugged the vest off his torso and draped it over a bench beside the fire pit to let it dry.
"It was Snotlout!" Tuffnut answered immediately. His left forearm was wrapped tightly in a bandage, and his right cheekbone was swollen, red, and cut.
"Yeah. Snotlout. He was trying to make a gift," Ruffnut added. She was holding a block of ice to her lower back, and small cuts littered her arms.
"A gift for Heather," Tuffnut clarified. Hiccup heard Heather grumble under her breath in annoyance as she gently held a cloth wrapped ice block to the back of Astrid's head.
"That sheath for her axe that she asked you to make a couple of days ago-″ Ruffnut continued.
"What did he do?" interrupted Hiccup. His question was met with silence. Hiccup slowly exhaled through his nose and rolled his eyes.
Sensing that Hiccup was at the end of his patience, Fishlegs finally spoke up. "No one knows exactly what he did, Hiccup, but whatever he was trying to do failed. It blew up in his face – literally."
Hiccup looked at Snotlout. "Is he okay?" Hiccup ground out.
Fishlegs nodded. "I think so. He's got a bad burn on his neck and his left shoulder, but I put a thick layer of burn salve on it and wrapped it. He sounds wheezy, so he probably messed up his ribs, but nothing felt broken there. Though, his left forearm is broken. Heather helped me set and splint the bone. I've given him some herbs to help with the pain and to put him to sleep. He couldn't hear anything and was too dazed to talk before he passed out, but once he's awake, we should get a better understanding of how he is."
Hiccup took a breath. He was majorly ticked at Snotlout, but he was glad he wasn't in any danger of dying. "Okay. What about Astrid?"
"Yuh'm fin," she slurred, waving her arm vaguely in Hiccup's direction. Hiccup walked over and sat beside her. Her pupils were the same size, but she still looked severely dazed. Her cheeks were red. He had spent most of his life in a forge. He knew those burns were nothing to worry about. In a day or two, it would be as if nothing had happened to them.
Heather continued to hold the ice to Astrid's head. "She's okay, too, I think. The twins said she walked by at just the wrong moment and got blasted back. She hit her head, but I don't think she has a concussion. She's just dazed from the strength of the blast. She's also having trouble hearing, I think, but that must be getting better since she heard you well enough to offer an answer."
Hiccup nodded and watched Astrid sway slightly. Her equilibrium must have really gotten knocked off, but he figured that she would be fine after some rest. He grabbed her hand and patted her arm. She looked his way and squinted in an effort to focus on him. "You get some sleep. Rest. Do what Heather tells you, okay."
She stared at him for a moment as his words worked their way through her dazed mind. "Resss…Tired…Mkay…." She yawned and laid back on the pillow, her eyes closing immediately.
Hiccup squeezed her arm and stood up. He looked over at the twins. "How about you two? You looked pretty banged up. Are you okay?"
"A-okay, boss!" promised Tuffnut.
"Yeah. We're just still here 'cause those two," Ruffnut pointed at Fishlegs and Heather, "are tyrants. They told us we couldn't leave."
"Yeah, tyrants!" Tuffnut shouted in disdain. "We wanted to watch the finale of Snotlout's glorious stupidity. Instead, they shoved ice in our hands and told us to sit and ice our wounds, like some weakling Gauls."
"Stupid Gauls! So weak, but we're Vikings, Hiccup! VIKINGS! We don't need any ice for our wounds! We thrive on destruction and chaos and pain!" Ruffnut threw her ice block across the room and stood swiftly, raising her fist as if calling for revolution.
"Yes, sister!" agreed Tuffnut, standing in solidarity. "We thirst for blood and broken bodies! Bring the bruises! Bring the burns! Bring the lacerations! We must prove our Viking strength to the gods!"
"Uh, guys!" Hiccup butted in before Ruffnut could continue the battlefield rallying cry. He held out his hands. "Okay. Yeah. Yeah, that's great and all. You've proved your strength to the gods. Go check on your boar pit…or something."
With a whoop of glee, the Thornstons ran out of the clubhouse twittering about roasted boars. Hiccup prayed to any deity listening that they wouldn't cause any more mayhem today before turning back to the others. Heather was putting the ice block back in the ice cellar under a trapdoor in the clubhouse floor. Fishlegs was clearing up the first aid supplies. He tossed Hiccup a couple of clean rags. Hiccup deftly caught them. "So I don't need to send for Gothi or anyone's parents?"
Fishlegs looked at the two sleeping Riders for a moment and shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I won't be sure about Snotlout, though, until he wakes up."
Hiccup nodded. "Okay, then. I'm going to get cleaned up and then go on patrol. You two will keep an eye on things here?"
Heather smiled at him. "No problem, Hiccup. We've got this." She laid her hand on Fishlegs's shoulder, and Fishlegs turned and grinned at her.
Hiccup sighed. "Alright. Come get me if something happens." He glanced at Astrid and then headed out the door.
An hour later, Hiccup and Toothless were soaring high above Dragon's Edge. Hiccup spread his arms out wide, arched his back, threw his head backwards, and breathed in the fresh, cool air. The wind whipped through his hair. The warmth of the sun seeped through his clothes and into his skin. He breathed deep, expanding his lungs to capacity, letting the oxygen flow thick and fast through his veins, clearing his mind and making his nerves tingle.
Toothless glided calmly through the atmosphere, but as soon as he sensed Hiccup focus back on his surroundings, the dragon put on a burst of speed. The pair swooped and dived, rocketing past sea stacks and outcroppings of rocks. They zoomed so close to the top of the sea that they created waves. They shot straight up into the clouds and corkscrewed back towards Earth, twisting fifty feet from the water back into the air. Adrenaline pumped through both of them. Hiccup let out a shout, and Toothless roared.
Hiccup decided that he had not experienced anything in his life yet that was a better stress reliever than flying through the clouds with Toothless. He knew there was plenty of work and worry waiting for him back on the Edge, but for now, he was content to let those thoughts go.
After several more minutes of zooming around aimlessly, Hiccup directed Toothless to start their patrol of the island. It was well past midday, and he didn't want to be out too long with both Astrid and Snotlout incapacitated.
Hiccup scanned the sea as they made the circuit around the outpost. There was nothing in sight until they came around to the opposite side of the island. Several miles out to sea, Hiccup noticed three ships. He directed Toothless to the clouds, and they headed for the small fleet.
Ducking out of the clouds for a moment, Hiccup noticed the insignia of the dragon hunters. These were Viggo's ships, but none of them looked like his flagship, so Hiccup hoped that his current arch enemy was not on board any of them. Toothless zipped back into the clouds. "What do you think we should do, bud?"
Toothless warbled an answer.
Hiccup patted his head. "There's only three of them. It'll take nearly an hour for us to back to the Edge, round up help, and get back out here. By then, the ships could be gone or invading our island. Three small ships, Toothless. Do you think we can do it?"
Toothless glanced back at his rider, a steely look in his eye, his jaw firmly set.
Hiccup nodded once and straightened in the saddle. "Let do this, bud."
Toothless took off. In seconds, the pair was reaching top speed, the tell-tale whistle of a Night Fury resounded across the water. Hiccup heard the hunters scrambling to ready their traps and weapons. Toothless dove towards the first ship.
"PLASMA BLAST!" commanded Hiccup. A shot of purple fire exploded onto the hull of the ship right at water level. Immediately the ship began to list sideways. Toothless swooped back around and shot it again, this time blasting a hole straight through the deck. The mast of the ship proved too heavy for the damaged deck, and the whole thing toppled down, bringing sails and rigging with it. It smashed into the undamaged side of the vessel, making a way for more water to pour in. The men were already jumping into the sea and swimming for one of the other two ships.
A minute into the attack, and one ship was done for the count. Hiccup directed Toothless the second boat. Arrows were shot at the flying pair, and they dodged each one, flying back into the clouds for coverage. High above the clouds, Toothless turned and began a vertical dive for their next target. He shot a plasma blast, targeting the keel. The blast hit, splinters flying in all directions. A bola was launched, but with a quick twist, Toothless avoided it. He shot again, and the blast was so powerful, it smashed through one side of the ship and came out the other side. Two ships down. One to go.
The last ship was already launching a counter-attack on Toothless and Hiccup. Arrows tore through the sky at the pair. Bolas were launched. Hiccup held tight to the saddle and flattened himself against Toothless. "Last one, bud. We can do this."
Toothless growled and started gaining speed. The whistling following them. "Aim for the mast, Toothless. And NOW!" Toothless fired off his fifth plasma blast. It hit the mast, which fell like a tree, smashing the starboard side of the ship. Hiccup could hear the men yelling. They were bobbing around in the water, grasping onto broken planks. One life boat was floating around the area, and the men were scrambling to get inside.
Toothless swung around and built up the fire for his last shot. Hiccup could feel the tension build up in the muscles of the dragon's shoulders and neck. Toothless was going to make this shot worth it. The screaming whistle reached a piercing crescendo. Toothless fired the blast. The shot hit the ship, blasting through the deck along the hull. There was a loud splash as a second life boat was dropped into the water. Men shouted as they clambered into it from the sea and from the sinking vessel.
Hiccup and Toothless pulled back around for one final survey of their work. Three dragon hunting ships sunk by one dragon and his one-legged rider. There were some unfortunate floating bodies. Hiccup hated to see that, but it was the nature of what they were doing. He never aimed to kill, but that didn't mean that deaths didn't occur at times. Men who were in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Those who were unable to swim. Sometimes a combination of the two. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The first ship was already nearly gone. The second was not far behind it. The third was still above water, but Hiccup knew it wasn't salvageable, either. The shouts of the men climbing and jumping into the life boats filled Hiccup's ears. He couldn't leave without sending a message to Viggo. He directed Toothless down just a little farther to the second life boat. "Hunters!" he yelled out. "You go back to your boss and tell him what happened here today, how you all got beat by a handicapped boy on a handicapped dragon. You tell him that the Dragon Riders won't back down and that next time it will only be worse."
The hunters stared at him. Incredulity and fury shone on most of their faces. Hiccup gave a little salute and directed Toothless to head back towards the Edge. Just as his back was turned on the hunters, however, something large pierced the back of his left shoulder. Hiccup cried out, lost his left grip on the saddle, and slumped forward. His vision blurred, but he could still make out the shaft of an arrow sticking out behind him as he glanced back. He heard a mocking laugh rise above the din of splashing waves. A loud voice called out, "A parting gift from Viggo, little rider!"
Hiccup leaned close to Toothless's ear. "Get us back, bud," he whispered.
The dragon cooed and glanced back at his rider.
"Don't worry about me. Just get us back."
Toothless looked ahead again and put on a burst of speed that jerked Hiccup back, jostling his injured shoulder and making him hiss in pain. Within several minutes, Hiccup's ears began to ring. He felt weak and sleepy. He shook his head, but that sent blinding pain shooting through him.
At last, Hiccup was able to make out the blurry form of Dragon's Edge outpost. It was about three hours since he had left for patrol. There was a lot of movement on the ground, but Hiccup was too focused on not passing out to take note of the details. He leaned forward on his dragon, closing his eyes, trusting Toothless to get them to the ground. A jolt in their normally smooth landing pattern alerted Hiccup that he had missed changing the tail setting, and he fought through a mental fog to tilt his prosthetic to put the fin in the right gear.
Toothless roared as he was jerked about twenty feet from the ground. He had no time to look at his rider, but felt the boy working frantically to get the fin in place. A heart-stopping second later, Hiccup had done it, and Toothless pressed them towards the landing platform of the Clubhouse. Some of the other riders had seen the less than stellar landing and were already racing to Toothless and his injured rider.
Hiccup felt the touchdown in every nerve of his body. He shakily released the lines securing him to Toothless. It took longer than he wished, and once he managed it, he felt himself sliding off the dragon's back. He had no strength to stop his forward momentum and dropped to the platform in a heap with a cry of pain. Toothless was immediately over him alternately crooning, licking, and nudging him. Hiccup raised a shaky hand to his dragon's snout. "Is-okay…Toothliss…" he slurred.
"HICCUP!"
Hiccup felt more than heard the pounding of feet as the riders raced to him. There were hands pressing against him and moving him around. He hissed and cried out as the arrow head was jostled from the movements.
"Careful!" yelled a voice. Hiccup winced at the shrill sound.
Strong fingers held his face, brushing his bangs off his forehead. "Hiccup. Hiccup, can you hear me?" Those hands felt like Astrid's, and the voice sounded like hers, too. He moaned and cracked his eyes open. There was certainly a blurry mass of blonde and blue looking closely at him. "Hiccup! You're awake! What happened?"
Hiccup blinked, then winced when someone large and strong pushed him into a sitting position. "Tuffnut, give me your dagger," someone commanded. Hiccup thought he must be hallucinating because it sounded like Fishlegs's voice. There was a shuffling sound and the voice began, again. "Astrid, keep him focused on you. I've got to get to that wound before I can remove the arrow. It's not going to feel good being moved around. Ruff, Tuff, help hold him down if he starts moving. Heather, get another knife purified, gather some other aid supplies, and get him a pallet set up. We'll bring him in the clubhouse as soon as we can safely move him. Toothless, get the fire hot."
Hiccup moaned and leaned his forehead on Astrid's shoulder. He sensed more than felt the twins get close on either side of him. Toothless crooned, but followed Heather when she called him. A heavy hand grasped his uninjured shoulder. "Hiccup, I'm going to cut through your riding gear and tunic to get a good look at what we're dealing with, okay?"
Hiccup nodded against Astrid's shoulder and let out a shuddering breath.
"It's going to hurt, but you need to stay still so that arrow doesn't cause more damage. Do you understand?" Hiccup nodded again. "Good. I'll try to jostle the shaft as little as possible and be quick."
"Kay," Hiccup whispered.
Fishlegs moved back behind Hiccup at the same time the twins came and pressed his legs to the platform. Hiccup felt Fishlegs gingerly grab shoulder guard of his vest. The tip of a blade slipped under the layer of leather, starting at the entrance of the arrow head. He could feel Fishlegs's fingers holding the shaft steady as he let the dagger rip up through his vest. Hiccup groaned when the arrow wiggled in his shoulder.
"Hey, Hiccup," whispered a voice right next to his ear. "Don't think about Fishlegs. Tell me what happened," Astrid continued. Her steady, calm voice drew his attention away from his shoulder where Fishlegs was struggling to cut through the thick leather of Hiccup's armor.
Hiccup thought back to the past couple of hours. "The forge," he remembered.
"Yes, Snotlout blew up the forge. He woke up for a few minutes earlier. Nothing seemed more damaged than usual, but he's back asleep now because of the herbs Heather gave him. What happened next, Hiccup? After the fire?"
A sudden jerk on his back sent a wave of pain down his spine. Out of reflex, Hiccup's hands flew up only to be instantly grabbed by the twins on either side of him. "Easy, H," murmured Tuffnut. Hiccup shuddered and tried to steady his breathing.
"Sorry. Blade got caught," muttered Fishlegs.
Astrid ran her fingers through Hiccup's hair. "Back to me, Hiccup. After the fire, what did you do?"
Hiccup released a couple of shuddering breaths, thinking back to the afternoon. "Bath…patrol…" he managed.
"Okay. Okay, you took a bath and went on patrol. Did you find someone while flying?"
Hiccup nodded. "Ships…hunters…three…" he ground out.
"You saw three dragon hunter ships?"
"Mmm…" he nodded. His head swam with weakness, and he slumped further forward.
"Hey, Hiccup, talk to me. Are the ships still out there?"
"Gods…" he heard Fishlegs breathe.
"Fishlegs…" Astrid ground out in warning.
"It's swollen, Astrid. He'll need to be lying down for this."
"Crap," Astrid muttered. She lifted his head with her hands. Hiccup opened his eyes and met her gaze. "Did you hear that, Hiccup? We have to get you inside." Hiccup nodded. "Can you walk?"
Hiccup closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind to focus on getting his legs to respond. After a moment, he nodded again.
"Alright, then, let's get you off the ground."
The twins moved back. Fishlegs and Astrid steadied him and started lifting him to his feet. Fishlegs did his best not to bother the arrow still sticking out of Hiccup's back, but Hiccup was still racked with pain. Unfortunately, once he was to his feet, his knees decided to not hold his weight, and he nearly went back down when his human crutches loosened their hold on him. Astrid caught him as he staggered into her. "Whoa, Hicccup! Fishlegs, help!"
Fishlegs grabbed Hiccup's middle and pulled him upright. It was slow going, and Hiccup was dragged into the clubhouse much more than he walked. At last, though, they made it. Hiccup was carefully lowered to a fur pallet on the floor near the fire pit. He moaned in relief from finally lying down, but he knew it would be short lived because that Thor-forsaken arrow was still lodged in his shoulder. It had to come out.
There was a lot of movement in the clubhouse. Supplies were being set on the floor beside him, and then he felt Astrid run her fingers through his hair. She sat on his right, and he tilted his head to look at her. She leaned down and spoke softly to him. "We're almost done, Hiccup. Soon, that arrow will be out, and you can get some rest."
"Hmm…" Hiccup's eyes closed.
"Alright, Heather, you're going to help me. Astrid, try to keep him calm. Ruff, Tuff, keep him still. Hiccup, brace yourself and bite this." Fishlegs pushed a strip of leather between Hiccup's teeth.
Hiccup's heart began to race. He was not looking forward to this. Astrid laid down nose to nose to him. She was propped up on her elbows, but she pulled his head into her shoulder and held him tight. The twins were on either side of him, holding down his arms and legs. One of them had even decided to sit on his lower back and butt. He felt cool slim fingers touch his injured shoulder. "Don't think about your shoulder, Hiccup," Astrid spoke low in his ear. "Now, tell me, did you sink the ships?"
The fingers on his shoulder were suddenly pressing into the wound. Hiccup pressed his face into Astrid's shoulder and clamped down on the leather.
"Think, Hiccup. The ships. Are they sunk?"
Hiccup nodded. "Uh-huh…Ye-aaawww!" A knife sunk into his swollen flesh. His muscles began to spasm, and the twins and Astrid clamped down on his limbs and back. Tears leaked from his eyes, and his breathing became harsh and jagged as the knife cut through the tissue of his shoulder.
From across the room, Toothless crooned loudly. "Toothless. Stay back," Astrid commanded in a loud tone. Hiccup could hear the dragon's feet scraping the floor, but since Astrid didn't say anything else, he assumed that Toothless stayed put. Hiccup groaned and bit hard on the leather in his mouth. His hands fisted and shook, but the twins held him in place.
After what felt like an eternity, Fishlegs and Heather let go of his shoulder. Hiccup trembled and panted. "Don't move, Hiccup. I still have to make another incision on the other side of the arrow before pulling it out. Catch your breath, and then we'll go, again," Fishlegs instructed. Hiccup nodded shakily.
Astrid pulled back from him just far enough to look him in the eye. She brushed his tears from his face. "Hey. Hey. You're doing good, Hiccup. Just calm down, okay?"
He nodded again.
"Now, you said you sunk the ships?" Hiccup nodded. "Good. That's good." She pulled the leather from his mouth. "Breathe, Hiccup. Just breathe. That's it. You're going to be alright."
Fishlegs came back in his line of sight. "You ready for round two?"
Hiccup nodded. Astrid put the leather back in his mouth and settled herself back in place. Fishlegs moved back to his spot, and Hiccup closed his eyes and buried his face in Astrid's shoulder.
"Here we go," Fishlegs announced, and the knife was back cutting out an opening for the arrow.
Hiccup shook and kicked his fake foot against the floor, groaning loudly. His tears wet Astrid's tunic, and his jaw began to ache from biting the dry leather.
The knife was removed from his shoulder, but Fishlegs didn't give him a moment to collect himself. "Now, the arrow," the large man said. Heather's fingers pulled back the swollen tissue of the wound, and Fishlegs reached in to grab the arrowhead.
There was nothing but pain. Hiccup thought he heard Astrid muttering in his ear, but he wasn't sure. He thought he felt her breath on his neck, but he couldn't focus enough to be certain. He whimpered and cried. His body shook. His muscles tensed. He fisted his hands and tried to hit anything, but was stopped by some unseen force. He tried to kick his legs but was unable to lift his thighs from the floor. He shook his head and fought against the forces that were keeping him from escaping the torture happening to his shoulder. Every wiggle and tug of the arrow sent new waves of pain coursing through his nervous system. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He just wanted to get away. He wanted to call out to Toothless but could only grind his teeth against the foul-tasting leather strip between his teeth. At last, there was a final tug, and the pressure in his shoulder was gone as were all the fingers.
His muscles continued to spasm, and he gasped for air, fighting to come back to his senses. Finally, the buzzing in his ears subsided, and he began to hear a voice calling his name and reassuring him. He loosened his jaw and let the leather fall out of his mouth. The person's grip around him let up some, and he opened his eyes to see Astrid's face. Astrid…That's right. She was the one holding his head.
"Hey, Dragon boy, you still with us?"
Hiccup blinked and processed her words. "Ye-″ He tried to speak, but it came out as a croak. Instead, he smacked his lips and worked his tongue trying to draw up some spit in his overly dry mouth. Astrid looked up at somebody and asked for some water. While they went to do that, she helped him roll over and sit up without lying on his injured shoulder. Fishlegs and Heather were there, too, keeping him balanced. In no time, Ruffnut was back with a jar of water. Hiccup reached for it with a shaky hand, but Astrid grabbed it first and held it up to his mouth. Once he had gulped down a couple of swallows, she pulled it away and sat it on the floor.
"Now, then," she started, "we're not done yet, but the worst is over. We need to get your riding gear and tunic off to bandage the wound. Okay?"
Hiccup nodded. "Okay. Where's Toothless?" His throat was terribly raw, and it made his voice rough and quiet. He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat.
"I've got him over here," Tuffnut called from the far corner of the room. "I'll bring him over."
Hiccup nodded, and there was some shuffling and muttering in the corner, then Toothless was bounding across the room. Hiccup turned his head and smiled weakly at his over-protective friend. He raised his hand to meet the dragon's snout. "Hey, bud. Easy, there. Snotlout's still sleeping."
Astrid shook her head as she began to undo the buckles on Hiccup's flight suit. "Yeah, because Snotlout is so deserving of our worry."
Toothless lowered himself to the ground and bumped his head against Hiccup's leg. Hiccup stoked the scales of his nose as he pieced together the events of the day. He was bombarded with the memory of a dazed Astrid falling asleep after narrowly escaping severe injury in Snotlout's explosion that morning. He jerked his head to look at her. She was focused on working the last buckle on his vest loose. "Your head!" he exclaimed and grabbed her hands, halting their movements. "You hit your head in the explosion. You were confused and went to sleep."
She looked at him and smiled. "I'm fine, Hiccup. You were gone for half the afternoon. I took a nap and woke up fine."
"But the twins…" he protested.
"Eh, we're good, o' skewered one," Tuffnut tossed out.
"Yeah," Ruffnut agreed. "We wrestled with the boar in our boar pit, did some target practice with our spears-″
"Heh! We were the targets," Tuffnut added.
"And now, we're perfect."
"A lot better than you and Snotface over there," Tuff finished, pointing to the still sleeping teen a few feet away.
Snotlout did look pretty rough. "How-″
"Fine," Heather interrupted. Her voice was hard. "He is fine, and don't let him or anyone else tell you otherwise, Hiccup. A couple of bruised ribs, a nasty burn, and broken arm, but he is fine. You are the one you need to be worried about right now."
"Yeah, Hiccup," Fishlegs agreed. He handed Hiccup a bloody arrow. The head was large enough to take out Toothless. Hiccup raised his eyebrows at Fishlegs. "Exactly," Fishlegs said. "It's a dragon arrow, and it was deep. If it had hit any lower, you probably would be sitting at a table in Vahallah right now rather than Dragon's Edge. I don't think it was poisoned, but your shoulder is already badly swollen. Heather started on a poultice before we brought you in here. She's going to finish that while I help you get out of your clothes." Hiccup raised his eyebrows at his bookish friend. Fishlegs blushed and stammered. "I meant your riding vest and tunic. Astrid will get you a fresh tunic while I clean the wound. Then we'll apply the poultice and wrap it."
"I'm also going to send a note to Stoick," Astrid added.
Hiccup groaned and closed his eyes. "No, Astrid, don't do that."
She pinned him with a look. "Yes, Hiccup, I'm doing that. He'll want to know, and Gothi will need to check out that wound as soon as possible to make sure it's not infected. Fishlegs is good, but he's not a trained healer."
"But-″
"She can check on Snotlout, too, while she's here. Not to mention, your dad can help rebuild your hut and forge. Both you and Snotlout are down to one arm for now. He'll be a big help."
Hiccup sighed and scrubbed his face with his right hand. "Fine," he acquiesced. Just don't make it sound like I'm gravely injured. There's no need for him to panic and order us all back to Berk."
She rolled her eyes. "I don't think you're giving your dad enough credit."
"And I don't think you're remembering Dragon Flight Club," he countered. Toothless grumbled.
Astrid shook her head in exasperation but smiled anyway. "I'm going to write that note and grab you some clothes. Toothless, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble while I'm gone."
Toothless cracked an eye to look at her and snorted.
She patted his head. "Good boy!" Then, she stood and turned to the twins. "You two, go do a perimeter check. Make sure there aren't any unwanted campers on the island, but be careful! They're armed with dragon-sized arrows."
The three of them walked out of the clubhouse. Heather went back to a pot on the fire pit and went to work on the poultice. Fishlegs came around to the front of Hiccup. "This probably won't feel good, but are you ready?"
Hiccup took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get it over with."
It took longer than Hiccup hoped and involved more shooting pains than he wanted to deal with, but eventually, they got the bloody, damaged clothes off him. Astrid returned just as Heather finished the poultice. Chilled and more than a little embarrassed to be sitting in front of the girls bare-chested, Hiccup drew his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. Astrid smirked at him and tossed him a fresh tunic while Heather and Fishlegs applied the poultice and bandaged the wound. By the time Hiccup was back in a shirt, he was exhausted and ached all over.
"Fishlegs, please tell me you didn't use all those herbs on Snotlout," he pleaded.
Fishlegs smiled and clapped his good shoulder. Just then Astrid came around the corner with a steaming cup. "We've got you covered, Hiccup," she answered as she handed him the cup.
He took it gratefully. The bitter herbs left a lot of taste to be desired, but the steaming liquid warmed him from the inside out, which was always the best feeling. He finished the tea in a matter minutes, and already the herbs were already doing their job. His shoulder had stopped being so painful, and he felt like he could sleep for a week.
"Go to sleep, Hiccup." Hiccup turned to the source of the soft voice. Astrid sat beside him smiling gently. "You've had a long day." She gently pushed him towards the floor. "Go on. Rest."
Hiccup smiled at her and eased onto the pallet. "You're too good to me, milady."
She laughed softly. "I know, but someone has to watch out for you."
Hiccup chuckled as his eyes drifted closed. He absently rubbed Toothless on the jaw as Astrid pulled a thick woolen blanket over him. He smiled as her fingers brushed against his jawline and into his hair. The next morning, he woke up stiff and sore, but the two fresh braids just behind his right ear bolstered his mood for the whole day.
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Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD.
A/N: Thank you for reading. Happy Valentine's Day!