Oops, I wrote a zombie apocalypse fic. And it's whump. It also doesn't take place in a modern AU, this still takes place in the Viking Age.
And I feel like I should mention again that this is a zombie AU. And you know gnarly things happen in apocalypses.
A Bite
There was only the sea, there was only the sky and then there was only them. Hiccup and Toothless, the boy and the Night Fury, the Viking and the dragon. Always on the move, never staying at one place for longer than a week, never yearning for a home to call their own.
They had each other. That was their home. They needed no one else.
In fact, they had no one else.
Leaving Berk had been hard on both of them. It was the island on which they had both been born. Hiccup to Stoick the Vast and Valka Haddock, the Chief of the Hooligan tribe and his wife. Toothless, an orphaned egg found by Valka herself during one of her last missions to raid Dragon Hunter ports that hatched in the nursery.
Boy and dragon had been brought together from an early age when their shared mother had quickly noticed their mutual bond whenever she took one to the nursery and vice versa.
They had shared a crib, toys, food, a room. They grew up together, were even closer than a Rider and dragon had ever been in Berk's long and eventful history.
Life on their home island had been happy and neither had wanted to leave. Yet, they had and it wasn't entirely by choice. If they could stay, if their father hadn't send them away, they would've. Leaving everything they knew and loved behind had been the hardest thing either of them ever had to do.
It's been almost a year since they left. Though Toothless was an excellent hunter, despites being raised by humans for the first fourteen years of his life, Hiccup was often surprised he had made it this far at all.
"I think we need to set down somewhere, Bud." The boy spoke up for the first time in hours, the ability of speaking out loud no longer as much of a habit as it once was with two wordless dragons as his sole companions.
Toothless wasn't the only flying reptile in their little group. Their duo was a trio as a Terrible Terror by the name of Sharpshot was lazily resting in one of the saddlebags. He would rather hitch a ride than spend hours flying himself.
His wings weren't all that adapted to long distance flying either way. A Night Fury's, wide and strong, were.
Toothless send his rider a warble in response, taking a brief glance at the boy in the saddle as he checked the satchel in which he usually kept herbs and dressings.
Though not exactly qualified to call himself a medical specialist, he knew at least enough to keep himself alive when sick or injured. Though the latter had been few and far in between with an overprotective dragon to defend him, though clumsy as he was.
They were low on medicinal herbs, Hiccup noticed, and that meant they either needed to find an island where they were plentiful or find a village to ransack. Whichever was closest.
The latter send a chill down his spine. Though running into a dragon wouldn't exactly be good either.
Once a more trusting lad, Hiccup had learned to be hesitant and vigilant around humans and dragons alike. Didn't matter if they were still alive... or dead.
Life had changed drastically in the Barbaric Archipelago.
Toothless heard a map being unfolded next and knew Hiccup must be looking for the island nearest to them. A deep sigh left him out of relief and the Night Fury knew what it meant.
It was only a little over half an hour later when Hiccup and Toothless spotted the island they had set course for up ahead. It was relatively flat with mainly forest as far as the eye could see. Hills and rivers were all that kept the land from being a completely even surface. Yet it's woods were big enough to rival even Berk's size and for a moment Hiccup had to swallow the bittersweet memories of years exploring them with his draconic nestmate.
He looked back way too often. Toothless had already scolded him with a tailfin smack to the back of his head for that once before. Ever since then he had tried to resist, but it was hard.
It made him feel like he was trying to forget his loved ones, his family and friends, and that send another new kind of aching to burn in his chest. It was a very vicious cycle.
Toothless seemed to notice as he grumbled disapprovingly. Though they were born and hatched only days apart, he still felt like he was much older than Hiccup sometimes.
"I know... Sorry, Bud." He apologized and turned his attention back to the island again.
Or to be more specific, the small settlement near the beach that caught his attention. His eyes squinted as he tried to get a better look. That was not on the map.
Even for a Viking village it didn't seem all that big. And though most of Berk's homes were built out of wood, it made rebuilding houses lost due to raids from enemy tribes or the occasional dragon fire faster, even these were very sorry looking. As if they were build in a rush.
A tribe fled their island and had settled here. That was the only conclusion Hiccup could come to and it was backed up by the longboat moored not too far away.
One longboat.
Big as they were, Hiccup wondered just how many of them had managed to get off their island before it was too late.
It made him wonder just how many people had managed to get off Berk. If his father had decided to evacuate the island, that is. He didn't give up so easily.
Before long did Toothless touch down for a landing in the very center of the small settlement when he didn't spot a single Viking or dragon in their immediate area.
It was quiet. Everywhere they went, the silence followed them like a resentful spirit. Birds, the wind and the ocean rushing behind them were their constant companions. It was often unnerving and even after a year Hiccup had yet to get used to that.
The Viking teen didn't immediately dismount and Toothless wouldn't have wanted him too. They needed to be on their guard. Should it be necessary, they could still take of in the blink of an eye and race for the safety of the sky.
Even Sharpshot, still in his own personal saddlebag, had peeked his head out and joined the two in their tense scanning of their surroundings. The suspense seemed almost tangible enough to cut it with a blade.
It was only when Toothless relaxed that Hiccup released a breath he hadn't even realized he held and Sharpshot decided to crawl out of his bag.
Hiccup got up from the saddle and once his boots touched the grassy ground did the Terrible Terror leave his little nest in favour of his human. Instead attaching himself to the boy's furred vest as he walked and clawing his way up to settle on Hiccup's shoulder.
Small as he was, even Sharpshot deemed the Viking in need of his protection. And he wasn't a fool. He knew in what state of decay the Archipelago now found itself in, he knew it was safer to keep an eye on each other. It was the only reason why Sharpshot didn't fly off to hunt for little old him.
Toothless send his rider a croon and Hiccup turned to face him again.
"I know, Bud, I know. 'Be careful', got it. Just gotta see if any of these huts still have some herbs or gauzes, 'cause I really need them." It was with a worried heart that he decided to let the fragile human fledgling go, but not before Hiccup send him a reassuring smile.
He attracted trouble wherever he went, but he just had to check the huts. And that was pretty much what they were. Not strong, proud Viking homes, but mere weak huts not build to last.
Hiccup felt a sense of discomfort flutter in his chest as he gazed at the ones in front of him and his grip on the satchel he had brought along grew tigther. Sharpshot chirped worryingly.
"It's gonna be just fine. Right, Shot?" He asked the dragon on his shoulder, who gave another chirp.
These shacks definitely were not made to last. If anything, the tribe that had decided to settle here had meant for these to be temporary homes. Yet, they were still standing here and so was their longboat.
If they never left, just where did the residents go?
It took every ounce of strength and courage Hiccup possessed to keep on going after such a worrying thought and he approached the first of the hastily contrusted houses.
From what he could see through the open windows, it looked clear. A little dusty, but no immediate threats. In fact, this place seemed to be pretty empty. Just bedding for a small family and some clothes. Nothing more. Deciding that there must be little of worth to find here, Hiccup moved on to the next shack.
It was like that for the following two huts aswell. Barely anything to be found besides bedding, clothes and food that was already either moldy or picked clean. It wasn't until he arrived at candidate number three that he found something promising.
"Yes!" Hiccup whispered under his breath as he took one peek through the open door and noticed what looked to be herbs hanging on the walls.
Entering the place, he realized the person who once lived here must have been like Gothi. A healer, an elder. If he wanted to find anything useful, this was just the place he'd need.
Hiccup viewed the several different spices and herbs with his satchel already open, hoping to find something he'd recognize. But it was dark and light was scarce even with the tiny windows up front. He had to squint in an attempt to read the labels or see what exactly he was looking at.
Sharpshot had his head lazily resting on his human's shoulder, not at all interested despites the many curious scents. All that could nab his interest now would be a big juicy fish. He was starving.
Or that was one of the only two things.
The other was the silhouette of a skeletal figure dooming up behind them. Rising up slowly and quieter than its clumsy physique should be able to, blocking what little light there was, and Sharpshot was quick to spot it. He tensed on top of the human's shoulder, digging his claws into the vest.
It didn't speak, for it couldn't. Its mind was but a blank slate. All memories, including of who it used to be, were gone. All that remained was emptiness. All that remained was pain. All that remained... was the hunger.
Within a grey thinning mess of hair, two sickly white eyes opened to peer at the boy much too invested in the several different kind of dried plants. He liked the sound of his own voice too much as he named them and spoke excitedly to the Terrible Terror about the treasure trove of herbs they'd found.
A putrid smell filled their nostrils when it opened its salivating mouth and Sharpshot had enough.
With the highpitched battle cry only a Terror could make, the dragon stayed true to his name as he jumped from the teenaged boy's back to lunge for the corpse.
"Sharpshot?!" Turning on his heels, Hiccup watched Shot bite and claw into its sunken in face with no mercy, giving the smallish Viking the chance to get away. It didn't even have the sense to cry out in pain anymore.
Hiccup fled the shack, knowing that dragons could not get infected with the human version of the illness that had taken the man's life and that he would only get in Sharpshot's way if he tried anything.
But upon leaving, came to face an even worse problem.
"Oh my Thor!"
Out of nowhere had several of them popped up, all at several different stages of decay, telling a tale of the suffering the remains of this Viking tribe suffered before they all eventuall succumbed to the same plague.
At walking speed they made a beeline straight for the boy. Though they should appear non-threatening with their slow speed, their sheer number had always been their greatest weapon.
And for a moment too long, Hiccup found himself frozen as he let his eyes search for Toothless.
A hand that was still surprisingly strong took hold of his fur and Hiccup found his head spinning to see one of them towering over him with it's foul breath warming his freckled face.
Hiccup acted quickly and swiped the dagger from his belt to sink it into the dead man's temple with a swiftness that could only be achieved with months of practice, killing it before it could sink its teeth into his young flesh.
The short blade pulled back and Hiccup held it in a deathgrip as he looked at the many former Viking men and women, some of them children, as they creeped ever closer, quickly trapping him despites their average speed.
"We need to get out of here!" Hiccup yelped when a bloodied Sharpshot landed on his shoulder and stained the brown of his vest to create a darker colour.
"Find Toothless!" He ordered and the Terror was off again, this time to search for the considerably more powerful Night Fury.
At least for a moment Hiccup had to fend for himself and he could only hope to last long enough for Toothless to return.
There were too many to escape from on his own, yet he had to try.
Their teeth snapped and their hands clawed. Though the teen attempted to avoid them as best as he could on his way out of the crowd, he'd needed to slay another three. The hand holding a firm grip on the dagger was slippery with blood and some of it had spattered on his face and clothes already.
He counted himself lucky, for a brief moment, that only their bite really spread whatever it was that swept through the Archipelago and turned once proud Vikings into these soulless things. There were a lot of things Hiccup could still count himself lucky for even now.
But only for a fleeting moment. Because suddenly one of the corpses, one poor legless soul who lived its undead life crawling in the dirt who he had failed to notice, grabbed hold of his left leg and Hiccup was sure it was over for him as it pulled with all its might, trying to down the boy.
Though he kicked and kicked, a second one grabbed him from behind and dragged him down on the grass with them. It looked like it was a she once upon a time.
Though he couldn't stay up on his feet, Hiccup did not go down without a fight.
"Toothless!" He shouted his dragon's name as he sunk the dagger into the undead's eye socket, killing it instantly. But the moment it slumped down on top of his torso, another took its place and it grabbed the hand holding his one way of defending himself. He grabbed its hair in an attempt to keep its hazardous jaws away from him.
All three of them, both dead and undead, were heavy and he couldn't get them off. Though they didn't yet look as bad as some others he'd seen, as some others here in this very tribe, their revolting smell filled his nose and made him want to throw up right then and there. Tears sprung to his eyes from just the stench alone.
If Hiccup wasn't panicking already, he was now.
"Toothless! Tooth, where are you?! Tooth-ARGH!" A scream of pain left him when teeth broke through the thick layer of his boot and bit down on his left leg.
It was the worst pain he had ever experienced. The kind that burned and left him breathless. And like a Terror, the creature trapping him did not let go no matter how many times he kicked it. All that did was make the torment worse.
"TOOTHLESS!" He was full on sobbing by now as he cried out at the top of his lungs. Though something he didn't do easily, he feared for his life and found himself in a world of agony. And more of them were about to be upon him. The stink that clung to them was enough to suffocate him.
With a mighty roar the Night Fury was finally able to reach his Rider and he tore each of them away from the boy in a rage, his strong teeth breaking their bones in his hold.
Free from the fallen and ignoring the pain, Hiccup was quick to get back to his feet and used his newfound freedom to hurry with a painful limp to Toothless, who fired plasma blasts at any that dared to come closer. He climbed into the saddle of his dragon with his every inch trembling from head to toe, Sharpshot diving into his bag with haste. And off they were, speeding off into the sky to seek safer havens.
With no home to speak off, Toothless had not decided on any particular way to go. All he wanted was to get off that island as fast as his wings could carry them. Or get away from the remains of that small community at the very least. That had been his main concern.
He hadn't taken the time to check his rider out. He hadn't even had the time to. When it became clear something was wrong, a part of Toothless wished he'd done so before they left.
Sharpshot seemed to make a noise of alarm at the same time the intrusive reek of blood reached his sensitive nose. It was after the Night Fury had stopped speeding, when he leveled off and went into a relaxed glide high in the sky.
"Tooth? Toothless? I don't..." Hiccup didn't need to finish his sentence and the dragon looked over his shoulder as best as he could to see the boy's face drained of the little colour it had to turn into a ghostly pale. His small form was quaking in the chill of the wind as he sat there and folded in on himself.
Toothless couldn't see exactly where their boy was injured in their current position, but he did know what this meant.
Hiccup was losing blood somehow. They needed to set down somewhere and stop it before it was too late.
As if reading the Night Fury's expression, Hiccup pulled out the map again to see where they could possibly go, though his vision was already swimming. Luckily, there was an island not too far away from here. One that wasn't supposed to be inhabited by Vikings either.
Amidst a dense forest, the traveling trio landed in what looked to be a clearing. A seemingly safe cove with a calm enough river running through. It was almost similar to their favourite spot near Ravenpoint on Berk and they would've appreciated the bittersweet feeling of home it gave them had there not been more pressing matters to fret over.
The moment Toothless touched down Hiccup tried to dismount, but ended up weakly falling to his knees instead. Even the mere act of sitting up seemed to be a chore now as he swayed.
With a concerned croon did Toothless want to urge him to lie down, but Hiccup ended up passing out before he could, falling onto his side in the grass and didn't move again. His skin looked dangerously white.
Sharpshot, back in his saddlebag, wasn't sure what to think or do. As a panicked Toothless whined and nudged his Viking's face, he crawled out of the bag to circle them for a bit, but remained mostly quiet as he didn't dare approach them. He hoped the much larger and cleverer Night Fury knew what needed to be done.
Toothless absolutely did not know what to do.
Hiccup just stayed unmoving on the ground. He wasn't responding, he was a deathly pale, he trembled, even his breathing was too slow and deep for comfort.
The dragon knew, if they didn't do something soon, that they would be losing him today.
And they just had their fifteenth birthday too.
Calming down enough to let his scared, narrow pupils glide over his boy's thin body, Toothless' gaze came to settle on some very hurriedly wrapped bandages around his left ankle, which were soaked in blood and were doing only so much to stop Hiccup from bleeding out completely. They must've been applied with haste mid-flight.
Less than gracefully did the dark reptile tear them away, he needed to look at that wound and see just how bad it was.
After removing the furred boot, he almost wished he hadn't.
There was no mistaking it now. One of the undead had bitten into his leg near his foot. An entire chunk was missing at the very bottom of his shin and it made even his stomach churn at the sight. Hiccup's legs were never all that meaty to begin with. It was a miracle he hadn't bled out already.
The second most concerning thing was the paleness of his skin halfway down his lower leg. It wasn't the ashen kind of pale Hiccup was now, but rather a grey sickly one. His veins had become more prominent.
It was the infection. The same one that started taking and turning people on Berk before their father had send them packing. Now that same condition was about to take his best friend and other half too.
Toothless whined and nudged Hiccup's face again, who groaned wordlessly this time.
He couldn't lose him. He simply couldn't. The very reason he had gotten this far was because his Rider had kept him going this entire time. Without him, if the dragon were to lose him today, there was hardly a reason to continue on living.
Unless... the disease never got that far.
Moving his gaze to meet with Hiccup's, he found the boy staring back at him through half-lidded eyes. Though he hadn't moved an inch and his gaze was unfocused, Toothless wondered just how lucid he was, he had woken up at the worst possible moment as a decision had been reached.
The dragon, just as young as the boy who rode him, gave him an apologetic croon, pressing his snout against Hiccup's brow once more and closing his large eyes briefly. A trembling hand came to scratch his scaly chin this time and Hiccup released a shaky breath in horrible anticipation.
"I know, Bud. I know." A soft whisper rolled off his tongue as he desperately tried to keep control of himself. He understood what needed to be done. Preferably before the illness spread too far and his death ultimately became unavoidable.
He didn't look forward to it, by the Gods, he didn't, but it was necessary. It was necessary and they both knew it. The limb was already beyond saving. Though there was a dull pounding, he could no longer move even his toes and his foot was just freezing cold.
Hiccup closed his eyes when Toothless drew away from him solemnly, moving him to lie on his back. He hoped to pass out again before his numb, dead leg was taken by the powerful teeth of a dragon.
But he didn't, not in time.
And with every little ounce of strength his weak body still retained did he scream.
It had been difficult. Toothless absolutely despised hurting his boy, but it was the only way of giving him a chance to live, the only way of keeping him from turning into one of the same mindless creatures that had bitten him and torn Berk apart.
It was torture for both of them. For all three of them even.
A lot of blood had been lost, screams had filled the air and scared Sharpshot into hiding, in the end it had even seemed all the Night Fury had done was bring Hiccup closer to death.
But once the bleeding had stopped after cauterizing the wound to the best of his limited ability, despites his incredible and lethal firepower, it seemed like Hiccup eventually slept more soundly. No longer as bothered by the liquid fire spreading gradually, but rapidly, throughout his body.
Toothless had chosen a cove with a cave and that is where he had brought Hiccup after severing his leg. Should it start to rain, as it often did here in the North if it wasn't already snowing, they'd be dry at least.
Curling up around him, Toothless had him rest his head on one of his forelegs just so Hiccup would still have some part of him resting on something that wasn't cold, hard stone. It seemed like there was a reason why Vikings slept in wooden nests with furs and blankets.
He was still as white as snow and incredibly cold too. Even after removing the source of the infection, Hiccup actually surviving the ordeal would be a long shot. Halfway down his lower left leg there was nothing now. It could very well be a fatal injury even despites all of the measurements Toothless could possibly take.
He was painfully aware of that and it was why he refused to take his eyes off of him for a single second. Even as day turned to night. He feared that Hiccup would pass on if he so much as looked away. As if not keeping a watchful eye on him would cause the boy to turn anyway, though the sick kind of grey didn't appear again.
They were dreadful hours spend in suspenseful silence. Occasionally Toothless would warble something and sniff the human's hair, but he'd get no response.
Hiccup might aswell have been dead to the world. The dragon only knew otherwise because his sharp hearing allowed him to hear the weak, even breaths. And if he brought his head close enough, he could still hear the faint beating of his heart.
Time passed much too slowly for their liking. And even Sharpshot, though yearning for fish, not once left Hiccup's side, which he was snuggled up against. Even as morning eventually came and the Viking still had not moved to even slightly change his position did they leave. They simply couldn't.
The days passed with Hiccup not really growing any weaker, but not much stronger either. A slight fever did pop up and it had persisted for a good day or two, but it eventually left the boy alone and he had gone back to lying completely still, wrapped up and kept warm by the Night Fury.
Toothless would sometimes move him, had somehow gotten the rolled up fur off of his back to cover Hiccup with as it became chilly at night, licked the burned stump as only Hiccup's nimble fingers could finish the job and care for it properly by dressing it.
Until then all that protected it were the tattered remains of the pants he wore and the Night Fury's slightly healing saliva. It kept the wound clean at least.
There were those brief moments of relief when a weak Hiccup would wake up for a precious little amount of time, just long enough to get a sip of lukewarm water in his system. But no matter how much he tried, he could not stay awake. Toothless doubted he would even remember any of it later.
It rained as day five arrived and the very fact that the teen was still breathing was nothing short of a miracle.
Both dragons were starving and thirsty, the saddle on Toothless' back hadn't been removed in days and it was bothering him, but still they refused to leave until they caught one single positive sign that Hiccup would live and so far there had been none.
None, until that very day.
Toothless had not slept at all those past few days as they waited and it had tired him out. All of his energy was spend worrying over his Rider. But as the light of the rising morning sun came creeping into their cave and hit the small nest of two dragons and one human boy, he caught sight of something wonderful.
Some colour had returned to Hiccup's complexion.
A soft croon came from the dragon's dry throat as he sniffed him, snout moving as he drew closer. A scaly nose touched warmer skin.
Was this it? Would this be the day his Rider would finally wake up?
Toothless felt a hope rise along with the sun, though dark clouds seemed to tell a different story. With warbles and rumbles did he attempt to urge him to wake up, to open his eyes and reassure them that he was okay.
Sharpshot had heard Toothless, but only ever lifted his head once before laying it back down again, losing interest.
The Night Fury did not let up. Nudging Hiccup's cheek once, twice, three times, he finally got an answer.
The Viking's relaxed expression grew tense for a brief second as his lips pursed, his eyes squeezed shut, his brows furrowed, it was the most they had seen from him ever since yesterday afternoon.
Hiccup swallowed and his eyes opened.
The first thing he saw was Toothless' large head as he gazed back at him with caution.
"Hey Toothless." The dragon jumped up to his feet upon hearing his Rider's voice for the first time this week. Unable to contain his excitement, he found he had a hard time standing still. Though usually fierce, mighty and lethal, Toothless wiggled and spaced around the boy he pushed his nose into to sniff every inch of him, crooning about the worrying he had done the entire time Hiccup had slept.
"Tooth-Toothless. Toothless, please! Let me breathe!" The boy was still much too weak, but much livelier then hours earlier as he brought his hands up to the other's snout to cease his wiggling.
Hiccup still had a long way to go, that was clear, but his green gaze was once again as bright as it should be and no longer a dull shadow of its former self. That was all that counted to Toothless.
"I'm happy to see you too, Bud." He stated, his voice cracking and his throat begging for water or something to relief it.
Toothless crooned once more, pupils large and kind and filled with emotion only his Rider could read, and Hiccup smiled. He couldn't help his thumb running over the oversized lizard's scales.
A sudden surprised chirp interrupted their moment and Sharpshot jumped on the chance to greet the Viking aswell, bumping his smaller head against Hiccup's, who let out a breathy laugh at the affection.
"Sharpshot, your horns!" The scratches they caused were nothing compared to the throbbing in his leg.
Hiccup rememebered what had happened and tried his best to remain motionless, afraid of the fire that would course through his body if he didn't. He didn't dare take a look, fearing the mess he'd come to find if he did. Toothless was no healer, after all.
Something was telling him that it would be wise to seek one out once he could get back in the saddle, though that would have to be a concern for later.
For now, as he let the dragons shower him with attention, Hiccup was just glad to still be breathing and silently thanked the Gods for this miracle. There was no other explanation as to how he survived for this long.
It had been a solid year since they left Berk and at the young age of fifteen had he lost a leg, but he was still alive and both Toothless and Sharpshot were still with him. That was all that mattered.