Chapter 1: Lost (Again)
It had been a perfect day for exploring. Emphasis on had been.
Hiccup looked at the atlas again. They had gotten blown way off the map. Not only that, but the fog reduced visibility to less than a few paces ahead. He sighed, folding up the book and stuffing it in his bag. Toothless gave a nervous cry.
"It's okay, bud." Hiccup assured him, patting the dragon's neck. It was all too familiar. They had gotten lost just like this countless times. Somehow, this seemed different. There had not been a landmark for miles, only water. With every wingbeat, the air grew colder. Hiccup could only guess where they were. Far, far to the north, to be sure, but just how far?
Passing through another snow flurry, Hiccup shook off ice, sending his thoughts away with them. He had to stay focused. Toothless wouldn't be able to fly much longer. They would need a place to land, and soon.
xxx
Just when all hope seemed lost, and Hiccup was ready to surrender to the waters below, land appeared through the mist.
"Thank the gods!" He murmured, barely able to speak. His lips were turning blue, and Toothless was covered in frost. The dragon spotted the landing spot and dropped from the sky, too tired to land properly. Hiccup tumbled out of the saddle and landed face-first on the ice. Despite there being snow all around, there was not an inch of powder on the ground. Everything was packed down, hard and slick. Hiccup struggled to his feet, searching for some place to take shelter.
Toothless moaned.
Hiccup ran to his dragon, finding the poor creature on his side. The Night Fury shook with freezing spasms, whimpering. Hiccup swallowed. The dragon's wing lay at an unnatural angle, broken.
"No," he groaned, "No, no, no… Toothless… Toothless, get up…"
The dragon stirred, but made no move to stand.
"Come on, you dumb dragon!" Hiccup shouted, not out of anger, but out of fear. If Toothless stayed in the cold too long, he could die. They would both die.
Toothless shuddered again, but still didn't move. Hiccup, still shivering himself, rubbed his bare hands together, trying to create some warmth. Bending down, he put his arms around the dragon's neck. Lifting with what little strength he had left, he urged Toothless to rise.
"Come on, come on! You have to get up!"
Toothless bellowed, pulling his feet under his body.
"There you go," Hiccup sighed, only somewhat relieved. Neither of them would be able to walk very far in this condition. Hiccup looked around again. The iceberg's tip gouged the grey sky, a lonely mountain in a sea of frigid blackness. As if a miracle had been sent from above, a dark opening yawned from the base of the slope. An ice cave.
xxx
It felt like miles of walking to drag themselves into the shelter of the cave. Toothless collapsed again, too weak to even cry out in pain as he landed on his mangled wing.
Hiccup twitched with violent shudders. The cold beckoned, a painful, icy death awaited. Was this really the end? After all the peril he had faced, could it really all come down to this? It seemed pathetic. Vikings were supposed to be tough, enduring. Able to brave any storm or freezing wind.
No… Hiccup thought to himself, It won't end this way…
With barely enough strength to breathe, Hiccup scooted farther in. The cave was deep. Deeper than he had expected. They had to go farther in…
An orange shadow caught his eye. Momentary, fleeting. A flicker of yellow in the throat of a blue ice monster.
Light… Thought Hiccup. … Fire…
Even his thoughts were dwindling. He had to try…
"... Help…" He rasped. The cold stabbed into his mouth. He shook again, pressing his lips together. Tiny spikes of ice stabbed at him from all sides, making his body prickle with pain. He tried again, using the last of his breath;
"Help-!"
Then, there was darkness.