I've been sitting on this...oh, since July? Yeah. (Sheepish.) I'm now feeling a little bit inspired to turn it into a baby drabble series of similar gliding failures. HTTYD2, but no spoilers. [With the DVD now safely in my hands, I find myself warming up to the gliding considerably.] So...this is mostly just for fun. :) R&R, you guys are the best!
"Whuh – wh – whoa!"
Toothless lands on top of him hard and they roll; his breath is knocked out of him, and his helmet slips sideways, obscuring his vision as they finally come to a stop.
"Almost!" Toothless's wings open again, giving Hiccup room to extricate himself from the (for the most part) crash-proof confines of Toothless's legs. "Another few tries, and we'll have it!"
Toothless's face is priceless, but Hiccup isn't paying attention as he kneels, removing his helmet, tossing it on the ground, and working his shoulder.
It's when he tries to stand that the problem arises. "Oh, great Odin's ghost, that hurts-"
Toothless, resting his head wearily on the ground, snaps to attention at Hiccup's pained hiss.
"Wait a minute for me to check it out, then you can worry," he heads off the panic, sliding against Toothless's side and taking off his boot.
The ankle is already starting to bruise and swell; red and tinges of purple and black cover the entire side of it; Toothless sniffs it. "Aww, come on," Hiccup whines. "This is – argh. Great. Just great."
Toothless's pupils are wide with worry, but he gives Hiccup a look that is clearly interpreted: this is Hiccup's own fault.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Hiccup grumbles. He starts to fold and squish the flaps of his dragon suit into the expanded pockets. "Gliding doesn't work too well if you don't have four legs in addition to the wings."
He still doesn't stand, reluctant to test the ankle too soon. "Acgh. That's really gonna hurt in the morning. You and I are really gonna hear it from Astrid and Dad when we get back."
Toothless's expression makes Hiccup retrace his steps. "I mean, I will really hear it from Astrid and Dad when we get back. You, on the other hand, will be hugged and patted sympathetically for all of your valiant efforts to keep me in the one piece that's left." He sighs dramatically. "I'm a tough charge, I know – ow! Tail, ow – whoa, ow, ow, ow-"
He'd leaned on the bruised ankle wrong while trying to duck Toothless's strike; Toothless switches from haughty and indignant to panicky and concerned in an instant, leaping to his feet and sniffing Hiccup's injured leg.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be okay, Bud," Hiccup tries to laugh, and uses Toothless's spines to pull himself to his feet, hopping extremely awkwardly on his prosthetic, still flipped to the flight foot. "It's gonna be a job flying back, but-" He gestures brightly at his left foot – "At least I can't sprain this one!"
As if on cue, the screw holding the two unused attachments into the top of his leg pops, and they clatter down next to the flying leg, rendering it useless.
Hiccup and Toothless stare at it for a few seconds, then look at each other.
"Well, it looks like you're walking us home, Buddy," Hiccup finally says, allowing Toothless to scoot his head under him and let Hiccup slowly slide down to the saddle. "Let's find out if the island we're on is inhabited, shall we?"