This is mostly to grant my wish that I could have more time for Hiccup this month. I have about twenty more of these in a folder on my computer; not counting the fifty bajillion more that I've got untyped in various notebooks scattered everywhere.
So it's a dump for all my HTTYD stuff (so basically everything) that isn't long enough or developed enough to warrant it's own storyline.
These topics will: be very diverse. Too many of them focus on Hiccup's leg - we'll get to those - several are crossovers, and a few are about my feelings on "the Big Four," for which they are very mixed.
"I was stupid."
Astrid, by no means a stranger to Hiccup's self-depreciation, started at this one. He was sitting on the bluff, back to her, legs dangling over the water, hundreds of feet below.
"Okay, I'll bite." She joined him at the edge. While not afraid of heights, she had to applaud him. The drop was rather uncomfortable without Stormfly's presence nearby. "What have you done this time?"
He still didn't look at her, but sighed. "Nothing. That's the problem."
Astrid blinked. "What?"
"The dragons. I haven't done anything about the dragons, and now Mildew's trying to get them put in cages. Just because the dragons don't raid anymore doesn't mean they're not causing trouble… I should have helped with the organization and – you know, like, made the people more comfortable-"
"Hiccup."
"Because really, everyone starting to panic and I can already see that it's going to get out of control and my dad was thinking of all these stupid ideas so I stepped in and told him-"
"Hiccup."
"I know I can do it, but if no one's really even happy with them, just us, then what's the point? I thought everyone would be able to handle it without me – because we're, you know, Vikings – and everyone managed so well while I was unconscious-"
"Hiccup."
"I should have done something-"
"HICCUP!" she screamed, jumping to her feet. He finally raised his head and looked at her, eyes wide. "Pull yourself together," she snapped, shaking his shoulders. "You did fine! Nobody expected anything like this to happen!"
"But I should have," he said bitterly, shaking his head and looking away.
"No, you shouldn't've," she returned, hands on hips. "You were getting some well-deserved downtime. Nobody in their right minds could have possibly told you the day you started walking again that their Nadder was breaking the roof or the family Gronkle ate dinner! They tried to – and are still – handling it by themselves!"
"Yeah?" he retorted. "You weren't there today. You didn't see the way Mildew stirred them up. It won't be the last time."
"Mildew doesn't even have a dragon," she yelled. "The people who took that responsibility are doing fine!"
"Really?" he shouted. "Did you see what I did today? Terrible Terrors stealing cod. Nadders stealing bread. Gronkles-" He stopped suddenly, staring into the distance. Astrid watched him closely and only because she knew him so well she heard him say, "Oh my gods. That's the problem."
Before she even realized, he'd jumped to his feet, tottered a little but managed to regain his balance and darted off. "That's it! The dragons don't want to leave the people, but they're really used to getting their own food – or even our food! It's just a habit! If the people go hunting with the dragons-"
Astrid swung her legs back onto solid ground and stared after him, running up the steps to his house and slamming the door so hard a shingle slipped from the roof and landed in the grass.
Shaking her head, Astrid smiled and headed for home.