So, yeah, this is just some random one-shot idea I got while writing "Plasma Blast." Speaking of said story: I will be updating it a little later on. I just couldn't work on it while this idea was in my head, so now that this one's out, I should be working on "Plasma Blast" a lot more. Oh, on a side note, I have a poll up on my profile to figure out which story I'm going to write next. "To Help Your Leader" is going to be written for sure after I finish "Plasma Blast", so voting for it won't do any good, and if something else goes over it, I'm still going to write "To Help Your Leader" next. I have a reviewer who requested it, and the user has been waiting a long time for it, so I'm writing it for them. :) Anyways, enjoy "Wolves." If you guys want me to write another chapter to it, I probably could, just at the moment I don't know what I would write in another chapter, so it might take a while. :) Anyways, on with the story. You guys are awesome. XD!
"You sure you saw something?" Astrid questioned as she and Hiccup walked through Raven Point.
"Positive," Hiccup answered with utmost confidence in his voice.
"Mmm hmm," said Astrid in disbelief. "Well, Hiccup, I don't see anything."
"Maybe they don't want to show themselves, Astrid," Hiccup reckoned out loud. "That could be the case."
"Or you could have just imagined the whole thing," Astrid pointed out.
"Or, they could just be hiding," Hiccup guessed.
"Hiding?" Astrid shook her head. "We are two Berkians, Hiccup. What's there to hide from?"
"I don't know," said Hiccup. "Shh, wait!" he said suddenly, putting his hand in front of Astrid to make sure she stopped.
"Hiccup, what are you-"
"Shh," he replied.
"Hiccup-"
Hiccup put his hand over her mouth to silence her. "I heard something."
Astrid grabbed his hand and yanked it down. "Hic-"
"Shh," he ordered. This time, Astrid listened. She looked around Raven Point, suddenly wishing they had brought their dragons with them. It was completely dark, the full moon just barely giving off enough light.
Then, Astrid heard what Hiccup had. Growling. Loud, angry growling. It wasn't the growl of a dragon, though. Astrid could tell the difference. This was the growling of an animal hungry for killing others.
"Hiccup," Astrid whispered.
"I know," he said.
Then, they came into view. A pack of wolves emerged from the shadows of the trees and bushes, snarling and baring their fangs. Their fur was tattered from previous fights, and their eyes were piercing.
Hiccup drew Inferno and clicked it, allowing the fire to lap over the blade. The wolves growled at the flames, but didn't back down. They approached Astrid and Hiccup slowly. Astrid looked behind her, but more wolves were coming in that direction. They were slowly being surrounded by the wolf pack.
"Hiccup-"
"If you could stop saying my name, that would be great," said Hiccup. "Sorry, but I'm kinda trying to think of a plan."
"Please tell me it doesn't involve touching their noses and feeding them grass," said Astrid.
"What!?" said Hiccup. "No! These aren't dragons, Astrid."
One of the wolves approached a little faster than the rest, looking more confident than the others as well. It was bigger than the rest; probably ate more. The Alpha Wolf, Hiccup figured.
"Noooo, no!" said Hiccup, aiming Inferno straight at said wolf. "Back! Get back!"
The wolf stepped back one, but then continued on.
"GET. BACK!" Hiccup ordered, taking a step backwards as the wolf approached. "Don't make me tell you again! STAY. AWAY! GET AWAY!"
The wolf didn't listen. He continued to move in on the two Berkians, the other wolves closing in from every direction.
Astrid had long before drawn her axe, and was now holding it with both hands, keeping it out in front of her to ward off any wolves that decided she would make a tasty dinner. Astrid and Hiccup stood back to back, looking at the snarling wolves, who were closing in on their prey.
Then, all at once, the wolves pounced.
Hiccup moved out of the way just before the Alpha landed on top of him. He batted another wolf away with Inferno, lighting its coat on fire. He winced when the wolf started yapping and rolling around on the ground to put it out.
"Sorry," he said. "It's nothing personal."
He turned around and did it again to a different wolf. The wolf snarled and yapped miserably as it ran in circles, not smart enough to stop, drop and roll, but still hating the fire that burned through its fur and into its skin.
Astrid bashed wolves with the flat of her axe, knocking them either unconscious, or just simply batting them away like one would a baseball with a bat. The wolves stumbled around in a confused daze after each of Astrid's hits, and then either collapsed, or decided to take on Hiccup instead.
The wolves yipped and yapped in dismay as the Berkians continued fighting them off. Of course, Hiccup's fire and few blows to the head made the wolves angry enough to rip the bark off a tree with their fangs, and Astrid's skill with the axe makes them want to do nothing different, but the vicious animals knew they had the advantage in numbers. It was two, twenty year old Hooligans against an entire pack of savage, dangerous, bloodthirsty wolves.
"So how's that plan coming, Dragon Boy!?" Astrid shouted.
"Hilarious," Hiccup mumbled. "It's not coming, Astrid, you know that!"
"Hiccup!" shouted Astrid. "There's too many of them!"
"I know!" said Hiccup. "Might as well write it on my tombstone! Rest in peace There Were Too Many Of Them!"
"THAT'S NOT HELPING!"
Hiccup batted another wolf away with Inferno, and turned around just in time to see the Alpha Wolf about to pounce on Astrid.
"Astrid!" Hiccup exclaimed.
Looking back on what he did next, maybe it wasn't his best idea. He sheathed Inferno, and then tackled the wolf just before it attacked Astrid. Unfortunately, there was a hill; a large, steep hill. Hiccup and the wolf tumbled down it, rolling about a hundred times before finally coming to a stop at the bottom.
"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.
Hiccup shook himself out of his daze and stood up. Mistake number one. The wolf Alpha was up before Hiccup, so the minute the young Chief was on his feet again, the wolf pounced on him head on, sending Hiccup falling right back down again.
The wolf snarled and tried to snap at the Berkian, standing on top of his chest. Hiccup wrapped his hands around the wolf's neck and pushed, trying to keep it away from him, but the wolf was stronger than he.
Desperate, Hiccup just barely drew Inferno in time to light it in the wolf's face. The wolf recoiled in shock, pawing its maw, and then getting ready to pounce again.
"HICCUP!" shouted Astrid.
Hiccup didn't have time to shout back. He locked eyes with the wolf just before it attacked. Hiccup turned around, not wanting to really kill the wolf, and ran. Mistake number two.
The wolf was faster than he was. Just before Hiccup got far, he sank his teeth into Hiccup's calf. He screamed as he dropped Inferno and fell on his front. As soon as possible, Hiccup flipped over on his back, and kicked the wolf right in the face with his metal leg. The wolf yelped and released Hiccup, but wasn't through with him yet.
The Alpha Wolf bared its teeth to attack again, and just as it did, Hiccup kicked it again with his prosthetic. The wolf was less taken back by this the second time, however, and was barely fazed. It pounced on Hiccup again, standing on his chest, snarling.
Hiccup screamed. He didn't know what else to do. He couldn't move; he couldn't fight. Inferno was who-knows-where, leaving Hiccup defenseless.
Just before the wolf ended Hiccup's life, something knocked it clear off the young Chief like someone would a golf ball while playing said sport, sending the wolf sprawling on its side a few feet away.
Astrid stood, gritting her teeth, holding her axe with both hands so hard her knuckles were white.
"Get out of here," she ordered the wolf.
The wolf stood up and shook itself out of its stupor, and then howled to the other members of its pack. The wolf turned and ran back into the forest of Raven Point, followed by the rest of the vicious creatures.
As soon as they were gone, Astrid dropped her axe and turned around to face Hiccup.
"Hiccup!" she shouted, kneeling down.
"I'm okay," Hiccup mumbled, sitting up with effort. "Yeah...just my leg."
"Your...oh man," said Astrid, her eyes gazing over Hiccup's injury. "Oooh man."
Hiccup nodded. "We...we should get back...to the village," he panted.
Astrid nodded. "You better believe we should," she said. She grabbed his arm and pulled it over her shoulder and then carefully pulled him to his feet. "Just...lean on me, okay?"
"I don't have the choice," said Hiccup.
"Just do it, Dragon Boy," said Astrid. She tried to be mad at him, but she just couldn't.
"Okay, milady," said Hiccup. "If you insist. So demanding..." he whispered with a smile.
"You better believe it," said Astrid.
Slowly and painfully, the two of them made their way back to the village and up to Hiccup's house.
When they get there, Hiccup allowed himself to slump against the Astrid while she took to kicking it since she was using both hands to keep Hiccup upright, shouting for Valka the whole time. Of course, Hiccup didn't think she should have been so extreme about it, but then again, he hadn't seen the injury; he hadn't dared look at it before, and he still was hesitant now.
Astrid, on the other hand, thought Hiccup wasn't being quite urgent enough. Of course, Hiccup was never one to complain; he seemed to enjoy hiding his pain from others, keeping them in a constant guessing game, but he still never took his own injuries too seriously.
He always got concerned with other people's injuries, though. Oh, paper cut? Wash it, bind it, make sure it doesn't get infected. Oh, vicious Alpha Wolf bit into my calf? Oh, I'll just walk it off.
I don't think so.
Right before Astrid could bang and holler for Valka again, the door opened. Valka stood in the doorway, looking to Astrid and then to Hiccup...
"Hiccup!" shouted Valka. She moved to his other side, pulled Hiccup's other arm over her shoulder and then helped Astrid take him inside and lay him down on the couch, since taking him up to his loft would be too challenging at that moment.
"What happened?" Valka asked as she rolled up Hiccup's pants leg to look at his injury.
"Wolves," said Astrid.
"Wolves!?" Valka repeated.
"Yeah," said Hiccup. He hissed through his teeth when Valka pressed a cloth to the wound. "They didn't like me very much."
"Needless to say," said Valka. "What are wolves doing on Berk?"
"I guess they've always been here," said Hiccup. "I've seen them a few times in the past..."
"And you said nothing?" said Astrid.
"I thought I could have just seen a dragon," said Hiccup. "Besides, the first fifteen years of my life no one really cared what I had to say, or thought enough to listen."
"I'll be back in a minute," said Valka. "Don't move."
She stood up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a pot, filling it with water, and then setting it to heat up over the fireplace.
After it warmed up, Valka poured some of its contents into a basin and brought it over, setting it down on the floor beside her. She grabbed a clean cloth and then let it sink in the water, absorbing the heated liquid. Then, Valka squeezed it out to drain any excess water and then gently cleaned Hiccup's leg with it.
Hiccup hissed through his teeth, but made no other noise to signify he was in pain. After Valka cleaned it, she wrapped it tightly in gauze and then rolled Hiccup's pants leg back over it.
"You're going to have to stay off your feet for a few days," said Valka.
"A few days!?" Hiccup shouted, sitting up suddenly. "Define 'a few'?"
"Four to five at least," said Valka.
"Four to five!?"
"Hiccup, what were you expecting?" said Astrid. "At least it's not as bad as that time you got yourself deliberately struck by lightning."
"He did WHAT!?" shouted Valka.
"Astrid!" Hiccup moaned. "She didn't know about the lightning incident!"
"Oh, well what about the time you broke your wrist?" said Astrid.
"What?" said Valka.
"Astrid..." said Hiccup.
"I still don't know how you managed it!" said Astrid.
"Astrid..." said Hiccup.
"I mean, you were just throwing an axe," said Astrid. "Well I guess it was two times your weight and you were sixteen but still-"
"ASTRID!" said Hiccup.
"I'm sorry, I'm confused," said Valka. "What about the lightning?"
"So...someone thought it was a good idea to stand on the top of a mast with a metal trident during a lightning storm," said Astrid.
"It was NOT my intention to get blasted by a lightning bolt!" said Hiccup. "The lightning just had really really bad timing. Besides, you know I had no choice that day. They were going to banish Toothless."
"Why?" said Valka.
"They thought he was the cause of the lightning," said Hiccup. "And so while most people were trying to get him banished, I developed a plan-"
"Hiccup Haddock: The human lightning rod."
"THAT wasn't part of the plan, Astrid, you know that!" said Hiccup.
"I know that," said Astrid, "but do you?"
"Hold up," said Valka. "You did what?"
"So, I was struck by lightning, but also proved Toothless' innocence, so in the end it was all okay," said Hiccup.
Valka offered a small, hesitant smile. "Well," she said, "you two have to tell me more one of these days. I missed a lot with you, Hiccup."
"I know," said Hiccup. "But you're here now, so that's okay too."
Valka smiled and stood. "I'm going to get some more gauze," she said. "Remember, Hiccup, stay off your feet for four to five days. No acceptions."
She turned and walked into another room. Astrid turned to Hiccup.
"I know what you're thinking," she said.
"What?" said Hiccup.
"You're thinking, Riding dragons is technically staying off my feet," said Astrid with her trademark Hiccup Haddock impression.
"No!" said Hiccup. Pause. "Yes," he said.
"Knew it," said Astrid. She sighed. "Hiccup, you could have died. Do you understand that?"
"Yeah," said Hiccup. "Yeah, I do."
"You sure don't act like you do," said Astrid.
Hiccup sighed. "I just...don't like people worrying about me," he said. "I'm not really used to it yet."
The first fifteen years of his life, no one worried about him or really even cared about him (besides maybe Gobber). Even after five years, he was still rather new to the idea about mattering to people.
"Hiccup," said Astrid, "when I watched you tumble down the hill with that wolf I thought...I thought maybe you had died."
"Died?" said Hiccup. "Me?"
"Yes you," said Astrid. "You didn't answer me when I called your name. It...it terrified me, Hiccup. And then I heard you scream, and I knew you were alive, and then the wolf..."
"Astrid," said Hiccup.
"You were lucky," said Astrid. "Think about it. The wolf could have bitten you anywhere. You...be thankful it was only your leg."
"I am," said Hiccup. "Astrid-"
"You probably don't know what it's like to think your best friend is dead," said Astrid. "I do. I get it nearly every other day from you, Hiccup. Every time you step outside."
Hiccup shrugged. "I guess you're right," he said.
"Yes I am," said Astrid. "Promise me you won't go back and try to train the wolves."
"Try to train the...why would I do that?" said Hiccup.
"I don't know," said Astrid. "I never know with you, Hiccup. That's the problem. You're so unpredictable."
"What are you getting at, Astrid?" Hiccup asked.
"I can't lose you," said Astrid. "I was afraid you were killed, okay? And...I just couldn't imagine that happening. It's worse than anything else I could ever dream of."
"I'm not going anywhere, Astrid," said Hiccup. "I wouldn't dream of it. Ever."
"I know you wouldn't," said Astrid. "But no more wolves, please?"
Hiccup laughed. "No, I don't think I would like to see another wolf again," he said.
"Good," said Astrid. "Me neither."
They sat there in silence, watching the fire crackle and glow, casting dancing shadows against the walls. Shortly afterwards, Valka returned, and Astrid bared farewell to the Haddocks and then returned to her own house.
Valka sat down next to Hiccup. "Are you okay except for your leg?" she asked.
Hiccup nodded. "Fine," he said. "Astrid saved my life, Mom."
Valka nodded. "She's a good girl," she said. The two sat for a moment in silence before Valka spoke again. "You want to try to move to your loft?" she asked.
"I think I can manage," Hiccup nodded. He stood up and then, with Valka's help, walked carefully up the stairs and sat on his bed, leaning up against the headboard. Valka sat down next to him, and then saw something she hadn't seen for twenty years.
"I remember making this," she said, picking up the dragon toy that sat on top of the headboard. "I can't believe you kept it."
"Of course," said Hiccup. "It's my most prized possession. Well, that, and this."
He leaned over and pulled his helmet out from under the bed and handed it to his mother. Valka took it, and then looked at it.
"Hiccup...is this what I think it is?" She stopped and looked at Hiccup, a nervous smile on her face.
"Yes, it is," said Hiccup. "It was part of an...um..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "'Matching set'."
Valka stared at him blankly for a moment. "Oh," she said, and then laughed. "And where's the other..."
She turned to Hiccup and saw he had bowed his head. She heard him sniff once and then go silent.
"Hiccup?" she asked hesitantly. Hiccup didn't respond.
Valka put her hand on his chin and lifted his head to look into his eyes. His emerald eyes were filled with tears, a few of them making their way down his cheeks.
"I miss him, Mom," he whispered.
Valka instantly knew who he was talking about. She pulled her son into a hug and held him there, letting her own tears fall.
"I know," said Valka. "I miss him too."
THE END