Hey, hey, hey, guys! :D So, I have a lot of school to do right now, but I wanted to post this chapter because, hey, I finished it, so why not? :) I'm busy, of course, but I love you guys! :D And I was wondering, are any of you guys dressing up for Halloween? And if you are, what are you going as? If anyone wants to know, I'm going as a phoenix. :) But enough about me! Shout-outs:
Ultimateblack: Sorry I confused ya there. The summary is just saying that whatever "old enemy" is coming back for revenge is also coming back to get Hiccup's Night Fury. Hope that clears things up. :)
HappyPup1: Yep, you called it. Congrats! :D
Enderrider: Thanks! :D And yeah, Hiccup, why do you have to be so stubborn all the time!? Ugh! I don't get him...at all. You have my permission to beat him to a pulp if he dies. :)
Tangled4ever: Yeah, poor Hiccup...the poor idiot...XD
TheInkSplotches: Yeah, I'm changing my writing style around just a bit. I'm glad you like it! :D
ShadowSpirit020: He might live or he might die! I have no liberty to say either way yet!
Galaxy-Star-Pegasus: Yep...poor Hiccup...Hiccup is a stubborn idiot...poor guy...ugh. :)
Literally No One: STOP. LOSING. CONSCIOUSNESS. HICCUP! :D XD
nightfury123: I'm always for the drama. ;)
midnightsky0612: DON'T DIE HICCUP DON'T DIE!
Guest: (#1): Here's more! :D
Guest (#2): THE HORROR OF THE CLIFFHANGER! D:
neobendium: NO DYING, HICCUP! Thanks! :D
Eeveecat1248: I like to torture EVERYONE! *crazed, maniacal laughter*
Staria Nightmare: Thanks so much! :D As for whether Hiccup is going to die, and who the villain is, you're just going to have to wait and see! :D
LunarCatNinja: Sorry about that. I'm not good at reassuring people that characters won't die.
KE12: I think I do have a thing for hurting him...I don't know why! I just like hurting him..it's weird. :)
Iris Patton: Haha! *so much sarcasm* :D :D :D
IonitaMircea32: Thanks! :D I'm glad you like this new writing style! I'm just fooling around with it, y'know, but I'm starting to like writing like this. :) I don't think anyone seems to mind so far. I've gotten a few people say they like it. :) And ketchup on a hotdog...it's not the worst metaphor ever. :) I like to tell people I'm as weird as "ketchup on a watermelon." XD
"HICCUP!" Astrid yelped in a very undignified way as she tried to grab Hiccup's arms before he sank to the ground. She didn't have enough time, and he hit the floor of the forge, laying on his side, limp and unconscious.
I TOLD HIM HE WASN'T ALRIGHT! Astrid yelled mentally. She was more angry with herself then she was with Hiccup. Of course Hiccup would pretend he was fine even when he wasn't. She expected nothing less of him. But she could have reacted differently. She could have forced him to go back to his house. She could have had Toothless sit on him to keep him there.
And now he was unconscious.
Astrid got down beside him and snapped her fingers in his face. "Hiccup, can you hear me?" she shouted. No reply. She snapped again, and garnered the same reaction: none. Something was wrong with him.
She was aware of wings flapping from outside the forge, followed by the sounds of footsteps.
"Hey, Astrid!" Snotlout called. "I thought we'd find you here. Hey, we were wonder-" He stepped inside, finally seeing his unconscious cousin on the ground. "Oh man, what happened to him?" Snotlout said. He sounded a mix of confused and worried.
"What?" the voices of Fishlegs and the twins asked in unison as they ran inside the forge behind Snotlout.
"What's - oh no!" Fishlegs shouted. "What's wrong with Hiccup!?"
Astrid wasn't in the mood to play twenty questions with her friends. She pointed to the twins. "You," she said, "go get Gothi. Tell her what happened." They ran off almost instantly. She put her hand on Hiccup's forehead. He had a fever, too? He was sicker than he let on. "Snotlout, go get some water," she ordered. "Fishlegs, get Stoick. NOW!"
Snotlout and Fishlegs mounted their dragons and headed off once again while Astrid kept trying to rouse Hiccup. His face was covered in sweat, and she couldn't help but notice how pale he had become. Something was even more wrong then she had thought.
Nearly five minutes later, he groaned, cracking his eyes open and looking up at her, blinking rapidly. Astrid stared back down at him.
"You're such an idiot," she said. Hiccup blinked at her. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"
"I didn't want you to worry," Hiccup said.
"Oh, you didn't want me to worry!?" Astrid said. "So now you pass out right in front of me and expect me not to worry!?"
"I didn't know I would pass out," Hiccup said in his defense. "It just sort of happened. I was going to tell you, but then I was...out like a candle. Sorry, Astrid. I didn't mean to-"
"Spare me your excuses," Astrid said, trying to sound mad instead of worried. She didn't really want Hiccup to know how scared she had been when she watched him collapse. "When did your symptoms set in?" she asked instead. "How much do you remember?"
"I was sick last night," Hiccup admitted.
"And you said nothing?" Astrid snapped back. How could he be pretending to be fine all this time? Now she didn't even have to pretend to be mad anymore. How could he be so foolish? "Why were you out of bed? You should have been resting."
"I don't know," Hiccup said slowly. "I thought...I thought I was getting better, but I guess...I guess...I guess I was wrong, huh?"
"You bet you were wrong," Astrid said in reply. "You scared the living daylights out of me. Remind me to judo flip you later."
"Okay," Hiccup said. "I guess I deserve it."
"I got the water!" Snotlout's triumphant voice shouted as he raced into the forge, a bucket of water dangling from his tight grip. "What do you want to do with it?"
Astrid stood up, found a cup in one of the supply chests, filled it with some water, and then handed it to Hiccup after helping him sit up. Snotlout watched the both of them from the door.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Hiccup passed out," Astrid said. "I think it's from lack of sleep, but he told me that he was sick last night, so that could also be a big part of it." She looked back at Hiccup with a hard expression. "You should have told us you were ill," she said.
"I know," Hiccup said guiltily as he set the cup down next to him and leaned against the wall. "I guess…"
"It doesn't matter what you 'guess'," Astrid said in reply. "We're your friends. You should have let us know. We wouldn't have forced you into coming to the academy. We understand, Hiccup. Getting sick is part of life, but you need to talk to us about things like this. Believe it or not, but refusing to tell us only makes us feel worse about everything, and it can also be dangerous for yourself."
Hiccup sighed, but nodded. "I know," he said.
"Hiccup!" the voice of Stoick shouted. The Chief raced into the forge, followed by Fishlegs. Stoick knelt next to his son and looked him over. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
"Fine," Hiccup said. "A headache, but other then that-"
Stoick sighed in relief. "Good," he said. "But I thought I told you to come home if you felt worse."
"You did," Hiccup said. "Sorry, Dad."
"It's alright, Hiccup," Stoick said, "but when Fishlegs told me you were unconscious...don't scare me like that again, alright?"
Hiccup nodded.
The twins raced into the forge a moment later. "Gothi says you can bring him to her hut," Tuffnut explained, "and she'll look him over."
"How did you know what Gothi wanted?" Astrid asked, calling to mind that their village elder spoke through runes she wrote with her staff.
"We're not as stupid as we look!" Ruffnut protested. "Or are we? Huh, not even I know. Do you know?" she asked Tuffnut.
"I try not to know things," Tuffnut said.
"Obviously," Snotlout agreed with a roll of his eyes.
"Nevermind that," Stoick said. "Do you think you can walk?"
Hiccup managed a shaky nod in return. "Yeah," he said, "I think I can." He attempted to push himself up, and then ended up falling back against the wall again. "Ugh," he moaned, sounding more angry than anything else. "No, I guess I can't walk."
"Hold on," Stoick said, bending down and hefting Hiccup into his arms. "Come on."
They headed off towards Gothi's abode.