Without saying anything else to Hiccup, Anella began to walk away. Hiccup sat up in the bed and hugged his arms around his open wound.
"Hold on! What's a Mind Infection?" Hiccup cried out, before Anella could make her way up the flight of stairs.
No. He wasn't going to let it slip this time around. If no one would tell him what in Woden's name was wrong with him, then Anella had to.
Hiccup watched as she stopped, with her left leg hovering over the first stair step. Frozen, she didn't even turn to glance around at Hiccup. Instead, she just let out a short cough and after a moment of just standing there, she continued up the stairs.
"Oh c'mon! Please? I'm the sick one here and I think this would be a good time to turn around and explain to me what the heck is going on!" Hiccup called after her.
"I c-can't now, Hiccup. The full moon is tonight and I need to—" Anella coughed again and this time the cough was fiercer, as if it was being forcefully pushed out of her throat.
"What is this whole deal about the full moon?" Hiccup wailed. He was getting a tad bit frustrated and couldn't seem to take it anymore. It was that feeling inside him, where you just had to know something or you'll explode and go bonkers.
He didn't get an answer from Anella this time around. But he did get a growl that seemed a little too strange to be coming from Anella. She didn't say anymore and hurried up the stairs.
"Just drop it, Hiccup. A Mind Infection is where your mind is infected. There, easy as that." Ruffnut poked her head out from the kitchen area.
"Yeah, Ruffnut. That really helped." Hiccup rolled his eyes and flopped back down on the bed. He needed to stop thinking about the whole Mind Infection for a bit and maybe concentrate on something else. Something other than Anella's full moon deal.
He propped his pillow against the bed's headboard, so that he was able to see his legs while lying there.
It was his new ebony painted prosthetic leg that caught his eye. As much as he liked it, it bothered him in some ways.
To him it seemed a little bit too polished and glazed. His old leg blended in perfectly with the rest of him. Most of the time people didn't even notice it. That was the way he liked it. Now that he had this leg, everyone would be staring at it and making comments.
What Hiccup missed about his old leg was that it made that squeaking sound whenever he fitted it into Toothless' stirrup or whenever he walked around. The noise had reminded him that he had something there. Hopefully this leg will get all scruffy soon and maybe the paint will peel off a bit and then it'll look okay. Hiccup shifted his leg around over the bed sheets.
"Uh, Hiccup? Why ya staring at your leg like that?"
Taking his green eyes off his new prosthetic, he looked up to see Ruffnut standing there with a cup of steaming tea.
"There are some things that aren't right about it. Like that it doesn't squeak." Hiccup admitted and eyed the cup of tea in Ruffnut's hands.
"That creaking old thing? I'm glad you got rid of it!" Ruffnut snorted and gave him the cup. Hiccup shot her a 'you-did-not-just-say-what-I-think-you-just-said' look, but she just ignored it and gestured at the cup.
Wrapping both hands around the cup, he took a small sip.
"Bleh! Ugh! What kind of tea is this?" Hiccup demanded and almost spat the tea in his mouth out. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried not to think about the foul taste.
"Am I the Healer here? Uh, no! Blaze just told me earlier to brew you some tea from the tea leaves in the green-labeled jar." Ruffnut crossed her arms and tried to suppress a laugh, as she watched Hiccup's disgusted face.
"Is he trying to poison me or something?" Hiccup blinked and let out a choking cough. He held the cup out to Ruffnut, who shook her head and motioned for him to drink it.
"Ruff, please?" Hiccup cringed and held the cup out again. He tried to ask as nicely as he could, hoping she would give in and just take the cup already.
Ignoring him, she walked away and disappeared into the kitchen area. Letting out a loud sigh, Hiccup lay his head back down and held the cup in his hands. At least the cup was warm.
"WE ARE—" the loud noise of a door being kicked open exploded from behind Hiccup.
He jumped at the booming voice and spilled half of his tea all over his chest. Letting out a small shriek of pain, Hiccup's hands frantically flapped at his bandages. The hot foul liquid dripped into the inside of his bandages and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from screaming out.
"HEEERE!" this time two voices cried out at the same time and Hiccup's hands flew to his ears.
It was Tuffnut and Snotlout back from their run around the village.
"Hiccup! You're alive!" Tuffnut grinned his usual crooked grin as he turned to glance down at Hiccup.
"Well, duh! He survived a Green Death! Twice!" Ruffnut entered the room again.
This time she carried a plate. Hiccup's stomach growled and his hand fell over his stomach. Wincing, he removed he moved his hand away. The places where the tea had spilled, felt hot under his touch. He didn't even want to mention the bandages. Those had a killer pain tearing under them and gnawing at his open wound. He had to remember to ask Blaze to change his bandages soon.
The plate that Ruffnut carried had a pile of boiled potato halves and a whole chicken leg on it. The thin smell made Hiccup's mouth water and he sniffed the smell that wafted from the plate. He couldn't remember the last time he had a decent meal.
"Sorry if it isn't a hot meal. I had to heat it a bit over the fire outside. But really it's all last night's dinner," Ruffnut said and handed Hiccup the plate a wooden spoon, "And have you drank your tea?"
Turning red, Hiccup shook his head and handed her the half full cup. She took it and peered inside. With an exaggerated sigh, she left to take the cup back to the kitchen area.
Both Tuffnut and Snotlout watched her go and when she left, they came to sit on the floor beside Hiccup's bed. At first, they just sat there watching Hiccup wolf down the potatoes. Annoyed, Hiccup looked up at them. They both looked away just as Hiccup picked up the chicken leg.
"Whath difth mhphou do ath themth villafe?" Hiccup asked with a mouth full of chicken.
"Huh?" Snotlout demanded and Tuffnut raised a thick eyebrow.
Swallowing, Hiccup repeated his question, "What did you do at the village?"
"Oh! Well…" Snotlout smiled mischievously and elbowed Tuffnut.
At first Tuffnut began to tell Hiccup how they stole a pair of bright purple Monstorous Nightmares and rode them through the village and after raced them behind the village houses.
Snotlout interrupted Tuffnut with a shove and began to tell Hiccup how they managed to set some old shed on fire 'by accident' and how after a group of elderly vikings chased them down and demanded to hand the Monstorous Nightmares back.
Once they gave the dragons in, the two went to get some Fire Berries. Those were said to give you fire breath for a solid fifteen minutes. It had some kind of special Flame Village fire that didn't damage your mouth at all, because it was sprayed with something the vender didn't tell the boys. It could have been poison for all they knew. You just had to be careful with it around clothing. The fire could set clothes on fire easily.
Of course upon hearing that, Snotlout had stuffed all the berries into his mouth and had chased Tuffnut around, with fire blowing out of his mouth.
"I was this close to getting my pants and undies burnt off me!" Tuffnut wailed and got up to see if he really did have any burns on the back of his pants.
"Shut up about your undies, Tuff!" Snotlout pushed him. Tuffnut stumbled and fell back to the ground with a thud.
"So what about you, Hiccup? What did you do when you woke up?" Tuffnut asked and managed to kick Snotlout in the side.
"Blaze gave me some horrible medicine and then I went banister sliding. That made me re-open my wound and—" Hiccup began to tell him, but Tuffnut didn't want to hear anymore.
"Banister sliding? Snotlout, you hear that? He wakes from coma and goes sliding down the banisters!" Tuffnut grinned.
Snotlout nodded and rubbed his side, where Tuffnut had kicked him. He glared at smiling Tuffnut and finally got up.
Hiccup noticed that over the long period of time that the quest had been, Snotlout's dark brown hair had grown and reached up to his shoulder blades. He had stubble on his face and that made him seem older than he was.
Then, he looked over at Tuffnut. Nope. Tuffnut hadn't really changed. He was still lanky with lengthy blonde hair that fell over his shoulders and those troublesome hazel eyes of his. Ruffnut had the exact same eyes.
Breaking Hiccup out of his thoughts was a joyous roar that came from outside and seemed to be getting closer and louder. That roar Hiccup knew anywhere. Snotlout and Tuffnut had left the front door open so any second now…
All of a sudden, a giant black, scaly, bright-eyed form squeezed its way through the open front door and galloped toward Hiccup with excited, puppy-dog eyes.
"Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!" the Night Fury called out and knocked Snotlout and Tuffnut over, as it made its way to Hiccup.
Toothless nearly attacked Hiccup when he came up to his bedside. The dragon licked his owner's face and then nudged Hiccup's side with a toothy smile. The Night Fury was practically bouncing on his paws.
"You're alive! You're alive! You're alive! Fireworm said you were dead!" Toothless smiled and Hiccup had to hold him back, before he could be slobbered again.
"Toothless, don't worry! I'm fine!" Hiccup laughed at the dragon's liveliness. The Night Fury pushed his muzzle into Hiccup's hand and slowly relaxed.
Hiccup breathed in deeply and gently rubbed Toothless' nose. He told the Night Fury that he was okay once again and then Toothless moved his head away.
A pair of wide yellowish-green eyes met Hiccup's and he blinked his own green eyes. Smiling, he thought to himself what he would ever do without this dragon. I would have still been working in Gobber's shop and would have never gone on this quest. I wouldn't have battled a Green Death or found the dragon's nest either.
"A little help here!" Snotlout hollered and Hiccup craned his neck to see what was going on.
Toothless' heavy tail was on top Snotlout and Tuffnut and Toothless was practically sitting on them.
"Hiccup! Kindly, tell your Night Fury to move!" Tuffnut tried to move Toothless' tail on his own.
Toothless didn't need to be told by Hiccup. He moved away and both vikings scrambled to their feet. Snotlout dusted himself off and stepped back.
"Well, you get better! We'll leave you to rest. But the day after tomorrow, or maybe even tomorrow, we leave for Berk. I think it's time we headed home." Snotlout told Hiccup.
Both Snotlout and Tuffnut left upstairs. Silence finally filled up the room. Not even Ruffnut was heard from the kitchen area. If she even was in the kitchen area. She could've gone out the back door.
Hiccup moved his empty plate and spoon onto the floor and finally closed his eyes for a nap. As his eyes closed, Toothless shuffled closer to the bed and rested his head beside Hiccup's side. The Night Fury's nose tucked under Hiccup's arm and he gave a small satisfied smile.
In minutes, the two were snoring away with dreams dancing around in their minds.
A/N: A happy chapter ending! It feels good to end a chapter like that. But don't worry! Next chapter we enter Berk and oh dear Gods, that place is a wreck. Not to mention danger awaits Hiccup and group. Dun-dun-dun…
Before updating my other fanfics, I'll update this one again. So stayed tuned and review this chapter for now! Thanks guys =)
