Chapter VII:
The moon was now set in the very center of the sky, shining brightly over Berk. The tiny village was quiet, and the air was icy. The village looked almost completely deserted, except for the small group of people outside of Hiccup's home. Toothless was the only dragon that had not been sent to the dragon stables for the night. He and Hiccup were pacing back and forth in front of the door, waiting for it to open. Astrid had shooed everyone out, when they had returned with Vetra, and was tending to her while the others waited outside. Meathead, who was sitting on a bucket next to the bench that Lugnut and Spikelout were sitting, was watching Hiccup's pacing, following his movements with his tiny eyes. "Ouch!" Snapped Spikelout, smacking Lugnut's hand, who was busy stitching the wound on Spikelout's arm. "Could you possibly be a little rougher, Lugnut?! You haven't ripped the stitches yet!" Lugnut raised an eyebrow. "You mean you actually want me to?" She asked, knowing full well what Spikelout meant. Spikelout groaned. "How much longer do we have to wait?" He asked Hiccup. "They've been in there forever!" Hiccup said nothing at first. Then he stopped pacing, causing Toothless to bump into him, then said "Vetra just needs some time to recover. They'll let us in when she's ready." Meathead gave a loud, wide yawn, stretching his arms. "My, it's late." He said, getting to his feet. "Maybe we should-" He suddenly dropped face first, into the dirt at Hiccup's feet, and began to snore loudly. Hiccup, Toothless and Lugnut starred silently at the unconscious Meathead, each with eyebrows raised. "Ah, don't mind him." Said Spikelout,
standing up as Lugnut finished with his arm. "That sometimes happens when it's passed his bedtime."
"Okay." Said Hiccup slowly, still looking at Meathead in the dirt. "That's a new one."
The door finally opened, causing everyone still conscious to jump as Astrid stepped outside. "So?" Said Spikelout eagerly. "How is she?"
"Well." Astrid began. "I bandaged her head and her hand, but she hasn't said a word since you brought her back." She turned to face Hiccup. "Hiccup, I'm worried about her." She said. Hiccup took both of Astrid's "Let me try and talk to her." He said. Astrid sighed. "Alright." She said. "You can try. I'll wait out here." Hiccup and Toothless entered the house. They immediately felt the heat of a fire burning in the fireplace. It felt nice after standing outside in the cold for an hour. They walked up the stairs to Vetra's room, the same place Hiccup himself used to sleep when he was Vetra's age. Hiccup saw Vetra sitting up in her bed, the covers over her lower half. She had a thick turban of bandages on her head. She was looking down at her blankets, while absent-mindedly petting Cinder, her pet crimson-colored Terrible Terror, who was laying in her lap, fast asleep. He have a soft purr with each exhale. She did not look up when she noticed her father, but continued to star determinedly at her woolen blankets. Hiccup Sat at the foot of Vetra's bed, while Toothless bounced over the other side of the bed. He half climbed on the bed, so his front legs were on, and his back were still on the floor, and nudge Vetra's arm. Cinder awoke as the arm Toothless had nudge shoved him slightly, and he gave a soft hiss at Toothless, glaring at him. "How you feeling?" Hiccup asked softly. Vetra didn't answer, but was soothing Cinder's irritation by stroking him on the back. "It's been a pretty long day, hasn't it?" Hiccup continued with a slight chuckle. Vetra only sighed, tightly shutting her eyes. Hiccup cleared his throat. "Look, Vetra." He said. "I'm sorry for-" But Vetra interrupted him, speaking at last. Her voice was quiet and cracked, as if she had a bad cold. "No, Dad." She said, still looking down at Cinder. "I'm sorry. For what I said before. I didn't means it." Hiccup smiled. "I didn't think you did." He said. Vetra's eyes filled with tears. Toothless put his head in Vetra's lap to comfort her, much to Cinder's disapproval. "I can't believe I froze like that." Said Vetra. "What will they say at the academy?"
"No one at the academy needs to know." Said Hiccup, patting Vetra's leg under the covers. Vetra wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Meathead, Lugnut and Spike know." She said. "And what kind of friends would they be if that held that against you?" Said Hiccup. "Vetra, you were six years old. That's a tender age to witness what you saw."
"I think witnessing the death of your little brother is a lot for anyone to handle. No matter what age you are." Said Vetra. Hiccup nodded in agreement. "It wasn't your fault, Vetra." He said. I was nobody's fault." He stood up from the bed. "You get some sleep. And how about we take the day off from dragon training tomorrow and just get some rest?" Vetra shrugged. "Good night then." Hiccup went back down the stairs and left the room. Toothless gave Vetra a lick on the arm before following Hiccup out of the room. Cinder finally relaxed and snuggled back in Vetra's lap. Picking up the waxy-heap that had once been a candle resting on the nightstand next to Vetra's bed, she blew hard, extinguishing the flame. The dim flame bathing her room went out, leaving everything dark and blinding to the sight. Vetra sank into her bed with her arms around Cinder, who yawned, placing his head lovingly in her arms as they both to fell asleep.
