Hello, guys! So, here's chapter 8! Thank you all SO much for all of your encouraging reviews! They mean SO much to me! :D So, I don't think this'll be much longer...maybe one or two chapters at tops. The last chapter should be really sweet, so...ya. :D Enjoy chapter 8! :D


The dragons touched down almost directly in front of the Chief's house. As soon as they landed and stopped moving, Hiccup fell forward, and would have hit the ground if Astrid hadn't steadied him. She helped get him off Toothless, and the others around them dismounted their dragons as well.

"Ast...Astrid…" Hiccup whispered. "I...I might pass out…"

Astrid pulled his arm over her shoulder and held it there, her other arm around his waist. She kissed his temple without fully thinking about what she was doing. "I know," she said. "I know, just hang on. Let's get you inside." She turned and looked at the other riders, who were looking at her and Hiccup with concern. "Go get Gothi," Astrid ordered. "Tell her to come here, now. And make sure she knows she has to hurry."

The others nodded and took off - all of them, even though only one of them really needed to go get the healer. Astrid then began the task of half-dragging Hiccup to the front door of his house.

...

Stoick paced back and forth in front of Gobber in the main room of the Chief's house. "They should be back by now," Stoick said, reasoning to himself out loud. "They should be, but they're not."

"Stoick," Gobber said calmly, "they probably got sidetracked. You know how much those kids love dragons."

Stoick sighed. "Sidetracked...overnight?" he questioned.

Gobber shrugged, which could have meant anything. "I think you're overreacting," he said. "Hiccup and the others probably stopped to wait out the storm."

"What storm, Gobber?" Stoick said angrily. "There hasn't been a storm that would down dragons for the past month or so, and it's not going to happen all of a sudden without anyone noticing it."

"Like I said," the blacksmith said, "I think you're taking it a little too seriously. They'll be fine, you'll see."

Stoick sat down across from his friend. "They said they'd be back before nightfall," he said. "And it's the middle of the afternoon now. They've been gone for nearly twenty four hours. Aren't you just a little bit worried?"

"Ah, not really," Gobber said. "Don't worry about it, Stoick. I'm sure that any minute now, they'll be back safe and sound."

As if on cue, the door was kicked open so hard one of the hinges may have snapped. Astrid stood in the doorway, holding onto a barely conscious Hiccup that looked ready to collapse.

"I could be wrong," Gobber said lamely.

"Hiccup!" Stoick gasped, jumping from his seat and racing over his son and Astrid.

"Stoick, he's hurt," Astrid panted out as Stoick reached them. "Bad." She stumbled briefly, and Stoick reached out to take Hiccup from her. Hiccup mumbled something under his breath, shaking his head feverishly when his father steadied him with his hands on his shoulders.

"Dad," Hiccup murmured. He shook his head again, and his eyelids fluttered. "Dad," he whispered again.

"I'm here, son," Stoick assured him. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He looked ready to scoop Hiccup into his arms and carry him, but Hiccup stopped him.

"No, s'alright," he slurred. "I c'n walk…"

None of the ones present seemed open to the idea of letting Hiccup walk, but Stoick ended up nodding, putting his arm around Hiccup's shoulder blades and leading him upstairs to his room.

"Astrid, go get Gothi," Stoick called to her.

"The others are already on it," Astrid replied. She thought about other useful things she could do to help them out, and decided on one. "I'll get some water," she said. Whatever she got now, they didn't have to worry about getting later, and Astrid was almost positive Gothi was going to want to clean Hiccup's burns. She raced outside, grabbing a bucket on her way out, and made a break for the well.

She would explain to Stoick and Gobber what happened when she got back, if the others didn't beat her to it.

Meanwhile, when Stoick finally got his son upstairs, Hiccup crawled into his bed and curled into himself in a fetal position. He wanted to sleep. That was all he wanted to do. He wanted to shut his eyes and stay asleep for a long time. His arm hurt, but he was so exhausted that he could barely feel it anymore. The pain was dulled and unnoticeable. All he wanted to do was sleep.

He felt his blanket being pulled over his body, and he cracked his eyes open to look at his father. Stoick ran his hand over Hiccup's hair, and stopped when he laid eyes on Hiccup's arm.

"Hiccup," he said, taking Hiccup's wounded limb and examining it carefully. Hiccup bit the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning in pain. "What did this?" Stoick said. There was a rising anger in his tone that made Hiccup wince. He hated seeing his father angry. "Hiccup, what did this to you?" Stoick asked, sounding more demanding this time than he had been the first time.

Hiccup felt too tired to answer. He tried to move his arm from his father's firm yet careful grip, but felt too weak to even move his arm an inch. "It's nothing," he murmured, his eyes shutting on their own. "Just...just some...burns…"

"Burns?" Stoick blurted, and Hiccup winced again, this time in pain. His father's booming voice wasn't helping anything, especially the throbbing in his head. "Hiccup, what did this to you?"

This time, Hiccup couldn't help but moan in pain. It was getting unbearable now. He wanted his father to let go of his arm, and he squirmed, but could barely move anything at all. Almost instantly, as soon as he groaned, Stoick's eyes softened, and he sat down on the edge of the bed, releasing Hiccup's arm much to the boy's relief.

"Sorry, son," Stoick said.

"S'alright," Hiccup murmured. He didn't think he would be able to stay awake for much longer, but he wanted to tell his father that at least he didn't have to apologize. "Not your fault...m'tired…"

"Then you should rest," Stoick said.

Hiccup hardly heard what his father had said, already letting his body surrender to the sleep it so desperately wanted. He let himself relax, and succumb to the peaceful slumber that washed over him.

Stoick watched him for a few more minutes before turning and heading back downstairs, just around the time Astrid returned with a bucket of water in her grip. Stoick nodded in her direction.

"Please have a seat, Astrid," he said, gesturing to a stool. "We have a lot to talk about."