Hi I'm back with chapter 10. Woohoo double digits =) This is a longer chapter than usual, because a) it's been awhile since I updated and b) I didn't want to split up Whittler's arc anymore. I own nothing but the plot and hope you enjoy reading!
Oswald and his insane son were gone by the time Hiccup returned home. A sigh of relief escaped the small teen as he nodded goodbye to his friends. He could hear some sports announcer's muffled voice emanating from the living room. Hiccup walked slowly, trying not to jostle the sleeping fur-ball in his arms. Stoick tore his gaze away from the football game as he heard the distinctive clunk-pat-clunk from his son's footsteps.
"Hi dad," Hiccup greeted, standing in the doorway to the living room, unsure if he should enter or head upstairs.
Stoick raised an eyebrow at smile still lingering on his son's face, "I trust yah enjoyed yerself?"
The brunette nodded vigorously, "Y-yeah, it was a lot of fun."
The behemoth hummed in approval. Hiccup stood shuffled from foot to prosthetic, wondering if he should take his leave, or attempt to engage his father in further conversation.
He decided to risk it, "So, uh, how-how was your day?"
Stoick smiled and Hiccup released a silent sigh of relief, adding a point to his mental list of positive father-son interactions; they were finally in the double digits.
"Oswald and I had a good ol' time and we finished all o' our unpackin'," he paused, his mouth curving down, "Bu' Dagur was mighty upset that ye left so quick. Ye should've at least sad hi to the lad.
Hiccup tried not to wince, having happily forgotten his latest encounter with the psychopath, "Oh, uh, yeah, sorry dad. I was just–sooo excited to see my friends that I, uh, I guess I forgot. It, uh, it won't happen again."
Stoick nodded, noting how his son's smile was now strained, "Alrigh' be sure it doesn't. I'll be gone in the mornin'. We need some more cod. Do ye want anything while I'm out?"
"No, I-I'm good, yeah, good. So, I guess, uh, goodnight," Hiccup muttered, trying to keep his voice bright.
"Goodnight, son, get plenty o' rest," Stoick nodded before turning back to the screen.
The brunette slunk out of the doorway and stumbled up the dark steps. Toothless released a soft meow of annoyance, glaring up at his boy. Hiccup just muttered an apology, coaxing the feline onto his shoulders so he could open his bedroom door. Toothless immediately began hissing, claws digging into the already ruined sweater and tail wrapping protectively around his boy's neck.
"Ack! Toothless, what's the matter Bud? And could you lay off the claws a bit?" Hiccup questioned as he stepped into his room.
"Oh lowah yah shackles, ye stubborn beast. I told ye I mean 'im nah harm."
Two pairs of green eyes snapped to the old woman floating above Hiccup's bed. Her eyes were crinkled with annoyance and mirth as she watched the freckle boy experience a mini-heart attack.
"Oh gods, I forgot you were waiting Whittler, sorry," Hiccup spluttered, clutching the fabric covering his chest.
A grin stretched across her face, revealing crooked teeth and gums where teeth should have been, "Is alrigh' deary. Now, ahr ye ready tah go?"
The brunette subconsciously ran calming fingers through midnight fur, "Oh, uh, well, we'll have to wait till my father's asleep. Here I'll go find a flashlight…"
Hiccup moved over to his shelves, rummaging through drawers until he located the red appliance and slipped the wrist strap over his hand. He continued to search, pushing sketches around until he found a folded sheet of paper.
"Aha!" he exclaimed, settling on the bed next to the ghost and unfolding the paper.
A Google map's image of the forest of Burgess that he printed a week ago on a trip to the library lay before him. He grinned, picking up a stray pencil resting on the floor before he turned to face the ghost.
"So, where about is your house?" he questioned, showing her the map.
"Oh, well ahrnt ye fancay?" she chuckled, squinting her eyes and scanning the paper, "Righ' around thar. By the entrance tah them caves."
Hiccup circled the patch she pointed to. He chewed his lip, trying to calculate about how long it should take to reach the area. It was a part of the forest he had yet to explore with Toothless or Jack and Merida, but it wasn't too far from the cove. If Whittler could lead him from there, it would be no problem. Hiccup nodded to himself, folding the map the slipping it into his pocket. He gently extracted Toothless from his shoulders and deposited the grumpy feline beside him. The cat growled lowly. Whittler rolled her eyes and floated away from the bed, settling next to Hiccup's dresser.
"So, when ahr we leavin'?" she questioned, wringing her hands in anticipation.
The freckled teen wriggled underneath his bed sheets without disrupting Toothless, "As soon as we hear my father snoring. He was watching a game when I came up, so I'd give it two…maybe three hours."
She nodded, settled down, "Ye migh' as well get some shu' eye then. We'll wake yah when we hear 'im. I'm sure yah had a full day."
Hiccup smiled, pulling up the covers before Toothless settled on his stomach, "Okay, uh, sounds good."
The teen was asleep within five minutes, not even bothering to remove his prosthetic. All the walking and excitement really did a number on the freckled teen and he slept deep. It felt like mere moments when a soft paw batted at his cheeks. Forest green eyes blinked blearily up at acid green. Toothless's head was cocked to the side, ears tilted forward and twitching, acidic eyes wide and pupils dilated. The feline was absolutely adorable.
"Hey Bud," Hiccup began only to be interrupted by a yawn, "What's up?"
"It be time tah go," the elderly voice rang out over the loud snoring echoing down the hallway.
Hiccup sighed, reaching a hand up to scratch Toothless behind the ears. The cat closed his eyes in pleasure, a soft purr rumbling from his chest. The freckled teen sat up and rubbed the sleep from his tired eyes. Toothless arched his back as he rubbed against his favorite creature. Hiccup slid his legs to the side of the bed and began massaging around his stump. It was never a good idea to sleep with his prosthetic on. The feline bumped against his arm, rubbing his head against Hiccup's elbow. He chuckled, abandoning his leg to pet his friend. Hiccup stretched his arms above his head and hopped up. He grabbed the flashlight he let roll to the floor earlier and double checked that the map was still in his pocket.
Just before he left, though, a question popped into his wakening brain, "Um, how many carvings do you have?"
The woman paused in her jittery movements to scratch her skull, "Hmm, if I 'member righ' I'd say around eightay."
Hiccup almost dropped his boot, "E-eighty?"
She nodded, "Maybeh more."
The freckled teen paused, chewing on his bottom lip while his mind buzzed. He finished putting on his boots then fumbled around the room a bit. After a moment, he found his backpack and dumped its contents onto the floor. Then he threw the bag over his shoulders and walked back to the bed. Toothless pawed at the zipper before jumping in, his head popping out the top to stare over Hiccup's shoulder.
"Okay, now we just need to grab the wagon from the garage and I think that'll do it," he spoke, flicking the flashlight on and off to double check that it worked.
"Alrigh' let's get goin' then," Whittler grumbled, heading through the door.
The trio crept silently down the steps, though judging by the volume of sound created by Stoick's snoring, the precaution was unnecessary. Soon they were heading down the sidewalk. Their only light was the streetlamps, Hiccup opting to save battery-life until they reached the woods. The green wagon squeaked behind them and thumped against the uneven soil once they reached the tree line. Toothless found his way atop Hiccup's shoulders, keen eyes piercing further into the darkness then the silly flashlight. Whittler hummed as they made their way through the woods, Hiccup doing his best not to trip and fall on his face. He was more use to the bumpy ground thanks to all his treks with Jack and Merida, but they never stayed long after sunset. It didn't take too long for them to find the little cove surrounding Overland Lake. Hiccup smiled, enjoying the darkened and peaceful scene. The water was still and midnight-blue, reflecting the silhouettes of trees against the darkened sky. A soft breeze helped the vegetation dance to the music of the night, composed and performed by the insects and frogs of the forest. Toothless nudged against his head, bringing the freckled boy out of his musings and back to the mission at hand. He'd just have to store away this image for a charcoal drawing until he had some free time. He shone the flicked the flashlight back on and withdrew his map.
"Okay, it looks like, if we head ov-"
"No need tah bothar with that. I'll jus' show ye meself," Whittler exclaimed, taking off towards the right.
Hiccup jumped and stumbled as he tried to keep up, "Uh, okay, uh just – could you just slow down a bit?"
She slackened her pace and the freckled teen was able to follow without losing his footing. It took another ten minutes for his flashlight to illuminate a slightly dilapidated shack built into the side of the hill.
"We're 'ere!" Whittler exclaimed, almost glowing with excitement, "Oh, jus' wait till ye see 'em!"
Hiccup chuckled, following the ghost to the structure, wondering briefly if the structure would collapse on him once inside. He shrugged off the thought and yanked open the door. A blur of black shot out at him. Hiccup shrieked, stumbling back and falling onto the grass. Toothless hissed, leaping forwards and swiping at the dark shape.
"Turn back, turn back. No trespassers, no trespassers!" a shrill voice screeched.
Toothless leapt into the air, claws extended as he reached for the source of the sound, but the black thing rose higher into the air.
"Oh shu' it ye nasty bird! Ah brought 'em here so ye best let 'em through," Whittler growled, coming out of the house and flying at the creature.
The bird, or raven Hiccup thought, shied away from the ghost and cat, "Sorry, sorry. Come in, sorry."
Toothless growled once more before trotting over to Hiccup and rubbing against his face. The freckled boy snapped his head towards the feline, as if just noticing his presence. Shaky hands unclenched, releasing the fabric resting just above his heart as the adrenaline slowly leaked out of his veins. Hiccup reached out and gave his friend a reassuring pat. He stood up slowly, following the bird that had nearly given him a heart attack into the shack. Inside, the place was spotless and strangely contrasted its outer appearance. The raven was perched on the head of bear carving, head cocked to the side as his beady eyes watched the human and feline enter his domain. The place was filled with carvings, most of which appeared to be bear themed. Hiccup wondered if he could fit them all in his backpack and wagon.
"Wow. This is, uh, wow," he spoke intelligently, mouth slightly agape.
Toothless strutted around the shop, pawing some of the carvings before circling back around Hiccup's legs. The freckled teen adjusted the shoulder strap on his backpack before looking up at the ghost questioningly.
"Alrigh' let's load up mah babies and bring 'em to town," Whittler exclaimed cheerily, a sparkle in her eyes.
"Okay, yeah, sure," Hiccup nodded, grabbing the nearest piece, a bear catching a fish in its mouth, and loading it into the wagon.
It took a good half-hour or so, but eventually the brunette managed to fit every piece in either his backpack or wagon, though he was unable to zip his pack back up.
"Is that all?" he asked, green eyes sweeping the empty shack one last time.
Whittler nodded, floating above the wagon.
"Okay, I guess it's time to go, then. We'll just hide them in the back of the garage, dad shouldn't notice," Hiccup decided, turning around and making his way back home.
What he didn't expect, was for the raven to accompany them, "Where to? Where now?"
Whittler griped, "No, no, no. You stay back and look aftahr me cauldron. We donna want anyone findin' now, do we?"
"Fine," the bird seemed to groan, before flapping away.
Hiccup shared a look with his feline friend before turning to Whittler, "What do you mean–"
"Nothin', nothin' deary. He'll take care o' all that. Now, we need tah ge' a move on if we want ye back afore daybreak," she waved off his question and successfully distracted the boy into hurrying his pace, not wanting to risk his father waking before he reached home.
Acidic green eyes remained trained on the ghost, who only waved off the feline's stare as well. By the time they reached the Haddock residence, stored the wagon and backpack deep in the bowls of the garage, and snuck up to Hiccup's room, the sky was paling to blues and pinks. Hiccup collapsed on his bed, earning a nudge and tail flick from Toothless. The teen groaned, fumbling to get his boots off and unstrap his prosthetic before turning his face back into the pillow. The feline released a happy purr, shooting Whittler one last look before curling passively on top of his boy. Hiccup grumbled something about the added weight and constricted breathing and useless felines, but was asleep before he made even one move to dislodge his furry companion. A crooked smile stretched across the ghost's face as she watched the duo. She made herself comfortable, as comfortable as a ghost could be, and turned her attention to the rising sun.
Hiccup awoke to the soft kneading of his back, a low purr accompanying the action as Toothless worked to make his friend's back into a better bed. Bleary eyes turned to the digital clock, reading the number 4. Hiccup shot out of bed, rereading the time to assure himself that he was not experiencing momentary dyslexia. 01:34 pm stared back at him, causing the freckled teen to release a groan. He never slept this late and knew it would surely impair his ability to wake up in time for school on Monday. Toothless stalked angrily off the bed, tail twitching in annoyance that his bed had decided to get up and walk away. After strapping on his prosthetic, Hiccup did just that, stumbling downstairs to find some sort of nourishment before he left for town. He almost didn't notice the various slash marks and holes littering their walls, marks he had looked over the night before. His stomach turned with the knowledge that those had come from Dagur throwing knives at Toothless. Hiccup sighed, running his fingers over the damaged walls and thanking Odin that they had hit here instead of his best friend. The freckled boy made his way into the kitchen, refilling the small food and water bowl before finding anything for himself. He settled on toast and jam with a cup of water, before heading back upstairs and discarding the clothes he had worn all yesterday. After Toothless ate, the duo made their way into the garage, uncovering the wagon and backpack. Whittler was waiting with her carvings. The trio wandered the streets of Burgess, a rather odd sight to most passerbies. A small, scrawny teen with a black cat perched atop his shoulders, dragging a large wagon and shouldering a backpack, both overfilled with a random assortment of woodcarvings. It took just over an hour to reach Same As It Never Was Antiques on foot with so much cumbersome baggage. Hiccup scarcely bothered with the crowd, knowing they would have enough sense to move if they didn't wish to be hit by his wagon. His stumped ached slightly, complaining about its overuse. The freckled teen hit the small bell on the counter waiting to Ms. Berserk to appear. The woman did, expression just as dull as the previous night.
"Uh, hi, I'm here to drop off these carvings?" Hiccup gestured vaguely to the cart behind him, hoping for some kind of positive response, but knowing any type of response was unlikely from this relative of Dagur's.
She blinked vacantly before drawling, "How much are you willing to sell them for?"
Green eyes widened and blinked. He had never thought about getting paid for his efforts.
"Ah, no, you see, I thought I could just gi–" he began moving his arms wildly.
"No ye don't!" Whittler interrupted, jabbing a finger in his direction, "My precious works o' art will nae be sold fer less 'an their worth."
Hiccup's arms shot up in a placating gesture before turning his attention back to the shop owner, "Uh, um, how much do you th-think you'll sell them for?"
Her indifferent stare migrated to just behind him, pausing for a minute before turning back to Hiccup, "Ten to Twenty apiece."
The monotone was starting to become disconcerting, the freckled teen was ready to leave, "Then I'll take three–"
"Ye'll take no less 'an five!" Whittler demanded.
"I-I mean five dollars apiece," he finished, feeling a little guilty knowing that he was receiving money for works that weren't his own.
She blinked and Hiccup took that as a sign of agreement. He passed each piece to her, one-by-one, and she reciprocated with five dollars a pop. There turned out to be eighty-four carvings in all of various designs and sizes, so Hiccup ended up with four-hundred and twenty dollars. The freckled teen's hands were covered in a nervous sweat as he deposited the cash into his wallet, promising himself that this would go straight into his bank account and was a good investment for college. Or he would give it to charity, whichever got rid of that guilt gnawing at his insides. He wheeled the cart out of the shop, now holding a rather content Toothless, deciding it was time to head on home. He was stopped, though, by Whittler.
"Thank ye, Hiccup. Ye be a mighty fine lad," she began, giving him her crooked smile, "It's abou' time that I be going."
He nodded and could feel the warmth and joy growing within him. An oval of pure light formed next to the ghost and her eyes widened at the sight. Hiccup would never be able to describe 'the light' to anyone who asked, not that anyone did, but he would try to make little comparisons. A guardian's hug, safe, warm, and friendly. A loving glance from a parent or friend. The sky at dawn and dusk, that sense of peace and oneness with the world, that momentary halt of time, where all was forgotten but the now. Yes, he would try to find many terms to describe it, but none would come close. He couldn't help but smile, knowing this was only goodbye for now.
"Tell everyone I say hi," he smiled, offering a small wave.
Whittler grinned as she turned back to Hiccup, her eyes seeming to cloud over, "Trust yer heart, use yer head, and in times of need, look to yer friends."
Her eyes were clear once more as she turned back to the light and stepped in without a second glance.
Thank you for reading! I wanted to add a little more of Hiccup's thoughts and yada yada but I felt like this was a good closer. The first successful ghost mission is complete =) If you have any questions/comments/critiques please leave a review and I'll answer them in the next author's note to the best of my ability. Now for some ranting, kind of. So the story is currently in the month of September and the first major arc where things pick up happens in November. The last thing I want to do is rush things, especially relationships (friendship, romantic, or otherwise), so I came up with two ways to go about this that hopefully won't be too rushed. The first option, the one I'm leaning towards, is to do a sort of montage chapter, where we get bits, pieces, summaries, and Hiccup's thoughts on some of his ghost adventures between now and November (mainly because I don't have too many ideas for the filler and I'm way too excited to get into the action). The second is to do a few chapters detailing each adventure (I'll try to do a whole encounter per chapter, but it took about four for just Whittler so idk if that'll work out). I would love to hear what you all think, and if you have any ideas on deaths/unfinished business for the more filler ghosts (and I will definitely credit anyone who inspires me - I feel it's very important to). So yeah, I hope everyone's enjoying this story and thanks again for reading it =)