Whoops! Forgot to give a shout-out to someone from chapter 8:
Kierax for telling me that people do in fact sweat when their fever has gotten to the point where the victim has gone into a state of unconsciousness.
Disclaimer(Neglected it for the last five chapters): NOT MINE, NEVER WILL BE.
Thanks to the people who reviewed! I love you guys.
Chapter 10:
The world was a whirlpool, swirling around the boy, the feelings of vertigo and nausea prominent as the boy began to stir from his long slumber. Hiccup attempted to turn to his side in the effort to get more comfortable, but his arms and legs felt heavy as lead, pinning him down to the bed below-Wait… bed? His eyes snapped open, and saw that he was lying under a roof which was attached to short sidewalls, reaching up maybe a few times his height. This obviously wasn't his house; his house was much bigger than this cottage. So where was he…? He vividly remembered just lying beside Toothless the night before, comfortable as can be and basking in his warmt-Toothless! Where was the black dragon? Toothless wouldn't abandon him in this strange new environment, so where was he…?
Hiccup mustered all his already diminished strength and sat up, ignoring all the dizziness and fatigue his body tried to force him back down with. The boy knew Toothless had to be in trouble, why else would the dragon not be by his side! Even back in Berk when he was bedridden by a mere sprained ankle, the Night Fury never left the bedside, so why would it be different now? His head began to spin as he scanned the walls, but he pressed on and swung his legs over to the side of the bare wooden bed. Luckily, his metal prosthetic was left untouched, so he didn't have to put each strap on with a painstakingly slow pace; he had a best friend to save!
The young Viking yanked the blanket off his waist and would've thrown them across the room, but with his current state, it came out as a dreadfully painful excuse of a throw, leaving the blanket half a foot away from him in a rumpled pile of cloth. Hiccup ignored this indication of his condition and pushed himself off the bed, holding the bed post as a support while he tried to get himself steady.
It was déjà vu; the feeling of weakness in every part of his body, the mental demand to get up and move around. It was as though he just woke up after the Battle with the Green Death. But there was one thing missing from this almost perfect reiteration of a past event: Toothless, nudging at his side in rejoice. Again, the urge of finding his best friend poked at his conscience.
Hiccup finally found the strength and forced himself onto both legs, releasing his grip on the bed pole. The boy slid one foot in front, then the other, strength fully powered by the burning determination to find and rescue his best friend who had done so much in the past to save him.
"C-Come on Hiccup… A few more steps to the door. T-Toothless is-is counting on you…!" Hiccup managed to utter, attempting to motivate himself. The door was just within his reach, so Hiccup swung his prosthetic forward, leaning his body weight on it. The boy reached out his hand for the doorknob, but just an inch away from his target, his limb gave out, causing him to collapse onto the floor, panting in exhaustion.
All of a sudden, the sound of a different door creaked open, and Hiccup looked up to see that it originated from the other end of the room. A fairly thin woman in her mid-thirties stepped in with a scowl, aimed directly at the boy. "Tch, tch, tch. You shouldn't be moving around in your state."
"W-where am I, where's-"
"Now now, you're incredibly sick and you can't just go walking around." The woman asserted. "Ellen, can you come in here an help this young man back to his bed?"
"Yes mum." A shy, almost timid voice called from the room beyond.
Ellen, as Hiccup presumed, appeared at the doorway, holding a bandage cloth in one hand, and a wooden cup in the other. Hiccup judged her to be about his age, and having pitch black hair and eyes with the same hue. The girl's cheeks almost seemed to be on the verge of being hollow, but not quite at that stage yet. But what struck him most, was her meek demeanour, which was an entirely different contrast from the other Viking girls of his age back in Berk. Astrid for instance, had a permanent look of confidence and determination implanted onto her personality, whereas Ellen seemed more humble, which to him, was an odd characteristic of a Viking.
Ellen quickly placed both items on the table beside the bed, and walked over to the boy with a slight look of concern. She kneeled down beside the him and gently slung his arm over her left shoulder before pulling him to his feet. The motion of rising nauseated Hiccup greatly, but he managed not to soil the wooden floor. The young girl guided Hiccup to his bed with short steps, carefully not to let him fall. She helped him down on the wooden planks of the bed and reached over to the table, handing Hiccup the wooden cup, warm and steaming from the hot contents.
He gazed at the cup being offered to him, and doubts ran through the young Viking's mind about the legitimacy of their hospitality. Why were these people helping him, knowing he was a complete stranger? Would they want something in return after his recovery? Hiccup also desperately wanted to find Toothless, but he also knew he was never going to get more than a few steps out the door in his state… Reluctantly, Hiccup accepted their offering and brought the cup to his mouth, tilting it upwards to enjoy the warm liquid as it slithered down his throat.
In the midst of drinking, he lowered the cup to judge the taste of the odd beverage, and realized that it was slightly tangy, but most of all… sweet! Without hesitation, the boy downed the rest of it, oblivious to the fact that streams of the delicious drink were rolling down from the corners of his mouth.
"You like it? I made it myself." Ellen proudly announced.
The only response Hiccup gave was a simple nod, still weak from his attempt at leaving.
"So what is your name?" The woman inquired in a calm, gentle tone.
"H-Hiccup."
"Hiccup hmm? Strange name. Well anyways, this is my daughter Ellen, and my name is Mary." Ellen's mother said, gesturing to her daughter. "My husband, Oliver was the one who carried you here, but he's out right now, getting supplies."
"Carried me here? B-But why, I was with-"
"You don't have to thank us, we would've never forgiven ourselves if we left a sick young man in the wilderness by himself." Mary cheerfully stated, somewhat misunderstanding Hiccup. "When we found you, you looked as though you weren't going to make it past the night!"
"And plus, you were about to be eat-" Mary was abruptly intruded by the ear-deafening noise of the front door being slammed open, where a fairly well-toned man stormed in with an enraged expression. Another, less toned and slightly shorter man trailed behind, looking forlorn and distressed.
"But chief! He's just a boy!" The smaller man pleaded.
"I don't care if he's just a boy! Our village is in a state of famine, and I am not going to waste more food on feeding a newcomer!" The chief stomped over to Hiccup with an scouring eye, scanning every little feature of the boy. Hiccup couldn't help but lean away from the chief's scrutiny.
"Why have you come here?" The chief asked with a strong sense of rage.
Hiccup sat quietly, staring at the piercing eyes of their chief. His mind was racing to absorb all the events that had just happened, but all that came in result was white smoke pouring from his ears.
"Please chief! This boy needs to rest, he is still very weakened from the fever." Mary stepped in, blocking the man's view of Hiccup.
The large Viking glared at the woman with harsh intensity, but Mary refused to back down. The chief, with a final sigh, growled "Once he has recovered to the bare minimum of walking and proper speech, I want gone immediately."
"Aye chief." Both the smaller man and Mary affirmed at the same time. The well-toned Viking stepped out the door, and slammed it shut. A few muffled traces of obscenities were heard from outside, coupled with the pounding of metal objects against the ground.
There was an awkward atmosphere in the small home, before Mary broke the silence with a question directed towards the other man. "So, Oliver, did you get the herbs from the village healer?" She said, with a cheerful tone as though nothing had happened.
"Oh yes." Oliver happily responded, handing his wife a small, dried leaf. Mary quickly snatched it from her husband's hands and shuffled into the other room to prepare the herb. The man turned towards Hiccup, looking thoughtful and rather curious of this mysterious newcomer. "You're lucky you are; the elder said that this was the last herb of its type in her storage, and was the only kind that would 100% cure whatever you had. She said it was a pretty uncommon illness you contracted, although she had no knowledge of your symptoms other than what I described." The man shook his head in disbelief. "Blessed by the god she is."
Hiccup feebly lifted his hand and pointed at the door. "T-thooth…" Hiccup managed to utter, although his words were incomprehensible by anyone.
"Yes, that was Tilgaurd, our chief. So that means you've heard of him? I wouldn't be surprised, he's gone on many of our trading runs to many distant lands. He's quite a… well, memorable figure, dontcha' think?" Oliver finished with a smile, wanting to lighten up the mood.
A sudden prick was felt on the young Viking's leg, making him jump in reaction as he looked down to see Ellen, rolling up his pant leg to reveal the laceration he had from the crash. With caution and diligence, she patched it up with the bandage, and turned her head to face the prosthetic.
"Oh my, how'd you get this Hiccup?" She asked, pointing to his missing leg.
At that exact moment, Mary popped in with another wooden cup, but this time, the room filled with a flowery aroma as the cup came into the room. "Here. This'll make you feel much better." The woman said, offering the young Viking another cup as she sat down beside him. "The elder is great herbalist, and her mixtures could cure almost anything!"
The smell of the herb drink was so wonderful and enticing that Hiccup grabbed the cup without a second thought and angled it upwards, the mouth of the cup meeting his lips. His mind was predicting a sweet, warm drink filling his mouth, but instead, his tongue was greeted by a foul, bitter tasting concoction. Hiccup's cheek puffed out with the terrible herbal tea, unsure whether to swallow, or spew it back out.
"Drink it, I'll make you feel much better." Mary said encouragingly.
Hiccup unenthusiastically swallowed it, not wanting to offend these nice people. As the bitter drink slid down his throat, his whole body seemed to warm, and every muscle in every part of Hiccup felt magically rejuvenated. His feelings of nausea and vertigo vanished almost instantly, leaving Hiccup smiling and overjoyed.
"Feel better now?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, much better, thanks!" Hiccup happily showing gratitude. "So why was the chief, uhh, you know…"
"During this summer, the dragons had raided us non-stop, depleting our supplies almost completely! It's a wonderful stroke of good fortune that the attacks stopped by fall, or we would have no chance of making it this far into the autumn season. But still, the famine is harsh, and everyone is on the watch for more dragons." Mary solemnly said.
Hiccup pondered about what the woman said, trying to make sense out of it. After recovering from the battle with the Green Death, he remembered that in multi-tribal meetings with his father that many of the Viking tribes had reported that raids had stopped, but without any reason or cause. He knew that this was because his father; Stoic decided that it would be best to not tell the other tribes, or be called 'traitors to their species' and lose all the valuable trading routes to and from Berk.
The boy mentally pinched himself for almost talking about his dragon. These people were nice, but he knew that he couldn't talk about Toothless. But still, his Night Fury was strangely missing, and he needed to leave the village quietly and without warranting suspicion.
"So again, how'd you lose your leg?" Ellen curiously asked, prodding the iron cast spring.
"Well, uhh, I got it… From killing a dragon!" This was in fact true, but this was the only information he was going to give these people, no matter how friendly they were.
"That's kind of ironic actually because, my husband here, he rescued you from a Night Fury. It left you in a cave while you were unconscious and went out, probably planning to come back and eat you later. I assumed that's how you got that cut on your leg, and the slashes in your coat." Mary guessed.
"Uhh, yes, that's exactly how I got there. And, thanks for saving me from that… evil… beast!" Hiccup half-heatedly thanked, tilting his head a few degrees down in guilt for calling his best friend evil.
"I reckon you'll have the whole day to explore around in the village, as the chief probably won't expecting you recovering until tomorrow. And he probably won't catch you either; he's going out with a hunting party to kill the Night Fury that attacked you." Oliver happily announced.
"H-hunting p-party…?"
"Yes. I presumed that when it had found out that its lunch had been stolen, it roared so loud that it even reached the village. Now Tilguard is on a mission to kill the damned thing and call its heart as a trophy for all the trouble the dragons have caused."
Hiccup's vision began to blur, and his heart sank. As trained Vikings with a pure hatred and a lust for vengeance on the dragons, they had the real possibility of capturing Toothless! Especially when he couldn't fly! And if the hunters weren't successful, who knows what Toothless might do to the villagers after seeing them run off with his rider. Hiccup felt sick to his stomach.
"You still look kind of sick, you sure you don't want to stay and rest for a little longer?" Oliver kindly offered. "My wife and I wouldn't mind, neither would Ellen."
"Uhh, no thanks!" Hiccup said, jumping to his feet, and rushing to the door. "Thanks for the hospitality, I really appreciate it."
"But you can't leave yet, you haven't eaten any-"
"No, no! It's fine, I'm not really hungry anyways."
Hiccup quickly opened the door and walked out before closing it, leaving a mystified family inside, questioning his odd behaviour. The young Viking proceeded down the stone walkway to the main village, quickening his pace in order to not attract too much attention. As he strolled down, he noticed a huge mountain on the side of the village, and wondered if it was the same mountain he saw in the small forest clearing. If he was now on the opposite side of the mountain of where he and Toothless crashed, that would explain why he never saw any smoke coming from the village, as his line of sight would've been blocked by the monstrous mass of rocks.
The young Viking reverted his attention to the front and strolled down the path to the center square, while gazing at the different architectural styles and the different shops in amazement. Back in Berk, houses were decorated immensely with wooden carvings, and paints. But here, the houses were much smaller, and barely had any color, other than the wood brown. Likewise, some on the houses seemed really run; roofs were broken, holes in the side of the walls. Hiccup almost felt bad for these people.
He couldn't really estimate how big the village was, since it was on flat land, but did seem to have more people. Albeit the people wore the same style of clothing as those on Berk, they were fairly thinner, and there were much more of them, crowding the market place, buzzing around from shop to shop. The noise in the market was at a boisterous level, everything from bartering, to chatting, and to just well, plain yelling at each other.
There was also every type of shop imaginable, from a bakery, a boathouse, and to his right he saw… a forge! White smoke billowed out from the chimney, Hiccup's excitement increasing by the second. He could learn new techniques from these people, and apply it to Toothless's tailfin! The boy took a step in the direction of the forge, but halted with a frown, remembering he still had a certain Night Fury to search for.
Hiccup in a bout of disappointment, turned around to again, face the mountain as a bearing, before heading off in its direction, confident that was where Toothless had to be. The boy soon hit the end of the village, and began walking up an uncultivated hill slope, covered with grass that reached up to his ankles. Hiccup assumed that once he got close enough, the Night Fury would automatically pick up his scent on the wind and would immediately be bounding towards him, happy and with his tongue hanging to lather him in saliva.
As he walked through the grass, he noticed a pile of yellow and black, left unceremoniously on the ground. He cautiously trotted up to one of the piles by mere curiosity, but by the time he got within a meter of it, he would've bet that the smell had already burned off all his nose hairs. Hiccup was forced to pinch his nose shut if he wanted get any closer without retching, and he soon realized it was a pile of rotting eels. He gazed around and saw many similar piles, placed in even intervals along the grassy hillside, parallel to the village.
"Ugh, no wonder Toothless didn't come any closer. I wouldn't either…" Hiccup noted as he walked past the putrid line of rotting eels.
The sky was a now beautiful orangey hue, and within an hour or two, it would be pitch black. Being the stealthy dragon that Toothless was at this time of day, the chief could probably search all night and never find him! Hiccup assured himself.
But, this hope dissipated when a massive roar sounded in the distance, sending chills up his spine. Hiccup started sprinting towards the sound, fearing the worst. The cry was all too familiar to Hiccup; it the roar of a Night Fury being threatened. Then yells of men shortly followed suit, then lastly with the clanging of swords and other metal objects. His mind clouded over with panic and daunted visions of his Night Fury, killed by the blood lusting villagers.
The boy raced as fast as he could towards the general direction of the noise, hoping to Thor that this was some other rare Night Fury that couldn't fly. He quickly came into sight of the men, who were aimlessly running around picking up their swords and hammers. Hiccup gripped his chest and sighed, relieved to see no maimed dragon. Hiccup inched close enough to see each of the men's faces in detail, before lying down on the grass to be as unseen as possible. Hiccup would've probably fallen down by now, laughing at the display of such, 'Viking manliness', if only it wasn't for the gravity of the situation.
"It's the Night Fury! Call the villagers! Tell him to bear arms and hunt the beast down!" The familiar voice of the chief thundered. "Damn devil ran off for no reason! Coward!"
"But sir! Those things are extremely dangerous!" One of the men in the hunting party argued.
"A downed dragon is a dead dragon. Remember that." The chief responded in an unusually calm tone.
The hunting party ran off in the direction of the village, leaving Hiccup cringing upon that simple line. The line stuck in his head, repeating over and over via his conscience. He did this! He was the one who downed Toothless, and ultimately, he's going to be the one who killed him! Hiccup started to panic. The boy quickly stood up, and felt a hot breath on his neck, sending the hairs in the area to stand. With fear of whom it might be, he turned around and two large green eyes greeted him, the sound of a warbling croon filling the silence.
"Toothless!" Hiccup joyfully called, throwing his arms over Toothless's long neck and brought him in for a hug, finally feeling at ease to see his best friend unharmed. A loud purring resounded from within the Night Fury, a very accurate indication that his dragon shared similar feelings of rejoice. Moments of bliss went by before Hiccup finally let go of his Night Fury and stepped back, overjoyed to see his dragon without so much as a scratch.
"Hey bud, did ya miss me?"
The dragon scoffed.
"What, are you telling me you didn't miss me?" Hiccup asked with his usual style of sarcasm.
Toothless answered by swiftly pointing his head away from Hiccup, as if to say, 'Nah' to the human's silly question.
"Well, what was all that purring about? I'm pretty sure only the little Terrors do that when they want someone to give them attention." Hiccup got him. The young Viking beamed brightly at his triumph over the clever creature.
He suddenly felt a warm wet tongue lather his face in spit as he looked up at Toothless with a spiteful glare. "You know I don't like that right?"
Toothless responded with a second lick, understanding very well what Hiccup liked and disliked. This prompted the boy to wipe the slimy goop off his face with his ends of his sleeves, leaving his autumn coat smelling more like fish than himself. The dragon dropped himself onto the grassy terrain and unfolded his wing, inviting Hiccup to take a short nap. Hiccup smiled and sat down against Toothless's side, content to be reunited with his Night Fury. A calming purr was again, gently rumbling from the Night Fury, even further comforting the boy.
Their reunion was cut short, as a net was suddenly thrown upon them. Toothless jumped up in reaction and chewed at the net ropes, but the rope was too thick, and there were stones tied on the rope's ends, weighing them down, and ultimately, denying them of freedom. A multitude of lights came flashing towards them, getting brighter and brighter as the men got closer and closer. Bellows of cheers and exuberance went on about capturing a Night Fury rung through the air, loudening as they got closer.
A man proudly lead in the front of the crowd; it was Tilgaurd. Toothless fiercely growled upon the sight, proudly presenting his two rows of incredibly sharp teeth. As soon as the group of Vikings got within sight, the cheers of success died down to graveyard-like silence. Everyone was stuck in a state of awe, and including Tilguard, who's jaw basically slapped against the grass in astonishment at the sight that beheld him.
ABNORMALLY LONG CHAPTER! O-O
Tell me what you think so far of this chapter. This is probably one of my most proofread chapters; I keep having this odd feeling that I did a crappy job. Maybe I'm just sleepy. Anyways, the beginning was rushed because Hiccup, woke and saw that his dragon was nowhere to be found. And at the same time, he was still sick and his thoughts weren't all together, leading him to some confusing and irrational thoughts.
Then at the end, when the men ran around grabbing the weapons off the grass, it was because Toothless did it (Spoiler) out of rage, and once he smelt Hiccup's presence, he ignored them and went for his rider instead.
More fluff? Less fluff? (I personally want more). So yeah, probably one, maybe two more chapters after this.