"Hiccup, I'm sorry," Astrid said quietly with a worried look on her face. "I couldn't get him to eat or drink anything."

I sighed, but didn't say anything as I slowly walked toward Toothless. He was curled up like he was sleeping, his back facing me. I put my hand underneath his wing, on his ribs, and felt how much five days had taken from him. I could feel the bones under his skin. Typically, there was a fair amount of muscle on his side so that it felt uniform rather than ridged.

"Toothless?" I said to him. "Hey, buddy." I was hoping for even just a small reaction, but nothing happened. Toothless never responded to me.

I shuffled around to his front, where I noticed his eyes were closed. His breaths were still shallow. I leaned closer and gently placed a hand on his snout.

"Hey, bud. It's me. Hiccup," I whispered. There was no response again.

I sat down, my back to his side, and began stroking his head with my left hand. I was looking for any sign of a reaction. Maybe he'd finally open his eyes and look at me, which would have been the best thing that could happen. Or maybe I'd notice him making an effort to ignore me, which would have also been positive.

Nothing. No change in his breathing, and no movement from his head.

"I didn't know what to do," Astrid said. "I just hoped you'd come back quickly."

Stormfly moaned quietly, startling me just a little. I had forgotten she was inside Astrid's house too. Normally, she stayed in or near an open wooden pen just outside of the house.

I had no idea what to say to Astrid or Stormfly. I had walked up the wooden ramps leading from the docks with my dad, ready for Toothless to come running toward me and nearly flatten me with his excited greeting he liked to do. I was gonna decompress and simply relax, listening to Toothless breathing. But I couldn't do that now.

I finally decided on what I was gonna do, at least for today and through the night.

"I'm gonna stay here with Toothless," I said to Astrid. Never looked at her though. I only kept my eyes on Toothless, gently stroking his head.

"You'd better," she warned. Switched her tone and asked, "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

I turned my gaze toward her. "Yeah, that'd be great. Something cooked and water."

Astrid stood and said to her dragon, "C'mon, girl." Stormfly rose to her feet and followed Astrid out of her house.

I stayed next to Toothless. After what had transpired in the last week, it didn't take long for that empty, hopeless feeling to find me. There was nothing I could do to hide the tears coming out of my eyes. I was too emotionally drained to even brush them away. I only continued to stroke Toothless' head, losing any perception of the outside world. I was right next to him, but I didn't feel secure like I normally did around him.

I had lost track of time when Astrid came back with a cooked fish of some kind and a mugful of water. I didn't say a word as she handed them to me. I chugged the water first without pausing for a breath, then started on the fish, not even tasting it.

"You're thirsty," she stated obviously.

I didn't respond as I started eating the fish Astrid had brought. I ate it without tasting it. And within a few minutes, I had finished what was edible and placed the rest of the fish back onto the stone plate on the floor in front of me. And heaved a deep sigh.

There was a long silence between us, punctuated by the occasional sound of Toothless struggling to breathe. I turned slightly toward Astrid and asked, "When was the last time he ate or drank anything?"

"Um, three days ago, but the evening after you left, he barely got through half the fish I brought. He's probably been hungry since your second day away."

"And drinking?"

"Three days ago," Astrid said after some thought.

Three days without water. Not only was Toothless going hungry, he was probably at the survivable limit of dehydration. A weight dropped in my stomach as I realized Toothless could die at any moment.

"Can…can you get some water for him?" I asked, trying to hide my concern. It didn't work, because there was a noticeable quaver to my voice.

Astrid didn't say a word. She simply stood and walked toward her table. On it were three buckets full of water I didn't notice earlier. She brought one back and set it down next to Toothless' head.

I stared at my dragon, wondering about the best way to get him to drink any water. He wasn't going to find it voluntarily. And he probably wasn't going to open his mouth on his own. I had to force him to drink it. Somehow, I'd have to open his mouth and splash water onto his tongue, and Toothless would have to make the decision to swallow. Pouring was out of the question because he'd choke. Or drown.

"Time for something crazy," I said without feeling. Before Astrid could respond, I continued. "I'm gonna open his mouth. Can you splash water on his tongue?" I looked at Astrid, waiting for her to tell me just how insane I was.

She shrugged. "That's not too crazy," she said.

I took a deep breath and straddled over the back of Toothless' head. Bent down and wormed the fingers of my left hand between his lips in the front of his mouth. I felt generally disgusted as my hands found their way between his gums. His teeth were retracted, although I could feel the pits where they were lodged. Knowing there was support there, I hooked my fingers around his upper gums.

Normally Toothless' mouth was dripping with his saliva. What made it absolutely bizarre was the dryness of the feeling. I felt how sticky and dry his gums were, and brushing his tongue was like rubbing the back of my fingers against rough, treated leather. He was severely dehydrated, no doubt.

Even though I was disgusted having to open his mouth, I had to do something to help him. Toothless was the reason we had dragons wandering around Berk today. He was the main reason for me to live for nearly the past two years. There was no little voice in my head saying I shouldn't be doing this, no second thoughts about how gross my method to keep Toothless alive. He was worth a little discomfort to me.

I pulled upward slightly, causing his lips to suck together. His mouth opened slightly, but not enough for Astrid to do anything. Just like any bony animal, Toothless' upper jaw was immobile. I needed to open his lower jaw for this to work.

I pushed my right thumb between his lips, hooked it over his lower gums and pulled downward gently. Toothless made absolutely no resistance to my hands intruding on his mouth, which caused me to drop further into worry. I hadn't trained him at all on something like this, and never really wanted to anyway. So it stood to reason that he'd normally be hesitant for me to open his mouth.

Of all ironies, I was thankful he didn't try to pull away from my hands. His mouth made a loud sucking noise as I pulled downward on his jaw, exposing his tongue to Astrid. She took the cue and used her hand to splash water about four times onto his tongue.

"Is he doing anything?" I asked.

Astrid looked into Toothless' mouth for a second or two and then nodded, unblinking. "He's moving his tongue. Looks like he's trying to swallow."

With enough presence of mind to keep Toothless from biting into his lips, I slowly brought his jaws back together. As soon as I pulled my fingers out of his mouth, his neck rippled.

I heaved a sigh of relief as he swallowed the water. It didn't mean he was definitely gonna live, but he was at least making an effort.

I stepped over Toothless' neck and knelt near his head, gently rubbing into the area behind his right eye. "You did great, buddy," I said with a little smile. I felt that connection between us again as I smiled. Maybe it was me imagining things, because Toothless never opened his eyes to look at me. But I felt like he finally realized it was me.

I continued rubbing into his head, trying to encourage him to finally wake up. Toothless pulled in a slightly larger breath than what he had been doing recently and tried to heave a sigh. He didn't have that bellows-type sound he normally did, but the effort was still there. I watched him carefully for any signal, and sure enough, he opened his mouth slightly and stuck the tip of his tongue out. It was out for maybe a second or so, but as Toothless pulled his tongue back in, I knew he wanted more water.

"Put the bucket under his chin when I lift," I said to Astrid. She nodded without looking at me, waiting for her cue.

I straddled Toothless' neck again and bent down using my legs instead of my back. Wrapped my hands underneath his chin and felt for the back of his jawbone. I couldn't lift using his neck because it would interfere with his throat, but if I grasped too far forward, he wouldn't be able to tilt his head down. As dehydrated as Toothless was, I'd have been surprised if he could move his head at all.

I found the corner of his jawbone and lifted, using my legs. His head came off the floor pointed at a slight downward angle, just like I had envisioned. Astrid immediately placed the bucket under his chin, so I slowly brought his head back down until I felt him inhale slightly. He smelled something, and a second later, I felt his tongue working, lapping up the water. He swallowed several times, his throat and neck rippling under my hands.

"That's it, buddy," I whispered to him. "Just keep going."

I heard the bucket drag against the wooden floor. "It's empty," Astrid said to me.

I put Toothless' chin back onto the floor, where it didn't take him long to make the same motion with his tongue again. He stuck the tip out and smacked his lips as he retracted it, asking for more water.

Astrid and I went through the same drill for all three buckets of water, and Toothless cleaned out all three. I hoped it would be enough for the night.

"Thanks, Astrid," I whispered to her. My legs were a little shaky from holding Toothless' head in a shallow squat, and my hands still felt gross, but Toothless was on his way to rehydrating.

As I stepped away Toothless' neck again, Astrid caught my arm and pulled me into a tight hug. "You'd do anything for your dragon."

I nodded somberly. And returned her hug. We stayed there for a few minutes, not moving. After a short moment, I felt the experience of the dragon hunt with Dagur begin to lift off of my shoulders. Astrid must have felt it too, because she draped her chin over my shoulder and held me steady. But neither of us said a word. In my mind, I thanked Astrid for working her magic at the right time as a tear made its way down my face.

Astrid broke off our hug after a while and looked me in the eye. Brushed the tear off my face and gently pulled me using my arm toward her table. We sat down. She was the first to say something. "I don't know what happened on Berserker Island, but it must not have been good."

I looked down at her table. And slowly shook my head. "Dagur wanted to hunt a dragon, and it killed one of the Berserkers," I said after a long silence.

"What kind of dragon?"

I shrugged. "Never seen one like it. Dagur thought it was a Night Fury, but it wasn't."

"Is that how your dad got injured?"

"Yeah, the dragon could burrow. It dug underneath my dad's feet, and he didn't get out of the way fast enough. Fell and hit the back of his head on the ground."

Astrid winced slightly. "I'm sorry you two had to be part of that."

I sighed. "Do you…" I started, trying to figure out how I was gonna say this. "Do you ever feel, I guess, guilty that you survived something? Or if you get out of somewhere without injury?"

Astrid looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Like…if you don't get injured, but everyone else around you does." I paused, thinking, but no other words came to my mind.

She shrugged. "I think I've heard of that before. It's weird, whatever it is."

"Was there something I could have done?" I asked.

"Huh?" she asked.

"The dragon burned Gunnar alive," I clarified. "I shoulda done something to prevent him from dying."

Astrid recoiled, and I expected her to say something about Gunnar's death. Or to rail at me for being unreasonable. But she didn't. "Tell me something good that happened on Berserker Island," she said with a hint of emphasis.

I scoffed at her, still stuck in my guilt. "I didn't die," I said flatly.

"That's not an answer, Hiccup. Make an effort."

I rolled my eyes, not caring if she saw it. But Astrid was persistent, so I begrudgingly went along with her suggestion. "A Berserker showed me he was taking care of a dragon," I said after a silence.

"That's good," she observed. "What kind?"

I shrugged. "Never seen a dragon like it," I said.

"Did you tell him about Toothless?"

I looked slightly away from Astrid. "Kinda. He knows I have a dragon on Berk, but that's it."

"And he's gonna be here next year, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe? I guess we can ask for him to come, just like they did for me."

"How does he keep the dragon a secret?" Astrid asked.

I thought her question was a little irrelevant. She already knew the answer to how I kept Toothless a secret. But I told her anyway. "There's a thick forest just outside of the Berserker village. He feeds the dragon fish every day." And without waiting, I continued. "Her skin changes colors because of her mood."

"That's…interesting," Astrid said.

"Yeah. She's beautiful. Just like you."

Astrid looked away from me just slightly and blushed. She tried to hide a sheepish grin.

I smiled a little, realizing she was doing exactly what Toothless could do pretty much at will. She made me relax just by being with me.

I looked back at Toothless, who was still in the same position as earlier. I didn't feel as distressed about his condition, although it had barely changed. He was probably still dehydrated. And hungry.

"Can…can I bring some fish back for Toothless?" I asked Astrid.

She looked at him, smiled a little, and looked back at me. "Sure. Stormfly needs something to eat too."

"What about you?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing my question off. But I heard a small hint in her voice that said she was hungry too.

I had just eaten, thanks to Astrid's kindness, so I wasn't worried about myself. I just needed fish for Toothless, chicken for Stormfly, and something cooked for Astrid. Plus water. I wondered if I could make it to the great hall and back in one trip.

But before I left, I quickly leaned in close to Astrid and stole a kiss on her cheek. She playfully pushed me away with a wry grin.

"The food's getting cold," she said. Definitely a hint to get something for her.

I left Astrid's house and walked the short distance to the great hall, my legs shaking just slightly from having to straddle Toothless' neck so much. Outside, I noticed the sun was mostly set, painting the sky in dark orange and purple.

I walked in, noticing several Vikings either milling around or eating their supper. Snotlout and Gustav were there and noticed me walking through.

Snotlout jumped up and grabbed my right arm, dragging me toward Gustav. "I hope you're happy," he said with a scowl.

"Snotlout, this is not a good time. You're gonna have to wait until later."

"You shoulda left Toothless with either me or Gustav. But Astrid…" he said, slurring her name. "…couldn't figure out what to do with him."

Before they could truly corner me, I brushed past Gustav and didn't even look at them. "Sounds great," I said, cutting Snotlout off. I didn't ask him if he could do a better job at taking care of Toothless than Astrid because it would have given him an opportunity to hurl another insult.

But as I reached the end of the table, an idea hit me. I slowly turned back around.

"Poor Toothless," Snotlout taunted. "He hates Astrid so much."

I glanced at Snotlout for a beat, then turned my gaze to Gustav. "You," I said, pointing at him.

Gustav's eyes went slightly wide, then he pointed at his chest. "Me?" he asked stupidly.

I nodded. "Help me carry food back to Astrid's."

"Why?" he shot back. "All she knows how to do is kill a Night Fury."

Just like normal, Gustav was doing his best to mimic Snotlout. Time for bargaining. "If you want to be part of the Academy so bad, you're gonna help."

Gustav scowled, but slowly got to his feet. He grumbled as he followed me toward our food stocks for the evening.

"Two baskets, one with fish, the other with chicken," I instructed tersely. I grabbed a plate with a cooked fish and looped the handles of three buckets full of water over my left forearm.

"I guess this is enough?" Gustav asked without feeling.

I looked at the baskets. He actually did it right without any extra clarification. I nodded. "Good enough." Without another word, I started walking.

"Hey, wait!" Gustav called. He started waddling in my direction, following me with the two baskets.

I glanced back once, but continued walking. And soon, we reached Astrid's house once again. But I didn't walk in with Gustav. Astrid and I had about the same opinion of him, and it wasn't favorable.

"Thanks, Gustav," I said to him. "You can go back if you want."

"Gladly," he nearly shouted, rolling his eyes. And made too obvious of a show storming back to the great hall.

I walked through Astrid's door carrying the water and her cooked fish. Placed the fish in front of her, and put the water on the floor next to the table for now. Returned outside and grabbed the two baskets.

"Thanks, Hiccup," Astrid said as she started on her fish.

"Anytime," I replied. I placed the basket of chicken next to Astrid so she could feed Stormfly later. Brought Toothless' fish with me and placed it near his head. I looked into the basket for a fish and saw there were two eels on top of the pile. I groaned in frustration as I pulled a fish out. And held it near Toothless' snout.

Toothless curled his snout slightly as he smelled the fish. And slowly, he opened his mouth and moved his head forward just a little, trying to get to the fish. He grabbed onto its tail, pulled it into his mouth and swallowed.

I sighed in relief. Immediately, I grabbed another fish, avoiding the eels in the basket and went through the same production. And by the third fish, Toothless had figured out the rhythm. He was moving his head in anticipation of the fish, rather than in response to it. I took that as a good sign.

As he finished the last of the fish, I took the basket outside so Astrid's house wouldn't begin smelling bad. She was feeding Stormfly her chicken, so I sat down again next to Toothless' right side. And began stroking his neck and shoulders. I soon fell asleep listening to his steady breathing.