Chapter Eleven
A/N: In response to...
The Wolf Raven: I also occasionally burst into laughter when it comes to the name Pigbutt... It was WAY too fun coming up with that name XDD
XxPinkXMustachexX: Lol, yeah I've heard of Berks County, never been there though. It's also famous for alien sightings XD
Jesusfreak: It was a combination of the overwhelming heat and smoke inhalation. (Poor Hiccup!) And after this chapter, I'm thinking one or MAYBE two more...
Tasermon's Partner: Lol, I can picture the twins doing something like that! ("Sooo, what are we supposed to do?" "I dunno...we could try hitting him with a stick, that always works on you in the morning...") Or something like that! And it's not that they won't fly away, it's that they can't. They're in the woods and there's no room for the dragons to open their wings, let alone take off.
Toothless shrieks in horror and shock when he feels Hiccup suddenly slide off his back. Whipping around, he finds the boy laying on his side, struggling to keep his eyes open. But just when the dragon is about to jump in and protect his prone Rider, another boar plows into him from behind. Toothless squeals in pain as its tusk buries itself into his thigh but he smacks it away with his tail and roars in fury, firing his fourth plasma blast at the feet of the pig. It might have missed but still manages to scare the creature, as well as two others, away.
There are only four hogs left and three of them are being occupied by Astrid and Fishlegs. Unfortunately, the one that no one had been keeping an eye on, has just reached Hiccup.
It rears back its head to attack the unconscious boy, knowing not even his own dragon is close enough to save him now. Just as a pair of razor-like tusks are swinging at him, Hiccup's green eyes flutter open. He gasps in fear and recoils, raising an arm to protect himself when-
SLASH!
SQUEEEEE!
A hearty laugh booms through the clearing, as well as the clank of a wooden leg... Hiccup stares in awe at his mentor, who is towering over him, his hook hand dripping in boar blood. "Gobber..." He breathes, relieved and shaken at the same time.
"Are you alright, lad?" Asks the Blacksmith as he holds out a hand to help him up. Only then does Toothless bound over, nose roaming Hiccup's body to see if he's okay. Hiccup nods and takes the man's hand, climbing to his trembling legs.
"Yes, thanks." He switches his gaze to his friends, who are still struggling. "We should help them." He mutters, still feeling a bit distant and...wobbly from the smoke and heat. But he'll fine. He thinks...
But obviously, Gobber doens't agree with him. He places a hand on his apprentice's shoulder when he says, "I've dealt with these beasts almost more times than I've fought dragons...I'll take care of them. Go back to your dragon." He says and only then does the question rise in Hiccup's mind.
How is Gobber so casual about the presence of their dragons? Has he just not thought about it yet, since the sight of them is so normal nowadays? Or...could it be he knew they were here from the start...?
Regardless, Hiccup is about to argue that he wants to help, when Toothless whines and bites his tunic, tugging him backwards. He stares at the Night Fury for a moment, not understanding what's wrong until he notices...
"Oh no..." Hiccup rushes over his friend, eyes wide. Toothless's leg is bleeding and looks very, very painful. It must have been when the boar attacked him... "Bud, are you okay?" He asks, kneeling beside the harsh wound.
Toothless whimpers and shifts his weight, clearly in a lot of pain. He doesn't seem to know what to do with himself. It hurts to put weight on his bad leg so he tries to lay on his stomach but the gash wraps around to the front of his knee as well and that hurts even more.
His human obviously isn't sure what to do. His mind has gone blank... Maybe it's the deafening clash of weapons only a few feet away, or the intense heat and thick smoke, the fact that he was unconscious not five minutes ago, or his panic at seeing Toothless injured...but whatever it is, he can't remember what to do.
Hiccup squeezes his eyes shut, mind racing. What is he supposed to do? He tries to remember all those times when he would get a cut and his father would help... But his mind is literally empty now. Nothing comes to him.
But suddenly...
An image of Fishlegs laying sprawled on the dirt with a fake wound on his head surfaces through the murkiness. 'We'll need to bandage that.' Astrid had said. 'And clean it.'
Right. Right... Hiccup curses himself and quickly jumps to his feet. "I'll be right back, buddy. I've got to go get the water from Astrid's bag."
His dragon nods bravely, eyes shining in pain as Hiccup hurries across the clearing, zig-zagging to dodge the boars as they flee from his companions. The creatures are singed and covered in cuts but aren't in too bad shape... That strange part of his brain is happy they won't die, even though they nearly killed him and his friends.
The Dragon Rider reaches Astrid's satchel and grabs it, rifling through the contents for her water pouch and something to use as a bandage...
"HICCUP, LOOK OUT!" Astrid shouts, suddenly.
He spins around, only to come face to face with a wild hog as it smashes into him, teeth connecting with his leg. He falls backwards, forced over by the impact and braces for pain. But then he notices...the boar's teeth are in his...metal leg. "Hmph, weren't expecting that, were you?" He grunts, kicking the beast off with the spikes on the bottom of his prosthetic and watching as it runs away, limping with a would that matches Toothless's.
Toothless...
Hiccup gets back up and retrieves the items from Astrid's bag before sprinting across the clearing to where his dragon is waiting. The other two have just finished fighting and are slowly making their way to meet him, watching curiously as he sits down beside Toothless and, expertly, cleans and wraps his dragon's wound.
With the faintest of ironic smiles, Hiccup's ever-thinking brain decides something. Looks like the challenge did come in handy...
A/N: Gaaahhhhh! I am so so so so so soooooo sorry this is such a short chapter. But (in case you haven't been to my profile lately) my teacher decided to give us a project due overnight and it was SOOO TIME CONSUMING! Literally ate up all my writing time...
But at least I got a little chapter out, right...? R-right...?
Next chapter will probably be the last!
