This is my SIXTH update today. I'll keep mu A/N simple: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! CLIFFHANGER! CLIFFHANGER! WARNING! WARNING! CLIFFHANGER OVERLOAD GET DOWN! :) Okay, enough of that. Shout-outs:
Wanli8970: HAHAHAHA! I'll tell Snotlout that...not that he will listen, or anything. XD!
silverwolvesarecool: Thanks for the review! Glad you like the chapter! YES! GO GET HELP SOMEBODY! GET ASTRID! GET STOICK! GET GOTHI! GET SOOOOMMMMEEEEOOOONNNNEEE!
FIF: WELCOME TO THE KILL MILDEW ORGANIZATION! (KMO for short) Your army of Red Deaths can become quite useful! Here is an instruction guide and starter back! *hands you brochure along with explosives* Knock yourself out! Well, not you. Knock Mildew out! YES YES YES!
Silver Electricity: CLIFFHANGERS AND COFFEE! NOT THE BEST COMBINATION BUT I LOOOOOOOOVVVEE THEM BOOOOOOTTTTTHHH! YES! DESTROY MILDEW! DESTROY MILDEW! MAKE HIM PPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY! HAVE SOME MORE COOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFEEEE! *hands you glass unconditionally*
Guest (#1): UGH! I REALLY REALLY REALLY AM STARING TO DISLIKE MILDEW EVEN MORE THAN BEFORE! I guess these types of stories will do that to you. XD! Thanks for the review! YES I think we should feel Mildew to the Snaptrappers, and then tie him to an angry skrill and have Toothless fire a couple bouts of plasma at it. Wonderful. Beautiful! Let's dddoooo iiitttt!
Astrid had a hard time falling asleep that night. And whenever she did, she would always have a nightmare about something horrible happening concerning the Snaptrapper. Sure, Hiccup had trained it, and he was the best dragon trainer they had, but...she just couldn't get the image out of her head from the first time they had come in contact with the Snaptrapper.
Hiccup had almost died that night, and now there was no antidote for the poison caused by the Snaptrapper if it suddenly decided being trained wasn't what it wanted. The poison worked in a matter of hours, Astrid knew. Five minutes after Hiccup had been infected by it, he was unconscious. Not to mention insanely confused, including repeating himself every so often.
She was just thankful that they had had the cure. Because if they hadn't, instead of training the Snaptrapper, they would be planning Hiccup's funeral. Of course, she knew Hiccup was fine now...but really, was he?
The ten minutes after he had been bit had been the longest and worst ten minutes of Astrid's life. Which was saying a lot, since she'd seen a lot. But he had been acting strange the past few days...maybe she should have been more concerned?
She rolled over her side as she thought the matter over in her head. No, it would be fine. She shouldn't have been worrying so much about the whole thing. Hiccup would come and get her if he felt bad, or something. She knew he would. Of course he would. He said he would. And he didn't take what he said lightly.
But still, she had her doubts. She had her fears. She couldn't get the image out of her head: The Snaptrapper sinking its fangs into Hiccup's side. She couldn't get Hiccup's scream out of her head: a high pitched sound that kept playing over and over in her mind. And then the image of Hiccup lying face down on the snow, groaning and crying out in pain.
She felt guilty. It had been her fault. When he first shoved her to the ground, she had gotten angry. What was he thinking, pushing her down like that in the middle of the fight? And then she realized that he had saved her, and she felt horrible. Her chest tightened when she saw the Snaptrapper drop him back onto the ground, growling in almost satisfaction before heading off to some other location.
And that same Snaptrapper was in the academy, waiting for Hiccup and the other dragon riding youths of the Berk Dragon Training Academy to teach it more commands. To teach it how to cope with people.
Wasn't fate artistic?
Astrid didn't want anything to do with the Snaptrapper, even if it was something as simple as tossing it a fish for breakfast, but Hiccup was a forgiving person. He had long forgiven that dragon for what it had done to him.
But why? Why didn't he hold a grudge? Why not get mad? Why not order for the dragon to be killed? Why not? Really why not? It wouldn't do Hiccup any harm. If it were Astrid who was in Hiccup's place, she would have demanded the Snaptrapper be put down for trying to hurt her and her friends.
But, of course, she wasn't in Hiccup's place. And since he was most affected by the Snaptrapper, it was really up to him to make the final decision.
And Astrid would have to learn to deal with it, whatever he chose.
...
Toothless perked up almost as soon as Hiccup closed his eyes. He felt something was wrong; he didn't know what it was, though. It just felt...different.
Worried and concerned slightly for his rider, Toothless got up and moved over to the bedside to investigate. He sniffed Hiccup. He was sleeping...but it really didn't smell like sleep. Not peaceful sleep. It was more of an...unnatural kind of sleep.
Toothless was reluctant to try, since Hiccup had seemed so dizzy and tired the previous hours, but he was worried. He gently nudged Hiccup, asking him silently to get up.
But he didn't. He didn't so much as stir. Toothless nudged him again. Still nothing. His skin was freezing; unnaturally freezing. Like his skin had turned to ice, almost. Toothless licked Hiccup, but garnered no reaction.
Panicked, Toothless turned and bolted. He didn't know where Stoick was; normally, he would be at the Great Hall, or settling some late night affairs, so getting him might not have been the best idea. But then there was Astrid. Yes, Astrid. She would know what to do! Besides, she told Hiccup that if he needed her, he could come get her. It wasn't exactly Hiccup who was going to her for help, but Toothless didn't care. He didn't know what was wrong with his master, but he could figure that it wasn't good.
Something was wrong. And Toothless was going to make sure someone was there to help Hiccup. So, he ran straight to the Hofferson residence. He went to the side of the house, and jumped through Astrid's bedroom window.
...
Astrid had just been getting close to sleep when she heard a loud THUMP. It was really loud; shook the whole house. Astrid sat up almost at once, instantly wondering if Stormfly had been the one to cause it, but was then surprised when she saw...Toothless? What was he doing here?
"Toothless?" she asked, getting out of bed and putting her armor on, thinking whatever reason Toothless had come, it wasn't good, and would probably involve her leaving her house. "What's the matter? What happened?"
Ignorant questions, possibly, but she asked them nonetheless. She didn't know what else to do. Toothless didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed Astrid by the back of her shirt and jumped back out the window.
Astrid almost protested, but didn't. For Toothless to be acting this strange, it had to be something unnaturally bad or out of the ordinary. Toothless dropped Astrid uncerimonaly on the ground in front of him and then ran.
"Toothless, wait up!" Astrid called, standing up and running after the Night Fury. Toothless paused, looked over his shoulder to make sure Astrid was following, and then continued on.
Astrid's mind was hazy and thick from nearing sleep, but she forced herself on. It had something to do with Hiccup, she just knew it. For Toothless to be acting this frightened...for the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself to be acting scared, it must have been bad.
Toothless ran exactly where Astrid had both feared and expected him to run: the Haddock residence. Now Astrid knew it was something about Hiccup. She had always thought it were, but now she knew for certain. Only one thing could get the Night Fury so scared: Hiccup, when he was either hurt or sick.
Astrid remembered that time Hiccup got Eel Pox, just a few weeks back. Toothless hadn't even left the house, even for food. People had to bring it to him. And even then he refused to eat it at times, because it would take his focus off his rider.
And then there was the time Hiccup had gotten himself struck by lightning. Toothless had fished him out of the ocean then, but didn't leave his side even once, even after Stoick and Gobber had assured him that Hiccup was fine.
And then there was the Red Death battle. Hiccup was out for a week then. Toothless never left, he never moved, he never ate, he just sat by Hiccup's side, waiting and worrying like a mother fussing over her hatchling.
And those were only three of the many, many times Toothless had been found sitting with Hiccup at his bedside. Now the Night Fury was scared again? It couldn't have been good.
Astrid ran through the door, following Toothless. Stoick obviously wasn't around; Toothless would have definitely gone to him for help first. Apparently, Toothless didn't think he had time to go looking for Stoick, and just went straight to Astrid instead.
That just made Astrid even more worried.
She skipped several steps as she and Toothless ran up the stairway into Hiccup's loft. Instantly, Astrid crossed the distance between her and Hiccup's bed and put her hand on Hiccup's forehead. Freezing. Colder than it had been a few hours ago. His skin felt as cold as ice. Maybe it was her imagination, but it also looked slightly blue.
She was scared out of her wits by now. She wanted to make sure he was alright. She shook his shoulder and tried to wake him up, but got no response.
"Hiccup," said Astrid. "Wake up, you stubborn Haddock." Silence. "Hiccup!" she screamed at him. Nothing.
In a panicked frenzy, Astrid found herself shouting commands at the Night Fury. "Toothless, go get Stoick, and Gothi," she ordered, the words coming out much harsher than she had originally intended. "Hurry!"
Instantly, Toothless jumped out the window, obviously not wanting to work his way back down the stairs, and headed off.
He had a friend to save.