Chapter 35

Nicholas blocked Drago's attack; the sound of metal hitting metal rang around them as the swords clashed together in a speed that only the best could keep. Nicholas's blue eyes observed and analysed what Drago was going to do next. Drago attacked again, and Nicholas used this to answer Drago's attack with an attack of his own. Drago gave away a grunt when his metal prosthetic was torn from him by a hit from Nicholas sword. It gave away a clank when it hit the ground. Drago growled and were just about to attack when Nicholas sword jabbed him in the chest, not enough to kill, but enough to hurt. Drago stopped dead in his tracks.

"Give in, captain. You not win fight, it's over." Nicholas said in a serious voice. Drago glared at him, before he saw Alpha, the mountain Lion walked slowly across the snow, towards them.

"Or is it?" Drago asked as a grin spread on his face. Nicholas cast a look back to see the animal. The animal cast him a look before it snorted and glared at Drago.

"Yes it is." Nicholas said and took some steps away; giving the mountain lion a free passage "Lion's are hard to control." Nicholas said looking at Drago, Alpha wasn't going to attack him, he knew the wound Toothless could make and he still had the panthers sent; hard to live on that ship without having it. "Give them food they listen... but not giving food, they bite the hand that feeds them." Nicholas turned around and began to walk towards the Bewilderbeast, as he heard Alpha roar, and saw how the lion dashed, despite its wounds it moved like nothing had happened, Alpha was driven by hunger and anger.

The Bewilderbeast seemed to hum when Nicholas got on board, and he moved to the galley as he sheathed his swords. He opened the door and walked inside, finding the crew without its captain, but with two new people.

"Nicholas!" Rapunzel said and ran up to him. "You okay? What about Drago?" Nicholas smiled at her.

"I'm fine, lass." He said "But I don't think Drago will be a problem anymore."

"An' why's that?" Aster asked there he stood leaning against a barrel with potatoes.

"He is in a quarrel with an angry lion at the moment." Nicholas ruffled Rapunzel hair. "Haircut?" he gestured to her now short hair Rapunzel let out an embarrassed chuckle as she stroked some of the strains away behind her ear.

"Not the best one." she smiled at him

"It suits you." He looked up and took in the galley. Merida sat at the table with Tip and Hiro next to her, the trio was glaring t a brown-haired man who was covered in blankets, Aster stood leaning on a barrel with potatoes eyeing a dark brown nearly black haired man who stood in one of Nicholas old shirts, and Tadashi stood next to the man. "So? What are the kid's names?" he asked looking at both of them. The one under the blanket snorted at him and looked away with a grunt.

"I'm Eret, and that's Dagur." The man next to Tadashi said and gave Nickolas a weak smile.

"Why is he under blankets?" Nicholas asked Merida who looked away from Dagur to look at him.

"He was stuck in a big block of ice when we found him. He's getting his body temperature back to normal. Then Hiccup will decide what to do with him, both of them." She cast Eret a look before she looked back at Nicholas. He nodded.

"Any news?" they shook their heads Nicholas sighed "Toothless is with them, they will be fine."

A cold wind blew around them, playing around with Jack's white hair.
Hiccup was still crying, silently tears rolling down his cheeks; Toothless lied at his side, his head under Jack's limp, pale and thin hand, breathing in and out of his nose; the wounds Alpha had given him, made the snow that landed on him and was under him turn pink.

Ba bump

Hiccup sniffled moving a bit, a shiver wracking thru his body, but Toothless had heard it; the panther looked up towards Jack, frowning slightly.

Ba bump

There it was again, Toothless rose on his front legs, his wounded leg barely keeping him standing, he squinted down at Jack, his ears pointing towards the teen.
Jack's mouth was slightly a gape and Toothless heard a faint wheezing breath leave and enter. Toothless gave away a barking mew, getting Hiccup's attention.

"What is it bud?" Hiccup asked stroking some tears away from his eyes. Toothless nodded towards Jack giving the teen a bug with the nose. Hiccup gave Toothless a confused look, Toothless looked at Hiccup before he placed his head on Jack's chest snorting at Hiccup. "You want me to listen for his heart again?" Toothless nodded. "It's not like it can get any worse..." Hiccup mumbled and placed his ear against Jack's chest.

Ba bump

Hiccup blinked and his head shot up, he stared down at Jack, before a big glee grew on his lips.

"Oh gods..." He gasped. "Oh thank the gods! You're alive!" Hiccup hugged him close kissing him on the forehead. Toothless gave away a happy noise. Hiccup began to move his body stiff from the cold, he held Jack close as he got to his feet, Toothless bite around the staff holding it in his mouth. "Can you walk, bud?" he asked, Toothless nodded and got to his feet, limping a bit, but he could walk. "Good." They began to move back towards the Bewilderbeast, Jack's head lolled from left to right, his body heavy, like a sleeping child, expect that it was colder. Hiccup grunted and moved Jack a bit and secured his head under his jaw. The grey ship grew bigger in front of them and Hiccup frowned, how was he, and Toothless supposed to get on board..?

"Nicholas! Rapunzel!" he shouted out, it didn't take long before their heads looked down from the ship. Another man Hiccup didn't recognize was there as well.

"Hiccup?" Rapunzel asked then she saw Jack. "Oh-" she moved a hand to her mouth "Is he..?" Hiccup knew what she meant, he shook his head.

"He's still alive." He could see the relief wash over the three of them. "Toothless on the other hand needs to be treated, the mountain lion put up quite a fight. We need some help up, Toothless can't climb and... My arms are full." Nicholas held up one finger at him before he left. Toothless tilted his head in confusion, Nicholas returned then with a big piece of fabric, he climbed down the rope ladder and looked to Toothless, he took the staff from the Panthers mouth and held it up, Rapunzel took it and gave it in turn to Eret.

"Okay Toothless, you go first." The man said the panther tiled his head the other way giving away a confused sound. Nicholas smiled "hug me from behind." Toothless moved before he got up of his hind legs and placed his front legs on Nicholas shoulders. Nicholas took the fabric and bound Toothless to himself, in a secure way. "Hold tight." Then he started to climb Toothless blinked before he understood what happened, the fabric held him to Nicholas back and gave the man free hands to climb. Toothless stayed still until Nicholas undid the fabric. Rapunzel took care of things from there, Tip and Eugene had gotten up from the galley to see what was going on.

"You tow help me take care of Toothless." They nodded and followed her inside the doctor's office, before she closed the door. "Nicholas, Eret, bring Jack in here as well!" she got a nod from both of them.

Hiccup looked to the man.

"So you're Eret?" the man looked down at him and nodded "Glad to see you're alright."
Nicholas climbed down again and walked over to him with the fabric, now a bit bloodied from Toothless wounds, and making Hiccup miss how Eret was taken aback at his statement.

They got Jack on board in a similar way as Toothless, before they moved towards the Doctor's office. Rapunzel looked up when they came in.

"Good. Put him on the bed." Hiccup nodded and placed Jack onto the bed in the room. Rapunzel told Tip and Eugene what to do before he moved over to them and began to do a check up on Jack. She was silent for a while before he sighed in relief. "He's still alive, but barely, Nicholas, go make something light, soup with just taste, we need to get him something to eat and drink, or we will lose him." Nicholas nodded before he left.

"Anything I can do?" Eret asked Rapunzel looked up at him and frowned as she thought.

"Go and retrieve some blankets from Dagur, I believe he's thawed by now." Eret nodded and left as well.

Toothless gave away a pained whine when Tip began to dab a piece of cloth with alcohol over the wounds on his front leg.

"You okay, bud?" Hiccup asked and sat down at the side, to stay out of the way as the doctor's pupil worked, ordering Eugene to do something. Toothless gave him a betrayed glare and growled. "Ah Toothless, you pouting big baby boo." Hiccup said and pouted at him with a glint in his eyes. Toothless gave away sounds that sounded as if he tried to parrot Hiccup's words, but he glared the other way.

The door opened and Eret returned with blankets in his arms. He closed the door with his foot and walked over to Rapunzel avoiding to step on Toothless tail.

"Thank you Eret." Rapunzel said and took some of the blankets and placed over the one blanket she already had placed to cover Jack's body. "You can put the rest on the floor at the foot of the bed." she said when she noticed Eret still held the other blankets. He put them down as Nicholas came in thru the door with a small bowl in his hand. He closed the door, and walked over to Rapunzel.

"It's not hot; don't want the child to get hurt on to hot soup." Rapunzel took the bowl and looked own, it was broth. She dipped the tip of her finger into it, not feeling anything, body temperature. She smiled up at him.

"Thank you Nicholas." She sat down at the bed moving her hand in under Jack's head; she placed the bowl against his lips and began to slowly tip it. She waited for a moment, before she noticed that Jack's body seemed to be awake enough to realize that it was nutrition and he began to drink, slowly, so very slowly Rapunzel tipped the bowl to make sure Jack got every drop, when it run out she put the bowl down to the floor placing Jack's head back to the pillow. He wasn't as pale as before, but the dark circles under his eyes stood out against his pale skin. She stroked some of his white locks away from his face before she felt someone buff her at her arm, she looked won to see Toothless stand there, he had bandages over his body and his leg was completely white. The panther gave her a worried look, his green eyes big and worried; she smiled at him scratching him behind the ear. "Don't worry Toothless; he's going to be fine. He just needs a lot of rest."

The door opened and Aster stood there looking at Hiccup.

"We got a problem..."

"The ship is frozen stuck in the ice, great, this is just great." Hiccup said gesturing to the ice with both hands, sarcasm overflowing his voice.

"How much do we have in the pantry?" Eugene asked.

"Is enough for week... two if cut down dinners." Nicholas answered after a while.

They were all gathered on deck. Toothless keeping Dagur under a watchful eye, if the teen tried anything, Toothless was going to put him back in place.

"So... what do we do?" Merida asked looking at Hiccup. The captain had a hand over his face grumbling under his breath.

"I saw moss in the cave." Rapunzel suddenly chipped; everyone turned to her Hiccup gave her a deadpan look.

"In what way does moss in a cave help our situation?" he asked raising one eyebrow at her.

"Well, have you ever seen moos in a frozen place?" Hiccup shook his head. "Then there might be more, you've heard the tales of Neverland right, I don't think this frozen shell is it, if moss grows in the cave... then maybe the cave is an entrance."

"To Neverland?" she nodded. "Not like we can lose anything by investigating..." he sighed and looked towards the cave. "Anyone up for searching, the cave?" he asked before he turned around. Tip looked at Rapunzel before she and Hiro held up their hands. "Anyone who wants to keep an eye on the kids? no one? I can't have them go of alone." Merida sighed and held up her hand. "Anyone else?" Toothless gave away a sound.

"Oh no, don't you even think about it Toothless, you are staying here and resting." Rapunzel said, the panther whined at her looking at Hiccup with pleading eyes.

"Sorry bud, you heard the doctor." Hiccup said. Toothless snorted at him and glared away.

"I can go." Hiccup turned his head to Eret. "But if you rather keep me here, I can stay behind-"

"Are you for real!?" Eret stopped talking to glare at Dagur. "Why would you, help them?!" Dagur shouted still having a plaid over his shoulders hogging it close. "They are our enemies!"

"Do you never shut up..?" Eret sighed.

"It's settled then." Hiccup said "Merida, Tip and Hiro, and Eret will search the cave."