Panic reigned in the Hall. Stoic, the statue staring in horror and disbelief at the screen, was surrounded by Vikings screaming that Hiccup couldn't be dead, or railing at the dragons for causing this catastrophe. Astrid, the voice who broke the dam and unleashed the pandemonium, again reigned it in. "He's not dead!" The Berkians turned back to the screens and saw as the nadders gently situated him on the ground. If he had been dead, they would not have done that. So, slightly appeased but still very worried, the Vikings returned to their benches to see how things would play out.

The sky accelerated, marking the passage of the rest of the day and all of the night as the dragons Hiccup had rescued kept vigil with Toothless. It was almost touching to see how Toothless crooned to his young friend, how the nadders squawked in slightly subdued tones, all trying to wake the bleeding youth. As the night came to an end and the sun rose again, many Vikings turned away. It was rare for a warrior with a wound of that severity to last the night. They did not want to see the dragons dispose of the body.

Then Stoic let out a yell, jubilant and hopeful. "He's awake!" Benches were crowded again and people watched Toothless nudge his friend and Hiccup reciprocate the affection, suffering as he was. Their bond was strong. But the momentary reprieve wasn't enough, as he steeled himself and looked down at the injured limb. The thought-scream that echoed through the Hall as Hiccup touched the end of the shard made everyone flinch, even Mildew. But a few admired how he kept in from escaping his lips, for the dragons' sakes. There was a bit of mild chatter about the extent of the wound and whether or not it had broken the bone, when the next few thoughts quieted the crowd with what can only be described as horror.

The pain was only in the top half of his leg. The nerves had been cut.

He was going to lose that leg if he didn't amputate the portion below the shard.

Moisture gathered at the bottom of Gobber's eyes and threatened to spill over. If there was one fate he would wish on no one, it was amputation. The loss of a limb, something that should always have been a part of you…well, it wasn't something you overcame in a day. Many saw it as an honor, to be so marked as a warrior, but it wasn't surprising that all the Vikings who thought that way were still intact. And no one had been forced to face that in their teen years and without the comfort of their village.

As Hiccup inspected the dragons around him, specifically their mouths, Mulch started to realize what Hiccup was planning. The youth didn't have access to the clean cut and proper medical treatment Mulch had for his hand. So, he was going to use what he did have, namely the dragons. But that was going to hurt a great deal more than a clean cut, with the left over skin sown together immediately afterwards, and with the patient knocked out. Would he even survive the procedure, not bleeding out, not letting the wound get infected?

"Gods, this is going to hurt,"

Fishlegs would have gloated about the usefulness of his dragon facts under any other circumstances, but he kept his piece. Stoic was grateful for the boy's silence as Hiccup called over a gronkle and gave her and Toothless instructions. He was barely holding his emotions in check as it was, he wouldn't be able to resist snapping at the youth if he interrupted.

The town medicine woman started to cry as she witnessed a young, physically weak boy placing his leg in the gronkle's mouth and preparing for the pain by picking up a stone shard and placing it between his teeth. He should not have had to do this. Bites especially dragon bites, were some of the most painful wounds. He should have had a weapon, a sword or ax, to make the cut quickly and cleanly. But for all that the boy could craft such weapons he was still useless at actually using them. And dragons didn't like weapons.

As he gave the gronkle the signal, several others let the tears flow, many of them amputees themselves. The boy was about to enter a world of pain, and not just the operation itself, although that was enough to knock out Stoic the Vast. The first few weeks of healing, growing pains, the aches brought by weather changes, these things ensured that you never forgot what you lost, even if you replaced it. Then the dragon bit down.

The whole world echoed with screams.

Stoic finally let the tears fall, in such numbers that they darkened his beard with their moisture. Most of the women, quite a few of the men, and all the amputees let the tears trace rivulets down their faces as the gronkle pulled away and Toothless blasted the wound closed.

Tender and gentle as they could make it, the dragons helped treat their friend and leader, and the Vikings thanked them for it. Toothless' steady gait, carefully even as he carried his best friend and the nadder's successful reading of his actions and gentle handling of the boy's arms all helped ease their suffering. At least Hiccup had some help with this.

There was another momentary panic as they saw Hiccup passed out again, but when the dragons set him down in the pond, easing the pain of his wound and showing the Vikings that he still breathed, their anxiety over the teen abated slightly.

When he woke from the cold, the crowd's anguish had lessened somewhat. The sobbing had died down to the occasional hiccup, although faces were still very wet all around. A few even managed a chuckle at his sarcastic remark about burns and smith work, including Gobber. But still, he was glad the boy had the knowledge, hard won as it was.

As the boy stripped off his riding vest and shirt for bandages, the medicine woman noticed how pale he was. But whether it was from blood loss or the cold, she didn't know. She hoped it was the latter, but when he tried to tear the shirt, she found it was the former. This was not good. If he stayed in that state for too long a time… well, she had to hope the dragons would help him get the nutrition he needed to build up his blood supply again. Luckily, the treatment for burns and stumps seemed to agree on bandaging. It kept out infection and sheltered the wound from abrupt changes in temperature. But first he needed those strips!

Toothless bounded to the rescue. Gratitude welled up in Stoic as he saw the night fury using those deadly claws in a healing act. It seemed that every time that dragon popped into the picture, he became more indebted to him. Yes, the dragon was a him, not an it, with a personality, emotions, and capable of caring for someone. And those feelings only grew as he watched Hiccup lean against his friend's scaly side to bandage what was left of his leg. It was a rather touching scene, even if he would never admit it. He was still a Viking, after all.

It was a relief for everyone in the Hall when he finished with the bandaging before nightfall. Everyone except the amputee population. If Hiccup let the wound get too cold during the night…but they didn't need to worry with a draconic best friend so close.

"Oh, so this is how you're gonna be, huh bud?" Toothless let out a dragon chuckle.

A few Vikings laughed at the comment as tension finally broke. Despite their fears, the process had gone as well as could be expected, and with plenty of caretakers making sure the whole thing went somewhat smoothly. But still, they couldn't help wondering what had happened after that. Where was the lad now?

Why must I write such painful chapters? I agonized over this for two days! (So don't complain about it taking too long. I will not be nice.)

That said, we're one (probably very painful) chapter away from the end. Tell me what you thought, where I could have made it better, and really, just anything you'd like to say.

On a happier note, we hit 100,000 views! First story of mine to every hit six digits!

After this is finished, I have three or four long term story ideas, but I can't decide which one to try out first. So, go to my profile page and pick which one I should work on first, using the poll!