Hiccup yawned and stretched his arms. His body was stiff and his legs were going numb. He looked out across the ocean but there was nothing but blue water. Hiccup sighed and patted his dragon's side.
"Sorry Toothless," Hiccup said. He reached over into his bag and pulled out his map and a charcoal pencil. "Well-" Hiccup checked the map. "-We'll happen upon an island soon enough."
Toothless glanced back at back at him and roared angrily. Hiccup sighed in apology. "Sorry bud. I know I said we'd be able to stop soon but last island was filled with outcasts! And we also have to put as much distance between us and Berk as possible. Look, I solemnly promise we will make camp at the next island we come across. Is that good with you?" Hiccup smiled, hoping the dragon wouldn't press the subject.
Toothless growled but made no further attempt to argue. Hiccup, relieved the argument was over, put the map away and stretched his arms some more.
As Hiccup stretched, his left foot slipped free of the pedal. The prosthetic tailfin snapped closed, and Toothless began to fall. Hiccup yelped in alarm and tried moving his leg back to the pedals but he was shocked to find he couldn't feel his leg. Toothless screeched to Hiccup to get moving and open the tailfin so they wouldn't plummet to their deaths.
"I'm trying bud, I'm trying!" Hiccup yelled back. At a loss of things to do, he jammed his left hand into the pedal. His ribs screamed in pain as he pulled the pedal up, so the tail fin would open.
the tailfin opened to a flat gliding position. Once the tailfin opened, Toothless's wings caught wind and soared up.
Hiccup looked out to the east and caught sight of an island. "Toothless, there! An island! Head east-ward."
Toothless growled and tried flying east, but his tailfins stalled and prevented him from turning. He looked back at his tail and realized the prosthetic was locked in a gliding position, and not the V-shape position to mirror his other tailfin. Toothless roared to Hiccup and lifted his tail so Hiccup was now aware of the tailfin's locked position.
"Sorry!" Hiccup yelled over the wind and adjusted the pedal again. Once the tailfin's position was fixed, Toothless was then able to turn east. As he glided down toward the island, Hiccup's hand gave way and slipped out of the pedal. The tailfin closed again.
"Toothless! Watch out!" Hiccup yelled as they began to plummet again.
As they quickly approached the ground, Hiccup was able to grab hold of the pedal again and opened the tailfin again. Their descent was slowed, but within a few seconds, Hiccup's hand slipped again.
"Oh no!" Hiccup yelled as he hugged Toothless's neck. Toothless flared his wings out in an attempt to slow their fall but was to no avail. Toothless screeched as he crashed landed on a beach.
Hiccup yelped as he jerked forward and unbearable pain shot through him. Hiccup laid stiff until his ribs stopped hurting enough for him to lift his head.
Surprised, He was still on Toothless's back. Sitting up, He looked around. They had landed on a beach. Though about twenty yards away was the edge of a forest. He pulled his right leg out of the pedal it had been stuck in and tried dismounting. To his dismay, Both hooks on the saddle had closed, so Hiccup wouldn't be able to dismount. Reaching over, he tapped Toothless's snout to get him to wake up.
"Hey. Hey bud. Wake up," Hiccup encouraged softly, and smiled the dragon's eyes squinted open. Toothless groaned and lifted his head and gazed around. Once Toothless had a good look at the island, he plopped his head down and closed his eyes.
"Toothless, we need to find some cover soon. We need to go," Hiccup tugged the handlebars on the saddle and grumbled. "Sorry bud. The hooks broke again so can't dismount."
Toothless growled again and finally picked himself up. Hiccup gripped the saddle but didn't put his feet in the pedals. Toothless hobbled his way along the beach, his wings trailing behind him in the sand.
As Toothless walked along, He swished his tail in the sand behind him to cover his footprints. Hiccup glanced back at the water. He wondered what was happening back at Berk. And how his father was handling him being gone.
Hiccup snickered to himself. I bet he doesn't care.