Just six entries until Hiccup takes over again! Hope you've all enjoyed Stoick's part :)
Addendum 11
Winter has begun to lighten. The snow and ice haven't disappeared, of course, but they haven't grown either. I think we're finally in that spot where things will start to turn toward spring. It's coming early, and I hope that the change in weather will finally bring Hiccup out of unconsciousness.
As for me… I still have a lot to work on. Now that the weather is changing, I have so many things I want to do before Hiccup gets up. I want the Berk he wakes up in to be miles from the one he knew. I'm thinking about putting some feeding stations up for the dragons, and the people have started putting up perches or shelters for their own new pets. No… Astrid has informed me they're not "pets"; Hiccup always referred to Toothless as his friend. I need to remember that they're intelligent animals, not like livestock…
If I'm being honest, though, I think I'm only this eager to get to work because I don't want to be at home. I feel a little better about Hiccup's leg (I can at least say it now), but I still am not quite comfortable being around him all the time. It's just so eerie, how he's alive but not quite ALIVE. I want him to wake up not just for his own good, but so I won't feel so uneasy anymore. I need to hear his voice again, see his eyes… he's been so still for so long.
At least Toothless is better. He finally went out for the first time since we've been home, to mingle with the other dragons. When he came back, Astrid was with him. I asked how he was, since Night Furies are still quite an enigma, and she said he seemed to really enjoy the other dragons' company, especially her Nadder. She asked if Hiccup had gotten up yet, and I just shook my head, causing her expression to fall a little. "Well, just make sure I'm one of the first to know when he is." With that, she headed back down the path toward town.
Toothless came back in, and I noticed a gouge on his new saddle. "Toothless! How'd you let your saddle get damaged! Don't you want it to look nice for when Hiccup wakes up?" Toothless looked back, seemingly just noticing the tear for the first time, for he let out a shriek of apparent horror. "Hang on, lemme get it all off you. I'll have Gobber fix it, and then he can hold onto it until Hiccup is up. Deal?" Toothless made an expression that can only be described as a pout, before sitting down and waiting. "You really like this thing, do ya?" I asked as I worked on unbuckling the rig. The dragon crooned, shifting his tail on the floor. "I'm guessing it makes you feel complete, huh?" To my surprise, he shook his head. "Then what?" I asked as I finished untying the last piece. As soon as it was off, Toothless made his way to Hiccup, looking from him to me a few times. "You like it because of him?" Toothless nodded, laying his head on the bed.
And as I was watching him, I realized I understood what he meant. He didn't like his saddle because it was a replacement for the piece he'd lost. He liked it because it was a reminder of the friendship he'd formed with my son. I never would have thought of that; but it just goes to show how deeply Hiccup and this dragon got to know each other. And… I can't wait for him to wake up and tell me all about it.
-StV