REVIEWS

Guest: Glad you liked it.

Silver Sentinel: Last chapter, and *spoiler alert* Hiccup is going to finally tackle the problem later.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah (chapter 1): The wild boars in the HTTYD franchise aren't ordinary boars. For example, they were willing to tackle a Thunderdrum and Stoick, which I think is pretty stupid. Who knows why they did what they did.

Chapter 6

I landed heavily on my prosthesis and cursed as pain shot up my leg. The useless thing wasn't any help when going down mountains, and every time I took a step a painful jar echoed up my entire leg. Thank Odin, the trees were barely a few metres away.

"We're almost there," I called, and gladly entered the shelter of the trees. Astrid was next, then Fishlegs, then Toothless and Snotlout, who was sleeping. There was much less snow under the trees, barely up to the top of Astrid's boots, and everyone sighed in relief. Snow might look pretty, but it was cold, wet, and hard work to move through. I shook the snow off my clothes with a forceful jerk, and Snotlout woke up with a jerk as a rather large clump landed on his exposed neck.

"Wha—?"

Astrid smirked. "Break time, sleepyhead."

I rolled my shoulders, stretching tiredly. I couldn't wait to get home. "You okay there, bud?" I called to Toothless as he shifted the saddle around on his back. Like my leg, continuous wearing of the saddle would irritate his scales.

'Ready to get home.'

"Aren't we all? Can you come with me?" I stood up and moved out into the forest. Maybe I could talk him out of carrying Snotlout, at least. He followed me out of earshot of the others, in between the snowy trees, and I tried to gather a sensible argument.

"Bud, I—" I began a few minutes later, then a splash of colour in the snow caught my attention. "Look!"

'Well done, you found a bush,' he said sarcastically.

"It's not just a bush, Toothless. It's a hawthorn bush. Look at all those berries." I fingered the small red balls.

'So?'

Heartened by the prospect of food, I rolled my eyes good naturedly. "Berries are good to eat, bud. At least for humans. You could go hunting if you like, but these should get us home." I hoped he'd take the opportunity to gather food, but he only nodded in understanding. His protective nature was going to get him killed!

I reached out and plucked a berry, brought it to my mouth and bit it in two, but the juice squirted over the snow. "Oops."

He chuckled, and I playfully batted his head. "Oi, you cheeky dragon. Go get the others if you're just going to sit there."

He turned around and trudged away before I could call him back—it had only been a light hearted comment, and I hadn't actually meant it.

I picked another berry while I was waiting for him to return, and savoured the flavour. It was tart and sour, but that only made it even more refreshing. I hadn't realised just how hungry I was until I had something in my mouth.

Everyone else joined me by the bush, Toothless standing a little apart as I scrubbed my face clean of juice with a frigid handful of snow. Before I could duck, a large sticky tongue passed over my face, and I coughed and sputtered as I tried to wipe the foul saliva out of my eyes.

'Blegh!' He spat a little, then gulped a mouthful of snow, and I shook my head sympathetically.

"Serves you right." I picked up another handful of snow and tried to clean off the stickier substance now clinging to my face.

'Yeah, yeah,' he muttered, and headbutted me into the snow. I came up spluttering and threw a snowball at him, hitting him on the right wing. Instead of retaliating, he settled down on the snow and curled his tail up, like he was about to go to sleep.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. He normally loved to play fight, no matter how tired he was.

'Just tired.' He watched us eat, and I cast a few quick glances at the others. Fishlegs seemed to have practise at eating off bushes, because he knew exactly where the hidden berries would be, and he wasn't getting anything on his face. Astrid picked them one by one, placing them whole in her mouth after inspecting them for any bugs or rot. Snotlout just shoved handful after handful into his mouth, staining his entire face bright red with the juice. Guilt niggled at my heart. We were eating shamelessly in front of Toothless, who couldn't stomach plants and must be desperately hungry. I sat down and leant against his side when I'd finished my share of the bush. He purred wordlessly at me.

"I'll be so glad to get home," I sighed. "Warm bed, cooked food, not freezing my toes off every single second."

A wing stretched out and curled over me like a blanket, cuddling me close to his side. "Scratch the bed, you're more comfortable," I laughed.

He put on a snooty expression and held his head high. 'The Night Fury is far superior to any human contraption.'

I laughed again and he smiled, even if it was a little strained.

"Are we going to go?" Astrid butted in, and I looked up to see the others were all waiting for us in varying stages of impatience.

Toothless offered me his wing and helped me to my feet. I stood up and stretched, readying myself for another round of walking, grinned, and set off in front, leading our party through the twisting paths of the forest. The landmarks, so distinct and familiar to me, seemed to completely confuse the others, even Toothless, and pride swelled in my chest. So far, I hadn't done much for the group. Toothless hunted and kept us warm, Fishlegs cooked and set traps, Astrid and Snotlout had dealt with the boars, and I'd done nothing but slow them down with my stupid leg.

I subtly nodded sideways as we passed a very familiar place, and Toothless turned my head to look at the hidden entrance to the cove, filled with so many memories. We were past it all too soon, and the path became even more familiar, since I'd walked it at least twice a day when Toothless was trapped in the cove.

'Ah!' He yelped as he stumbled over a tree root, and only just caught his balance. I slowed my steps a little.

By the time we emerged from the forest, he was ready to drop, and Fishlegs had definitely noticed, if his frowns were anything to judge by.

"Hiccup, I need a rest," he said, sitting down on a nearby tree root. I grabbed the excuse with both hands, and so did Astrid.

"Ugh, my legs hurt!" she moaned, and flopped onto the ground. I sat down and scooted next to Toothless, my legs thrumming with the after effects of exertion. Thor, I'd be glad when we were home and didn't have to walk any further. It was cold once we stopped moving, and Toothless curled a wing over me, blocking the cold a little. I watched him fight against sleep, his head nodding down and jerking up when he caught himself, and my heart clenched in sympathy.

All too soon, the rest was over and we were faced with the task of standing up again. I stood up first, staggering on my stiff legs, then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stood up, stumbling slightly.

It was both an eternity and a split second before we reached the town square, where the watchers had already gathered the village. Dad was standing at the front, a proud smile on his lips.

I was suddenly hyper aware of my messy clothing and hair, and the dirt that had accumulated during the four day journey. Terrors writhing in my stomach, I led the group through a narrow corridor that'd been cleared in the middle of the crowd, heads held high. We might have been cold, tired and hungry, but we'd just completed an epic task, one we had a right to be proud of. Standing in front of Dad, with me in front and the others hanging behind, we started the last part of the tradition.

"Well done, son. There is no question that you are the right person to inherit the chieftainship!" Dad declared, and I couldn't help the massive grin spreading across my face. I'd prayed for so long that one day I'd finally hear those words… "Did your companions live up to your expectations?"

I nodded confidently. "Each and every member of my team worked together to accomplish something impossible for an individual." Those were the formal words I was expected to say, though I meant it wholeheartedly, and everyone burst into applause.

Dad nodded, pleased. "Go to your homes and rest. You've more than earned it."

I smiled, turning around to face the others. Exhausted, dishevelled, hungry, and fiercely proud, they grinned back at me. "You heard him, go and rest."

Snotlout and Astrid melted into the crowd as it started to dissolve, being embraced and fussed over by their families. It was a great honour to accompany an heir on his journey, but they'd missed their parents.

Fishlegs hovered for a moment. "So, what are you going to do now?"

I smiled, moved over and scratched Toothless ears. They drooped with fatigue, flat against his head, and it added to my determination. "We're going home, then I'm making this self-sacrificing idiot lie down and rest while I wait on him hand and foot."

The idiot narrowed his eyes and mock-growled at me, though it sounded weak and unsure. 'No thank you. You need your own rest.'

I rolled my eyes. "Don't pretend to protest, Toothless. You've done far more than me."

He opened my mouth, probably to object again, but Fishlegs interrupted. "Toothless, he's officially in line for the chiefdom now. You can't go against him."

'I'm fine!'

"Buddy, accept it. In the wilderness, as a wild dragon, you can keep me warm and hunt for food. In the village, I'll drag you into my house and make you sleep, while I go to the nearest storehouse. No arguments. I'm putting my foot down."

'Because that works so well with Astrid,' he said sarcastically, yawning. I pounced on it immediately.

"Home. Now. Before you fall asleep in the middle of the village."

'Fine. But only to make you stop bugging me.' I wasn't fooled for a moment.

Fishlegs smothered a giggle and turned away, walking straight into the waiting arms of his own family. Toothless yawned again, his head drooping, and I gently led him through the streets, thankfully cleared of snow by the passage of dozens of Vikings. Dad was busy being congratulated, but I saw him smile and nod at me as I made my way slowly up the hill.

He yawned again while I opened the door, then we slipped inside and walked upstairs to our attic room.

"Now, lie down."

He didn't even offer a token resistance; he flamed the stone slab and lay down, moaning in relief despite himself. I smiled tenderly at him as he slipped into sleep effortlessly, his tail by his head and wings limp by his side, and turned around and walked down the ladder.


Dad didn't get back until evening, so I had time to fetch a basket of fish from the nearest feeding station, and have a necessary bath. A passing Nadder helpfully heated the water for me, and I eased into the hot water with a groan of pleasure. The pain and exertion of the journey dissolved like the dirt and grime rising from my skin, and I emerged cleaner, properly warm, and so sleepy…

I slumped over Toothless' prone form and closed my eyes, slipping into the wonderful world of half sleep.

I was roughly jerked out of it around two hours after sunset when Dad noisily came in and slammed the door behind him.

"Are you two up there?" I mumbled something unintelligible and he stomped up the stairs. "Early night for both of you, I take it."

"Thor, please…"

He disappeared again. A few minutes later, he called up the stairs, "Suppertime!"

Toothless' eyes flickered open sleepily. "Dad, he was asleep!" I grumped indignantly. He blinked owlishly under my arm. "And now you woke him up!"

"He should eat something, Hiccup," Dad argued back, and Toothless' ears pricked up as his stomach agreed with the statement with a tentative gurgle.

'I'm hungry,' he yawned.

I pushed him back down as he started to get up. "Stay."

Dad chuckled, and slowly retreated downstairs. I sat down by Toothless' head, resting my elbows on my knees. The room was dark, but during the winter that could mean it was anything from five hours after to five hours before noon. I decided to bring up something that had been nagging me.

"Why did you hide that from me?"

He looked away. 'I didn't want to worry you.'

"It could have been dangerous! What if wild boars attacked us again and you collapsed?!"

He wouldn't meet my gaze. 'I thought I could make it.'

"But you almost didn't." I massaged his front leg, and noted with a frown how stiff the muscles were. "You could have put the whole team in danger."

'Well, what should I have done?! Let you freeze to death?'

"No. I was the leader, you should have let me known what was happening! How can I make decisions if I don't know who's capable of what?"

'I would have done whatever was necessary!' He growled at me, flashing his teeth. 'I'm not helpless!'

"We were incredibly lucky the boars were the only danger we ran into! You know there are wild dragons out there, what if they'd attacked?"

'I'd protect you!'

"You can't carry the whole team! You need to let us do our parts, or it won't work. I was worried about you!"

He paused, and sank dejectedly onto his bed. 'I never wanted to worry you.'

"I know." I calmed a little. At least he was willing to listen to me now. "Don't push yourself so far, and even if you have to, let us know. We could have stopped and rested more often if you'd said something."

'Then we'd have arrived even later—'

"I don't care when we would have arrived! I just wanted you to be safe!"

He lowered himself submissively. 'Sorry. I messed up.'

I melted before his dejected apology. "It's okay. Besides, in the wilderness, you're far more experienced and capable than any of us. You still should have told me," I said sternly, but with a twinkle in my eyes. "But I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. You'd still have to babysit us, because we can't carry an equal burden in the wilderness. We don't have heartfires, we can't smell danger, we simply don't have as much physical strength as you."

'All very true,' he smirked, and I smiled, knowing my message had got through.

"We do what we can, with clothes and traps, but ultimately, we're essentially helpless in storms. So we're going to even it out in the village."

He rolled my eyes good naturedly, nuzzling my hand. 'Thank you.'

Heavy footsteps clomped up the stairs and Dad emerged, carrying the large basket of fish I'd picked up earlier. Fishy smells filled the room and I wrinkled my nose, but Toothless covered his face with his tail in mortification as his stomach let off an impressive growl.

"One helping of fish for the bottomless pit," Dad announced, setting the open basket down in front of Toothless, and Hiccup laughed at him.

'You try going without food for four days,' he challenged, speaking slowly so that Dad could understand.

"Is he serious?"

"Yeah, he only had two mouthfuls the whole trip." I nudged the basket open for him and he swallowed the first fish he found. "Don't eat too fast, bud," I cautioned, and he rolled his eyes.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and scratched his head, making him purr. 'Thanks.'

"It's the least I can do."

He pushed into my fingers, yawning again, and I stifled my own yawn with my hand. Dad chuckled.

"Go to bed, you two, before I have to force you."

I stood up and moved toward my own bed. It would be so nice to sleep on a—

"Toothless!" I cried indignantly, almost horizontal to the floor. He snickered at me as I lay helpless on his tail.

'I thought you should "scratch the bed" because I was "more comfortable"?' he quoted me innocently, nudging me closer to him.

"Fine," I mock-grumbled, tugging my prosthetic leg off. I guessed it wouldn't hurt, and my bed was rather uncomfortable… He shifted onto his side, spreading one wing across his warm bed and lifting the other one in the air. I crawled onto it, nestling into my favourite spot on his belly, the soft gap just below his ribcage.

He squeezed me gently and tugged me a little closer, before we both fell into exhausted sleep.

The End

AN: I am proud to announce that I've finished the long term project I've been working on ever since I finished ICBFR. 114k words, it follows the HTTYD 1 story, with my own modifications (There are quite a lot). Do you want that, or do you want one of my shorter works (see the end of Crash for the five options)? Review or PM me!

~JustAnotherRandomPoster