Title: The Lonesome Rider

Chapter title: We Might Win or Lose

Disclaimer: HTTYD is the property of Dreamworks and I claim no ownership of any characters or places you might recognize.

Hiccup came to slowly.

The first thing he noticed was the steady throb that seemed to echo from, well, everywhere on his body. He felt like he had gone a couple of rounds with a Gronckle or sprinted the entire length of Berk, taking a few rolling shortcuts along the way. Worst off was his head though. It seemed to pound steadily with every beat of his heart. His thoughts were jumbled and his mind sluggish. Still not daring to move more than absolutely necessary, he raised a shaking hand to the back of his head. He withdrew with a hiss as a sharp pain shot through his skull. His fingers hit something damp tangled into his hair at the sore spot. Even with his eyes closed he knew what it was.

So, I'm going to ignore that for now.

He couldn't do anything about a bump to the head anyway. Instead he opted for opening his eyes. He blinked them open slowly. Horizontal, brown lines met his field of vision and it took him longer than it should to realize he was lying on his side, staring at the tree trunks of several pine trees. The ground beneath was strewn with the pine needles, small pebbles and torn grass and moss patches scattered here and there.

With a heavy groan, Hiccup rose gingerly to all fours, testing his limits. He was relieved to find all three remaining limbs intact. At least that was something. As landings go, it definitely could have gone better though. Of course, it could have been worse too, he thought to himself. He shook off the brief shudder that ran down his spine as he recalled the smoldering licks of flame as the Red Death had burned around him and Toothless.

Toothless!

His head shot up at the thought and he jerked his head in every direction to spot his dragon. All he saw were rocky hills and pine trees. There was no sign of a black Night Fury anywhere. The sudden realization that his best friend wasn't in the near vicinity was enough to force him to his feet.

The second he rose, he crumbled to the ground, his sore side slamming back into the dirt, with a cry echoing with more surprise than actual pain. Shocked at the sudden betrayal, he looked down at himself and to his dismay saw his artificial metal foot had completely broken. The metal was bent and twisted and barely hanging onto the wooden end attached to his stump. His heart sank at the sight. It was still better than jumping on one foot but it certainly complicated matters. He shook his head once and set his jaw. Toothless needed him. Now wasn't the time to wallow in self-pity. Taking a deep breath, Hiccup once again rose. He kept all his weight on his right leg until he was standing before tentatively putting down his left. This time he remained upright. It ached and walking on it would no doubt be excruciating but he could worry about that later.

He cupped his hands around his mouth before yelling, "Toothless!"

No answer came, only the shriek of a lone bird gliding from one tree branch to another.

"Toothless!" he tried again.

Worry settled like a pit in his stomach and he swallowed down the bad taste rising in his mouth as silence stretched on. Where are you, bud?

He picked a random direction to go in. He had no way of discerning which way was the sensible to take. There were no tracks or trails to follow or any landmarks to recognize certain areas. There were only rocks, moss and trees.

His progress was slow. With his leg damaged, he could only limp along and the further he went the more every step turned into agony. His prosthetic seemed to echo his misery as it weakly squeaked and whined with every step. His body was still tired and sore. Walking completely upright turned out to be more of challenge than he had expected and instead he listlessly sagged his shoulders. It took too much energy and hurt too much to hold them up. Very quickly, his breathing came in slow and shallow gulps as sweat covered his forehead. He wanted nothing more than to rest.

But he couldn't, knowing Toothless was out there somewhere. He repeatedly called out his name and received nothing in response. The fact that he hadn't shown up or even answered yet worried Hiccup immensely. He could only hope they were out there looking for each other but it was getting harder and harder to keep the images of a broken, lifeless Night Fury crushed on the rocks out of his head.

The sun was slowly but steadily making its way towards the horizon as the day began the journey to night. He was losing precious daylight and knew he was running out of time. Just as he was ready to simply give up and give in to despair, he spotted something in the distance. A large black mass, hiding in the shadows ahead. Hiccup's heart dropped.

Toothless.

He didn't hesitate. He forced his legs to move, the broken prosthetic pinching and creaking the whole way as he limped forward as fast as he could. He didn't care. All he cared about was reaching his dragon. He dropped to his knees in front of the still creature. His hands hovered hesitantly over the Night Fury.

"Toothless," he whispered.

Toothless lay on his right side. One wing covered most of his body, shielding him almost like a blanket as it lay limp and flat. The other was trapped underneath him. His great chest moved up and down in a slow rhythm as he breathed haggardly. The fabric of his artificial tailfin was torn to shreds, the metal rods bent in obscure directions. Small scrapes and cuts littered his battered shape and Hiccup swallowed down the lump forming in his throat. He had by no means escaped the crash intact, but seeing the injuries on his dragon, he knew Toothless had prevented so much. He had gotten those protecting his idiot Rider, who believed they could outrun a storm. Hiccup placed a hand on his dragon's exposed neck as tears prickled behind his eyes. The scales felt warm and he could feel the throbbing of blood still running through his veins.

At his touch, Toothless softly hummed and tilted his head slightly. His eyelids cracked open and relief flooded Hiccup's chest as he saw those big pupils staring lovingly at him.

"Hi, bud," Hiccup gently smiled through moist eyes. "How you're doing, huh?"

Toothless weakly whined and tried lifting his head off the ground. The movement clearly proved too much. He roared, though it was barely more than a whimper, and let his massive head crash back down.

"Easy, Toothless, easy," Hiccup comforted as he ran his hands soothingly across the scaly skin. "Oh, I'm so sorry, bud, but I'm gonna fix it. Don't worry, we're gonna make you all better."

He turned his attention to the saddle, thankfully still attached. It was ripped and torn in several places and the handlebars somewhat askew, but mostly it was holding together. The rest of Toothless' side was partially covered by his wing and Hiccup gingerly lifted the sinew appendage, careful not to jostle it too much. He still didn't know the full extent of the injuries. He froze mid-way through. The saddlebag on the side was gone, likely torn away at some point during their crash. Everything was in there; his flaming sword, spare tailfins as well as spare leg parts and most important of all: emergency medicine. For humans and dragons. He needed both; he had neither. Everything seemed to crumble around him. The guilt of what he had done was threatening to swallow him up. It was his fault Toothless was here. It was him, his dragon has been protecting. And now he couldn't even return the favor.

But he couldn't fall apart. His best friend needed him.

Hiccup began meticulously cataloging all the injuries he could find on his best friend. The cuts and scrapes were many but thankfully none of them were too serious. He gingerly ran his hands along Toothless' flank, pressing here and there to find sore spots. He thanked all of the Gods that nothing seemed broken or damaged beyond repair. Toothless grunted and whimpered occasionally or when a particularly hurting point was touched. He helped move his large body the best he could but otherwise stayed largely immobile. It worried Hiccup to no end, but the further he got into his examination the easier the burden on his shoulders seemed to be.

Toothless took a hit. A big hit. Luckily dragons were built sturdier than humans and Hiccup was convinced he would recover eventually. And Hiccup was prepared to be with him every step of the way and then they could worry about getting off this forsaken island. Toothless just needed time.

So, Hiccup spent the following hour gathering sticks, dried leaves and fallen branches for a fire. He scouted the area for any edibles but other than a few berries he found nothing else.

He didn't mind. His stomach was still reeling from the events of the day and eating was one of the last things on his mind. Toothless was still barely conscious and getting him to eat whatever he might find was a fruitless endeavor. He didn't dare stray far from his Night Fury, especially as the sun touched the horizon. He didn't know this island; its dragons, topography or whether it was inhabited or not. He could not leave Toothless alone and unprotected.

While his dragon healed, Hiccup would sit by his side and protect him from any dangers that might try and find him.

Hiccup blew gently onto the small embers he had managed to produce, and it grew steadily in size as the flames viciously attacked the firewood. The darkness fell quickly around them. The orange light glowed warmly and cast long shadows onto Toothless' black scaly body. Hiccup watched his dragon sleep. He watched the way his chest rose and fell in steady, slow breaths, listened to the accompanying sound as Toothless blew out another breath.

The Dragon Rider stroked his throat affectionately, hoping his best friend could feel his presence.

"Don't worry, bud. I'll keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you. They'll have to go through me first."