Title: The Lonesome Rider

Chapter title: I Will Not Give In

Author's Note: I would like to thank those who have shown their support, in form of reviews, favorite or alerts. All of it means a lot. Please continue to do so. It inspire me and make me want to post further and quicker!

Onto chapter 4! Enjoy!

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

Astrid huffed in frustration as Berk came into sight.

They had spent the whole day searching. She had coordinated the search at Stoick's orders. All the Dragon Riders that could be spared had met at midday by the Great Hall to help. Hiccup had flown west on patrol, so they split up into pairs of two and covered what felt like the entire western archipelago. Their efforts proved fruitless as none reported any signs of locating the missing Viking along with his dragon.

As the sun began its decent towards the horizon, Fishlegs – who was on her team – spent an entire hour convincing her that it was time to head back to Berk. Astrid didn't want to turn back. They were on the right track, she was sure of it. The only sign they had found that Hiccup and Toothless had been around here, and possibly still was, was safely stuffed into Stormfly's saddlebag. They couldn't turn around now. She would search through the night and the rest of the following day too, if it meant finding Hiccup and Toothless. Fishlegs knew that. He also knew that her cold, strict demeanor all day came from a place of deep worry and love. Astrid Hofferson was terrified.

When she woke up to a sunny morning and the news that Hiccup had yet to return, she was more exasperated than worried. Fishlegs' words had still reverberated in her mind and soothed her uneasiness in the morning light. That one-legged idiot had probably taken shelter from the storm, found new information or made a new observation on a dragon species, and then completely forgotten track of time. And the fact that he was supposed to arrive back home half a day ago. Then the hours went by and a deep pit of concern began to spread in her stomach while a bad taste filled her mouth. Hiccup could be reckless from time to time and slightly aloof, especially when he worked on a new, complicated creation or when he aligned himself with Fishlegs to discuss dragons and their behavior. But he wasn't stupid. Not about this.

Apprehension quickly morphed into genuine fear. Her uneasy feelings were mirrored in Stoick's eyes and it only took half an hour to assemble a search party, all eager to help their beloved Chieftain find his missing son and their chief-to-be. But even though they committed an entire day and the weather couldn't have been more perfect, they still came up empty. Something inside of her still clung to the hope that he had somehow made it back on his own and he was waiting for her when she got back, with his one leg and calm, confident smile, the loyal Night Fury by his side. She would berate him for scaring her like that, probably punch his arm for dragging out her worry and that would be that. It was irrational, she knew, and pointless to dream about. But it was better than imaging his lifeless body floating away in the ocean or torn to pieces on some remote island they had missed.

"Don't worry," Fishlegs quietly said by her side, seated on Meatlug. The Gronckle's small wings struggled to keep up with Stormfly's speed. "We'll find them."

"How?" Astrid spit back. She wasn't feeling his optimism.

"Because you're Astrid. You don't give up. Besides, he's Hiccup. He can take care of himself and he has a Night Fury with him. Together, there isn't anything they can't achieve." He sent her a shy smile in his attempt to comfort her.

In some way, it did help. But she had known the pudgy Viking for a long time. She could read the uncertainty written across his round face as easily as any rune in a book. He was scared too about what they might find. If they found them at all. She sighed heavily but didn't answer. Instead they rode the final stretch back to Berk in a tense silence.

Stoick the Vast was waiting for them by one of the cliffsides next to the village. Fishlegs quickly excused himself with a stutter and took off towards his house on Meatlug, leaving Astrid alone to deliver the disappointing results. The look on Stoick's face told her all she needed to know. Hiccup was still missing. Stormfly gently touched the ground and Astrid nimbly dismounted. She kept a hand on the Deadly Nadder for the strength and support, her back still turned to her Chieftain while her fingers hovered over the clasp of her saddlebag. She briefly toyed the idea to simply keep her findings to herself. Stormfly cooed gently, sensing the anxiety and fear rolling off her Rider. Astrid silently thanked her with a loving pet and brief smile. Then she turned around to face Hiccup's father.

"Well?" he grumbled, the desperate frown was etched into his face.

She didn't answer him. Instead she presented Hiccup's soaking wet saddlebag, flossed at the edges and mangled in several places. She and Fishlegs had found it floating in the ocean below them, almost drowned by the waves. They hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The currents around these parts were always treacherous, so it could have come from anywhere, depending on when Hiccup had lost it. Or when Hiccup had been ripped away from it.

Stoick took it from her grasp, his hands shaking, barely visible, and his eyes desperately searching for any clue it could give. Astrid saw how the large man before her seemed to crumble in on himself at the despairing discovery. He realized what this meant just as much as she did. The look of sorrow and disheartenment on such a normally strong, stoic face was enough to form a lump in her throat. Her eyes flickered down to stare at the brown dirt at her feet. Her Chieftain had put his full faith on her; off all the patrols searching for his son, he placed the duty of finding him on her. And she had failed him. She had failed both him and Hiccup.

A meaty hand settling in her slim shoulder forced her to look up again. There she found steely green eyes – the same mesmerizing color as Hiccup's – boring into hers. Through the fear and sadness, she also saw determination and faith. He still believed in her, in Hiccup.

It gave her the courage to utter, "I will find him, Chief."

He nodded once as a proud smile spread across his lips, his massive red beard twitching with the motion. "I know you will."

He squeezed her shoulder lovingly before removing his hand and stepped aside for her to pass. "We shall resume the search tomorrow at first light. Rest, Astrid."

Astrid wasn't sure she would get any sleep tonight but nodded her acceptance at the order nonetheless and began making her way down the hill towards her house. She didn't hear Stoick's lumbering steps in the grass behind her, so she turned to see he hadn't moved from his position. "What about you?"

"Ah, the house's too quiet to sleep in." Stoick's tone was light, but the words carried with them the melancholy truth and hopelessness the Chieftain surely felt. "I'll stay here, breathe in the fresh air. Make sure the twins don't burn down the fields."

Astrid didn't feel the need to point that that the twins had assisted in the search-and-rescue the entire day with great enthusiasm and commitment and could probably be found passed out in the Great Hall, Ruffnut tucked in-between Barf and Belch and Tuffnut curled up around Chicken.

Instead she led Stormfly away and left Stoick the Vast there at the cliffside, facing the great ocean spread out before him. In his hands he was still clutching the broken saddlebag tightly in his hands as his unwavering, hopeful gaze was peeled to the west.

Toothless grunted and huffed as he emerged from his mind.

His long body felt battered and stiff, like after the encounter with the Red Death, and he knew it had been a bad crash if he was able to feel it still. Normally his scales and thick hide protected him from the elements as well as injury. He felt the wind tickle his black scales and though he was not affected by the cold, it still sent a shiver down his spine as it ruffled his wing and ear-plates. The sound of a bird chirping whispered in his ears and various strange smells entered his nostrils. The smell of dirt and trees, of dangerous dragons and singed dirt. And the smell of fire and blood. And the midst of it all, the leathery, delicate scent of his Rider.

Toothless blinked open his reptilian eyes. He was lying on his side, his right wing squashed underneath him. He felt like he hadn't flown or simply moved in days. He felt the restlessness stirring inside of him. His own wellbeing wasn't his concern though. The object of that lay a claw's breadth from his head. His dragon brother – the one the other humans referred to as Hiccup – had his eyes closed while he was sprawled out on his side. Toothless could hear his small heart pump in his chest and his breath leaving his mouth, yet none of those followed the same rhythm and sound they normally did. He sniffed at him gently, his warm exhale ruffling the boy's unruly fur. He smelled of pain and blood, and worst of all – perilous, alien dragons. It made the Night Fury seethe with anger. Dragons had hurt his Rider! And he hadn't been there to protect him.

Toothless surveyed their surroundings properly for the first time. He neither saw any recognizable marks nor picked up any familiar scents. Only strange, new land he had never been on. He did sense the cautioning trail of predators - Grim Gnashers, the humans named them – lingering in the air and spotted their tracks embedded in the dirt. Some of their teeth lay scattered around him and scorch marks were burned into the grass. A fight had happened here recently. Toothless turned his attention back to his human. He had fought them off. Hiccup had stayed and protected him … like a true dragon, fierce and stubborn.

The Night Fury felt gratitude and pride swell within him. He had always known this human was something special and immensely strong. Much stronger than the other humans of the pack gave him credit for. He rose to all fours, his legs shaking and threatening to buckle beneath his weight, but he dug his claws into the earth to remain standing. He lowered his massive head down to his Rider and gently nuzzled his face. The skin felt warm and soft against the dragon's scaly nose. Toothless continued his easy prodding and pushed ever to slightly to Hiccup's cheek, rolling him onto his back. Hope soared in his chest when the human moaned as a response and his head lolled to the side. But he received no further answer.

Crooning, Toothless nudged him again and licked him on his face. That usually elicited a reaction. None came. The Night Fury whined in concern and helplessness as his Rider remained unresponsive and limp. He looked up and glanced around again. He sniffed the air, hoping to catch a whiff of other humans or a nearby village. They could help his injured dragon brother, give him some of their medicine that seemed to aid in healing their kind. He didn't know how they would react if a Night Fury strode into their midst; after all, they had learned it was far from every human village that took kindly to dragons. Still, it was a risk he was willing to take, if it meant saving his Hiccup. But the only human he could smell was his own, lying by his feet. Nothing else but forest and ocean.

They were on their own.

Toothless knew there wasn't much he could do to help. He noticed his artificial tailfin was damaged, in much the same way his human's own artificial hind leg seemed to be. He couldn't fly them to safety and flying together seemed suddenly that much more impossible even if his Hiccup decided to wake. But they had to find shelter, somewhere the Grim Gnashers couldn't locate or attack them again, away from prying eyes where he could protect the Hiccup. He picked up his human with his wide jaws, teeth retracted and careful not to press down too hard. He placed him onto his back, in-between his slightly spread out wings to make sure the slender human didn't slide off when he walked. He headed for the forest, slithered through the tree trunks, his round green eyes scanning for a good place to rest. The feel of his Rider on his back was familiar and comforting but the lack of affectionate pets or words still tore worryingly at his heart.

He found shelter not long after. A wide cut into the hillside – it was too shallow to be called a cave – loomed some steps ahead. It wasn't much, but it was enough. At least for now. Toothless gently laid his burden on the rocky ground, as far away from the open entrance as possible. He eyed him curiously, but the Hiccup remained unconscious, his brows furrowed as if he was in pain. Toothless whined at him and nudged him again but other than a barely audible moan he received only silence.

The sting of wounds touched by the wind drew his attention to his own injuries that needed tending. They didn't render him flightless, though they would certainly ache if he tried. They would all heal given time and had already started the process while he had slept. He began the tedious process of licking and cleaning them, his wide tongue running over scales and scrapes in a meticulous manner. When he was done, his large eyes once again fell on his Rider. They roamed apprehensively over the lean form and took in every burn, gash and scrape so much like his own. A thought occurred to him. Maybe he could help his human. Dragons had, like most of nature's animals, some healing properties in their saliva. It wasn't the humans' medicine or magic and it couldn't cure or heal any serious damage any more than time could. But it did dampen some of the hurt and kept away problems of injury like the rot that occasionally spread from a particularly nasty or filthy wound. The Night Fury owed it to his human to at least try.

He was careful not to slobber all over him like he did when he was affectionate. That often led to him being berated, though never with any malice, and that seemed reserved for fun and relaxed times. Not moments of danger or peril. Instead he ran his tongue carefully over any injury he could find on his fragile Rider's skin and through the torn fabrics he wore. He smelled several more hiding underneath but those he couldn't get to. He didn't know whether it would work or not, but it was the best he could do. When the last of the gashes had been cleaned Toothless settled in. He snuggled in as closely as he dared and laid down his large head next to that of his human. He swung his tail around him and spread out his wing protectively above them, shielding the weak sunshine from their eyes and his Rider from any who wished him harm.

There he stayed, listening to his Hiccup's labored, but steady breaths and the continuous beating of his strong, dragon-like heart.

TBC