Ludi had turned into a handful in a few short days, just like Hiccup had predicted. The small kitten that had prodded him and mewled for him was now long gone. This kitten had an abundance of energy, and could hardly sit still for more than five seconds. Hiccup was on his toes dashing after her, tripping and stumbling as she knocked over a vase or something else breakable. Believe it or not, Hiccup was starting to miss the annoying little scrap from before, right now she had turned into something close to a Terrible Terror.
Although she didn't loose any of her cuteness. In fact, Hiccup thought that she had gained some. Which in turn meant that whenever she broke something important, she would just look up at Hiccup with those big amber eyes and wait for the boy to take the blame for her. She was too much of a thinker, no matter how young she was. And Hiccup couldn't be mad at her for more than a minute, nobody could, thanks to what Hiccup named her: "Cuteness meter stare."
Nobody could resist her, and she had grown quite a reputation amongst the villagers. Hiccup couldn't go through the village without having a glance stolen his way, Ludi still having her regular perch on his shoulder. He knew what they were thinking about, though he tried not to focus too much on it. They were talking about Toothless of course, doubting whether or not the dragon would ever come back, and how long until Hiccup got a dragon.
Never. That was when. It was all Hiccup could do to show any affection to Ludi, he would never show anything to any other dragon. Ever again. Toothless was always going to be his dragon, no matter what happened before, and no matter whether or not he came back. He'd come back one day, and Hiccup would be there waiting. He'd be waiting with a smile on his face and no other dragon there to stand by him.
Which was why he was standing there, watching his friends with a somewhat empty expression. Ludi squeaked where she sat on his shoulder, fidgeting at the lack of movement. She was trying her hardest to keep still, and Hiccup had to acknowledge that fact. He reached up and petted her between the ears without taking his gaze away from his friends.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut were both on their Zippleback, Snotlout on Hookfang, and Fishlegs on Meatlug. They were all waiting with expected looks trained on Astrid. The girl was staring back at Hiccup, Stormfly cooing with excitement behind her. "I don't want you to feel left-out…" She tried, wincing slightly as she spoke.
Hiccup shook his head once, giving her a weak smile. "I'll be okay." He promised. "I have stuff to do at the forge, and with Ludi there too, it'll take longer than it needs to be. I'm fine here, really. You go on ahead."
"You sure?" Astrid asked, already clambering onto the back of her Nadder. "I mean- I could hang back with you, I don't care. I can help you work if you want me to." Hiccup clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head again. Astrid hesitated for a moment before giving him a small smile. "I'll see you later, then, Hiccup!" She said, turning and giving Stormfly a pat on her neck. "Let's go!" She cheered, her dragon pushing off the ground at the sound of her voice.
The others followed suit, wings spreading out as they shot into the air, seemingly at the speed of light. Hiccup looked after them sadly, feeling the familiar tug on his heart as he did so. Ludi meowed loudly, pressing her head into Hiccup's neck comfortably. Despite himself, Hiccup smiled crookedly at the cat, turning and heading back to the forge as he scratched her ear absent-mindedly. "It'll be fine." He said thickly. "You really shouldn't worry to much."
Ludi rolled her eyes and she settled back down more comfortably on Hiccup's shoulder. Her fluffy fur kept her warm during the winter, much unlike Hiccup, who was freezing. He pulled his vest tighter around himself, trying to conceal what was left of his body heat. But that was difficult, considering that he left like his nose had already gained itself frostbite.
The Blacksmith's shop was a little warmer than outside, the small fire used for heating metal served a little warmth in his direction as Hiccup entered. Gobber was already there, eyeing him as he came in. "You're late." He grunted, looking at the boy critically. "What's your excuse this time then?" Hiccup always had a talent with making excuses.
"Nothing." Hiccup mumbled tiredly, shuffling his way over to his work table.
Gobber paused in his work, looking over at Hiccup as though he had just sprouted wings from his back. "What?" He asked, slightly dumbfounded. "You don't have anything? Nothin' at all?"
"Nope." Hiccup sighed. Ludi sprang off of Hiccup's shoulder, landing gracefully on Hiccup's table and giving the wood a small poke of curiosity. Her tail was straight up in the air as she walked forward, giving mrrow of happiness as she felt the warmth of the fire that was close by. Fluffing out her slightly-dampened fur, she settled down carefully, wrapping her tail neatly around herself as she lied down on the table.
"So what do I need to do today?" He asked, turning to look at Gobber blankly. The smithy looked a little caught off-guard without the bubbly attitude that his apprentice usually showed to him. It was like he was lost for words as he stared at Hiccup, and it was very hard to make Gobber loose his words. He was so full of them most of the time.
"Uh- right." Gobber said quickly, recovering a little as he straightened. "I finished sharpening Bertha's sword, you might as well make a delivery back to her house." He turned to a large self where the finished or for sale swords hung, ready to be taken down. He picked up a large, elegant one and turned back to Hiccup, handing it down to the small boy, who buckled somewhat under its weight. "Come back when you're done, alright? I got a few more things you need to take back to their owners."
"Why can't people just take their own stuff themselves?" Hiccup grumbled, turning and making for the exit. Gobber watched with a raised eyebrow, his apprentice never resented his work, even when Gobber gave him the hardest work on purpose. Ludi perked up where she lay, scrambling to her feet and jumping forward, landing on Hiccup's shoulder and clinging on tightly as she tried to regain her balance.
So his idea wasn't working? Hiccup seemed to be fond of the cat, Ludi went everywhere with him, and Gobber caught sight of the boy smiling affectionately at the cat while he played her on more than one occasion. But it wasn't enough, he guessed. He watched his apprentice go with a sad glint in his eye, hesitating for a moment before turning back down to his work.
Outside, snow was starting to come down heavily on Hiccup as he waded through the white mess. Shivering, Hiccup tried to help Ludi stay upright, the kitten bring jarred by his shivers. She let out a squeak of defiance, batting his hand away as she tried to do it herself stubbornly. Letting his hand drop back down to his side with a slap, Hiccup dragged the newly-sharpened sword through the snow, making a large indent line as he went along.
Hiccup looked up into the sky to see four dark smudges flying in the air, the things surely having to be his friends. He let out a heavy sigh, bangs fluttering as he did so. "It's not fair." He grumbled to himself, Ludi blinking as he started to speak. For once, anger boiled underneath Hiccup's skin, the first time since Toothless left to finally be angry at the dragon. Which was something he never did. He never got mad at Toothless. They were friends.
Reaching up, Hiccup felt the center of his chest, where the large gash from the female Night Fury had just healed. "We were friends." He said aloud, glaring at the ground as he continued to walk. He stopped, looking over at the frozen sea that was to his right. Pausing for a moment, Hiccup veered off towards the expanse of white, keeping on until he had a clear view of it.
He stared intently the at the frozen water, face blank as he became quiet. Ludi seemed confused by the turn of events, glancing back at the village of Berk with a flick of her ears. Hiccup paid no mind to the cat, not even glancing over at her as seconds stretched by. Finally, he broke the silence, speaking under his breath. "You could have just kept the tail in the first place." He rasped. Ludi blinked, leaning over precariously to try and look at him.
Gripping the sword's hilt tightly, Hiccup's knuckles turned white and the anger that he felt before burned in his chest. "You could have just kept the tail!" He repeated, louder this time. Ludi shrank back immediately, drawing her tail tighter around herself. "Instead of making me think that you really wanted to stay here with me! Why did you destroy the tail if you wanted off this Odin-Forsaken place?" His eyes narrowed as he looked over the horizon, and Ludi followed his gaze, expecting to see something there, but there was nothing.
Hiccup was breathing heavily, and he kept still for a few more minutes before he spun around wildly, Ludi nearly falling off his shoulder as he did so. The boy made quick work in getting to Bertha's house, arriving at her doorstep in less than a few minutes. He knocked on the door, drawing back as he looked at the ground.
Bertha opened the door, a large grin on her face as she spotted Ludi. "Why, hello there, little one!" she boomed, reaching over and stroking the kitten's head lovingly. "I've been meaning to come and see you for the longest time. I guess didn't want to intrude on the two of you." She gave a wink to the small thing before turning to Hiccup. "Oh! There's my sword! I've been wondering where that had gotten off to."
"Yeah. We also polished it for you, so that it looks brand-new." Hiccup said, almost robotically. "And we also…" The old speech he had learned by heart came out of his mouth blandly, and his mind wandered. Where was Toothless? Why did he leave? What did Hiccup do, if it indeed was something he did to set off the dragon. He had no idea, and the thought nearly broke his heart. Had he been the one to drive his friend away?
Before too long, he stopped in the middle of his words, blinking as he looked down at the wood of the porch. Bertha seemed out of place, looking at Hiccup, curious as to why he had suddenly stopped. Swallowing, she patted the boy on the head, jarring him out of his thoughts. "Well, then, I'd better be going." She said brightly, taking the sword back gingerly. "Do give my thanks to Gobber for me, dear."
"…Sure." Hiccup said, giving her an awkward smile.
Bertha returned the gesture and gave one last pat on Ludi's head before she turned and closed the door on Hiccup.
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Resting his chin on his desk, Hiccup looked glumly out his bedroom window. Night had risen without so much as a warning to him, and moon shed its cold light through the pane-glass window. Something downstairs moved, and Hiccup supposed that his father had finally returned home. He had been alone for forever.
Except for Ludi of course. The cat had been flying around his room like there was no tomorrow, squealing with happiness and making a large racket. Hiccup was throwing a small stuffed mouse around the room for Judi to get, and so far, she had gotten the hang of the game fetch. It was surprisingly entertaining to watch the ball of fluff dart from one end of his room to the other.
"You know," He said, lifting his head from the desk as she trotted back, proudly displaying the small toy in her mouth. "I think you know why you're here. To keep me sane or something like that." He gave her a small smile as she merely dropped the damp mouse at Hiccup's feet. Though she was barley bigger than a Terrible Terror, she was growing surprisingly fast. And while she was growing fast, she was getting faster. She could easily outrun a rabbit or a dog. As if to prove his point, Hiccup threw the mouse over to the other end of the room, and watched as she shot off like a rocket to retrieve it.
How odd, it must have seemed to her. If she was actually thinking about it that is. To bring something to him just to have it thrown back once more. Hiccup put his elbow on his desk and held his head in on the palm of his hand. He guessed that was why people should envy animals more often. They were carefree, they had nothing they needed to worry about because they never actually stopped to think about things.
Which was something Hiccup yearned for right now. He dropped his hand and turned his gaze back on his desk. Scattered papers lied on the surface, and he felt the familiar pang in his chest. They were all of Toothless, and if not a drawing of the dragon, they were new things for him. Diagrams for his new tail, construction of a better saddle. Hours and days of thoughts and work scribbled down on these papers with nothing to show for it. Not anymore.
He jumped nearly out of his skin as Ludi hopped up onto the table. She sat down on the papers without a second thought, dropping the wet mouse down right on the diagram for the new tail that Hiccup made. "Alright, alright." Hiccup said, reaching over and trying to prod her away. "Come on, let's go downstairs or something. I'm tired of being in here."
Ludi let out a small hiss, crouching down and pouncing on his hand, mini claws sinking into the skin. Flinching with pain, Hiccup shoved her away. "Stop it, Ludi!" He snapped angrily, the cat looking put-out for a few heartbeats. But then her ears shot straight up, and her gaze shot down to one of the papers.
A small moth was fluttering across Hiccup's desktop, he bug finally catching Hiccup's attention as he followed Ludi's gaze. Eyes widening, Hiccup opened his mouth, "Ludi, NO!" But it was too late. Ludi leaped forward onto the small winged insect, grabbing it tightly in her claws. Tearing at the bug, her claws ripped through its wings and onto the papers underneath. Before Hiccup could even think of stopping her, the papers underneath her tears underneath the thorn-sharp claws.
Finding it far more interesting than that of the bug, she started to pounce on the papers, ripping and tearing each one until they were small scraps that slowly got all over the room. Hiccup watched, horrified as she attacked each and every one, not leaving one paper unscathed. Finally, every bit of the papers were torn to shreds. Looking up with the familiar "Cuteness Meter" stare, she looked very pleased with herself as she held her tail high.
It was silent for a moment before Hiccup narrowed his eyes, shooting to his feet and glaring down at her. Ludi immediately shrank back, eyes going wide as she wrapped her tail tighter around herself. Her familiar way of showing that she was afraid. But Hiccup didn't care. "What did you do!" He yelled as loud as he could, sure that even his father could hear him downstairs. "Ludi, you ruined everything!"
Ludi let out a pitiful mew where she crouched. Hiccup scooped up handfuls of the tattered paper, fuming as he glared at her. "Look at this!" He screamed, dropping the scraps and letting them fall to the ground. "Bad cat! VERY BAD CAT. You NEVER do this, those were all I had left!"
His door opened, and Stoick looked into the room. "Hiccup, what is going on here?" He demanded, looking at his son through narrowed eyes. He had never heard his son yell this loudly, it was almost unheard of. It was unheard of. "Why are you yelling?"
"This stupid cat!" Hiccup shouted, whirling around to look at his dad. He pointed an accusing finger down at the kitten, who's tail had fluffed up to be twice its normal size. "I don't want it! I never wanted it! It ruined all of my drawings, and I want it out of here! Get out!" He looked down at the cat, and jabbed his finger out the door. "Get out of my room! NOW!"
Ears flattened to her head, Ludi looked up at Hiccup for a moment or two, not moving. When it looked like Hiccup was getting even more mad, she sprang off of the desk and fled out of the boy's room and down the stairs before Stoick even felt her go by. "Hiccup." He said sternly, glaring at his son after the cat left. "It's just one mistake. You can't get so worked up over it."
Hiccup held his gaze for a moment or two before turning and lying down on his bed. Drawing his knees up to his chest. "I want you out too." He said quietly. All anger had left his voice, making him sound defeated and tired. "Please."
Stoick stared at his son blankly, not knowing at all what to do. At a loss for anything else, he figured he'd better go find that cat before it went off who-knows-where. Turning to the side, he blew out the candle on the wall silently, turning and heading back downstairs. Hiccup listened to the sound of the door closing, and the room went pitch-dark around him.
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A/N: SO, I am going to the mall to see the Muppets! It will be fun!
I hope you liked this chapter! Isn't is so fluffy? :D
Sad kitteh is sad ;^: