Myths on Frozen Wings

Chapter 3 - Mysterious Laughter

Claws sunk into the freshly fallen snow. The forest was beautiful at night. The moonlight drifted in between the branches and glinted off the icicles hanging from the branches. A pale hand reached out to scratch the black scales beneath him. The night fury purred from the attention and kept walking, his tail sweeping against the snow.

Hiccup shifted a bit on Toothless' back and frowned. "Hey, why aren't we flying?"

Toothless ignored him and snorted, steam blowing from his nostrils. A branch cracked and the dragon stilled, his ear flaps laying flat against his head.

"Bud? Toothless? What's wrong?" the teen asked, looking around. The dragon continued to ignore him. "Toothless, what has gotten-WAH!"

Toothless began to run through the woods, his wings pressed flat against his back. Snow flew up into the air. Branches slapped Hiccup, scratching his face and neck. Oddly, it didn't hurt like he thought it would. Toothless kept running through the forest, weaving in and out of the trees.

Behind him, there was laughter. Toothless ran faster as Hiccup gripped the saddle tighter. No matter how fast the dragon ran, the laughter never dimmed. It grew louder and louder. Whatever it was, it didn't sound friendly. It caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. He lowered himself against Toothless' back and closed his eyes. The laughter sounded cruel and malicious.

"Run while you can," the laughter whispered. "Run, little Hiccup. Run."

Toothless shrieked. His claws dug into the snow as he struggled to stop. There was a loud thud and Hiccup flew from the saddle onto the ground in a helpless heap. He hissed as his back began to throb with pain. He sat up from the ground, snow clinging to his hair. They were in the area where Hiccup first met Toothless. "Toothless, you okay, bud?" he asked, brushing the snow out of his hair. The dragon merely snarled in response.

The teenager froze and stared at Toothless with astonishment. "Toothless...what's wrong?" he asked hesitantly. He slowly lowered his arms. Metal armor clinked together and he stared at them. His entire body was covered with armor. Leather braces wrapped around his wrist and a shield hung from his right arm. In his left hand, there was a gnarled dagger.

It was covered in blood. "Toothles..." He stared with horror. Toothless had stab wounds covering his body. The dragon's pupils narrowed with suspicion as he snarled and shrieked at the boy.

"That's my boy!" a proud voice yelled behind him.

Hiccup glanced up. He was in the kill ring. Vikings with blurred faces pounded against the metal bars. The night fury screeched with terror from the sound and ran as far away from the boy as he could get. His father sat in his great wooden chair with a hammer and shield. "C'mon, boy!" Stoick crowed. "Kill the dragon! Become my son again!"

Hiccup felt his body rush towards the downed dragon. Blood was everywhere, pooling at the dragon's feet. Toothless was struggling to keep fighting. "No! NO NO NO! Toothless! This isn't me! I swear! This isn't me! Noooooo!" Hiccup screamed. His throat itched. The dagger lifted into the air.

"Toothless!" he sobbed, trying to fight against his body. "I'm sorry."

The dragon merely roared and pounced on top of the boy. The dagger flew from his hand and skittered across the ground. The vikings started screaming and pounding against the metal bars with more ferocity.

"Hiccup!" a familiar voice screamed. He turned his head. Astrid was standing in the ring as well. Her expression was dark and crazed. "What are you waiting for?! Kill it!"

The boy breathed hard as Toothless dug his claws into the boy's chest. A cough gurgled from his throat. 'Help' he wanted to say. 'Please stop.' Toothless opened his mouth, his fire charging.

White pointed teeth glittered against the flames from within. Hiccup turned his head away. He couldn't watch this. He refused to watch his best friend hurt him.

Nothing happened. Hiccup cracked an eye open. He was standing on the outskirts of the village again. Angry grey clouds formed in the sky and thunder cracked and raged as the wind began to howl.

Despite all this, there wasn't a single sound. He couldn't hear anything. It was too quiet. Villagers were screaming with horror, and yet he couldn't hear a single sound. He twisted and turned violently, trying to desperately find out what was going on.

Robes shuffled behind him. The only sound that he could hear. Hiccup turned and took a step back. Dead white eyes were staring at him. A long white beard brushed against the snow. A crooked wooden staff planted firmly on the ground as a thin blue hand appeared. Gnarled teeth were exposed in a crooked grin.

All at once, the sound came flooding back to Hiccup. The sound of the thunder and the screaming pounded painfully against his ears. He wanted to clap his hands over his ears to block it out. He couldn't move. His body was frozen still. "The winter spirit," he breathed out.

The spirit's blue hand slowly turned grey and his dead white eyes slowly became silver. White hair changed to black. "Fun, isn't it?" the spirit croaked before the skies unleashed their fury. Somewhere in the distance, a horse brayed.

Hiccup woke up with a jolt, staring at the ceiling. His fever must have spiked while he was sleeping. Dried sweat glued his bangs to his forehead. He sat up. Sometime during the dream, he had fallen on the floor. Toothless' head was hanging from over the side and crooned with sympathy. He nuzzled the boy's forehead.

Green eyes filled with tears as he wrapped his arms around his friend's head. He whimpered pathetically into the warm black scales. "Toothless..I didn't..I'm so sorry," he muttered against his friend's neck. Toothless opened his wings and dropped down on the floor. He wrapped them around the boy's shaking body.

Slowly, but surely, the dream faded from his mind except the lingering fear. He coughed against Toothless' scales and pushed himself up off the floor. His leg screamed in protest. With a loud cry, he flopped back down onto the wood and gripped the leather bound limb. Carefully, he untied it and placed his feet on the floor.

"Oh man, Toothless," he groaned, scratching his bud's ear. Toothless purred and placed his head on the boy's legs. "I had this dream...I was scared. And it was dark." He rubbed his forehead. His stomach gurgled uncomfortably and Hiccup wrapped his arms around his belly.

He glared at the discarded crusty bowl beside his bed. Gobber had 'encouraged' him to eat another one after his first bowl dropped out of the window. "That's the last time I ever eat something made by him," he grumbled, wincing from the pain. He rocked back and forth on the bed. The moonlight peeked between the cracks in the shudders and something glinted from beside his pillow.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, his stomach ache forgotten. Black sand decorated the bed and pillow; carefully, he pinched some up and rolled it between his fingers. "Where did this come from?" He allowed it to fall into his hand. Without looking, he leaned back and opened the window with his other hand.

Cold air and moonlight spilled into the room. His pillow was covered with tiny particles of black sand. He slowly reached out to touch the dark sand again. With a soft sound, the sand rose from his pillow. "Hey!" Hiccup flung himself back with a start and stared with a slight terrified expression. He stared at Toothless for a moment with his jaw agape.

The sand swirled in the air slowly, twisting and changing its shape. The sand was beautiful and yet, it made Hiccup and Toothless uneasy. The dragon growled and snarled at it, exposing his teeth. The teen absentmindedly patted his friend's nose and frowned. The sand was just floating there above his bed, twisting and turning into vague patterns against the moonlight and casting shadows upon his pillow.

Curiously, Hiccup reached for the black sand. Toothless panted against him and growled a warning, but the boy ignored it. There was something...familiar about the black sand. Just as his fingertips were about to graze across the dancing particles, they shot out the window with lightening speed.

The teen crawled towards the window as fast as he could, but it was too late. The sand was long gone. He coughed violently, the cold air hurting his chest. He stuck his head out of the window, his hands buried in the snow. All was still...and yet there was something out there.

He glanced at the moon and sighed. "Well...this was stupid." He gripped the shutters, intent on closing them. He yawned widely and shook his head. He was still exhausted. Maybe he should-

Movement caught his eye and he leaned back out of the window, green eyes narrowed. Now he knew that he saw something. There! A shape bobbed just over a house before disappearing behind it. Hiccup heard a shriek and a loud thud, followed by a some rather creative cursing. Muffled laughter drifted in the air as the shape flew up in the air...with no dragon underneath it.

It was too far away for Hiccup to be certain, but it looked like...a kid. The blurry shape flickered and then vanished from sight. Hiccup held his breath and leaned out again, struggling to see in the faint moonlight.

A thump on the roof startled him and he glanced up quickly. Sawdust drifted down on his face as a faint tapping sound filled his room. Toothless snarled angrily, his claws digging into the wooden floorboards. "Toothless..shh!" he hissed, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Toothless whined in the back of his throat and climbed back onto the bed.

The teen viking stuck his head out from the window, straining his neck to get a glance at whatever was on the roof. A small muffled giggle came from above and then the cracking sound of freezing water. Hiccup glanced over to the side of his house and froze. Frost was growing on the side of his house. Delicate patterns appeared and began to decorate the wood precariously. It took Hiccup's breath away. He climbed up onto the window sill, his head peeking shyly over the rooftop. He grunted with frustration. He could barely see anything. Even though he was this close to whatever it was, all he could see was a blur.

"N...w..tha..w..s fun," the blur chuckled and suddenly turned. Hiccup hissed and ducked his head quickly. Whatever it was...he didn't think it saw him. But what was it? He glanced at Toothless who was still eyeing the ceiling with distrust. He heard another thump and the wind began to blow gently. The shape flew past his window and Hiccup ducked behind the window sill.

Whatever it was, it was heading for the cove. The teen was breathing hard, which caused another coughing fit. On one hand, he probably should go back to bed. On the other hand...when did he ever chose to do the smart thing? He got out of bed and reached for his leggings. He was losing ground fast.

Toothless growled and shook his head as Hiccup pulled his leggings on. With determination, he scooped up the boy's shoe with his teeth and pulled it out of his reach. He danced around the room, jumping on the floorboards and knocking Hiccup's desk over with a loud clatter. From downstairs, he heard Gobber snort with surprise.

As quietly as he could, he snuck to the staircase and peered down. Gobber had woken up because of the noise. The viking scratched his nose and yawned wildly before closing his eyes again. Hiccup waited with bated breath until a loud snore came from the sleeping blacksmith.

He shot Toothless a glare, who seemed disappointed when his first plan didn't work. "C'mon, Toothless, give it here!" His dragon refused and retreated to the back corner of the room, refusing let go of Hiccup's boot. "Fine, you know what, keep it!"

Clammy fingers gripped his helmet and he shoved it on his head. Whatever that blur was, he was going to find out. Carefully, he walked down the stairs and winced whenever the wood creaked loudly. It was still not enough to wake Gobber up. He heard a snort above him, followed closely by a whine.

Toothless was sitting on the top step, swishing his tail with aggrivation. Hiccup brought a finger to his lips. "Shhh!" The dragon snorted as if offended.

"Well? Are you coming with me or not?" Hiccup whispered, keeping an eye on the sleeping Gobber. Toothless shook his head and retreated back into the room, whining for Hiccup to follow him.

The boy knew that Toothless was only looking out for him, but his curiosity got the better of him. He had to know what that thing was...and that he wasn't just seeing things. "Sorry bud," he whispered. "I just gotta know. Stay here, Toothless. I'll be back..probably."

Sneaking out the back door was easy. Stepping in the snow barefoot wasn't. His toes sunk into the white snow. He had to bite his bottom lip to keep from crying out. Cold! He wiggled his toes experimentally before taking another step. The snow was deeper than last night, coming up to his ankle at least. He almost considered going back inside...almost.

Muffled laughter and the sound of wood tapping against the trees caught his attention. He struggled to see in the faint light of the moon. He couldn't see anything. Whatever it was...wait...there! Something reflected the moonlight back at him from deep within the forest. The light was flickering at him. There was something in the forest.

His frozen toes were quickly forgotten; he dashed off into the woods as fast as he could. His metal leg slipping against the ice and packed snow, but he paid it no mind. Hiccup urged his legs to move faster. The cold air was burning inside his chest, and his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. Puffs of steam escaped his lips and sweat trickled down the back of his neck.

He struggled to hear the laughter over his own labored breaths. The voice whooped and cheered through the trees. He swerved and rushed through the thick foilage. It was hard to run with his long white shirt, but he kept at it. The sleeves flapped uselessly in the wind as branches scratched uselessly at his helmet.

With a cry of pain, he brought his hand to his neck. He slid to a stop and pulled his hand away. A splash of bright red blood was startling against his pale hand. A branch managed to scratch at his exposed neck. He panted heavily and wiped his hand against his shirt. Blood smeared across the white. Great, his father would be wanting to know what happened to his clothing. He turned back. His house was nothing but a flicker of light against the dark foilage.

He took a step back. It was dark...even with the moonlight shining against the fallen snow. The shadows seemed to dance before his eyes. He couldn't hear anything, save for his rapidly beating heart. It was dark. It was cold. And he was scared. He took another step back with his left foot and hissed. The metal on his leg was starting to get cold and sticking to his stump. It was getting painful again. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. A twig snapped. He turned startled, only to have a branch smack him in the eye.

He groaned with pain and slapped at the branch angrily. He closed his right eye and placed his hand against it to stop the throbbing. The branch bobbed uselessly in the air and the viking stilled. "I know this place." The branch was barely hanging onto its tree. All around the base of the tree was broken rocks and scattered branches. Mindlessly, he followed the damage.

He peered over the frozen log, the laughter and the blurred figure forgotten. Fear and shame creeped into his mind like ivy. He knew this place. Gingerly, he climbed over the frozen log. Frozen toes stepped carefully against the white snow as he made the short climb down the hill. He placed his hand on the boulder and clenched his fist. The frost scraped off with his fingernails. Using his metal leg, he shuffled through the snow until he found it.

The soggy remains of the rope and bola he used to bring down Toothless. With shaking hands, he picked it up. The iron ball swung in the air as he stared at it. This was the weapon that brought down Toothless. It was the weapon that he fired...that he created..that wounded his best friend. Guilt built up in his chest. He never apologized for hurting him..did he?

He held the rope close to his chest, gripping it with both fists. The rope was ruined and the iron ball had rust over it. He had hurt his dragon with this...just so that his life would get better in Berk. He closed his eyes, allowing his shoulders to sag. He didn't even notice the shadows growing in the forest.

Maniacal laughter caught his attention. He threw the rope down and turned around, his heart pounding against his chest. "I-is someone there?" he called out, his voice echoing in the forest. He took a step back, staring at the ground. The shadows grew larger and darker. The light from the moon seemed to fade. Laughter echoed in the forest. It was dark and cruel. The laugh was nothing like what he had heard earlier...and yet, it seemed familiar at the same time.

Hiccup swallowed nervously, trying to drown his fear with reasoning. He was sick so it was probably his imagination playing tricks on him. The laugh could be from the wind...or branches scraping against the trees. The laugh rang through the forest again. It was closer than before. Hiccup coughed hard, his legs shaking. He dropped to his knees, his shoulders shaking with fear.

The shadows were creeping closer. Hiccup turned around and started to crawl away. "Toothless," he called out, but to no avail. The dragon hadn't followed him into the woods. He crawled faster until his knee scraped across a hidden rock. He hissed with pain and stood up, glancing over his shoulder. The shadows were following him. He was going to have to run.

As fast as he could, he ran off deeper into the woods. His only thought was to escape the growing shadows. Yet no matter how fast he ran, the laughter seemed to follow him. The hair raising cackles caused him to run faster. He stumbled over rocks and roots, fending off the branches with his arms. It seemed so familiar as the laughter came closer and closer. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder. The shadows had almost reached him.

"Help me!" Hiccup pleaded, casting his eyes towards the moon. "Please..help me! Anyone...someone...Help me!" His chest constricted. His breath shortened and his vision turned fuzzy. His fever had spiked again; he was going to collapse. He glanced out in front of him. He was running straight for a cliff. With a scream, he slid to a stop. His metal foot slipped out over the edge. He scrambled for a hold, digging his nails into the ground. He managed to grab a tree root before he fell over.

The shadows had slowed down and were now creeping towards him, laughing the whole time. He kneeled before them, struggling to get the strength to stand up. He glanced at the moon again and closed his eyes. "Please...help me," he whispered. The shadows covered his hand and he held his breath. The touch was cold and clammy. He instintively his hands towards his chest to protect himself.

All at once, the laughter and the clammy touch disappeared. Hiccup opened one eye. The shadows were gone and the moonlight was bright once again. He let out a sigh of relief and sagged against a boulder. He was alive. He let out a chuckle out of pure relief. The shadows were gone. His heart started slowing down. He took a deep breath; his body was shaking violently from the scare he had just endured. He leaned his head against the cold rock with a crooked grin.

Movement caught his eye again and he peered over the edge of the cliff. He was at the cove! Excitedly, he stuck his head out as far as he could. He held his breath, hoping to see the young whatever it was that he saw earlier. A moment passed by and he frowned with confusion. He was so sure that the blur was moving to the cove.

He sagged with disappointment against the cold rock, his right leg dangling over the edge of the cliff. "Complete waste of time," he muttered, rubbing the side of his neck. He hissed suddenly and pulled his hand away. Dried blood was smeared across his pale hand. He clenched his fist and closed his eyes. He had ran through the woods, chasing gods know what, gotten scratched by branches, and he had been chased by shadows.

He placed his hand on his stomach, staring at the moon with a forlorn expression. He didn't even know what he was looking for exactly. He closed his eyes for a moment, shivering in the cold. He should have probably gone back to the house. It would have been safer. His limbs jerked and shuddered from the cold. The pain in his leg went from a sharp pain to a dull throb. After all that energy he put into running away from the shadows, he could feel himself slipping into a dreamless sleep.

Wind brushed across his neck and he sluggishly opened his eyes. He glanced up at the branches in the forest. They weren't moving at all, yet the branches in the cove were swaying with a gentle breeze. Rustling caught his attention. He glanced down in the cove. His green eyes widened and he scrambled lethargically to hide behind a rock. A flickering shadow was floating over the frozen pond.

Hiccup's breath caught in his throat as his heart began to pound. His hands were shaking. He hadn't been seeing things. The figure was just floating there. It kinda looked like it was staring at the moon. The blur shape set down on the ice. A soft crackling sound filled the cove as the blur walked steadly across the ice. Fern-like patterns decorated the top of the pond.

Whatever it was...it was real! He saw it. He hadn't been dreaming or hallucinating from the stew. The blur was talking and the teen strained to hear what was being said. It was like listening to someone speak underwater. But no matter how garbled the voice sounded, Hiccup was sure that the blur was male.

"...winter..sp...rit..huh?"

A pale and freckled hand clenched. It could talk! The blur held out an object, holding it up to the moon. It looked like a sheperd's crook. The spirit thing tapped the end of the staff against a tree. Fern-like patterns immediately grew on the side of the tree. Out of habit, the boy reached for his leather bound book. His hand clasped air. He had forgotten it on his desk! Inwardly, he groaned and rolled his eyes. How could he have forgotten it?

The wind picked up again, catching Hiccup's attention. The shape flickered once before vanishing from the teen's gaze. "No!" Hiccup whispered, his breath forming clouds in front of his face. He forced himself off the ground and took a step closer to the edge. His toes gripped the icy ground as he leaned forward desperate to catch another glimpse of the spirit.

He found it again. This time, it..no he was skating across the ice. He dragged his staff against the lake. The patterns appeared again, swirling and colliding with each other until the entire pond was covered in them. Hiccup couldn't believe his eyes. The view was breathtaking. He took a step with his metal leg...and let out a sharp scream as his leg slipped out from under him.

The spirit froze in his tracks just as the boy scrambled to try and catch whatever he could to keep himself from falling over the edge. Hiccup struggled helplessly as he dug his fingernails into the frost. "Nononono! Oh Thor, please no!" he cried, his fingertips numbing from the cold. But it didn't matter. The ground soon slipped past his fingers and then he was free falling. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was the moon and stars.

CRACK!

Hiccup hit his head on a tree root. His head pounded as his metal helmet fell off. The metal hat fell onto the ice and snow below with a clatter. He felt and heard the wind roar passed him as he faded in and out of consciousness. He couldn't understand what was going on, but it felt like he wasn't falling.

He felt like he was floating. He blinked again as he was placed gently on the cold snow at the bottom of the cove. He could hear someone talking to him. It was muffled and Hiccup struggled to concentrate to hear it again.

"Kid...are...u...o..ay?" The voice garbled. Hiccup closed his eyes.

"No, hey...do't...f..ll asl..p," the voice muttered. Something cold touched his forehead and the boy leaned into the touch. Something dripped off his forehead into the snow beneath him. Something warm and sticky. It took Hiccup a moment to realize that he was bleeding again..and quite badly too. He opened his eyes.

A boy was leaning over him, but there was something strange about him. The teen viking couldn't place his finger on it. The boy before him began to flicker and blurred around the edges. He had hair as white as moonlight and eyes as blue as the winter sky. Hiccup groaned and closed his eyes again.

He was drifting again. The world spun around him. Something...or someone was calling out to him. He moaned in response. They sounded worried. An icy grip touched his shoulder. The boy shook again. The voice spoke louder. Hiccup wanted ignore whoever was talking. He just wanted to sleep.

"K..d...b..rning...p. What...o..I..d?" the voice garbled, shaking him again.

With his head swimming, Hiccup opened his eyes and stared blankly at the flickering spirit. The spirit's face broke out in a grin, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yo..r aw..ke..g..od," he said, placing a hand on the boy's forehead. The cool touch made Hiccup shiver and he let out a soft sigh as he leaned into the hand.

The spirit paused for a moment. "Wa..t..can...u...s..e me?" he asked, leaning close to Hiccup.

Hiccup opened his mouth, yet nothing came out. He couldn't speak. He closed his mouth and took a deep breath, his head pounding from the effort. "W-white," he croaked out, licking his chapped lips. "A..and blue..." The young spirit broke out in a wide grin, flickering even more.

"Y..u s..e me!" the voice garbled. "H..sees..me!"

Hiccup tried to copy the smile, his world was slowly fading. The flickering boy gripped his shoulder and shook him. The movement sent his head reeling with pain. He grimaced and moaned.

"St..y w..th..me, k..d."

Hiccup struggled to focus on the boy's face. His ears started to ring. He lowered his eyes until they focused on the boy's lips. They were moving, but he couldn't hear a sound. What was he saying? He tried to ask him what it was that he was saying, but nothing came out. He couldn't move. Panic settled in.

An ear splitting roar startled them both. The spirit turned to look up at the lip of the cliff before disappearing again. Hiccup glanced up; the roar bringing him back to his senses.

"HICCUP!" A voice boomed. A bulky figure slid off of a black dragon's back. Black dragon? Toothless? The bulky figure patted Toothless on the shoulder before he began the slow climb down the clifside. "Dun' move, boy! Ah'll be down ta git ya, dunchu worry!" A flash of silver glinted in the moonlight and the sound of metal scraping against the stone caught his attention.

"Gobber!" Hiccup croaked out, his eyes going wide. His chest rose and fell dramatically as he struggled to catch his breath. His fists clenched as his body curled up in the snow. The cold felt like a curse and a blessing at the same time. Snow crunched beside him. A boot and a pegged leg came into his vision.

A large beefy hand gripped his shoulder and lifted him up. Gobber cradled the sick boy in his arm, placing his flesh hand against Hiccup's forehead. "A little worse fer wear, but nothin' serious," he confirmed, scowling at the boy. He shook Hiccup for a moment. "What were ya thinkin, lad?" His voice broke and he wiped some of the blood away from Hiccup's face.

The young viking stared at Gobber's face. The man's features were contorted with pain, grief, and relief. Hiccup glanced away. "I...," he started, but words failed him. He slumped against the viking's large arm and closed his eyes.

Gobber pulled the shivering boy close, keeping him warm. "It's alrigh', Hiccup," Gobber soothed, lifting the boy off of the ground. He staggered a bit before righting himself. "It's alrigh'. Yer safe now. Tha's all that matters." He placed an arm underneath Hiccup and hefted him up against his shoulder.

The boy cradled his head on Gobber's strong shoulder, going limp in the man's arms. How many years had it been since he'd been carried like that? He stared blankly out into the cove and gripped the blacksmith's grimey shirt tightly. "My..My helmet," he muttered.

Gobber turned around with a huff and found the helmet glimmering in the moonlight. With a mighty swoop, he scooped up the helmet with his metal hook. "Got half a mind ta strangle ya," he growled, offering the ninety pound boy his helmet back. Hiccup gave him a small weak grin and gripped it in his icy hands.

He shivered again and Gobber glanced up at the black dragon. Toothless was pacing and growling anxiously, his yellow eyes narrowing at his best friend.

Hiccup curled into Gobber's body heat. "How...how did.." He struggled to find the right words. His head throbbed again and he hissed in pain.

Gobber forced a chuckle as he stared at the cliffside. "Now there's a rare sigh', indeed," he teased, shifting the boy again. "Young Hiccup can' think of a word ta say?" The boy moaned from the movement and pressed himself harder against the blacksmith's sturdy body. Gobber stopped moving him and sighed. "Toothless woke me up, actually. Smart dragon, ya have. He was goin' insane tryin' ta wake me up. Not an easy feat, lemme remind ya, but he ran to the door and almost ripped it apart tryin' ta git outside," he said, shaking his head.

"I rode him through the woods. I tried callin' ya to git yer attention, but all we heard was yer screamin'. Yer voice was bouncin' all around us and I guess wit' the snow, yer dragon was havin' trouble findin' yer scent. Then ya went quiet. I started ta fear the worse before ya screamed again. We raced to the cove and there you were...lyin on the cold hard ground," he finished, placing his metal hook against the cold stone. He shuffled Hiccup a bit before removing his hook from the wall.

Hiccup hummed in response and closed his eyes again. Toothless had saved his life...again. If it weren't for his dragon... He huffed and gripped his helmet tightly. "Thanks Gobber," he muttered against the blacksmith's shoulder.

Whether Gobber heard him or not, the viking never acknowledged him. He just grumbled to himself as he paced along the cove floor. "Hiccup, I'm gonna have ta letcha go. Make sure ya dun let go. I dun wanna drop you," he said. In response, Hiccup wrapped his arms around Gobber's thick neck. His thin arms barely fit around the blacksmith, but he managed just as Gobber removed his arm from underneath Hiccup.

Hiccup felt the blacksmith shift and slowly, but surely, they scaled the wall together. The boy opened his eyes and glanced out into the cove. The frost patterns were still there. He squinted in the moonlight. Something poked its head out from between the branches. The blur shifted with movement and the young viking could swear that it was waving at him.

He lifted his hand and waved back slightly. He felt foolish sure, but...he was sure that he had just met the winter spirit. And he was sure that he was waving goodbye. He lowered his hand and gripped the back of Gobber's shirt. The only sound in the cove was Gobber's heavy breathing and half-hearted curses.

"Gobber," Hiccup mumbled, trying to keep awake.

"Hm?" the blacksmith responded, just as they reached the top. Toothless reached out and gripped the back of Hiccup's white shirt and dragged him out onto the ground. Gobber grinned and hefted himself over the lip of the cliff and rolled over on his back. His legs were dangling off the edge of the cliff. "Gettin' too old fer this."

Hiccup leaned against Toothless, too weak to lift himself into the saddle. "We don't have to tell my dad about this, right?" he asked softly.

Gobber breathed heavily, puffs of steam escaping from his mouth. "No...it'll only worry him more," he agreed, sitting up. He brushed the snow off of his shoulders and stood up, staring out into the cove. With a final groan, he picked Hiccup up and carried him out into the woods.

"Good," Hiccup murmured. He heard the wind shift behind him and cracked one eye open. He wasn't sure, but it felt like something was following them. Or someone was following them. Hiccup saw something flicker in the trees before he finally lost consciousness.