CH3: One Step Closer

I do not own HTTYD or its characters. Thou I may have something to do with any OC you may encounter while reading.

It doesn't matter how many times she says she wasn't going to kill Hiccup, her face didn't agree with her. Neither did her body language or her swinging Ax.

Ruffnut knew that kinda thing on sight. I've have an idiot twin practically glued to me and years of experience with human on human violence rather than just dragons fighting like everyone else. besides it's not hard for anyone to see Astrid's agitation towards Hiccup.

"Come on Astrid then why could you possibly be out here for if not for Hiccup?" I ask her.

"It's not what you think. Besides Why are you out here Ruff?" She tries to defend herself.

"I was worried." I quickly reply her.

"About that lying cheat Hiccup!?"

"About both you."

"Wha?"

"We ben worrid fer the both ya." Gobber added.

"Wha?"

"Come on since Dragon Training started both of you have been changing. Actually more like you've been switching places with each other. That not you Hiccup in Astrid's body is it?" I half ask and half joke

"NO!"

"Kay good den whads been so off feer ye both? I know somthings been hinky with Hiccup, hes more mmm, confident and and actually dis minds me of Valka when she was yer age. Fore Stoick and I wen courtin after her, she'd run off to these very wood fer days, alwas come back glowin. An she always had this planin face, always thinkin, just like her boy. Yep I could alwas see that same old Valka in Hiccup from fore da marriage."

"Gobber we're in the middle of something. So stop reminiscing and get to the point. I still need to find Hiccup." Astrid cuts him off from more of his flashback.

"Ah righty, uhh well Uhh ….."

"I'm finding Hiccup. End of story."

"Then what? Beat him till he spills his guts? It won't work. Not on Hiccup."

"Ay notthin ye can bring ta bare wil break da lad. I know, I seen many try fer 15 years, from family ta the village itself. Belive me, he may crack but has never broke. Not ta force, not ta ya. He's just too damn stubborn. Somtimes more than his old man."

"What your point Gobber? I can't find my own answers? No way I'm taking that as the end."

I get what Gobber's saying. In Berk Hiccup is the weakest even among the younger children. Seriously I saw a 3 year old pick up an ax in one hand while Hiccup couldn't lift it at all. And despite his many many many weaknesses, he's still not dead. That gotta mean something.

"Astrid, I'll make you a deal, we look for him and interrogate him together. Good Viking, bad Viking, and Gobber Viking. Deal? It's not like we don't have our own questions for him Right Gobber."

"Good thinkin he may confide in a smal grope than da whol village. I trust him ta take ker, but also worrid bout what hes been getting inta."

"So you agree something's wrong, right!" Astrid yells out.

"Astrid, let just find him. For all we know he heard you screaming just now and is trying to hide."

"Alright fine lets go. But seriously why are you here Ruff? You didn't really think I would kill anyone from Berk did you? Even if it was him."

"Ye know I'm surprised no ones tried in a while." Gobber coments.

That comment makes me worried. "Gobber what do you mean 'a while?' You don't actually mean to say people have actually tried something before. You don't actually think someone would try that on the chief's son, even if he is a Hiccup. Uhh, do you?"

Astrid and me watch Gobber as we see him contemplate that question. "Well…."

That hesitation was all the motivation I need in front of Astrid. Reaching forth to grab the handle of her ax, I try to take it from her relaxed but wrathful grip. "Astrid give me the ax!"

"You can't be serious! Let go!"

"Now now girls. Ya can fight over Hiccup after we find him. Hehe."

"We are not fighting for anybody!" We yell out.

As we struggle for the ax we eventually fall to the cold ground still wrestling for the ax. We soon start rolling around the ground our hands still on the ax and pushing each other off.

"Let go!"

"Ruffnut! It's my weapon! You let go!"

"Not while you look like Dagur!"

"I do NOT look like Dagur and I NEVER will! Let GOO!"

"You were the one waving it around like a toy!"

"Was NotttttWAHHHHHHH!?"

While we were rolling around trying to pry the ax from each other we never notice we were reaching some ledge. Not that we would have seen it because it was hidden by some thick bushes

"AHHHHHH?!"

"DDWAHHHHHH!?"

And soon we meet the ground and hit something hard.

"Oh fer crying out loud." Is the only thing Gobber could sigh out as he watched the girls roll away with a razor sharp ax between them.

Hehe. Oh Hiccup you're not even here doing anything and you got two fine lasses fighting for you tooth and nail like that.

Not bad. As your (blacksmithing) master, I am proud.

As he hobbled after the girls while still chuckling he began to notice something strange about the area. Tree bark torn out, claw marks, big claw marks. The ground has also been disturbed, almost like something's been dragged across it. Or someone.

It's only a bit, but worry begins to fill that little spot in my chest. "Oi gals ould ya git off ta ground an huh?" As I call to them still grappling over the ax I see them disappear behind some shrubbery then I hear them scream like they were falling.

"Oi Now wha happen."

Going over to see why the girls were screaming I see that they fell into a deep inlet. Beautiful place really; pristine lake, lush vegetation, highly secluded; if Hiccup was up to anything at all then this would be the perfect place. No one would find this place since it was hidden by such dense foliage and there's only one safe way down, a path over to one side of this large cove.

This place is almost a fortress. So long as you protect that one entrance you could probably defend yourself from ground attacks real well. And if you put some kind of air defense like a few cross bows and you could even hold off dragons for a short while.

Hiccup if this is your secret hideaway then after you kill that Dragon tomorrow, I am going to help you build you something like a retreat house or something here.

I've really I've been meaning to get a present for him for doing so well in the Dragon Training, a place here would be perfect for the lad.

He could even have his own private forge here to build his contraptions. They may be strange but they just show what the boys really capable of doing and I'm proud of him for stretching his imagination, when they help of course.

You know I haven't seen him work on any of them lately. He's probably been too busy with training but I'm sure as some as he gets time he'll start working on them again. Now that he has more experience and confidence he could really start making some really good stuff. Maybe even some kind of contraption to fly. Heh I can see him working on it even now.

Flying. Hmmm, I feel like I'm forgetting something. Hmmmmmmm, Oh right the girls fell into the deep cove.

Running as fast as I can to the entrance I saw to the side, I note two more defensive advantages. First the opening is so tight that any Viking of mine or Stoicks stature can barely squeeze in. Secondly theirs a shield wedged at the entrance meaning you have to either go under 'which I can't, but not because of my peg leg or large stomach. I just can't', or break it out of the way as I'm forced to do.

With a grunt and tackle I plow thru the wedged shield and find myself in the cove. I immediately start calling out to the two students hoping their all here and alright. If the girls fell from that height they may be hurt, unconscious, or even 'but I hope not' dead.

As I call out to the girls, an image flashes in my head of the trees and disturbed ground I saw earlier. Suddenly like lightning I realize that it could have been a fight. A fight Hiccup may have had with a dragon.

With more determination and focus I keep looking for the kids. While minding my surroundings I scan to look for anyone or anything I might recognize. We get attacked out here then all I have to defend we is my trusty left hook.

The shield. Looking at the shield I look over the pattern painted on it. I remember the shield now. It was Hiccups. Or at least one of his. Question was why was it in front of the entrance like it was? Was it on purpose or… could it have been tossed from his hands?

Now I can't tell if I should be concerned or not.

I'm feeling something. Something familiar. Like ahh! What is it?

The Bone Knapper. I'm feeling paranoid. Looking over my shoulder thinking somethings out their.

Ohhh I swear if it's that persistent bugger of a dragon shows up, then today's the day he will meet his dragon maker.

But for now I need to find the girls and hopefully Hiccups somewhere near.

I hope that the damage was not from today and whatever did it is long gone. There was no blood that I could see up their so if anything else I can take that as a good sign. But my gut still tells me that there's something amiss here.

Over in the corner of the cove I finally find the girls sprawled out over some rock. I hear them moaning so that's a good sign their not dead but they may still be hurt.

"Oi Lassies, ye still wit me?" I ask over their condition.

"Uh?"

"Oww!"

"Yeah I'm fine." Astrids the first to answer as she tries to get up. "Carful ya may hav broken something."

"I just feel like I fell from a tree or something? Uh where's Ruff?!" she panics over the condition of her friend.

"I'm right next to you so stop yelling." Ruffnut says struggling to get up. "Uh other than my head ringing I'm surprisingly alright."

"Yeah, me too. Guess we got lucky."

"Yer lucky ya din't die from a fall like dat."

"Hey Astrid, sorry about that."

"It's no problem, it part my fault too."

"Ahh good ta se ye making up." I remark on their forgiveness of each other.

"Yeah, I should have taken your ax before you could react." Ruff laments over her failure.

"Yeah, and I should of just punched you senseless. Sorry about that Ruff." Astrid contemplates the more appropriate course of action she should have taken.

"No problem. You'll remember next time I promise."

"Yeah." The two girls the draw closer to each other and hug away their regret.

Wiping a tear out of my eye I can't help but be proud of their friendship and camaraderie. The Viking way, it's the best. "Ah ya girls ar such good friend. It's lik I'm seeing Stoick an meself when we were ya age. 'Sniff' So beautiful."

"Thanks Gobber." They both reply the same.

They then look up from where they fell. "Wow! I can't believe we're alright after a fall like that."

"I know what you mean Ruff. We must have fallen at least 30 meters."

"Uh he may hav somthn to do bout it." I tell the girls pointing out that they are standing on Hiccup.

"Huh, he must have broken our fall. Don't you think Astrid." Ruffnut figures as she steps off the human body pillow.

"Oh gods! Hiccup are you alright!? HICCUP?!" Astrid hurries off him and quickly checks Hiccup over.

"Well we found da lad. Ya two did at least." I joke as we check him out for injuries.