CH23: Our Lips Are Sealed

I don't own HTTYD. I do have my fingers around the OOC and OC present in the story you are about to read.

Stay behind and wait for Hiccup to come back nothing!

Once those other humans came and took him I quietly followed them from behind. I do trust that he can handle himself especially after what he did to that other Viking but the more he says to stay the more I feel like I need to follow him.

It was a good thing that I did, along the way he collapsed and had to be carried by the Astrid looking female that found him. He was again bleeding out of his wounds.

The two humans tried to help him and carry him back to their village where they took him directly to the house that smelled of the same paste that Hiccup had on his wounds, so presumably the human healer of this village.

I staked out the house hiding on top of the roof. Unlike the last village where Hiccup was mobile and self-protective, I intended to stay as close as possible this time in case things got to a point where I needed to glide in since it seems he not as fight worthy as before.

"Astrid!"

Hearing that name I didn't put thought into action, I just leapt thru the side opening. The same opening that Hiccup was trying to escape as well. We obviously crash into each other and me being the bigger one overtake him and we slam into the floor of the house.

Inside I see a female but not Astrid, even I can tell that. But a quick glance would give her the same appearance. She had the same blond braid hair style with a band of leather across her forehead. If I had to guess she might be her mother, but the smell of her blood was not the same. I guess something like a look-a-like, similar to the girl in the forest. Maybe these two new females were related.

While I can distinguish humans faces better than most Uverworlders who just see specific body characteristics and main colors it still doesn't mean that I'm as good at distinguishing humans like Hiccup is. Still why would he make that confusion?

But my main concern now is that Hiccup is knocked out. And by me, again.

I promise Hiccup that I won't ever jump you like this again. Not even as a joke, all it does is put us in trouble. Like right now. Were currently caught in the middle of a Viking house and since the female rushed out the door to warn the others we're going to need to run now.

I will still prank around, just nothing directly against you.

I get ready to pick him up by his clothe, but my ears trained outside the doorway pick up the humans conversation.

She lied? She was safeguarding my presence here? Why?

I leave Hiccup on the ground but stay close to him ready to blast my way out just in case. I keep listening to the conversation outside and determine that the female I just saw was indeed keeping my being here a secret from all the others.

The humans eventually leave except for the healer who comes back inside. After throwing some powerful glares and her asking me some stupid questions where she questioned my actions towards Hiccup, we eventually reach an understanding. She may heal Hiccup but I stay right next to him and watch her like the sharpshooter that I am.

She was slow and hesitant at first but she pick up her pace and when she was done she let me know while giving me the details.

"Well Mr. Brother, he's doing better now but he shouldn't be moved anytime soon. Even when he gets up he'll be really weak so he'll need to rest a lot." Like that's gonna happen. We need to move on once we can. Maybe we can get over that restriction by simply short hopping from land to land.

"He's also developing a fever. He'll need more rest and some more doses of medicine to fight it off. Since it was caught early it's shouldn't complicate but it's still important to fully treat it now. He likely got it from a combination of the cold weather, his injuries, and pushing himself too hard. It weakened his body too much."

Hiccup, are you really pushing yourself that much? I don't know much on human diseases but if their like dragon ones then it must be very tough on him. It might not have helped to be flying so much in the frozen air, like she said it must have weakened him too much.

"His injured eye is the one thing I cannot do much to help. I can give him something to relive the pain it gives him but that is all I can do. It's blind now and that may heal by itself in time, but it also may not. It's up to him for it to heal. It could remain without light from now on. Nevertheless it should pose no other problem aside the blindness and pain." I was aware of this. It may be cumbersome and hard for him to adjust completely if his eye never recovers but even if it doesn't I know he'll adapt, most do. I can only hope that it will recover even if only partially.

"Overall his life is not in any danger but only if he gets rest and doesn't push himself too much. Most of his bruised injuries will heal well in the span of a month, but his stab wounds will take much longer to heal. Most of them do not hit any vital organs and are simply bloody and painful, missing his organs. They will heal but will still pain him afterwards. Most internal injury's like what he received will antagonize him for quite some time, most likely the rest of his life. That is if he doesn't physically strain himself, if he does the injuries could worsen, tear and spread the damage to his surrounding organs putting him at fatal risk." Hearing her say fatal worries me. His current bleeding must be an aftereffect of his fight with the Viking in the last village. Considering what Hiccup did to him, I guess it was an even blood for blood fight.

"It's just an absolutely deplorable thing for anyone to do a child. It never fails to ignite ones passion to fight. It's one thing when it's done by dragons during a raid, but when it is done by another human in torture there's just something unforgivable about it. I couldn't bare it happening to my Shazz. I'm sure I would tear apart any island that would dare lay a harmful finger on my child."

Never get between a mother and her hatchling.

"It's probably worse for him mentally if it really was done by his father like we speculated. Would you perhaps know if his father really did this?" I nod acknowledging that her guess was correct. I look back at his body roaming my eyes over his broken body. I think about what she said about mental damage. Nightmares come to mind, he's had some of those lately but also reckless actions like his willingness to go into a village and with strangers without help or protection.

It may have been safe when thought carefully thru but that's only he if he were in stronger state where he was capable of fighting and running at normal human level. When injured and cornered like he is you only can wait for the end.

"So this really was done by his father. What possible reason could he have to do this?"

Eh, something about betrayal. I just like to think he's simply a crazy old man. Him and the rest of that village.

"We've been here for a while, it's already night. It'll be good for him to rest but what about you?"

Well, I'm not going anywhere. I emphasize this by draping my wing over Hiccup like I did before. She seems to understand what I mean by this. This will be fine, once she gives us the ok to leave we can go slowly to another land and rest up safely away from any potential dangers.

I trust this healer not to harm us, she hasn't already and she even lied and healed for us but that doesn't mean we can stay here indefinably.

"I'm sure you're worried and that's good, if what I guess happened did happen then he needs all the support from his friends that he can get. But come daybreak when my daughter and her fiancé come over you are not going to be able to stay. I'm not sure how they will take being in the same room as a dragon.

I let out a growl to convey to her that that not going anywhere without him. She understands my displeasure; she shows it when she flinched at my angry response.

"Uhmm, I, I know that it ummm… It doesn't seem like a good thing to leave him but….."

But what? You yourself said he needed all the support he can get. If those other humans come back then just shoo them away like you did before. Just keep them away till Hiccup wakes up and we can then leave, if not this land but at least to the forest away from them.

Besides the fresh air outside might be better for him then the stench of all this bitter vegetation that your house reeks of.

"Ok I know that doesn't sound too appealing to you, to leave him alone with strangers. I know I wouldn't, but your situation is mmmm it's delicate. I'm sure you get what I mean."

Let me guess, it's the wings or maybe the tail.

You don't have to go far and you don't have to worry about him. He will be well taken care here by the villagers and me. And you can stay close, but just close enough that the villagers don't know you're here. At least till tomorrow. I should be able to convince them to go to work on their wedding and that I can take care of him alone."

Seems she has a plan of her own. But I'm really not convinced. I won't say I don't trust her but there is the issue of the uncertain villagers.

If Hiccup is going to be healed while unconscious then I want everyone to know that he is protected, and not just a defenseless sleeping human.

I curl closer to Hiccup. I'm not going anywhere.

"Oh please do not be stubborn about this."

Too late.

"It will only be one day you need to be apart."

One day too long.

"It will not help him if the village comes after you. Once Hiccup wakes up then maybe we can convince the villagers that you may stay. But until then you must not be discovered by anyone. Not until we can prove that you are not an enemy."

Grrr, I hate how good as that plan sounds, but as our experience will tell us it doesn't mean that we still won't be attacked.

Experience will also tell us that she could be targeted for helping us. She could meet the same end as Gobber.

No that not what we need now. We really should just move now. If she needs to treat him it can be done just as well away from here.

Which would then draw the humans of this village to search and discover us. This would just be a repeat of what happened in Berk in their dragon prison. Especially if this female helps us.

Ok so my planning won't work. I don't like the separation but she is right; subtle, slow and stealthy will be what we need right now. In other words patients.

Grrrrr, I hate slow. Too much chance that something catches up to us, but for the sake of Hiccup's health I'll have to just deal with it.

"You can stay here for the night but once it is the morning then you will need to hide. When my daughter comes back to swap patient watch that is when you must take leave to the edge of woods to hide and wait.

I'll have to go with this plan for now. But I will stay close.

Actually now that I think about it, there is something that I could do tomorrow. Not a good idea to do during the day, but just a quick survey to check it out can't hurt.

Chapskin and Shazz climbed up the short steps to her house where they would replace Shazz's mom in watching and caring for Hiccup.

"I'm still wondering why she would send us away like that last night?" I asked her.

"I don't know. But I promise we'll find out, as payback for yelling that out to the whole village."

"Yeah well I'm more surprised that she knew. You didn't"

"No, of course not!"

"Just checking."

We reach the door and I try to announce ourselves but Shazz just opens the door without knocking first.

Opening the door we see that she was packing to go out.

"Where are you going mom?" Shazzs points at the satchel she was readying.

"Oh well while I was treating him I found I was out of some herbs. So while you two watch him for the day I'll go into the forest and replenish my stock."

"If you'd like we can I can go with you mom."

"No, there's no need. You two stay here and keep a watch in him. Shazz if he needs help you'll need to be here. And I'm not sure Chapskin knows anything about collecting medicinal herbs."

"Hey! I know a little. Not about the plants but I do know some of the medicines."

"But that's only the ones that have been prepared already. I'm looking for the raw ingredients to mix."

"Ok, but I can still help."

"Chap you said yourself that all plants look the same to you. How are you going to help my mom?"

"I can at least carry what she finds."

"Don't worry Chapskin I can manage on my own. You're more needed here." She finishes packing what she needed and was heading past us.

"Mom you sure you're alright? You seem nervous."

"Yes dear." She leans and gives Shazz a kiss on the forehead. "I just don't want him to die otherwise it's a bad Oman for your upcoming wedding. So you two take good care of him and make sure to keep checking his wounds. Don't forget to give him medicine for his fever. It's dropped but it's still a bit high. Also you need to be careful of his left eye, it's rather sensitive at the moment, so if he wakes up ask that he keep that eye shut behind the bandages."

She was almost out the door before she gave us one more order. "And don't do anything inappropriate in my house while I'm gone. I'll be back before nightfall." And she's gone.

"I I I can't believe she would say that to us! It my house too!" Shazz screams out in outrage. She also had a reddening blush across her cheeks.

"Yeah. It's not like we would do it in front of the kid even if he is unconscious." That comment earns me a hard palm slap to my forehead.

"You've had enough. So get your head out of the bedroom and get to work."

Lanie left her house and headed straight for the forest. She lied to Shazz about needing ingredients, what she really needed was an excuse to leave and go to the forest.

I was going in the forest to find Hiccups dragon. When Shazz and Chapskin were coming up the steps the dragon quickly left out the window and I watched him disappear into the forest.

I'm following him now to make sure he doesn't do something dangerous for anyone. I find the black dragon crouching near some trees with his eyes fixed onto my house. He seemed to have been expecting me, he took one look at me and just went back to looking at the house where his brother was resting in.

I really still have a hard time understanding it. A human and dragon brotherhood. The dragon definitely responds when referred to as his brother, is it what he's called or who he is to Hiccup? There are so many questions surrounding these two.

Not sure how much I can learn from the dragon but at least he seems to understand me and understand the risks that Hiccup is facing right now both to his health and in the village that would do either of them harm.

"So will you stay there all day?" He shakes his head letting me know he has other plans. I wonder what other things a dragon has to do in a day?

"Anything you need help with? Like from Hiccup?" He gives an awkward shrug like he wasn't sure.

Then like he got an idea he starts smacking his lips in a chewing motion. "Hungry?" he nods lightly to confirm and motions to his saddle. I notice that in addition to the saddle there were some packs that must be what he was pointing at.

"Have some food in their?" He nods again. I approach slowly putting down my bag and inspecting the packs he had loaded on him. I find a small wicker basket and opening it I find it filled with fish.

"This it?" I ask unsure because most dragons steal livestock. But his nod assures me that this was indeed his meal.

Once I take the cod out and pass them to him I watch him gobble them down. I sit down and watch the strange dragon continue eating.

I really had too many questions about this, but the only one that can answer them is lying unconscious at my home. One thing was clear Hiccup has found himself in the middle of something big. Really really big. Something like this could change the way Vikings in the Archipelago live their lives.

Or cause more trouble than what is present.

Once the dragon was done eating his fish he picked himself up and headed off in another direction away from where Hiccup was resting. "Umm excuse me but where are you going?"