Chapter 3.
Hiccup had a strange feeling of deja vu wash over him the next time he awoke. There was the same sound of his snoring Dragon, the soft vibrating of his body against his, and the dark wings wrapped about him.
The only difference was Astrid was curled up by his side, her head resting in his lap. He glanced down, able to see the slight glint of her blond hair through a crack between Toothless's wing and the floor.
The storm must be over… Hiccup thought drowsily. He felt groggy, warm, and comfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was get out of the safe embrace of his dragon to face the many problems awaiting him, but he knew it had to be done sometime.
With a sigh he gently scooted out from under Astrid's head. He heard her mumbled something quietly, before she shifted position slightly and fell silent. He smiled down at her, and in his movement, he'd pushed Toothless' wings aside a bit, now allowing the light to stream in in a larger ray. Her blond hair was only half in a braid now, and her head band had fallen off as well. She looked absolutely beautiful in her peaceful sleep, and he couldn't help but reach out a hand to gently let his thumb trail down her cheek. She murmured again, her forehead pressing against his palm- much like a dragon would do.
He smiled before turning and ducking under Toothless's wing, pushing it back to the ground so the heat would stay cooped up in the make-shift tent.
Hiccup had thought Toothless was asleep as well, but when he began moving away towards the campfire Toothless let out a rumble, his large head lifting off the ground to stare at him with worried eyes.
"Shh, Toothless. Go back to sleep, keep Astrid warm." Hiccup urged, patting his dragon's head. Toothless crooned, giving his hand a little lick before tucking it back under his wing, letting out a little sigh after doing so.
Hiccup smiled and turned back to the fire, noticing how it was still cackling a s mall flame. He looked about for Stormfly, noticing her lying down behind Toothless. He smiled at the two dragons for a second, before sighing and crawling over to the wall. He placed hi9s palm against it, using it as a crutch as he pulled himself to a stand.
He was panting by the time he finished the small task, and he hadn't even put any weight on his bad leg yet. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he attempted a step towards the dragons.
The instant he placed any pressure on his leg it buckled on him, and he had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. He caught himself before he fell, gripping tightly to the wall as he pulled himself back up and forced himself to try again.
Finally, he reached Stormfly, and he bent down to check her wing. She seemed to be folding it properly, much to his relief. It was still swollen slightly, but there wasn't as much discoloring as he thought there might be, giving him hope that perhaps they could get off this island sooner than later.
He moved back down to Toothless, gently checking his dragon over for any injuries. When he reached the tailfin, he let out a sigh at the sight of the broken connecting rod and destroyed fabric.
"Well, I always carry a sp-" He was cut short when he noticed that his saddlebags were missing, most likely knocked off somewhere in the crash.
"No…" He muttered, looking back down at the tail. "And without a connecting rod…"
Toothless hummed, almost apologetic as he poked his head back up in the air, looking at Hiccup with soulful eyes.
"It's alright, bud." Hiccup reassured, giving the tail a pat. "I-I'm sure I can figure something out."
Toothless gave a small gummy smile, before it disappeared and his head ducked back down, his body vibrating with more dragon coos.
"Hiccup..?" Came a muffled voice. "H-Hiccup!"
Hiccup tumbled onto his hands and knees so he could move faster, crawling over Toothless's tail and to his wings. He didn't even have to open Toothless's wings, for the dragon had already unfurled them on his own accord.
Astrid was still curled up inside, except for now she was shaking slightly and her eyes were cracked open. He thought he saw tear stains on her cheeks, but before he could double check she turned her head away.
"Astrid, it's fine, I'm right here…" Hiccup soothed, moving closer until he was beside her again. He pulled her into his lap, being gentle of her injured hand and rib. "Does something hurt?"
She just wrapped her arms about him, giving little shudders every few seconds. Hiccup just held her close, letting her take whatever comfort she needed form the embrace. Finally, she calmed down, turning so he could see her pale face.
"S-sorry…" She murmured, swallowing noticeably. "I-I don't know… I freaked out for a second…"
"It's all right." Hiccup reassured, pulling her against him again, her head resting on his shoulder as he gently rocked back and forth. "You're safe though. Toothless and Stormfly aren't going to let anything happen to us again, right bud?"
Toothless crooned in agreement, his neon green eyes glancing worriedly at the girl in his arms.
Hiccup was concerned too, because it wasn't like Astrid to freak out like that. He totally got her doing it, it just concerned him because it just… it just wasn't her. She never freaked out. Was always the calm and level headed one out of the group- a little reckless at times but never ever panicky.
"You sure you're okay?" Hiccup repeated, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.
"I'm fine, Hiccup." Astrid replied, her voice now the calm and steady tone she would normally use. "You… you can let go of me now. I should go find something to eat-"
"No way." Hiccup interrupted, but did as she instructed and let her push herself away from his chest. "I'll go out and find some food. You stay here and… and keep the fire going, okay?"
She rolled her eyes, "Hiccup, the dragons can keep the fire going. How about I come with you? I could-"
"You have a broken leg, Astrid." Hiccup pointed out, not realizing his tone sounded almost matter a fact until he'd already spoken the words.
"You're injured too." She said gently, placing her hand against his knee. He winced and hissed through his teeth, the mere touch sending tingles of pain racing through his limb.
"See? You're in no condition to be out hunting for food."
"But you aren't either." Hiccup stated firmly. "I'm better off then you, so YOU stay here, and I'LL go out and get some fish, okay?" Astrid opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off by copying her move of placing a finger over her lips. "Please, Astrid?" He whispered, his voice carrying a begging tone. "I can't… if you get hurt again…"
She moved her hand from his knee to his chest, pressing it lightly over his heart. "I won't." She smiled and ducked her head a bit, so she was looking up at him. "I want to help, Hiccup. I'm a warrior, and warriors don't just sit around because of a few lousy broken bones."
Hiccup rolled his eyes, breaking their gaze. "Astrid…"
Toothless grumbled, and both turned in time to see the dragon copy his rider with a roll of his eyes, letting out a sputtering sigh afterwards.
Hiccup laughed softly, grabbing Astrid's hand in his before placing his other hand on her arm. "You stay here, I'll go get something to eat. Toothless, guard her."
Astrid scowled but didn't protest anymore, allowing Hiccup to move away and out from under Toothless's wings. Toothless barked in alarm when Hiccup began stumbling towards the cave opening, catching himself against the wall when he began to fall. "I'll be back, bud. Keep the fire going, okay?"
"Wait!" Astrid called out, her arm pulling Toothless's wing aside. "I think Toothless should go with you. It'll go faster that way."
Toothless nodded and stood up, giving himself a little shake and sending dust everywhere before trotting over to his rider, leaving Astrid exposed on the ground.
"But I want you to-"
"I have Stormfly." Astrid smiled and patted her sleeping dragon's nose. Stormfly smiled in her sleep before curling in a bit tighter to herself, letting out a little snort. "We'll be fine."
Hiccup hesitated before nodding and climbing onto Toothless's back, wincing when his knee bumped against the saddle. He reached into the front saddlebags, pulling out one of his spare shirts and stuffing it between his prosthetic and the saddle, keeping his leg from touching the saddle.
Toothless bounced off, running towards the ocean at his fastest speed possible. Hiccup hung on tight, gritting his teeth whenever his leg was jolted in the pedal.
Toothless took care of the fish, merely finding a shallow bay and dunking his head in it, pulling out a mouthful of fish, not even waiting for the signal before turning right back around and dashing back towards the cave. He never stopped, his nostrils flaring and his eyes flitting from place to place.
"Is something wrong, Toothless?" Hiccup asked, running a hand down the dragon's neck. Toothless merely warbled a reply, not slowing down one bit.
They reached the cave in record time, and Hiccup climbed down as soon as they did. His leg ached and throbbed painfully, but he tried to ignore it the best he could so he would be able to make breakfast.
Astrid was in the same place she'd been when they left, except for this time she was leaning against Stormfly's neck, her dragon's head placed near her side. She was slowly rubbing Stormfly's beak-like snout, her eyes lighting up when she caught sight of Toothless and Hiccup.
"That was fast." She said with a grin. "See? I'm totally fine."
Hiccup nodded his head with a little smile as he gathered up the fish Toothless had dropped on the ground. He pulled out his hunting knife and went back outside to a bolder beside the cave where he quickly gutted and cleaned them before grabbing two sticks and sticking a fish on the end of each.
Toothless trotted out just as Hiccup finished, the dragon gurgling happily as he licked up the remains of the fish. Then he stepped close to Hiccup's side, giving him something to hang onto whenever he stumbled.
"Thanks, bud." Hiccup said gratefully, rubbing the dragon's head before giving it a pat and walking towards Astrid. "Here you are." He said, handing her a fish.
Hiccup pushed two more small logs into the small fire, Toothless shooting a plasma blast at it a second later to get a bigger flame. Hiccup settled on the ground beside Astrid, extending his fish towards the fire to slowly cook it.
"We could just have Stormfly quickly roast it…" Astrid said thoughtfully. Stormfly cracked an eye open, letting out a small squawk.
"I suppose… but it's never cooked evenly that way." Hiccup answered, and silence fell.
Hiccup hesitated a moment before wrapping his arm around Astrid's shoulders, drawing her closer to him so her head could rest against his shoulder. He smiled, actually feeling content as he rested his head against hers.
Toothless growled and lifted his head, glaring at the cave entrance. Stormfly did the same thing, letting out a hiss angrily at whatever unseen danger that lurked outside.
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, leaning forward a bit to look out the cave door. "Toothless?"
Toothless calmed down a bit, letting out one more bark out the door before turning back to face Hiccup, giving him a toothless smile.
"Hm, must've been a rabbit." Astrid mumbled, her head still resting on his shoulder.
Hiccup smiled and pressed a soft kiss against her hair, liking how her head fit perfectly on his shoulder or how right it felt to have his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He looked down, just as she looked up, and their eyes met.
Hiccup leaned forward and kissed her softly, finding that even though the moment wasn't at all perfect, it just didn't matter anymore. He just wanted to feel her lips against his, and timing didn't mean a thing to him at all.
Astrid pulled away, much to his disappointment. He somehow kept from making a sound of protest, althogh he really really wanted to.
"So... can we leave today? Or is Stormfly's wing too injured?"
Hiccup bit his lip and shook his head, his eyes falling on Toothless's broken tailfin.
"I...I'm not sure. But Toothless' tailifin is broken..."
She didn't look at all alarmed, just nodded and said matter a factly, "But you have a spare..." At his down cast look her face blanked, and she rested a hand on his arm, "...right?"
"I... it was in the saddlebags. And I-we must've lost them in the crash..."
Astrid sighed and leaned back, her eyes sliding closed as she said in an empty voice. "So... we're grounded."
Sorry for leaving you guys on a cliffie for… *checks calender* A WEEK!?
And haha, the cliffie still isn't resolved. XD But don't worry, it will… eventually!
If I calculated everything correctly, there should be six-seven chapters. So still three to four more to go!
Tootles for now, see ya next chapter! ;) :D