Chapter 8 - Shadows - Week 2 "I was wondering," Hiccup said between bites of his meal, "what do you think happened to my boat? I mean, I didn't swim here." They were in the familiarity of 'their' hearth as Hiccup was getting slowly accustomed to the idea that the only memories he possessed were created in the last two weeks and so their shared living space had become partially his. Ardala finished her bite of mutton stew and carefully fixed her hair so that it would not graze the floor that Hiccup had swept just the night before. "No idea." She said with a slight twitch of one corner of her mouth. "We never did find a boat or remains of a boat. I think you were really lucky." Hiccup was relieved that their conversation had gotten more natural and relaxed as time passed but he was intrigued with his near death experience as it was a complete mystery to him. "Lucky I'm alive." "Well, that too." Ardala smiled, "Also lucky the fall didn't kill you, that dragons didn't eat you, or that they didn't drop you in the water." Viking pride got the better of him, "I might have been a swimmer." Ardala tutted, "In mating season you're not." Hiccup sprayed the contents of his mouth halfway across the room. It was a fairly impressive sight. "Wait, what?!" Ardala could not help but laugh at the look on his face as it was priceless and frozen in a gaze of post shock. "The Electrified Sea-wings are mating this time of year. They get pretty violent. So yeah, you're lucky or you wouldn't be here talking to me today." She put her hand on top of his very delicately and gave him a warm smile. He excited slightly at her touch though it was not the first and felt a true connection with his rescuer though something kept telling him not to reciprocate the gesture and so it stayed where it was; two hands together on the table top in friendship. The silence that ensued and the expectant look on his companions face gave him the feeling that it might not stay that way forever. By the third week since his arrival in Auroros, Hiccup had met and made friendships with almost everyone in the village. They enjoyed his optimism despite any discomfort he might have had and his lack of memories. He had interesting ideas for improving the village it seemed he had healed enough to attempt to rediscover his skill set. He was quite knowledgeable in the forge but the broken arm still needed a little time and so he worked with leather while the forge waited for him. He had been delighted to discover that he was left handed and so his useless right arm was not as big of a drawback as he might have guessed. His drawings and plans started to accumulate and the forge master worked the fire and manipulated the materials that Hiccup as of yet, could not. Soon they had made a friendship and shared insights, fuelling each other's creativity and making higher quality items of more variety than was possible prior to Hiccup's arrival. The weather had turned somewhat cold but it was nothing unbearable. For some reason Hiccup felt as if he was bracing for some sort of onslaught that did not appear to be coming. The air never got cold to the point that he would not venture outside and walk. At certain points of the day, he felt compelled to travel and acted upon these impulses regularly. He never left the village after the warnings Ardala gave him though he was more than curious at the shadow that plagued him every night near the hour he would be heading back to the chief's hut at the far end of the village. It was on a slight rise where the tree line was slightly less dense, but present nonetheless and they shrouded the presence in a dark haze. The creature gurgled and moaned as if in lament and unnerved Hiccup even as he was becoming used to the spirit that plagued him though he dared not tell the other people in the village. "They would think I was crazy." He said quietly to himself after he thought he had seen the creature manifest yet again, but then shook his head as the act of talking to oneself was often considered slightly crazy as well. Hiccup soon realized that the stalking presence could not breach the barrier of protective trees that encircled the village and so while he was contained within their walls he supposed he was safe. The fundamental problem which occurs when someone gets used to an uncomfortable situation is that after a while fear loses its potency and leaves room for the curious mind to start contemplating. A sound at the far end the room surprised him but was discovered to be only Ardala come back for the evening. She had a basket in her hand containing freshly plucked and processed leaves from the Ardala fields. Her protective face mask was hung loosely around her neck. "Oh good." she smiled and Hiccup found himself at once feeling a little warmer, "I was hoping you were still up." Hiccup shied away slightly as he felt his pulse quicken and his cheeks get a little hot. Suddenly his hands did not know what to do anymore and so he began to fidget with the fork he had used to consume his boiled potato. "Um... Why's that?" He stammered and thought his voice sounded a little higher than it should have. He hoped to the gods she did not notice. Ardala placed her basket on the table then untied the back edge of the mask, allowing it to fall freely on the table. She looked at him with those beautiful green faceted eyes and bade him sit down. "I need to get a look at those stitches and change your bandages." He heaved a sigh but understood the necessity of it and so he removed his tunic to reveal blackened bruises on his ribs already turning to shades of yellow and brown as well as the dressing from two days ago which did not have any staining whatsoever. He flopped down onto the kitchen stool while Ardala retrieved a bubbling pot of boiling water from the fire and a clean washcloth from the cupboard. Leaves of the healing Ardala plant were placed in the bottom of a large bowl which was then filled up with the hot liquid and placed on a small table next to the stool. She took out a small vial of yellow powder from her dress pocket and sprinkled a small amount into the bowl. "What's that?" He asked with curiosity. "This?" She asked gesturing to the bottle which she hastily stoppered and placed back into her pocket. "It's pollen from the Ardala plants. They contain a numbing agent. I don't want to hurt you too much while I clean the wounds."

Hiccup had been apprehensive about picking at his mending wounds and winced when she gently touched a suture on his arm.
"Did that hurt?" She asked with concern.
Hiccup shook his head 'no' though he continued to make little facial gestures while she worked. It was not painful, and the longer she worked with the soft cloth imbued with healing properties, the less uncomfortable it became, but the idea of all the little dried pieces sticking out of his skin made him feel somehow squeamish. Ardala made an excellent bed side nurse however and soon he forgot about stitches and instead began to focus on how gentle she was with the wash cloth, the care she took to make sure he was comfortable and the warmth of the water. He allowed his eyes to close as his body relaxed and let her do her magic. Her touch was so delicate and her skin was surprisingly soft as her fingers brushed his back and he could not help but tremble slightly when she happened to touch sensitive areas near his shoulder blades. "Some of the stitches look like they'll be ready to come out soon." She murmured and Hiccup could not help but feel how warm her breath felt on his shoulder in stark contrast to the chill in the air. He closed his eyes and drank in her scent, trying to determine how brave he was and if he was reading her correctly. He placed his hand on hers where it lay resting near his neck. Gently guiding her to face him he looked at her closely. Her face was full of caring and compassion and the few lines that obligation had given her seemed to nearly vanish with such a gentle expression of care. Her long black hair was combed straight and gathered loosely on the hearth floor where she knelt to look him in the eye. Her own green eyes were a brilliant emerald iridescence in the waning fire light.
"I just wanted to thank you so much for... You know... Everything." He had said it with much flickering of his pupils and a few unnecessary gestures of his head. He felt alarmingly aware of clammy palms and his shirt which seemed suddenly too tight as he contemplated letting go of her porcelain hands before he should start to sweat and embarrass himself further but Ardala held firm.
She lowered her head but looked up, making her already large eyes look huge and Hiccup could feel his resolve wavering. "You were worth it." She murmured, one hand clasping his and the other briskly tracing lines on his knee.
His confidence leapt and he did something then that before had seemed impossible with his high degree of anxiety and doubt; he placed one of his hands behind her neck and easing her towards his face he bridged the gap between them and gently kissed her. She in turn closed her eyes and kissed him back but deeper and placed her own hands behind his neck. She ran her fingers through his hair and maintained her position kneeling on the floor.
While Hiccup, the boy without a family or recollection of his former life applauded himself for his initiative, Ardala had reason to give herself silent congratulations. Her plan was going even better than she could have hoped. All she needed was time.

"Any sign yet lass?" Astrid noted the edgy quality of his voice as if he were a bowstring drawn too tightly and threatening to break. She shook her head in quiet resignation that something had happened to Hiccup or he would be back by now. It had been three weeks and no sign of him anywhere by dragon or by sea and so everyday Astrid became irritable and restless which she dealt with by patrolling obsessively and ever honing her skills with her axe. She had taken to eating and sleeping very little out of worry and blamed herself for allowing her apprehension sour Hiccups departure and as she was convinced, caused him to not want to get back to his hometown as soon as he could have.
"He has the fastest dragon." she smiled bravely though Stoic immediately saw right through the facade.
"It's too late to go after him." He mused while looking out over the horizon. "The freeze is days away, I can feel it and we might never find him." He uttered the syllables with a note of finality and it chilled Astrid to the bone. A multitude of scenarios that had less than nothing to do with their ill-timed fallout flooded her imagination and made her cringe. What if it was already too late? What if Hiccup and Toothless had never made it to Auroros and no one would ever find them or know what befell them on their journey? Astrid bit her lip in quiet contemplation while Stoic silently resigned himself to his hut at the top of the hill. He looked defeated and tired so before he had finished shutting the heavy wooden door behind him, Astrid had steeled into action. She would not wait until spring to discover Hiccup's fate; she would take the initiative and discover it for herself, for better or for worse. She ran to her own hut as fast as her legs could carry her, packed her provisions and left a note for her parents to inform them of her decision. The Hoffersons were in the woods hunting for more meat to dry so as to contribute to the stores already laid out in the great hall in preparation of winter, she could not wait a moment longer in the hopes that they would return. She had to leave and it had to be at that moment.

"I'm sorry." Read the note on the table and immediately Astrid's mother knew what was surely coming. She read on, the usually meticulous runes she was familiar with seemed almost to move as if they had inherited some small spark of life when the hand wrote them at what was surely a great speed. "I made a mistake and now I have to attempt to fix it. I am packed and yes, I have enough warm clothes and blankets. Don't worry too much and I should be home as soon as I can. Love Astrid. P.S, I took the last of the peas pudding, but left the haggis, sorry.

-
Astrid took little notice of the cold as she flew Stormfly over the icy sea in search of Hiccup. Her pelted cape was warm enough despite the wind but what mostly keep her oblivious to the elements was her determination to figure out what had happened to Hiccup. She made sure she kept a wary eye for boats, flotsam or anything out of the ordinary in the event that someone had seen the boy flying back to Berk.
Days were short but felt eternal as Astrid observed no sign of anything that looked familiar or noteworthy. She did not like the idea of having to travel that great distance on Stormfly who was excellent at agility and was significantly speedier than other Nadders was no night fury. Astrid's trip would take nearly twice as much time as Hiccup's.