Okay, so I think that this will be my final update for today. There will be two more chapters after this one, and then an epilogue. :) Shout-outs next time. :D Enjoy chapter 16! There will be a bit of Fatherly!Stoick here in this chapter. :) Enjoy! :D
My Father was not a man to be easily frightened, worried, or scared. But when Astrid had kicked the door until my Dad had finally opened it, I had seen all three of those expressions on his face.
Once we made it to my door, Astrid and Snotlout took turns kicking it, not being able to knock, exactly.
"STOICK!" Astrid shouted. "STOICK, WE NEED YOU!"
An instant later, the door was open. My Father looked at Astrid, Snotlout, and then at me last.
"Hiccup!" he shouted, running forward and hefting me into his arms. I moaned painfully in response, my eyes flickering irritatingly as I fought to keep them open. I wasn't sure for how much longer I could have remained awake, my consciousness in tact.
"You two, go get Gothi," said my Dad to Astrid and Snotlout. They didn't have to be told twice, leaving and shutting the door behind them without another word elsewise.
"Hiccup?" my Dad whispered to me. "Can you hear me?"
"Y-yeah, I can...hear y-you," I managed, and then coughed twice. I felt my Dad tighten his grip on me almost as if he expected me to vanish. We were gone for roughly three days, I thought. He must have been worried. "M'fine," I tried to reassure him. "I'm too stubborn to die."
"Stubborn, yes," said my Dad, "but fine, no."
I moaned in both frustration and pain.
"Okay, I won't tease you," said my Dad. He held me in one massive arm while managing to lay a blanket out on the floor with the other. With that done, he gently laid me down on it before sitting down next to me himself. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.
I nodded half-heartedly. "Outcasts," I said. That was really all that I could get out at that moment. I felt too tired and weak to say much else.
"Are you hurt anywhere else besides your arm?" my Dad asked.
Oh, so he didn't know that I had been stabbed, okay.
Wait...
How was I supposed to tell him what had happened on Outcast Island without totally freaking him out?
Instead of telling him directly, I simply lifted part of my shirt. It was easier than speaking, and a whole lot easier than actually explaining. My Dad gasped at the sight of the bloodstained bandages bound around my stomach.
"Hiccup!" he exclaimed. I winced. "What happened!?"
"I t-told you," I stuttered, my teeth chattering. The room was suddenly cold. Too cold, perhaps. "O-Outcasts."
"What did they do to you!?" my Dad demanded, his voice heated with rage. I cringed at his voice.
"As...Ask A-Astrid, w-when s-s-she 'n S-Snotlout g-get ba-ack," I said, shivering. I really didn't feel like explaining to my Dad what had happened at that moment, especially since he seemed so mad.
"Okay, I won't push you," said my Dad after a second, calming down dramatically. He seemed to understand that I wasn't exactly in the mood for talking, really for obvious reasons, too.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably. Why was it so cold?
"Are you okay?" my Dad asked worriedly. He paused. "Well, that was a stupid question…"
I tried for a smile. "Yeah, b-but it's okay," I said. "I'm f-f-fine, really. D-don't worry a-about me."
"You know that's not going to happen, right?" said my Dad.
"Yeah," I said.
My Dad placed a hand on my forehead. I looked up, trying to see what he was trying to do, when he pulled away. "You feel kind of warm," he said.
That's strange. Then why did it feel so cold? I placed my good hand on my forehead just to clarify. "Oh, well, what d-do you know?" I said, lowering my hand again. "I do, don't I?"
My Dad nodded. "You look like you're shaking, though," he said. I nodded. He stood up, and before I could wonder where he went, he returned with another blanket, draping it over me.
"T-thanks," I said.
"The next time I see an Outcast," said my Dad, "I'll make them pay for this."
"We a-already took c-care of that," I assured. "Astrid and Snotlout did, anyway, along with the dragons..."
As if on cue, we heard a frantic roar from outside, followed by a large banging sound. Toothless was obviously trying to get it, more than likely to make sure I was alright.
Before I could ask my Dad to let Toothless in, it stopped altogether. Then, there was a THUMP from upstairs, followed by a dragon running down the stairwell. Toothless had jumped through my bedroom window.
"Hey, bud," I said, resting my good hand on his head. Toothless leaned into my touch and then licked me gently. "How are you holding up?" I asked.
Instead of answering, he dropped to my side and curled up right there. I sighed and patted his head gently, feeling content, despite the initial pain that was continuing to engulf my being.
"When will Astrid and Snotlout get here with Gothi?" my Dad asked, eying the door, speaking to himself more than he was speaking to me.
As if answering my Dad's question, Astrid and Snotlout burst through the door so quickly, I was certain I had heard one of the hinges snap.
"We got Gothi!" Astrid shouted, tumbling to the floor, Snotlout coming in on top of her. She growled under her breath and rolled over, jumping to her feet and racing over to us. Snotlout followed closely, the village healer trailing him.
"Wassup, guys?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful.
Astrid didn't look convinced. Her braid was messy, strands of hair finding their way out of it. "You're the one hurt, freckles," she said.
I frowned. She knew I hated to be called "freckles", and probably just called me that to get on my nerves. However, I chose to ignore it, because really, it didn't matter.
"Don't worry about me," I said. "I'm pretty resilient when it comes to things like this."
"I don't know what resilient means," said Snotlout.
"Maybe I'll tell you sometime," I said. "You don't sound so lackadaisical about learning the definition."
"I don't sound what?"
Gothi approached us, sitting next to me, everyone else moving away just slightly to give her room. I waited for her to examine me with bated breath.