Reckless... Or Selfless?
A HttyD Fanfiction
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Rated T for Graphic/Detailed Blood and Injury... Also, there's references to cannibalism. Like, it's actually kinda obvious... Oh, and as the last chapter surprise, we get a swear word! Yay!
Genres are Hurt/Comfort/General
Set in Race to the Edge, mid-Season 2, after Ep.9
Warnings- Head canons, such as the cousin-relationship between Hiccup and Snotlout will be displayed. Also, possible Hiccstrid later on.
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Having a slowly dying person in your arms after being attacked is bad enough. Change the details to, I don't know, maybe a RAPIDLY dying cousin, trapped in an unstable icy cavern with a CANIBALLISTIC dragon, after being ambushed and currently hunted by Dragon Hunters, with ABSOLUTELY no means to call for help? Welcome to Snotlout's amazing weekend.
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CHAPTER NINE: Safe and Sound (Here to Stay)
"I can't believe this actually happened! Oh, Thor, what if-" Fishlegs was pacing back and forth, fearing for his friend's life, as was everyone else.
He was silenced by the Deathsong's hiss, perched on the edge of the platform, wings tucked to her sides and her eyes locked on the door. She had proven she was quite intelligent, understanding of what was at stake, and what was going on.
Thanks to her burst of speed, and going ahead, she had gotten Hiccup back to Dragon's Edge before they had officially lost him.
Not long after, Snotlout, Hookfang and Toothless arrived, the latter having to explain everything in a few short lines as the other riders basically panicked; the twins pointing weapons and the dragons readying fire at the Deathsong, Astrid holding Hiccup in her arms, and Fishlegs whipping his head back and forth, unable to take it all in (he ended up fainting).
From there, they sent Airmail to Berk, and help made its way over with Stoick and Gobber in tow. Gothi said they needed to perform surgery, and they had to wait outside, which was where they were now.
The Deathsong knew she was being stared at.
Everyone except Toothless and Snotlout, wrapped up in blankets and warm clothes, were afraid to be too close, although, to her relief, Hookfang trusted her enough to stand by her side, warming her up with his body heat to fight the remains of the icy cavern.
Toothless was sat at her other side, much closer. He worried and cooed in anticipation, worried sick. And now, after getting to know Toothless, she couldn't really blame him.
She herself had grown quite attached to the boy, despite barely knowing him. The Deathsong sighed, looking at her tail curled at her feet.
She just hoped they would eventually accept her.
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The door swung open, one of the healers stepping out. Everyone immediately stood upright, holding their breaths.
"The operation was successful-" She said, and everyone released their breath. "-But it's going to be one heck of a battle. Although if anything, it's the hypothermia and blood loss we're concerned about."
"But he's going-" Snotlout sneezed, "-To be alright?" He looked at her pleadingly. "Right?"
She looked up at group of faces- the entire gang and their dragons were there, somehow managing to fit on the platform(she had no idea how that was even possible, although Barf & Belch and Meatlug were hovering in the air). She slightly cowered at the sight of the huge Deathsong, despite how concerned it looked... Huh, she was almost cute...
She nearly laughed, seeing even the Night Terrors were waiting for her response.
She spotted the leader, known as Smidvarg, looking absolutely adorable and helpless, clearly worried for the leader of the outpost. Now now, she couldn't say no to him. "He'll be alright, just be on guard for anything- it's going to be rough, I think."
"Can we see him?" Astrid asked, and the healer paused, hesitant.
She sighed, knowing very well they wouldn't take no as an answer. "Fine... But single file, please." The other healers walked out, passing glances and nods to the group as they passed, probably walking back to their dragons. Because they wanted to be safe he was going to pull through, they would be staying for a week or so, residing in the stables with their dragons. Stoick and Skullcrusher had requested someone to fill in for them on Berk, (hopefully not Spitelout, with his huge fat ego) and Gobber would probably stay until he went.
As for the Deathsong? Well, no one really knew what she was going to do. They just figured it would all work out in the end.
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The Deathsong watched as the twins, named Ruffnut and Tuffnut, exited the hut, looking slightly disappointed at the short time they were inside.
She had sit here, watching as the others made their way in to see Hiccup, and came out, before going off to their own huts for a bit of rest. The dragoness watched as that Astrid girl walked inside, and the boy's father began talking to one of the woman who saved his hatchling's life- no, wasn't it 'children' for humans? She shook it off with a heavy sigh, racking her brain. It seemed, no matter what she told herself, going in to see him wasn't a good idea...
The others would probably be panicking, even before she set a foot in the doorway- there was no way they would let her in, and she knew it. They didn't trust her, and for good reason- she was a cannibalistic, amber-trapping, demon creature with wings. A monster.
She bit her tongue, remembering how she had nearly killed and eaten each one of these strange humans, and her fellow dragons- her own kind. Before, it had only seemed natural- they deserved to suffer as she had- but now...
Now... It made her sick to the stomach. To be honest, the mere thought of fresh meat made her feel awful on its own- she didn't know how she could possible return to her home on Melody Island.
All she wanted with those poor dragons, still stuck on the island in her amber, was to free them, and just pray to the gods above and the stars that they could forgive her.
Dragons were supposed to eat fish; not other dragons.
She broke that, and it was horrible, sinful- she didn't deserve to live... She didn't deserve this chance.
The riders should have killed her on sight- it would've been safer. She feared that her cannibalistic instincts would come back, any moment now, and she would lose control. Kill them all, tearing through their flesh...
Suddenly, her words came true. And it wasn't pretty. At all.
Her stomach lurched, her neck arching forward. She vomited the meagre contents of her stomach, right on the spot, and she was barely aware that the others were staring worriedly and shouting. She felt her stomach twist and turn, eventually sending her falling forwards.
She felt a strong neck underneath her own, scaly and warm. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the blurry outline of Hookfang, growling worriedly at her.
A hand rested on her shaky neck, and she looked up to see Snotlout. "Hey... Come on, let's get you settled down..."
That was the last thing she heard, as she blacked out into unconsciousness.
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Snotlout walked into the clubhouse, trailed by Hookfang.
He still had blankets wrapped around his shoulders, still having the chills from the previous events, his arm to his chest with a cast on.
Astrid, Stoick and the others were already sat down, with the exclusion of Gobber, who had the unfortunate (and very disgusting) task of cleaning up the Deathsong's mess.
"Hey," Astrid said, waving him over, "Come on, you mutton head, and sit down."
Snotlout smiled; he knew, deep down, no matter what, his friends were his family, and they loved him- deep down, in certain situations, under specific conditions, of course... So, basically, only when he nearly dies from freezing in a ice cavern, with a cannibalistic dragon, with a broken arm, was he treated in this way. Especially by Astrid.
He sat down beside her, Hookfang walking over to the far wall and curling up beside Meatlug.
"So..." Fishlegs said, "Just out of curiosity, how did you... Train... The Deathsong?"
The adolescent paused, eyes now on him. How did he respond...? "Well," he started, "I didn't." The others blinked. "I didn't really train her, so to speak. She sorta... Just changed allegiances. Don't ask me how or why... She must of realised it wasn't right... I guess..." Everyone suddenly froze.
"Wait..." Tuffnut spoke lowly. "The Deathsong is a girl?!"
Snotlout nodded, and everyone's jaw dropped. He and his dragon immediately broke into laughter, the group's expressions priceless. "How... Did you... Not know?!" He gasped between wheezes, and he soon received a punch from violent woman to his good shoulder. "Ow! Hey, that's my good arm!"
Laughing, he leaned back, his mind drifting to the Deathsong. "Hey... What are we going to do... You know, about the Deathsong."
The others were silenced, until Stoick spoke up. "Couldn't the dragon stay here?"
Everyone blinked at their Chief, shocked simply at the concept. Snotlout honestly didn't mind the sound of it, albeit it sounded a bit scary. He still got the creeps from the dragoness...
"Are you serious?! It's the Deathsong! Have you NOT heard of what it does? What about its diet?" Fishlegs shrieked, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. The twins slumped, clearly waning the dangerous dragon around in their everyday life.
"Well, she could become a valuable defence means- almost like the Night Terrors." Stoick explained.
He pressed on with his point. "It may be a risk, but it's better off than leaving her to her own business- and have the option to take more lives. Is it not?"
The riders exchanged looks, everyone except one being convinced- Fishlegs, who was now being looked at expectantly.
"What?" He cried. "You can't expect me to want a Deathsong on Dragon's Edge! It nearly ate me!"
Astrid snorted. "It nearly ate all of us, Fishlegs. But it's worth the risk, and it'll be saving lives of dragons. I say we ask her if she wants to stay."
"YES! Whoo hoo- Oh Thor, this is the best thing ever!" Tuffnut jumped out his seat, dancing with his sister. They clanged helmets, and slumped to the floor grinning like fools. Fishlegs whimpered, tapping his finger together nervously.
Astrid stood up, hands on hips. "All in favour of the Deathsong staying on Dragon's Edge, say I."
Fishlegs whimpered even louder, as a chorus of Dragon Riders answered her.
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Hiccup blinked, groaning. Oh, his head...
"Toothless..?" He managed to slur out, and was received with a happy coo, a wet tongue to the face, and a overjoyed Night Fury face.
He laughed weakly, reaching a hand up to wipe the saliva off his face.
Toothless jiggled in his spot a bit more, causing his rider to smile faintly. Hiccup became concerned, seeing bandages around his paw, tail, and a wing cast. He suddenly remembered what had happened, and sucked in a breath. "Snotlout?" He called out, worried.
He appeared to be back in his own hut on Dragon's Edge, nice and toasty like he knew it.
"Well, good morning. No, wait... It's afternoon, you mutton-head." Hiccup grinned, seeing his cousin come into view. He looked a bit peachy, but overall, the stubborn knuckle-head looked alright. He sighed with relief internally.
He sat in a chair beside his bed, giving Toothless a pat on the head. Hiccup noticed his broken arm with a snort. Well, it was quite a situation, so it only made sense he would be injured too. Speaking of which, everything hurt. Except for his numb ankle. "So, cuz, how are you feeling? I did have to keep you warm in that cave for hours, so you may as well pay up with cooperation here."
Hiccup sighed; typical Snotlout. "Well, thank you for that. And I feel great- I could run a marathon!" After a moment, he gave him an unamused look. "...Although honestly, I feel like shit." He laughed, as Snotlout's eyes widened to saucer size and his jaw dropped a million feet.
"Hiccup! You naughty boy!" He mockingly shouted, and was tempted to hit him. His cousin smirked.
"Awww, can't hit me? If only I wasn't recovering..." Hiccup covered his head with his arms, as Snotlout gave him a threatening glare. A few minutes later, he left to go get a healer, leaving him alone with Toothless; or so he thought.
His head whipped up, as a soft growl filled the room. He spun his head around, as he sucked in a breath.
What was the Deathsong doing here?!
Just as he was about to scream, Toothless slipped his head under Hiccup's arm, purring. Hiccup stared at his dragon, shocked, his heart rate increasing as the dragon slowly stepped completely out of the shadows.
It cocked its head onto one side, its pupils wide and un-Deathsong like.
"Uh... Hello... Nice... Dragon...!" The Deathsong made a clicking noise, looking at Toothless in a questioning manner. The Night Fury gave it a soft roar, and the dragon slowly crept up to his bedside, so its face was only a few feet from him.
He edged as far away as he could from it, terrified. What mind controlling powers had it used on Toothless?!
Fearing the worst, as it lowered its head close to his face, he squeezed his eyes close, and hugged Toothless tight, glad his last moment was with Toothless, even if he was mind-controlled... He sucked in his breath, waiting, dreading, as he realised his dragon would be next... Desperate, he clung tighter to his dragon, whining, as he felt tears slip out of his eyelids... This was it...
His eyes flew open. A scaly snout touched the side of his trembling neck, and a soft coo escaped the Deathsong.
Looking up, he stared. The dragon he thought was going to kill him, had its head pressed right up close to him, its pupils wide and remorseful as it gently nudged him again and again. One wing rested on his bed over his legs (one was broken), the other neatly tucked at its side. Its bright, vibrant colours glowed in the faint sunset rays, and he could see bandages wrapped around certain parts of its body...
Wait, what? The riders had taken care of it...?
Suddenly he realised what was going on; the Deathsong had been trained...? He faintly remembered seeing the Deathsong in the cavern, but... He had thought it was trying to kill them...
It bumped its head against him once more, and some how, that him in tears.
Toothless stepped back, watching with adoration (and a tint of jealousy) as he embraced the dragon's head, sobbing freely. Snotlout walked in, immediately smiling and leaning against Toothless, emotional himself.
After what seemed like an eternity, the young heir lifted his head, meeting the dragon's yellow gaze. He wasn't too sure why he just did that, but some reason it only seemed right.
As if his cousin had read his mind, he answered his question. "I'm not too surprised." He said, stepping forward. "She- and yes, the Deathsong is female- she's been in here ever since you came back, and I should mention, on her back. Believe it or not, she's the reason we're here now."
The fuzzy memories coming one by one, Hiccup nodded, still in slight disbelief. He had never expected the Deathsong to be so... Compassionate.
He looked the dragoness up and down, amazed. Now that she wasn't trying to kill him, she truly was beautiful. Toothless and Snotlout appeared to be comfortable in her presence, and Hiccup wasn't far off. Looking over to next to Toothless, he spotted a pile of blankets laid out, with the imprint of the Deathsong etched on. He chuckled.
"So, I guess you've been on Hiccup duty with Toothless, huh?" The Deathsong growled excitedly, nuzzling him and shaking happily. Snotlout smirked.
He inspected a fingernail, casual. "Well, get used to it." Hiccup froze. "As long as it's ok with you, of course- the others have already agreed."
Hiccup looked at him, suspicious. "What... What are you talking about?"
"The Deathsong wants to stay. On Dragon's Edge." Snotlout said, and Hiccup gaped, staring at the Deathsong with wide eyes.
"You want to stay?" He asked, and she purred, nodding. He blinked. "Well, then... I guess we'll need another rock slab for in here. That, or you're sharing, Bud." He grinned, scratching both dragons at once.
Snotlout smirked. "So, who's on Hiccup duty first?"
The End
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A/N:
Whoo! 'Wipes sweat off brow' Oh boy... It's done... You ready for the mushiness?
Oh my Thor, it's done. It's done. We're finally there. It's been so long! (Brain: Actually, Crystal... It's only been, like, a month...) SHUT UP, BRAIN! But, back on topic...
Full seriousness, I'm so happy, yet I'm sad. No joke, I could cry right now. You know when authors finish their story, and say how bitter-sweet it is? Well, I can finally relate.
But I wouldn't be here, without you amazing guys. I can't stop smiling right now, because I love you guys so much! THIS IS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOUUU! And in my book (correction, this book), that's a lot.
So, I've only got one more thing to say down there, so I'm going to close it off now.
Oh, and one more quick thing- Happy Easter! (Just eating some chocolate eggs... So it kinda reminded me.)
Forever loving my fellow Dragonites, with all my heart, In all I do, signing out,
Crystallion12.
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The future of 'Reckless or Selfless?':
Well, long story short, I'm not absolutely sure. Basically, to sum it up, as of now, I only have a One-Shot set in this AU that is confirmed- and probably coming soon. But as for a sequel, well, that's what I want to talk about.
I'd like to say that there is a possible sequel coming. When, I have no idea. And the plot? Only just going through the brainstorming here. There are two aspects I definitely want to explore regarding this fanfiction, and I'll probably be putting them together, if I make a sequel.
So, it's practically up in the air right now. But yes, it is very possible.
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(Oh my Thor- #TryingToGraspThatThisIsTheLastTimeIDoThisForThisFanfic... Wow. That was long.)
SHOUTOUTS:
FabinaForever11- Well, we've finally made it- And Thor, has it been a long road. At least, that's what it feels like. But, on the point here, thanks for all your support! It means a ton to me. :)
alejg- It is/was your birthday? Well, well then, congrats, if that's the case! And yeah, poor translator... I now have it on my tabs, thanks to your reviews- I'm sure it'll be extra handy in the future- and yeah, I know how you feel. Updates and release dates. Ugh. And about the AU? I'll think about it, but I'm afraid it's not very likely, as I don't really do Modern AUs.
Eeveecat1248- It was? Sorry 'bout that... I must admit, I can see why. It was really going back and forth there, and I know it. I was aware of it when I wrote the chapter, but I simply had to get it out there or else I was going to die of guilt. Thanks for the review!
midnightsky0612- Oh, haha. Thanks so much for the review, and sticking with me for the journey- it means the world to me!
PS- All reviewers, from Chapter One to Nine, expect to receive a personal PM from me! I love you guys so much, and simply just seeing your reviews makes me squeal and grin like a fool- and I'm being serious about the latter on that one. I'm smiling right now. Honest.
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Special Thanks To:
Reviewers-
FabinaForever11 , LightningAndDeathItself218 , Dannrose , midnightsky0612 , hixup , Zellona , CerebralCortex31 , xBubbleGirlx , alejg , Eeveecat1248
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Favourites-
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Thank you guys, for all your support, no matter what way it came in- I love you guys to the end of time, each and every one of you. Now, I need to step out of mushy-land, and post this! Booyah!
DRAGONITES UNITE!
Crystallion12.