ARE WE ON CHAPTER 9 ALREADY!? It seems like just yesterday I was posting chapter 1! Wow! Time flies, I guess. :D So, thanks for all the encouraging reviews last chapter! You guys have NO IDEA how much they mean to me! And I love Hiccstrid, so there will be TONS of that in this fanfiction, just so you know. :D Anyways, enough of my ramblings! Here's chapter 9! :D

Now that she actually had a chance to look at Hiccup, she saw what the healers had been talking about. He was thinner than Astrid had ever remembered seeing him, his skin sweaty and clammy from the fever he sported, yet at the same time, cold as if he were freezing to death.

Gina had said something about not being able to get Hiccup to eat, and it definitely showed. Astrid could almost see his ribs through the light green shirt he was wearing, and she was quite certain that if she tried, she could count them, too.

She was scared for him. She hardly ever saw Hiccup openly admit - in words or in actions - that he was terrified, or in pain, but now, she had watched him do just that for nearly five minutes straight.

What had happened?

The first time Astrid saw the gash on Hiccup's stomach, she had been quite absolutely positive that it had come from a claw; not a sword, or a dagger, but a claw. Something had slashed Hiccup, and she was going to make sure it paid. It was making Hiccup suffer, along with Avril, and as soon as Astrid saw it, she was going to go to town on it with her axe and any other weapons she could grab.

She knew from what Hiccup had partially told her, too, that it was a dragon. Hiccup was an expert on dragons. He said that it had been a dragon, "darker than a Night Fury" that had done this to him and Avril.

Astrid felt as though she had lots of clues, yet no answers or results.

Astrid sat there, holding Hiccup in her arms gently, almost as if he would shatter if she held him too tightly. Hiccup slept for a few minutes, before his eyes jolted open again as he gasped for breath suddenly, just before he continued crying.

"Hiccup!" said Astrid, not expecting him to wake up so soon. "Hiccup, what's wrong?" she asked, this time in a calmer tone of voice. She didn't want to startle Hiccup, or scare him more than he already was.

"N...n-nightmares," Hiccup whimpered in a broken voice. "I c-can't...I c-c-can't close m-my eyes w-w-without s-seeing it." He continued crying, and Astrid held him, trying to comfort him and keep him calm.

"It's okay, Hiccup, I'm here," said Astrid. "Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps."

Hiccup shook his head, and Astrid didn't push him. If Hiccup didn't want to talk about it, then she didn't want to hear it until he was ready, if he ever was.

"Gina said that you're dehydrated," said Astrid, calling to mind what the healer had told her previously. "Do you want some water?"

Hiccup nodded, not even opening his eyes. Astrid reached over, picking up the empty cup from the desk, and then scooping some water from the bucket into it. She held it to Hiccup's lips, and he took about three sips before he pulled away, leaning back against Astrid's supporting arm.

Astrid set the cup aside again. She knew that he needed to be drinking a lot of water if he was to recover properly, but she couldn't force him to do that, especially not when he was so scared, hurt, and sick.

"Th...thanks, A-Astrid," Hiccup stuttered.

"You're welcome, Hiccup," said Astrid. "When you want more, just tell me, okay?"

Hiccup nodded, sinking deeper into Astrid's embrace. She kept her arms around him, worrying for him, thankful that he was finally awake, and was able to speak and drink, even if it was just a little bit. He was still crying, but not as hard as he had been before.

"You won't leave me...w-w-will you?" Hiccup stuttered, looking up at her. Astrid looked down at him, and felt her heart break about a million times over. Hiccup had such expressive eyes, that they betrayed all the pent-up emotions he was trying to keep to himself.

"Of course I won't!" said Astrid. "Yeah, I'm staying right here for as long as I can." She knew that she would have to leave as soon as the healer got there, and besides, she had been wanting to check on Avril and see if her condition had changed. However, for now, she wasn't going to leave the dragon rider.

The growl of a Night Fury alerted Astrid. She turned around and watched as Toothless stood up, moving over to his rider and sniffing him worriedly.

"Yeah, he'll be okay, Toothless," said Astrid. She wondered why the dragon hadn't been effected as Hiccup and Avril had been, but that wasn't the most important thing on her mind at that moment.

She stayed there for longer than she wished to think about. Toothless was curled up at her feet, Hiccup sleeping, tensed, sporadic, and disturbed in her arms. He whimpered frequently, and she tried to get him back to sleep before he fully woke up. Every time he awakened, he seemed more scared than he had previously been, and Astrid didn't like it one bit.

She wondered what was taking the healer so long, until she heard the door open, and Valarie entered the abode, looking at Astrid with saddened eyes.

"Avril is okay," said Valarie. "She is unconscious still, but she is okay. I think she's breaking out of her shock. In a few weeks, she should be back to normal."

"Thank you, Valarie," said Astrid. She looked back at Hiccup. "I know I'm supposed to leave now, and let you do what you need to," she said, "and I will, just so long as I can come back tomorrow." It was already dark outside, night having fallen in that same hour.

Valarie smiled reassuringly, and then nodded. Carefully, as not to wake him, Astrid untangled herself from Hiccup's limbs and laid him back down on the bed, running her hand over his forehead before stepping away, making for the stairs.

"Astrid," Valarie called to the girl, and Astrid stopped, turning around to face the healer. "Thank you, Astrid," she said.

"You too," said Astrid, and then left.