Hiccup runs back to the village as fast as he can, not wanting to leave his newfound friend alone for long. Trees pass by in a blur and Hiccup trips over more than a few of their roots in his rush, scraping his palms against the earth. Still, the scratches on his palms don't deter him. He has one thing on his mind, and that is helping Toothless. Well, that and getting something for his arm. After Toothless licked it, the pain subsided slightly, but falling on it several times on his way back to the village has caused it to flare up again and start throbbing.
Once he nears the village, he slows down. The goal of this trip is to slip in and out without being noticed. Hopefully, this will be a dismissive kind of day where everyone on Berk just writes him off, instead of a 'let's blame all of our problems on Hiccup' kind of day. If it is the latter and he is seen, he'll be accosted with numerous complaints and there will be no way for him to get back to Toothless today.
Hiccup sneaks up to a house at the edge of the village, eyes roaming over all the Vikings in his sight. It seems there was a lot more damage done in the previous night's raid than Hiccup had been aware. Men and women alike are carrying lumber and tools from house to house. Others work on rebuilding and repairing. Sometimes it is just a new door or porch. Other times it is patching holes in a roof or clearing away piles of ashes to start construction anew on a home that had been completely demolished. With everyone this busy, it should be fairly easy for the Viking boy to remain unnoticed.
Hiccup moves as silently as he can, hiding behind the houses on the edge of the village. When he hears footsteps get a little too close for comfort, he pauses, waiting until the coast is clear to carry on. In little time, he is at the healer's house. He tiptoes over to the window at the back and peers inside. Gothi stands by the shelves that line the walls, her staff in one hand and herbs in the other. Her hut is extremely organized. Everything is labeled for easy access; if she ever needs someone to run and fetch something for her, they'll be able to find it. When he was younger, Hiccup spent a lot of time helping Gothi sort all of her herbs and flowers into their baskets and jars. Now, he spends more time in the forge with Gobber heating metal and designing new inventions. Still, on some days he misses the calming medicinal smell and quiet work environment at Gothi's. Calming and quiet are never used in the same sentence as Gobber.
With Gothi in her hut, Hiccup has encountered a problem. Though she likes him well enough, she won't just let him take anything; Gothi would only give him what he needs. She'll give him some wrappings for his arm, but that'll never be enough bandages for Toothless' tail too. Plus, there is no way she'll give him the herbs he will need to treat the wound on the dragon's tail where the fin has been torn off. Hiccup slumps down to sit in the dirt and think.
He has some bandages back at his hut for the occasional (he likes believing they are occasional) clumsy accident or bullying incident. There is enough there for his wrist. But the supplies for Toothless? That will have to come from Gothi's hut. Hiccup peers in the window, seeking out what he will need. Maybe he can reach some of it from the window and grab it when she has her back turned? Are his arms even long enough to get what he needs? It's not his best plan, but it will have to do if she doesn't leave. Patience is something he has in abundance though, unlike most Vikings, so he is perfectly content to wait for a bit to see if an opportunity will present itself.
Less than ten minutes later, Gobber runs inside. "We need some 'elp Gothi," the blacksmith says. "We were patchin' the roof on the Ingerman's hut when one of the boards fell and hit Mulch on the head. He's out cold."
Faster than a woman her age should be able to move, she grabs her medicine bag and staff and is out the door, leaving Gobber to chase after her.
Though sad it has come at Mulch's expense, Hiccup takes this opportunity to slip into Gothi's hut and grab the supplies he'll need for Toothless' tail. With his experience from helping her in the past combined with the observations he has made whenever she has treated his various injuries, he is able to know what he needs. And thanks to Gothi's organizational habits, he is able to find everything quickly and get out in no time. After leaving her hut, he again heads to the edge of the village, hiding behind the houses there until he reaches his own house. With all of the repairs being made in the village, Hiccup isn't worried about his father being home. As quickly as he can, he goes upstairs to his room and grabs the wrappings for his arm. Then he picks up his satchel and proceeds to stuff the bandages and herbs inside. Satisfied he has everything he needs, Hiccup heads outside and back into the woods.
Getting back to Toothless seems to take a lot longer than leaving him had. Though, that is probably down to his eagerness to see his new friend and begin righting his wrongs. Taking care of the wound on his tail won't be too difficult unless medicine for humans doesn't work on dragons. It's possible, but Hiccup is hoping that won't be the case. The real struggle will be figuring out how to help him fly again. That is something he will have to think on.
Hiccup's thoughts are so focused on Toothless that he almost doesn't notice the other teens in the woods ahead of him until it is almost too late. As soon as he realizes what he's about to walk into, he ducks behind the biggest tree he can find and begins eavesdropping.
"Ugh," Tuffnut groans with his usual dramatic flair, "why are we being tortured so?"
"We're not being tortured Tuff; stop being so overdramatic," Astrid says.
"Feels like torture to me…" Ruffnut mutters.
"This is important work," Fishlegs tries explaining. "You heard Stoick. If they don't finish all the houses today, some of the Viking families will have to stay in the Great Hall tonight. It's up to us to gather the firewood since the adults are doing the repairs."
There is a chuckle, most definitely from Snotlout. "It's only important to you because there's a huge hole in your house and you're too scared to sleep in it. What, are you worried a dragon will climb in through the ceiling while you're sleeping and eat you up?" He snickers again. "If you're so scared of dragons, why are you with us now? You known there could be wild dragons lurking in these woods."
Hiccup has to bite back his own laugh. Snotlout doesn't know how close he is to being correct. Except, Toothless doesn't seem like the kind of dragon to lurk. It is more likely he'd be playfully romping through the woods at the first sign of Hiccup.
Fishlegs huffs. "I'm not scared of the dragons," he insists. "It's just always good to keep your guard up. You can never be too careful."
There is no talking for a moment, just the sounds of them walking through the grass and picking up wood to burn. Leaves begin to rustle, and Hiccup swears he can feel Fishlegs' fear. Then the twins roar loudly, startling a few birds in the process. Fishlegs screams as the wood he'd gathered clatters to the ground. The twins and Snotlout laugh loudly at Fishlegs' expense. Hiccup wants to jump to his defense, but what can he do? They'd just turn on him instead and he needs to get back to Toothless.
All three of the troublemakers yelp in pain as Hiccup hears someone whack them with something. It sounds like a branch.
"Would you knuckleheads cut it out?" Astrid reprimands. "We have work to do! Besides, Fishlegs is right. It's good to always be vigilant. You never know when danger is just around the corner."
"We do when Hiccup is around!" Snotlout exclaims.
Tuffnut readily agrees. "Yeah! Hiccup and disaster go together like Gobber and the smell of rotting fish."
"Does he ever bathe?" Ruffnut asks.
There is silence, so Hiccup can only assume Tuff shrugs in response.
Astrid sighs in annoyance. "Come on, we need to bring this load back to the Great Hall so we can get some more."
Hiccup crouches down at the base of the tree, allowing the bushes to conceal him. The other teens march by without noticing him, but Hiccup doesn't dare come out of hiding until they are completely out of sight. As much as he hates to admit it, their words hurt. They are right though. Hiccup is clumsy and it seems that he has a knack for attracting catastrophe. But it isn't his fault! It's not like he asks to be a walking failure; it seems that he just can't help it.
With a much heavier heart than he'd had moments ago, he continues to the cove by Raven's Point.
Toothless is very excited to see Hiccup when he returns. The small Viking teen approaches his new friend and the dragon eagerly butts his head against Hiccup's hand, asking to be scratched. Hiccup laughs at the Night Fury's antics, but gives his scales a good scratch nonetheless.
"Hey bud," Hiccup laughs, "I haven't been gone that long. But it's nice to see you too!"
Toothless purrs loudly, the sound rumbling up from deep in his chest. Hiccup smiles and reaches back into his bag, pulling out the supplies he'd gathered for Toothless' tail.
"Look what I brought back, bud! Now I can start fixing up your tail."
He'd been expecting the black dragon to be excited at the prospect of fixing his tail. What he wasn't expecting was for Toothless to protest, which is exactly what the Night Fury is doing. He crouches down low, ear flaps back against his head, as he glares at the bandages.
Hiccup frowns. "Toothless, don't be ridiculous. This will make you feel better, I promise." Hiccup steps towards him, bandages still in hand, and the Night Fury leaps away from him. Now the Viking is getting concerned. He can't help Toothless if the dragon won't let him.
He tries again, gentler this time. "What's the matter bud? I'm just trying to help you." Hiccup attempts to approach the Night Fury again, but he just bounds away like before. Sighing, the Viking puts the bandages back into his satchel. Then he sits cross-legged in the grass and waits for the stubborn dragon to come to him. He doesn't have to wait long, thankfully. Soon enough, Toothless comes over and bumps Hiccup with his head.
"I don't understand why you're being so difficult. The sooner we fix your tail, the sooner we get you back in the air. I'm sure you miss flying." With Toothless closer, Hiccup tries reaching for the bandages again, but the dragon nudges his hand away.
Hiccup frowns, still not understanding. "It's like you don't want me to help you. I just don't get it." The Viking boy reaches out to pet him, but Toothless dodges his hand. Instead, the Night Fury nips at Hiccup's sleeve with his pink gums. It pulls back a little to reveal his still bruised wrist. Finally, it clicks.
"You-You want me to go first?" Hiccup asks. Toothless responds with a gentle croon and a soft nudge. Hiccup grabs for the bandages again and is pleased to find that Toothless isn't stopping him. Carefully, he wraps his arm one-handed. It is a bit tricky and pretty uncomfortable, but he manages to get the job done. Then, he turns his attention to Toothless.
The dragon has completely calmed down, and when Hiccup grabs the second set of bandages, he doesn't pull away. Moments ago, Hiccup had been growing frustrated at the Night Fury's stubborn antics. Now, Hiccup can't stop the smile spreading across his face as happiness wells up inside of him. Once again, Toothless has warmed his heart by being such a great friend.
Hiccup moves to Toothless' tail and begins coating it generously with the medicine. Once a decent amount had been applied, he wraps it securely with the bandages. During the entire process, Toothless stays perfectly still and well-behaved. Hiccup is grateful, as it makes the whole thing a lot easier. When finished, he smiles at Toothless and his friend smiles back. Hiccup is no expert healer, but he is pretty proud of his handiwork.
Hiccup is hoping that dragons can heal quickly. He doesn't want his new friend to be injured for any longer than he has to be. "Okay Toothless," he says, "your tail hopefully won't take too long to heal, but you need to be careful with it until then. Understand?" Toothless just butts his head against Hiccup's hand, asking to be scratched again. The teen rolls his eyes but complies with the wishes of his friend.
Not wanting to go back to the village and chance an altercation with the other teens, Hiccup decides to spend the rest of the day in the cove. Toothless curls up comfortably on the grass and Hiccup decides to sit with him. Leaning against his scales, he notices how warm his friend really is. He has always assumed that dragons, because they are scaly and supposedly heartless beasts, are also cold. This is definitely not the case. Toothless is warm and it makes Hiccup feel safe. The Viking teen pulls his journal and charcoal out of the little pocket in his vest. He has work to do if Toothless is ever going to fly again. Sketching the tailfin is quite easy; it's the measurements that are the problem. Technically, he can work with approximations and measure using his hands. However, that won't be nearly as accurate actually using his measuring tape, and he wants to do it right. Toothless deserves only the best fitting tailfin, and that's what he is going to get.
Once he has the basic tailfin sketch that he can add measurements to later, he moves onto designing something else. A saddle. Now, he isn't completely sure Toothless will want him to ride on his back, and if that is the case then he won't, but as Hiccup imagines soaring high above Berk with nothing but him and his new best friend, he can't help the smile that spreads across his face. He draws the saddle just in case.
Eventually Hiccup notices the sun beginning to set and he realizes that he has to leave. He rises to his feet and stretches his hands high over his head. After sitting hunched over his sketchbook for so long, he hears a satisfying pop in his back. While Toothless is comfortable, the ground is not.
Hiccup smiles sadly at Toothless, "I've got to go bud, but I'll be back tomorrow. I promise."
Toothless looks up at him with wide green eyes and croons sadly. Hiccup scratches his scales affectionately before giving into the urge to hug his scaly friend. When he lets go, Toothless gives him one final nudge before he leaves for the Village.
The sky is dark, the sun having fully sunken beneath the horizon, and Hiccup stands outside his house. Slouching with exhaustion, he would like nothing more than to get some sleep after the harrowing twenty-four hours he's just had. But still, he can't bring himself to enter his home. He'd shot down a Night Fury today. He hadn't killed it. In fact, he'd let it go. He'd become friends with it even! Obviously, he can't tell his father, but he can't help but think of what the chief's reaction would be if he did. Stoick would be furious; he absolutely despises dragons. His father would probably never speak to him again. Maybe he'd even disown him. Hiccup isn't sure he'd blame him. Vikings are supposed to be strong and stubborn. The one thing everyone in the Berk agrees on is fighting dragons, and Hiccup has failed miserably. With all of that swirling around in his head and weighing heavily on his shoulders, the last thing Hiccup wants to do is go inside, but he can't stay outside forever. Might as well get it over with.
Hiccup pushes open his front door and is quite surprised to find his father packing. "What's going on Dad?" he asks.
Stoick looks up. "Ah, Hiccup! I - uh… we need to talk."
Hiccup's stomach churns. His father couldn't possibly have found out about Toothless. Right? "Sure," he says, trying to act casual. "What is it?"
The towering chief clears his throat. "Well son, I was talking to Gobber today. As you know, dragon training starts first thing in the morning, and we've decided it's about time you learn to fight the fire-breathing beasts."
Hiccup swallows nervously. This is the last thing he wants to deal with today. "But… I don't think I'm ready." Good thinking Hiccup, he thinks to himself, try to change his mind.
"That's the point!" Stoick says, growing a bit louder. Hiccup struggles not to cower at his booming voice. "You're completely unprepared to deal with dragons! If a raid were to happen tomorrow, would you be able to protect yourself? Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't been killed by your incompetence already." Hiccup tries to ignore the hurt he feels at his father's words. He isn't successful; Stoick can see it on Hiccup's face. The chief takes a breath to calm himself before trying again.
"Hiccup, as the chief of this village, it's my job to be concerned about the safety of my people. But as your father, I worry about you especially. I can't always be right there to protect you and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt or worse. I lost your mother to those monsters; I won't lose you too. Now, I'm not asking for you to become the best dragon slayer Berk has ever seen. I'm just asking for you to learn to defend yourself properly. It's what your mother would have wanted."
Stoick rarely talks about his wife, and the village doesn't like to bring her up, so Hiccup has hardly ever heard about his mother. Of course, he's heard of how she'd been carried off by dragons when he was just a babe, but hearing his father talk about it? He can't help the way his throat feels a little tight and his eyes begin to shine.
"Okay Dad," Hiccup says in defeat, "I'll try my best."
Stoick smiles. "There's a good boy." He grabs the bag he'd been packing and slings it onto his back. "I'm leading one last search for the dragon's nest before the ice sets in. Train hard while I'm gone. I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Probably." And then he is gone.
Hiccup watches as the heavy door swings shut behind him. When a single tear rolls down his cheek, he doesn't bother to brush it away. Instead, he slowly makes his way up the stairs to his room, flops down on his bed, and closes his eyes. Yes, it really has been a long day.