Hiccup shivered as the nighttime breeze blew by his already soaked-through clothes. He sat cross-legged on the ground with a short stick in hand and continued working on his nearly finished drawing of a dragon in the dirt. The fresh soil was the only thing surrounding him for a few yards, making it the perfect place to work on his designs.
"I see you have found the sacred grounds where we grow our healing herbs."
Hiccup's eyes widened and his head swerved around so fast that it took a moment for his vision to focus on the old man standing behind him. Old Wrinkly's weary eyes gleamed amusedly in the moonlight as he noticed the many small drawings that littered the ground. He leaned against the walking stick he held in his hand.
"I-I-I am so sorry!" Hiccup stuttered out as he quickly sprung to his feet, the drawing stick forgotten on the ground. "I didn't know this place was...um...sacred."
"I understand," Old Wrinkly said. "You draw when you're upset."
"Oh. I'm not upset. No. Why would I be upset?" Hiccup rubbed his hands against his sides to get rid of any excess dirt that clung to his sweaty palms.
"I don't know?" Old Wrinkly said. "Tell me: why would you be upset?"
Hiccup sighed, knowing it was useless to try and hide it any longer. "I really messed up today. You should've seen it. They're probably going to start making a memorial for me soon based on my performance today."
"Probably," Old Wrinkly agreed with a shrug.
"And Astrid hates me!" Hiccup groaned, throwing his hands up in the air for extra emphasis before letting them flop back down at his sides again.
"Totally," Old Wrinkly nodded.
Hiccup blinked at him. "You're...um...not going to try and cheer me up?" he asked.
"Are you expecting me to?" Old Wrinkly asked in return.
Hiccup stared at the old man, his mind whirring. "I mean...I don't know? Maybe? You're here to give me advice, right? Isn't that what the great, all-knowing Old Wrinkly does?"
Old Wrinkly wheezed out a shaky laugh. "If that's what you want," he croaked out humorously.
"I don't know...Maybe I should just quit like Master Grimborn wants," Hiccup gave in. "It'll make things so much easier for everyone. Then I can go home and work as a blacksmith for the rest of my life and hope that they'll all forget about me."
"Quit, don't quit. Stay, go home….Whatever you choose, go ahead. But remember, some of the greatest gifts come in small packages," Old Wrinkly said. He paused right before he turned around to leave, and a weak smile spread across his wrinkled face. "Here. My stick is better for drawing. The tip is sharper." He handed a stunned Hiccup his walking stick then slowly hobbled away, disappearing into the darkness.
Sorry it's so short, but at least it's another chapter, right? I know it took awhile, but I did promise that I would get it out here eventually! And here it is! Hopefully it won't take me as long to get the next one on here, and it probably won't unless there's something else life decides to throw my way...
Anyway, thank you to all of you who stuck around with me during all of this, and I hope to be back with the next chapter soon! :)