Chapter 1: Weekend Errands

Fourteen Hours Earlier…

Give or take a few minutes…

Hiccup's head shot up from the pillow, his auburn hair a tangled mess.

"Weekend!" He threw back his blanket and rushed to the side of the room. He snatched up his riding vest and began pulling it on. "It's the weekend! Finally! I thought it'd never come!"

Toothless, who was just as excited as his friend, shoved the saddle at Hiccup's feet, and he then began fastening it on around Toothless' chest with an excited, hurried pace. With running the dragon training academy, Hiccup and Toothless hardly got the chance to fly alone together. As much as it was wonderful being around Astrid and the others, it was nice to be alone sometimes. Weekend mornings were now the only times that they could spend unplanned free time seeing more of the world, going to places no man had ever seen before, knowing more than you thought you could know. Hiccup had thought many times that if they went far enough, one day, perhaps they could at last find the edge of the world, that place where blue folded into blue, where the ocean met the sky.

"Whaddya think?" Hiccup tightened the straps until they were secure. "We go a little further north today?"

Toothless yipped excitedly.

"But we have to be back before noon," Hiccup said with a reluctant sigh, sliding on the tailfin. "You know how my dad gets when we're gone too long."

But Hiccup and Toothless's plans were to be ruined in five minutes flat.

"Yer not serious," came a groan from downstairs which made Hiccup approach the steps with creeping care.

His father, Stoick, was clearly frustrated about something, which was not an uncommon occurrence. Being the chief, after all, was a frustrating, stressful job, and Hiccup could not help but wonder how he would bear it when he was handed the torch. Hiccup perked up his ears, and Toothless craned his head over the boy's shoulder, crooning with an identical curiosity.

"And the next shipment isn't coming for another week," came Stoick's deep, rumbling sigh. Hiccup could just about picture his father, his eyes tensely squeezed shut with a hand over his forehead. "And waitin' that long's outta the question."

Toothless let out a croon and leaned in closer, resulting in the floorboards groaning under his weight. Hiccup shushed him urgently but knew it was impossible for Stoick to have missed the creak.

"Alright, don't worry, I'll take care of it," came Stoick, and after the door squeaked shut, he quietly added to himself: "Somehow."

The cogs of Hiccup's curious mind began turning. What wasn't coming for a week? What did they need? It must have been urgent. It sure sounded urgent. He now wished that he had not overheard the conversation.

But Hiccup put the matter away. After all, it was none of his business. Stoick said he would take care of it. It was not for him to worry about.

With Toothless trailing behind him, Hiccup came down the stairs, stretching casually as if he had heard absolutely nothing.

"Morning, Dad," he said cheerfully. "You're up early today. Getting an early start on chiefing?"

"Yes," replied Stoick, absentmindedly. He was still standing by the door. "Gothi was just here."

"Really?"

Hiccup was genuinely concerned now; if Gothi needed something from Johann, it was probably very important. She rarely asked for favors unless absolutely necessary.

"What did she need?" he questioned.

"Well-" Stoick turned, a haggard hand over his eyes. "Gothi's exhausted her supply of willow bark, amongst other things, and she can't afford to wait for Johann's next shipment."

Hiccup's initial instinct was to offer help when a selfish thought came to his mind at the inconvenience of that; after all, he had been looking forward to having the day just to him and Toothless after a long and frankly stressful week at the Dragon Academy. But he reminded himself this was important, and that Stoick had other things to attend to. After all, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, right?

Looks like exploring will have to wait, he thought.

"Dad," Hiccup said finally, "why don't I fetch the supplies from Healer's Island?"

"Son, Healer's Island is a day's trip from Berk."

"By boat," Hiccup corrected. "But Toothless is the fastest dragon. If you just give me a list, I can be back home by sundown."

"Yes, but-" Stoick put a hand to his head. "You've got a tendency of gettin' into trouble, and-"

"Aw, c'mon, Dad, I can handle this," Hiccup promised. "It's just a supply trip, after all. And like you said, Gothi can't wait a week."

The chief sighed again and gave in, realizing that he did indeed have no alternative.

. . .

"Don't take any longer than you have to," Stoick advised as Hiccup was climbing onto Toothless' back outside. "Straight to Healer Island and back, y'hear?"

"Yup, gotcha, loud and clear."

Hiccup unfolded the list, studied it, then re-folding it, tucked it into his saddlebag.

"And be careful," his father added.

"When am I not careful?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick raised a bushy eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. Hiccup knew what that meant; he was silently referring to all the times Hiccup found himself in danger, some because he went out into the fray, others because danger found him. Hiccup would have argued back that most times it was the latter -who actually liked near death experiences, after all?- but his father, of course, would not have believed him. So, Hiccup simply sighed and promised he would try to stay out of trouble.

"Watch the skies," Stoick warned. "Bucket says there's a bad storm brewin.' "

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, then glanced up at the sky. A light shade of gold-orange was yawning out from the horizon, and only a few miniscule purple clouds skirting across it.

"Um, I think it looks fine, Dad. There's barely any wind, either," he added, gesturing to the calm whispering of the air.

"Just keep an eye out for lightning. Two eyes, preferably."

"Don't worry, Dad," Hiccup assured him with a laugh; he did not take much stock in Bucket's prediction of the weather. "I'll be back for dinner tonight."

"Why don't yeh take yer friends along?" Stoick mentioned when Hiccup was about to take off. "Just to be safe. Healer's Island's a way off."

"I'll be fine. I've got Toothless." And he reached over and patted the Night Fury's head who gave a happy nod for emphasis.

Stoick sighed. "Alright. Go on, then."

Hiccup found it slightly annoying that Stoick was acting as if he were a child, but at the same time, it was to know he cared.

"I'll be fine," he promised, then grasping onto the handles, Hiccup shifted the tail open, and Toothless took off into the morning skies.

They flew further and further from Berk. Hiccup turned and looked over his shoulder, watching the sun-kissed Isle of Berk grow smaller and smaller till it was but a tiny speck behind them. He twisted forward and looked straight.

With an exuberant roar, Toothless raced across the waters which shimmered in the gold-orange light of the morning. They started off towards Healer's Island.

But they never made it there.