And now, let's check back on Hiccup...

(Sidenote, kind of proud of how quickly I wrote this chapter in comparison to the last. :)

Chapter 6: Close Calls and Finding Sanctuary

Hiccup's feet dragged across the forest floor like he was wading through snow on a blizzardy day through Berk. Squish. Squish. Squish, creaked the ground in time to his slow, subsiding steps. He shivered lightly and clutched at his arms around himself to keep warm, but to little avail since his drenched clothes made the chilling wind all the worse to endure.

His back bent like a wilting flower under the weight of the folded-up canvas strapped to his back. On a normal occasion, the weight would have been almost insignificant, but his extreme weakness made the load a heavy burden. He drooped his weary, sopping head, drawing a long, exhausted breath.

He did not know how long he had been trekking through this tangle of a forest, going trudge, trudge, trudge through the soppy grass and splashing through the puddles. Every turn he took seemed to take him back the way he came. He was certain that he had passed a lifeless, hanging branch several times. How many times would he walk in circles? How long would he stay so hopelessly lost? How long would it be until he found Toothless? It was impossible to tell where he was, and the grayed sky had darkened. The world would soon be a complete pitch black, then finding Toothless would be impossible, and that was not the worst of it. Alien chitters and growls were creaking ominously through the forest, unlike anything Hiccup had ever heard before. When darkness fell, who knew what terrifying, bloodthirsty dragons would hunt Toothless. The memory of his encounter with the Changewing was emblazoned in his mind, and Hiccup did not want to think what might happen to his lost dragon.

Cupping a hand to his mouth, he let out a Night Fury call in hopes to be answered back. But Toothless did not respond. Perhaps he was too far to hear. Perhaps he was hurt and could not answer. Perhaps. . .

A dull hunger clawed at his stomach, reminding him that he had not eaten in hours. How long had it been since that hurried breakfast of eggs and wheat toast this morning? In retrospect, he probably should have packed something for later in his saddlebags, but then, he supposed miserably, it would hardly have made a difference either way. Thor, what he would not give for a morsel right now, a piece of fish, a bowl of steaming stew, a warm cup of tea, then maybe a hot bath before crawling into his soft, fur covers and drifting off to sleep. . .

Hiccup's eyelids rode half-mast and fell down further. His steps were so small that he almost was barely moving. Squish. Squish. Squuisshh…

Hiccup shook his head vigorously to rouse himself, but it hardly helped. It was as if the dense fog had seeped into his ears and entered his brain. He blinked his eyes, determined to not fall asleep on his feet.

"Come on," he breathed, scarcely able to get out this half-hearted encouragement. "Just keep going, Hiccup. . . Just keep going. . ."

But these words were of little effect. He was so tired, so numb from the cold that he did not even feel like going on anymore. He knew that he had to keep going. He had to find Toothless. But he was exhausted. He just wanted to curl up against a tree and shut his eyes. He would not sleep. No, he would just lie down and rest his eyes for just five minutes. Just five minutes. . .

Hiccup's eyes popped open when a sound tore through the air. The shrieking cry of a Night Fury. It was far away, yet it was unmistakable.

"Toothless," Hiccup gasped.

Then another screech reverberated through the trees, followed by a vicious snarl. It sounded like a fight. Toothless was in trouble. He needed help.

Hiccup urgently dashed across the sopping ground, his energy regained. Blood pounded in his ears, his mind turned anxious cartwheels. Was Toothless okay? What dragon was he facing? What if he was hurt? Would Hiccup reach his friend in time? Was he even going the right way? It was impossible to see in this fog. All that showed through the fog was the vague outlines of trees.

His heart beat faster when he heard another Night Fury shriek. It was closer this time, louder. He had to be getting closer. He hoped he would not be too late. Hiccup's heels skidded to a stop, and his heart leapt into his mouth. Looking down over the slick edge, he saw the dizzying fall into a narrow but deep gorge that he almost took. He expelled a quick sigh of relief that he stopped when he did. It seemed like this labyrinth of a place was full of harmful dips and twists.

Upon hearing the cry of his dragon, he abruptly turned his vision upward and gazed ahead. Across the gorge, fighting in the marshy clearing was Toothless against Hiccup's old friend, the blood-red Changewing. Toothless was crouched down like a panther ready to pounce, his teeth bared. The Changewing lashed its whip-like tail at Toothless, but he jumped away just in time. Toothless leapt forward and tackled the Changewing against a tree. Toothless had the ferocious predator pinned down under his front paws. Escape was impossible. But when Hiccup squinted his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a sickly-green glow gleaming from the Changewing's agape jaws.

"TOOTHLESS, LOOK OUT!"

Hearing Hiccup's warning, Toothless' head twisted to his right in surprise. Then, refocusing on his attacker, Toothless jumped to the side, dodging the shot of acid just in time. Toothless looked over to where Hiccup stood on the edge on the other side of the ravine. He let out a joyful yip, but his attention was soon diverted back to the Changewing who spat another blast of acid in his direction. The Changewing slinked forward, firing a fury of shots which sizzled angrily like a fried egg as it corroded the soggy ground. Toothless backed away, screeching aggressively as if to let his opponent know he was not afraid of him, but the Changewing was gaining ground. Toothless whipped his tail at the Changewing, but he took to the air and hovered above before diving down and pinning Toothless between his talons. The Changewing lunged forward, jaws open wide, but Toothless swiped at him with his claws, stunning him just long enough for Toothless to get out from underneath the Changewing's grip.

White-hot panic surged through Hiccup's veins. What was he supposed to do? Toothless needed his help; he would not last long. Being flightless was enough of a disadvantage in a fight against a Changewing. But when you factored in having no firepower in this rainy climate, it made him almost as defenseless as a baby deer against a pack of wolves.

Hiccup looked frantically left and right for some way, any way across the gorge. Then, he noticed to his right a massive, moss-encrusted tree that extended all the way to the other side. He wasted no time and darted over to the log and started across, keeping his arms extended to the side to keep his balance. Of course, this hardly helped because the dew made the surface of the log slick and slippery, and adding in his prosthetic which did not provide enough traction made it a treacherous trip. His gaze drifted over to the side once or twice, and the height gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. But he would then be called back by the sound of Toothless' shrieks. He stepped quickly but carefully, putting one foot in front of the other, despite the fact that he knew this was probably extremely dangerous. But it is a lot easier to be brave when your friend's life is at risk.

Hiccup watched Toothless and the Changewing circle around each other, then dash towards each other, slashing, biting, clawing with such fury that he began to worry how long Toothless would last. Hiccup tried to quicken his pace, but in doing so, he sacrificed his sure footing, and he let out a yelp of surprise when his prosthetic met a decomposed spot in the log and it splintered underneath his weight. He lost his balance and he fell over the side. His flailing arms just barely managed to clutch onto a vine that snaked across the underside of the rotting bridge. He swayed left and right, dangling over the ravine like a piece of meat about to be ingested by a hungry monster. Panting erratically, Hiccup clasped tightly onto the vine. He gulped hard and fixed his eyes up; he dared not look down, but above him provided no comforting sight, for the vine was unraveling above him. It was too weak to support him, and it was starting to snap.

Letting go with one hand, Hiccup reached to his left to grab hold of another vine which dangled nearby. He stretched out his hand, reaching as far as he could go. He was so close. Just a little further. . .

His fist enclosed around the vine.

But the victory was cut short when it promptly snapped. The sudden momentum flung him off balance. His other hand slipped, and he plummeted down, down, down into the gorge with a scream.

But much to his surprise, his feet were met with a sudden SPLAT! He gasped sharply. He had been bracing himself for pain, but none had come. How was he not dead? It was then he recognized a strange, slimy substance swimming around his waist like a groping tentacle. Hiccup looked down and found a thick, murky paste of mud full of dead leaves and split twigs creeping up around his middle.

It was quicksand.

"Oh, great," Hiccup breathed. He was grateful that the quicksand had broken his fall, but on the other hand, he was now stuck down here.

Above him came an echoing roar. Hiccup glanced upward to find Toothless' concerned eyes staring down at him.

"I'm-I'm okay!" Hiccup called up to his dragon.

Toothless' eyes shifted around, searching for a safe passage to his human when the Changewing pounced onto the Night Fury's back, effectively pinning him to the ground.

"Toothless!" Hiccup writhed in the quicksand, desperate to get to his dragon.

But he felt much to his horror, the cold slime gradually creeping up his back. He was sinking, and it was happening fast. Hiccup's breaths turned hyper as panic flooded his senses.

"Come on, there's gotta be something down here," Hiccup groaned, turning his head left and right.

Then, to his relief, he noticed scaling up the side of the cliff was a long, thick snake-like vine. It was but a few steps away. It would have been so easy to get at, but when Hiccup shifted towards it, he felt the sand creep ever so slightly up his ribcage. He hesitated, but one look at Toothless struggling under the hold of the Changewing, and his efforts redoubled.

Hiccup waded through the quicksand, with each step sending him gradually more in the soup. Toothless thrashed about above him, refusing to give up the fight. With a mighty jerk, he flipped the Changewing off his back and the wild dragon twisted through the air, somehow managing to land on his feet. He snarled aggressively and lunged back at his prey.

Hiccup strained, reaching as far as his arms could go towards the vine. One step closer, and then another. He was so close, but the quicksand was still steadily rising up his sides, to his chest, then to his armpits, and seeping up to his shoulders. His elbows sunk into the pool of muddy slime, making it hard for him to stay afloat and even harder to grasp the vine. With every ounce of his will, he dragged his left arm out of the sticky mud and reached up and forward to the vine. His fingers quivered as he strained to grasp it. The cool quicksand oozed up his neck and reached his chin. He breathed in short breaths, the panic all but seizing control of his senses.

No. He could not drown. He had to make it. He just had to make it. He tilted his head back so the mud did not creep into his mouth. Ignoring the oozing feeling of the mud seeping into his hair, he reached for the vine.

He almost had it. His fingers were just brushing the woodsy fibers.

Just a little more. Just a little more…

His fist enclosed around the vine. He reached up and grasped with his other hand. With a strained grunt, he heaved himself up, but it was a hard task. Hiccup felt like a spoon being dragged out of a pot of old, crystallized honey.

The mud sluggishly trickled out his hair and down his neck as he gradually yanked himself up and out of the sticky, earthen pudding. When he looked up, he watched the Changewing spewing acid blasts faster than a ballista firing arrows. Toothless dodged the blasts as best as he could, but one managed to strike him square in the left wing. It sizzled angrily, and Toothless fell to the ground with a shriek of agony.

"Toothless!"

Seizing the opportunity, the Changewing wrapped its leafy tail around the fallen Night Fury and lifted him up into the air. But Toothless did not give up that easily. He lashed his tail against the Changewing's face. When the Changewing wailed in pain and released him, Toothless leapt forward and sunk his claws into the Changewing's back near its wings. The Night Fury screeched ferociously and pushed the screaming Changewing over the side and into the ravine. The Changewing fell down and splashed into the quicksand. The blood-red beast writhed and squirmed, crazy in a panicked fury. Then, its glowing, orange eyes fell on Hiccup who was grasping on the vine. The Changewing squirmed across the quicksand towards Hiccup like a bug trying to tread water.

White-hot terror surged through his spine. But to his surprise, he felt a sudden tug on the vine from above, and he found that Toothless had his jaw firmly clamped on the vine. Toothless gave a terrific pull, and gradually Hiccup's feet became unstuck and surfaced. A roar came behind him, and when he cast a glance over his shoulder, he instantly regretted it. The Changewing, although unable to fly from the damage done by Toothless, was still looming close to Hiccup, ruthless and relentless as ever.

"Uh, Toothless?" Hiccup called nervously as he clung to the vine.

The Changewing's feet were sinking in the quicksand, but it somehow managed to cross the sticky terrain despite it and make his way closer to the dangling rider. Hiccup hurriedly and anxiously began climbing when there came a terrible yank on the pack fastened to his back and he gave a surprise yelp. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Changewing's mauling jaws sunken into the tailfin canvas. It pulled and jerked with such ferocity that Hiccup's fingers began to slip. Toothless pulled hard on the top of the vine, and the Changewing pulled harder so that Hiccup felt like a rope in a perverted game of tug-o'-war.

Hiccup's heart pounded in his chest as fear paralyzed him and clouded his senses. He kept a tight hold on the vine, his only chance of survival, but the wild dragon tearing at him was stronger than he was. He could not hold on forever. Eventually, his fingers would slip, and then, it was death by acid and fangs. Hiccup already could feel his grasp weakening on the vine. He cast a terrified glance up at his dragon who growled in effort and tugged as hard as he could.

It was just then that the leather secured to the red canvas snapped from the duress and the Changewing screeched in horror as it fell to its doom and plunged into the muddy pit, never to be seen again.

Hiccup panted rapidly, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the bloodthirsty dragon had fallen. He was beginning to wonder how many more close calls he was going to have on this island.

It was not long until Toothless had hauled Hiccup to safety, and the rider collapsed onto all fours to catch his breath. The Night Fury bounded forward and slobbered his rider with affection, and Hiccup could not help but laugh in relief.

"Oh, Toothless, it's so good to see you!" Hiccup threw his arms around his Night Fury, then instantly regretted his sharp movement when his ribs complained at him.

Toothless instantly noticed Hiccup's discomfort and began sniffing him for injuries.

"It-it's okay, it's not that bad," Hiccup gasped, clutching his side. "It's probably just a cracked rib or two, that's all." Then, his eyes fell on the front of Toothless' wing. It was pink and raw from where the acid had melted away the scales and flesh. Hiccup grimaced and reached forward with tentative fingers only to have Toothless recoil. Hiccup frowned apologetically, guilt settled in his chest. "Right, I-I'm sorry, bud. If I'd only gotten here sooner, I could have-"

But Toothless crooned and pressed his forehead to Hiccup, conveying that it was not his fault. Sighing, Hiccup shut his eyes and cupped the Night Fury's right cheek. After a moment, Hiccup rose to his feet and glanced in dismay down at Toothless' prosthetic tail. The metal poles were bent and curved like sick snakes. He turned and peeked over the edge of the cliff where the Changewing had fallen. He did not know why, but for some reason, despite the fact it tried to kill both him and Toothless, he felt a sense of pity for the bloodthirsty dragon.

Toothless brushed up against his rider's side, following his downward gaze.

"Well, that Changewing is gone," Hiccup said quietly. Then, after a long pause, "And so is the canvas."

. . .

Sparks flew from the flints as Hiccup grated them together vigorously towards the slightly damp pile of wood. When the sparks continuously died out, Toothless shot out a miniscule plasma blast, and the bundle immediately caught fire. The flames casted its orange glow about the roof of the cave. Hiccup held his hands near the campfire, warming his wrinkled and numb fingertips. He glanced over at the downpour that still was dumping outside their makeshift sanctuary. Hiccup just hoped that they would not be here for much longer.

Hiccup dug into Toothless' saddlebags and found a bundle of white linen which he used to wrap the Night Fury's injured wing.

"There," Hiccup said when he was done. "That should hold you. When we get back to Berk, hopefully Gothi can do something so it doesn't get infected."

Toothless glanced as his wing thoughtfully before his green eyes came to rest on his tail. He let out a low coo, then turned to look back at Hiccup, who knew exactly what he was silently asking him: How are we going to get back?

Hiccup said nothing, instead focused on unraveling another set of bandages. He deftly began wrapping it around his injured side, just tightly enough so that it provided stability and support for the broken ribs.

"I don't know," Hiccup murmured, tying a knot in the cloth. "I mean, I didn't bring the spare tail, and as it is-" he gestured to the storm outside. "Even if we could fly, we'd probably crash again, and-and I just-" He leaned against the cave wall with a guilt-filled sigh. He brushed his sopping bangs from his eyes and shook his head despondently. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Toothless. I mean, if I hadn't volunteered us for this, or if I'd just taken the other riders with us, we'd not be in this mess. I don't even know when they'll find us, or how long this storm is going to keep us here or. . ."

His words died away. He did not know what else he could possibly tell Toothless to assuage the dragon. Everything had gone wrong, so incredibly wrong, and he was sure that it was his fault.

Toothless offered his rider a comforting lick and crooned. We're gonna get out of this.

Hiccup stroked his dragon's forehead, managing a weak smile. "You're right. We've lived through worse. At least we're not trapped on Outcast Island."

Toothless gave a draconic laugh; he remembered the incident all too well and dared not repeat it.

Hiccup's eyes fell upon the campfire and his thoughts drifted to Berk. "I… wonder how people at home are."

Toothless curled up around Hiccup who gently sank against his side. He thought of his father and wondered how he was. Was Stoick undergoing the same storm? Was he worried about him and Toothless, out here, miles away from familiar shores? And the other riders, Snotlout, the twins, Fishlegs, Astrid, Hiccup sincerely hoped they were okay.

Hiccup's eyes blinked slowly in the warm glow of the fire. His body was finally feeling the effects of the day, and the gentle rise and fall of Toothless' side had him relaxing further by the second. Toothless instantly noticed his human's weary head drooping and guided him gradually to rest on the ground. Then, he slid his tailfin under Hiccup's head as an impromptu pillow before lying his own head down. The warmth from Toothless' scales seeped into Hiccup's exhausted body, and soon, his eyes gently, gently slid shut and he fell asleep, completely dead to the sounds of his dragon's snoring and the falling rain from outside.

Neither Hiccup nor Toothless could hear the light chittering as the residents in the far end of the cave gradually woke up.