Wanted: Hiccup Haddock III

Chapter 10

Hiccup's POV:

My heart soared, and I paddled faster. After hours of rowing, I'd finally found an island!

I was nearing the shore now, just a few more strokes. . .

The bow of the boat slowed, washing up on the sand. I jumped out, and pulled the dinghy as hard as I could. I managed to move it far enough on shore so it couldn't float away before collapsing on the sand. "Yes!!!" I yelled. I rolled over and stood up. I have to build a shelter.

. . .

It took several hours but I eventually built a small, sturdy little hut near the beach. I had caught two fish, and was now cooking them over a campfire.

The sun was setting into a beautiful sunset. The dying sun colored the horizon a stunning orange, followed and mixed with yellow, pink, faint green and blue. I stared at the fire, the flames flickering and wavering in the breeze.

What now? I picked up a stick and stoked the fire. What am I going to do? I can't send a signal or Terror message to anyone.

Find a dragon, my first thought was. But what if there were no dragons on this island? I'd never been here before, so I knew nothing about what inhabited this island. But judging from this kind of habitat, there might be some Timberjacks, Nadders, maybe even Gronckles. And even more unlikely, a Whispering Death. But I wasn't sure.

What if there was a new species of dragon, and I wasn't able to train it? I wouldn't know anything about it, and I'd need the others' help. But the others aren't here, and if I found a new dragon I could get hurt, maybe even die.

I blinked. Since when was I doubting dragons? Since when was I pessimistic when it came to dragons? I moved the fish off the fire and rested it on a leaf I was using as a plate. I let it cool while I tried to bring myself together. It's probably just sleep deprivation. I'd eat, sleep, and then figure out a plan tomorrow.

I looked to the sky, where the stars were beginning to appear. They twinkled at me in a benign sort of way, yet there is nothing very kind about the situation at hand. Oh Astrid. I wonder what you're doing now. . .

Astrid's POV:

Stormfly landed, and I dismounted. In the distance, I saw Heather, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Gobber, and the twins making their way to me. I heard Stoick dismount behind. "Stoick! Astrid! Did you find him?" Gobber asked, with a worried expression on his face. "No. But we found out who had him." I replied angrily.

"What do you mean?" Snotlout asked. "Meaning we found out kidnapped him!" I spat out. "Easy, Astrid." Stoick said, before turning to the others. "Let's discuss this in the Training Ring. The Great Hall is too loud and crowded right now." I nodded, biting my lip.

We walked to the Training Ring, none of us saying a word.

I was biting my lip hard to keep myself from lashing out. I was furious at the men who kidnapped Hiccup, and confused about what the shipmate meant when he said "there's a reward." I hoped it wasn't what I thought it was.

I was the last one to enter the Ring before Stoick closed the entrance. After that, I couldn't take it anymore. "Those filthy, greedy, rat-eating---" I swore and threw my axe so hard at the wall that when the blade hit the stone, it cracked. And I don't mean a little crack. I mean a big crack.

"Astrid, calm." Heather said, approaching me slowly. "Calm? Calm? HICCUP HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED, LOST, PROBABLY IN GREAT DANGER, AND YOU WANT ME TO BE CALM?!!" I screeched at her, and she flinched.

"Yes, I know you're angry about the bounty and the kidnappers." Heather started. "But we need to our keep our--"

"What do you mean 'bounty'?" I interrupted, looking at her seriously. "No. You're not saying-?"

"Yeah--there's a bounty on Hiccup. By Viggo. With a heavy reward." Heather finished, her eyes meeting mine, and I saw they were filled with solemnity. I calmed down and looked at Fishlegs, who had joined us. He held out a rolled-up scroll to me, and I snatched it from him.

I unrolled it, and gasped. The scroll read:

WANTED: Hiccup Haddock III

For 1000 gold coins

Hello everyone!

I have a surprise for you all, and I'm sure you will all like it:

BONUS CHAPTER ON THURSDAY!!!

Yes, I'm posting Chapter 11 on Thursday! So you guys have that to look forward to. I don't want to have to wait a week just to publish one chapter, so I'm updating earlier than I usually do. I've been thinking about whether I should do this more often. What do you guys think?

Anyways, and as always, I hope you all are doing well, stay healthy and safe!!

-Goth80sMovieGirl14