Rider on the run

Healing

"Where is he?" Astrid muttered impatiently as she paced around in front of Stoick's house.

After a lot of encouragement from her parents, friends and Camicazi and Thuggory, Astrid had finally gathered the courage to approach Hiccup and talk to him and possibly mend their relationship. Only problem was that the said Dragon rider wasn't in Berk.

As it turns out, a friend of Hiccup, Eret Eretson, had turned up on Berk and had sent Hiccup away on some sort of mission.

"He should have been back by now." Astrid muttered once again.

"Astrid, lass, I think you're overreacting. I'm sure Hiccup is fine." Came Stoick's voice.

"Yeah. He's the Night rider. What can go wrong?" Snotlout said with a grin.

The gang, along with Heather, Camicazi and Thuggory were also present there, for just in case things went south.

Astrid just simply glared at the shorter Viking. Snotlout got the message and shut up his mouth.

Beside him, Tuffnut whispered to him,"Why do I feel like you just jinxed something?" Snotlout just shrugged his shoulders in reply.

Suddenly Stoick noticed something. "Look!" He exclaimed, pointing up in the sky. Everybody looked up in the sky and saw a Dragon coming towards them. Under the clear moonlit night sky, they were soon able to recognise the all too familiar form of a Nightfury.

"He's back!" Ruffnut excitedly exclaimed.

Everyone was happy that Hiccup had returned, but a feeling of wrongness crept into their mind. As if something bad has happened. And as Toothless properly came into their view, it all became clear.

The Nightfury practically crashed onto the ground, but managed to roll over just before the collision, so that his back hit the ground first. Astrid gasped and rushed over towards the fallen Dragon, the others following soon after her. But when she reached closer to Toothless, what she saw made her freeze in horror.

"HICCUP!!" Astrid yelled out staring at the bloody form of Hiccup, clutched in the paws of Toothless.

The Dragon himself wasn't in very good shape either. He also had injuries here and there that needed to be tended.

Astrid took Hiccup from Toothless's grasp and held the man in her arms as she and the others examined the injuries.

They needed to act fast if they wanted to save Hiccup. So they took him to Stoick's house. Gothi was immediately informed about Hiccup's situation, and she had rushed in to heal him. The elder did her best to tend to his wounds. She stitched them, and then applied healing ointment and Dragon saliva, that was provided by Heather, on them before wrapping them in bandages to stop the wounds from reopening or getting worse. The whole process took a few hours to complete, after which she had left him to rest.

Stoick, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins, Camicazi,Thuggory and Eret, who was soon informed about the situation, were gathered in the room where Hiccup now resided. They all were watching over him.

And as for Toothless, the Nightfury had taken a place just beside Hiccup's bed as he watched over his brother in arms. Bandages were wrapped around his own injuries. But the Dragon refused to leave Hiccup's side.

On the other side of the bed, Astrid was sitting on a stool, watching over the man she loves as she held his hand in hers.

"It's my fault." Eret suddenly said, breaking the silence "If I had dug deeper then maybe I'd have found out it was a hoax."

"Eret, it's not your fault." Thuggory said and put his hand on the ex-trapper's shoulder.

"Still. If I had been more cautious, probably I would have realised it was a trap."

"I don't get it." Astrid suddenly said, interrupting the conversation.

"Astrid?" Came Heather's voice.

"Why would he do this? Risk his life like that. I understand his love for Dragons. I would want to protect them too. But risking his life like this? Why?" Astrid said as tears formed in the corner of her eyes and her grip tightened on Hiccup's hand.

There was a moment of silence between them and the gang and Stoick couldn't help but feel themselves from thinking the same question. 'Why would he do that?'

"It's not just the Dragons." Thuggory abruptly said,"It goes deeper than that."

"He has been through a lot, you know. Way more than anyone should have been put through." Heather said.

Everyone turned to look at the raven haired girl. But she ignored their looks in favour of looking at the unconscious form of Hiccup, while she continued,"You are nothing but the product of your circumstances. Same applies for Hiccup. He was once an awkward, but cheerful teen, who had taken his fate in his own hands and moulded his own destiny. But as time went on, the teen got hidden behind the man he has become now."

Heather sighed. "Deep down, he's still the Hiccup we know. But he would never truly be his old self again."

"Heather, can you please tell us more about Hiccup's past? How has he been for the last five years?" Astrid asked the raven haired girl.

But she shook her head. "It's not mine or any of ours place to tell you about his past. Hiccup is a very secretive person. He doesn't like talking about his past much. But if he trusts you, he might tell you his story himself." Heather said.

They all once again looked at the unconscious form of Hiccup. Astrid felt a pang in her heart as she saw the person he loves in this state.

"Come on, let's get out of here. We should let him rest." Heather suggested.

A number of the occupants nodded and they all left the room, leaving only Hiccup and Toothless inside.