Symphony of Shadows

26. Waterfalls

Hiccup heard a loud "Rooowwrrr" before he was squashed under a Night Fury. Others would think it was beyond terrifying, but to him it was just a sign that Toothless had had enough of his moping. 

It had been days since his visit to see Astrid, and he'd been sullen ever since. Her injury had changed him and made him aware that human casualties were...just as important as dragon casualties. As hard as it was for him to come to terms with other humans, their lives mattered too. So, it wasn't fair for him to only give grace to Berk because of Astrid and keep on raiding the other tribes; it all had to come to a pause until he came up with a better alternative. It was hard work hunting with the flock three times a day, and as unenthusiastic as he had become, he had almost fallen off Toothless during a dive for some wild hogs.

But he had to focus. It was difficult enough that his mind seemed to be somewhere else most of the time, but the flock needed him. Toothless needed him. So, Hiccup patted his best friend's head and promised to act normal as best as he could. The dragon relented and released the dragon rider, allowing him to put on a fresh pair of clothes. Thor knew he desperately needed them after days without bothering to change. Hiccup caught a whiff of a foul stench and thought it must be one of Toothless' diabolical farts, but the dragon side-eyed him as if to say, "That one was all you."

"Thor, I really let myself go. Alright Toothless, you win. I'll go take a bath; sorry about the putrid smell."

"Mrowwwrrr." 

Toothless shook his head and walked out of the hut to leave Hiccup to his business. 

The dragon rider started to gather a change of clothes, a towel, and a bar of soap. He put on a sandal and had already switched back to his peg leg after getting back from Gothi's so he wouldn't have to worry about getting it wet, as he would simply take it off and leave it to the side.

He started to walk out of the tent when he managed to dodge an incoming Gronckle bear hug.

"Woah, woah! I'm glad to see you too! That was a close one there, girl. How about we keep the human-flattening for later, okay?"

He scratched the chin of the brown Gronckle that wiggled out of excitement. Hiccup hadn't seen the Gronckle for a week and a half and suspected she had gone looking for mineral rocks, as the island they currently inhabited didn't have much variety.

"Did you find some tasty rocks? I bet limestone gets pretty old quickly, huh?" 

He chuckled as he imagined the dragon turning down any kind of rock—the Gronckle philosophy seemed to be 'the more, the better.'

"Well, I've got to get going, but don't wait up on me..." 

Before Hiccup had even finished his sentence, the dragon had decided that she was much too tired and desperately needed a nap. Right in front of his hut. 

Wonderful. 

Hiccup shook his head and refocused back on his original task to take a bath, heading towards the waterfall. It wasn't a huge waterfall, so it was nice to stand under and have the water pressure relax his tense muscles. It was especially nice after a long day of flying. 

Dropping his stuff off near the edge of the small lagoon, he stripped his clothes and peg leg and walked into the water. It wasn't too cold—there was a natural hot spring at the top of the waterfall that warmed the water in the lagoon. As he sank deeper into the water, he realized just how nice it was to just...be. Here, he had no worries, no stress, and no enemies plotting his capture and subsequent death. After everything he had been through, this was exactly what he needed.

Hiccup walked over to the edge where his stuff was, grabbed the bar of soap, and began to wash his clothes since they desperately needed to be cleaned. He took his time scrubbing and rinsing until he was satisfied and laid them out to dry before making his way over to the waterfall. The moment he felt that water hit his shoulders, he let out a sigh and let his body relax, letting his head hang and eyes close to relish the feeling of simply being. He stood like this for a few moments until the water began to feel hotter and an invasive image wrestled its way into his mind. Slowly, the mist formed into a familiar figure, and Astrid was right in front of him, water droplets making her bare skin sparkle under the sun. Hiccup could feel her soft lips kissing him and feel the push and pull of their lips as he deepened the kiss. His hands moved to grip her wide hips as he pulled her into him, and being able to feel her skin felt like he was in Valhalla. Her hands found his hair, and his lips found her neck, and he heard Astrid let out a breathy moan...