First Friends

Chapter 28

As we entered town I heard several people call out "look it's Hiccup!" I lifted myself on my back legs and spied him not long after. I got down on all fours and limped over to him in such a hurry I almost tripped over myself in excitement. He saw me and bent down to embrace me. I felt him shaking, though from pain or happiness I didn't know. I began to groom him, and kiss his face. He turned his face away and laughed. I heard his metal leg slip slightly and he winced. I sniffed it and butted my head against his chin, comforting him.

"Well Tiger, looks like we have something in common," he said. He looked around and almost fell over when he saw my bleeding paws. "Dad, Tiger's hurt. We need a healer."

Soon a healer was tending my wounds up in the house while Toothless and Hiccup went out for a flight. It was going to take some getting used to, seeing Vikings and dragons getting along and living together. I lay down on a grassy patch not far from the house as I basked in the sunlight. I closed my eyes and drank it all in. I sighed with contentment and began to doze. A bunch of cubs from the village swarmed to me, climbing on me and stepping on my paws. I tucked my paws tightly, and let them pet me, decorate me and the like. They soon lost interest and ran off to find someone else to harass. A Gronckle, the same one Fishlegs had ridden on, came up to me and sniffed curiously.

"I've never seen anything like you before," she said.

"I've seen your kind plenty of times during raids," I commented. "Tiger."

"Meatlug," she said. "So what happened? To your paw?"

"Oh! I was five and Hiccup was in danger. I prevented a bear from killing him, but didn't entirely succeed. He has scars on his belly because I wasn't there when he needed me most," I said. My stump began to itch, so I used my teeth to remove my fake paw and scratched it with light nibbles. Once the itching subsided, I slipped the metal object back on my stump, noticing that it was significantly smaller when when I first got it. I made a mental note to write Stoick a note about it.

A Deadly Nadder, the same one Astrid and Hiccup rode off on together, came up to me next. "Hi," she said cheerfully. I didn't hear her, as I was dozing, then my head hit the grass and I fell asleep.

I woke up to Hiccup nudging me. He was sitting down next to me and didn't seem able to get up. He motioned for Toothless to stay where he was, so I helped him up, letting him use my harness as needed. He finally stood and we began to head back towards the house. I was limping because my prosthetic had gotten too tight to bear so I'd removed it. I had it in my teeth as we headed home. I bumped the door affectionately until it opened. I went to the nest of furs and lay down. Hiccup gestured upstairs, and I sighed, rising from my comfy spot and following him. He patted the bed and I leapt up, circled twice before laying down. That's when he noticed the metal in my mouth.

"I guess we'll have to make you another one, Tiger. I'll do it-" He was interrupted by a yawn. "I'll do it in the morning. Night, buddies." He lay his head on my side and, after tossing around for a bit and wincing slightly, when he accidentally kicked his stump. Finally, he settled down and fell into a fitful sleep. After a bit of purring on my part, I joined him.