First Friends

Chapter 40

((Tissue Warning!))

I looked up briefly as a small group of people entered the house. Hiccup was sitting in his father's chair with Toothless curled around it. He looked up and met my eyes. I lay my head back down and began to doze. My ears unconsciously swiveled to pick up the cadence of Hiccup's voice, a habit I'd gotten into when I was younger and recovering from my illness.

"I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. It's getting late," Hiccup said.

"Awwh!" the group chorused in unison. I licked my teeth and fell asleep as they left. Hiccup came over and knelt beside me.

"Well, old Buddy. Looks like we have some time to spend together. Toothless and I went flying earlier, so we got that out of our system," he said stroking me. He sat down and pulled my head and chest into his lap. He picked up a soft bristled brush and brushed my fur. I lifted my head and nuzzled him gently before falling back to sleep. I woke up when he retired upstairs, with Toothless following shortly thereafter. Valka came home, had a late supper, and then went to bed. I pulled out the letter and made some more notes before signing it. I looked down at what I had written. I sighed. It was finished, at long last.

The next morning I woke up as the group returned. They all sat down and listened as Hiccup began to tell my tale from where he'd left off. He was just telling them about how Toothless and I flew into battle together against the Bewilderbeest when I fell back to sleep. I heard the faint rustle of paper crinkling under my chin. Toothless heard it too and looked up. When I woke up, I knew it was time. The group was leaving, so I scraped the furs away from the letter, picked it up in my teeth, and carried it over to Hiccup. He took it from my hand and ruffled my ears. I lay down at his feet, with my chin on his boot, and let my mind go blank. Night enveloped my vision. My mother sniffed me, and then called me through the black. The darkness was pierced by a sudden light, and I woke up in the Meadow.

I heard an agonized cry and ran over to a puddle. I peered into the depths and Hiccup's image appeared slowly. He was cradling my body, rocking slightly as tears raced down his cheeks. Toothless sniffed me, then moved the chair out of the way.

"Tiger! No," Hiccup wailed. He bent over my body and wept bitterly, heart wrenching sobs wracking his body until it seemed he wouldn't be able to stop crying. Toothless licked my head, as though thinking it would help me wake up, but it did nothing except leave a wet patch of fur on my head. My savior held me close and his tears soaked into my pelt. Valka and Astrid ran in when they heard him scream. They knelt on either side of him and put their arms around him. There wasn't much else they could do, however.

A few hours later, my body floated on a boat not far off Berk's Southern shore. I'd been placed on a funeral pyre with a cloak draped over me along with the blanket I'd slept with when I was a cub. A few more objects I used daily were set with me, and my fake paw was sitting directly over my heart. Hiccup shot a flaming arrow into the pyre from the beach. A team of archers followed suit.

Hiccup walked to the water's edge and stared at my ship, tears stinging his eyes. He worked his jaw a bit before being able to speak, "I'm sorry, Tiger. I should have spent more time with you. I-I guess I just thought I'd always have you." His words hit me hard. "I love you, Tiger, and I'll miss you."

Toothless joined him next. "Good luck, kid. If you see Stoick, tell him I'm sorry for what I did," he said. He was saddened too, but as with all dragons, no tears flowed from his eyes. My Stingers were standing atop a cliff, watching from a distance. They bowed and lowered their stingers, which I recognized as their sign of ultimate respect.

A familiar scent caught my nose, and I looked up from the puddle. Stoick was standing not far away, looking shocked to see me.

"Stoick!" I cried running up to him.

"How in Thor's Name can I understand you?" he demanded.

"We're both dead, there's no language barrier here in the Meadow. Nothing here but peace, and freedom. Oh, and love, too," I said.

"How's Hiccup?" he asked after nodding for a bit.

"He's sad because I just died at his feet, but other than that I think he'll be okay," I answered. Stoick knelt next to me and I put my paws on his shoulders, giving him a hug. "He misses you, y'know. He talks about you in his sleep."

Stoick sighed. "I know," he said. "Freya showed me how my death has affected him. But it was either him or me, and I couldn't let my son die."

"I understand. He might not have been my son, but I couldn't rest easy knowing that I hadn't been there to keep a closer eye on him when that bear attacked," I said.

"No one could have predicted that he'd get hurt, Tiger, so don't blame yourself," he said to me.

"Oh, and Toothless says he's sorry for what happened," I said suddenly, remembering what Toothless had asked me.

"It wasn't his fault," he grumbled. "It was that thrice-accursed Bewilderbeest and his demented master."

"Bludvist. Hm, his blood tasted kinda good when I bit him," I said. I realized what I'd said and backtracked quickly. "Not was it seems, Stoick. He was riding Toothless and I bit his leg to get him off Toothless. Then I flew on Hiccup's dragon, and boy was that a ride." I said this last bit sarcastically.

He laughed and patted my back. We walked over to the puddle and looked into it together. Hiccup was sitting on the edge of his bed and looking at the letter.

"Bye, Tiger," he whispered. "I'll miss you."