Dire Straits

"Thor, help us," Astrid begged, pacing the deck of the ship worriedly. She glanced at the water, which had stilled. "Hiccup, please live."

Hiccup was stuck. A stray boulder from Viggo's ships had hit the pulley, completely shattering it, making it impossible to pull the hut-like structure from the water. It was too heavy, even with their dragons' help, to lift. Hiccup was going to die. Astrid glanced at Fishlegs, who was still standing in the same spot he had been when the pulley broke. His shoulders were shaking slightly, and she could hear quiet sobs coming from the boy, even from where she stood.

"Hey, he'll get out of this. He has to. He's Hiccup," she tried to smile. But the smile was weak, strained. It didn't reach her eyes. Fishlegs' shoulders just sagged more.

Even the twins were quiet.

He had been down there too long. When the pulley broke, Toothless had dove after it. The Night Fury still hadn't come up for air. A voice in her mind told her, 'Toothless won't leave Hiccup, even if it'd kill him, too.' Astrid swallowed thickly. She wouldn't cry. Hiccup would make it out, like he always did. If he didn't... she didn't want to think of that.

--

Hiccup could hear the water filling up the contraption. It roared, not unlike that of an angry Rumblehorn. Damn him for triple reinforcing the metal it was made out of. Now it made it impossible to escape. "I'm sorry, bud," Hiccup called through the glass. The water was lapping at his ankles now, and rising fast. "I'm sorry."

Toothless made an upset whine. He scratched helplessly at the window, though he knew it would do nothing. His Hiccup was now in waist deep water. Toothless searched Hiccup's forest-colored eyes with his own grass-colored ones, desperately, looking for something, anything, that showed that his boy hadn't given up. Finding nothing, he pressed his face to the glass.

Hiccup pressed his hand to the glass, where the middle of Toothless' midnight-colored scale met in between his eyes. His hand was numb, the fingers going slightly blue at the tips. He slid his hand to the edge and pressed his own forehead against the window. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he fought them, not letting them fall. He glanced up, and saw a large, dark shape sulking behind Toothless. The water was up to his neck.

"Toothless! Look out!" He cried, banging the glass. Tooth's head shot up, and he whirled around with a snarl. The water was to his chin. He took a deep breath as his head was completely submerged in the frigid depths. Toothless shot at the creature, which Hiccup now recognized as the Submaripper he had just freed. It swam towards Hiccup, towards the metal hut, not even blinking at the Plasma Bolt's shot at it's face. It grabbed the hut in it's jaws.

'This is the end of me,' Hiccup thought. His chest burned, and he could feel his body shutting down. He needed air. Dark spots swam across his vision, and he exhaled, bubbles rising from his mouth. As his eyes slipped shut, he felt the hut start to move.

The Submaripper swam to the surface quickly. Toothless gripped it's tail, hanging on like a squirrel to a branch during a storm. The Night Fury had no idea what the large dragon was planning, but they were going up, so he decided to place his trust in the dragon.

They broke the still surface of the water with a large splash, and the dragon tossed the hut onto the boat. "Hiccup!" both Astrid and Fishlegs cried, while Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout ran over. The Submaripper flipped Toothless off it's tail as it swam away, and the black dragon landed on the boat, bounding over to the hut.

Hiccup was lying across the beam, still as the dead. His lips were blue, skin pale, and his eyes were shut.

"We have to get him out of there!" Fishlegs said, snapping everyone out of their shock.

"We're on it! Barf, Belch!" Ruffnut called, and the two nodded. She found a small hole, and shoved a metal bar through it. Barf and Belch twisted their necks, and grabbed the bar, pushing down. With a loud groan, a deafening screech, and a pop, a panel of metal bent away from the rest.

Astrid shouldered her way into the hut, grabbing Hiccup by the shoulders, and dragging him out. He felt like ice had settled just below his skin. She placed him on the deck, crouched over him. No breath's stirred his chest. For all accounts, he was lifeless. "He's not breathing! Come on!"

She shook his shoulder, but to no avail. Toothless made a confused sound, and licked Hiccup. Nothing happened, and his ear fins flattened against his head. Usually that woke the one-legged boy up immediately. "Damn it!" Astrid cursed, hitting Hiccup's chest.

Suddenly he heaved, water spilling from his lips. "Quick, turn him on his side!" Fishlegs yelled, and Astrid did so. Hiccup coughed, spluttered, and threw up all of the water that had settled in his lungs. Gradually, as he took gulping breaths, color returned to his skin.

He cracked open an eye, breaths rattling inside him. He was instantly bombarded with a slobbery tongue, and he smiled. "H-ey bu-d," he wheezed, placing a hand on Toothless' nose. "Go-od to se-e you to-o."

"Hiccup!" Astrid called, enveloping him in a hug.

"Ast-rid?"

"You idiot!" She snarled, eyes shining. But she was smiling.

"Wh-t happn'd?" he croaked, sitting up with the help of Toothless. Astrid and Snotlout explained that it was Viggo, who had shot catapults to aggravate the Submaripper, and one stray rock had smashed the pulley, making it impossible to pull him up.

"Viggo? We hav' to go af'er him!" Hiccup coughed, trying to stand. He wobbled, and instantly crashed to the floor again, body shaking with the force of the coughs heaving through his chest.

"You're not going anywhere. Ruff, Tuff, Snot, and Astrid, go after him, I'll stay here with Hiccup," Fishlegs ordered, and the four nodded, instantly mounting their dragons.

"'m goin' too," Hiccup tried, but Toothless held him down.

"No you're not. You almost drowned, you're not going anywhere."

"But-" Hiccup was cut off as Toothless laid down, placing his head across his boy's lap. Hiccup sighed. "Fine."