I'm Leaving Forever (a HTTYD Runaway Fanfic ~ Book 1)

9 - Who Told You?

Mildew kept in the shadows as he watched Hiccup and Astrid and eavesdropped on their conversation. He had his staff lying next to him and he was without his sheep as he had left him back at his house.

What he was overhearing and the information he was gaining was enough to put a smile on his face in his inevitable victory. Hiccup and Astrid both knew about a location of a dragon's nest where all the dragons that raided Berk come from. But Mildew was less concerned about Astrid. Actually, he didn't care about her. He was mainly focused on Hiccup. This would work in his favour perfectly.

With him knowing the location of this dragon nest, he could find a way to get this information to Stoick. But he knew that he couldn't go up to Stoick in person and report this information. It would raise too many questions and cause suspicion, especially considering that he hardly ever came down to the village ever. He had to get someone else to do it for him. Someone who wouldn't know the reason behind Hiccup's secrecy of his discovery and who wouldn't think twice about telling Stoick. Someone obnoxious to the danger that lay ahead of Berk when they sailed there.

Mildew shook his head when his unfocused eyes picked up the movement of the Night Fury moving its head around the cove, almost like he was scanning the area. This made Mildew tense up, but he didn't move. He was completely concealed by the shadows and even if the dragon could sense another presence, he would have no way of telling that it was him, so he stayed put and kept his breathing steady and relaxed.

Eventually, the dragon's gaze left his side of the cove and drifted to the two younger Vikings. That Night Fury would also be invaluable in his plan. Mildew wasn't oblivious to the countless failures Berk has had in their attempt to find the source of all these dragons. Their chances of success could rise significantly if, instead, a dragon were to be used to take them there. And if the Night Fury was taken, Hiccup would try to follow to get his dragon back. By that time, the Vikings would be far away from Berk, if not already there at the nest and Hiccup would most likely perish, along with some others when they finally encounter all the dragons. 

Like with Astrid however, Mildew didn't care about what happened to anyone else. He only cared about what would happen to Hiccup. And if he does die, then it would make things a lot more easier for everyone.

Mildew decided that it would be best to leave when he saw Astrid run out of the cove, thankfully not in his direction, but in order not to cross paths with her, he stayed put for a little longer. He also wanted to know where Hiccup and his Night Fury would be staying for the night. After a few minutes, it was clear that they would be staying in the cove, and that gave Mildew even more to exploit. Now all he needed to do was to get back to his house through the village that would mostly likely be dormant. 

He had everything he needed, now he just needed to put it all together.

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It looked like it was quite late into the morning when Hiccup woke up. Although there was no way he could properly tell the time, seeing as there were only dense clouds in the sky, Hiccup felt like he had slept for many hours and that it was sometime near midday. Toothless was by the edge of the lake, completely focused on the water surface. He also had a few fish lying beside his tail well away from the water. Soon, Toothless made a drastic movement of plunging his head into the lake and snatching a fish out of the water by its tail before stepping back. Turning away from the lake, he was about to put his catch with the other when he saw Hiccup sitting up awake.

"Hey, Toothless," Hiccup said, giving him a scratch on his head when he walked up to him. Toothless still had the fish in his mouth dangling from its tail and he decided to give it to Hiccup. So he dropped it and used his plasma to heat up the fish, essentially cooking it. When it looked done to Toothless, he nudged it over to Hiccup.