Searching For You

Chapter 8: Old Habits Die Hard

For a moment it seemed all time had stopped. They had all heard it. The voice still repeating loudly in everyone's head. None of them were sure they would ever hear it again.

Astrid dropped her axe in surprise.

"H-hiccup?" she stammered.

He nodded slowly. She placed both her hands over her mouth feeling like she was about to collapse into an emotional mess. Then he jumped down from the tree, standing on two legs, his tail and wings no longer existing. He was maybe a few inches taller, he had a prosthetic leg that was pretty much the exact same as his old one, and his forest green eyes almost seemed dimmer than they used to be but no one noticed with all the excitement buzzing in the air. As soon as his feet touched the ground they trampled him to the ground showering him with death hugs. He felt like each one of his ribs might bust at any moment.

"Okay...okay, I missed you guys too. Now, please... Get off before you break my ribs." He pleaded between breaths. They all slowly got off their long-lost friend.

Hiccup remained on the ground while the others stood up. For a moment they sat in an awkward silence. Soon Hiccup decided to break that silence.

"Hey."

Then Astrid walked over to him and punched him in the shoulder, just like she used to, slightly irritated. "Ow! What was that for?" He asked while rubbing his arm

"We haven't seen you or even heard from you in three years Hiccup, three years, and you just say 'Hey'. Who does that!" She complained.

"Me..... I guess."

"H.. is this your island," Tuffnut asked.

"Well, not really." He answered while standing up and brushing himself off. "Then where do you live," Fishlegs asked curiously. "Actually recently I have just been wandering around from island to island." He explained.

Astrid had a feeling he wasn't telling them something. But she didn't want to push him on it right now. They were having a good time. They just found Hiccup, or more he found them.

"Wait, how long have you been following us?" Astrid questioned him. His eyes widened and he blushed slightly. He rubbed the back of his head before answering. "Um.. since yesterday." Now Astrid understood why she felt like she was being watched two nights ago, because she was, by Hiccup. But it made her wonder why he hadn't revealed himself early. "So, anyway what brings you guys out here anyway?"

"Well, dragon boy we came out here looking for you?"

Hiccup raised one eyebrow. "And what may I ask prompted this idea."

They all looked at Astrid who began blushing slightly. "Well it's kind of a long story but here we go. A couple of days ago a man named Crazy Carl, you've heard of him right?" He nodded. "Well, he said that he saw a Hybrid while fishing a little over a week ago and with all the evidence he provided I guess I started to believe that it was you. Was it you?"

"Yeah... that was. But I mean I was just flying by minding my own business before he decided to try and shoot me so..." He said slightly agitated.

Astrid couldn't help but chuckle a little at his explanation. It seemed to remind her of the fun they used to have. She desperately wanted to question him on the journal and drawings but pushed that thought away, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Wait Hiccup, I thought you had wings and a tail! Oh no, did you lose them!?" Tuffnut stated finally noticing that only his ear plates remained.

Hiccup face-palmed before explaining. "No Tuff, I did not lose them. Over three years I have learned many things including this," he said with a smile. In a flash, his wings and tail were there again leaving the riders in awe. Soon Astrid noticed that the edges of his wings had small tears which worried her slightly. Once again his wings and tail were nowhere to be found.

Fishlegs looked as if he could pass out from excitement at any moment. Soon they all settled down and relit the dying embers of the fire. Hiccup mainly sat in silence. He was just happy to see his friends again. Of course, this wasn't really the first time he had seen them in three years.

Many times he would fly by Berk just to see his old home again. He deeply missed it. But because he had visited a few times he knew that the villagers would never welcome him back. To them, he was nothing more than a freak of nature, and maybe they were right. But right now that didn't matter. He had his friends with him and was happy to talk with them again, even the Twins.

They sat and talked for a while before the only ones awake were Hiccup and Astrid. An aura of awkwardness hung in the air. Neither knew how to break the strange and uncomfortable silence. After a few minutes, Hiccup sat up and went to a tree and wrapped his tail around it, tucking himself in for the night. No matter how long it's been Astrid knew that would probably never seem normal.

Astrid lay on her back, staring up into the starlit night sky wondering what was to come. They had done it. They had found Hiccup. And yet something seems off. His eyes no longer had the happy brightness they once had. His sarcasm was much less obvious. She held her bag close to her which contained the journal and his drawings. She knew she had to ask him about it but she just didn't know when, or how it would go. Would he be mad at her? He seemed to make it clear that he didn't want anyone other than him reading the book since it was underneath a loose floorboard.

She looked over to see him hanging from the tree, appearing to be fast asleep.

There was something he was holding back, not just from her but from everyone. She saw how damaged the edges of his wings were and just beneath the neck of his red tunic she could see small scars. She also recalled how he never even asked about Toothless or his Father. Did he not care anymore? So many questions were running through Astrid's mind.

Yes, the riders had found Hiccup but it seemed she would have to dig a little deeper to truly find the boy she once loved.