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The moon was gone, a dark void hidden amongst a starry backdrop. Hiccup knew he didn't have much time.
Astrid had probably gone back already. He'd had to rush back home and pack a satchel with the essentials—money, his sketches, and a notebook to write in—only praying that she hadn't found Stoick before…well.
Before they could get away, after she eventually tells the whole of Berk about Toothless.
It was a worrying thought, being discovered. That's why he was leaving. Before they could get to Toothless, or him.
He only needed to—
A loud crunch of branches behind him made him whirl around and lose his footing, dropping his bag.
Hiccup fell to the ground with a yelp.
A hunched figure came out from behind the tree line. <em>"F…food."</em> They stumbled around a rock, headed straight for Hiccup.
It was hard to see who it was, but when the light caught their face, he could only tell that they were haggard.
"Uh..uh…don't come any closer!"
They didn't seem to hear him.
<em>"Food,"</em> they snarled. Now that they were closer, Hiccup could tell that they were monsterous.
A ghastly being with sunken, unseeing eyes, a gaunt face, withered hands, and thinning hair. They suddenly stuck their nose in the air, breathing loudly through their nostrils.
<em>"Food,"</em> it screeched, loudly.
Hiccup chose that moment to leap up and run. A poor decision, he realized, when the monster lunged at him with inhuman speed.
"No—!" Hiccup gasped as the monster went straight for his throat.
<center>[…]</center>
"Chieftain!"
Astrid pushed through the crowd of people, heading straight for Stoick.
"Chieftain, Hiccup is a <em>traitor!</em>"
The entire Hall went quiet.
Stoick's head snapped to Astrid.
"What do you mean by that?"
Astrid paused for a second to catch her breath. She had sprinted all the way here, after all.
"He—he's been keeping a dragon in the woods! In a cove, away from the village!"
Stoick rose from his seat, pure rage rolling off of him in waves.
"Show me."
<center>[…]</center>
The monster snarled into Hiccup's neck, licking the rest of the blood from the puncture wounds and teeth marks.
"Sssired…yesss…little boy is now mine. Claimed him, oh yes. Mine. Allll mine."
Hiccup was unconscious, unknowing of the monster's muttering.
It crawled off of him, sitting to the side. "Mhm. Yessss. Little boy allll mine. Mine for the taking, oh yes."
The starlight wasn't enough to warn the monster about the one in the sky.
It dove down, striking the other monster with deadly precision. <em>"MINE! HE IS MINE!" The vampire screamed before he beheaded it with one clean heave of their obsidian silver-tipped axe.
The fae turned and crouched, looking a Hiccup.
"Oh. That vampire didn't completely drain you."
The fae crouches down, eyes running over Hiccup, looking for other wounds besides the very obvious one in his throat.
After finding no more wounds, they check Hiccup's pulse, wipe the blood away, and concentrate. The wound closes, leaving faint scarring from where the vampire's teeth caught his throat.
"Dumb boy, wake up." The fae slapped him unforgivingly across the face.
Hiccup launches himself up, almost headbutting the fae. She sighs, then reaches over Hiccup's head.
He doesn't realize what the fae is doing until his dropped satchel is dangling in front of his face.
"Go, dumb boy. While you still have the chance. They're nearby."
Hiccup looks at her in shock, taking in their features. Pointed ears, unforgiving brown eyes, their wings, and most of all, their axe.
"Did you hear me? I said go!"
They tossed the satchel at his chest and rose from their crouching position. The fae grabbed the vampire's head, leaving it's body to crumble to ash.
The fae launched themselves into the sky. Hiccup tried to follow them with his eyes, but it was too dark.
Hiccup saw firelight in the distance. Fear ran through him. He needed to move, and quickly.
He rushes into the cove, calling for Toothless who looks very happy to see him.
"C'mon bud, we're taking a vacation."
They fly off into the night, never to be seen again by the people of Berk.
<center>[…]</center>
Hiccup had been feeling terrible the past couple of days they've been traveling. It's been five days since they left Berk.
Three of which happen to be the best days of Hiccup's life.
Flying over islands, ocean and ships had been the best experience for both Toothless and Hiccup on those first two days.
However, Hiccup fell ill halfway through the third afternoon of flying. They made a pitstop at a smaller island to take a break. Toothless has been fishing, while Hiccup's been keeping near the flames and the cave.
Toothless cuddles up to him whenever he's not fishing or running about in the clearing outside of the cave. He never truly wanders off because he can't leave Hiccup alone.
Hiccup is asleep again. Toothless doesn't know if that's normal or not. He hasn't spent enough time with his friend, or any other human, to determine if his behavior and sleep cycle is normal.
Toothless nudges Hiccup, trying to make him sit up. It doesn't work. He then gently grabs Hiccup and pulls him into his stomach.
Toothless cradles Hiccup, arms holding him in his sleep, while his wings act as a blanket.
Toothless can’t help but let out a worried trill. He doesn’t know what’s wrong, so all he can do is bring Hiccup comfort and keep him warm.
<center>[…]</center>
Toothless…didn’t know how Hiccup had managed to get up. He’s been sleeping through the days, was semi-conscious during the night, and was cold, even to Toothless.
Hiccup felt like shit, to say the least. His head felt like it was splitting open, and everything else ached or hurt in some way.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Toothless. Let’s get a move on, before I pass out again.”
Toothless didn’t think this was such a good idea, but he knew they needed to keep moving. At least until they found asylum.
“We need to find a market. Somewhere that won’t look twice at either of us.”
Toothless warbled, turning to face Hiccup. “Don’t worry, bud. We’ll be alright.”
A large chunk of land came into view three hours later.
They land about ten minutes by foot away from the market, find a secluded place for Toothless and then Hiccup is off to roam the streets.
Hiccup has never seen a place so bustling, given he’s never even left Berk before.
There are stands full of glassworks, paintings, potters selling jars, spices, furs, weapons, wines. The list goes on and on as Hiccup continues his search.
He doesn’t know exactly what he’s looking for, but he knows that he needs something to survive the winter in. These clothes won’t do. Too thin, likely to get him frostbite or something worse.
Iron would be nice, however it’s expensive and he’s only got so much silver. Hiccup had to remind himself of this as he passes a metalworking stand.
<em>Winter gear first. I can think about inventions later.</em>
He passed the food stands, finally finding the winter gear.
He purchased a new leather cloak, longer pants, and a new pair of boots for cheaper than what he had guessed they would cost.
Everything was much heavier than expected, so he bought a bag with part of the leftover silver.
A bag that would end up with Toothless, but Hiccup needed to get back to him first.
Hiccup had navigated the crowds pretty well until he actually started taking notice of who was around him.
He realized that, out in the daylight, there were fae, centaurs, and gorgons, among others. There were humans of course, but they acted like nothing was amiss. It made sense, considering how dense the market’s population was.
Hiccup decided not to question it, even though he was awestruck. Most Berkians had never seen a Magical before. He might even be the first of the more recent generations too.
The walk to Toothless was going smoothly, until Hiccup accidentally ran into an oncoming stranger.
“Oh gods, I am so, so sorry.”
Hiccup was so busy getting back up he didn’t even notice the other boy’s white hair.
“It’s alright. You didn’t fall too hard, did you? If so, I could patch you up right here.”
When their eyes met, Hiccup's breath hitched. The other boy’s eyes were a dazzling blue. What startled Hiccup, however, was how the small wings that had been hidden expertly behind his back suddenly flare out as if something was wrong.
Milliseconds later, the wings relax, almost as if nothing had happened.
<em>What was that about?</em>
Hiccup reaches downwards, letting the boy’s hand catch his first before he pulls him back to his feet.
“Sorry, again. I didn’t mean to, I was just so caught up in the hustle bustle of the market that I forgot to pay attention to where I was going, and again—”
The stranger’s eyes filled with mirth.
“No need for all this apologizing, stranger! The only thing I’m worried about is your purchases.”
Hiccup's posture straightens with recognition. He reaches down and grabs the bag. “I’ll be on my way now, stranger.”
“Sorry again!” Hiccup yells as the stranger moves away, movements suspiciously light.
<center>[…]</center>
Hiccup is starting to feel sick again.
Luckily, he’s close to the edge of the small town near the market. He went to a pub trying to gain information about where they were, exactly.
He found out that they were at the biggest importing and exporting port on this side of the Archipelago, also known as Fishy Breath.
The sun had set about half an hour ago, so Toothless was expecting him to be back soon.
A pang in his stomach causes him to double over in pain. He stayed like that for a few moments, wondering what was wrong.
He groans when another pang hits. The pain didn’t seem to be going anywhere. He’d eaten earlier with Toothless, less than three hours ago.
One moment he was standing up, the next he was on his knees, moaning in pain.
Everything hurt now. His teeth, eyes, legs arms, ears, back head.
If it had a name, it hurt, as far as Hiccup could tell.
Nothing was right. Nothing felt right within him. A woman walked up to him, asking if he was okay.
Hiccup didn’t think. He just lunged. The woman dodged his excuse of a lunge, but he was back on her in less than three seconds.
She grunted, trying to wrestle him off.
Considering his apparent size, it should’ve been easy, but trying to move him felt like trying to move a solid block of lead.
The struggle stopped once he placed a hand over her mouth and bit into her neck
Hiccup had no autonomy. It was all instinct. A deep, clawing hunger for blood had set in him, and it was all consuming.
Hiccup was so busy draining the woman of blood that he didn’t notice that someone was calling for her.
“Hilde? Hilde Ivarsdottir! Where’d ya go?”
The other man rounded the corner, revealing the horror show further along the path.
“Wha—you!”
The fae’s face became stone in a matter of seconds.
“I felt you in the markets, <em>devil.</em> You’ll meet your end for this.”
Hiccup hissed, eyes darting wildly. He felt too aware. Too tuned in to the world. It was overwhelming.
The fae unsheathed his sword. Hiccup felt the bite of silver in the air before the blade had even fully left the sheathe.
His mind only screamed danger. The instincts kicked back into control.
Hiccup was inexperienced, almost making this an unfair fight if not for his greater speed and reaction time.
The fae was fast, but Hiccup was faster.
He memorized his movements. Dodge, block strike, dodge, block, block, strike, strike. Hiccup struck between the strikes, landing a couple of slashes here and there. It was a fluid style, each motion flowing into the next. It was a direct contrast to Hiccup's, whose feral motions and uncontrolled movements could lead to his downfall at any point.
The blade cut him on his left shoulder. It <em>burnt</em>. That was what he wasn’t expecting. It threw him off-kilter.
When they finally separated from close-combat, they each sported rakes and gashes from their respective opponent.
Hiccup was growing weaker. He stumbled forwards.
The fae saw this as an opportunity to strike, going for his knee. He missed, hitting the lower half of his leg.
It came cleanly off. Hiccup screamed as the severed leg flew away from him.
The fae rushed to the woman, Hilde, weaving a quick healing spell to help with the blood loss.
Once he was done, he turned back to the writhing dhampir on the ground.
“I am sorry, young one. But this path is not one you’d want to go down. Of this, I am sure.”
The fae raised his sword, steeling himself in preparation for the beheading of his opponent.
“T...oo..late.”
Hiccup sat up, eyes glinting wildly in the moonlight. In a blink, the fae’s wings were pinned to the ground with sticks.
He screamed. Hiccup leaned over him. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want this. He <em>didn’t want this.
He didn’t want this(to be how the battle ended).
(He wants this)
He doesn’t want this…….</em>
Hiccup leaned on his own stick, which was compensating for his missing leg, as the bloodthirsty dhampir and the good, compassionate side warred inside of him.
<em>He wants this.</em>
The next thing he knew he was doing, his claws were digging into the fae’s eyes.
Hiccup slowly came back to himself.
His claws made a squelching sound as he pulled them out of the fae’s eye sockets, which were now completely devoid of eyes because their remnants clinged to his hands.
His breathing was uneven, he was shaking, in pain, and he had a half dead fae in front of him.
The empty, bloodied eye sockets were hauntingly gore-less. The only things that remained were broken capillaries and shredded eyelids.
The fae was trembling and making pained whimpers. As Hiccup looked at the fae, something cold settled over his mind. A fog, clouding his belief that people’s lives mattered.
He slit the his throat. No remorse. No mercy. The woman awoke as Hiccup hobbled away.
“Monster! You <em>devil!</em> How could you!?” Her voice broke, and her sobbing echoed in his head on the walk back to Toothless.
<center>[…]</em>
Hiccup returned to Toothless bloodied. Toothless trilled in alarm once he saw the missing leg.
Hiccup moved sloppily, but he managed to securely attach the saddlebag to Toothless, mount him, and slump over.
Toothless knew where to go. He had to take Hiccup back home. To the place he felt most comfortable.
It was a long trip back to Berk, with Hiccup’s condition slowly getting worse and worse. It made it harder for him to control the tail fin, but they managed in the end.
They had luckily arrived under the cover of darkness, save for the moon in its Waxing Gibbous phase.
Toothless growled deep in his throat, alerting the blacksmith in the Forge.
He almost yells when he sees Toothless, but when he looks closer, he can see the outline of Hiccup's unconscious body on the back of the dragon as dark as the sky.
A mixture of concern and fear for Hiccup appears on Gobber’s face.
“Hiccup?” It was nothing more than a whisper. Toothless was glad the blacksmith didn’t immediately attack or yell for help. He scooped Hiccup off of the dragon’s back and carried him inside. Toothless followed.
<center>[…]</center>
The blacksmith worked tirelessly on a design for a prosthetic for Hiccup and a new mechanism for the saddle. It was simple, but it would allow for him to control Toothless’s own prosthetic.
They were pretty much done, only needed a little bit of refining here and there.
The forge crackled, casting a light glow in the early hours of the morning.
Hiccup was propped up against Toothless, leg bandaged as best as Gobber could manage.
Toothless felt a wave of relief as Hiccup turned in his sleep.
Gobber stood from his desk and hobbled over. He moved a chair from a nearby workstation and placed it in front of Toothless.
“You’re a good dragon, I think. You’d be best off to take good care of that one. There’s no other like ‘em.”
Toothless whined, resting his head on Gobber’s lap.
He blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting to become a dragon’s headrest.
He gently placed his hand on Toothless’s head, trying not to accidentally startle the aforementioned dragon, only to be startled himself when Toothless leaned into him.
After a while, Toothless was snoring with his head in Gobber’s lab while Gobber was studying the pair before him.
<em>They’re quite the interesting duo, but if Hiccup is safe, I couldn’t care less who he’s with.</em>
Soon enough, Gobber was snoring alongside Toothless.
<center>[…]</center>
Hiccup’s awakening was a tough one, considering he barely remembered the hours before he got himself stuck in a semi-unconscious state.
“Gobber, you don’t have to do this. Really. We can just leave right now. You’ll never see us again, I promise.”
“Ah, Hiccup. I don’t care about that. All I wanted to know if you were safe. I know that you are now, but what in Odin’s name happened before?”
“I don’t know Gobber. I just...blacked out.” Lies He has to lie. He can’t let Gobber know about his <em>true</em> nature.
He just can’t risk it.
“You lose your leg, and that’s all you can come up with?”
Hiccup winced.
“Okay, fine. I was attacked by a fae in Fishy Breath. He….took my leg.” The “and I took his life” is left out.
Gobber’s eyes hardened. “Ah. I’ve always disliked those damned Magicals.”
Hiccup stiffened. “I don’t know what to think about them. They’re kinda like us, you know? Different personalities…”
He trailed off.
Gobber made a scoffing noise and turned back to his work.
Hiccup shrank back into his hiding place.
<center>[…]</center>
After three days, Hiccup and Toothless were well rested enough to leave. His prosthetic worked, and Toothless’s new saddle fit, and after a few test runs, the saddle was proven to work.
Gobber and Hiccup were outside on the docks. Toothless and Hiccup were standing across from Gobber, backs to ocean.
“Goodbye, Hiccup.”
“Goodbye, Gobber.”
“You better not keep that promise.”
Hiccup laughed dryly and considered his words very carefully before speaking them.
“I...want you to keep moving, even without me.”
Gobber hugged Hiccup.
“I love you, Hiccup. Be safe.”
It almost took him by surprise. <em>Almost.</em>
“...I love you too, Gobber. And I’ll try to be safe and not keep that promise.”
Hiccup turned and didn’t look back.
Gobber watched with tearful eyes as the boy he watched grow up disappeared above the clouds.
Written by a human in Ellipsus.