Found again (HTTYD FF)

★13★

Hiccup couldn't find his footing. The world spun and rocked from side to side. He was barely aware of someone supporting him and helping him in his staggering gait. He wanted to sleep, so badly, but he knew he couldn't fall asleep now, no matter what. He just mustn't.

Somewhere in the back of his consciousness, he watched as he walked through the woods, stumbling helplessly along the path until the trees parted before him and the village came into view. A few paces beyond the tree line they stood. Viggo and Ryker, he just wasn't sure who was who.

Hiccup hadn't met them in person yet, but he had seen them from a distance a few times. He was sure they were the ones after him, and he was right. Now they stood before him, triumphant smiles on their faces.

"Look who we found. Where's your friend? The Night Fury?"

"Leave me... alone," Hiccup managed to get out. He had no idea who was talking to him. His clouded mind couldn't grasp the meaning of the words, they were just meaningless sounds to him at that moment. He wanted to be left alone to sleep, to get a good night's rest and let the Dragon Root's poison wear off.

"Should we give him the antidote?"

"No. We wait until it wears off. We don't want him to get away again."

Hiccup had no idea what he was talking about. The blackness was reaching out harder and harder, wanting to pull him into the depths of unconsciousness, but Hiccup tried to resist. This was no time to be unaware of what was going on around him. He might not wake up again. But despite his best efforts, the depths of unconsciousness did pull him back. They were too strong for him... too friendly.

~~~

Hiccup would have slumped to the ground if the two hunters hadn't held him up. He just suddenly lost consciousness.

Astrid pushed her way forward, wanting to help him. She couldn't just let Viggo take him somewhere. She couldn't explain why, but she had a feeling it was wrong. Not because he was the chief's son - probably - nor because he didn't deserve such a fate, it was for another reason - unknown to her. If he stayed with Viggo, something terrible was sure to happen to him, after all Viggo was a dragon hunter! And Hiccup was a dragon in his own way! And the thought of something terrible happening to him was, Astrid couldn't understand why, unbearable.

When she had a better view, she noticed an ordinary arrow embedded in one of Hiccup's wings. From the outside, at least, it didn't appear strange.

She wanted to step forward, push the dragon hunters away and protect the winged boy from them, no matter what it took. But there were too many of them. And they had bows, whose arrows she wouldn't have a chance to defend against. Not without a shield.

"You didn't pull that arrow out? You idiots! We need him alive!" Viggo reached for the arrow and pulled sharply, removing it and tossing it aside. Astrid's gaze wandered towards the arrow with the tip smeared with something green. What is it?

"Who shot him?" He looked around at the returning hunters, some still coming out of the woods. One of them raised his hand cautiously.

"I..." the hunter said uncertainly, his voice weak, his desire to be gone from the world for good evident in the frightened tone of his voice and his stance.

Viggo started toward him, the hunter backing away subtly. "You idiot! You could have killed him!" He yelled at him. He added more quietly: "You know what would have happened to you if you had killed him, don't you?" Astrid barely heard his last words. The hunter nodded nervously. "Good."

"We're heading back!"

At that moment, Stoick managed to get through the crowd and appeared next to Astrid. "What's going on here?"