||The Dragon Boy|| A HTTYD Short Story||

By The Shore

A/N I'm slowly going through and editing this all. Excuse any inconsistencies. 

Astrid POV

The Berk tide was still in as Astrid Hofferson walked along the beach, desperate to clear her head. The dragons attacked again last night and a clear shot slipped through her fingers! The guilt of missing plagued her as she went over  everything that had happened until her stride stoped short. Face down in the sand was a strange man, cloaked in black armour. The waves lapped at his hapless form.  With urgency Astrid sprinted up the beach to the Great Hall where she could find the chief of the tribe, Stoick the Vast. It took quite a few minutes for Astrid to get there, her heart was racing as a hint of fear laced her bloodstream. As she burst into the building, all eyes fell on her. Astrid fought the urge to shrink away as she face her chief. 

"Body... on ... beach... docks might be ... dead," she spluttered. Stoick  walked towards her, a frown falling upon his face. 

"Slow down, who was there?" 

"I was walking along the beach, and I looked up and saw this body lying face down dressed in a strange black armour," Astrid reiterated firmly. 

"Gobber come with me. Astrid show us where the body is," Stoick orders. With a nod, Astrid lead the two vikings to where she saw the stranger. 

-

The armour the strange man adorned was soaked with salty water. Hiccup, injured and barley conscious lay face down on the beach. Traces of blood seemed out into the water from an injury to his left leg. Salt grain clung to his damp skin as he lay unconscious, unaware of the approaching strangers until meaty hands rolled him over. The sun hurt his closed eyes. A quiet groan emerges from his lips. The groan turns into a strangled cry as someone picks him up. Voices swirl around him in a haze.

With the pain from an unknown injury overwhelming him, the Hiccup succumbs to unconsciousness. 

**********

There is a scratchy blanket thrown over him is the first thing Hiccup is aware of. Seccond is the dryness in his throat, breathing was uncomfortable. He peels his eyes open and observes his surrounding. The building is old and in the corner his armour is strewn upon a chair. He sighs at the damage, there is no way it is going to be fixed soon. 

Without any prompting horrifying images flash through Hiccups mind. 

Smoke
Fire
Falling
Toothless

Oh Thor.

Hiccup threw the blanket off and made to stand yet his legs made no effort to support him and he fell painfully. Glancing down Hiccup spies something...something that really shouldn't be there. His leg is gone, and it's measly replacement is a scruffy metal leg. Hobbling and staying close to the wall, Hiccup makes his way down the stairs. The house has scarcely any furnishings. Before I can get to it the door is thrown open. An absolute bear  of a man walks through, his eyes widen at Hiccup's presence. 

"Ah, you're awake."

Hiccup makes an attempt to speak but his dry throat refuses to cooperate. 

The man picks up a pitcher of water and fills a cup and passes it to Hiccup who barely hesitates before gulping down the water. 

"Im Stoick, Chief here on Berk. And you are?" Stoick asks. Hiccup goes to speak, but a voice inside urges him to falter. 

You don't know if you can trust these people

"I'm Rider. Just call me Rider," he says instead. 

"So, Rider. Where do you come from?" Hiccup considers this briefly again, there is something about this place. Something that tells him he is unsafe, that everything he stands for is in danger on this island. 

Hiccup lies, and lies easily, "I come from an island a few days from here I guess." 

Stoick seems at loss for what to say, "you were down a foot when we found you. Gobber fixed you up with the contraption, said something about having the feeling you weren't  quite a traditional man.

Ha! Something like that. 

"How did you end up on our shores?"

Think Hiccup, think!!

"I don't know. I think I was fishing and then some dragons attacked and then... I don't know," he lied again. He was yet to feel remorse for these lies, but something inside told him it was better that way. "I need to get back to my island, there's uh, people there that I have to look after."

"Aye, I understand. But your in no condition to travel days to an island in the middle if no where." Stoick says, "When we found you you were shivering and delirious. Mumbling about dragons and toothless and what not."

"I'm fine!" Hiccup snapped and launched to his feet, soon feeling regret for doing so. The world spun around him as flashes of the past few days haunt him. He vaguely hears Stoick speaking to him but it is all a blur.

But I know I have to get back to Toothless.

He's stuck on the island where we killed the Red Death.

Who knows how long he will survive with out food.

With out me.

I have to keep Toothless alive.

I have to keep the last Night Fury alive.