Part 4

Taking note of the seriously strong grip the girl had on him, Hiccup soon realized she wasn't letting go any time soon.

"Wouldn't it have been easier…a-and warmer to stay in the house and talk?" he huffed as they scrambled over a snow-covered boulder. "I mean, not that I don't enjoy a nice, brisk run through dangerously freezing temperatures, I just don't see why you had to drag me out here."

"Like I said," the girl replied over a shoulder, "you have to trust me."

Hiccup was beginning to think that decision was probably not the best, however, at the moment he had no choice. It was either stay in that room in a forgetful haze or follow her and maybe get an answer or two, even if it meant frost-bitten extremities.

"Hey, uh…"

"What now?"

"Are we there yet?

"Really?"

"Yeah, well it's kinda cold and I would prefer to keep the rest of my body…parts…intact..." His words faded out as the girl slowed to a standstill and dropped his hand. A strange, paralyzing fear welled up in his throat at the sight before them, choking off his breath. They were not alone here in this clearing. The dragon, the one that had jumped on him back in the village, the one who'd been the subject of his sketches earlier, was standing a mere fifteen feet away.

With a soft growl, the beast lifted its head, tilting it to the side, eyes large and fiercely green.

"Hiccup," prompted the girl, "it's ok. He won't hurt you."

"W-what happened to answering my questions?"

The dragon took a cautious step forward, causing Hiccup to take a giant leap backwards. "Uummm, ok, I think that's enough Q and A for now, gotta run!"

The girl snagged him by an arm just as he whirled around to make a beeline for the safety of the village.

"Wait! You can't go!"

"Aaaand why not?" Hiccup tried in vain to wriggle out of her grasp.

"Listen to me! This is your dragon and his name is 'Toothless'."

Hiccup thought for a minute. "Yeah, that other guy already told me that and I've got nothing. Let go!"

"No! I'm telling you, this dragon is your friend! Try to remember, Hiccup. You found him here in the woods and you helped him learn to fly again. You trained him."

"T-trained him? What is it with you people and training dragons? That's the stupidest thing I've ever—would you stop with the arm-tugging thing already—OW!"

Hiccup found himself suddenly jerked around to face the dragon, who, incidentally, had been inching closer and closer for the duration of the argument. There was a minor tussle as Hiccup attempted to resist the girl's shoving and stay as far away from the animal as possible.

"Are you crazy?! That thing probably wants to eat me!"

"Oh for the love…he doesn't want to eat you," she grunted, finally managing to force him forward a bit. She was surprisingly strong and solid for her size, and despite his best efforts, Hiccup couldn't throw her off balance enough to escape. "Toothless is your friend. You said yourself he seemed familiar. Now stop struggling and take a look at him!"

"No!" Hiccup shouted after a moment, startling the girl. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he finally twisted free and shoved her aside. "No, you're all crazy! Especially you, whoever you are! I'm outta here!"

The confused teen bolted for the very heart of the woods, unaware of the stealthy streak of black trailing immediately behind him.

Astrid charged after them both. "Hiccup, wait!"

….

Somehow, Hiccup knew where he was going. However, his steps, though automatic, were made unsteady by snow and brambles. It was almost as if he'd been here before, sometime long ago in a distant shred of memory… No, that was entirely impossible. He'd never seen this place before in his life and, frankly, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see it again. But where else could he go?

His head throbbed, throat aching with every frozen breath and wild panic surged into his muscles, spurring him onward. It wasn't the most comfortable feeling, but it was keeping him moving. That was all that mattered.

Caught up in hazy fear, Hiccup didn't realize until too late that the ground in front of him was running short. His next step was nothing but air, turning his escape efforts into a fast and painful tumble down a steep, rock-covered slope.

At last, the boy slid to a stop, sprawling flat on his back at what he hoped was the very bottom, the forest and sky above him whirling into a nauseating smear of white, green and grey.

Keep going, stupid! Get up and keep running!

No matter how much he wanted to flee, every battered, frozen part of him protested, stilled by the breathless shock of an abrupt landing and the eerie familiarity of the place. He was stuck, doomed by his own fatigue to lie here until another storm buried him or those strange people took him back to their village…

Snap!

…Or that.

Even without being able to see straight, he knew it was the black dragon. He could hear the soft crush of snow beneath its feet as it crept toward him. Seizing the tiniest spark of adrenaline, the young Viking managed to roll sideways and push himself up, scrambling away until his back bumped against a boulder. The creature advanced, quickly, silently and Hiccup cringed as jets of hot, fishy breath bombarded him from a wide mouth inching closer to his face.

Cornered. He was going to die here, eaten by a dragon and never knowing his real name, how he got here or why he was missing a good chunk of his left leg.

No…please no, don't let it end this way…

He expected fangs to sink into his neck at any moment, but heard a horrible retching noise coming from deep inside the dragon's throat. What in the…?

Oh. Oh, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. The animal, now apparently having no intention of eating him, was about to barf on him instead. With a heave, up came one half of a very dead, very slimy fish, which was immediately deposited into Hiccup's lap. It was by far better than being devoured, but horrifying nonetheless.

"Uh…thanks. Just what I always wanted." Fighting a shudder, Hiccup watched warily as the dragon back away and sit on its haunches, head once again tilting to the side with eyes wide and expectant, almost innocent. When it received no further response from him, it smacked its lips and crooned softly, eyes darting down to the fish, then up at Hiccup again.

"You…you want me to…eat it?"

More lip smacking and what may have been a dragonish grin.

"Ugh…y'know, I think I'll pass…" The boy trailed off as once again, the black animal tiptoed toward him. Instinctively, Hiccup raised a hand as if in vain hopes of stopping the thing dead in its tracks.

He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away, certain the dragon couldn't possibly resist taking a bite out of him this time…

And then he felt it. The broad, scaly snout meeting his outstretched palm, warm and solid, a perfect fit…familiar…

One eye slid open, then the other, both immediately captured by the fierce green pair opposite him. They seized his gaze and held it fast. Not once did they blink and the young Viking went rigid, hypnotized by the sudden rush of disjointed memories.

A new tailfin…dragon nip…wind under wings…

"I…" Hiccup mumbled, "I know you…"

Drawings in the dirt…fish…no teeth…a secret cove…

"T-Tooth…Toothless?" Hiccup's eyes grew round and clear, a smile pulling up one side of his mouth. Then he threw his arms around the dragon's neck. "Hey, bud!"

With a happy howl, Toothless knocked him back, slobbering and snorting.

"Easy bud! Watch the head."

Hiccup?" The blonde girl had arrived. "Are you ok?"

"Astrid!" he blurted her name just for the sake of hearing it from his own mouth. "I'm ok, I think."

She sighed with relief, pushing the dragon aside to help Hiccup stand. Then she punched him in the arm.

"Aaagh, seriously? Why do you always have to—"

"Don't ever do that again, ok?" Astrid said, then her face softened and she wrapped him up in a tight hug. "I knew you'd remember," she said into his ear. "I knew it! Hiccup, I'm so glad you're all right."

"What's going on here?" a voice boomed from the rim of the cove.

The two separated hastily, faces reddening a little as Stoick, Gobber and the other teens came into view.

"Ooh," sang Tuffnut as Snotlout and Ruffnut snickered beside him. "Looky-looky. Love in the wilderness."

"Shut up, Tuffnut," growled Astrid.

"Sorry," Fishlegs called. "We stalled as long as we could! Honest!"

"What is the meaning of all this?" Stoick demanded again.

"Sir, I can explain…" Astrid started.

Stoick separated himself from the group, bearing down on the two young Vikings in question. "Hiccup should be at home resting! And I thought I said to keep that dragon away—"

"Dad," Hiccup said, coming forward, "everything's ok."

The burly chief stopped in his tracks, blinking at his son for a moment before a single tear travelled down his face. All at once, the man came careening down the slope like a red-haired avalanche, landing solidly in front of his son.

"What…what did you just say?"

Hiccup smiled. "I said everything's ok, dad. Astrid was only trying to—HGGHCK!"

"It's you!" The rest of Hiccup's sentence was lost as his father threw his arms around him, engulfing him in a crushing embrace. "It's really you. You've come back to me."

"Aww," someone cooed from above.

"Gaaah," the teen coughed as he was released. "Ow, ow, ow, ok, can we not do the whole 'crush Hiccup' thing and say we did?"

Grinning, Stoick stepped back, ruffling the hair sticking out of the bandages around his son's head.

"Anything you say, my boy…my son."