Once again I am sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter.

Hiccup

It was nearing nightfall and Hiccup was truly on the edge of his seat hoping for Toothless to come through the doors of the great hall. He sat at the end of a huge table facing the doors, watching the world turn dark as both nightfall and clouds turned the sky black. Astrid and Gobber had tried all they could to get him to eat something, Gobber had even made him his favorite food. Which he only picked at not eating any of the wonderful stew. So, there he sat in the great hall talking with the heads of the village and what they think needs to be done before winter truly sets in. He hadn't been listening for a long time now he just sat there blankly facing the door. He heard bits and pieces of the convocation sure. "…. the crops…not enough food... silos are gone" but he didn't care about it because he was lost in thought. The wind blew the doors open with a loud thud waking him up from his trance. Astrid had noticed this and took his hand in hers making him jump even more. "Hiccup he'll come back, just trust him" he turned to her but said nothing. She could see the smallest glimmer of a tear in the corner of his eye. She took him to a quieter part of the hall. Making sure that he could still see the door. "what if he doesn't come back" he said barely loud enough for Astrid to hear, "what if he never comes back…. he is the alpha dragon now." Astrid opened her mouth to tell him that he was being silly and that Toothless could do that from the village but she was interrupted by Hiccup "What if I don't want him to come back" He said looking at the floor. Astrid was in shock of what she just heard. Hiccup not wanting to see Toothless she couldn't believe it. Hiccup still looking at the floor said, "If he wants to leave like that after everything that happened, maybe he shouldn't come back." he said trying to stay strong. He wiped his eyes before the tears could fall and stood up. He walked to the door of the great hall and exited without looking back. He walked to the forge without so much as acknowledging the rain. By the time he got the forge, he was soaked. He went to the back of the large building and sat down on his usual seat. Hiccup immediately went to work on a new greenhouse project for fresh crops all year round. He knew that it wouldn't be a sufficient food source for the whole village, but he needed to keep his hands busy and his mind off of his father and Toothless. After a day of sulking, he wanted to do something at least a little bit helpful even if it's not in the near future he needed to feel useful. He knew that he was working himself to the bone if by just the number of times Astrid has told him, but he could also feel himself getting thinner.

Astrid

Back in the great hall, Astrid told Gobber what had just happened between the pair of young Vikings. His face was mostly sympathetic and understanding, but in the corner of his eyes, Astrid could see worry. "I should go look for him," she said heading for the door, Gobber stopped her "No reason to, I know where he is" she looked at him in confusion "He's working in the forge on some new project. Something about heating a house with the sun…. I don't understand it." "Then I'll just go ask him" She went out the door without a moment's hesitation. She ran in the rain but soon slipped down the hill barrelling towards the sea.