Another Set of Guardians

Glad to Have Met All of You

"Astrid's gone."

Jack couldn't breathe. Sure he and Astrid didn't get along but she didn't want her to disappear. "W-what do you mean by gone? Is she..." He couldn't complete his sentence.

Hiccup got off Toothless and the dragon worriedly stepped close to him. "She's still alive," He gave Jack a small smile. "I knew you cared about her."

Jack let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I'm glad. And of course, I cared. We don't get along but that doesn't mean I hate her." He then patted his back for support. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hiccup stayed silent, absentmindly petting Toothless' head. "Sure. I think that would help but I need to be alone for a while. To clear my head." He gestured to Toothless and the supplies. "You think you could maybe bring him and the supplies back to camp, first? You should also tell the girls I'm safe."

Jack gave him a look. "You know, if you didn't look so heartbroken, I'd say this was all a ruse for me to do all the work." He got a small smile from Hiccup. "But yeah, yeah, sure. Go off and sulk on your own. Your dragon and things will be fine."

Hiccup gave him a grateful look before he sat down on the sand, taking a long deep breath. "You can come back after you get Toothless settled. I'm sure by that time I'll be able to talk." Jack nodded, gesturing for Toothless to follow him in the woods. He looked at Hiccup one last time before he walked towards camp, the black dragon following closely behind him.

~

When Jack arrived back at camp, he expected the girls to still be asleep. He didn't expect both of them wide awake, sitting on their cots, as they talked in hushed voices. He cleared his throat and the girls immediately turned to him. They noticed Toothless following behind him and their forms suddenly relaxed.

"Is he safe?" Elsa asked, standing up to help Jack put the supplies away. Merida followed suit, removing the saddle from Toothless.

He laughed, quick and short. "Physically? He's fine. Emotionally? I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" Merida asked as she watched Toothless lie down next to Mirror.

The boy shrugged, shoulders slumping as he sat on Merida's cot. "He hasn't give me the whole story yet but he told me Berk has gotten worse."

Merida stared at the flames, her hands balled into fists. "It's spreading and it's getting out of control, isn't it?"

Jack bowed his head, unable to talk. "I... I don't know."

Elsa looked at her companions, trying to lift them up. "I know we're all worried and scared but we shouldn't let fear control us now." She wrapped an arm around Merida. "It may seem hopeless but it isn't too late yet. We can still save our world." Merida glanced at them, determination in her eyes.

"Alright. Let's do this. Where's Hiccup? He should hear the queen's pep talk as well."

The spirit finally smiled. "Glad to see you're back to normal. Got me worried there." Hen then glanced at the trees. "Hiccup needs some space. Let's give him the time he needs as prepare what we needed."

They all moved. Elsa started packing their things one by one while Jack helped her. Merida was all over the place, cooking the left over fish for breakfast while simultaneously feeding the dragons. Sooner or later, Jack found himself alone, perched up on a tree, lost in his thoughts.

He was really worried and it was hard to keep up the facade that everything's okay. He worried for his friend. After all, he was all alone and he feared that he would do something stupid because of his grief. He knew though that Hiccup wouldn't do anything like that. He couldn't help but wonder if it was all his doing. After all Pitch came from his world.