No Turning Back (A HTTYD Fanfiction)

Eight

There were no words to describe him.

"Uh...big, hairy, and kinda delusional. And you could say he's...merciless," Hiccup said, listing off with his fingers, "Oh, and he and his men wore cloaks made of Zippleback skin. Pretty disgusting, actually,"

The others gasped their faces shocked and full of distaste.

"Ugh, I think I just threw up my dinner in my mouth," Gunner muttered, gagging.

"Did he try to hurt you?" Ingrid asked, concerned.

Nodding, Hiccup pulled up his sleeve, revealing a deep gash in his arm.

Out of the three of the, Gunner was the most impressed. He stared at the cut, grinning in awe.

"Wow. That's...cool," the others exchanged strange looks. Gunnar then cleared his throat, "I mean you got yourself a battle scar. Then again, if it's from a hunter, it's horrible, right?"
Hiccup frowned, "It's not just me they tried to hurt," he turned to Toothless worried, "They tried to kill Toothless. They wanted a trade,"

Runa dropped her fish on the ground. She looked up at the auburn-haired teen in horror.

"Trade? What do you mean?" she asked, reaching for her salmon.

Hiccup glanced at the others gravely. His gaze fell on Toothless, which made the others sense something was wrong.

"Hiccup, you can tell us," Ingrid said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "We're your friends. We need to know what happened. What did these hunters want?"

The young Viking lowered his eyes. He fiddled around with his fish kebab for a moment, then lets out a sigh.

"They...they wanted to barter Toothless," he fixed his green gaze on the others, "They offered me chickens, fruits and all kinds of things as payment. There is no denying what they're capable of. Those guys looked dangerous. I couldn't accept an offer," he paused to stroke Toothless' dark scales, "If something had happened to Toothless...gods, I could never forgive myself,"

An eerie silence returned to the group. Everyone exchanged anxious looks at each other, sensing their home might be in imminent danger.

"Do you think these hunters will ever attack Edon?" Ingrid asked after a long silence.

Hiccup gazed into the flames, caught in his own trail of thoughts.

Glancing over at his barely eaten fish, he heaved out a sigh. After today's turn of events, Hiccup had suddenly lost his appetite.

He couldn't stop thinking about the hunters. Most importantly, he couldn't stop thinking about his former home; Berk.

He had risked his life to defeat the dragon queen for Berk's own good. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder what life in Berk was like, now that the three-hundred-year war was over.

Sometimes, he pondered about Gobber, the other teenagers, and especially...his father, Stoick.

A huge part of him longed to see them again. They might have forgotten him, perhaps accepting the fact he was dead, but Hiccup wanted to see them once more.

Maybe he could apologise to his father for not being the son he desired.

However, he was banished and could never return, no matter what.

His mind returned to the wounded Thunderdrum.

Guilt and sorrow shot through his heart, like a thousand knives prickling him.

"I shouldn't have left it there," he muttered, dropping his kebab.

Toothless took the opportunity to finish his rider's dinner. After all, who could waste a perfectly tasty fish?