Okay this fic was born out of a conversation with my friends, one of whom is training to be a doctor. He said that the hardest part of an amputation, literally, is getting through the bone and no matter how hot the fire was, if his leg hadn't been broken it was probably not going to be the only reason he was loosing that foot.

I said this was a 3D, CGI movie about dragons, what did facts have to do with any of it?

But the plot bunnies got to me so here you go.

Warnings; Not for the squeamish. This fics got some descriptions of mangled legs, tourniquet application and what happens to healthcare providers who aren't, you know, experienced. (seriously, it happens). Also, if you've been seriously injured you can wake up, interact with people and do all that and you won't remember a thing.

Despite all that had happened, as the boat was lost to the mist, Astrid felt a familiar jab of fear.

Of the dozens of ships that had left to find the nest, only two had been salvaged from the fight with the dragon. After what had happened, Astrid had been too stunned to argue when she had gently been pushed, along with the other young viking 'heroes' onto the first boat that was taking off. She had been all set to argue but when the viking had guided her onto the boat she had found that the words of protest clogged in her too tight throat and it took all she had to walk the few steps up to the deck and drop onto the smooth planks. Someone must have given her a blanket but for the life of her Astrid couldn't remember who it had been. Her thoughts ran together like muddled stew. Their entire world had changed. Not in the blink of an eye but in the decision of young members who should have been the lowest vikings in the pecking order. A part of her still argued that they should have just said 'no'. That when Hiccup lured that massive Nightmare out they should have killed it and waited for their parents. Even, if experience had made it clear, that their parents never would have come back.

Tightening her hands in the fur around her shoulders, Astrid cast her eyes around the boat. There were a few vikings milling about but most had stayed in case of--of whatever could happen while they waited outside the dragons nest. Everyone was tired and, oddly enough, silent. Even Ruffnut and Tuffnut were quiet for once, sitting side by side looking slightly dazed. All of them bore singe marks and bruises. Astrid had a feeling that it would be some time before Snotlout could look any kind of serious since one of his eyebrows was gone. A little while ago she would have found some kind of amusement in that but as she looked at him now all she could think was that it was lucky. That they were all lucky to only come off with bumps, bruises and singe marks. There had been so many killed, far more injured and yet none seemed to matter more than the chief's son. The injured were on boats as well, all having agreed to let them go back first to give them the best chance of, well, making it back. The broken bones were bad, as were the head injuries but by some terrible twist of fate, the only one who had lost a limb was Hiccup.

Astrid looked over at the stern of the boat. Hiccup was surrounded by vikings, muttering about what the best course of action was. Normally they would tend to the wound cauterize the wound. Sometimes they would have to cut further into the healthy flesh to make a rounded end. But at the moment they were just talking, standing around the boy but unable to get close enough to actually inspect the wound.

Toothless wouldn't let them.

Either the dragon had been unaware of the fact the boy was injured or he had been unaware of just how badly the injury was but the moment they had gotten onto the boat the dragon had curled around the boy and hissed at anyone who stepped near him. Even Stoick, who had apologized to the pair--which seemed to be the dragon's requirement for tolerating someone who had hurt Hiccup--had been faced with the very real possibility of being maimed by the Night Fury. They all agreed that they could not stand more injured but they could not just leave the young viking to the Night Fury. Dragons were smart creatures but they were not used to the frailness of the human body. Everyone who tried to approach was forcibly repelled by the Night Fury who seemed determined to protect the boy. Astrid could hear their mutterings and how when each moved forward Toothless growled furiously and tightened himself around Hiccup.

Astrid would never know how she heard the soft, pain filled gasp but somehow, somehow she did.

Her head shot up. The sound was Hiccup, it had to be. Toothless let out a whine and curled further around himself and the boy he was protecting. Pushing aside the fog that had settled over her, Astrid struggled to her feet. Her knees buckled but she forced herself forward. The vikings were beginning to crowd around the boy and the dragon and she could hear Toothless's agitation. Pushing her way through the mess of vikings, Astrid broke through the wall to the clearing where the dragon was curled around Hiccup, making the kind of noises that Astrid had a terrible feeling proceeded him attacking. If he hit them with a fire attack they were as good as dead. The sound came again. Astrid couldn't see Hiccup but she knew he was becoming conscious. If he did now, without anyone there to take care of him--that would be just as terrible. Desperately she looked around at the vikings before realizing that it made sense they were just standing there. Hiccup was the one who knew how to deal with the Night Fury, with all the dragons, not them. But as she listened to Hiccup begin the journey back to consciousness she realized that she was becoming the young man's shot at survival.

For a moment she felt paralyzed. Astrid was used to know what to do. There were manuals for everything--advice for everything and when that failed you picked up an axe and swung it as hard as you could. She had taken solace in that. Words had never been Astrid's strong suite but as long as she was able to fight, being able to speak with eloquence never seemed to matter. Vikings were more about brawn than brains, it was just a fact. And she had dedicated her time to the first of the two without thinking much on the second. But an axe or a cartwheel, none of it would help her here. Her eyes sought out any bit of Hiccup but he was lost to the dragon's form. Toothless's growl rose in volume and she realized he was trying to protect Hiccup from the vikings, trying to mask the sound of the young man's pain with his own. It was primal, it was a survival mechanism--he was taking care of his family the best way that he knew how. As Toothless's gaze swept the vikings, his teeth visible in anger, his eyes finally landed on Astrid.

Surprise flew through the dragon's gaze as his growl faltered. The anger was still there, so was the defensiveness but Astrid could see that the dragon was afraid. The most fearsome dragon, the one they all got told stories about hiding under their beds waiting eat them, and he was afraid. Not for himself but for the young boy he held. He didn't know how to take care of him and he knew it but the dragon refused to trust the vikings with him as well. Astrid felt shame curl through her. The way they had treaded Hiccup--if she was Toothless she wouldn't have let them near him either. The dragon obviously recognized her. His eyes held hers as he looked at her, unsure of what to do. He was set on acting like a dragon protecting another, injured, dragon. But Hiccup wasn't a dragon, he was a boy. A boy who needed help from his people. The kind of help that the dragon couldn't give him. As they looked at each other, a viking stepped forward. Instantly Toothless growled and turned towards the viking, his teeth bared as he drew back, obviously getting ready to breath flame.

"Toothless, no!" Astrid cried desperately.

Perhaps it was surprise or the fact that she had addressed him directly but the dragon froze, swinging his head back towards her. Astrid was suddenly aware of the fact that every eye on the boat was on her. She'd dreamed about the day when all the vikings looked at her, impressed by her skill, by what she could do, but this was different. There wasn't any joy in this and they were not looking at her like she had done something impressive. They were looking at her like they looked at Hiccup when he had first shown up with the dragon. With fear, confusion, distaste--all the terrible things that she had looked at Hiccup with when he first showed her the dragon. Bile rose in her throat. Was this how Hiccup had felt? For almost all his life? Shoving the disgust aside, she focused on the dragon. Toothless had listened to her shout, maybe he would listen to her more. She had to get Hiccup free, had to get him to be able to be helped by the people on the boat. Slowly Astrid took a step forward. Toothless drew back, growling and curling further around Hiccup. But he made no move to attack her.

"Hey there," she began, trying not to feel foolish talking to the dragon, "you remember me--right?" instead of growling, the dragon huffed furiously, making it clear he did not appreciate being talked to like a child, "its okay," she said taking another step, "you're doing a good job protecting him--" she stepped around him. The dragon followed her, curling in response to keep Hiccup protected from the vikings, "can I see him?" she asked, trying to look at the dragon in a way that would let him know that she didn't want to hurt Hiccup, "please?" she asked.

Toothless let out huff before drawing back and letting out a loud whine, curling himself so that he was still protecting Hiccup from the other vikings. Slowly he opened his paws and laid lengthwise, revealing Hiccup. The young viking was on his side, his ruined leg over his whole one. His eyes were closed but his feature were tight with pain. He wasn't truly conscious, not yet. And if he did she knew he wouldn't be coherent. Looking at him, she thought there was no reason to be worried. The flames had cauterized the wound. Then she saw just how dark his pants were. There was something else wrong, perhaps the wound had not been cauterized completely. Blood soaked his pants, not enough to spread around him in a puddle but enough to make his skin very pale. Leg wounds always bled badly but this, this was the kind of bleeding that killed someone. Her eyes must have widened or her breath must have caught because Toothless let out a sound of pure fear, wrapping around Hiccup in an act of protection and desperation. He knew something was wrong but the dragon didn't know what. A sound escaped Astrid's lips as Hiccup's form was lost to the dragon once more.

"Hiccup--" Astrids eyes flew around the vikings who now looked at her with confusion and she realized her terror must have shown on her face. As she fought back panic, Astrid looked at Toothless. The dragon didn't look angry anymore, now he looked scared. And he was looking at her. By some odd twist of fate the girl who would have been the strongest dragon hunter was the one who had to convince the dragon to let the boy go, "he's really hurt," she said, her voice nowhere near as steady as she wanted, "please, you have to--you have to let them help him--" Toothless let out an inquisitive sound, his eyes fixed on her, "me? No, I don't know--I don't know what to do. They do--" he tightened around Hiccup, "Toothless--"

"Its okay!" a voice called, "we'll talk you through it!" murmurs of agreement went up from the vikings.

Astrid met the dragon's scared gaze. She could do some healing, all viking women could, but there was a difference between healing and what was going to be required to stop the bleeding. This was a field dressing, one that was designed to keep a person alive until more could be done off the boat. Field dressings were usually more painful than the wound itself. And when Hiccup reacted, was Toothless going to let her finish? So many questions and yet the memory of the blood seeping through Hiccup's pant legs made her shove the questions aside. Sitting letting Hiccup bleed out was not an option. So despite her reservations, Astrid looked up at the vikings and then at the dragon.

"Okay," she said, "okay, I'm going to help Hiccup. You can help me, okay?" she said pushing her hair out of her eyes and looking at Toothless. The dragon quickly showed her Hiccup, "he's bleeding really badly from his leg," she said to the vikings.

"You've got to stop the bleeding!" they called back, "use a tourniquet."

With a bit of fumbling, Astrid pulled the band holding her hair off her forehead off. Putting it to the side she reached out and turned Hiccup onto his back. The young viking let out a shuddering breath. He was awake enough to feel that, what would he do for the tourniquet? Toothless hovered over the viking, looking a him and then at the girl, anxiousness written over his face. Astrid looked up at the dragon before grabbing the strip of leather.

"I'm going to use this to stop the bleeding," she said looking up at him, "he's going to hurt but its the only way to save him--" Toothless watched her carefully as she moved her arm to Hiccup's chest, "can you hold him down?"

Cautiously the dragon reached out with a paw and laid it on Hiccup's chest, mimicking her movement, his eyes watching her. Astrid nodded quickly before tying a knot in the band. Turning back to the boy laying there, she reached out and touched his leg. Even the touch had his body tensing, shifting away from him. As if reading her mind, Toothless's paw went lower on his chest, his other pressing onto Hiccup's forehead as he held the boy down. Astrid grabbed her knife, sliding it under the pant leg as quickly as she could and slicing the blood soaked fabric away from the limb. She had never been squeamish but she had never seen an injury as bad as the one in front of her. The burns went up his leg further than she'd though, the skin spotted and blackened. The flames had cauterized some of the wound but she could see that it was not a precise thing. Toothless turned his head away, closing his eyes as though ashamed of what was being seen. Astrid looked down closer at the leg. Some of the skin was jagged.

Like it had been bitten.

"Oh Toothless," Astrid looked over at the dragon who had his head down, curled towards Hiccup. If a dragon could cry, Astrid had a feeling that the Toothless would have been in tears. Clearly the flames had been the real problem but if the dragon had bit his foot, if he'd broken the bone, that would have made it easier for the flames to burn away everything else, "its--"

Hiccup jerked. Astrid scrambled forward as more blood began to seep out of the ruined skin. Toothless hugged the boy tighter as Astrid quickly threaded the makeshift tourniquet around his leg, pulling the strap through the loop. Studying the angle, she moved her hand for the most efficient movement possible. Raising her head, she looked over at the dragon. Toothless opened an eye and looked at her. The young viking held the dragons gaze as long as she could before, with a quick, efficient movement, she yanked the tourniquet into place.

Hiccup let out a strangled, desperate sound, his body arching with the agony.

Toothless let out a yelp, burying his nose in the space between his viking's nose and neck.

Astrid tightened her grip on the leather, closing her eyes and biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

Forcing her eyes open, Astrid looked down to make sure that the tourniquet was tight enough. The blood that stained his leg was bad but there wasn't any new blood spurting out as the tourniquet did its job. Astrid's hands shook as she rested them on her knees, looking at the tourniquet. It was working. The thought occurred to her from some great distance. She raised her eyes to see Toothless still holding Hiccup tightly. Astrid looked up to see the other vikings watching them carefully, none strangers to pain and suffering. Bile climbed her throat as she looked down at her hands. Hands stained with Hiccup's blood. The older vikings were used to it but the young ones--the ones like her--they should have been tending to bruises and bumps, not full on amputations. Astrid tried to force the bile back but this time her stomach fully rebelled. The idea of looking foolish in front of the others, of being laughed at all flew out of her head as she staggered to her feet and raced over to the side of the boat. She barely made it to the edge before she emptied the meager contents of her stomach over the side of the boat.

She had barely eaten anything in the past two days but she felt like she was doubled over, heaving for hours. The sounds that Hiccup and Toothless had made jumbled through her head until they became a single, torturous sound. The worst part of it was that a few days ago she wouldn't have cared. Not if a dragon had been hurt and certainly not if Hiccup, the whimpy, loser with some equally whimpy, loser-y secret had been hurt. Two days. Two days to prove everything she'd believed was wrong. Just the implications were enough to make her head spin, much less the actual effects. She had never been nice to Hiccup, she'd never even given him a second thought until he started becoming good. And then the thoughts she'd had about him were anything but nice. She'd known him practically all her life and as she stood, doubled over the boat, she realized that the most she could tell anyone about him was that he was brave, stupid, crazy, a decent blacksmith and he had a dragon. Anyone could have told you those things. And yet she was the one that Toothless let near him.

Slowly Astrid raised her head. He was probably still hurt, though not as badly as the leg injury. Wiping her mouth higher up on her arm to avoid the blood on her hands, Astrid turned her head. Toothless's head was on the deck next to Hiccup's but his gaze was locked on her. Astrid turned around and faced the dragon fully, taking a step from the side of the boat. This time when her legs bucked, something black and scaly shot towards her. Instinctively Astrid grabbed it for support, belatedly realizing it was Toothless's tail. The dragon let out a sound when her hand connected with the black flesh but he held fast. Astrid held onto the tail, her eyes following her hand to see that Hiccup was not the only one to be scathed by the dragon's flame. Toothless was largely uninjured, dragons were tougher than humans, but the buckle of his tail fin was metal. Astrid moved her hand quickly away from the burn of the dragon's tail. It was a minor injury but he was hurt none the less. Astrid moved back towards the boy and his dragon, moving on her own wobbling strength but the black tail followed her back just in case.

"I--I have the tourniquet in place," she called over the dragon's back, "I'm going to check to make sure he's okay," she looked at Toothless, "we'll fix your tail too okay?"

The assurance seemed silly but she said it anyway, as much for herself, Toothless and Hiccup as the other vikings gathered there. As she knelt next to Hiccup, Toothless slowly moved his paw off the young viking's chest. Hiccup was still, only the quick rise and fall of his chest showing he was alive. Astrid quickly began to see if anything else was out of place. Nothing stuck out to her eye. Toothless watched her carefully as she reached for the straps of the harness. It took a few tries for her fingers to get the buckles to open but she did, moving the straps off his chest. Reaching out, she grabbed the edge of his shirt and eased it up to check for bruises. She forced back another wave of nausea at the sight of his chest. Bruises, too dark to have been from this marred his chest. Riding a dragon didn't look smooth and Hiccup had been doing it by trail and error. There were new marks too, angry reddened skin from the jerking of the harness. There was also a deep welt from where the harness must have tugged free. All looked painful, but none looked life threatening. Astrid looked up at Toothless.

"Can you help me sit him up?" she asked the dragon.

Toothless nudged Hiccup into a sitting position, settling the boy with his paws. Astrid lifted his shirt on the back. There were other marks there too, angry and painful but not life threatening. Toothless laid him down as Astrid began to move her hands across Hiccup's arms. Neither of his shoulders seemed to be dislocated but as she ran her hands down his arms, she realized that the skin was not smooth. Pushing aside any feeling of foolishness, Astrid grasped Hiccup's wrist and pushed back his sleeve. Her eyes widened as she looked at the marks on his hands and forearms. She knew enough to recognize a burn scar when she saw it but these, these weren't healed as properly as they should have been. Especially the older ones. He was a blacksmith apprentice, of course he would have been burned. But it seemed like, at least in the beginning, he had been hiding the evidence of being burned. Like even as a child he had been ashamed of messing up. Astrid shook her head softly as she eased his sleeve back down over the injury. Toothless whined softly and held Hiccup a bit closer.

"Okay I need to look at your tail now," she said moving over to the side towards his tail. Toothless moved it away from her. Astrid moved forward again but the dragon moved his tail once more, "Toothless, you're hurt too!" she cried but the dragon's tail shot up strait into the air in defiance. Getting to her feet, Astrid came to the front of the dragon. With his arms still around Hiccup and his head buried near the boy's ear, Toothless kept his tail right up in the air, "Toothless," Astrid said, trying to soften her voice, "we've gotta make sure your tail doesn't get worse or--or you won't be able to fly," Toothless looked down at Hiccup and then back at her, "you can stay with him, he'll be fine--"

Perhaps Toothless was more in tune with the boy than any of them had ever been or perhaps dragons were more in tuned with the physical aspects involved with waking up. But for whatever reason, Toothless's paws changed quicker than Astrid had seen the dragon move and in the next instant, Hiccup's eyes snapped open.

There wasn't any recognition or coherency in them. Only pain, fear, confusion--a hundred emotions that made her mind go blank as she saw his lips part as his body convulsed. He seemed to be in too much pain to scream, as if the air in his lungs had been knocked out as well. She and Toothless scrambled for his leg, pressing down as best they could as his body arched with the agony of waking to having his leg severed. Astrid saw Toothess's wings snap out in an instinctive reaction, to protect Hiccup. Her mind was too riddled with panic to figure out what would happen if Hiccup was isolated, only that it would be bad. Using every ounce of speed and skill that she possessed, Astrid rolled forward so that when Toothless's wings snapped over them he took her with him. Instantly she found herself in he darkness of the dragon's wing. He hadn't pulled Hiccup to his chest, thankfully, but it was still pitch black.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's hand found the trembling one of the boy, "Hiccup can you talk? Say something--" there was nothing but choked gasps, "Hiccup!"

"'Sstrid?" the mangled pronunciation of her name was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard.

"I'm here," she said quickly, using where his voice was to get closer to his face, "I'm here," she repeated, her hand covering his.

"M'I dead?" he slurred out, "'so dark in here--"

"Toothless has you, we're fine," she said.

"Toothless s'dead?" he said, his voice odd.

"N-no," she said shaking her head, "you're both going to be fine," she squeezed her eyes shut, half surprised at the burning she felt in them, "you'll both be fine," she repeated, her voice emphatic as she willed him to believe her.

"C-can't feel my--"

"You'll be fine," she said firmly, not letting him finish that sentence, "you trust me right?"

"Your t'the best viking," Hiccup said, his words still slurred, "'course I do," he closed his eyes, "m'glad you found us."

Astrid closed her eyes as the burning got worse. After all that she'd done he was still happy that she had been the one who found him. Her heart tightened in her throat as she felt her fingers tighten over his hand as he gave a shuddering breath before a low moan of pain escaped his lips. Astrid looked down at him, trying to see through the blackness. It did not work. She could no more see though the darkness than grow wings and fly. The darkness was a saving grace though, since it kept it from being visible that her eyes were watering. She felt them, the tears, though she knew it had been a very long time since she had cried from anything but frustration. But this, this was something else entirely. She felt the tears slip down her cheeks but she hadn't been aware any had fallen on him until his voice reached her ears.

"Why're you cryin'?" he asked.

"I--" her own tone was choked, "I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes, "I've-I've known you for so long and I--i don't know the first thing about you," she bowed her head in shame, feeling her shoulders shake as a sob worked its way through her throat, "and I'm sorry--" she shook her head, "I'm so sorry."

His hand turned over in her grasp, so that her hand was not touching the back of his hand but rather was palm to palm with his own. Slowly his fingers curled weakly over her own.

"S'okay," he whispered, "don'worry 'bout it."

Astrid's hand grasped his tightly. Missing most of his leg, the rest of him bumped and bruised, he could barely speak coherently and yet he was comforting her.

"A'strid--" his voice reached her again, fainter this time, "y'gotta feed 'im," Toothless let out a wine, "s'been--"

"I'll feed him," she said quickly.

"No eels," he said, "he--he hates eels--" his hand tightened against hers, "me too."

"I hate them too," Astrid said.

"See?" Astrid's eyes widened, "you learned some'thin already."

Astrid let out a wet laugh.

"Mmmhmm," Hiccup made a sound, more incoherent than anything else, "m'sleepy."

"Okay, its, its okay," she said, fumbling with the words as her throat was still clogged with tears, "you go to sleep. And when you wake up, we'll be back in Berk. You, me, Toothless--everyone. So just--just close your eyes and when you wake up we'll be home."

Hiccup made a distinctly softer sound. In the darkness, Astrid pressed a hand to his chest. The inhale and exhale was unsteady, slightly irregular but it was still there. He was alive. Even when his fingers uncurled from her own she kept her hand tight around his weathered and calloused palm. Slowly Toothless raised his wing, looking down at the two vikings inquisitively. His eyes went from the girl to the boy and back again before he made a sound of distaste, snorting and shaking his head before folding his wing next to his body and releasing the two vikings. Astrid looked much more closely at the leg but the tourniquet was holding steady, the flow of blood stemmed almost nudged Hiccup but the young viking remained unconscious this time. The dragon looked up at Astrid, letting out a low, inquisitive sound.

Astrid smiled up at the dragon.

"Are you hungry boy?"

Okay I know I should be updating "By Land and Sea" but whatevs, the plot bunnies got to me--I blame easter.

I suppose that this could tie in with "of Hills and Bluebells" AND "By Land and Sea" but it could also stand alone.

Next time its time for the Nadder to enter!

Don't forget, if you want to use any of the dragon names you must ask me first. I thought that this would be obvious but, annoyingly, this fandom has proven me wrong.

So remember, please review!