Hiccup made sure to stay out of sight while in the village. By now, most people were probably informed of his odd arrival and that he was supposedly injured. He didn't feel like explaining why he was out of the healer's hut while he was still injured, so it was best to stay hidden. He tiptoed through the shadows soundlessly; listening for any rumors or whispers of where Toothless might be. So far Hiccup wasn't having any luck. By the time he reached the edge of town, Hiccup was about ready to give up on finding anything useful and move on to searching the forests beyond.

But then he noticed a house perched on a hill overlooking the entire village. Hiccup had no idea what drew his gaze to the lonely hall on the edge of town, but he couldn't look away once he started staring. Perhaps it was because this particular house was so much bigger than the others, yet seemed emptier. Even from the outside Hiccup could tell it wasn't a busy hall that housed entire families. It was far too quiet for that. There was only one light on in the second story window to the left. Someone was home, but there was no activity he could see from where he was. The house was familiar somehow; like a distant memory of a dream he could barely hold onto upon waking. There was a banner hanging above the doorway with the family crest of whoever lived there.

The crest was intricately woven into a bright red dragon curling in on itself. It was howling in agony as a sword was driven into its mouth. The dragon seemed to be writhing in pain and his fire was split into two paths by the sword impaling its maw. It made Hiccup sick to look at it, but it also left a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He'd seen this crest somewhere before.

If Hiccup had more time to dwell on his sudden feeling of déjà vu, he would have lingered a bit longer. As it was, Toothless could be trapped alone and scared (the big baby would never admit it, but that's dragon pride for you) with no way to hunt or defend himself. Hiccup could come back later if he really wanted to figure it out.

Hiccup expanded his search to the forest; well aware that night was fast approaching. Most people would've set up camp or gone back to the village to rest for the night, but Hiccup was able to navigate deep-sea darkness. Night time on the surface was nothing compared to that. The abundance of stars and the aid of the moon actually helped him see better.

Hiccup crept through the foliage on high alert. He knew just because Vikings would be sound asleep in their beds by now, didn't mean they were the only predators on the island. He made it all the way to a cluster of cliffs overlooking Berk before he ran into any trouble.

An old man with a half-crazed look in his eye came at him with a crooked staff. Insults flew from his mouth like spittle. Oh wait, the spittle wasn't a metaphor. Hiccup dodged out of the way of the old man's wild swings and got a better look at the man as he did. He was skinny and mean-looking; with wild grey hair and gold snaggleteeth. A sheep was baying angrily from the man's side and Hiccup took a moment to throw a look of audacity at the arrogant animal. It had some nerve to roar at a predator that could easily crush its neck in his jaws.

"Who are you and what are you doing on my property?" The old man demanded while shaking his walking stick in Hiccup's direction, "Are you a thief come to steal my cabbages? They've been going missing too often for it to be anything other than thievery! Well boy? Out with it! What're you doing here?"

Hiccup scanned the area and realized he'd stumbled into a cabbage patch. The old man must tend to it. Now that Hiccup was looking, he saw a rickety-looking house not too far away from where they were standing. Hiccup gave the old man an unimpressed look and held out his hands to show he meant no harm.

"Who would steal cabbages?" He asked honestly with boredom dripping from his voice.

"I dunno, boy! Maybe you would? It's not like the cabbages are just getting up and rolling away on their own! And I haven't seen anyone prowlin' around my property except for you, so you're the most likely suspect I've got!" The old man raved before sneering in disgust. The sheep baled in concern and the old man bent down to pet it lovingly. Hiccup scrunched his nose up in a mix of confusion and disgust before backing away from the odd sight.

"I don't know who's been in your cabbages, sir, but it wasn't me. I just got here this evening." Hiccup offered cautiously, "My name's Hiccup. I washed up on your shores after three days lost at sea. The dragons destroyed our ship and I was the only survivor to my knowledge."

That cover story was one he usually stuck with when in human settlements. It worked wonders if he was able to sell it right. Judging by the old man's scrutinizing glare and the way he looked Hiccup up and down thoughtfully, Hiccup figured he managed it. The old man nodded cautiously but grumbled a warning.

"Just be sure to stay out of my cabbages, boy. And stop sneakin' around at night! It's a sure way to get yourself in trouble." The old man waved him away and Hiccup was all too happy to leave him to his business. Just before he left earshot, Hiccup heard the man mutter,

"Stupid shipwreck rats sneakin' around at odd hours of the night. Thinkin' ol' Mildew can't see them rummaging through his cabbages, pah! Next they'll be raving about downing a nightfury like that half-wit Bucket! 'It landed somewhere near Raven's Point!' he says. Poor fool doesn't even know half his brain is gone some days…"

So the old man's name was Mildew? And he knew where Toothless was? Hiccup couldn't just let him go now that he was his only lead. Thinking quickly, Hiccup decided to play the part of the curious foreigner.

"Who downed a nightfury?" Hiccup piped up before Mildew could get too far. The old man scoffed at Hiccup and sneered mockingly in his general direction.

"Oh don't mind any of that, boy. Bucket's the town half-wit who used to be areal warrior before a nadder took out a good chunk of his brain. He's been rambling on about downing the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself since the raid three days ago." Mildew rolled his eyes heavenward and shook his head, "Should'a killed him while he was still sane." He muttered with a hint of pity beneath the mean-spirited words.

"Where did he say it fell?" Hiccup urged on eagerly, like a lad in a tavern listening to a hero's tale.

"Didn't you hear a word I said?" Mildew barked incredulously, "There is no nightfury, boy! But if you really want to take the word of a half-wit and go chasing fairytales, fine. Bucket mentioned something about Raven's Point before he was dragged off. It's over that way where the misty cliffs are."

"Thank you, sir! I'll be sure to mention you if I do manage to find the nightfury." No he wouldn't, but Mildew didn't need to know that.

"If you find it." Mildew sneered before waving Hiccup away, "Now go on! I've had enough of you loitering around my property!"

Hiccup practically ran down the hill to get away from the crazy old man and his sheep. He would have to watch out for Mildew while he was staying on Berk. At least Hiccup had a lead to where Toothless was. If the man called Bucket's mumblings were even a little true, Toothless was sure to be nearby, and in very real danger. A downed dragon was a dead dragon, and Toothless would've been down for three days! Hiccup rushed the rest of the way off Mildew's property and began his search anew.

Hiccup searched high and low for Toothless all throughout the night. After his run-in with Mildew, Hiccup hadn't had any other problems. He made it to Raven's Point easily enough, but then he realized how large the area was. Hiccup sighed and hoped Toothless appreciated him. He looked under every rock, inside every hollow log, up in the branches of every tree, and even in the deepest parts of the bog. Hiccup had never felt so dirty after swimming before, but Berk's bogs were ridiculously muddy. Hiccup really hoped Toothless appreciated him.

He would've stopped his search as soon as the morning mist began to settle in, but Hiccup's dumb luck was with him that day. In a moment of bratty petulance, Hiccup smacked a branch out of his way, only for it to swing back and smack him in the face. As he glared sourly at the broken branch, he spotted something when the sun shone brightly through the mist. A trail had been highlighted for Hiccup in the mist. Something large definitely hit the ground at very high speeds and tumbled gracelessly somewhere nearby. Branches and tree bark were broken in one consistent direction. The ground was split and scarred with dirt that was dug up in a way that wasn't natural. This was it. Toothless was down there (or he was at some point) and Hiccup could find him easily.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out, "Toothless it's Hiccup! Answer me if you can!"

For a moment, all was still and quiet. Then, slowly, a rumbling roar answered Hiccup's call. Hiccup laughed in excitement and triumph before calling out again.

"Where are you, bud?" He asked as he scrambled down the ravine. Toothless answered with another, wordless roar. Hiccup huffed indignantly and shouted,

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're alive, but where—!" Hiccup stopped short when he saw why Toothless couldn't speak. Toothless' maw was tied shut with the ropes of a bola. His entire, majestic body was tangled in a web of hemp and braided wool. Hiccup's wide eyes widened even further when he spotted Toothless' bloody, half-missing, stump where his tailfin used to be. Thankfully the ropes had been tight enough to stop the bleeding, but that just created a whole other problem. Hiccup fell to his knees before Toothless's nearly-blue tail and quickly severed the ropes binding them tight. He would've completely cut Toothless free, but he knew what he was about to do would hurt like the fires of Muspelheim.

"Okay Toothless, you—you just stay still okay? Your tail is bluer than the water from the rockpools, you understand? I'm gonna try and get the blood flowing again, but it's gonna hurt. A lot." Hiccup warned Toothless without waiting for a reply. It was a good thing Hiccup left the ropes on his mouth where they were, because as soon as Hiccup started kneading and smacking Toothless' tail, he started screaming. It took an hour and thirty minutes of agonizing pain and gut-wrenching screams before Toothless' tail started to look normal again. Blood started oozing from the wound where his tailfin used to be, but it wasn't nearly enough to worry about.

Finally, Hiccup cut away the rest of the ropes tying Toothless down. As soon as his forelegs were free, Toothless pounced on Hiccup and roared indignantly in his face. Hiccup blinked once, stupefied, but then hissed like an offended cat.

"Stop whining, you big baby! I help you keep the rest of your tail and you thank me by screaming like a cornered thunderdrum? Shame on you!" Hiccup snapped.

Toothless bowed his head; knowing Hiccup was right. He flopped down on his side; too exhausted to do much else. Toothless panted for breath like a horse that just ran a taxing race. Hiccup saw him struggling even to open his mouth, so his eyes softened understandingly. Hiccup nuzzled his cheek against Toothless' broad neck and sighed into his ear.

"It's been a long three days, hasn't it bud? You rest here for a while and I'll go hunt some food." Hiccup's unspoken truce was heard loud and clear. They were both tired and Toothless was scared from coming near death for the first time in his life. Hiccup couldn't begrudge Toothless for his rudeness, but he'd need some rest himself before he was willing to admit it. Hiccup would hear his apology and accept it when he wasn't about to keel over from hunger and his tail wasn't in danger of falling off. Hopefully a little food in their bellies would sooth their frazzled nerves.

((I would just like to end this chapter by addressing Mildew's use of the term half-wit. First of all, Mildew's an asshole and a crotchety old man. He's like the racist old person that has to make their displeasure known in every family. He's not going to care if something's politically correct when talking shit about someone. Second of all, Mildew's pity for Bucket and his hopes that they killed him quickly stems from the Viking mentality of 'die with honor over living in shame.' In his own, twisted little way, Mildew actually wanted Bucket to die with dignity in the heat of battle and not have to live with half his brain missing. Basically Mildew is an albiest old man and everyone know's he's a dick.))