Disclaimer: I cannot take credit for the idea. I was a bit wrecked to write and think up the story at the same time, so ThornTheDeadlyNadder came up with the idea. Thank you!

Hiccup finally woke up. At least he didn't wind anyone this time. Still, it wasn't the most pleasant of affairs, especially after he cracked an eye.

"HEY, ASTRID! COME HERE!"

A terrifying bawl erupted from right next to Hiccup's ear. He covered his head with his paws, closed his eyes, and whined in a protesting way.

"Oh, right. Okay. Tuffnut, shut up." Hiccup heard a thump, and hurried footsteps coming his way. They grew closer and closer then stopped.

"Yeah... Let's go Tuffnut." Ruffnut's voice sounded nervous. He did a mental smirk - only Astrid's death glare could extract such a nervous reaction from the twins.

"Hiccup?"

Ah - Astrid talking now. He pulled one of his paws off his head and opened the corresponding eye. Astrid was sitting on the ground next to him, holding an axe.

He could guess what had happened.

"It's okay - I got rid of the twins. I knew it would be a bad idea to let them have a turn waiting."

Hiccup was confused. Turn waiting? How long had he been out, exactly?

He wrote that exact question on the sand on the ground. Albeit rather shakily, but written nonetheless.

Astrid was silent for a second, peering at the runes.

"How long... let's see. About a day and a half. We were worried. Do you remember waking up before? You seemed pretty out of it."

Hiccup nodded. There was something he had to tell her, but he couldn't remember what...

"Good. Do you remember what happened?"

Hiccup nodded again. What was that thing he had to tell her? He was so sure he had to tell her! It was important, certainly.

"That's good. Well, you can't have hit your head."

Suddenly it Hiccup like a ton of very large bricks.

How could he have forgotten something so important!? How in Valhalla?

He leapt to his feet and began to flap his wings feverishly and slightly uncoordinatedly in an attempt to get into the air.

"Hiccup! Come back, stop!" Astrid yelled in surprise.

Hiccup barely heard her voice through the pounding of blood through his veins. He was finally starting to make some headway when he felt a dead weight on his leg.looking down as he flapped he saw Astrid hanging on grimly.

He couldn't kick her off. He just couldn't bring himself to. So, he flew.

Up and away.

"Hey, Astrid? What are you doing with Hiccup?" One of the others shouted from below. It sounded suspiciously like Tuffnut. 

"Hey! Come back here, you can't just leave us behind? WE CAN'T FOLLOW YOU!"

🦅—Aquila