Selene

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Back on Track

Trooper squeezed through the large door, opened just enough for his little terror body to get through. Tummy gargling he blinked both eyes consecutively as he stared at the snoring lump in the bed, then hopped up. The lump didn't stir, so he resorted to kneading it with his little dragon paws.

It began to groan, almost wistfully as a smile crept up the sleeping face. "Toothless... stop. You're squishing... me... Toothless..." The words changed in tone as the face creased with troubling thoughts. "Toothless...Alvin... don't you dare. Don't... ASTRID!"

Hiccup launched out of bed in a cold sweat, fighting the blankets wound around him and landing on the floor with a thud.

Sitting up, the fog slowly lifted and he rubbed his face. He glanced around the room, warm light of the fire long dead. What time was it?

Melodious notes wafted through damp air as robins began their morning song.

Snort!

Smoke blew into his ear. The pat of a little paw on his head let him know that Trooper was staring down from the bed, no doubt concerned.

"Good morning to you too," He reached up to return the favor.

Scree,

"What 'you say we go check up on Liam, Trooper?"

~

Creeeaaakk,

The solid oak door groaned softly on its hinges. Inside two sets of glittering Nightfurry eyes stared. The first pare, blue and yellow, disappeared into the dark as Whitney ducked under the bed. True to her name Faith remained where she rested atop a great lump in the bed.

The six foot 'ten Celt was sleeping peacefully, all cleaned up from his misadventures of the day before, sporting a crisp white cast on his arm and woven bandage over his head. Hiccup snuck over to check it and found the bleeding had stopped. He couldn't help smiling to himself. The old man was as tough outside as he was soft inside. Faith gave a quiet little mew and the Viking scratched under her chin, feeling the vibration of her purr.

Silently shutting the door behind him Hiccup turned to head down the hall- and nearly had a heart attack.

"Good morning," Pallus said, hands behind his back and a mildly amused expression on his face.

"What are you doing up?" Hiccup asked.

"I've been getting up at this hour every day for the last ten years." He shrugged. "You're the one operating outside of regular hours... Chief."

"Oh. Well I'm getting supplies to go after the Mindbender. Why don't you go wake the others?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we tell his majesty first?"

"Artorījos knows, and he's sent for that loony old man to come back and help us. Apparently Dragonai knows a thing or two about Mindbenders... which will be useful." He glanced guiltily back at Liam's door. "He also gave me full access to everything in the castle except the armory and treasury."

"Quite a swing from execution."

"We sorted it all out." Hiccup snorted. "If you couldn't tell by the truce last night in front of all the people, the banquet he held in our honor, or the fact you're not in a prison cell anymore."

Pallus grinned. "Dagur, Camicazi and I would not still be in that cell regardless of Artorījos ruling. Where exactly we would be is another question."

That, the Chief had to reluctantly agree with. He returned from the little Gryphon escapade yesterday just in time to stop a full-blown Berserker/Bog-burglar/Roman/Dragon onslaught. Things had been a hairsbreadth from getting really ugly.