October 16th-Pinned Down

Takes place in an AU where Hiccup had been curious about training dragons before he'd ever met Toothless, and one where Hiccup and Fishlegs are very looked over by the crowd even after Hiccup defeated the Red Death. He still wants to continue proving himself to his people do to the fact he hasn't been a 'hero' for very long and wants to make sure the title stays and he's not abandoned again.

Fourteen year old teens Hiccup and Fishlegs were out climbing in the mountains on Dragon Island which was only a half hour's flight from Berk. Astrid was taking over the forge for him, the twins were doing Thor knows what in an attempt to 'get to know' their new dragon whom they'd only had for five months now, and Snotlout was working on a 'secret project' with his father.

Out of everyone in the group, Fishlegs was the most interested to learn about new dragons next to Hiccup. The ladder had only been getting used to his prosthetic leg for four months now, having woken up from a coma a month after he'd defeated the red death, so he didn't want to go climbing and adventuring with the others. Fishlegs was the only one he could trust to help him without criticizing his weak points...well next to Toothless of course.

"So..many..bushes. How are we ever going to reach the top without our dragons?!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes at his geeky friend's antics and shrugged his shoulders. Here he was getting around just fine with a metal leg and Fishlegs was complaining because his plus-sized figure made it hard for him to squeeze through the bushes and climb through walls of vines.

Being unable to bend your left leg makes this task just as hard for a one legged viking boy.

"Toothless and Meatlug can't fit through the bushes and vines but they can't reach the cave we're going to while flying. If we try to ride them we'll get caught on tree branches and be torn out of the saddles in a rather wild-life filled area Fishlegs. We'll be much safer and faster if we climb through here and wait for them on the other side."

Hiccup and Fishlegs had learned from the book of dragons that a rare underground boulder class dragon called the whispering death lived in these caves. After much convincing that the dragons could protect them, Fishlegs agreed to go with Hiccup and study the dragon who had very little written about him.

"We'll be there in a good half hour Fishlegs. Just think, new dragon, new notes, new facts to tell the other vikings about very dangerous dragons, it will totally be worth it! Imagine what my dad and your parents would think about us if we-the peg leg and slowest of the group...uh...no offence..."

Fishlegs smiled and nodded for Hiccup to continue, liking where this was going. "Go on..."

Hiccup nodded and continued, a smirk on his face.

"Whispering deaths are heavily armored and dangerous Fishlegs. With that said, they're great diggers, very loyal to their packs, and highly misunderstood! If we could find a way to get them on our side, Berks defenses would be unbreakable and we'd have wells everywhere!"

"So...what you're saying is...Berk will have more safety and resources...and the village won't have anyone to thank but...us? Not Snotlout, not the twins, not even Astrid, but us?"

Hiccup nodded his head, happy he'd gotten through to one of his closest human friends.

"Yep! No more getting looked over by the crowd. We'll have more clear land for livestock, more assistance with logging, more wells, we might even be able to design a defensive tunnel system like the one on Outcast island! Now I would never be one to take an idea from Alvin the Treacherous. My father's worst enemy. But hey! If it works it works."

Fishlegs nodded his head and raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"How did you think this up in only four months?"

Hiccup suddenly ducked his head a little shyly and refused to make eye contact as if he had something to hide. Would he mind that I'd been thinking about using dragons on our side for well over a year now? Probably would...

"Well..." Hiccup began, but suddenly the ground began to shake. Something blasted upwards from the earth below, sending vines, bushes, rocks, and dirt everywhere. Hiccup was flung to the side, landing on his back while tangled in vines, pinned to the ground with a large boulder holding down his right leg. His arms were pinned to his sides and he was sure he'd broken his one good leg and his prosthetic.

Somewhat distantly, from what was probably a good thirteen feet away, Hiccup heard Fishlegs call his name despite his ringing ears. In a desperate attempt to save them both, he let out a Night Fury roar he'd been practicing, trying to get his dragon to save them even if he knew Toothless couldn't fly up here in the mountains and Meatlug was far too large to fit through the trees. At least Toothless could fit into narrow spaces like a cat...how he did so Hiccup had no idea.

Through his blurry vision Hiccup could see none other than an adult male whispering death. He was so big. The brown and grey dragon with numerous rose of razor sharp rotating teeth was likely the alpha of his clan and had heard intruders up above.

Hiccup watched as the large dragon looked for Fishlegs. His friend had luckily been flung near a ground of knocked over trees when the dragon had entered the outside world, and as soon as he'd regained his composure had hidden in the small space. His feet were outside the back of the space but hidden by vines, and his face was hidden by a bush. He was also covered in mud and rocks, which was probably why the dragon couldn't smell him.

Once he'd made sure there was no human nearby, the whispering death came towards Hiccup.

Hiccup gasped as rows of sharp teeth was now right in front of his face. He closed his eyes tightly, taking note of the blood coming out of his wrists where the vines had cut him when they'd wrapped around him. This was it. He was going to die and he had no one to blame but himself.

The whispering death saw the blood, smelled Hiccup, watched as his eyes closed tightly in fear and...left.

Hiccup gasped in relief when he heard the dragon go back home. He knew there would be more whispering deaths coming soon because it was obvious they could sense vibrations in the earth-a note for the book of dragons that could be written later.

It was only now that the adrenaline wore off and Hiccup could feel the pain, feel the exaustion, the blood loss, the broken bones. They needed to get to their dragons now.

"Fish-legs..." Hiccup moaned out weakly. Within seconds his friend was by his side, a large hand on his face. He reached for the vines in a quick instinct to get his friend away from the suffocating vines, but Hiccup yelled in pain.

"S-Sorry Hiccup. This is gonna hurt but I'm going to cut the vines off of you and remove the rock. I'm probably going to cut a little bit of skin every now and again but if you don't fight it shouldn't take too long." Hiccup was once again reminded how intelligent his friend was when it came to medicine.

"Just...do whatever you need to do 'Legs. We need to get home."

Fishlegs did as requested and began cutting. When he'd pull on one vine another one which was knotted with it would pull tight around Hiccup's thin form and arms. The boy would shout in pain and protest or gasp as his airway was suddenly cut off, but he tried his best not to fight Fishlegs knowing the other teen was only trying to help him.

"And...last one!" Fishlegs yelled as he cut the final vine after removing the rock on Hiccup's right leg. He was about to say something about the obvious break when the sound of a Night Fury and Gronkle was heard nearby.

When the Whispering Death had torn up the ground and trees around he'd left just enough room for Toothless and Meatlug to enter the small spot their riders were in. Fishlegs helped Hiccup onto Toothless and sat in front of him so he himself could control the stirrup. Hiccup used hand signals to tell Meatlug to follow them out and away from the island.

It would take another couple of months for the break to heal, but other than the painful bruises Hiccup didn't have much of a hard time recovering. In the end he and Fishlegs decided they were going to try and find another way to locate the Whispering Deaths without breaking a limb.

They could and would train those dragons and be seen by the village.