36. The Camping Chapter
Hiccup was never the outdoorsy type.
As a child, his father would take him out to the woods to hunt or fish. Hiccup was never good with any sort of weapon, so hunting was a bust. Especially when he was almost trampled by a wild hog. And fishing bored him to tears, he would spend those days looking for trolls instead.
Every excursion to the wild ended with him coming home covered in mosquito bites and with a twisted ankle.
No, Hiccup wasn’t the outdoorsy type.
So he really didn’t appreciate being roped into a camping trip.
It was a cloudy morning in the Encanto. A bit overcast, but nowhere near the dreariness that was so common on Berk.
Though, the memory of such dreadful conditions was starting to become a bit hazy to Hiccup.
The weather did nothing to dissuade the people from strolling through town, and it certainly didn’t dampen their pleasant moods.
A gaggle of kids stood in the plaza, books in their hands, as they listened to the scrawny teen standing next to his dragon. Hiccup was currently in the middle of a demonstration.
“Every dragon has a shot limit, can anyone tell me how many a Night Fury has?” After asking this question, many little hands raised into the air. Eager to answer.
He pointed to a little girl with red braids, who responded. “SIX!”
“That’s right! The Night Fury has six plasma blasts before they temporarily run out of gas. Though under stressful circumstances, extra shots can be fired…” The boy couldn’t help but smile at how excited she was to get the question right.
“Alright, kids! That’s it for today!” He chuckled at the wave of disappointed groans he received. “I know, I know...say goodbye to Toothless!”
At his urging, the kids all ran up to Toothless. Bombarding him with hugs, scratches and pets from all sides. “BYE TOOTHLESS!” They shouted at once.
As the children began to leave, he called out to them. “Keep reading your dragon manuals! Next week, I’ll tell you about the Monstrous Nightmare!” He watched them run off, gently smiling.
He hadn’t meant to get every child in town so interested in dragons, but he was more than happy to teach them about the creatures. He made sure to emphasize that dragons weren’t inherently evil, unlike his own education.
“You’re pretty good with them, huh?”
Hiccup jumped with fright as a voice spoke out behind him. Both he and Toothless turned to see Valentina, with a smug grin on her face. Mariano was standing beside her.
“Thank you for the heart attack, Valentina. I really needed that…” She snickered at his dry quip, as she approached.
“My bad, little guy. I was just surprised! Didn’t expect you to have such a way with kids!” She spoke, hooking an arm around Hiccup’s shoulder.
“The ability to love and nurture the children, the next generation, it’s truly a gift…” Mariano waxed poetically, hooking his arm around Hiccup’s other shoulder.
Sandwiched between the two adults, the boy cut to the chase. “So…can I help you guys or…”
“Alright, check this out…” Valentina dislodged herself from the hug. “The three of us…going camping!” She held her arms out expectantly.
Hiccup didn’t know quite how to react. “Okay…why?”
At his question, she put her hands in her pockets and shrugged. “I figure we ought to get to know each other better. The way I see it, we’re all the same boat.” She noticed his confusion, most evident in his wrinkled nose, and grinned again.
She pointed to herself. “Me and Bruno.” She pointed to Mariano. “Him and Dolores.” And finally to Hiccup. “You and Mirabel!”
“Do you get it? We’re all dating Madrigals! One day, each of us is gonna be part of that family!” She leaned an elbow on Hiccup’s head. “And I thought it’d be fun to hang with my future sobrinos!”
Ignoring the blush that came to his face at the thought of becoming a Madrigal, he had to decline. “Thanks for the offer, but I-I’m not really the camping type…”
Valentina nodded with understanding. “Alright, I get it…”
Before grabbing Hiccup’s head and turning him to face her, with a crazed smile. “Then I’ll have to make you the camping type! After tonight, we’ll have to drag you out of the woods!”
Before Hiccup could get another word in, she was already marching off into town. Presumably to prepare for the trip.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pick up everything we need! Just meet me by the edge of the forest at sundown! BE THERE!” She called out to the boys.
Hiccup and Mariano watched her leave, as Toothless nonchalantly scratched himself.
“She just decided you were coming too, huh?” Hiccup asked.
“Yup.” Mariano responded.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought…” Hiccup sighed.
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Evening fell on the village, and Hiccup knew it was time. He wondered if he could just go to sleep right now, and claim he forgot. But knowing Valentina, she’d probably break into his room and carry him out herself.
After making some last-minute preparations, which simply included a longer pair of pants than his usual shorts, he was ready to go.
Reluctantly, he descended the stairs and made to leave the forge. “Alright, I’m heading out…” He weakly stated.
“You don’t sound very excited.” Noted Ignacio, looking up from his smelting.
Hiccup had to shrug. “Because I’m not. Me and the wild have never really mixed…”
The blacksmith looked thoughtful, before smiling. “You’re just not coming at it from the right angle! Instead of immediately thinking you’re not gonna enjoy it, try to have an open mind!”
Hiccup responded to his advice with a deadpan stare. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be open-minded about my broken limbs and my bug bites…” He snarked.
Right before exiting the building, he stopped and turned. “And don’t forget to- “
“To feed Toothless, I know!” Ignacio finished, while chuckling. “Now go have some fun!”
“I make no promises…” With that final groan, he left the forge.
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He made his way through town, not missing a few kids who had their noses deep in his handmade dragon manuals. A project he and Mirabel worked on together.
He finally arrived at the edge of the forest. Mariano was waiting for him, along with Valentina. Who had a myriad of items strapped to her back.
“Hey, you made it!” Valentina lit up with pleasant surprise upon seeing the boy. “I thought you were gonna flake out, and I’d have to break into your room and drag you here!”
He responded with a half-hearted grin. “And miss all the fresh air and…parasitic insects? No way…”
The gruff woman didn’t seem to catch his lack of enthusiasm, simply giving him a bright smile and a thumbs-up.
“Though I’m a bit…unsure about all this, I must say that it quells my fears to know I am undertaking this journey with a friend.” Spoke Mariano, placing a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder.
“When did you get so verbose?” Hiccup asked.
“Since Dolores told me she likes it when I use big words!” He answered, shyly smiling.
After clapping her hands to get their attention, Valentina pointed upwards towards a forested trail. “Alright, fellas! Our campsite is up this hill, and we wanna get there before dark. So let’s get hiking!”
As the two adults began their journey, Hiccup hesitated.
Looking up at the long, long path ahead of them, he could already feel the pain in his flimsy little legs.
…But he knew he wasn’t getting out of this.
With a groan, he willed his soon-to-be aching limbs into motion to follow the two up the trail.
“Let’s get this over with…” He uttered.
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Fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes into the hike, and Hiccup’s legs were jelly.
While his two companions marched along at a steady pace, barely breaking a sweat, the scrawny teen lagged dreadfully behind.
Despite the heavy weight she was carrying, Valentina seemed to be moving even faster than usual.
His clothes were being drenched in sweat, his breathing was becoming erratic, his vision was getting spotty, and each step sent a shot of pain through his soles.
Eventually, it became too much. He bent over, hands on his knees, and desperately tried to catch his breath. Holding out a finger to signal that he needed a moment.
Both adults stopped, and watched him as he panted. One concerned, one annoyed.
Rolling her eyes, Valentina sighed. “Come on, Hiccup! We’ve barely even done anything!” She put her hands on her hips, and frowned. “What? Do you need us to carry you the rest of the way?”
…
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Hiccup hung limply as he was carried up the trail by Mariano.
Bridal style.
Mariano actually didn’t seem to mind carrying him at all, which saved the trip from being even more uncomfortable than it currently was.
Soon enough, they arrived at the campsite Valentina had prepared for them.
A quaint little clearing, shaded by the tall trees, with three logs set up around an unlit pile of sticks. The quintessential campground.
After dropping their precious cargo, and the camping gear, the gruff woman proudly presented her work.
“Well? What do you think?” She asked, expectantly.
The boys examined the site. “It looks…cozy.” Stated Mariano.
The woman grew a self-satisfied smirk. “Yeah, I’m pretty good at the whole camping thing. When I was a kid, my mom would lock me out of the house sometimes. And I’d have to sleep in the woods!” She chuckled at the morbid memory. “I’m pretty much the camping master now.”
Both guys gawked at her nonchalant retelling of her horrible childhood experience. They looked to each other, and shrugged as they remembered that this was par for the course when it came to Valentina.
She turned to face the two. “Mariano, you help me unpack! Hiccup, start the fire!” At her command, the scrawny teen began fiddling with the pile of twigs.
Despite his affinity for fire-breathing reptiles, Hiccup was never that good at starting fires. During his and Toothless’ time on the run, before their fateful crash landing, he’d always relied on his dragon to provide them warmth.
“Alright, it’s just a little fire…how hard could it be?” He thought.
Turns out, it was very hard.
No matter what he tried, no matter how he fenagled the sticks within his grasp, there were no sparks to be found.
He feverishly rubbed sticks together, banged rocks, spun a branch between his hands…all with pitiful results.
His two travel companions were long done with their work, the tents and sleeping bags set-up without a hassle, and were standing off to the side. Watching the boy’s struggle.
Mariano tried to step in and assist. “Here, let me- “
His attempts were waved off by Hiccup, who was growing frustrated. “I can make a stupid fire!” He insisted.
Anger rising, he continued to scratch the sticks together with increasing speed. Faster, faster, and even faster he rubbed. So fast that his pale hands were becoming a blur.
His efforts paid off, as after another few seconds of furious scratching, a small flame ignited from the twigs. Falling into the pile, and setting them ablaze.
A warm and toasty campfire was born.
Elated at his victory, Hiccup proudly stood and cheered for himself. “Yes! I did it! I have mastered the flame!”
Mariano stared on in horror, as Valentina chuckled. “Hey, Flame Master? Your pant leg is on fire.”
Looking down, he saw that his pant leg was indeed on fire. Yelping in fright, he scurried around looking for something to extinguish the fire.
The two adults watched him, their eyes following him as he ran back and forth and back again. Mariano sent her a pleading look, and she rolled her eyes.
Valentina then sauntered over to him, seemingly without a care. With one hand, she grabbed him by the back of his shirt as he ran past. She then tossed him into a nearby puddle of mud, dowsing the flame.
Hiccup sat in the puddle. Dirty, burned, tired…
And really wished he wasn’t camping right now.
“Alright!” Valentina began, already forgetting the fire fiasco. “Who’s hungry?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Despite how annoyed he was, these s’mores were doing a good job of making Hiccup forget his woes.
A delectable combination of chocolate, graham crackers, and some white, puffy substance Hiccup was unfamiliar with.
As he munched on the sweet treat, he listened to the fireside conversation.
“So what’s it like? Dating your ex’s cousin?” Asked the gruff woman, mouth full of s’more.
Swallowing before speaking, Mariano answered. “Dolores is great! If I listed everything that made her so wonderful, we’d be here all night…” His loving smile faded. “Things with Isabela are…improving. She doesn’t run whenever I’m close anymore. She actually said ‘Hi’ to me the other day!”
“Maybe one day she’ll say more than one word to you!” She joked.
He sighed wistfully. “I can only hope. I’d really like for us to move on, and be friends…”
“She doesn’t seem to be the moving on type, at least not with me. She still bothers me about how I treated Mirabel a few weeks ago, even though I apologized a million times.” Hiccup grumbled as unfortunate memories came to his mind. Though he had to admit, he found it endearing just how much she now seemed to care for her sister.
The gruff woman grew a teasing smirk. “Aw, look at you! Desperate for the big sister’s approval!” She mocked, reveling in Hiccup’s flustered blushing.
Mariano jumped to his defense. “As if you weren’t stressed out over Alma approving of you and Bruno?”
The normally bold woman grew a flustered blush of her own, sputtering out weak rebuttals. And she pouted at the boys’ laughter.
Suddenly, Valentina jolted. “Oh dang! I almost forgot!” Scampering to her feet, she quickly left to retrieve something.
Shortly after, she returned with some bottles in hand.
“It ain’t a camping trip without some good drinks!” She grinned.
She took her seat once more, and distributed the beverages. “Some wine, for us big kids!” She handed a bottle to Mariano. “And apple juice, for the little one!” She gave that one to Hiccup.
“Actually…I don’t really drink…” uttered the man, as he ogled the bottle in his hands warily. He then looked over to Hiccup’s bottle. “That looks pretty good though.”
Hiccup eyed Mariano, as if he had grown a second head…
And silently handed over his bottle.
As the two boys shared the drink, Valentina scoffed. “Alright, suit yourself! But this stuff is super weak, you probably wouldn’t even feel anything- “
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“YEAH! CAMPING!!!”
A short while later, the boys watched in bewildered fascination as Valentina dizzily danced around. Wobbling on her feet and shouting beneath the stars.
“Hey, you lookin’ at me? You wanna go!? Put em up!” She raised her fists, and began sizing up her opponent.
A tree.
“She only took one sip…” Hiccup whispered.
The inebriated woman launched an unsteady punch at the tree, landing a solid hit on its trunk. The noise of her fist making an impact on the wood reverberated throughout the forest.
After a moment, a single leaf drifted down to the ground.
With a satisfied huff, Valentina dusted her hands off. “Yeah, remember that the next time you feel like messing with me!”
She began a drunken victory dance, singing an incomprehensible song, and at several points seemed very close to falling over.
“Alright, I think it’s time we put her to bed…” Hiccup sighed. Mariano agreed, and they both stood.
After a moment of trying to wrangle the woozy woman, they finally got a hold of her.
Supporting her with their shoulders, they walked her to her tent as she babbled on.
“L-Lemme tell you guys something…” She slurred. “One day…One day we’re all gonna be Madrigals! And when that day comes, I’m buying us drinks!”
“I think you’ve had enough drinking for a lifetime…” Hiccup muttered, struggling under her weight.
They laid her down in her tent, the woman childishly snuggling into her sleeping bag almost immediately upon contact. She tried to protest that she wasn’t tired, but she wasn’t in a state to put up any serious resistance.
She drifted into slumber, mumbling the whole time. Hiccup couldn’t pick up much of anything she said. But he did manage to make out “I can’t wait to be part of a family…”
With Valentina secured, Hiccup and Mariano bid each other good night. Both eager to return home in the morning.
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Hiccup didn’t get to sleep.
Not even ten minutes after retiring to his tent, a noise alerted him to a presence outside.
At first he dismissed it. They were in a forest, of course he’d hear things. But the noise sounded off again, and again. And it was a bit too close for comfort.
Jumping out of his sleeping bad, he slowly crept to the opening of his tent to peer outside. He felt his adrenaline surge at what he saw.
Sniffing around their campsite, was a big, brown bear. Tan markings surrounding its face.
Berk didn’t have too many bears, but there were enough that Hiccup knew they weren’t creatures to be trifled with. He froze in fear, wondering just what he should do.
“Do I yell at it to scare it off? No, those are black bears. This one’s brown. Wait, brown means grizzly! Oh Gods, it’s a grizzly! We’re dead, we’re totally- “
His increasingly panicked thoughts were cut short when he noticed Mariano sitting outside. Peacefully observing the bear.
What was wrong with him? Couldn’t he recognize a vicious predator when he saw one?
With a silent groan, Hiccup realized just what was going on. He was from the Encanto, and these people weren’t quite accustomed to danger.
Ignoring his fears, he tried to save his friend’s life by whispering to get his attention. “Psst! Hey! Mariano, hey!”
When he saw the man face him, he attempted to warn him of the danger present. “Unless you wanna get mauled, get back inside!”
However, instead of heeding his warning, Mariano snickered instead. “Hiccup, it’s fine! This is a Spectacled Bear, they’re very docile.”
“Yeah sure, I’m sure they’re very docile when they’re ripping out your throat!” Despite his harsh whispers, Mariano seemed unconcerned. Instead, he waved Hiccup forward.
Hiccup didn’t trust it, but at Mariano’s urging, he slowly emerged from his tent. Taking his own seat, the boys observed the bear. The animal definitely knew they were there, it would look at them every so often. It just didn’t seem to care. Content to mosey around the campsite, sniffing for scraps.
It was kinda cute.
Despite how interesting it was to watch the animal up close, Hiccup couldn’t help but sigh.
Of course. Even the bears they had here were nice.
Unfortunately, their bear-time was interrupted when a still inebriated Valentina burst from her tent. Shouting with fear.
“BEAR? BEAR WHERE? WHERE’S THE BEAR!?”
All three beings present ceased moving, and stared at the woman stunned. Once she spotted the bear, her eyes narrowed and she sprang into action. “Don’t worry guys, I’ll protect you!”
As soon as the woman took a single step, the frightened bear ran off into the woods.
And Valentina chased it.
Without thinking, Mariano ran after her. Probably to make sure the bear didn’t get hurt, above anything else. Reluctantly, Hiccup followed.
After running through the trees, and being whacked by more than a few incoming branches, they found her standing amongst the foliage. No bear in sight.
“Yeah, you better run! You mess with my sobrinos, you mess with ME!” She cockily slurred, talking at nothing. The boys shared an exasperated glance, before Mariano moved to guide her back to the campground.
“That woman is gonna get herself and us killed…” Hiccup grumbled.
And he was right.
Hiccup broke into a cold sweat, and Mariano froze in his tracks, as they saw what was creeping behind Valentina.
Noticing their expressions, she asked “What?” Before turning around and facing the threat.
A jaguar was stalking down a tree. It was far bigger, and much meaner looking than Antonio’s.
This wasn’t an overgrown housecat, this was a predator on the hunt.
And it’d found its prey.
With a laugh, Valentina turned back to the guys. “Fellas, it’s fine! This is just a jaguar, they’re very docile!” She proclaimed with drunken confidence.
That confidence was broken when the feline leaped at them with a ferocious roar.
She had just enough time to dodge, causing it to miss her by a hair. It was now eyeing Mariano like he was a juicy steak, and he knew standing still would get him nowhere.
Sidestepping the beast, he quickly grabbed Valentina and hefted her over his shoulder. He ran over and took Hiccup, securing the scrawny teen under his arm. Both his companions now acquired, he made a mad dash to leave the forest.
Despite all the extra weight, he didn’t seem to be slowed down at all. Perhaps because of the adrenaline being chased by a hungry carnivore provided.
He sprinted right past the campground, promising he’d return to clean up their mess once they weren’t in imminent danger. Hiccup, who was being held backwards, had a very good view of the creature pursuing them. And he could safely say that he was terrified.
The jaguar knocked into one of the wooden logs they were using for a seat, briefly stalling it. However, the log was then pushed forwards in front of them, and the edge of the hill.
And Mariano stepped right onto it.
With a masterful sense of balance, he managed to avoid tripping and even began rolling the log downhill, still carrying over two-hundred pounds in his arms.
“How are you doing this!?” Hiccup yelled.
“I eat my vegetables.” Mariano simply replied, much to the boy’s confusion.
Despite how precarious it was, the log actually got them downhill faster. Meaning the jaguar had to struggle to keep up.
Soon, they reached the bottom of the hill. Back at the edge of town. Mariano’s rolling grew unstable, and he wobbled about erratically. Eventually, he couldn’t maintain balance any longer, and they all fell into a pile on the ground.
The feline stalked up to them, licking its maws in anticipation. It’d start with the burly male…then the gruff female…and leave the skinny one for last. If it needed a toothpick…
Valentina tried to stand against the creature, but her inebriation refused to allow that. “You guys run…I’ll hold it off!” She slurred from the ground. She tried to crawl her way to the cat, ready to fight. Mariano held her back, knowing she’d be easy prey in her current state.
Hiccup knew what he as about to do was stupid, but he had to try. He couldn’t let them get hurt.
He stood, rushed in front of the two flailing adults, and began shouting.
He yelled and screamed, waving his arms in the air and trying to make himself appear larger. A hard task, for someone as skinny as him.
The jaguar seemed confused, but undeterred. Hiccup’s intimidation tactics didn’t work, and now he’d made himself the main course.
“I guess jaguars don’t work like black bears…” Hiccup thought.
The beast approached, and Hiccup backed away. The two’s eyes never leaving each other. Mariano and Valentina were falling over themselves, trying to help the scrawny teen, but to no avail.
Finally, the jaguar seemed ready to pounce. It lurched at Hiccup, fangs bared, claws outstretched. Hiccup’s life flashed before his eyes, it was pretty unfortunate except for the bits at the end, and he shut his own eyes. Not wanting to see his own demise.
But instead of the sensation of bones and flesh bring devoured, he heard a familiar shriek instead.
Opening his eyes, he saw Toothless pinning the jaguar to the ground.
The two beasts tussled for a moment, but the Night Fury proved to be much stronger. Keeping the feline firmly on the ground.
It growled in defiance, but Toothless released a much fiercer and much louder scream. Intimidating the jaguar into submission. With a huff, he let it go. And the predator turned tail and ran back into the forest, mewling like a frightened kitten.
Hiccup watched in awe as the altercation concluded. His dragon was so damn cool…
Toothless bound over to the boy, nuzzling him in concern. “It’s okay, I’m alright, bud! Thanks to you! But…what are you doing here?”
“We brought him.”
Turning, he spotted the source of the new voice. The voice he’d come to adore.
Framed by the rising sun, stood Mirabel. Flanked by Bruno and Dolores. All in their night clothes.
“I was listening out for you guys.” Spoke Dolores. “When I heard the jaguar, I went to get help. Mirabel suggested we get Toothless.”
“W-We also considered bringing Antonio, but it’s still his bedtime.” Chuckled Bruno, nervously.
Before Hiccup could say anything else, he was swept up into a hug by Mirabel. “I’m just glad you’re okay…” She whispered.
He returned the hug, and whispered as well. “I’m glad I have so many amazing people who care about me…”
An offended warble got his attention. “And dragon! Amazing people and dragon!” Hiccup clarified, while laughing.
Bruno helped Valentina to her feet. “I gotta take her home, I-I’ll see you guys later.”
“Did ya see me? I fought a jaguar!” She joyously shouted as she staggered.
Bruno chuckled as he tried to keep her from falling over. “Sure you did, hon…”
Dolores was helping Mariano to his feet as well. “That was awfully heroic, back there.” She giggled.
He responded with a shy smile. “Maybe, but we’d be dinner if you weren’t looking-er-listening out for us!”
With shared dopey grins, they intertwined their arms and strolled back to town.
One couple remained.
The scrawny teen looked over to the bespectacled girl. “Y’know what? I’m never going outside again…”
She snickered, before responding. “But if you never go outside, how’re we gonna have our date tomorrow?”
He took a moment to think…
“...I’ll go outside for you. You’re the exception.”