A Hunting Trip Gone Wrong

Astrid can't help but wonder how it happened. Or, more importantly, who was to blame? Was it herself or Snotlout? From an outside perspective, it would be obvious to blame everything on Snotlout, but Astrid knew she could have easily stopped him if she had tried hard enough. She knew it was pointless to speculate, but Astrid couldn't help herself; maybe with some reflection, she could figure out what to do next.

Astrid's predicament started with her being tasked with hunting to stock up their supplies for the winter. Astrid wasn't sure why they were low on food, but she didn't care to ask since, at the time, Astrid had been in the mood for something simple to take her mind off things. With Hiccup set to become Berk's new chief and Astrid all but guaranteed to be his wife, Astrid was starting to get stressed over what the future held for her. Namely, the fact that it held the life of a wife instead of a shieldmaiden she always wanted to be. It wasn't that she hated the idea of being Hiccup's wife, a part of her was even excited at the prospect.

But all her life, she had strived to become the best warrior on Berk, and that would all end once she and Hiccup were married. A Viking woman could be either a wife or a shieldmaiden, but not both, as tradition dictates. Of course, Hiccup, of all people, would understand if she demanded to have the best of both worlds, and if he wasn't going to be the next chief, Astrid might have taken that route. But someone had to watch over the kids they would have to have. Their world was still plenty dangerous, even after they trained the dragons. If Astrid were going to be the chieftess of Berk, then she'd have to devote her time to aiding Hiccup and their children rather than defending their home. Astrid thought she was okay with this, but now that life was so close, she was starting to get cold feet.

A hunting trip would be the perfect thing to help clear her mind and focus on what she wanted. But then it was decided that she needed a partner, and that partner just had to be Snotlout. Now, Astrid and Snotlout had been on better terms than when they were children. He seems to have finally learned that Astrid is a person and not a prize to be won, and he accepts that she is in love with Hiccup and not him. Or at least he's stopped hitting on her despite knowing she's taken. That doesn't mean that they're best friends, though. Astrid still finds him annoying, especially when he calls her "babe" on occasion. While she could be civil with him, it didn't mean she wanted to spend the day with the Jorgenson heir.

Still, Astrid didn't have a choice, the weather had been brutal recently, and it was dangerous to go out without a partner, and none of the other people she'd be okay hunting with were available. So here Astrid was, hunting with her former stalker while undergoing an existential crisis.