Hiccup and the Soup Bowl 4

By the time that Hiccup finally arrived at Meade Hall, all of the roasted meat and bread was long gone. Quickly eyeing the room, Hiccup noticed a large kettle over to one side. Some steam was still rising out it, so he sauntered over to a close table to pick up a used wooden bowl and then bobbed over to the kettle for a closer look.

In the bottom of the large pot, he could see some broth left over from when some poor creature had been boiled earlier that day. At least, he hoped it was the broth from some poor creature boiled earlier that day and not the drippings from someone's socks.

Hiccup's stomach rumbled something fiercely in his ears, and he mustered a noble pose. "Okay, time to be brave. Last time it was someone's laundry water. Maybe this time I'll have dumb luck, and it'll turn out to be chicken broth!"

Hiccup dove his wooden bowl into the depths of the kettle and managed to scoop up enough of the drippings to fill it. He moved the bowl close to his nose and inhaled deeply. "Ummm..smells good," he remarked with a widening smile.

Then he gingerly dipped a finger into the bowl and tasted the scavanged soup. "Delicious! It is chicken broth!" he happily exclaimed to himself. "Luck must be on my side tonight!"

Though it wasn't exactly a feast, the soup was warm and, much to Hiccup's delight, tasty. With a spring in his step, Hiccup strode across the large room, heading toward his usual, lonely bench.

<--Part 3 | Part 5-->