It was almost funny how time passed when you had nothing to do but sit around, and by that he meant: it chugged along so slowly. Nott'Modr was about ready to strangle someone; at least it would have made the day more interesting. Of course, Haddock probably wouldn't appreciate it if he saw a dead body laying in their clearing the next time he stopped by.
He didn't know why the hare bothered going back home. He spent more time here than anywhere else. (The lion ignored the fact that he was just grumping because he missed him.) The hare stopped by every day to help him move around (something Nott was still getting the hang of without grimacing), bring him food (fish, of course, because there was no way Haddock would have been able to hunt big game), and generally just hang out. The two had become friends in that time, albeit with Nott giving the other a hard time every now and then. (he was so accident-prone, for the love of...)
Nott shook his head and turned his attention down to his injuries... or rather, the leftover of his injuries. Despite his initial conclusions of dying from it, Haddock had managed to nurse him relatively back to health. At least, he was starting to be able to walk again. His tail would likely remain crooked, as would his foot, but... they were things that Nott could live with. After all, it was a sight better than dying. It took some mental effort not to move his tail all this time though. Instinct tended to make it move around, but that wouldn't really help it heal. He was looking forward to when he could do so without worrying over it breaking further.
Which was soon.... He could feel it.
He wondered what Haddock would do -- what Nott, himself, would do -- once he was back on his feet. He wasn't sure he could go back to the Stormborn like this.... not when he knew that his band had left him for dead. He had no ties holding him there, only status as a Captain, and now that he had Haddock, who would either be considered a meal or a Thrall.... What loyalty did he have towards them now?
The lion sighed quietly at the thought, a frown etched across his face while he tried to determine what to do. He supposed... that there was nothing that said he couldn't just stay on a permanent viking, or hell, his pride might even think him dead by now. He was free to do what he-
Nott jumped as there was a yell, followed by something dropping with a thump out of one of the bushes, and he rolled his eyes when he saw what had happened.
So Haddock had come to a decision of late. Nott was right in that he spent more time with him than at home, and that was for a good reason. There was nothing for him at home, no friends or family to return to, and very little personal treasures to get tied down by; the more the hare thought about it, the more he realized that he would much rather travel alongside his new lion friend than stick around in such a cold, miserable place. Besides, his chances of survival were a lot better when he had a lion buddy.
That did mean leaving a few belongings behind, but like he said, he had very little actual treasures that he'd want to bring, so it was easy enough just tying together some leather and using it as a makeshift bag to hold it. The only real question that remained was whether Nott would be agreeable to him tagging along.
Today was the day that he was going to ask. The lion was improving and while he still hobbled slightly, he was fast on a track to being able to be on the move again. Which meant that Haddock needed to act now, if he wanted to come along.
So, grabbing his bag of goodies, the hare took one last look at his home (well, hopefully his last) and then started hopping his way towards Nott. The trip had been mostly uneventful... until the hiccups started. In his excitement to get going, he'd munched very quickly on his breakfast before running out the door, and now he was paying for it.
And of course it was getting worse as he walked. Soon, he was pausing with every step, and as he started to round the corner into the clearing, the hare let out a loud hiccup that set off a chain reaction of him tripping and inevitably tumbling forward, down the hill, through a bush, and landing squarely on his chest in front of the black lion.
There was a pause... and then he let out a loud hiccup once more.
Which was followed by a snort.
Haddock slowly raised his head to glare at the lion who was looking at him like it was all a great show, a stupid grin on his face and a glint in his eye that showed that he was going to poke fun.
"Having trouble?"
Haddock narrowed his gaze at the laughing green eyes staring back at him, before pushing himself to his feet and trying to brush the snow off of himself. Which ended up being moot point, because another full body hiccup shook his body then and sent him falling backwards.
The round of laughter from the other male had Haddock's fur puffing out indignantly, "Stop laughing! This isn't- hic! - funny!"
The statement sent Nott into another round of raucous laughter, and in between breaths, he jeered out, "Oh, it's hilarious. The mighty hiccuping hare." He crowed, "Maybe I should call you a Hiccup instead!"
Haddock's cheeks puffed out as he stood up again, "I am not! I just- It's the hiccups, everyone has them!" When the lion didn't stop, the hare gave an uncharacteristic growl of frustration and stomped his foot on the ground, eyes scanning about to try and find something to poke back at him. His sight eventually landed on the little bracelet around Nott's arm, something he'd made for the lion during his recovery. Adorned on it was Nott's tooth, knocked loose after the incident and found by Haddock while he was poking around the area. At the time, he'd thought it'd be a great gift, something to show for their friendship, but right now....
"Well, then I may as well call you Toothless, because... because that's what you are!" It was a weak argument, and he knew it, but it was enough to get Nott to stop and glare back at him.
The pair stared each other down for a moment longer, before Nott let out a huff and stuck out his chest proudly, "The loss of a tooth is a war wound and something admirable, thank you very much."
Haddock let out a snort, "Whatever you say, Toothless."
That earned the hare a growl, before the newly dubbed "Toothless" lunged forward to grab the hare around the back, and, in retaliation, he opened his mouth...
... and started slobbering over the hare's head.
"EEEEW, TOOTHLESS-" The hare struggled against his assailant, "THAT'S SO GROSS! ACK I CAN FEEL IT GOING DOWN MY SPINE." Of course, he'd call him that name again, so all he got was even more spit being licked across him.
In the end, the two dissolved into laughter and play-fighting (more so from Toothless, who could have easily pinned the hare if he really wanted to). They would eventually get up to start practicing with Nott's walking, but for now, they just basked in the moment of "Toothless" and "Hiccup".