Chapter 1
"Are sure this is a good idea?"
"Positive," Astrid replied.
"Not chicken, are you?" Snotlout snickered.
"I just wanted to know whether or not this is something that really concerns us-"
"Bock, bock bock bock!"
"Fine. Let's just get this over with." Hiccup sighed. "Toothless! Where did he go now? Toothless!"
A large black creature dropped from the sky, landing gracefully. Hiccup hopped on his back and slid his false leg into the harness.
"Apparently we have to go investigate the weird tunnel out by Mildew's house. Why now? I have no idea."
"You know very well why!" Astrid frowned.
The tunnel had always existed on Berk as long as Hiccup could remember. The dark hole in the earth did not strike him as odd or unusual. It never even crossed his mind what might have created them. At least until a little while ago.
At first it was just a reoccurring dream that arose once a year or so, but it started to come around every week. Now each night it was the same dream, no nightmare.
It was just a pit, a huge gap in the ground. Deep, dark and probably very cold, roots sticking out of the sides and loose dirt shifted every once in a while. Nothing scary about it at all.
It was the feeling it gave Hiccup, a sense of dread and danger. As if a terrifying beast, more horrifying than a dragon ever could be, was about to appear at the bottom.
Hiccup had never been scared of the hole, but what lurked in it, watching and waiting for its next victim.
Hiccup hadn't slept much that week because of the dream. Even when he wasn't asleep, he could still see it.
"We have to figure out what this is about or your never be able to sleep," Astrid continued. "So we're going to the tunnel."
"Can we go now?" Snotlout whined.
Hiccup sighed and shook his head as Toothless shot up in the sky.
Stromfly and Hookfang soon followed after the Night Fury.
Mildew's hut was far beyond the village, so the tunnel had not been explored at all. The hole was located in the forest between several large trees. Their roots decorated the inside of the tunnel.
Toothless landed and Hiccup stepped off the dragon's back. His feet hit the ground and he stumbled, being caught by Toothless before falling face first into the dirt.
"Heh, nice save bud," Hiccup said quietly. "That would have been bad."
Astrid and Snotlout joined him on the ground shortly after.
Grateful that Snotlout had not seen him almost fall on his face, Hiccup moved to the edge of the pit. No light reached the bottom, so he couldn't tell how far down it went.
Just standing at the edge made him feel uneasy. It was just like in the dream, but now it felt like... He had been here before.
A sudden sharp pain just above his eye, sent his head spinning. His vision blurred and Hiccup became dizzyingly sick to his stomach, then his knees buckled.
When he opened his eyes again he was sitting up against Toothless. Moisture trickled down his face and neck, his stomach still churning.
"Ugh..." Hiccup groaned.
"That was unexpected,"
Snotlout was propped up against a tree not to far away.
"Hiccup! Are you all right?" Astrid ignored Snotlout's disconcert for others.
"Y-yeah, I don't know w-what came over me," He tried to sound better than he looked. But if he looked anywhere near how he felt...
"I-I'm okay now, r-really," Hiccup forced a small smile.
"Are you sure? You look really pale," Astrid put a hand to his forehead. "You feel warm, too. I think you have a fever."
"Astrid," He said firmly. "I'm fine, see?"
He pushed himself to his feet and stood before her, trying not to fall again.
"All right, you win," Astrid sighed. "But we should go home soon, it's going to be dark soon."
"Supper time!" Snotlout cheered.
Oh, what? How long was I out? Hiccup thought.
Hiccup hopped up onto Toothless, but Astrid stopped him.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," She frowned. "What if you pass out again?"
"There's nothing I can do to convince you, is there?"
She shook her head.
Hiccup sighed and slid off his dragon's back. Stormfly didn't look very happy to have extra passengers.
"Just this once girl," Astrid stroked her scales. Stormfly snorted and took off at a running start.
They were halfway home when a wave of dizziness swept over Hiccup. He clung to Astrid, eyes shut tight and head pressed against her shoulder blades. She suppressed a smile as Hiccup let out a small shudder.
"You okay?" Astrid asked.
"Yep, just great," Hiccup replied.
They reached the gathering hall just in time for dinner. Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat at one of the far tables, bickering about which of the Zipleback's heads were better. Fishlegs was at the far end of the table, absorbed in yet another book. He looked up only when Hiccup and Astrid sat down across from him.
"Hello Fishlegs, what are you reading?" Astrid wondered.
"The History of Berk, a novel," He started in. "It is actually very interesting."
"Nerd," Snotlout sat between Hiccup and Astrid.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" Roughnut turned her attention to Hiccup.
"I may or may not have just developed a fear of falling off dragons."
They couldn't help but laugh at that.
"I'm not joking, I think I might throw up," Hiccup rested his head on his hands.
"I can't believe your afraid of holes," Snotlout snickered.
"Arrrgh!" Hiccup brought his forehead down onto the table with a thud.
Astrid punched Snotlout in the shoulder for his ignorance.
"This is ridiculous! I don't understand any of this!" Hiccup exclaimed. "What is with me and holes!?"
"Holes?"
They all turned to see Gobber enter the hall. Outside it had started to rain, lightning flashed in the clouds.
"Afraid of holes, you say? Well, I'll not surprised... considering," Gobber said to the table, but more specifically, Hiccup.
"Considering what?" Hiccup turned around in his seat.
"If you mean the hole up north, then you should be scared!" Gobber said quickly. "There are monsters who eat children that get to close to their tunnels."
"Really?" Snotlout smiled smugly.
"There once was a girl who lived in this village. She loved the play near the hole by her house. One day she heard a sound from within the tunnels, but when she was about to look into the hole her parents called her in for dinner."
"What kind of sound?" Hiccup asked quietly.
"Of course, being a child, she was very curious," Gobber continued, paying no attention to Hiccup. "So that night, as her parents slept, the little girl snuck out of the house. She walked over to the hole and when she did, she heard the sound again."
"She leaned in closer to see if she could hear it better. Leaning in closer and closer, then suddenly a huge tentacle came out from the hole and grabbed her by the ankles. She screamed as the monster dragged her into the pit. She was never seen again."
Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat listening intently, but Fishlegs looked terrified.
"I-i-is that t-true?" He shivered.
"O-of course not," Snotlout's voice shook, trying to be brave. It sounded as though he was trying convince himself more than Fishlegs.
"Oh it is very real," Gobber smiled wickedly. "They even say that some nights you can still hear the faint scream of the little girl."
"Oh..." Snotlout said softly.
"Quit with the ghost stories, Gobber," Hiccup sighed. "We know it's not real."
"Oh?" Gobber tilted his head to one side. "Don't you remember? Your si-"
"Gobber!" The chief snapped. He gave him a look and Gobber dropped the subject.
"You kids best get home now," Gobber said quietly. "Before it starts raining a whole lot more."
Grumbling under their breath, they walked through the huge, wooden doors out into the rain.