Chapter 2

A/N: I'm sorry. It's dumb. I'm sorry. But you guys gave such a response that I decided to update again.

Hiccup leaned against his door, breathing heavily as he struggled just to stay upright. Seeing Snotlout had been a lot more painful than he'd thought it would be.

His heart lifted momentarily when he reminded himself that at least the boy had cared enough to come see him, before this thought was almost immediately crushed when he remembered the boy's words: "Did they fix your leg?"

Hiccup was nothing but a show dog to him, a freak, something to be laughed at, something to entertain or amuse, but certainly not somebody whose feelings ought to be taken into account.

He gritted his teeth against the pain as he stumped back to his seat, his blood boiling, his stomach churning and waves of pain going up and down his leg, making it impossible to focus. He sat down heavily at the kitchen table, breathing rather hard from the exertion. He wished he didn't have to think anymore, think about how intrigued Snotlout must have been when he'd seen the twisted, mangled stump his injured leg had become last night.

It tied his stomach in knots to see blood, and every time he unwound the bandage, there was a little more, seeping out from the scarred stump.

He wondered what would've happened had the teens really just invited him to celebrate Halloween with him, how he might've been feeling now – certainly not angry and hurt.

He would've been teaching a dragon training class at this time, maybe afterwards talking with Gobber in the forge or riding with the other teens.

He wouldn't have been sitting there at the kitchen table three days ago, too in pain to even move. But then, a lot could change in just three days.

Three days ago, Hiccup was happy. The novelty of having killed the Red Death hadn't quite worn off the village yet, and as a result, everybody was talking to Hiccup still, congratulating him, thumping him on the back, leaving him feeling positively elated.

In Hiccup's little world, things had been far from normal three days ago – but to him, they had been just fine.

Three days earlier…

Fifteen minutes before midnight, Hiccup and Toothless flew to Raven's Point Forest, enjoying just looking at the stars and the clouds, Hiccup shivering a little every time the cold wind brushed by.

He landed in the forest and climbed off Toothless, detaching his prosthetic from the pedal and walked forward, Toothless traipsing behind him.

Something wasn't right.

He knew that this was the right spot – Astrid's axe and Ruffnut's helmet were even lying there and there was a bit of firewood in the spot.

So…where were they all?

He glanced warily around, calling out tentatively. "Astrid?"

No answer.

"Snotlout?"

Silence.

"Fishlegs?"

Nothing.

"Ruffnut? Tuffnut?"

How could silence be so loud?

He walked forward a little bit more, his prosthetic clinking and clanking on the hard ground as he walked, the cold wind biting at his cheeks and nose and arms, concealed behind thin cotton sleeves, and he shivered a little, wrapping his arms around himself.

The sound of Toothless' comforting, loping walk was the only thing that kept him going as he called out to them, before hearing a strange sound, a kind of roar, except he had never known a dragon to make that sound.

It was then that he realized that perhaps he should be quiet. He had never been scared in the forest before, but then, he had never been in the forest in the dead of night, searching for his lost friends before, either.

As far as he knew, no harmful creatures lived in the wood – but then, they were Vikings.

Anything could happen.

He realized that he hadn't heard any of Toothless' familiar moans for awhile and as he glanced around to check on the dragon, somebody suddenly came pelting out of the trees and pinned him to the ground, hands behind his back. He groaned and struggled to turn to see his attacker, but a blindfold was already being slipped over his eyes and all was blackness.

He struggled and he kicked out, feeling his prosthetic connect solidly with somebody's face. Pleased at their groan of pain, he forced himself to a standing position and fumbled with the blindfold before a hand suddenly closed over his, and a menacing voice whispered, "Keep it on."

Hiccup's hands slipped from the string. He knew that voice. He did. "Who—?"

"Shh," the voice said. "We're alone, Hiccup. I want your screams to be the loudest sound you make."

"Where's Toothless?" Hiccup demanded.

"Don't ask questions."

"Who are you?"

"I'm hurt," the voice replied sarcastically. "You mean you don't recognize me by voice alone?"

"No…" Hiccup mumbled, starting to feel like he should.

"I'll give you a hint, dragon conqueror: Berk's oldest and most feared enemy."

Hiccup inhaled sharply. "What have you done with Toothless?"

"I wouldn't be scared for the Night Fury right now, Hiccup," Alvin said. "I think, if I were in your shoes – well, shoe…" he paused and when he continued, Hiccup could hear the smirk in his voice. "…I'd be a little more concerned for myself."

"What are you doing on Berk?" Hiccup demanded.

"Seeing the sights," Alvin responded. "I heard the Isle of Berk is beautiful this time of year." He smirked upon using the same line Hiccup had on him a few weeks ago.

"My father will find out you're here," Hiccup said confidently. "My friends were here not too long ago—wait."

The icy hand of fear was clenching at his heart. What if Alvin had hurt them? "Where are my friends, Alvin?"

"Those no-hopers?" sneered Alvin. "You thought five teenagers were going to defeat me?"

"Well, one ninety-pound teenager did it before," Hiccup pointed out, sliding in a smirk of his own.

When Alvin next spoke, he didn't sound at all pleased. "You are skating on very thin ice, here, dragon conqueror. I wouldn't continue if I were you."

Hiccup opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, the voice spoke again. "NOW!"

Hiccup shot to the ground, covering his head, tensed for something dramatic – an explosion, a fireball, a dragon attack, a blow, maybe…

But nothing happened.

There was no marching of footsteps anymore and Hiccup saw his chance. Tearing off the blindfold, he sprinted away, back the way he'd come and he thought he heard a voice calling out after him, but it was drowned out by the sound of thick wood snapping…

Looking to his right, he spotted Hookfang singeing a tree's trunk and it was falling fast, so fast he wasn't sure he could get out of the way in time, not when he was standing right under it like that…

He threw himself out of the way as the trees crashed down, one right after the other, two unbelievably loud noises in what should have been a still, quiet night.

There was a burning pain in his leg.

And then all was still.