Chapter Four

A/N: In response to...

InfinitiumAce: Hm, it might be a dragon...or it might not. I guess you'll find out. XD

The Galloping Cupcake: Lol, sorry about such a terrible 'cliffy'! XD I'm glad you're liking the story, though!

MHJohn64th: Sorryyyy! (I honestly don't TRY to make cliffhangers endings...it just sort of happens.) And as for your guesses about the future of the plot, I think you'll be surprised as to what's going to happen... And I vaguely mentioned that Hookfang stayed behind outside of the cave. (Sorry that was unclear) :D

samsamwww: Just call me Mrs. Leisa Cliffhanger! XD But seriously, I DON'T try to make cliffhanger endings! It just happens! It's how my brain functions! But...thanks for inadvertently calling me a good writer. XDDD

Warrior Of Spectra: Yup, probably... LOL!

Cottonmouth25: Oh GOD! XD That made me laugh OUT LOUD while I was sitting in the DOCTOR'S office waiting for my grandma. XDDD I got looks... o_o But I don't care because it was funny! XD

lorde: I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOWW! XD And this is set between the series and the 2nd movie but the characters are the same age as the series. So...before HTTYD2. :)

Wanli8970: Hm, sounds interesting... Like I said, I don't know when I'd use it because I've got a few stories in my brain already but if the opportunity arises, I'll let you know, okay? :)

PT: Sorry... o_o And, thanks XD I try to update everyday (although sometimes that doesn't happen...) And as for your assumption about Ruffnut and Astrid...well, you'll see why it happened.

Lord Jaric: Yeah, I know a lot of narratives are told from past tense but, personally, I don't really like how past tenses sounds. It just doesn't roll of the tongue for me. I guess it's a stylistic thing that I write present tense, I don't know. (My REALLY old Naruto fanfics were past tense but eventually I changed it because I didn't like how it sounded.)

rafa number one fan: Thanks :) And I update pretty much everyday, just for future reference.

camilleRomance: Lol, you should watch the series, it's pretty good. :) You can buy all the DVDs in stores now or watch it online if you search hard enough. And thank you :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story.


"Huhh...?" Astrid moans as her eyes flutter open. It takes a moment for her vision to come back into focus, at which time, she finds herself staring at the roof the cave. She flinches as a droplet of water smacks against her nose, followed by another. "Ohhh..." She groans, sitting up and rubbing her head.

In the darkness of the cave, she can't see much. Only the faintest silhouettes of her fallen companions a few feet away. Toothless is collapsed to his belly and she is laying pressed up against him from where she fell out of his saddle when she fainted. Craning her neck, she spots Ruffnut laying on her back and apparently struggling to wake up as well.

"Ruff, are you okay?" Astrid asks, earning a shocked yelp from the other girl.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" She replies gruffly, obviously embarrassed that she got scared just now. It's just that she thought she was the only one awake and hadn't expected to hear anyone's voice... "Where's everyone else?" She wonders, squinting through the dark.

"Toothless is right here." Astrid tells her as she rolls onto her knees and stands up. "And...Hiccup too. I think he's still unconscious...but..." Then, her eyes widen. "Where's...where's Tuff?"

Ruffnut frowns, her brow furrowing. "What do you mean 'where's Tuff'?" His sister hurries over to where her brother had been standing before the Siren's attack, only to groan in annoyance when she finds he's missing. "Great! Now we've gotta find Snotlout and my stupid brother!"

"Hiccup?" Astrid asks as she kneels down before her sleeping friend. She shakes his shoulder a few times and sighs in relief at the sound of his groggy moans. "Come on, wake up." She tells him, lightly slapping his cheek to rouse him.

It works but he growls tiredly and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, as if reluctant to wake up. "Go'way..." He grumbles, swatting at her hands. "Five more minutes..."

"No. Now, Hiccup." She says as she grabs his shoulders and yanks him to his feet. "We don't have time to lay around. Tuffnut is missing now too."

He yawns, blinking heavily as he gazes around the cave. It takes his sleepy brain a moment to register what she said but after a moment- "Wait! TUFF IS MISSING TOO?!"

Astrid nods as she returns to Toothless's side and starts skirting around him, trying to think of the best way to wake him. "Hiccup, he's your dragon! How do you get him up in the morning?"

Hiccup grimaces, his half-asleep mind still in a flurry of trying to catch up with everything that's happening. "Um, I don't." He admits. "Toothless is usually the one waking me in the morning..."

Astrid sighs. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Regardless, Hiccup turns around and gets to work on waking his dragon while Astrid and Ruffnut glance worriedly around. What if the Siren comes back? What if more of them get taken?

Their fears are interrupted by Hiccup giggling. "Ah, there you are, bud!" He laughs as his Night Fury licks his cheek. "I was starting to get worried for a minute there." He admits as he scratches Toothless's chin.

"So..." Ruffnut begins slowly now that everyone of their dwindling group is ready to move. "...what's the plan here, guys? 'Cuz I got nothin'."

"We have to keep searching." Hiccup decides as he stands up. "Snotlout, Tuff, and the other missing villagers are here somewhere. I know it."

"You're right about that much." Astrid agrees with him. "But...maybe we should go back to the village and get reinforcements. I mean, it's not safe for just the four of us to be wandering around in the dark with no idea of what we're acually dealing with..."

Hiccup pauses, obviously considering it. He chews his lip thoughtfully before apparently coming up with a plan. "Alright, someone should take Hookfang back to Berk and get some help. The rest of us will keep looking."

"You want us to split up?" Astrid demands, her eyebrow arching in disbelief. "Hiccup, no offense but...that's a terrible idea."

"Yeah! Haven't you ever heard Gobber's scary stories? Whenever the good guys split up, bad stuff happens!"

Hiccup sighs and folds his arms. "Yeah, except we're not in a scary story!"

"Or...maybe we are." Ruff growls, her eyes searching the cave suspiciously.

"Ruff!" Hiccup barks. "Focus!"

"Okay then, who's going back to Berk and who's staying?" Astrid asks him, a challenge in her eyes. "I'm not leaving you guys behind."

"I can't go, either." Ruffnut tells them. "I need to make sure Tuff kept his promise and-"

"Died upside down, I know." Hiccup grumbles, cutting her off as he remembers her twin having said the same thing.

"Okay then, Hiccup." Astrid continues, a knowing smirk on her lips. "I guess that means you're going back." She already very well knows what he's going to say.

"Uhh..." Hiccup begins weakly, struggling to think of an excuse to stay with them. "I...I can't go. If I leave, Toothless will follow me and then you guys will be defenseless."

"Uh-huh..." Astrid rolls her eyes. "So either we all go back to Berk or no one goes." And when no one offers to return home, the group silently starts walking the tunnels again. They stick very close to each other, their shoulders almost brushing as they slowly make their way further and further into the darkness.

The only sound to be heard is that of their boots crunching over loose gravel and Toothless's growls as the menacing scent only grows stronger in his nose.


As they make their way further and further into the cave, the air becomes thicker and harder to breathe...and also a bit hotter. There's a moisture in the air that reminds them this cave used to be under the surface of the ocean. Salty sea water drips from the ceiling and their feet squish in wet sand and dirt, their footing becoming increasingly hazardous to the point where they also have to hold onto each other so they don't fall.

"Tuffnut?" They call as loud as they dare. "Snotlout? Anybody?"

They receive no answer other than what sounds like subtle ripples in the water. Except...there are no pool of water here. Just various puddles and the stuff that drips from the roof.

"This place is creepy..." Ruffnut admits, her hoarse voice shaking a bit.

"I'll say..." Astrid agrees quietly. In the pitch darkness, they really can't see their own hand in front of their faces, which is why both girls suddenly plow straight into Hiccup, who'd been walking a bit ahead of them for the last few yards. But now, he's stopped. "Hiccup?" Astrid asks. "What's wrong?"

"Do you...hear that?" He asks them.

The girls glance at each other in confusion before leaning forward, their eyes narrowing in concentration. And after a few seconds, they do begin to hear a slight...hissing sound. Not like an animal or dragon, more like steam being released very slowly. After a few more moments, the noise jumps in octave and becomes more like a high-pitched squeal.

The teens exchange wide-eyed looks. What is this sound?! But then, Toothless roars and fans open his wings defensively. The Riders scramble backwards, startled by his sudden movement...but then it becomes obvious why he did so.

"MIST!" Astrid shouts, all attempt at stealth thrown to the wind as fear slams through her chest.

"RUN!" Ruff yells as they wheel around to escape its effects.

The cave suddenly flashes with bright, violet light as Toothless fires off a plasma blast. Something screeches in pain as his attack apparently hits its mark, but the mist doesn't stop flowing. Its purplish tendrils creep up the teens' legs, filling the tunnel almost to their waists.

They all listen fearfully as they run, listening to the sound of Toothless battling the Siren. A second plasma blast lights their way, then a third. Hiccup bites his lip and slows down a little... A fourth shot, a fifth...

Hiccup stops running altogether and turns back toward his dragon. His heart is hammering against his ribs as he struggles to decipher what might be happening with his friend. He's only got one more blast and then-

Hiccup flinches as a bright flash of light spells the end of his Night Fury's shot limit. And in that brief moment of clarity in the dark, he's able to see an outline of the creature that's been haunting his home. His first glimpse of the monster...

And he nearly whimpers at the sight of it.

But then the cave is dark once more and all is silent for a moment. Until-

"AHHH!" Hiccup screams as something that feels suspiciously like a...tentacle wraps around his ankle. It gives a single, harsh yank and Hiccup goes sprawling onto his back, a sharp cry escaping his lips as the appendage drags him back in the direction of the Siren.

"HICCUP!" Astrid gasps at the sound of his yelp. She and Ruff stop in their tracks and spin around to face in his direction. They can't see him or, well, anything but in a split-second, they're both racing back over to help.

Toothless snarls and pounces on his opponent's back, claws digging into the creature's rubbery skin as he fights to get it away from his Rider, whose struggles are growing weaker by the second as his head is filled with the intoxicating mist. The Night Fury roars in anger and bites down on the Siren's shoulder, blood spewing into the air as it gives a harsh shriek of agony.

By now, the other two Riders have arrived as well. Astrid scowls down at the faint silhouette of the tentacle before pulling a knife from her waistband. Never leave home without one...! She reminds herself as she draws back her arm and digs the blade into the squirming appendage.

The Siren screams in pain and yanks away from them, its tentacle unraveling from around Hiccup's leg as it clumsily scrambles away, throwing Toothless from its back at the same time. But Hiccup's dragon continues snarling and chases the other creature away, both of them disappearing further down the tunnel...

"Hiccup...!" Astrid breathes as she kneels down beside him. She can't see his face now but she can hear his weak moans as he struggles to sit up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." He mumbles softly, shaking his head to try and clear it of the mist. "Just peachy...thanks"

"Hey, guys." Ruff begins in a fearful voice. "Where's Toothless?:

Hiccup's brow furrows and he finally sits up, his eyes searching the darkness. "What do you mean?" He asks. "Where'd he go?"

"He...chased that thing off." Astrid tells him. Then, her expression darkens when she mutters, "You don't think he could have-"

But then, before she can say anymore, they hear the sound of claws clicking across the stone floor. Everyone goes rigid at the noise and they all fall deathly silent...until Hiccup gulps and asks,

"Toothless? That you, bud?" He nearly screams as a pair of green eyes hover into his line of sight...but he swallows his cry when he finally recognizes the familiarity of them. As well as the comforting purrs that suddenly rumble through his dragon's throat. "Toothless...!" He breathes, fumbling through the dark to wrap his arms around his friend's neck. "Are you okay, buddy? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

But Toothless only nuzzles his snout into his human's chest and continues his purring. Their embrace lasts a few more seconds and then they both draw back, Hiccup smiling in relief at his friend's outline.

"Alright, as much as I hate to say this...we need to go back to Berk." Astrid tells them. "All of us, together. It's not safe here."

Ruff nods frantically in agreement, even though no one can see her.

And Hiccup bites his lip, knowing she's right. "I guess." He agrees reluctantly. "We'll tell my father about this place and hopefully he'll agree to send some back-up with us next time." As he finishes explaining his plan, he slowly stands up, testing his ankle and back for injury. Thankfully, other than a slightly shaky feeling in his knees -which is probably a result of being attacked by a monster- nothing feels sprained or broken.

"Sounds good to me." Astrid says before turning to Ruffnut. "Ruff, I know you must be worried about your brother but-"

"Eh," The other girl shrugs. "I'm not worried. Tuff is pretty hard to kill. Trust me, I would know..." She says darkly, earning stunned looks from her friends. Not that she can even see their expressions.

"Then it's settled." Hiccup decides. "We'll head back, find my dad, and figure out what to do from there." So the Riders turn back and head for the exit, which is probably only a few hundred yards in the opposite direction.

The only problem is...no one notices the subtle growls and animalistic hisses that echo through the cave behind them. Nor the sound of something...dragging over the stones.