The snow was inches above the ground now. It crunched beneath Hiccup's feet as he made his way to find Toothless. He had hoped to find his dragon under the tree where he had left him a couple of hours ago. Toothless was gone, only the snow lay still embedded where he had lain.
"Toothless!" Hiccup ran deeper into the forest. Where else could he be? The grove. Maybe Jack had come back. Maybe they both were waiting safely for the morning to come...and the darkness to leave. Darkness. The thought sent a chill down Hiccup's spine. He could feel his heart beginning to beat faster with fear. He his body felt shaky, sweat began to form on his forehead. He wanted comfort, a companion...He wanted to find Toothless as soon as possible. He would jump with the sound of breaking twigs...then realized they were his own.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid...Please be okay, please be okay." He repeated to himself. Running so fast, Hiccup slipped down a hill and tumbled into the grove. The landing was soft and cold. He slowly lifted his head...empty. The grove was empty as he could see.
"Toothless! Toothless!" He called out as he stood up. He walked deeper inside, looking behind boulders, walking across to the other side.
"Toothless!...Jack!" He cried out. He heard something from above. The leaves were rustling, twigs were breaking. Toothless jumped down into the grove, onto Hiccup, face only inches away. His eyes seemed more menacing in the moonlight.
"Toothless! It's me." Hiccup said. The dragon quickly realized and jumped right off, nudging Hiccup with his snout.
"Where did you go? You scared me there." Hiccup began to say. But the dragon was not listening to any word. He kept nudging Hiccup towards the direction of the entrance.
"Hey stop it! Didn't you hear I was worried sick? Now to wait for Jack." Hiccup hugged himself at the chill of the cold winter night. Toothless grabbed Hiccup by the edge of his garments and began pulling him towards the entrance. He shook him off as he came upon his riding pack on the floor.
"Cool it buddy. Here I brought this just in case..." Every movement Hiccup mad to put it on Toothless, the dragon would evade it. He was acting differently, Hiccup knew that for sure. The dragon would not stop pulling him towards the entrance.
"Toothless would you..." He stopped short. There, above the grove, just like in his dream...there stood the dark horse. It looked more menacing in reality, more menacing in the moonlight. Hiccup and the horse glared at each other for a long moment, until the horse whinnied and ran off into the woods. Hiccup stood still...taking this in that it wasn't a dream. This was real. This meant Toothless was in danger. Jack was in danger...and the rabbit. He reached into his gear pack, pulling out a small ax he always carried in there, just in case.
"Got to get him." He said in a soft voice. Toothless cried and pulled Hiccup by the sleeve, begging him to head back.
"No stop it! That thing is a threat. We have to get it before it can get anyone else." He said. But Toothless did not want it any other way. Hiccup looked at his dragon for a moment, he had no choice.
"Ok then. I'll go back." He finally said. Toothless nodded, he had finally gotten some sense into the boy. Hiccup bent over to pick up his pack. He waited for Toothless to turn his back towards him when Hiccup reached inside, pulling a tough metal wire Gobber made a couple months back. It was sturdy to withhold almost any dragon in Berk, used to capture injured wild dragons that would come in. With a leap, Hiccup landed on Toothless' back. He wasn't strong enough to pin him to the ground, but he was strong enough to hold on tightly as his dragon bolted and jumped. Realizing what Hiccup was trying to do, Toothless did his best to throw the Viking off. But with all the flying they did, Hiccup learned to well how to hold on firmly. With a struggle, Hiccup managed to tie the wire around Toothless. He rolled off his dragon and pulled tightly, enclosing the dragon's legs and mouth. Hiccup quickly settled a stake into the ground, tying the wire around it.
"Sorry buddy. But it's the only way I can go after that thing." Hiccup said as he saw the glare Toothless shot him. This way he wouldn't try to convince Hiccup to go back, and this way he would be safe...here in the grove. Hiccup walked over and picked up his small ax. He turned to give one final look to Toothless...entangled in the wires...before he went off. He was determined to get that horse...before it can get anyone else.
The air was cold even for Jack. He saw below how the lights in Berk were diminished, the village was silent. Everyone was sound asleep...and with hope...having good dreams. The moon shun brightly above him. How late in the night was it? When morning came, Bunny would meet them at the grove to discuss what they can have planned against Pitch. He didn't want Bunny to risk leaving his Warren alone overnight...he knew too well what Pitch was capable of doing. Jack flew down towards the house he knew was Hiccup's. He looked up to see that the window was open.
"Psst. Hiccup!" He whispered aloud. No answer. Kids knocked out cold, he thought. He flew up and crouched on the windows entrance.
"Hiccup. I'm back. You asleep?" He said. The blankets were thrown out towards the ground. Jack could see the commotion Hiccup made to dress out of his sleepwear. What confirmed his thought was the door to Hiccup's room...it was open.
"Oh no." He said. He jumped to the cold ground looking over at Astrid's house. Closes and silent. Hiccup clearly didn't go wake her. Before Jack took a step forward, he noticed the snow on the ground. Footprints. The footprints went directly out of Hiccup's house into the forest.
"Hiccup do you ever listen!" He exclaimed as he flew into the forest.
The grove. That was the best possible answer. Jack knew something was wrong when he heard wails and cries coming from the direction of the grove.
"Toothless?" He said. He came into the grove to see a black dragon entangled in metal wire.
"Toothless!" He flew down and assisted the dragon in getting out of the trap. Jack carefully examined the wire. This was not a working of Pitch, but rather...
"Hiccup? He did this?" Jack asked the dragon. Toothless nodded and darted in the opposite direction of the entrance. He growled and nodded to the woods above.
"You got to be kidding me..." Jack said. Hiccup went off alone...exactly the opposite in what Jack had said.
With a tight grip around his ax, Hiccup pursued the direction he thought the horse went. Astrid would not approve of his hunting stance. His back was slouched, his knees bent, legs turned inward. Stand like the predator, not the prey, she would say. But Hiccup felt more like the prey than anything else. White puffs came from his mouth as the air got colder and colder. A sound came from his right. He stopped for a moment to look at his surroundings. Nothing.
"Come out now!" He yelled out. His voice was shaky and uneasy. He straightened up a little, attempted to look as intimidating as he could.
"Don't be a coward!" He yelled again. That did it. He heard a loud whinny and foot stomps. Out between the trees came the dark, yellow eyed horse. Nothing could hide the fear in Hiccup's eyes, but he had to face this thing...or else his friends would be in trouble. He let out a scream and charged for the horse, holding his ax high and threatening. He swung his ax towards the horse, it evaporated in the air.
"Got it." He said. Out of the trees came another horse. Hiccup ran towards it again, swinging and thrusting his ax, turning the horse into the dark dust it came from. More and more began to appear.
"I'll take you all on." Hiccup whispered.
"Can you now?" The sound of the dark voice sent a chill down Hiccup's entire body. He turned to see him...Pitch, the Boogey-Man...Standing between the trees where the horses where appearing. Hiccup held his ax tightly, ready to fight the dark man.
"Really now, you think you're going to stand up to me." Pitch said.
"I...I know I can..." Hiccup replied, trying to sound tough. Pitch chuckled at the sound of Hiccup's voice.
"And you call yourself a Viking?" He laughed. Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the comment. He lifted his ax and charged towards Pitch. The Boogey-Man turned into the darkness surrounding him, leaving Hiccup facing only the empty space where he once stood. All Hiccup could hear was the echoes of his laugh.
"Where are you!" Hiccup called out. A dark horse came charging at him, his swung his ax evaporating it into dark dust.
"They smell fear you know." Hiccup turned to see Pitch standing directly in the open. "No matter how many you think you destroy, your fear keeps bringing them back."
"I'm not afraid." Hiccup said in a small voice.
"Oh I beg to differ. Why, you're afraid right now. You're afraid that if you don't succeed this little mission, your friends will be in trouble...All because you. You're afraid that you will never amount to anything more. You're afraid of what people will think of you. You're afraid of failing...of going back and living the life of a worthless, spineless Viking boy."
"No! Stop it!" Hiccup's ax fell to the ground as he covered his ears. A swarm of horses began to encircle him. He felt them get closer and closer...just like his nightmare.
"Hiccup!" He heard his name. The ground shook with a cold blow. He felt a hand on his shoulders; looking up, he saw Jack kneeling in front of him.
"Why did you run off on your own?" Jack asked.
"I thought...I...You and Toothless..." He stuttered. Hiccup felt a nudge on his right arm. He turned to see Toothless next to him...wearing the riding gear...Jack must have put it.
"Hate being left out of the party don't we Jack." Pitch yelled out. Jack turned out around to face Pitch, holding out his staff directly in front of him.
"Leave him alone Pitch..." Jack stated.
"You know...I was going too...but that little light of his distracts me. To bright...and very annoying. Believing in the Guardians...in fairytales...disgusting." Pitch said.
"It's none of your business in what he believes in." Jack replied.
"Oh, but you made it my business. You made it my business once you set your foot into Berk. When you made the child's beliefs and hopes stronger. When you mended the bond between dragons and Guardians...When you began to spread the light...Why can't you learn to mind your own business, Jack?" Pitch exclaimed. The horses began to come back, this time they had other friends with them...dark wolves. Wolves. It was Jack now who had a chill run down his spine. He never liked wolves, something about him he couldn't remember. But he had to put that aside...for Hiccup's sake. Jack charged to the horses and wolves that stood closest to them. With his staff he sent a powerful surge of ice towards the enemies...but it went directly through them. It did not harm them at all. It didn't even touch them.
"What the..." Jack heard the howling of the wolf. He turned around to Hiccup bringing him to his feet.
"Toothless!" Jack called out. The dragon attempted to blast some of the dark animals away, but just like Jack, his attack went surging straight through them as if nothing touched them. Upon hearing Jack's voice, Toothless turned around.
"What's happening? Why couldn't you hurt them?" Hiccup asked.
"I don't know..." Jack responded. The dark sand began forming some sort of wave. He shoved Hiccup on top of Toothless...their best bet was to runaway...The turned to face Pitch was standing amongst his Nightmares.
"...Boo..." Were the words that escaped Pitch's mouth. With that, the dark horses and wolves went charging towards Hiccup and Jack.
"Fly!" Jack screamed. Within moments both he and Toothless were up in the air.
Jack and Toothless avoided every attack thrown at them. They couldn't touch the Nightmare's, but the Nightmares could sure touch them.
"Is there anywhere safe for us?" Hiccup asked as the wind beat against him. Jack thought for a moment...The Warren. But that would mean the Nightmare's would follow them in...Destroying the Warren and everything in it in sight… putting Bunny in danger.
"I...I don't know." Jack said. Hiccup saw the look on Jack's face. For the first, Hiccup saw fear in him. Is this also what Pitch wanted? Hiccup was afraid that there was nowhere hey could hide without the Nightmares pursing them.
"I should've listened. I should've let Bunny go for North for help." Jack said himself. Hiccup knew he was doing the best he can. It seemed like he was still getting a hang of the Guardian business…like he was knew at it. After a few moments, they heard nothing…just silence. Jack stopped in mid-air to turn around; the Nightmares had stopped pursuing them.
"They're gone." Jack stated. Toothless and Hiccup both stared in amazement. Toothless all but knew not to let his guard down…especially now that he had Hiccup with him.
"Did he finally give up? Maybe some of the other Guardians got to him?" Hiccup began to say. No, Jack thought, Pitch is planning something else. Maybe they had a chance to make it back to the Warren after all…until…
"Look out!" Jack reached for Toothless pulling him aside. But it wasn't enough. The Nightmares collided with them in mid-air. They didn't hurt them though, instead, it felt as if they were caring them somewhere. Jack, Hiccup, and Toothless let out cries as the Nightmares carried them off through the fading night. Jack and Toothless tried with all their will to fight loose, but hey had no effect on the Nightmares. Hiccup screamed and screamed. He saw the Nightmares carry off Jack and Toothless in the same way.
"Let them go!" He cried out. Nothing. Everything he had dreamed about was coming true...and there was nothing he could do about it. The Nightmares came to a halt and dropped them into a dark barren land. Mist surrounded them on every side.
"Where did they bring us?" Jack asked as he stood to his feet. Toothless stood a few inches ahead of Jack and Hiccup, protecting them. Even though he couldn't see, the smell of the place was familiar to Toothless. The mist began to clear and slowly revealed where the Nightmares has dropped them. Why here? Why this place? Of course. This held the most feared memories in Hiccup's life. The memory of almost losing his clan at this place, of losing his dad, his friends, his dragon, and his life. The place where he had lost his leg...The old dragons nest.
