Author's Note: *Walks into room* *Folds arms behind back* *Looks up mysteriously* *Grins* Well hello there, my friends. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? =)

Hey, guys! =D Oh my gooooooosh, I feel like I've been gone forever! XD But don't worry, I was still writing during the time I was absent (well, most of the time... XD My family recently got a Nintendo Switch and let's just say that there's been a lot of screaming during Mariokart sessions, heated competition during Nintendo Sports, and some serious and perhaps even concerning binge playing/fangirling over Link in Breath of the Wild. XD); I was not on an unannounced hiatus, haha. XD I'll announce my hiatus breaks, but for the past few weeks, I was plotting and writing this special HTTYD fanfiction! =D

And why is it special you ask? Well, the rating for one! XD This is my first T rated story, which means that this fanfic will be a bit more intense than my previous ones, and I'm frankly having a lot of fun with my broader spectrum of what I can put into this story without having to tone it down too much. =) Don't worry, there isn't any swearing or anything inappropriate...just some intense scenes and violence that place this fanfic in the mild T range. =)

Also, this is my first story with a cover that was actually drawn by me! =D *Flips stylus expertly* Ah, Hiccup looks so dashing. X) It took me three hours to paint, mainly because I'm not used to my digital art software yet (I drew on the wrong layers more than once...*Sobs* =')), but I'm getting there...very slowly. It's a good thing I'm on summer break; I have a lot more time to experiment with it now. XD

I've realized that I haven't put any season time-zones with my past RTTE fanfictions (*slaps self*), but this Race to the Edge fanfic takes place during season two while the Riders are still on Berk. Since this story is going to be a bit of a long one (around thirty chapters!), I've split it into four acts. =D Chapter one marks the beginning of act one, and I'll let ya'll know when an act is about to wrap up. =)

Now that all that's off my plate, I hope you guys enjoy the very first chapter of "Sounds of Silence!" =D (Which the acronym, which I realized a while ago, is SOS...I'm dead. XDD)

~ Beginning of Act I ~

Chapter One: Just Another Day on Berk

The sky was boundless and inviting. Hiccup felt as free as a bird.

Hiccup and Toothless rocketed across the beautiful, open blue sky. The two were moving so fast that they looked like a red and black bullet shooting through the air. They soared across the vast ocean that stretched below them, waves rising and falling, as if the sea was breathing. Alive. Thousands of water droplets sprayed in all directions; they shimmered like gemstones in the sunlight. Hiccup beamed and he leaned into the soft, cool wind, taking bliss in its soft, airy touch.

Hiccup leaned down to his dragon's ear, exhilaration pumping through his veins. "Let's see what you've got today, Bud!" Hiccup said encouragingly to his Night Fury. Said dragon grinned and he roared, flapping his great black wings as he spun in the air. Hiccup laughed with glee as Toothless carried him across the water. The black dragon barrel rolled between a pod of Scauldrons, who barely took notice of the two passing by. Toothless began to climb into the air, spinning faster than a top as he rose toward the clouds. Hiccup laughed with glee as Toothless twirled in the air. Then he burst through the fluffy white clouds up. Oh, how beautiful the view was! Hiccup's eyes shimmered with joy as he looked toward the horizon. An entire world stretched before him, and the young viking wanted to see it all.

Toothless glanced at his rider and sent him a smile before flipping around and freefalling back down to Earth. Hiccup smiled mirthfully and enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past him. Neither of them were afraid of falling at such a rapid pace. The two trusted each other, and their trust took over the feeling of fear that could've plagued them both.

Before Hiccup and Toothless slammed into the water, the Night Fury snapped open his wings, and the wind filled them like sails. Soon, Hiccup and Toothless were sailing steadily toward the Isle of Berk. Their refuge, place, and home.

It had been a few weeks since Hiccup and the Dragon Riders had settled on Dragon's Edge. They had constructed a remarkable base with impeccable defenses and housing for dragons of all kinds. Hiccup and the Riders had already discovered several new dragon species, and Hiccup was greatly enjoying life beyond the archipelago's borders (or the Great Beyond as Tuffnut had termed it). Since the discovery of the Dragon Eye, Hiccup found that he and his friends were once again thrown into a life full of thrilling adventures, exploring uncharted, breathtaking new lands, and coming face to face with foes—both old and new.

As hectic as that life sounded, Hiccup enjoyed it. In fact, he loved it. Of course, near-death experiences weren't fun, but the feeling of going on a new journey…Striking out into the unknown and discovering something new was a feeling that Hiccup never wanted to end. He enjoyed the numerous flights that he and the Riders took together, and the discovery of new dragon species was something that Hiccup knew he'd never grow tired of. Imagine all of the new dragons that they could put into the Book of Dragons! Dragons that not even Bork the Bold himself had documented…Hiccup smiled to himself. Life on the Edge was a whirlwind of adventure. This life was like a sweet, succulent drink. Hiccup drank it up, he took pleasure in it, and he wanted more of it.

But there were some things that Hiccup didn't want more of. Regardless of the fun adventures and amazing new dragon species that Hiccup and the Dragon Riders discovered, there were still many threats that often tipped the pleasure of adventuring around the Edge. Dagur the Deranged had recently broken out of his prison on Outcast Island, and more than once had he attacked and threatened the Dragon Riders with his armada of Berserkers. He even still had Savage in cahoots with him, and even though the Berserker Chief had a vendetta with all of Berk, he was out for Hiccup, and he was thirsty for revenge like a vampire was thirsty for blood. Not too long ago had he attacked Berk and destroyed several buildings, leaving the Berkians wallowing in fear.

After so much adventure, Hiccup and the Dragon Riders decided to head back to Berk to catch up on things and rest. They had been on their home island for two weeks, and things had been rather peaceful, which left Hiccup pleased. Dagur didn't seem like he'd be threatening the Riders of Berkians at the moment, but it didn't hurt to keep a guard up.

Hiccup and Toothless soared over the village of Berk, their shadow passing over several of the huts that sat across the village. Many vikings looked up, smiling at the return of their future chief and his dragon, and Hiccup waved to all of the villagers he passed. The two eventually reached the Dragon Training Academy, where Astrid was leading drills with the A-Team. Just the day before, Hiccup and Astrid had got together and decided to meet up after the Hofferson was done training the Auxiliary Team. So, after going on their usual flight, Hiccup and Toothless had arrived in front of the Dragon Training Academy to meet up with Astrid.

Hiccup slipped off of his dragon and gave him a pat on the head in a silent thank you. Toothless purred and he licked Hiccup's hand, drawing out a groan from the auburn-haired boy.

"Can't you say 'You're welcome' some other way?" asked Hiccup. Toothless huffed, and Hiccup took that as a no.

The young viking sighed, but a smile played on his face. He gestured for Toothless to follow him as he walked toward the entrance to the Academy. The two stopped in front of the door, watching the group perform various drills and exercises inside with Astrid leading them.

As Astrid led the newly appointed A-Team through training, Hiccup couldn't help but admire her leadership skills. The way she confidently gave orders to her recruits, and how she wasn't afraid to tell them where they went wrong. Hiccup soon found himself slipping into a trance, and the only thing his eyes were focused on was Astrid Hofferson as she led the A-Team through a few laps around the Academy. Her blonde braid flowed behind her elegantly like a horse's mane, and her blue eyes shimmered like sapphires. Her boots never wavered, never tripped, and despite how aggressive Astrid could be, her strides were bold but majestic like a doe's. Hiccup smiled dreamily; he still had a crush on her after all these years.

Suddenly, Hiccup felt himself being nudged by someone, and he looked down to see Toothless smirking at him. Hiccup snapped out of his daze and felt his cheeks heat up. He hadn't just been staring at Astrid like some hopeless romantic…Had he?

A guttural rumble echoed through Toothless' throat. Hiccup was appalled. His dragon was laughing at him!

"W-What are you laughing about? I'm just observing!" said Hiccup quickly, trying to cover up the fact that he had practically been drooling over Astrid Hofferson. "We could use some of these techniques back on the Edge."

Toothless rolled his eyes. Mhm…suuuure. Clearly, the Night Fury didn't believe him.

Before Hiccup could become any more embarrassed than he already was, the drills came to a close and Hiccup stepped aside to let the A-Team through. They stampeded through the door like a herd of wild bulls, taking to the skies in an instant. Hiccup blinked in surprise. How long had the Auxiliary Team and Astrid been training for?

Astrid exited the Academy last, Stormfly trailing behind her. The Deadly Nadder squawked happily upon spotting Toothless, and the Night Fury smiled back. The two began to have their own draconic conversation, but Hiccup didn't pay any mind to it. The two were busy talking about fish anyway, something that Hiccup didn't find that interesting.

Astrid walked up to Hiccup, tightening her braid, which had come loose during the drills. She soon reached Hiccup, and she gave him a smile. Hiccup had to restrain himself from blushing. Gods, she was beautiful.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Astrid greeted cheerfully. "How was the flight?"

"Amazing as usual," replied Hiccup happily. Toothless marched up to him and Hiccup scratched him behind the ear. The Night Fury cooed in delight. "Toothless and I managed a few new tricks."

Astrid shook her head, a small smile on her face. "You know, I don't understand how you guys find it fun plummeting out of the sky like daredevils."

"It's exhilarating," Hiccup stated simply. Toothless huffed in agreement. Astrid, on the other hand, sighed. She never understood how Hiccup and Toothless found the most dangerous activities "fun." They were strange, but in a good way. The two had become adrenaline junkies, and Astrid knew (from personal experience) that there was no stopping them.

Hiccup and Astrid began to walk down the long steps that led back into the village, chatting and talking with each other. Their dragons ran off in a game of chase, but they made sure to stay close to their riders. Since the Dragon Riders had returned to Berk, many things had happened. They had only been on Berk for two weeks, but it seemed as if they had been there for much longer. Hiccup had once again taken up his job at the Forge (Gobber seemed rather pleased that he had help again, even though he often insisted that he did just fine on his own). Fishlegs gave a few of the kids tours around the island, and introduced them to several new dragon species that he and the Riders had discovered during their travels. Snotlout had been trying to outdo Hiccup and Toothless when it came to air stunts (they failed more than they succeeded), and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut had gone back to their usual Lokiing. So far, they managed to Loki Silent Sven, Gothi, and even Stoick the Vast himself! Now that was something that Hiccup had to admit was a rather impressive feat.

Astrid had been helping her parents settle into their new home, which had recently been rebuilt. While Astrid was aware that the hut wasn't the same one she grew up in as a child, she was still trying her best to persuade her parents to accept it. When Dagur had last attacked, he had destroyed multiple buildings on Berk…the Hofferson residence being one of them. Astrid had been heartbroken when the news reached her, and she put in a lot of time and effort to make sure that her family would never be hurt by Dagur and his men ever again. That was when the A-Team was born.

Rebuilding huts—as fast as it occurred—was still rather costly. Once it was discovered that the hut couldn't be repaired with what was left, Astrid and her family had to scrape up enough money to replace it entirely. From what Hiccup had heard, the Hofferson family had trouble getting by when it came to making the money, but they were as stubborn as they were determined, and soon, a new hut was shining in the morning sun.

"My family is still having a little bit of trouble getting money," confessed Astrid. "But I've been working around the village to earn enough coins to support my parents and hopefully provide enough food to sustain us through the winter."

Hiccup admired Astrid's organization and how she always took initiative. She stayed calm in even the most troubling of situations, something that not most vikings could do.

"That's great, Astrid," congratulated Hiccup. "And if there's anything that my dad and I can do to help, we'll be up to the task."

Astrid smiled warmly. "You're sweet, Hiccup. Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Hiccup hoped that he wasn't blushing (and it was most likely that he was), but he managed a lopsided grin at Astrid. "No problem, Astrid. I'm happy to help."

After talking to each other for a bit longer, Hiccup realized that it was time to head to the Great Hall. Last night, Stoick had made an announcement to the village that they were to head to the Hall. Apparently, an important meeting was going to take place, and all of Berk was required to attend. Once they had returned home, Hiccup had tried to probe his father for answers on what the meeting was about, but the Chief of Berk kept his mouth fastened like a lock. Hiccup decided to drop the topic and wait until tomorrow.

"I wonder what my dad's going to talk about," Hiccup wondered out loud as he and Astrid made their way to the Great Hall.

"Didn't he tell you about it last night when you got home?" asked Astrid. Since Hiccup was the chief's son, he was normally the first to be informed about something from his dad.

Hiccup shook his head, a look of bemusement on his face. "No, he didn't. I tried to ask, but he told me that I'd have to wait until tomorrow."

Astrid hummed. "Well, I guess we'll find out soon then."

Hiccup and Astrid hurried to the large doors of the Great Hall. The other Dragon Riders were already standing outside with their dragons, watching as hundreds of vikings headed inside.

"Hey, guys," greeted Hiccup. "You just got here?"

"Yup," answered Fishlegs, patting Meatlug's side. The large boy peeked inside. "There sure are a lot of people."

"That's because the whole village is here doofus," said Snotlout with a roll of his eyes. "And we should probably head inside too."

"Yeah, last time we were late to a Great Hall meeting, Stoick made us clean out the barns," Ruffnut said with a shudder.

Astrid scoffed. "That never happened. You guys weren't supposed to be at the meeting. You were banned from the Hall because you Loki'd Stoick in front of everybody!"

Tuffnut sighed dreamily. "Ah, the classic oil on the platform Loki. That day was historic."

Ruffnut nodded in agreement. "We should come up with something even better for this meeting—"

"I don't think my dad will take too kindly to another one of your pranks, guys," said Hiccup. "Besides, I want to know what's going on…My dad seemed pretty keen on keeping the meeting topic privy."

"Then let's head inside before Stoick sends us to clean out the animal barns," Tuffnut said. He and Ruffnut dashed inside, shoving each other as they squished their way through the crowd. Barf and Belch walked in behind them, and Fishlegs and Meatlug headed inside next. Snotlout had to drag Hookfang inside, and Hiccup and Astrid were last. Toothless and Stomfly entered through the Great Hall doors, and the large, ornately carved doors were closed shut behind them.

…

The Great Hall was packed with vikings, and Hiccup knew that all of Berk had definitely come. His father, Stoick, stood on a platform in the center of the large room, and vikings began to stand in front of the chief in rows, either sitting down in chairs or standing up depending on what they preferred.

Hiccup was required to stand next to his father during these meetings; it was a viking custom to have the heir to the throne stand next to his or her father during a great gathering such as this one. Hiccup left his friends and walked up to the large platform with Toothless slinking behind him. The Night Fury was family too despite being a dragon, and Hiccup was glad to have Toothless beside him. He felt more comfortable standing in front of hundreds of people with his dragon by his side.

Not everyone had arrived yet, so everyone waited a few more minutes as more villagers walked inside. The Great Hall doors were opened and closed multiple times, but at last, the doors were closed and stayed closed. Everyone had arrived; it was time for the meeting to start. The Berkians were still talking amongst each other, and once the morning chatter died down, Stoick raised his hands and acknowledged everybody.

"Thank you all for coming!" bellowed the Chief. His voice echoed across the walls, causing everyone to give him their attention. "I know it's a little early for some, but I appreciate your attendance."

Vikings clapped respectfully. Stoick continued.

"Before we get down to business," said Stoick. "I'd first like to congratulate the Dragon Riders on their success with Dragon's Edge and their discovery of multiple new dragons in the Great Beyond. I'm sure that if Bork was still walking on the planet, he'd be very proud."

The Hall erupted into cheers for the Dragon Riders, and Hiccup couldn't help but smile. The Dragon Riders, who were in the front row, looked around, awestruck but delighted by the praise that they were receiving. Hiccup didn't think that his father was this proud of him and the Riders that he'd announce their accomplishment to the entire village! Hiccup turned to his dad, who returned his gaze with a loving smile. Stoick then turned back to the crowd, his mood instantly turning into one of deep seriousness and concern. Hiccup wondered what caused his father's expression to change so quickly.

"Now that we've gone through with the good," said Stoick. "I have some rather grave news from our neighboring tribes."

Everyone quieted, waiting in anticipation and worry. What was afoot?

Stoick looked like he didn't want to believe what he was about to say, but he continued regardless. With a heavy sigh, Stoick spoke. "There have been a series of violent dragon attacks occurring on neighboring islands," the Chief announced gravely. Collected gasps rose from the room. Dragons? Attacking vikings? Why, hadn't peace come between humans and the reptilian creatures?

Hiccup was beyond shocked by this news. "Dragon attacks? You mean like…raids?" he said incredulously.

Stoick nodded solemnly. "Exactly that, son. These dragons come into the villages and burn everything in their path. Some take food while others…Others are just out for blood."

Anxious murmurs rose from the crowd. Several vikings were already bellowing questions. Panic spread like wildfire.

"But why are they attacking?!"

"Did we do something wrong…?!"

"Has the Red Death returned?!"

"Is our island next?!"

"Will our dragons turn on us as well?!"

Stoick raised his hands and tried to calm down the crowd, but it was immensely difficult to do so. Hiccup was still reeling from the sudden news, and he, frankly, was wondering the same questions. Chills ran down Hiccup's spine at the thought of the Red Death returning…But that couldn't be possible…Could it?

Toothless roared loudly, causing everyone in the room to quiet down. Hiccup patted his head. "Good job, Bud."

Stoick nodded in Hiccup and Toothless' direction, and he answered the questions that he had answers to. The Chief was unsure about his responses, and he occasionally turned to Hiccup for reassurance.

"Dad…when did these attacks start happening?" inquired Hiccup.

"Last week," Stoick replied. Hiccup was taken aback. These dragon attacks had been happening since last week, and his father thought not to have told him?!

Before Hiccup could question Stoick any further, Bucket and Mulch—the blubbering duo who often found themselves in trouble—suddenly burst into the Great Hall. They shoved and pushed their way through the crowd like angry yaks, irritating and upsetting the vikings that they pushed over. They arrived at the platform where Hiccup, Toothless, and Stoick were standing. Their words came out in a rush, overlapping and intertwining with each other that no one could comprehend what they were saying.

"Calm down!" Stoick bellowed. Bucket and Mulch stopped talking. "Now, one of you explain what's going on."

"You see, Bucket and I went down to our fishing boat at the docks," explained Mulch. "And Bucket found a piece of paper attached to it!"

"I'm pretty sure that it wasn't there before…Or maybe it was, and I just forgot," said Bucket.

"Of course you didn't put it there you muttonhead!" Mulch said. "Would you have written something as scary as what's on this note?"

Bucket shrugged. "I dunno," he said.

Mulch rolled his eyes, and he handed the piece of paper to Stoick, and he read over it. His expression turned grim, and he ran his free hand through his beard.

Hiccup gulped and he walked toward his father. "Dad…? What does it say…?"

Stoick shook his head, and he silently handed the paper to his son. With trembling hands, Hiccup took the note. Emerald green eyes scanned the page, and Hiccup's expression filled with fear.

Author's Note: Oh my, I wonder what's on the piece of paper? Of course I know, but do you guys know?

...That sounded way better in my head, I'm so sorry. XDDD

Annnnnnd, that's chapter one! =D Wow, it feels so good to post a story after a while. X) I hope you guys enjoyed this first chappie, and I'll see ya in the next one! =D Happy Fourth of July!

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203