Author's Note: Welcome to the first chapter of "Sleepless Nights on Dragon's Edge," guys! =D I kind of said everything I wanted to say in the prologue author's note, so I hope ya'll enjoy this first chappie, hehe. X)

Chapter One: Losing Sleep

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third couldn't sleep.

Hiccup gripped at his covers as he stared at the ceiling above him; his emerald-green eyes drilling into the wood. After a few moments, he sighed and rolled over, finding that the left side of his bed was just as uncomfortable as the right. Hiccup huffed in frustration; he just couldn't fall asleep.

This wasn't the first time that the young viking found himself unable to fall asleep. Sleep never came to Hiccup as easily as it did for others, and when it did, he always ended up waking in the middle of the night. It was rather difficult for Hiccup to go to sleep, and whether it was just him or a serious case of insomnia, Hiccup often wished that whatever stopped him from sleeping would go away.

Most of the time when Hiccup wasn't able to sleep, he'd read a book until his eyes grew weary. Or, if Toothless was awake, he'd go out on a flight with his dragon until he felt drowsy. Both tactics usually worked, but reading was something that Hiccup didn't feel like doing. And Toothless was asleep, which meant that there would be no late night flying that night.

Toothless' soft snores filled the silence; his black form rising and falling as he breathed on. Hiccup envied how Toothless was able to fall asleep so easily. Sometimes, he'd simply listen to the Night Fury's snores until they lulled him to sleep. But not even that worked, so there Hiccup laid, completely wide awake and untired.

Hiccup grunted as he shifted in bed again, trying to get comfortable but he couldn't; the bed just wasn't for him at the moment. Hiccup sat up, leaning his head against the headboard and closed his eyes with a short sigh. Perhaps he should stay up for the rest of the night. There was lots of work available for him to do, and even though he might be tired the next morning, Hiccup decided that working was probably the only thing that would allow him to pass the time and stay productive during the night.

Hiccup flung off his covers and trapped on his prosthetic, quietly making his way down the stairs so he wouldn't wake up Toothless. He had lit a single candle and brought it outside with him, and the small little flame guided him to the forge. Of course, Hiccup wasn't going to light it—Toothless was asleep. But he had come up with several new ideas for a secret project of his that he was going to get started on once he managed to collect the right materials. Hiccup placed the wax candle on the table and pulled out a blank sheet of paper. With his charcoal stick in hand, he began to scribble across the parchment, doodling designs and writing notes. The sounds of night were peaceful, and a cool wind lightly swept across Hiccup's cheeks, bringing a comforting coolness to his body. Hiccup had rarely stepped outside in the middle of the night in fear of Dragon Hunters lurking around. Now that the young viking thought about it, it had been quite a while since it was just him and the ambience of night. And what was even better was that there were no Hunters to ruin the moment.

The small orange flame began to eat away at the candle wax and soon, it was nothing more than a square stump sitting in melted wax. Hiccup felt his eyes grow heavier and heavier, and when the words on the paper began to blend together, he decided to turn in for the night. Hiccup rolled up his papers and placed them in a crate, yawning as he picked up his candle and walked inside of his hut. Toothless snores still lingered above, and Hiccup smiled, finding it surprising that Toothless hadn't noticed his departure at all.

Hiccup reached the top of the stairs, eyes threatening to close as he fumbled with the rope to his prosthetic. He placed the false leg aside and crawled into bed, but before his eyes slipped closed, Hiccup heard a strange, almost hypnotic-like croon that sounded like a mix between a bird call and something…something unnatural and out of the ordinary. Hiccup's thought's didn't linger on the strange noise for long, for his eyes closed soon afterward.

…

"ASTRID!"

Hiccup ordered Toothless to fire a plasma blast, trying his best to reach the blonde-haired girl who was fighting off Dragon Hunters in a clearing down below. It was supposed to be a simple patrol mission, but there had been Hunters hiding in the bushes like bloodthirsty wolves waiting for their prey. Waiting for the right moment to strike. The minute Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, and Stormlfy landed, Dragon Hunters burst from the forest, dragon root soaked arrows nocked and loaded. They began to fire, and an arrow lodged its way into Stormfly's leg, leaving Astrid with no means of escape.

Hiccup and Toothless were also surrounded; the Hunters circled them like vultures, but the two fought against them bravely. Hiccup and Toothless were both trying their best to reach Astrid and Stormfly, but it was in vain. The Dragon Hunters were towering over her, and Astrid swung her axe one last time before suddenly letting out a scream that shook Hiccup's bones. The Hunters parted; a dragon root arrow jutted in Astrid's abdomen. The wound was spilling with blood, and Hiccup felt his breathing hitch.

"Astrid!" Hiccup cried. He leapt off of Toothless and tried to run to her, but his legs refused to move. They were stuck in place, as if the soles of his shoes had been glued to the ground. Shock shivered through Hiccup as one of the Dragon Hunters raised his sword above Astrid's head, his malicious laugh ringing through the forest like a haunting echo. He brought the sword down forcefully, and fresh tears sprung in Hiccup's eyes.

"NOOOO!"

…

Hiccup cried out as he jolted awake. The moon was still in the sky, but it was lower than it had been when he had first woken up. The young viking looked around his room wildly, Astrid's screams still ringing in his ears. Hiccup's forehead glistened with sweat, and a lump formed in his throat. Hiccup closed his eyes, his thin form trembling as he did his best to calm himself down.

As he did so, Hiccup noticed that his head felt strangely light. His mind felt…hollow. Empty. Like something had been sucked out of it. It wasn't a comfortable feeling; it felt more ominous than realiving. Hiccup looked around fretfully, wondering if someone unwanted was secretly watching him from the shadows.

Something flashed across the window. Hiccup, still on edge, yelped in fear. He stood up and quickly walked over to his open window, peeking outside and spotting nothing. Hiccup's brow furrowed; he was sure that he had seen something that looked vaguely similar to a dragon, but it was one that not even Hiccup recognized. As thrilling as a new dragon sounded, Hiccup didn't have the energy to go searching for it. Besides, it was late, and he needed to get some sleep before tomorrow. Hiccup sighed and walked back to his bed. From the corner, Toothless shifted where he laid, a sleep growl rumbling at the back of his throat.

Hiccup climbed back into bed and pulled on his blankets, slowly laying his head against his pillow. He closed his eyes, expecting to find his nightmare behind them, but instead, he found nothing but an unsettling blackness that sent shivers down Hiccup's spine. A strange ringing filled his ears, and Hiccup snapped his eyes open, breathing heavily. What was that…?

Hiccup rolled over, closing his eyes again, but the same thing happened, leaving Hiccup more bemused than he had ever been. Hiccup sat up and looked out his window, spotting nothing out of place but feeling as if there were. Hiccup knew something was wrong, but he couldn't place what it was. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him…Or perhaps it was something else. Something other. Something that Hiccup and the Dragon Riders would eventually face in the near future.

Hiccup laid down, but he knew that sleep wouldn't come to him. So there he laid, emerald-green eyes drilling into his ceiling once again.

…

Streams of sunlight flooded through the window, pouring over Toothless' scaly body. The Night Fury twitched and he yawned, stretching his limbs like a cat. He opened his acid green eyes and looked around, enthusiastic and ready to start a new day with his rider, Hiccup. A morning flight sounded like the perfect way to start the day. Toothless got to his feet and groomed himself before walking over to Hiccup's bedside, expecting to find him asleep, but was surprised to discover that he was wide awake.

But the look on Hiccup's face made Toothless feel extreme concern. He was staring at the ceiling with an empty look in his eyes. His usual bright, forest green eyes that sparkled like a wonderful summer's day were dull and lifeless. Hiccup didn't move either; he was as still as stone, and fear slowly began to seep into Toothless. He crooned, trying to get Hiccup's attention, but there was no response from him. Toothless nudged the young viking roughly, and suddenly, Hiccup snapped out of whatever daze he was in. He looked at his dragon and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes and it seemed somewhat forced.

"Hey, Bud," greeted Hiccup, but his voice sounded tired. He rubbed Toothless' head, but the Night Fury's eyes never left his rider's face. "Did you sleep well?"

Toothless grunted, and Hiccup took that as a yes. Toothless warbled and he nudged Hiccup, asking the same question in Dragonese.

Hiccup shrugged. "Y-Yeah, I slept okay…I guess." It was a lie, he knew, but Hiccup didn't want Toothless to worry about him. But his fib didn't cover up the fact that he wasn't okay because Toothless was already suspicious of him. Toothless grumbled and he nudged Hiccup again, clearly stating that he didn't believe him.

Hiccup sighed. "You're right…" he admitted. "I'm not okay. I didn't sleep very well either…" The young viking explained everything that had happened the night before. He told Toothless how he couldn't sleep, working in the forge for some time until he grew tired, and eventually headed back inside and fell asleep, only to have a nightmare plague his mind. When he woke up, he saw something dash by his window, couldn't fall back asleep, and it wasn't because of fear.

"I just couldn't seem to sleep," said Hiccup. "When I closed my eyes, my mind just felt…empty and deprived of something important. There was this weird ringing in my ears that grew louder the longer I kept my eyes closed…So I just stayed up all night."

Toothless absorbed everything that Hiccup had said, feeling satisfied that his rider had told him what was really bothering him. Hiccup felt just as relieved to get all of that off of his chest.

"I know what I said doesn't really make sense," said Hiccup. "But something's going on. I can feel it."

Toothless nodded, rumbling in agreement. No matter how crazy Hiccup's experience sounded, he believed him. Toothless could tell that Hiccup was telling the truth. The look of sincerity on his face was enough for the Night Fury to confirm that Hiccup wasn't lying. Besides, Hiccup didn't lie much. And when he did, he was absolutely terrible at it.

Hiccup moved on to get ready to start the day. He dragged himself out of bed and removed his sleeping tunic, replacing it with his usual red one. Hiccup tied on his prosthetic, buckled on his armor, and once he was all set and ready, he and Toothless set out for their daily morning flight. Hiccup felt a little better as he and his dragon weaved and swooped through the air, but he still felt uneasy as they approached Dragon's Edge once again, landing on the deck that sat in front of the Clubhouse.

The Dragon Riders were inside as usual, each of them doing their own separate activities and converting with each other as they did so. Hiccup stepped inside, Toothless following behind him, and he greeted everyone with a smile.

"Hey, guys," said Hiccup. "How's the morning going?"

"Pretty good," said Astrid. She patted Stormfly's side with a proud grin. "Stormfly and I finally managed to do an aerial maneuver that we've been practicing for weeks."

"Meatlug and I planted some new plants in our garden," said Fishlegs. He gave Meatlug an affectionate hug. "She even watered some of them herself!"

Hiccup had no idea how that worked, but he was happy that the two were getting along. Hiccup turned to Snotlout. "How about you Snotlout? Anything to report."

Snotlout shrugged. "Eh. I just polished my S. And thanks to my perfect cleaning skills, it's shining like a gem."

Hookfang whacked Snotlout across the head, causing his helmet to jerk out of place. Snotlout squawked and looked at his Monstrous Nightmare, who was glaring at him sharply.

Snotlout crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Fine! Thanks to Hookfang and I, my S is shining like a gem." Snotlout glared at his dragon. "There! I said it! Are you happy?!"

Hookfang grumbled in satisfaction. Snotlout muttered "Sensative dragon," earning another whack from Hookfang.

Hiccup shook his head and he turned to the twins, who were smiling mischievously. Hiccup crossed his arms. "And I'm guessing you two Loki'd someone? Or blew something up?"

Tuffnut gasped. "How did he know we blew up Snotlout's belt collection?"

"I told you he's a mind reader!" Ruffnut said.

"Whoa, whoa, back up…You two blew up my belt collection?!" exclaimed Snotlout. He pounded his fist into his palm. "Oh, you two are gonna pay—"

"Hey," Astrid spoke up firmly, earning the attention of everyone in the room. When she used such a tone, everyone knew to listen. "No one's going to be beating anyone up. We have a meeting to get started on."

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. Thor, was he thankful to have someone like Astrid by his side.

Astrid turned to Hiccup, and as Hiccup expected, she immediately noticed that something was wrong. Hiccup did his best to keep a normal composure as Astrid walked up to him.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" she asked in slight concern. "You look a little tired."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Nothing to worry about."

While Astrid wasn't all satisfied by that response, she didn't show it. Instead, she slipped her hand through Hiccup, causing sparks to fly from Hiccup's hand. Regardless, Hiccup took comfort in the show of affection Astrid was giving him, and he smiled. Astrid grinned back.

Snotlout fake gagged. "Hiccstrid, get a room," he said in disgust. Astrid rolled her eyes and she led Hiccup to a seat next to hers. Hiccup sat down as well as Astrid, their dragon's standing behind them. The other riders and their dragons gathered around the table too, ready to discuss their next plan against the Dragon Hunters.

Even though Hiccup had successfully fallen out of his obsessive "tyrannical" behavior, he was still adamant on stopping Viggo, which was something that all of the Dragon Riders strongly agreed on. There had been no sign of Viggo, Ryker, or the Hunters for weeks, and their absence wasn't relieving. Snotlout and the twins were glad that the Dragon Hunters hadn't bothered them for so long, but Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs were suspicious, knowing that it was unlike the Hunters to go on for so long without an attack.

"We all know that it's unlike the Hunters to be inactive for so long," started Astrid. She faced everyone. "They're definitely up to something."

"Astrid's right," Fishlegs concurred. "It's like they just…disappeared into thin air or something."

"Why are we still worried about the Dragon Hunters when we haven't seen them for weeks?" Snotlout said irritably. "I say we just kick back and relax. When the Hunters do show up, we can do something about it."

Hiccup sighed, wishing that his cousin would see the point. "But we need to be prepared, Snotlout. The Dragon Hunters could be planning something terrible, and if they show up and we don't have a plan, we're sitting ducks."

Astrid nodded. "I say we strengthen the security around the Edge and make patrol missions more frequent," she said. "Instead of three times a week, in the morning and in the night like we usually do, we should move it to everyday."

"Awww, Astrid!" complained Ruffnut. "We can't change the patrol schedule to everyday!"

"It clashes with our boar pit schedule!" whined Tuffnut.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "We have more important things to worry about than playing in a boar pit."

As the meeting dragged on, Hiccup found it difficult to focus, and he wondered if any of the other Dragon Riders had experienced what he had last night. They had all been sleeping, but what were the odds that they all had a dream or a nightmare that night? Hiccup sighed quietly, and Astrid withdrew her eyes from the conversation to check on Hiccup. She knew that something was wrong with him, but she didn't know what, and she wished he would tell her.

Astrid squeezed Hiccup's shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

Hiccup looked up at Astrid, his eyes tired. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Astrid didn't believe him. Clearly, something was wrong, but she didn't press Hiccup any further. She decided that she would wait until he decided to tell her himself that something was wrong.

The meeting soon came to an end and the Dragon Riders set out to start their days. Hiccup and Toothless flew away from the Clubhouse and to the forge. They were the first and fastest to leave.

…

Hiccup spent most of the day in the forge, working on whatever his hands felt like working on. Toothless kept him company and occasionally relit the forge when it went out. He watched his rider as he worked, a concerned look on his face. Hiccup didn't feel like going to sleep after what had happened last night, so he kept himself busy by immersing himself in his work, only stopping for lunch or to take Toothless on a flight.

When the day came to a close, Hiccup joined the other Dragon Riders for supper, but he was uncharacteristically quiet as the riders talked about the new dragon species that they recently discovered and the excitement of adding them to the Book of Dragons. Usually, Hiccup would show his enthusiasm and chatter along with the Dragon Riders; he was the most rapt out of all the Riders when it came to finding new dragons and documenting them. But now Hiccup sat in his seat, picking at his food and keeping his lips shut throughout the entire conversation.

Once dinner ended, Hiccup and Toothless walked back to their hut. Hiccup was lost in his thoughts as he and his dragon walked home, but he still gave Toothless an affectionate pat on the head when the Night Fury nudged his hand in an attempt to get his attention.

Hiccup arrived at his door and he pushed it open. He was just about to step inside when a sudden tap on his shoulder nearly made him fall over. Hiccup turned around, finding Astrid standing behind him, a worried look on her face. Stormfly cocked her head inquisitively at her side.

"Hiccup, are you sure you're okay?" asked Astrid, concern laced in her voice. "You didn't say much at dinner."

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm fine, Astrid, really." He leaned in and pecked her cheek. "I'm just tired."

Astrid nodded, but she still looked concerned. "Okay, then. Stormfly and I are going out to patrol the island. I'm here if you want to talk though, okay?"

Hiccup nodded and he watched as Astrid left. He let out a sigh, and walked into his hut. Toothless trailed after him, a low croon echoing through his throat. Hiccup rubbed his head.

"I know, Bud…I'll tell her when I'm ready," said Hiccup. He drew in a breath. "For now…let's just try to get some sleep."

But Hiccup didn't know if sleep would come easy.

Author's Note: Ah, I feel ya, Hiccup. Sometimes, falling asleep is super hard. Especially after a nightmare. =/

...Well, at least I don't have some dragon creeping out my window...giving me those nightmares...As cool as that sounds, it's pretty creepy. XD

So, what did you guys think? I'd love to hear from you all, but of course, you aren't forced to leave a review. =) Still, I love reading them; it makes me really happy to see you guys are enjoying my work (especially since half the time I think what I write sometimes is a bit cringy, ahahaha XD). BeyondTheCringe1203...Yeah, I think I could hold that title very well. X)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to put in a vote for my poll! =)

Until the next chapter and happy Juneeee! =D

~BeyondTheCringe1203

...Just kidding, AHAHAHA. XD

~BeyondTheMoon1203 =)