Author's Note: *Slides into room* Heyyyyyy, everyone! =D Welcome back to another chapter of "Sleepless Nights on Dragon's Edge!" Super random, but did you know this story's acronym is SNODE? Just felt like sharing...Yet another weird acronym for another one of my stories... *Sighs* Hopefully one of my titles has a nicer one, haha. X)

And wow, wow, wow! Six follows, six reviews, and two favs!? *Hiccups' voice* You guys are amazing! =D I know that doesn't seem like a lot to most people, but seriously, I smile like a mentally deranged person even when I get just one. X) It's best to be thankful for the little things, you know? =)

I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story so far! =D And before this author's note become freakishly long, I hope you guys enjoy chapter three! =D

Chapter Three: Night Watch

Shortly after discovering the dragon that had been messing with their heads, Hiccup sent all of the Dragon Riders back to their huts, telling them to get a good night's rest. Or at least try to. With the Dreamcatcher lurking through Dragon's Edge, there was no telling if a night would go by without one of the Riders having a nightmare.

The Dragon Riders walked to their homes; they were all tired. Even though only two had suffered from the effects of Dream Deprivation. And Hiccup knew that it wouldn't be long until all of them experienced it, meaning that the nocturnal dragon had to be moved sooner than later.

Hiccup followed Astrid to her hut like a bodyguard. He stayed close to her side, made sure that she didn't slip or fall, and constantly asked if she was alright. Astrid had reassured him multiple times that she was fine, but Hiccup refused to leave her alone. He was worried for her, and Hiccup wanted to make sure that Astrid returned to her hut safe and sound without encountering the Dreamcatcher again. After what had just happened, Hiccup had a strong inclination to stay near Astrid, just so he was nearby to help her.

Toothless and Stomfly followed their Riders from behind, their ears peeled for any unwanted sounds, and sharp eyes darting around the night. They were being just as protective. as Hiccup was over Astrid. If the Dreamcatcher returned, it would have to face an upset Night Fury and one very agitated Deadly Nadder.

The small group entered Astrid's hut, and Toothless stayed downstairs with Stormfly to make sure that she was alright. Astrid walked upstairs and climbed into bed, still a little irked that Hiccup was following her. She was fine, couldn't he see? But a part of Astrid did appreciate Hiccup's company. Just being in his presence, knowing that he was alive and well, washed away the images from her nightmare that she had.

Hiccup sat down on Astrid's bedside. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Perhaps for the hundredth time that night.

Astrid rolled her eyes lightly. "Hiccup, I'm fine," she replied. "What about you? You were the one who hadn't slept much these few hours."

"Well, I'm more worried about you right now," said Hiccup. Astrid felt her heart soften. Hiccup always put others before himself, something that Astrid admired but disliked at the same time. The shieldmaiden often wished—as odd as it sounded—that Hiccup would think about himself more often.

Hiccup stood up and pulled a chair to Astrid's bedside. "You don't mind if I stay around here, do you?"

Astrid blinked. "No…but why are you staying?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Just until you fall asleep. We don't want the Dreamcatcher coming back."

"I guess not," agreed Astrid as she laid down. She didn't feel at all uncomfortable, and knowing that Hiccup was by her side reassured Astrid that she was safe and alright. It took her a while due to the Dream Deprivation, but after an hour Astrid's sky blue eyes slipped shut. Her breaths evened out and became as smooth as her hair. Hiccup pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead before heading downstairs to collect Toothless.

"Come on, Bud," said Hiccup. Toothless perked up from where he was lying next to Stormfly. "We should head back and get some rest ourselves."

Toothless warbled in agreement and he followed Hiccup out the door. The walk to Hiccup's hut wasn't a long one, but it felt longer than usual since Hiccup was so lost in his thoughts. Out of all the Riders, Hiccup was the most astonished by the discovery of the Dreamcatcher, but a part of him was…excited. A dragon that fed on dreams? How radical was that!

Hiccup shook his head with a grunt. This dragon had practically invaded his and Astrid's minds! Still, Hiccup felt immensely curious, and he wonder if he and the Riders would get the chance to study it.

Hiccup and Toothless arrived at their hut, and immediately, Hiccup headed upstairs and seated himself at his desk. Toothless peeked over his shoulder, crooning questionably. Shouldn't Hiccup be sleeping?

Hiccup pulled out a fresh stick of charcoal, a map of the Edge, and he pulled out the notes on the Dreamcatcher that he had brought with him from the Clubhouse. Hiccup wanted to do a little more research on this dragon before settling in for the night.

Very little was known about the Dreamcatcher, which Hiccup found unfortunate since he and the other Riders would have benefited from such info. So, the young viking added what he knew that wasn't in the notes. The Dreamcatcher fed on dreams or nightmares, caused an uproar of them when it was nearby, and it lived in cold regions. Hiccup added that the dragon could cloak with its surroundings, since it had disappeared so suddenly from his window the first night he had encountered it.

Hiccup scribbled down the dragon facts and set the piece of paper aside, letting out a small sigh. Toothless nuzzled his cheek, and Hiccup scratched him under the chin.

"We're going to have to find and study this guy, Bud," said Hiccup. "But we'll also have to move it off the Edge…The whole eating dreams and making them is kind of creeping me out."

Toothless grumbled in agreement. "You got that right."

"But we still have no idea where the Dreamcatcher is…And the longer it stays, the longer it will mess with our sleep," said Hiccup with a small frown. Toothless pouted as well. The island that Dragon's Edge was located on was relatively large, and finding the Dreamcatcher would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. The feathery dragon only came out at night and blended in with it perfectly well. Hiccup sighed. Searching for this dragon was going to be a challenge.

And how are we supposed to escort it all the way to Freezing to Death? thought Hiccup, his brow furrowing with concern. A trip to Freezing to Death meant that the Riders would have to find winter gear since it was much colder than Glacier Island. It was currently summer, so buying costs wouldn't be a problem.

Realizing that he was thinking ahead of himself, Hiccup geared his mind back to the main situation: finding the Dreamcatcher. A plan was already in Hiccup's head before he started thinking of one. Toothless recognized his rider's idea face, and he warbled, encouraging him to share his idea.

Hiccup patted Toothless' head. "We're gonna catch that dragon, Bud," he said. "But we're going to have to wait until tomorrow night."

Hiccup stood up from his chair and quickly removed his prosthetic before lying down in bed. He yawned, feeling exhausted from the previous night since he had got very little sleep. Toothless tromped over and placed his large head on Hiccup's chest. Hiccup looked down at him with a soft smile.

"You wanna sleep here tonight, buddy?" asked Hiccup. Toothless let out a small huff, and Hiccup could tell that his dragon wasn't there just to sleep with him. Toothless had seemed a little on edge since yesterday night; he wanted to protect Hiccup from the Dreamcatcher.

Hiccup rubbed Toothless' warm, scaly forehead. "Well, I guess this means you're my bodyguard now." Toothless snorted, and he licked Hiccup across the face before settling again. Hiccup rubbed off the dragon drool the best he could and yawned, placing a hand on Toothless' head before drifting off to sleep.

…

The next morning was long and tiring for Hiccup and the rest of the Dragon Riders. All of them were tired from last night, although none of them said so out loud. Astrid was especially sleepy due to her Dream Deprivation, which had thankfully gone, but its damage still remained. Down in the dome, Astrid was throwing axes at targets like she did every morning. None of them hit the bullseye like they usually did. Frustration flashed in Astrid's blue eyes as she yanked her axe that had embedded itself in a crate far beyond the targets she had set up.

Hiccup watched her with a sorry expression on his face. Usually, Astrid took great pleasure in her morning exercises, but seeing her as she struggled with her aim and constantly missing her targets made Hiccup feel bad for her. Astrid didn't like falling behind on training.

Fishlegs stood nearby at a table with Meatlug. The Gronckle was chomping down on a bundle of rocks while her rider flipped through more notes and books to see if he could find anything on the Dreamcatcher. Snotlout was sitting on a barrel, polishing his helmet, and the twins were bashing their heads into each other for no particular reason.

Hiccup stood up from his crate and walked over to Fishlegs. "Did you find anything yet?" he asked.

"Other than the information that you and Astrid gave last night and the ones that are already written down…" Fishlegs sighed. "I got nothing, Hiccup."

Hiccup's shoulders slumped and he sighed as well. "How are we supposed to find a dragon without knowing what it likes and doesn't like…"

"And it's invisible," Tuffnut popped in. "Searching for that dragon is going to be like hunting a camouflaged Changewing." Ruffnut took her brother's distraction as her chance and bashed her head into his, immediately knocking the male Thorston to the ground.

"Not helping, guys," said Hiccup with a deadpan expression. He turned back to Fishlegs. "And there isn't anything in Bork's notes? Nothing at all?"

Fishlegs shook his head, holding up the note page that Hiccup had given him earlier that morning. "Nothing except for this one."

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought…" he muttered. Toothless crooned, nudging Hiccup's hand in an attempt to comfort him. Hiccup gave his dragon a small pat on the head. "Luckily, I have somewhat of a plan."

The other Dragon Riders walked over, ready to listen in. Hiccup began to explain the idea that he had come up with last night.

"Now, we all know that this dragon comes out at night, right?" said Hiccup. The Riders nodded. "So, we're going to have to catch it at night. We'll stay up late and hide somewhere around here, waiting for the Dreamcatcher to come."

"Uh, but won't it not come if it senses that there are no dreams to feed on?" asked Snotlout.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, that's the catch…One of us is going to have to sleep to lure it in."

"NOT IT!" shouted Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout in unison. They stepped away from the small circle of Riders, and Astrid rolled her eyes.

"This dragon feeds on dreams and nightmares, guys," said Astrid. "What's the probability of all of us getting a nightmare from this dragon?"

"Did you forget about the Dream Deprivation?" asked Snotlout with a glare. Astrid sighed.

"It's just one hour of not being able to sleep. Besides, it's not like we'll be sleeping most of the night anyway. Once the Dreamcatcher shows itself and sucks out your dream or nightmare, you'll be awake and the rest of us will be on it," explained Astrid.

Hiccup nodded. "But if none of you guys are willing to do it…I guess I will."

"Thank Odin!" Snotlout said. Astrid punched him in the arm before turning to Hiccup with a look of concern.

"Hiccup, you don't have to do this," said Astrid. "That dragon could be dangerous. What if it hurts you?"

"I've already dealt with it once," said Hiccup. "I'm pretty sure I can deal with it again." But to be frank, Hiccup was rather reluctant on facing the Dreamcatcher again. His nightmare was so vivid, that he had sworn it was real before he woke up in a cold sweat. Hiccup hoped that he wouldn't receive a nightmare this time. Nightmares couldn't be that delectable…could they? Hiccup shuddered, but it went unnoticed by everyone.

Hiccup then went on to explain the rest of the plan to the Dragon Riders. "You guys will hide in the bushes near my hut and wait for the Dreamcatcher to arrive. Once it does, you'll wait until I give the signal before securing it with a net."

"What's the signal?" asked Tuffnut.

"Yeah, we can't see you," added Ruffnut.

"I'll shout," answered Hiccup. "That'll be your cue."

The plan sounded simple, but the Dragon Riders would need to be fast in order to trap the Dreamcatcher. They needed to catch it before anything else happened; the Dragon Riders could only go on without a good night's rest for so long. Even though Hiccup and Astrid had been the only ones struck by the Dreamcatcher, Hiccup didn't want to risk having any one else go through Dream Deprivation or a night without sleep. The Riders couldn't afford being deprived of sleep, not with the Dragon Hunters lurking out there. They needed to be alert and ready…Constant nightmares and several nights without sleep would cause a problem.

Hiccup turned to Fishlegs. "Keep looking for any facts that you can find about the Dreamcatcher so we know what we're dealing with. I'll head back to the Clubhouse and see if I can find anything." The young viking turned to Astrid. "You wanna come with?"

Astrid turned around, rubbing a hand across her brow. "Yeah, I guess. It's not like I'm going to get through training at this rate anyway." The Hofferson picked up her axe where it was leaning against the table and sheathed it to her back.

"You three help Fishlegs sort through the notes," Hiccup told Snotlout and the twins. "We'll be right back."

Hiccup ignored the complaints from his cousin and the twins, and soon, he and Astrid were off to the Clubhouse to find some more information.

…

It's difficult to fall asleep when all of your closest friends are piled in your room. Hiccup was going through just that.

The young viking's forest green eyes darted across the room, glancing at each of the Dragon Riders, who were staring at him intently. Hiccup gripped his covers, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"You guys don't have to stay here…" said Hiccup.

Snotlout snorted. "We aren't putting ourselves in a danger zone until we know the Dreamcatcher will come for you and not us."

"We're going to be hiding, Snotlout," Astrid pointed out in exasperation.

"It's still a danger zone," he snapped.

"Why can't Snotlout be the bait?" Tuffnut asked suddenly. "I mean, come on. Would any of us miss him?"

"I bet his worst nightmare is losing his S," Ruffnut snickered. Silently, Astrid agreed with her. Snotlout was practically attached to the large letter S that hung over his door. Astrid frankly didn't find anything impressive about it.

"It is not!" shouted Snotlout. He crossed his arms and mumbled. "It's my S breaking."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut burst into laughter and Astrid rolled her eyes before turning to Hiccup. The young viking looked not only tired, but a little nervous as well. Astrid walked over to him.

"You good?" she asked.

"Well, I'm being stared at by all of my friends and my dragon. Can't get any more uncomfortable than that," drawled Hiccup.

"Let's give Hiccup some space," Fishlegs said. "Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, we'll go outside."

"But what about Astrid?" asked Tuffnut. "Why does she get to stay?"

"It's not fair!" complained Ruffnut.

"They're probably going to smooch behind our backs or something," grumbled Snotlout. The Riders filled out of the room, and Astrid could still hear the twins bombarding Fishlegs with questions while Snotlout irritably told them to stop. Astrid sighed, wondering how they still managed to be friends despite their idiosyncrasies.

"Are the twins ever quiet?" asked Astrid. "And does Snotlout ever think about anything other than his S?"

"Those questions are left unanswered for a reason, milady," replied Hiccup. He yawned, suddenly finding himself feeling very tired.

Astrid smiled softly, but her eyes flickered with worry. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Mhm," Hiccup hummed, his eyes beginning to flutter. "Besides, it's just one dream. You guys will catch this thing before it does anything else…"

Hiccup's confidence in them boosted Astrid's courage. She chewed her lower lip, still feeling somewhat anxious for Hiccup, but she nodded. "We won't let you down," Astrid promised.

"I know you won't," said Hiccup softly. And with that, he let out a small, sleepy sigh before falling asleep. Astrid leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on the head. Hiccup's lips twitched into a smile as he slept on.

Astrid turned to Toothless. "We'll be right outside," she said. "Watch over him, okay?"

Toothless nodded, and he laid by Hiccup's side, his green eyes following Astrid as she walked out of the room.

…

Astrid found the others waiting outside of Hiccup's hut. She walked up to them, giving Stormfly a small pat on her side. The Deadly Nadder squawked in content.

"Hiccup's asleep," Astrid told the others. "We can head to the bushes now."

The Dragon Riders made their way to the bushes and ducked behind them. The night wasn't cold, but Astrid still found herself feeling chilly as she crouched behind the greenery. The night was quiet, a little too quiet for Astrid's liking. The moon glowed more eerily than comfortingly. Thin, grey clouds drifted across the sky like silk, and Astrid's eyes narrowed as she sharpened her senses to listen, hear, or spot any sign of the Dreamcatcher.

The Riders sat in silence for only a few moments before Tuffnut spoke up.

"So…what do we do now?" he asked.

Astrid resisted the urge to shout at him. She drew in a breath and pulled out the net, laying it next to her for easy access.

"We wait," she replied.

Author's Note: Steakouuuuuuuut. =D I wish I could join in the action...I'd probably regret it once I come face to face with a dream-eating dragon, though...Or perhaps I won't. *Shrugs* I don't know. The world of HTTYD seems like a pretty exciting place to live. X)

So! Hiccup is bait, the Dragon Riders are holding the fishing rod, and the Dreamcatcher is the fish lurking through the water...Will the dragon take the bait? Will the Dragon Riders be able to reel her in without Hiccup getting too hurt...?

...Yeahhh, I'll stop trying to be smart now. XD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to leave a vote on my poll if you haven't already! =D The answer will be revealed at the end of this story! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203