Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "Sleepless Nights on Dragon's Edge!" =D I hope you all are having a fine afternoon, evening, morning, or whatever time it is where you live. X) I don't have much to say, so I hope you guys enjoy chapter five! =)

Chapter Five: How to Find a Dreamcatcher

Hiccup was hurting.

The pain had appeared so suddenly, that the young viking didn't have time to react until he felt a sharp, stabbing sensation from the back of his head. It felt like a knife was being driven into his skull, and it was far from comfortable. Hiccup did his best to stifle a cry, but he sounded as if he was trying to contain a sneeze.

"Bless you…?" said Astrid, who was flying alongside the auburn-haired boy and his Night Fury. Astrid had been keeping a close eye on Hiccup since they had left the Edge. He gave subtle signs that he wasn't as fine as he said he was, and Astrid was determined to find out what was bothering him. Perhaps the Dreamcatcher had hurt him more than she had originally thought.

Astrid flew closer to Hiccup's side, concern written across her face. "Are you okay, Hiccup?" she asked. "You've been acting a little odd since the Dreamcatcher showed up."

"I'm fine, Astrid," Hiccup replied reassuringly. "I'm just a little tired." It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. As much as Hiccup wanted relief from his pain, he didn't want to worry Astrid or the other Riders any further. Besides, the pain was somewhat bearable, but it was still uncomfortable. Hiccup predicted that being struck with Dream Deprivation twice wasn't a good thing. His mind still felt foggy, and he had a headache as well. The young viking longed to sleep, but he could. Hiccup sighed, and he did his best to shove the pain aside and focus on searching for the Dreamcatcher.

The midnight dragon had gone east of Dragon's Edge, so Hiccup and the Dragon Riders were flying in that direction. They only had a few hours until morning, and none of them wanted to miss the chance of finding the Dreamcatcher that was causing them sleep trouble.

As much as Hiccup would've loved to keep the Dreamcatcher around and study it, he knew that it would be better if the Riders found it a new place to stay during its time away from home. He didn't like the fact that a dragon was invading his dreams, and not to mention causing them. If the Dreamcatcher stayed any longer, all of the Dragon Riders would lose sleep. Dream Deprivation wasn't fun, and Hiccup didn't want him or the Riders falling behind on work or defending the dragons and the Edge.

Maybe another time we'll get to study a Dreamcatcher, though Hiccup. He sure hoped so; the dragon was rather interesting.

The air seemed more eerie than usual, and a chilling wind blew through the forest that the Riders were hovering over. The wind howled like wolves in the distance, causing the trees to creak and sway ominously below them. Hiccup shivered, wondering how things had gotten even creepier in such a short amount of time.

"Okay, gang," said Hiccup. He turned around to face the other Riders while Toothless continued to fly. "Our best bet on finding the Dreamcatcher is by splitting up. We'll be able to cover more ground and hopefully increase our chances of finding it."

"Where should we look first?" asked Fishlegs.

"The Dreamcatcher likes living in caves," said Hiccup. "So start searching at the nearest cave you can find."

Everyone nodded.

"I think we should go into groups," Astrid spoke up. She turned to Hiccup. "In case anyone finds themselves in trouble."

Hiccup nodded in agreement, and the Dragon Riders divided into three groups. Fishlegs went with Snotlout (much to the Jorgenson's dismay), the twins headed off in one direction while Astrid and Hiccup flew off in another. Since they were the only two who had the most experience with the Dreamcatcher, Hiccup and Astrid decided to stick together.

Of course, their new status as a couple did come into that decision too. Astrid was worried about Hiccup; she could tell that he had been affected by his last encounter with the Dreamcatcher. What he had seen in his nightmare most likely had scared him, and now that he had an hour left with his Dream Deprivation, Astrid knew that Hiccup would need some extra rest and attention. He was always flying into crazy situations no matter how dangerous they were. Hiccup was brave, but he often forgot to take care of himself during one of his daring missions.

Astrid sighed, and she brushed her golden bangs out of her eyes. Her own encounter with the Dreamcatcher had been rather frightening too. She was glad that Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout hadn't been targeted yet (no matter how much the twins said that they wanted to have their dreams sucked up), but who knew how long it would be until then? What if they didn't move the Dreamcatcher before it could cause any more damage?

Astrid shook her head. No. I can't think that way…We will find that dragon and move it to a better spot, thought Astrid. While Dragon's Edge was heavily defended, its location was still known to Viggo, Ryker, and the rest of the Dragon Hunters. If the Edge was attacked, the Dreamcatcher would be exposed. And the last thing that the Dragon Riders wanted was for the Dragon Hunters to get their hands on such a rare, mysterious, and powerful dragon. Even though the Dreamcatcher had invaded her mind, Astrid was still inclined to help it find a new home. One that didn't put too many people at risk.

"Astrid?"

The blonde-haired girl turned around, realizing that Hiccup had been calling her name for the past few minutes. Astrid tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry. I was…lost in thought," said Astrid. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to check in," replied Hiccup. "How are you doing?"

"You should be asking yourself that," said Astrid. Hiccup looked exhausted, and his Dream Deprivation wouldn't go away for about an hour or so.

"I'm a little tired," Hiccup conceded with a small sigh. "But I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" asked Astrid. "Because we can stop to rest."

Hiccup shook his head, gearing his bright green gaze to scan the area around them. "I'll think I'll manage."

Toothless glanced at Astrid, his leaf-green eyes flickering with worry. He was worried about Hiccup too, but the young viking was just too stubborn to admit that he needed rest.

Hiccup and Astrid soon landed on the ground and slipped off their dragons. Toothless and Stormlfy lowered their noses to the damp, forest floor and began to sniff for clues. There weren't any dragon tracks in sight, meaning that the Dreamcatcher must've flown all the way back to its home. But the time it had spent around Dragon's Edge was enough for it to leave a few scents behind.

"Okay. Since the Dreamcatcher came in this direction and it lives in caves," said Hiccup as he looked around briefly. "We should keep an eye out for one." He turned around and faced Astrid. "I know a cave not too far from here. Let's check it out."

Astrid and Hiccup made their way through the trees and eventually came to a clearing. Large rocks and boulders formed the yawning mouth of a cave. Only darkness laid within. Toothless and Stormfly eyed the cave suspiciously, but they didn't sense any danger.

Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons headed inside, and Toothless helpfully used a plasma blast to illuminate the cavern. The cave was small, but wide enough for a dragon like the Dreamcatcher to live in. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside except for more rocks, and a couple of sticks and leaves that had blown inside due to the wind.

"Well, I guess we can check this cave off the list," said Astrid as she, Hiccup, Stormfly, and Toothless walked out. "But I'm sure the Dreamcatcher is hiding around here somewhere. We just have to keep looking."

The four moved on to another cave that was very far from the last. So far, in fact, that Hiccup and Astrid had to fly there. The cave was narrow and thin, and Hiccup didn't think that the Dreamcatcher would have chosen it as a home, but he decided that they should check anyway.

"Light it up, Bud," said Hiccup. Toothless complied and he launched a plasma blast into the darkness. Nothing was inside.

The process repeated multiple times: finding caves, lighting up caves, discovering that there was nothing inside, and hunting for another. Hiccup and Astrid checked each cave thoroughly, knowing that the Dreamcatcher could also blend in with its surroundings, so it could've easily cloaked with the stone of the caves. Still, Hiccup and Astrid found more dead ends than answers, and after minutes and minutes of searching, Hiccup, Astrid, Stormfly, and Toothless had found nothing but several empty caves.

After some time, the small group of four decided to take a break. Astrid and Hiccup sat down on some rocks and watched as Stormfly and Toothless looked around on high alert. Both were very protective of their riders, and both of them didn't want them harmed by the Dreamcatcher.

"Sometimes, Toothless can be too overprotective," remarked Hiccup with a small smile. "Seriously, I sometimes feel like he's my dad instead of my dragon."

Toothless turned around and snorted at Hiccup. The young viking stuck his tongue out at him. Astrid laughed.

"He just cares," said Astrid. "Stormfly does too. Besides, maybe they'll spot something that can lead us to the Dreamcatcher."

Hiccup sighed. "I hope so…I wonder how the others are—"

"HICCUP!" shouted Ruffnut and Tuffnut from above. Both Hiccup and Astrid looked up just in time to see Barf and Belch barreling down from the sky like an out of control comet. The Zippleback was trying to angle themselves for a smooth landing, but ended up crashing into the ground with a loud THUD. Ruffnut and Tuffnut climbed off their Zippleback heads and rushed up to Hiccup and Astrid, who wore disapproving looks on their faces.

"Good job, guys. You just woke up nature," Astrid said with a frown.

"You guys can't be flying around like that!" scolded Hiccup. "The Dreamcatcher could see you, and that would ruin the entire plan!"

Tuffnut snorted. "You think it's out here? You're looking in the wrong place, Hiccy." Hiccup scowled at the nickname, but he held his tongue.

"We found it!" Ruffnut said enthusiastically. "It's in a cave near the base of the mountain."

Astrid was bewildered. "At the mountain? But we all saw it come this way!"

"Maybe it was a diversion," said Tuffnut as he walked back over to Belch. He climbed into the saddle. "Come on. We'll show you the place."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other and shrugged, then they both mounted their dragons and took to the air, following Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They encountered Fishlegs and Snotlout in the air; the two had heard the twins' yelling from afar and wondered what had happened. Hiccup explained that the twins had found the cave that they were looking for, and soon, the Dragon Riders were flying toward the base of the mountain. The flight was a short one, and the Riders landed as quietly as they could outside of the large cave that was embedded into the rock. Stalactites hung from the mouth, giving it the appearance of teeth. Hiccup peeked inside, but it was too dark to see.

Hiccup picked up a stick from nearby and he asked Toothless to light it. The Night Fury did so, and Hiccup held up the glowing torch as he took a few steps into the cave. As he examined the inside, he noticed that there were several sticks and leaves inside. A few tracks were scattered around in the cave, and it looked as if someone had been living inside of it.

Or…some dragon.

Hiccup nodded. "I think the twins are right. The Dreamcatcher has to be in here."

The twins cheered, but they were silenced by the other Riders.

"We still have to be quiet," said Hiccup. "The Dreamcatcher is probably agitated, so we don't want to disturb it even more. I'll go in first, then everyone else follow in single file.

The Dragon Riders obeyed, and they stayed close to Hiccup's torchlight as they filed into the small cave. All of the dragon's—except for Toothless who stayed beside his rider—walked in last to make room for the others. The tunnel wasn't narrow, but with six Dragon Riders and five dragons entering at once, it did feel a bit crowded.

The cavern grew wider as the Riders continued to venture through the cave. The ceiling was high and lifted, and Hiccup saw why the Dreamcatcher had chosen that cave to live in; it was close enough to Dragon's Edge and it had lots of space to move around and hide in. Hiccup deeply hoped that the Dreamcatcher wasn't hiding in plain sight.

"I wonder what it would be like to eat people's dreams," Tuffnut said.

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "You should ask the Dreamcatcher when we meet it," he said sarcastically.

Tuffnut nodded, his dreadlocks bobbing along with his head movements. "I will do just that."

"Shhh," hushed Astrid. Then, silence took over once again.

The tunnel eventually opened up to a large room. A hole opened up at the top of the cave, giving a full view of the moon and stars above. There were two other tunnels, one on the left, and one on the right of the large room, and there was a faded scorch mark in the center of the room, meaning that the Dreamcatcher had been sleeping there. But there was something else in the room…something that made Hiccup's jaw drop.

"Guys…we may have a bit of a setback," he said.

"What's wrong?" asked Fishlegs from the back.

Astrid walked up to Hiccups' side and followed his gaze. Her eyes widened. "Oh, gods."

"What is it? Lemme see!" said Tuffnut impatiently. Ruffnut shoved past him and the twins pushed their way to the front, looking around the cave expecting something explosive or violent. When they saw nothing, they frowned. "Oh, it's nothing," said Tuffnut.

Fishlegs and Snotlout came to the front, both equally surprised by what else was lying in the room. The dragons peeked curiously from behind them.

Lying in the corner of the room was a small bundle of eggs. Eggs that were as black as night and had hints of iridescent blue, purple, and pink woven onto them.

"The Dreamcatcher laid eggs," breathed Hiccup.

"Then how are we gonna get it out of here?!" exclaimed Snotlout. The Riders shushed him.

"I don't know, but now we have two more things to deal with," said Astrid. "Baby Dreamcatchers? That's definitely going to cause a problem."

"We'll…We'll just have to come up with another plan to move the eggs and the Dreamcatcher," said Hiccup. "I'm sure it won't be too—"

Suddenly, there was a low growling that came from behind the Dragon Riders. They turned around slowly, coming face to face with the dragon that they had been searching for. The Dreamcatcher stood tall, sharp teeth bared, tail swishing in jagged motions behind it.

"Oh no…" squeaked Fishlegs.

Hiccup drew in a breath. "I stand corrected…Everybody RUN!"

Author's Note: Dun, dun, DUNNNNNNNNN!

Ack, poor Hiccup and the Riders...Trouble seems to follow them everywhere. X)

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203