I'm surprised by the amount of attention I'm getting from this story. I couldn't be happier, thank you everyone. I may change the rating later to M for themes of Horror, as I have some interesting stuff lined up. I remind you that this story is going to be dark, but it will have some fun times in it. Best stories take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I hope to achieve that in this story. Many of the emails mentioned the ravens, and I can tell some of you may have an inkling abut what may happen, but I assure you, i'm going to surprise you ;) Please enjoy.

Even though many Vikings where running towards the scene Toothless conjured up in his haste to get Hiccup away from that voice Hiccup still felt a nightmarish presence close by.

He could feel the presence linger in the wake of his fear; it coiled in the shadows of his heart and soul, it resided wherever there was shadow. He sensed it from the shadows of the building, the shapes of the Vikings where the sunlight was slightly blocked out on the ground.

He could even feel it coming from the black scales of his dragon. In fact, that was where he sensed it right now.

With amazing but clumsy speed he rocketed off the back of his friend. He jumped away right into the arms of his father.

"No, no keep it away, make it go away!" Hiccup was frantic, he kicked out when Stoick held onto his shoulders, trying to detain the surprisingly strong boy.

Stoick was a brave man and many aid that nothing ever scared the chief who seemed to have the heart of a lion. Although those close to him, Like Gobber and his wife knew that he did in fact have a weakness. That weakness was his own son.

Stoick did not understand what was happening. He had never seen Hiccup this frantic, this scared, even when the dragon attacks still occurred. Never had even the monstrous nightmare that pinned him under his claw spooked the boy to this degree.

"Hiccup, HICCUP," he shouted trying to get the boy to hear his voice. It didn't appear to work as Hiccup wrenched himself away from his father's grip, but not before Stoick hooked his grip around the boy's wrist.

He was pointing towards Toothless, his arm shacking slightly. Toothless looked mortified; his ears were pinned down, his eyes wide and large and his mouth was clenched shut. If a dragon looked like it could cry then Toothlesses' expression looked like he would at any moment.

He didn't understand why Hiccup looked terrified of him and when he glanced around the Vikings were beginning to look slightly suspicious. Toothless was getting very nervous.

"He is there, I can hear it." Hiccup attempted to move again but Stoick held him there, watching the black dragon with morbid fascination.

"What's wrong little Viking? Are you scared of me?" The voice goaded with its silky voice.

Hiccups' eyes widened inexplicably right then. He stayed stock still in pure fright.

"I'm hurt that you fear me so much. It was you who called me here in the first place. All your doubts and fear…so un-viking like." This time Toothless felt a chill ripple over his scales. His eyes narrowed into slits and then he roared. His mighty wings flared and he spun on the spot a few times.

The Vikings that had gathered ran off as soon as the dragon moved so suddenly. The situation was getting plain weird and Stoick was at the end of his tether.

"STOOOOOOOP!"

There was no movement from anyone. The shout was so loud and deep that all eyes, even the frightened boy and his dragon looked upon the face of their chief.

It didn't last long before both Hiccup and Toothless felt the thing sliver amongst them. "I must leave now, but expect to be honoured with my presence again soon, Sweet Viking." And with that they felt the weight of its chilling presence leave. Hiccup couldn't tell if it snuck away or slithered.

Hiccup gave out one last shiver before he sighed, relieved that it was gone. He ran over to a mortified looking black dragon, whose eyes remained wide, his shoulders hunched and his wings tucked close to his body.

Hiccup threw his arms around the Night Furies thick neck, hugging him close. "Hey it's ok now bud, it's gone. You have done nothing wrong, I'm sorry I scared you." He felt the rumble in his dragons' throat as he growled in acknowledgement of his boys' apology.

Hiccup had to turn and face his bewildered father who stood directly behind him, wanting an explanation by the fact his arms were crossed and his legs where about three feet across from each other.

Hiccup retreated from his now much calmer dragon, looked at his father. He tried to speak out but found he couldn't vice any words. His mouth simply hung open for a moment, perplexed about what to say.

What could he say?

Hiccup knew that these happenings were meant to be secret. He knew they were strange, heralding a bad omen.

But then he told his friends anyway, and then they didn't understand. Now his father and the rest of the village knew something was up. If his friends like Astrid and Fishlegs- who were part of the smarter minority in the village- couldn't grasp what was happening to him and that his nightmares were indeed very serious, how on earth was his father going to understand?

"Come with me! Gobber!" Stoick escorted Hiccup inside the house whilst motioning his most trusted friend to follow. Gobber hobbled up on his wooden leg, his mouth still hanging open slightly from the events that previously unfolded.

Toothless also followed. He kept close to Hiccup offering his undying loyalty and protection to him. Stoick gently pushed Hiccup inside and kept the door open for Toothless and Gobber to follow inside. He shut the door quietly behind him.

"Now," Stock walked over to his son and beckoned him towards the table that was situated off centre from the middle of the room where the fire pit was. The embers inside starting to die due to the lack of wood still offering fuel.

Everyone sat at the table with Toothless lying at next to where Hiccup sat. His head was down and his eyes looked troubled. He knew what was coming already.

A silence dissipated throughout the room, no one seemingly knowing what to say, but then, ever cheerful and knowing how to break a storm of emotions, Gobber spoke first.

"I know what happened seem strange in all ways, but is it really surprising that it involved Hiccup once again?"

"I can't help that," Hiccup seemed to break out from the spell he was under, his eyes glowed fierce, ready to battle this out, "everything going on, what just happened," his hands reached up to his red tinted brown locks, grasping some in his frustration, "it's been happening for a while now." His eyes turned downcast once again.

"What has? Please explain Hiccup, don't leave anything out." Stoick kept his voice level, knowing his son wasn't in the right state of mind for anything other than calm. Right now Hiccup was a torrent of negative emotions and Stoick really did not want to breach the storm wall he seemed to have built up.

Hiccup was never one to share his burdens and problems, resorting to bottling them up in an attempt to take care of them himself. This was why he kept his friendship with Toothless secret when they first met and why he wanted to protect Toothless when he learned the secret of the dragon queen.

Stoick put it upon himself ever since then to listen to his son, to actually 'hear' him.

"Please son, I will listen."

Hiccup took a deep breath and raised his eyes once again, looking about the table then at Toothless who had his eyes pinned on Hiccup. He was ready to retaliate if Hiccup was in danger.

"I have been having strange dreams every night." He murmured.

"Nightmares?" Stoick looked to Gobber who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"There was always a person speaking out from the shadows." Hiccup hugged himself, his eyes putting on a scary faraway look which couldn't quite breach the space in front of his face. It was like he was looking into his head. "The voice is menacing, but soft. I never quite heard what it was trying to say, but I know it's something evil."

"Can you see who was speaking in your dream?" Gobber asked, curious.

Hiccup broke from his trance, looking at Gobber. "No, never. The figure always kept to the shadows."

"So what was that all about out there? What did that have to do with your dream?" Stoick was feeling somewhat anxious now. Was his son going mad?

"The voice… I heard it for the first time, near the dragon academy." He suddenly looked scared again, Toothless growled. "It followed us here. I heard its voice coming from Toothless- but I knew it wasn't Toothless talking."

Stoick and Gobber shared worried glances, but Hiccup carried on talking.

"Not only that, the voice came from everywhere, anywhere with shadow."

"Hmm." Stoick thought. This information worried him. Not knowing what troubled his son, and the knowledge that there was something on his island, something unknown and dangerous, it troubled him deeply.

"Oh I'm sure we will find out what it is," Gobber broke the silence once again. He was exceedingly good at that. "Who knows, it could be a new dragon species, we just don't know, and also" he added looking at Hiccup, "it hasn't hurt you yet. Could be some kind of creature who likes to play pranks and cause mischief."

Hiccup looked at Gobber, seeing his sincere face. He cracked a smile, understanding what Gobber was getting at. He was simply trying to calm him, telling him everything was ok and that the thing in the shadows could be something friendly if tamed.

"Yeah, you're right." Hiccup scratched his scalp. "If anything I should be trying to find out whatever it is."

"Sure, now, do you want to show us where you heard this voice first of all?" Gobber was standing up, ready to check it out. Stoick followed him but rounded the table to his son, placing a hand on his shoulders.

"Please son, if something troubles you again, please tell us."

"Sure dad, and thanks. Both of you."

Hiccup knew he could trust them, but deep down he knew. He knew the knowledge that he could breathe fire was inhuman. Hel, he knew even dragons didn't breathe the kind of fire he could breathe.

It was strange, he could control it with his mind when he exhaled. He knew because he practiced, knowing a dangerous gift like that shouldn't be contained, but used so that it didn't endanger anyone through accident.

And deep down he felt that the fact he could breathe fire was linked to the thing that spoke to him from the darkness.

He knew by instinct that something was going to occur, and soon.

Hiccup took his father and Gobber to the crack he first heard the silky voice. Even before they crossed the bridge he approached it with caution, pointing it out to the older men so that he didn't have to go first. Even Toothless seemed reluctant to near it once again.

"Is this it?" Gobber announced cheerfully once they arrived. Hiccup had to supress a giggle, trust Gobber to not heed his nervous body language and arrive at the scene of inexplicable happenings without wondering what could happen.

He walked right up to the crack, peering inside. Hiccup stayed close to Toothless after his father went to join Gobber. He too looked inside.

"I can see all the way through to the back," his father announced, "there is nothing there."

"Yeah, also it is only big enough for a Terrible Terror to enter. The entrance is too narrow for anything else."

"But when I looked before I couldn't see anything but shadow. I couldn't see anything past the entrance." Hiccup bucked up the courage to look himself. With his father, Gobber and Toothless there with him he knew nothing would happen.

That didn't stop him approaching the crack with a wary air of caution.

Gobber was tapping on it with his metal hand prosthetic, going with the logic that if anything was still in there by chance it would be disturbed by the incessant tapping. He put his ear to the cliff face, listening hard for anything. When he heard nothing he retreated.

"Anything Gobber?" Stoick asked. Hiccup hoped he would say no. He didn't want the voice to return.

"Nah, nothing, must have left for its own nest."

"But it followed us to the village." Hiccup shrieked.

"If anything was there someone else would have seen it." Stoick sighed, rubbing his temple. "I will ask around the village, see if anyone noticed something strange."

Hiccup still didn't look convinced but when he saw his father's serious looked he stood down, accepting the proposal.

Stoick bent down onto his knee so that he was level with Hiccups eyes. He noticed how tired the young boy looked. He placed both hands on his shoulders.

"Go home and get some sleep. Don't worry about the shop for today."

Hiccup was about to complain but he felt toothless nudge his back, telling him to go through with it.

"Ok."

Hiccup turned around and went back home. Know that his adrenaline had gone down he did in fact feel extremely drained. The thought of sleep did seem like a good idea even if those nightmares came back. He was just so tired.

He went straight home, his bed the only thing on his mind. Toothless being his ever loyal guardian dragon. Hiccup felt so happy to have him by his side. Whatever happened he knew Toothless would be there for moral support or actual help when things got dicey.

Entering his home he made a beeline for the stairs and ultimately his bed. The house was now slightly cold, the fire practically gone. He didn't care, he simply shifted the covers over himself and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

Toothless never left his side.

Hiccup slept all that day, all through the night and well into the morning. He wasn't visited by any dreams and he was thankful for that down to the bottom of his heart.

He sat up, giving out a great contented yawn. He opened his bleary eyes, the first thing he saw was an excited Toothless who was shaking with anticipation, his pupils squared in happiness.

Hiccup took a moment to collect his thoughts. He blinked the tiredness from his eyes and then opened them up fully. A moment of bleariness but then they actually did their job and focussed.

Hiccup saw the sunlight streaming in from the shutters and lighting up some of Toothless' obsidian scales, making them glint like goldstone in the gentle light.

"Alright there bud," Hiccup felt so much better now than he did. He had to wonder how long he actually slept for because now he felt fully rested and much less tried for patience. The bleariness in his eyes was completely gone and his mind felt fully refreshed. His body also felt rejuvenated, as if he jumped into the cool sea when Berk was visited by a rare hot sunny day.

"Wanna' go flying bud?" Immediately Hiccup was pounced on by an ecstatic dragon who licked his face in boundless joy. Toothless must have been relieved to see Hiccup so healthy and happy now.

"Ohh, man, you know that stuff doesn't wash out!" He had to wipe the globules of slobber off his face before he jumped out of bed; only he forgot that he wasn't wearing his prosthetic. His father must have taken it off after he fell asleep.

"Ow. Thanks a lot dad." He grunted with his face on the floorboards. Toothless made a rumbling sound in his throat, wondering if the boy was ok. Toothless shifted his tail around so that he could pick the boy up. Hiccup took the tail gratefully and hoisted himself up.

"I'm fine, thanks bud." Hiccup rushed to dress, attach his metal leg and leave his room. Once he reached downstairs he noticed his father wasn't there. He also noticed the room was pretty cold too. He looked to the fire pit seeing that the flames inside were glowing a very weak orange.

Hiccup neared it, noticing there was about half a charred log left. He wanted to come home to a warm house when he returned.

He promptly went over to the wood store at the back of the house, rummaging through the wood for the best pieces and scurrying back with them to the middle of the room. Toothless watched from beside the fire pit.

Hiccup placed the wood inside gingerly. Once the wood was inside he brought two fingers to his lips, placing the tips just below his slightly parted lips.

Before anything he made a quick glance to every corner of the house before he gently blew air from his lips. Soon enough that air he breathed out was joined by the glittering golden flames he was growing accustomed to.

The fire was soft and beautiful to behold. It was calm because Hiccup wished them to be calmly expelled from his body. He held his hand out, collecting them in mid-air with two open palms.

The flames were strange. They glowed with heat, he could feel the extreme heat on his face and body, it pulsed like a dragon's heart, but the flames didn't burn his hand when they made contact. They felt soft and velvety; like mouse fur.

Carefully he placed golden flames down onto the wood where they engulfed the wood completely; because Hiccup wished them to. They changed from their striking gold to the usual orange and blue glare of a normal pit fire.

Hiccup smiled and Toothless warbled happily. He knew it was good that Hiccup accepted the strange ability; he was happy when Hiccup was happy.

Hiccup them gestured for Toothless to follow. They left for the workshop, the place Hiccup kept the saddle, harness and flight suit.

It was time to practice the suit for real, high up in the clouds in a realm close to Asgard.

And there we are. Hiccup is now feeling loads better. I want to keep the characters us much in 'character' as possible, but with fanfics that may not happen 100% of the time. If any of you are wondering this story takes place between the first and second film. I want a mix of both movie characters and characters from the tv series, so please tell me who you want featured. Before you say it, I have plans for Valka to be featured in the future. It may be a while though, but please be patient.