The sun glared down at Hiccup. He groaned in annoyance, placing his hand over his eyes in an attempt to ease the heat of the glare. He batted his eyes open and slowly pushed himself to a sitting position.

He stretched out his arms, and after a small sniff, he looked to his side and found Toothless, lying in his back in the grass. His legs bent in and tongue hanging out of the corner of his mouth. Hiccup laughed as the dragon rocked back and forth in an attempt to roll over to his side. His eyes looking left and right.

Toothless stood up, stretched, and did his own little yawn. His toothless mouth opening wide. Hiccup stood up and looked to the sun. It was around nine o'clock. He deeply sighed knowing he'd need to get back to the village sooner or later.

As he was getting ready to mount Toothless, he suddenly heard his name called. "Hiccup!"

It sounded desperate. Urgent. He turned to find Astrid and Stormfly flying toward them with a look on their face that just gives you the feeling something is really wrong. As soon as they hit the ground, Astrid leaped off and rushed Hiccup.

"Hiccup! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! You need to get back to the village! It's important!" she was saying everything so frantically Hiccup couldn't understand.

He grabbed Astrid's arms and held her still. "Whoa! Astrid, relax! You're talking too fast. What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Gobber! He was attacked last night!" she said.

Hiccup's heart dropped. "What?!"

"By the same person who stole from the Book of Dragons! And they took another piece of it too!"

"We need to get back to the village!" Hiccup said as he hopped on Toothless.

They flew back and landed outside the blacksmith's shop where a crowd of villagers was gathered. Hiccup's palms began to sweat. As soon as Toothless landed, Hiccup unceremoniously shoved his way through the crowd until he managed to reach the front.

He barged into the blacksmith shop where his father, Goathi and Gobber stood. Gobber leaning against the anvil that was always used for weapon tweaking. His father stood to the side and out of Goathi's way as she applied an antiseptic to Gobber's wound before wrapping fresh gauze around his wound.

"Gobber!" Hiccup cried.

"Oh, Hiccup. Glad you could join us." He said in his normal tone. As if it was just another normal day. he made a harsh grunt as Goathi tightened the gauze.

"What happened?! Are you okay?!" Hiccup asked.

Stoick placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "Easy son. Everything's fine."

"Looks worse than it is." Gobber added.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked.

"I'll tell you in a minute." Gobber said.

Hiccup had a confused look on his face until his father interjected, "We'll be meeting in the Great Hall to discuss what happened."

Hiccup looked to Gobber. "Are you going to be okay?" he asks.

Gobber simply laughs. "Hiccup, I've seen a Nadder's spine slice through a man's eyeball like a grape. I watched my own arm get devoured by a Monstrous Nightmare. I'll be fine. This is just a scratch." He says.

Hiccup watches as Gobber eases himself off of the anvil. Well, at least he knew not to push himself.

Hiccup felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Let's go, son. We need to gather everyone in the Hall."

Hiccup was hesitant about going, but after a motion from Gobber, he turned and helped his father escort everyone to the Great Hall. Once everyone was present, Astrid took her place next to Hiccup as his father waited for Gobber.

"Alright, today we conduct another meeting. As you all know, the Book of Dragons was once again robbed by the same figure who attacked before. Now, if he is willing, Gobber can explain what happened."

He looked to Gobber and he sat up straight and began to speak.

"I was just closing up shop for the night. Singing a lovely tune, and then, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was like a shadow in the night. On the prowl like a wolf." Gobber exaggerated with his hand as he told the story.

"At first I thought he was just one of the children heading for home, but when I saw his face, it was then I knew his true purpose." He said.

"What did he look like, Gobber?" Stoick asked.

"Uh, well, I couldn't see his real face. He had a mask on." He said with a bashful chuckle.

Everyone in the hall sighed and groaned, but Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.

"Anyway, he darted for the Great Hall. And I had to stop him. I followed him up, just to see what he would do, and I saw him reading the Book. Oh, the look on his face when he saw me. But the scoundrel was quick, I swung my axe, but he leaped across the fire pit. He brought out a blade, and we spared. Blocking, paring and clanging. I swung my axe, but it got caught in the column, and that's when he made the blow to me."

Hiccup listened intensely as Gobber described the story. There was something that was germinating inside him. It was possibly many things at once. And each one, it was disturbing to him.

Humor? Pleasure? Satisfaction?

Guilt?

Hiccup shivered from the feeling. He listened more to of Gobber's story.

"I saw him walk over to the Book and rip out a handful of pages. I didn't want him to take anything else that Hiccup put his heart in to! So I fixed my wound as best I could and chased after the scoundrel. I followed him over to the Cove, where it was there I saw the Puppetmaster."

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as Gobber paused for dramatic effect.

"Who was it?" Fishlegs asked.

Gobber looked around. "Alvin the Treacherous."

The entire place gasped. Except Hiccup. All he could feel was a sense of . . . worry. But why?

Gobber went on. "He handed the pages to him, and as I rushed in there to stop him, the masked marauder had me sabotaged. Marbles scattered everywhere and I slipped on my back. He slammed his foot in my face and I blacked out. The next I remember was you guys finding me in the Cove. And at just the right time too."

"You did a good job on protecting the pages, Gobber. And for that, we applaud you." Stoick says and the Vikings in the hall did give Gobber a round of applause.

"Thank you Stoick. But alas, I have failed. Hiccup,"

Hiccup cocks his head in Gobber's direction. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't save the pages for you." he says.

"I-it's fine Gobber. You tried your best. And I thank you for trying. But this guy seems really bad." Hiccup says.

"No kidding. And no doubt he knows how to wield a knife." Gobber added.

"Did you see his mask?" Astrid asks.

"Yes. It was ghostly white. The eyes crying crimson tears, and outlined in black ink." Gobber said in a rising tone. Making it sound like he was telling a ghost story to children around a campfire.

"Well, we'll keep a sharp eye out now that we know what we're looking for." Stoick says.

Suddenly Hiccup interrupted. "Wait Dad," eyes diverted to Hiccup. "Astrid said that he didn't have a mask on, right?" he looks to Astrid and she nods.

"He only had a hood on. But even with that I could tell he didn't have a mask on." She adds.

"What are you saying Hiccup?" Stoick asks.

"If he robbed the Book one night without a mask, then the next with a mask, it's like he knows what we're expecting him to look like." He says.

"So what you think it's like an inside job?" Snotlout suddenly asks.

"Maybe. I mean, once Astrid gave her description, he wore a mask the next night. It's like he knows." Hiccup explains.

"It could be someone in this very room." Fishlegs adds.

And suddenly, everyone's eyes darted and flicked between one another, their guard rising.

"Now, now." Stoick says in an attempt to ease the rising tension. "Even if this is an inside job, that just means that the culprit can't hid forever. Everyone be on your toes and be sure to report anything suspicious. And Hiccup,"

"Yes Dad?"

"If you would be so kind, Gobber would like you to draw what he saw to help people catch the thief."

"Oh, yeah sure." Hiccup confirms.

"Excellent, you can do it after training." Stoick says.

"Training?!" Snotlout complained in protest.

"Now just because I'm scratched, doesn't mean I still can't teach, Snotlout." Gobber countered. And all the students laughed. "Alright, let's get to the Academy. Those shields aren't going to whack themselves you know."

"Oh, can they? That would be so cool." Tuffnut says, and everyone just rolls their eyes.

Hiccup followed them out of the hall, only to be pulled aside before his foot even made contact with the first step. He looked and founds Astrid. His cheeks suddenly becoming warm.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you." she said.

"Okay."

"I just want to make sure you're okay. I mean you seemed pretty shaken up about what happened to Gobber." She said.

"Well, yeah. I mean he's like my second father. He helped raise me. I was his apprentice I was . . . littler. How could in not. I'm just glad he's okay."

"Of course he is. He's been through worse." She adds.

"That's also another thing to worry about. What if he's not taking this seriously enough?" he asks.

"Hiccup, it's Gobber. You know him better than anyone, well next to your father. But he'll be fine." She says. And before I can counter, she takes my chin in her thumb and pointer finger and kisses my lips.

My whole body tingles and I feel her bangs tickle my cheek. She pulls away and my face feels hot. She gives a small laugh, then wraps her arm around my shoulder. "Come on, let's go train."

"If Gobber pairs me with you again, can you at least try not to wrench my arm out of its socket?" I ask, and when she laughs, I smile.

We arrive at the training arena and find all the dragons back at home. It was combat training today. Perfect. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were first in learning about archery verses spear throwing when it came to taking down your enemies. But since no one trusts the twins with any weapon, Gobber simply puts them back on the shields.

Soon it's time for Hiccup to face against, as his predictions assumed, Astrid. Combat training was never his strongest, as well as every other form of fighting. But for some reason, he felt strangely confident.

He and Astrid took their place. Hiccup brought up his fists and shifted his form to rolling on the balls of his feet. Gobber raises his hook hand, and when he lowers it, Astrid charges. Hiccup waited until the last minute, then dodged an oncoming sucker punch, and slammed his knee into her diaphragm.

But that wasn't enough to stop Astrid. She whirled around and despite her short of breath, she grabbed Hiccup's arm and like before, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him to the ground.

He tried to get up, but the weight of her knee on his back pinned him down. "Now remember, in situations like this it's best . . ."

Gobber's words were lost as Hiccup tried to free himself. Something stirred inside him. Something that was fueled by only fury. Hiccup tried to grip the asphalts with his free hand, but he couldn't dig his nails in it to get a grip.

The pain in his bent arm provided the strength he needed to do the unexpected. Suddenly, the green from Hiccup's eyes drained, leaving behind the cold glare of pale jade. He lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes.

He let out a deafening screech. Cutting off Gobber's explanation on how to handle the situation. Eyes diverted to him. As he screamed again, he leaned his head forward, before slamming it back against Astrid. The crown of Hiccup's head crashing into Astrid's nose.

Hiccup then untwisted his arm, grabbed Astrid's wrist in the process and twisted her arm back in an uncomfortable angle. He then slipped out from under her, spinning her in the process and slamming her into the ground. His foot imprinting on her chest.

"Not this time." He said darkly.

Blood flowed down from Astrid's nose. There was even the possibility that it was broken. Yet, the feeling of victory consumed the remorse he should be feeling. A cruel smile clawed across his lips.

"Hiccup," Gobber said, and Hiccup turned to him. "Where did you learn that?" he asked.

"What? I have my moments." Hiccup replies nonchalantly.

"But I've never seen anything like that." Fishlegs says.

Hiccup turned to Astrid as she stared back at him with shock, amazement, and something else.

Fear?

Hiccup lifted his foot off her and she pushed herself to her feet holding her hand to her nose to stop the bleeding. She didn't say a word.

"Well, I guess that concludes today's training. Well done, Hiccup." He said and Hiccup nodded in reply.

He turns to Astrid as she presses a rag that Fishlegs gave her to her nose. "You okay?" he asks in the same tone she asked him. Almost mocking her.

She decided to play the game. "Never been better. Should stop bleeding in no time."

"You're okay right?" Hiccup asked seriously.

"Yeah. Yeah." She said, but Hiccup caught the tone in her voice.

"You're not, mad are you? Just because I beat you?" he asked.

"I'm not mad, Hiccup. I've just never seen you, act like that before." She said. The look in her eyes made regret pool into Hiccup's stomach.

He decided to ease the tension and just shake it off with an amusing joke. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me." he says.

Then he walks away leaving everyone in the arena. Once he was out of hearing range, Fishlegs walks up to Astrid. "Everything okay?" he asks.

"That, didn't seem like the Hiccup I know." She confesses. "Something felt, off."

"What that he actually beat you?" Snotlout teases, and her answer was chucking a bludgeon to his head.

Astrid wipes her hands together, satisfied, and continues to look out the exit Hiccup left.

"So what do you think is going on?" Fishlegs asks.

"I'm not sure. But I want to find out."

Back at the house, Hiccup had set up a drawing station at the kitchen table for when Gobber comes over for the sketch. Toothless nudges Hiccup's hand as he sits in the chair, knees pulled to his chest, staring at the fire at it chewed away the logs, cracking it even closer to dust.

Soon the door creaked open and Gobber entered with Stoick. Once they see Hiccup and Toothless, Stoick says, "All right, I'll let you two get to it."

Then he heads out through the back door. Hiccup sits at one end of the table while Gobber sits in the opposite. Hiccup brings up a small stack of parchment paper and a small cup of charcoal pencils.

The two stayed like that for a couple hours, Hiccup determined not to miss a single detail. Wanting so badly to sketch the remorseless being that attacked his friend. As Gobber described the mask, it couldn't help but shudder him to the core.

What's even weirder is that strange feeling of familiarity associated with the details.

Once Gobber was finished, Hiccup stared at the paper surprised. He turned it to Gobber and showed him. "How's this?"

Gobber looks it over for a few seconds. Hiccup swallows a sudden lump in his throat, but Gobber finally says. "Perfect."

He called Stoick in and once he looked at the picture, his eyebrows raised and eyes slightly widening at the figure.

Hiccup added a few details to it, but it helped show the mysterious vibe he gave off. The mask was left blank white, and Hiccup deeply outlined the eyes with the charcoal. The red streaks under the eyes reached down to mid-cheek, and the cloak had the hood pulled up over his head so it covered half of the mask. Then the cape slowly extended down and flowed outward covering the rest of the body, and in between the middle and pointer finger, the dagger. Blood trickling down and permeating the figure's fingers.

"Wow." Hiccup said as he stared.

"Well done, Hiccup." Stoick congratulated. "We'll post this outside the Great Hall. Hopefully this'll help catch the thief." He says as he takes the picture.

Calling it a night, Hiccup walks upstairs and pulls off his green tunic and lazily draping it over the back of the chair to his desk. As he searches through his closet, he pushes aside a white and blue tunic and as he was about to shut his door, he notices something glistening in the corner of his closet.

He looked for a moment before reaching a steady hand. He expected to feel a smooth surface, but something rough stopped him. The feeling of fabric. He manages to get a good handful and pulls. The fabric elongates and falls to the wooden floor, spread wide open.

Hiccup's heart started rapidly beating. A pitch black cloak. The sound of something spinning catches his attention back to the closet. The white thing was spinning when he yanked the fabric away. It lands face down.

His shaky hand reaches for it and grabs it from the eye sockets. Turning it over, after a second of glancing at it, he drops it to the floor and stumbles back startled. Knocking into his drawing desk, he sends his papers flying through the air and pencils scattering across the floor.

Hiccup scoots back until his back is pressed against the stone cold surface of Toothless' bed. His eyes widen, his body goes rigid. His draws his knees into his chest, his eyes widen with fear. The buttery glow of the candle illuminates the room, casting the mask's shadow across the room, reaching just the tips of Hiccup's toes.

The picture flashes through his mind. His body shakes.

No he thought to himself. This can't be happening.

He barely had time to process the truth before a strange yet familiar hiss echoed through the skylight of his room. Hiccup looked up, but only saw the light of the full blue moon. He covers his ears, he didn't know why, but he needed to block out the sound. If he didn't listen to it, nothing could happen.

But the hissing grows louder.

"No!" he cried.

It wouldn't stop. It's as if it was determined for Hiccup to hear it.

"Stop it!" he screams.

Hiccup.

He continued to cover his ears. Hiccup.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" he ordered.

"Hiccup?"

That voice. It wasn't a hiss. It was real.

"Hiccup? Are you alright?" Stoick. His father! He'll make it stop.

Hiccup didn't realize, but he removed his hands to listen for the clarity of his father's real voice.

His mind started to spin. His vision blurred. It was happening.

"Dad!" Hiccup cried. "Help!"

"Hiccup!" his father replied.

"Dad!" Hiccup cried, but now the hissing was in his head.

It blocked out Stoick's voice calling. He kept calling, but Hiccup couldn't reply as the hissing muted out his voice. He covered his ears, but he could still hear it.

Hiccup

The world began to fade, there was nothing he could do. The wind blew out the glow of the candle, surrounding Hiccup in the darkness.

Hiccup closed his eyes and gave in.

Stoick bounded the steps, calling Hiccup's name. "Hiccup! Son!"

The way Hiccup's voice sounded, he was in deep trouble. Stoick's vision had just set on the room, and as his foot stepped into the room, he froze.

The sight before his eyes, it pained him from the top of his head, to the bottom of his spine.

There stood Hiccup, the moonlight leaking in from the skylight providing the only illumination. A black cape draped over his shoulders. His desk laying on the floor, papers and pencils scattered.

"Hiccup?" he whispered.

Hiccup turned his head, and the glare he gave Stoick iced his soul. His eyes a cold remanence of what was a beautiful green. Filled with passion.

This wasn't his son.

Stoick watched as Hiccup pulled the hood up over his head.

"Hiccup." He said, more firmly, yet still resistant. Thinking what he was currently seeing was nothing but a bad dream.

Hiccup then lifted his hand and the white iridescent surface of the mask glistened in the moonlight. He slowly placed the mask over his face, making sure that Stoick pieced it together before it fully covered his face.

"No, Hiccup." His father almost, pleaded.

In the blink of an eye, three daggers headed for Stoick's head. He dodged and crashed to the wooden floor. He looked up and saw Hiccup on the windowsill of the skylight. The hood of the cloak covering half his mask, like the picture.

And with one swoop of his cape, Hiccup was gone.