Hey! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I'm not even going to offer you an excuse. Instead I'll go ahead and let you read the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD.

Thanks to kaitlynn19 for editing the chapter.

Chapter 4

Catherine Mary

We were almost back to Berk by the time I was mostly back to normal. We rode in silence. Every couple of minutes, someone would glance over at me. They were trying to be discreet about it, but they were failing horribly. It was easy to tell that they were worried I would go off again, and I didn't blame them. I was worried too. However, it wasn't what just happened to me that concerned me. No, I was more worried about why it happened.

Ever since I came to Berk, my tendency has always been towards caution. Fear was a constant emotion for me, and it showed in both my personality and my actions. However, in the two years I lived on the island, I had never had a panic attack quite that bad. Whatever that symbol meant, it wasn't good. Even now, when we were far away from the boat, every time the picture flashed through my mind, it made my heart stop for a moment. The only explanation was that it had some horrible connection to my past. Something that was probably best left forgotten.

Of course it wasn't that simple. It was never that simple. Though my first instinct was to run, now that the perceived danger was far behind me, curiosity was starting to replace the fear. This was the first clue to my past that I found since I woke up on that island two years ago. Based on the way I reacted to the ship, I was certain there were monsters hiding in my past. Monsters I might not be prepared to face. But if there was some good with the bad, a friend waiting in the dark, then it might be worth it.

Besides, whoever or whatever was on that ship was obviously bad. What if they posed a threat to Berk? No matter who I was or where I lived before, Berk is my home now. If that ship was dangerous, my memories might contain the only information available about the enemy.

Just as I made up my mind to return to the island later to check out the ship, we arrived at Berk. I was less than thrilled when we finally landed, although I could tell Adrasteia was relieved to be on land again. I was happy to be home, but I was dreading the questions that everyone would be asking about the events from earlier. I hated conversations like that. They reminded me of how much of a mystery I was, not only to those around me but also to myself.

As expected, once we dismounted, Hiccup left to go talk to his father, and Astrid called me over. We didn't start talking immediately, instead we strolled for a little bit, silently agreeing to head towards the forest.

One thing I found out shortly after arriving on Berk was that for some reason, I was more comfortable in the forest than anywhere else. This preference first surfaced when a nightmare reminded me of my parents' fates. It became glaringly obvious as whenever I felt scared, I would dash towards the forest. Eventually, Hiccup and Astrid started leading me there every time they needed to talk about something that might make me nervous.

Sure enough, once we were surrounded by trees, Astrid approached the subject that we both knew needed to be acknowledged. "What happened back there?"

I shrugged. Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer, I replied with, "I panicked."

She acknowledged my response with a small smile and an eye roll. "Obviously. But why did you panic? Did you remember something?"

I sighed. "I remember realizing the emblem on the sail looked familiar.

After that, I stopped thinking straight. The one thing I know for certain is that whoever is in that ship presents trouble for me." What kind of trouble I wasn't sure, but that didn't matter at the moment.

Astrid frowned. This wasn't the news she was hoping for, but probably what she was expecting. "Do you think you've encountered these people before, even if you don't remember it?"

"I'm certain I have." I didn't even have to think about that response.

"Could they be searching for you for some reason? Perhaps you were a prisoner and you escaped somehow or something similar?"

"Maybe…" I hoped that wasn't true. I prayed to the gods that they couldn't care less about me. If they wanted me, that probably meant they knew what I could do… If they were searching for me, I could never let them find me.

And there we go! That kind of took an unexpected turn. She goes from irrational too reflective in one chapter. Oh well. Sorry again about the long wait. It might be a while before my next update. Things are only going to get busier from here for a while.

Thanks to MMM and Snitchstar for reviewing.

MMM: Her family is dead, remember.

I haven't gotten anymore guesses for the contest, but it's still open, so review and tell me what you think Catherine Mary's powers are!

You guys are awesome!