Chapter Two

A/N: Wow! Thanks for all those awesome reviews for the first chapter! I really appreciate it. (Also, there is use of a 'flare' in this chapter. They weren't invented until the 1900s but this kind of flare is basically just a small firework (which were invented in the 7th century by China) so just pretend it makes sense XD) Thanks.

Hiccup's room is perfectly dark. The shutters are pulled over his windows, blocking out the light of the moon and the few torches that are scattered throughout the village. He lays on his bed, the covers pulled up to his chest, one hand folded behind his head. His eyes are open as he stares, thoughtfully, at the ceiling.

Whoever that was... He thinks, his gaze flickering over to his dragon.

Toothless is fast asleep, little droning sounds escape his throat. Almost like snoars. His chest rises and falls, evenly.

Toothless didn't seem to like having them around... Of course, Hiccup's first thought is of the Outcasts. Their presence has been more noticable lately. Several times, they've tried to kidnap Hiccup, wanting him to train their dragons for them. A few times, they succeeded in taking him away but every time, he managed to escape before the situation got too dire. What if they're back? A shiver runs down his spine at the thought of Alvin's men sneaking around his home late at night, plotting against him. That's enough to steal the sleep from anyone's body. I wonder if-

CRACK!

Hiccup freezes mid-thought. He slowly sits up, unconsciously tilting his head as tries to listen. What was that? He wonders, his heart thrumming at a sightly quicker pace. Through the darkness, he notices Toothless shift in his sleep. A low drone echoing from his chest. Hiccup shakes his head and relaxes against his pillow. It was probably nothing...Toothless would have sensed it if there were someone there. He finds himself rationalizing. Then, sliding back down below the covers, he forces his eyes to close and wills himself to sleep. Yeah, I'm just being paranoid. There's nothing-

CRACK!

Hiccup snaps awake and bolts upright in his bed. He knows he heard it that time. Clear as day...it sounds almost like fireworks.

Suddenly, Toothless stands up from the stone slab in the corner of the room and walks over to Hiccup, staring at him with a curious look on his face. Why is his Rider awake? What had woken him? And what was that sound he heard just now? The Night Fury coos, softly and leans his head in Hiccup's lap. He can hear the way his friend's heart is hammering. Something has him frightened.

Hiccup pats the dragon's head, thankful to have him so close. Deciding he won't be able to asleep until he figures out what the noise is, Hiccup crawls out of his bed and reaches for window. He struggles with his tired, clumsy fingers as he tries to unlatch the lock on the shutters. But, eventually, they snap open and he pulls them aside, peering out into the night.

At first, he sees nothing. Just the same, clear night he and Toothless were flying in only minutes ago. Everyone is asleep is asleep at this time of night, all windows are dark. Maybe that's why it stands out so much. A stream of light fizzles in the sky, bright red on black. It eventually fades away into nothing, leaving Hiccup staring at the spot where it once existed.

CRACK!

Another light shoots into the sky, exactly where the other had been. It rockets up into cloud-level and fades away, just as the other had.

Hiccup takes a step back, confusion masked on his face. Why would someone be shooting flares like that? Who would want to a signal ship at this hour...? Frowning, Hiccup drops to the floor and digs under his bed for his boots. He doesn't know why anyone would be trying to bring ships into the docks but he's going to find out. He hurriedly tugs on his shoes and vest and heads for the stairs, motioning for Toothless to follow him. It will be faster if they fly-

Toothless's ears are flat against his head, a growl rumbling in his chest. His pupils are narrow as he stares at Hiccup, his teeth bared.

"Toothless...?" Hiccup asks. "What's-"

Toothless lunges forward, cutting him off. The dragon bites down onto his Rider's sleeve and yanks him away from the steps, still snarling angrily. Hiccup stumbles for a few steps, caught of guard, and nearly falls.

"What's gotten into you today?!" He hisses, trying to pull out of his grip. But Toothless won't let go. He glares past Hiccup, down the stairs and at the front door. With one, sharp twist of his head, Hiccup is flung away from the staircase. He slams against the wall and trips, falling onto the floor.

Only then does Toothless release him. The Night Fury positions himself between Hiccup and the exit, growling at the door. His tail whips back and forth like that of a furious panther.

Hiccup stands up again, rubbing his shoulder where it connected with the wall. He stares at his dragon in shock. Toothless is acting so strange. He would never try to hurt Hiccup and Hiccup knows that. So why had his dragon thrown him like that? He takes a small step forward, eyeing the Night Fury suspiciously.

Toothless ignores him, still entirely focused on the presence he feels outside. Undoubtedly, whoever is out there, is here for Hiccup. And it will be over his dead body before they get to his friend. He snarls again, flexing his wings.

"Toothless..." Hiccup's voice is too gentle. He doesn't know the danger that is right outside. He had been so close to walking right into one of them. If he knew, if he had any idea, he'd be glad that Toothless had thrown him the way he did. But still, Toothless's Rider takes another step toward him, his arm outstretched as if to calm the dragon. "It's okay, buddy." He says. "I get it. You don't want me going out there...I don't know why...but I won't." He promises. "So just relax."

And there they are. The magic words: 'I won't go out there'. Toothless turns to him, gazing at his friend with big, sad eyes. He coos, apologetically and leaves the doorway.

Hiccup smiles and kneels down, stroking the dragon's silky-scaled head. "You had me worried for a second there." He admits, absently touching the sore spot on his arm.

Toothless notices and coos again, gently nudging his arm as if to say 'sorry for throwing you'. He nuzzles his head into his Rider's chest and purrs.

Hiccup stands up and looks out the window. That settles it. Something is going on here. But I guess I'll have to wait until morning to figure out what it is. He pats Toothless's head before sitting back down on the edge of his bed. He kicks off his shoes and chuckles, half-heartedly. Over-protective beast. He jokes to himself. He's worse than my dad.

Astrid sighs contently as she and Stormfly glide through the air above the Academy. They don't hurry to land because they're probably the first ones there, as usual. Instead, she takes her time, enjoying the warm sun on her skin in contrast with the brisk, winter air. She grins, excitedly. I wonder what we're training today...? She leans over so that she's looking into her dragon's eyes.

Stormfly squawks happily, sensing her Rider's excitement.

"You ready for training, girl?" She asks, patting the Nadder's head.

Stormfly bobs her head in a quick nod, the way she's seen humans do. This causes Astrid to laugh. The blonde girl motions toward the arena.

"Down." She says and her dragon obeys, doing a small loop in the air before diving toward the ground. Stormfly's wings beat, steadily as they lower to the floor of the arena. Astrid hops off the saddle and smiles at her dragon. "Good job, girl. We're getting better at that landing every time!"

It's only then that she notices they aren't the only ones in the Academy. Hiccup waves, casually as he strolls across the arena toward her, Toothless in tow. The Night Fury seems uptight today. His wide, green eyes darting back and forth, back and forth. He lifts his snout and sniffs the air.

"Hey Hiccup..." Astrid says, eyeing the Night Fury. "What's up with him?"

Hiccup turns around and frowns. "He's worried about something." He tells her.

"About what?" Astrid walks over to Toothless, petting his head. "What happened?"

Hiccup doesn't answer her at first. When she looks up, he's wearing a dark expression on his face. His arms are folded over his chest and he, too, looks a little tense. "We saw something las night." He begins. "Someone running across the village late at night. Then, a few minutes later, we saw a bunch of flares going off by the docks."

"Flares?" She asks, recalling those small fireworks that sailors use to communicate. "But we don't have any ships out right now. All the fishing has been done for this month..."

"I know." He says, his brow furrowed. "I think it was someone who doesn't live on Berk. Someone who snuck here on a boat..."

Astrid shakes her head, slowly. She can clearly see where he's going with this. "Do you think it was Outcasts?" She asks, fearing spiking through her.

Hiccup shrugs. "I don't know. But what I do know, is that Toothless hasn't left my side since last night. He's practically been my shadow ever since we saw that guy running...and last night, when we heard the flares go off, he almost tore my arm off trying to get away from the door..."

"What should we do?" Astrid asks him, dreading the thought of yet another enemy coming to take Hiccup away. Why do they always target Hiccup? He's never done anything to make people hate him! And yet it's always him who ends up getting hurt or kidnapped.

He shakes his head, slowly. "There's nothing we can do. I told my father about what happened and said he'd look into it. Other than that..." He trails off for a moment, grimacing at the sight of Toothless restlessly circling him like a shark. "I don't think he's gonna let me do anything more."

She nods. "Well, frankly, I think we should consider the opinion of the five-hundred pound fire-breathing lizard..."

Hiccup smirks at her attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "Yeah, for now we should just wait it out and see what happens."

"Besides," Astrid chimes in. "We've got training to do."

A/N: Ah-ha! No cliffhangers this time! (You're welcome) XD.