Chapter 10:

As much as I hate to admit it, things will be taking turns for the worst for a while.

Hic remained silent as Drago's men led him to one of the large traps they used for trapping unsuspecting dragons. He was silenced by the dark looks that the men were giving him, and refused to speak even once as they dropped him in one of the empty traps. Alone, in the dark, Hic crawled helplessly into the middle of the trap floor, sobbing quietly. He had thought that his father would be able to hear him crying for help, but no one had responded except for his mother, who had attempted to free herself and get to her son before she was restrained by Drago's men. Now Hic was alone, in the worst possible place he could have imagined. At the moment when he needed his father the most, there was no one to help him. He didn't understand why no one had tried to help him. He had not seen Astrid's last-ditch effort to save him, and was afraid that his parents no longer wanted him.

That they no longer loved him.

Curling up into a ball, Hic eventually cried himself to sleep. His dreams were filled with the mean people he had encountered, causing him to wake up every few minutes, only to cry and fall asleep again. He decided to never to go outside the house again.

"Hic?"

The small boy awoke at the sound of his name. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. But he did notice that it was significantly less dark in the trap. Looking up, he noticed that the steel mouth-like doors to the trap had been opened about halfway, and he saw Astrid looking in at him. Hic's eyes widened, and he said in a hushed whisper, "Mommy?"

Astrid hesitated for a second, but then pulled herself up and into the trap, ran forward, and scooped up her son. Hic threw his arms around her, sobbing loudly. Astrid tightened her grip on her son, hugging him. "I thought you left me," Hic whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him. Astrid shook her head. "I'd never leave you, Hic. You're my son." "Then why didn't you try to help?" Hic asked. "I did try," Astrid said, "But I couldn't get to you." Hic's sobbing quieted until he was only shedding a few tears. "How did you get free?" he asked, stuttering. Astrid was silent for a while, trying to think of a way to explain how she and the others had been freed by one of Drago's men, a trapper by the name of Eret. She realized that it would take much more time for her to explain than they had to get out of there. "A friend helped us," she replied. "Where's Daddy?" Hic asked, "Why didn't he come help?" Astrid sighed. "Daddy's not here," she said. Hic's eyes widened with fear and anxiety. "Where is he?" Astrid shook her head. "I don't know, Hic. He could be anywhere." Hic realized that he had been wrong about his parents not loving him anymore. His mother had tried to help, but couldn't, and his father wasn't there to hear his cries for help. But for reasons only he knew, knowing that he had been wrong before didn't make him feel any better.

Clutching Hic tightly, Astrid walked out of the trap, and went to rejoin her friends.

It was time for them to find their dragons.

Mortem waited outside the Alpha's Nest, with Feral and Rex at his side. Even though he knew that Roan and Regina were back on Berk, he wasn't comfortable with leaving them by themselves. He had been waiting outside the nest ever since Stoick had found Hiccup inside. He left the nest when Stoick dragged Hiccup towards the exit. He knew that Hiccup was still unsure of what he wanted to do, and decided that if there was anyone that could get Stoick to actually listen to what Hiccup had to say, it was him.

But Stoick and Hiccup still hadn't left the nest.

But a male Hobblegrunt, who was acting rather strange, did emerge from the cave entrance.

"Are you okay?" Mortem asked as the Hobblegrunt barely avoided a hanging icicle. "Fine," the Hobblegrunt replied. Mortem noticed that the dragon seemed unsure of where his voice had come from. "Really? 'Cause you're acting kinda strange." The Hobblegrunt sighed. "Common misunderstanding," he muttered. "What?" Mortem asked in confusion. The Hobblegrunt turned his head in the direction of Mortem's voice.

"I'm blind."

Mortem's eyes widened, and he bowed his head. "I'm so sorry. I...I didn't realize..." "It's alright," the blind Hobblegrunt replied, "Newcomers can get confused." "What is he talking about?" Rex asked suddenly. Feral looked at the Hobblegrunt, and then turned to look at Rex. "Gruff is blind," she said, "He can't see."

The Hobblegrunt, Gruff, shrugged. "I don't mind," he said, "Even without my eyesight, I'm quite happy. No Dragon Trappers here!" "But doesn't that make it hard for you to serve the Alpha?" Mortem asked. "It could," Gruff replied, "That is, if I lose my hearing too." Mortem couldn't even imagine how a deaf-blind dragon would be able to communicate with others, let alone navigate themselves. As far as he was concerned, a dragon that was deaf and blind would probably not survive. "So, even if you can't see, the Alpha can still get to you through your hearing?" Rex asked. Gruff gave a slight nod. "He can." "What if the Alpha is not a Bewilderbeast?" Mortem asked. Gruff shook his head. "We've never had an Alpha that wasn't a Bewilderbeast," he said. Mortem shrugged. "Just asking."

Gruff then turned back towards the entrance to the cave. "I hate to leave," he said, spreading his wings so that he could feel where he was going, "But I'm sure that my savior is wondering where I am by now." He then walked down the tunnel, the tips of his wings brushing against the walls. Mortem sighed. "I feel sorry for him." "Everyone in the nest does," Feral replied. "I don't blame him," Mortem said, "I'm sure the others all know how he feels."

Feral suddenly stiffened. She turned to see a whole army of ships approaching the shore of the nest. "The trappers are here!" she shouted, startling both Mortem and Rex. The little Bewilderbeast dragonet hid behind his mother. "What do we do?" he asked. Feral turned to Mortem. "Call for your father!" Mortem nodded, and leaned his head towards the entrance to the nest. He then let out a loud roar, which echoed throughout the entire nest. Feral then headed for the shore, with Rex following. "I'll warn my father and rally the dragons," she said, "Rex, stay in the nest." Rex nodded without hesitating. "What do I do now?" Mortem asked. Feral glanced at him. "Keep them busy," she said, "We need all the time and help we can get." She and Rex then dived into the water, and they both swam into the nest, hoping that there was enough time to stop the incoming threat.

Hic just went through a very traumatic childhood experience, which is where his anxiety about going out into the world will come from. The next chapter will cover the battle, with the outcomes turning out differently than in the movie, which I'm sure you all know already. Please leave me a review, and in the meantime, I'll try to keep in touch as best I can.