Okay, so, I know that previous chapters have been focused mainly on Astrid, but I bet a few of you are wondering where some of the other characters are, like Stoick, or Snotlout, or Fishlegs, or the twins, or whatever. And so, this chapter will be focusing on Stoick, while the next chapter will be focusing on the other youths of the Academy. :) Enjoy! :D

SOOOOOOOO...I haven't done this yet, but I think I'm going to. :) SHOUT-OUTS! :D YAY! :D

neobendium: Sorry about those heartstrings. Watch out, because it's all downhill from here.

Omegaman17: *looks at where you are on the floor* Hellloooooooo? *pokes you with a stick* And as for what's going on...I CANNOT TELL YOU! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You'll just have to keep reading. Thanks for reviewing! :D

silverwolvesarecool: I'm glad! It's good to know I'm not the only one who likes seeing Hiccup so broken.

Toothless801: Oh yeah. That thing's gonna be REAAAALLLL sorry it ever messed with Hiccup and Avril! As for how much longer this is going to be..I HAVE NO IDEA. There is a lot more I'm going to introduce, and more information about the mysterious beast that we're going to discover, soooo...stay tuned! :D And YES, I think I will make a chapter with Hiccup comforting Astrid. (IF all is well that ends well...) Thanks for the review! It means a ton to me! :D

Stoick was worried.

He had been there when Hiccup had come back with Avril, and at first he had been furious, but then his anger died when he watched how Astrid embraced her sister, and then shortly after, Hiccup. Although he was still mad at his son for leaving when he was supposed to be rounding people up to get in the Great Hall before the storm started, he was still proud of him for saving Astrid's sister.

And then Hiccup collapsed, falling unconscious, and Stoick panicked.

Ever since then, Stoick had been spending as much time as he could have at Hiccup's bedside, worrying over him, listening to the healer's instructions on what to do in case he woke up, but he never did. And so eventually, after days at Hiccup's side, he had to go tend to the village.

He was just walking back to his house that night, when he saw Astrid walk out the door, looking worried and sad. He knew what the girl was going through when it came to Hiccup, but he couldn't imagine what it would have been like for her, with Avril in her terrible condition.

If Astrid saw the Chief, she ignored him. Or, at least she did until Stoick laid a hand on her shoulder. Then, she turned around to face him, her eyes shining with concern and fear.

"Did you see Hiccup?" Stoick asked her, and she nodded, dropping her gaze. "Is he alright?" the Chief asked.

Astrid shook her head. "He woke up for a few minutes, Stoick, but he was so...broken," she said. "I've...I've never seen Hiccup so...so distraught and terrified before."

Stoick was relieved to hear that Hiccup was awake, but it faded when Astrid finished her thought. Hiccup, terrified? That was something the Chief rarely saw in his stubborn son. Normally when he was scared, he would hide it with some sort of sarcastic remark and move on, but it didn't sound like he did that.

"I'm scared, Stoick," said Astrid. "Avril isn't really getting better, and...and neither is Hiccup. I don't...I don't know what I am supposed to do now, with them both...not gone, exactly, but...it's hard to explain."

"I understand, Astrid," said Stoick. Astrid looked up at him. "Thank you for taking care of Hiccup," he said.

"It's really nothing," said Astrid. "I know I don't really say it often, but I care about him. I don't want him to...to…" She didn't need to finish her thought, because Stoick already knew what she was going to say.

"Thank you, still, Astrid," said Stoick. "I appreciate it. You're a great friend to him."

"I try," said Astrid. "I should...probably go see Avril…" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked back to her own house, leaving Stoick to enter his own, tense as he worried about at what he was going to find.

The house was silent, except for a little bit of rummaging coming from upstairs. Stoick could only guess that it was the healer, since she was expected to be there while Hiccup was in his state. Stoick held his breath as he walked up the stairs, skipping steps every so often as to get there sooner.

Hiccup was laying on his bed, looking loads more pale than he usually was. He was tossing his head slightly, whimpering in his sleep while the healer examined the long, deep gash on his stomach.

Stoick sat on a stool parked by the bed, looking first to Hiccup, and then to the healer. Valarie nodded to the Chief in acknowledgement before continuing to work on her patient in earnest.

"How is he doing, as a whole?" said Stoick, worry evident in his voice.

Valarie shook her head. "Bad, Stoick," she said. "He's underweight, dehydrated, and is suffering from these...I don't know what to call them, Stoick, but he wakes up crying, and according to Astrid, he's terrified each time."

"Do you know what is causing all this?" Stoick asked, feeling both scared for his son and heated with rage against whatever foul creature - man or animal - had done this to Hiccup.

"I don't know for certain, Stoick," said Valarie, "but I examined the gash more closely, and...I can determine that it was from a claw. Something scratched him...badly. The wound is nearing infection, Stoick, and there's not much I can do about it."

"What kind of claw are you supposing?" said Stoick. "A wild cat? A wolf? A...a dragon?"

"I...I can't say for sure, Stoick," said Valarie, her voice wavering slightly, "but...but by the looks of it...I'd have to say it was a dragon. But not a Berkian dragon. It's like from something I've never seen before. You see, people get scratched all the time by their dragons on accident, some worse than others, but none of them like this. By the looks of the gash the claws were wide, and thick, and strong. It can't be from any of the dragons we have here on Berk. It's a new species, Stoick, I believe, like nothing I've ever seen before in my whole life."

"What...what are you saying?" said Stoick, his voice rising as his anger grew. "Are you saying that...that there's a beast running loose around this island, that is terrorizing villagers, and wounding my son!?"

"That...seems about right, actually, Stoick," said Valarie, "as much as I want to deny it, it sounds true. There...there is something out there, dangerous, not like the dragons we have known to befriend. By the way of the gash, it doesn't look like it happened on accident. It was intentional. There's...there's something out there, Stoick, and...and it doesn't want to make peace."