Author's Note: Hello, everyone! =D It's your girl Moonie here, and welcome to "Trapped!" (the first multi-chapter fanfic I've written in...months QwQ).

I started this story all the way back in October and finished it earlier this week. I'm still editing chapters, so updates will still be once a week just so I don't lose my buffer. But once all the chapters are done and edited, I will upload them more consistently.

The premise of this story is pretty typical-but I was also inspired by the HTTYD books (particular book 2 =')) due to a certain dragon species that I won't reveal for the sake of the plot.

I also would like to mention that I did absolutely NO OUTLINING the entire course of this story. I wanted to test myself and see what I could come up with, using the writing techniques and skills I had learned/acquired over the past year or so. Unfortunately, by challenging myself to write an entire story without a plan, I'm not entirely proud of how this story turned out...but I did my best to work with what I got. ='D Still, I had a lot of fun dedicating myself to writing something after so long of not writing anything (and by anything, I mean multi-chapter fics ='3)).

And so, without further ado, I present to you guys "Trapped!" =) I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter. ^u^

Chapter One

A Not-so-Quick Trip

It was supposed to be a quick trip. But things never seemed to go Hiccup's way.

The day had started perfectly normal. Hiccup and the Dragon Riders ran through exercises and completed their daily patrol rounds around the island. With so many threats looming in the air, the young Viking didn't want to give a sliver of opportunity to misfortune. Once they were done, the Riders went to tend to their personal duties—weapon practice, pulling a Loki, or catching up on a good read.

Hiccup, however, didn't take the day off and decided to do one last flight around the island—just for good measure. As he soared over the island, he bumped into Astrid, who had come from Gothi's hut.

Astrid just so happened to be looking for Hiccup—Gothi had sent her to fetch some herbs from Peaceable Country. Gothi had provided Astrid with a map and picture of the herb, but she thought it would be nice to bring Hiccup along, who really needed the simple outing.

The herb Gothi requested was one native to the island. She would have gone herself, but unless Berkians dropped the occupational hazard of getting injured or sick, she wasn't leaving the Isle any time soon.

"It won't take long," Astrid added, noticing Hiccup's hesitance. "What's the worst that could happen in an hour?"

"Oh, I don't know…Berserker attack, Alvin comes back, Berk suddenly being thrown under siege…the possibilities are endless," Hiccup drawled.

Astrid deadpanned. "Look, Dragon Boy. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Astrid didn't extend her concern this often, and Hiccup knew she only wanted to give him a break from recent stress.

So, albeit reluctantly, he agreed to tag along. He just made Astrid promise they would be back in good time.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Gods, Hiccup. We're just getting some herbs! Just relax and enjoy the flight, okay?"

Something he would have done a little more easily if not for the recent events.

…

Hiccup and Astrid collected their materials in a small satchel, and the two set off for Peaceable Country a little after noon.

Hiccup had to admit—it had been a while since he had run an errand that didn't possess any risks. In just fifteen minutes of the flight, he felt himself begin to relax. It was just Toothless, Astrid, Stormfly, and him against the boundless blue skies and rolling oceans below. Peaceable Country was only an hour's flight from Berk, and the tribe that lived there was known for their pacifist nature. Hiccup was confident nothing could go wrong—at least there.

"Land ahoy!" Astrid called out. Hiccup lifted his eyes and spotted the slowly approaching island of the Peaceables. "Gothi said the herbs grow in the forests west of the island. We can land there and then make our way on foot."

"Sounds good," Hiccup concurred. He gave Toothless a small nudge, and the Night Fury followed Stormfly toward the dense forest below.

Once Hiccup and Astrid landed, they treated their dragons to a helping of fish. Shortly after Toothless and Stormfly finished eating, The two vikings told them to stay put as they searched for the herbs. Toothless and Stormfly gave short grunts of acknowledgment, then nestled in the grass to take a short nap while waiting for their riders to return.

Astrid held out the map and pointed at the highlighted area.

"Here's where the herbs are," Astrid said. She unfolded another piece of paper with an intricately drawn image of what looked similar to rosemary, but with wider, thicker leaves. "And this is the herb she needs."

Hiccup hummed thoughtfully. "I can't say I've seen a herb like that before."

"Gothi said she only uses it in dire circumstances," Astrid said.

"Then how come she's already out?"

Astrid folded the papers and placed them back in her rucksack "I guess Berkians have been in a handful of dire circumstances lately."

Hiccup pursed his lips; she needn't elaborate.

Astrid gave Hiccup a gentle bump on the shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go find this herb and get back home before supper."

The Hofferson and Haddock began their escapade into the woods. Peaceable Country didn't have a lot of forest areas, but the spots overtaken by wood were extremely thick and easy to get lost in if you didn't have a guide or friend.

Hiccup remembered when he was younger, he would accompany his father to meetings with the chief of the Peaceables. While they discussed peace treaties and warfare, he and a few village children would partake in hide-and-seek in the woods. The rounds were long and the game usually lasted for hours. Sometimes, the adults had to come and find them if they stayed out too late—but it certainly wasn't an easy task. Peaceable Country's forests were like a huge playground to children, but a labyrinth even for the most vigilant vikings.

However, Hiccup and Astrid had their fair share of navigating seemingly impossible places, so neither was worried about getting lost.

The two used the map whenever they found themselves losing their bearings. In about half an hour, they stumbled upon a clearing with a full patch of the herbs that Gothi needed.

"Haha, jackpot!" Astrid exclaimed. She raced past Hiccup and bent down, fisting herbs and putting them into her bag. "What are you waiting for, Dragon Boy? There are enough herbs here to last Berk a year!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Hiccup said, beginning to pack herbs alongside Astrid. While they filled their bags, Hiccup remarked, "You seem rather perky today."

Astrid's blue eyes glanced in Hiccup's direction then quickly returned to the herbs. Her cheeks were rosy. "Really? Maybe it's just the thrill of success."

Hiccup nodded slowly—but he ouldn't shake the feeling that Astrid was making excuses.

The two picked herb after herb, shoving as much as they could into their bags until they were sure they could hold no more. Astrid stood up and wiped her arm across her brow. Hiccup did the same, but a trail of dirt was left behind.

Astrid snickered. "Nice unibrow."

Hiccup flushed. "I could say the same to you Ms. Dirtyknees."

Astrid gave him a playful shove. "Whatever. Let's head back. The dragons are probably awake by now."

Hiccup used his canteen to wash off his face then followed Astrid back the way they came. The entire outing hadn't taken too long, and they had enough herbs to last Gothi a while (if dire circumstances didn't occur too much), and he got to spend the day with Astrid.

And the best thing of all—nothing unfortunate had occurred.

Hiccup beamed. I guess I really was worried over nothing.

Suddenly, Astrid stopped.

Hiccup looked at her, confounded. "Astrid?"

Astrid lifted a finger to her lips. "Do you feel that?"

Hiccup paused. Beneath his foot, he felt a distant rumbling. The young Viking looked down—pebbles were trembling.

In the distance, wild dragons were screeching. The trees shivered and rocked, but there was no wind.

The realization hit Hiccup like a rockslide.

"EARTHQUAKE!" he cried.

As soon as he said it, the tremors grew worse. Hiccup felt Astrid grab hold of him, and she pointed at a cave in the distance.

"Quick, in there!" she shouted. And the two made a run for it.

The world reverberated like a snow globe being shaken by a child. Dragons were screaming bloody murder. Tree branches snapped and cracked off of trees. Hiccup and Astrid narrowly dodging most of them.

"We're almost there!" Astrid yelled.

Navigating through the thick wood in the middle of the earthquake was worse than going through it without a map. Hiccup pushed himself to run faster, trying to avoid getting flattened by the falling branches and debris.

The cave was only a few feet away. Hiccup felt his heart pounding in his chest as they approached.

"AGH!"

Hiccup whirled around in a panic. "Astrid?!"

The young shieldmaiden's boot was trapped in a fallen log. Astrid tugged and pulled but she couldn't break free.

And she was right underneath a horrifically large tree just about ready to timber.

Wasting no time, Hiccup dashed over and began to scrape at the divet that Astrid's foot had stuck in. He had brought no weapons—thinking they'd be back within the hour.

Hiccup gritted his teeth. "Come on, come on, come on…"

"Hiccup, just go, I'll be fine," Astrid urged him.

"Are you insane?!" Hiccup exclaimed. The tree's cracks above them rang through their ears. "There's no way you're getting out of this alone."

"Well, I can't have the chief's heir die in the woods!" Astrid shouted back.

Hiccup stopped scratching, ripped off his prosthesis, and began to hack away at the wood.

The tree still tilted.

Astrid tugged and pulled as Hiccup repeatedly hacked away at the log. With one last and final heave, The wood broke through and Astrid pulled out her foot—without the boot.

"Hurry, let's go!" Hiccup shouted, pulling Astrid along. She yelped as she placed weight on her barefoot.

Astrid cursed. "This just couldn't get any worse—"

And then—the tree fell.

Hiccup's eyes widened, and Astrid held onto him tightly as they both quickly hobbled the remaining distance and threw themselves into the cave for cover.

The tree collapsed above the cave's entrance, bringing down stones and boulders. The mouth of the cave was quickly blocked off.

Once the dust cleared, Hiccup and Astrid sat up.

The cavern rumbled faintly.

They were stuck.

"Well," Hiccup said. "This turned out to be quite a fine outing, huh?"

Author's Note: So...I spontaneously attempted to sprinkle in some good ol' Hiccstrid fluff in some of these chapters. While I think the execution could've been better...I'm not going to hang up over it too much. ='D

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203