One: Darkness Falls.

"Is it much further?" Snotlout asked for the fifteenth time, his voice grating. Hiccup tightened his hands on Toothless's saddle and counted to ten...then twenty...then thirty...

"No," he finally said in a tight voice. "The Dragon Eye showed the island is over...there!" And indeed, just on the horizon, a lumpy brown silhouette was just appearing in the mist.

"FINALLY!" Snotlout shouted but the twins just groaned.

"Yeah, dude-that's great...but we aren't there yet," Tuffnut sighed.

"And then we have to fly all the way back!" Ruffnut added. "Just when we were working up our Loki Day pranks...we lose the whole of the day to this stupid trip!"

"Hey! The chance to discover and study a new dragon species on an unknown island is hardly a waste of time!" Fishlegs called over. "Oooh! I wonder what species we'll find...and what special features they may have? Will they be friendly? Dangerous? Herd-living? Eel-Eating? Poisonous? Trainable?..."

"...and very, very dull!" Snotlout shouted. "Fishface, you really should get out a bit more..."

"What do you think you're doing now?" Astrid shot back, also very tired of his complaining. Snotlout drifted Hookfang, his Monstrous Nightmare, closer to her.

"Well, babe-maybe once we get there, you and me could lose the dork crew and go and explore...together?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Astrid frowned.

"And my breakfast is in my throat," she muttered. "Hiccup-why do we bring them every time?" He sighed.

"Because I remember being told off for 'trying to sneak away'," he called back. "What was it? Oh yeah-we're a team, Hiccup, and we all are stronger as a team than on our own! Or is that not the case any more?" He caught her scowl. "I am going to get so punched for that," he sighed to Toothless, who gave a laughing warble. "It's okay for you, bud," he murmured. "You haven't loved her forever. I am never going to be good enough for her."

It wasn't long before they were crossing the coast of a small to medium island that was moderately rocky with steep cliffs and an open forest covering most of the island. The riders found a small clearing and landed their dragons gratefully, all eager to get out of the saddle and stretch their legs. The twins went wild, bumping heads and punching each other and Snotlout collapsed to the ground, lacing his hands behind his head and looking like he was preparing for a nap. Hiccup stretched, his neck cracking audibly and winced as his leg twinged: it got stiff after long flights and usually he was good at hiding it. He frowned and looked up: the island was very quiet.

"Let's have a look around," he suggested, feeling the eyes of the others on him. He had suggested the mission and so it was his responsibility. He just wished they could have seen more of the island from the air before they landed. He sighed. The dragons had all curled up tiredly. "And I guess the dragons want a rest." Toothless cast him a weary look and closed his eyes pointedly. "Thanks, useless reptile. If I get eaten, it will be all your fault!" Hiccup grumbled as Astrid strode to his side.

"Teams?" she asked sweetly. He gave a small smile.

"Well..." he began.

"You're with me, babe!" Snotlout announced, grinning. Astrid snapped her head round and glared at Hiccup but he looked helplessly and shrugged.

"Okay-Fish, you're with me. Twins..."

"Yeah, yeah-we're together," Tuffnut sighed. "I get it. No one sees us as individuals, merely facets of the same composite whole."

"And our individuality has become completely subsumed in the gestalt organism termed as 'Twins'," Ruffnut concluded.

There was a long silence as everyone stared open-mouthed at the twins. Snotlout was staring mainly because he hadn't understood a word after 'yeah'! Hiccup cast his troubled green gaze across the group as every eye turned to him to sort out the problem. He bunched his fists and glared at them.

"FINE! You all decide for yourselves. I really don't care!" he shouted and stormed off into the woods, not looking back and absolutely determined not to feel guilty. He accelerated away, ducking under branches and hopping over roots before anyone could call after him or follow him. He just needed to be alone. All he had wanted was to fly off to check out the island-possibly with Astrid because he really really enjoyed spending time with her. But instead, it had turned into a major expedition with Snotlout's incessant complaining, the twins messing around that had caused their food supplies to be launched into the ocean an hour out of the Edge and Fishlegs mithering non-stop about what dragons they might find and if it might be dangerous.

He slowed down. He was their leader-probably because he was the Chief's son which won him a lot of automatic credit but also, he hoped, because he had suggested the original expedition to help Johan, had found the Dragon Eye and had organised the Edge. And since they had become Riders, he had led because he had been the first and best Rider and trainer. But they were all Vikings, which meant a leader had to constantly prove himself to his followers, or risk being replaced. And while the Hooligans tended to be more humane in their leadership succession than some other tribes-meaning he was unlikely to find Astrid burying an axe in his chest to take over leadership of the Riders-the pressure on Hiccup was constant. He stopped, breathing hard. Much of the pressure was exerted by Hiccup himself, incessantly second-guessing his own decisions, doubting his own capabilities and measuring himself against his father, the great Chief Stoick the Vast-and constantly finding himself wanting.

A snap sounded ahead of him and he stiffened, dropping to a crouch. He was already regretting racing off away from the others on a strange island but he wouldn't run now: he would see what was ahead first...and then run if he found something really dangerous. He crept closer, hearing harsh breathing and he hunkered down. He could just see a shape through the bushes ahead-a lumpy, dark shape. He reached for his knife and then consciously drew his hand back. That wasn't his way: he was an explorer first, a man who always sought the peaceful solution and a fighter only as a last resort. Quietly, he inched forward, keeping under cover as he crawled forward-and then he heard the roar.

The jet shape reared above him, scarlet eyes boring into his startled forest green gaze. He scrabbled away, crab-crawling as far back as he could until he found himself pinned against a wide oak trunk. Mist swirled around him, blotting out the sun and filtering amid the branches. The temperature dropped and his teeth began to chatter. He stared up into a pitiless scaly face, long fangs and ferocious claws that slashed across his chest. And trapped in the featureless fog, his hand pressed to the bleeding wound, Hiccup screamed...

oOo

Astrid was haranguing the entire group when the scream sounded and they all froze. They knew that voice: Hiccup. And though they were all annoyed that he had run off after shouting at them, all of them would give their lives to save him. Every eye turned to Astrid and she motioned them to follow her, drawing her axe. The twins spread out to her left, Snotlout and Fishlegs to her right. She cast a glance back and frowned. The dragons were all curled up in sleep-even Toothless who usually leapt to his feet at the sound of Hiccup in any sort of trouble. Maybe they were just exhausted after the long flight? She shook her head. Hiccup was her priority now.

"Has anyone noticed how misty it is?" Fishlegs asked nervously, gesturing to the skeins of fog that were making their way through the trees. "I'm sure it was completely clear when we arrived-and it's far too warm for fog to form."

"Don't say the twins have set something on fire again!" Snotlout scoffed.

"Hey! Why do we get blamed for everything?" Ruffnut protested. "We haven't set anything on fire for almost two days!"

"This doesn't smell like smoke," Astrid said thoughtfully. "It's more like fog..."

"Or Smog..." Fishlegs realised. "As in Breakneck Bog?"

"Oh great!" Snotlout scorned. "Don't tell me Captain Dork has managed to get his leg stolen again!"

"Snotlout!" Astrid snapped. "Why is it always about the leg?"

"Hey, babe-it's always the leg!" Snotlout sneered. Astrid sighed.

"Come one-everyone-be careful!" she ordered and began to move forward.

The fog swirled more densely around them and Astrid lost sight of the others. She gripped her axe more tightly and slowly advanced through the undergrowth, the trees rising eerily through the fog. The blue sky had vanished amid the swirling fog and the forest had become cold and quiet. Astrid trod silently, her feet quiet as she advanced.

"Hiccup?" she called quietly. "Hiccup?"

Another scream sounded and she snapped her head round in the direction of the cry-then started to run...

oOo

Hiccup curled up, shaking. It was dark, quiet and alone. Somehow, the island forest had melted away to leave Hiccup alone in the dark... He looked up, squinting to realise the darkness wasn't total. Ahead, there was a flickering fire. Wincing, he scrambled to his feet...to realise he was back in his old clothes, the green tunic and leggings he had finally outgrown a couple of years ago. He looked down: he had two feet.

He recoiled. This wasn't happening. He pressed his fist to his eyes. This is a dream. You've fainted from...bloodloss...yeah, and fear probably...

"Son! Stop cowering in the dark and get over here!" his father's voice boomed at him and he walked reluctantly towards the light. He could tell from his father's tone that he was in trouble. He sighed: what was new? He was pretty much always in trouble. He arrived by the fire to look up-and up-at his father's face. He seemed to have shrunk...or maybe he was younger? "Stop slouching!" Stoick reprimanded him. He hung his head.

"Yes, Dad. Sorry, Dad," he said despondently.

"Son," Stock said, his voice stern. "You are very disappointing. You are weak despite my efforts in getting you working with Gobber. You are hopeless at weapons. You aren't fit to go into dragon training. No one respects you. You will never be accepted as Chief. So I am going to have to exile you for good."

Hiccup stared up at him in shock. He had always feared his father would lose patience with his son, though Hiccup knew that in reality, he had grown and was respected and liked by the village. He had won dragon training and saved the village by ending the war with the dragons.

"Dad-please...' Hiccup murmured. "I-I..."

"Be quiet!" Stoick roared. "I cannot believe I gave you so many chances and you failed me every single time. I even had Olaf Hofferson offering his daughter in marriage to you-of course, I turned him down because why would Astrid want to be tied to such a disastrous, useless, weak, pathetic failure?"

Hiccup felt his heart jolt in sudden pain. His greatest wish-and his Dad had just dismissed it out of hand. He felt his breath hitch and breathing suddenly became really difficult.

"Dad? I-I wish...I mean I hoped..." he began desperately.

"All I asked was for you to behave like a Viking-and you refused!" Stoick roared at him cutting across his heartbroken protest. "I demanded that you come on Chief training. I wanted you to accompany me on trips to other tribes. I encouraged you to learn from the Elders. But all you chose was to concentrate on those dangerous, subversive reptiles to the exclusion of your Tribe and your duty!" He smiled. "Well, I have taken care of that!" And he lifted a bloody axe, his other hand holding up Toothless's head. "Nothing to distract you now!"

Hiccup felt his entire world shatter, his legs buckling as his father loomed above him, the bloody axe rising for the final time over his discarded son.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup wailed as the axe fell.