"Where you dreaming?" Endeavor questioned quickly, pulling Tuff out of his daze.

"Uh, yeah," he answered awkwardly, unsure why it was such a big deal.

Endeavor sat back, allowing Tuffnut to sit up. "I forgot to warn you of that," she told him quietly, "there are monsters here who prey in dreams; if you ever find yourself dreaming, wake yourself immediately." She looked around to the other riders. They were all a few yards away from her and Tuffnut. She sighed and spoke in stress, "I've never had such an in-depth task."

"Task?" Tuff asked curiously.

Endeavor met his eyes with a serious look. "When people first come here, I always try to help them adjust sanely...and I always fail," she explained, "but with you six, I sense a strength that has never come here before." She paused as if debating what to say next. Then, she added in an even softer tone, "I think..I think you can escape......and it scares me."

Tuff frowned, wanting to comfort her in some way. "You don't have to be afraid.." He muttered shyly.

"But I do," Endeavor urged. "If I betray the island's trust, if you and your friends actually escape," she went on, "I don't believe I'll last much longer here."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Tuffnut gave her a sideways glance. "Endeavor, if we escape, you won't have to worry about this place anymore," he encouraged, "'cause you'll come with us, right?"

Endeavor blinked, obviously not expecting such an offer. She hesitated. "I..don't.....I haven't even thought of leaving, not in such a long time," Endeavor spoke gently, looking at the dark sand as she thought. Then, she turned her gaze back to Tuffnut. His eyes were innocent and welcoming. "Would you..want, me to come with you?"

Tuffnut smiled, his eyes lidded slightly. He answered in a voice that made Endeavor blush, "definately."

Just then, the moon flipped over, revealing the sun on it's other side. The sudden brightness woke the other riders almost immediately. Endeavor stood and put her hands on her hips, speaking at a normal volume now, "alright, people, let's get moving."

Once everyone was up and ready to move, however, Endeavor made her way over to Astrid. The blonde woman was doing much better this day, obviously more alert. "Let me see your arm," Endeavor ordered gently.

Astrid held out her arm to Endeavor and watched her examine it. "How long do I have?" She wondered.

"Well, that's difficult to determine in a place where time doesn't exist," Endeavor answered matter-of-factly, "but you're not close to changing yet; your new skin looks just as human as the old."

Astrid smiled and sighed in relief. Then, Endeavor began to speak her plan. "We'll start by retracing some of my older plans," she stated, "thing is, I lied when I said no one ever came close to escaping. I have."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hiccup asked inquisitively.

"I'm telling you now, Hiccup," Endeavor rolled her eyes and moved on, "I came close only a few times, but turned back before I could get out. The closer you get to escaping, the harder it is to think straight. Crossing out of this territory takes a huge toll on the mind."

"But how would you know that?" Astrid wondered curiously, "you said no one's gotten out?"

Endeavor was silent for a minute. "I used to try and lead teams out of this place, missions to get people off the island," she explained, pausing before adding with seriouness then, "the journey always killed them." The faces of the dragon riders quickly turned fearful. "But," Endeavor added quickly, "I believe you're strong enough. You draw energy from each other; your bond makes you a one big powerhouse."

"And you know this island better than any of us," Fishlegs added with a hopeful smile.

Endeavor nodded proudly. However, she soon frowned and warned the group, "don't think this will be easy, though; it will be pressing, time consuming work."

Astrid stood tall and set her gaze firmly on Endeavor. "Then let's get started," she suggested strongly.

Endeavor grinned, then began to lead the six around the edge of the lake. "First lesson of this island," she stated as they walked, "forget about reality. It doesn't exist here. Expect everything to be exactly what you fear it could be, because it probably is. The island gets inside your mind, quite literally, and twists your thoughts into concrete things."

"You keep talking like this island is alive," Hiccup observed as he sped up to walk beside Endeavor, "do you know something we don't?"

"I'm sure that I know plenty of things you don't," Endeavor responded in an uninterested voice, "after all, experience is life's greatest teacher...and I have years of it."

Hiccup shook his head and clarified, "I mean, is there something you're not telling us? About the island?"

Endeavor gave him a look of offense. "Contrary to what you believe, Hiccup," she began cockily, "I am not trying to trick you, or kill you. I may have a deep connection to this land, but I can't control it."