Gober looked up from the chair. His eyes followed Stoic as he stormed back in forth in front of the fire pit. Gober's eyes quickly darted back to the sheet of tattered parchment that lay disregarded on the table. It was only hours earlier that Stoic had burst into the forge, his face ashen, as he held the crumpled parchment in his fist. It had been nearly two full months since Hiccup had vanished, and judging by the cadaverous hue now strewn upon Stoic's face Gober knew the news was not good.

"Out with it Stoic!" Gober boomed, shifting in his seat.

Stoic froze in his tracks, with his back turned to Gober. Placing his hands on his hips, he in-hailed deeply and tried to compose himself. Behind him lay the letter, that made him feel sick to his stomach. All though the letter held the answer to where his son was, it was little comfort to know the truth. Stoic knew far too well that it was very likely that Hiccup was already dead.

Gober had seen Stoic at his happiest, the day he married Valhallarama. He had also seen Stoic at his darkest when Hiccup had nearly died in the battle against the Green Death. The man that stood before Gober was on the edge. Gober had an inkling that Stoic was on the verge of a break down.

The night Hiccup vanished, was an eery evening. Berk had barely made it through a fierce thunderstorm. Hiccup had hardly slept through the storm, which had been a short one and only lasted a full week. Gober had noticed before the storm hit that Hiccup was acting a little odd. His limp seemed more prominent, but try as he may, Gober saw right through Hiccup's farce.

On that dreaded evening, Hiccup had slipped away from the crowd of vikings that would gather every night in the Great Hall. Gober had looked up to see Hiccup resting his hands on the great doors at the entrance of the hall. Gober swallowed as he saw Hiccup wince as he pulled the door open. Glancing down, Gober noticed Hiccup's left leg seemed to buckle under Hiccup's weight. Gober turned around and returned to the conversation he had taken part of. He would ask Stoic if Hiccup was feeling better in the morning. It was that very next morning, Stoic's pounding on the door Gobers hut had awoken him. The moment Gober opened the door, he could tell by the look on Stoic's face that something was amiss.

"The letter...It's about Hiccup...Isn't it!" Gober stated.

Stoic turned suddenly and stared at Gober. Gober gasped as he saw the solum look upon Stoic's face. Stoic nodded fervently, as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Gober..." Stoic rasped.

"Alvin..has..Hiccup..."

The moment those three words fell from his lips, Stoic turned around quickly. The tears that were now spilling over showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Stoic didn't like how those three words made his heart ache immensely. The two months that Hiccup had been absent, Stoic found out slowly, just how much Hiccup really did mean to him. He noticed that the mornings seemed far less bright, and rather loud with out the creeking rafters awakening him in the morning. Stoic always knew when Toothless arose because the rafters creaked under the creatures weight. He knew that Toothless always woke Hiccup up in the morning by one of two sounds that followed. Stoic always cringed as he awaited for Hiccup to shriek in fear as he was jared awake. Sometimes Toothless would manage to wake Hiccup up in a manor that didn't startle him as bad, and Stoic would smile when he would hear Hiccup's groggy reply.

"Mornin' bud..."

More tears streamed downwards as Stoic realized Toothless had the ability to detect the macabre nightmares that seemed to take Hiccup captive more often then naught. Every so often the creature would leap down the main level and come over to Stoic's bedside. All though Stoic was always jarred awake by Toothless, he knew that Toothless never came to his side unless he couldn't wake Hiccup. It was those tender moments when Stoic would find Hiccup thrashing about in this sleep, and reach down and pick him up. It seemed that the ferocious nightmares were only put to rest once Hiccup was held. It would take minutes for Hiccup to calm down, but eventually his breathing would return to normal, and Stoic would lay him back down and tuck him in tightly. The week before Hiccup was taken, Stoic noted that Toothless had come to get him nearly every night. Then the storm hit, and Hiccup never slept through the night when the thunder was that close. The night Hiccup was taken, Stoic last remembered seeing Hiccup sitting at a small table at the edge of the Great Hall, with his elbows resting on the table. Hiccup just stared at his food. The deep circles under his eyes told Stoic that Hiccup was in dire need of sleep. Between the nightmares and the sleepless nights, Stoic was beginning to see the toll it was taking on Hiccup's small frame.

"Gober...We have to find him!" Stoic rasped.

A sudden hand on his shoulder made Stoic turn around suddenly. Gober stood next to him, and nodded slowly. Stoic always appreciated how Gober took the time to hear him out ,and never criticized him for saying what was really on his mind.

"I don't know what Alvin has up his sleeve, but I've found something that will help us find him Stoic." Gober stated.

Gober pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and unfolded it. As Stoic leaned in, he recognized Hiccup's hand writing. He could tell by the outlines that it was another tail fin for Toothless. Suddenly it dawned on him.

"Gober...I've seen this...already.." Stoic stated.

"Wait!...Yuh...you have?" Gober asked, raising and inquisitive brow.

Stoic turned and bounded up the sitars. He paused at the top step as he stared at the vacant bed. He then glanced over at the round stump where Toothless usually slept. He had left the roof opening open for the dragon to come in and out of the house, but Toothless seemed to want nothing to do with anything or anyone since Hiccup had disappeared. If it hadn't been for Stoic's daily trips to the cove, and the fish he brought with him, Stoic didn't know if Toothless would of lived much longer with out Hiccup. Stoic recognized heart break when he saw it. He knew from personal experience that when what you love the most is taken from you...Your will to live seems to fade, ever so slowly. If it hadn't been for his son Hiccup, Stoic knew that his own heartbreak would of gotten the best of him. As distant memories of Vallhallarama seemed to flood his mind, Stoic heard Gober yell up to him from below.

"Stoic? Did ya get lost?" Gober quipped.

Stoic chuckled to himself. Gober always did have a unique sense of humor. A trait that had rubbed off on Hiccup. A tiny ray of happiness seeped into Stoic's mind as he pictured Hiccup saying the same thing. Shaking his head Stoic knelt down beside Hiccup's bed and pulled out a wooden box. The night before Hiccup was kidnapped, Stoic had rushed to Hiccup's side and gathered his son in his arms. Hiccup was bawling loudly, his eyes still closed as the nightmare held it's firm grip on his mind. Stoic held tightly to Hiccup as he rocked him back and forth soothingly. Hiccup had jarred awake suddenly, and with one look at his father, burst into tears. Hiccup's words seemed to echo in his mind as he traced the smooth surface of the box before him. The box that his son had made, for one very specific purpose.

"Hiccup! It's ok son...I gotcha...Your safe now..." Stoic soothed.

"Oh Dad...I've never been so scared...I...I"

Hiccup had wriggled his way out of Stoic's grasp and plunkered down beside the bed. Following suit Stoic sat down in front of Hiccup. Hiccup was still trembling from head to toe as he struggled to pull something out from beneath the bed. His shaking arms seemed to not obey as he grunted and pulled with all his might.

"Here..." Stoic stated, softly.

Stoic reached under and pulled out the box. It was that night that Hiccup shared his nightmare with his father. In the nightmare, Toothless had been caught in a fire, but Hiccup wasn't there and Toothless had perished. As Hiccup shared the nightmare with Stoic the tears spilled down as he spoke with a trill in his voice.

"Dad...If anything ever...Happens to me..." Hiccup rasped, more tears streaming downward.

"Hiccup...Don't say that!" Stoic interrupted.

"Dad...This...is for Toothless...I would feel awful if Toothless was forever land bound..."

Stoic gasped as Hiccup gestured for Stoic to open the box. Stoic did, and a sudden feeling of dread swept over him as he realized what this object meant. As a father, Stoic was very proud of his son. His son was intelligent, brave, but the one quality that instilled an unrelenting fear in Stoic was Hiccup's selflessness. The shimmering metal on the object spoke of a possibility that Stoic refused to think about.

Shaking his head, Stoic brought his thoughts back to the present. Gathering the box in his arms he made his down the stairs to the table. The box made a clanging noise as Stoic rested it on the table. He glanced up as he heard Gober swallow nervously.

"Is...thah...what I think it is?" Gober asked, his voice shaking.

Stoic nodded as he opened the box.

"Oden, help us..." Gober gasped as his eyes fixed on the object inside the box.