It wasn't every day everything went right. The twins weren't bickering with one another, Snotlout was listening to Hiccup's instructions, and Fishlegs wasn't boring them with the minute details of every dragon everyone had every discovered. Hiccup looked around as they flew with the setting sun at their backs and felt completely content. Toothless must have picked up on his mood and let out a satisfied sound of his own. The day's training had consisted of falling off of their dragons and catching other riders. The risk of that happening was high enough that Hiccup felt they needed to make sure none of them panicked if and when it did happen. And sure enough, after several hours of dropping and catching they were all far more comfortable with free falls, and trusting that even Snotlout and Hookfang or the twins would catch them if necessary.
Just as Hiccup gave a sigh of happiness he caught sight of Stormfly wriggling and jerking to his left. She seemed to be bothered by something, though what it was Hiccup had no idea. Astrid was holding on, trying to calm her dragon. For a brief instance Hiccup was able to see Astrid's face. She looked panicked, a look she didn't carry often, especially after today's exercise.
"Team, let's head back! I'm not sure what's going on, but Stormfly doesn't seem to be well, so let's get back to Berk, just in case," shouted Hiccup to the rest of the teens. Astrid shot him a glance of relief, and immediately aimed Stormfly back to Berk. Stormfly jerked and twitched, but did the best she could. Hiccup hung nearby, just in case. He kept an eye on the pair as they traveled. Stormfly's movements were getting slowly worse. Astrid seemed ok, though Hiccup thought the wind must be bothering her as she kept rubbing her arm across her eyes.
As the first trees of Berk passed far under them, though, Hiccup's perfect day came to a sudden end. Stormfly jerked horribly, Astrid screamed and clapped her hands to her eyes as she tumbled to the side, right off of her saddle.
"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled, as he and Toothless dove to intercept. Above him, Fishlegs and Meatlug were herding the spasming Stormfly safely to the ground. Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut were too far away to help with anything.
Hiccup focused on Astrid, "C'mon bud, faster! We have to get to her!" Toothless went even faster, wings tucked to his sides, Hiccup tucking as well.
Astrid was still screaming as she fell, her hands still encasing her eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, Toothless steered himself underneath her and Hiccup was able to reach his arms out and catch Astrid. When her body hit his arms her screams stopped, but she didn't move her hands away from her eyes. In fact, she seemed to have caught whatever was affecting Stormfly. She twitched and writhed, whimpering as Hiccup held her.
"Shhhh, Astrid, I've got you. You're ok. Toothless," he directed to his dragon, "let's get Astrid down fast but gently." Hiccup shifted his arms so one was behind Astrid's back holding her up and to his chest, and one went over her waist and gripped the saddle for landing. Toothless complied and as soon as his feet touched the ground Hiccup sat Astrid in the saddle and slid his prosthetic out of the stirrup and tossed his legs over the side, sliding off of Toothless's back, holding Astrid upright as he did so. He reached back up around Astrid's waist with both hands and helped guide her down to the ground, one arm behind her back as she shook and trembled. Around them, Fishlegs and Meatlug had been successful in getting Stormfly down, and the twins and Snotlout landed and dismounted.
"Astrid? Astrid, can you hear me?" Hiccup found a log and guided Astrid down to it, keeping a hand on her shoulder in the hopes that it would steady her. He'd never seen Astrid like this. She'd fallen from Stormfly before today, and today she'd done it a dozen times more. She came up fighting every time. But to be sitting trembling on a log with her eyes screwed shut whimpering, it wasn't like Astrid.
"Snotlout, I need you to go as fast as you can with Hookfang and get Gothi. This is important, just go and get back here as fast as you can." It was a testament to Snotlout that instead of argue or make a snide comment, he and Hookfang simply took off and shot toward the village in search of the elder.
Fishlegs came and stood by Hiccup. "Um, Hiccup. I don't mean to interrupt, but Stormfly is really sick. I don't know what it is, but she's still pretty aggravated over here. It's almost like she's got a really bad itch everywhere, but I've never heard of a dragon having a rash or anything."
Hiccup glanced toward the Deadly Nadder, who did seem to be doing the dragon equivalent of dancing with ants in her pants. He could feel Astrid quivering under his hand. Something had gotten to both of them, and he had no idea what to do.
"Fishlegs, go and get Gobber. Bring him here. I don't know if Stormfly got Astrid sick, or if Astrid did something to Stormfly, but they're both affected." He heard Fishlegs remount Meatlug behind him and give her instructions to get Gobber, then he was left with Tuffnut and Ruffnut and their dragon Barf and Belch.
Turning back to Astrid he could see that she wasn't getting better. In fact, she seemed to be getting worse. He knelt down next to her, his leg scraping as he lowered himself onto it. He grabbed both shoulders now and tried to look in her face. "Astrid, can you hear me?" She didn't respond, just continued to moan and twitch behind her hands. "Astrid, this is important. Please, look at me."
Instead she suddenly slumped back. Hiccup yelped and got his arms around her and gently lowered her off of the log and flat onto the ground. The twins were nearby, unsure of how to help.
"Uhh, Hiccup, she doesn't look so good."
Hiccup let out an exacerbated sigh. That was the understatement of the century. "No, Tuffnut, she doesn't. Look, go keep an eye on Stormfly for me, will you? Both of you? I don't want her wandering off or collapsing or something."
The two of them meandered over to the sick dragon while Hiccup continued to try to help Astrid. Now that her arms had fallen away from her face he could see how red and irritated the skin around her eyes was. He turned her hands palms up and saw that they too were red, nearly blistered looking. Just then he heard a yelp. He turned quickly to see Tuffnut bouncing up and down, holding his hand between his legs and crying out.
"Oh, the pain! Ow ow ow owowowowow." Ruffnut stood and gaped at her brother, seeming to be torn between laughter and concern. Absentmindedly she put her hand up to Stormfly to keep her from reacting to Tuffnut, but she immediately pulled her own hand away.
"Agh, Hiccup! There's something ON HER. Oh, my beautiful hand!"
"Ruffnut, stay near Stormfly, but don't touch her. Keep an eye on Tuffnut. Bud, can you also help keep an eye on Stormfly?" Hiccup turned toward the Night Fury as he spoke. "Don't touch her, but make sure she doesn't wander."
Toothless warbled an acknowledgement and went over to his dragon friend, near the twins who were slowly recovering from whatever it was that had happened. Hiccup turned his attention back to Astrid. She hadn't moved or made a sound in several minutes. Hiccup had seen her take a beating before. Nothing kept her down for long. A few minutes, tops. But here she was, still and quiet.
"Come on, Astrid," Hiccup said, giving her shoulder a little shake. "Wake up. You've got to tell me what's going on with you two."
But Astrid didn't wake. She didn't stir. She laid there with her yellow hair and red eyes.
