This chapter is still pretty much following the episode, even though I'm throwing in a few of my own lines.
I OWN NOTHING!(I forgot the disclaimer in the previous chapter)
But if I did, it would probably be more based on the books. Hiccup sword-fighting NEEDS to happen. Discussion over.
Chapter Two: The Disease and What Gothi Said
The following morning, all the viking teens were gathered at Berk Dragon Academy. Tuffnut pushed a statue into the middle of the room.
"How does that look?" he asked his sister.
"Beautiful," Ruffnut answered as she stood next to their dragon, Barf and Belch.
"You got them just for the Academy?" said Hiccup.
"Yeah," Tuffnut replied, "we got them from Trader Johann. We had to give him our great-grandfather's skull."
Hiccup walked up to the statue and observed it for a few seconds. "Wow. You know, it's about time you guys started taking some pride for this place."
"Duck!" Tuffnut exclaimed.
"What?" Hiccup murmured. Barf and Belch fired at the statue, giving Hiccup a split second warning that made him throw his body against the stone floor of the arena. The blast hit the stone status with full force, pushing it backwards.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Snotlout yelled. He quickly got on Hookfang. "I want to take a shot. Fire!" The red Monstrous Nightmare shot at the statue. Stormfly, Astrid's blue Deadly Nadder released a flurry of spikes at it. Meatlug, Fishleg's Gronckle decided to give it a shot as well.
Toothless then jumps down, only to fire a shot that barely missed the statue. He then fired another shot that barely missed Snotlout's head. The boy exclaimed in surprise.
"That's strange," said Hiccup, getting up from the floor. Toothless is a Night Fury. And as every viking knows, a Night Fury never misses.
"Hey!" cried Snotlout, "could you have your dragon cover his mouth when he sneezes?"
"I'm sorry," Hiccup apologized, walking over to his dragon, "but that's never happened before." Toothless looked at his best friend before he sneezed again. Luckily, this time it was directed at the floor. Hiccup looked at his best friend worriedly. "I'm going to take him home."
"I'll go with you," said Astrid, who got on Stormfly.
Hiccup got on Toothless and secured his foot on the stirrup. Shakily, the duo took to the skies. Soon, they were in the skies above the village.
"Look at those flowers," Astrid commented, seeing bright blue flowers below them. "They're beautiful."
As if on cue, Toothless sneezes and lurched in all sorts of crazy directions.
"Whoa, hey!" Astrid exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"It's not me!" Hiccup replied, "It's-" Hiccup was cut off when Toothless suddenly dived down towards the floor. "Whoa!" Toothless crash- landed onto the ground and Hiccup was thrown off. Hiccup quickly got up and rushed over to his dragon. "Toothless, are you okay bud?"
The dragon closed his eyes and didn't reply. "Toothless?" Hiccup asked. The dragon's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Maybe he's got a cold or something," Hiccup told Astrid who was now standing beside him. Hiccup paused for a moment. "Do dragons even get colds?"
"Whoa, look at that," said Astrid, her gaze redirecting to a Terrible Terror that was flying overhead. He too crash- landed onto the ground. Astrid walked over the picked him up. "Well whatever it is, looks like he's got it too."
Slowly, Hiccup managed to get Toothless to walk over to his house. As soon as Toothless was comfortable, Hiccup went out to get Gobber. The blacksmith came to his house a few hours later with something over the fire. Hiccup sat next to Toothless.
"This will fix him right up," Gobber told Hiccup cheerfully. He picked up the pot from the fire and settled it in front of Toothless.
"What is that?" the young tribal heir asked.
"It's best not the ask. And whatever you do, don't touch it." Toothless suddenly sneezes and the green stuff in the pot spilled onto Gobber's clothes.
"Well that's ruined," Gobber grumbled, walking away, looking for a piece of cloth to wipe yak barf off his shirt. "I'll never get that yak to vomit again."
Astrid suddenly bursted through the door, panting. "Hiccup!" she cried, "you have to see this." Hiccup rushed over to the door. In front of him, Snotlout and the twins were on their dragons who were flying in all sorts of crazy directions. Barf and Belch crashed behind a house.
"Help her, Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed as he flew into view with a very shaky Meatlug. "She's sick!" The Gronckle landed in front of Hiccup's house. Fishlegs rolled off her.
"It's spreading to all the dragons," said Hiccup, who was desperately trying to work it out in his brain. But for once, he couldn't think of anything. "How do we stop this?" Hiccup asked Gobber, his voice quivering with fear and worry.
"Gothi!" piped the blacksmith. "She'll know what to do!"
"Well then you go get her, Gobber," Hiccup told him. "I'm not leaving Toothless' side."
Later that day, Gothi showed up at Hiccup's house. He sat beside Toothless the whole time and rubbed his head. Astrid and Fishlegs were also there, worried sick of their dragons and becoming desperate for a cure. Gothi observed Toothless' eyes and tongue before throwing a bunch of bones onto the floor. She looked at them, deep in thought.
"I heard Gothi can tell when you're going to die just by looking at your nails," said Astrid, nervously. That comment certainly didn't help Fishlegs.
"Oh that's just an old hag's tale," Gobber told them. Fishlegs heaved a sigh of relief. "She looks at your tongue." The young viking tensed up and sucked in his lips, making sure his tongue could not be seen.
Gothi, using the tip of her staff started drawing on the floor of the house. Gobber studied the drawings. "She says they're reacting to something," he told the others.
"But to what?" Hiccup asked, looking up from Toothless.
"To a moose wearing boots," Gobber replied, only to be whacked by Gothi's staff. "Right," he quickly added, "I knew that wasn't it." Gobber looked closer. "She says they're reacting to something new on the island. But that drawing still looks like a moose."
"Something new?" Astrid repeated. "That's going to be a lot of things. Trader Johann was just here."
Gobber looked down at Gothi's drawings again. "She says to get rid of everything, immediately. If not, it's going to get worse. The dragons are just going to get sicker."
Hiccup hugged Toothless. Worse? Isn't Toothless going through enough pain. "Are you sure it's not just a simple cold?"
Gobber shook his head. "But that's all Gothi knows. She's not an expert on dragon diseases."
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Astrid, Hiccup and Gobber stood in front of a large hole slash pit. Beside them was a line of people who were throwing their new belongings from Trader Johann in. Hiccup's heart was at unease. He wasn't comfortable leaving Toothless, but he had to be sure that everything was disposed of. He couldn't risk his dragon getting worse.
"I know it's hard guys," he tells the villagers, "but I promise you, you're doing a good thing. You're helping the dragons."
"It's the least we can do for them," Astrid added. Fishlegs was busy reading his botany book. Ruffnut got so annoyed with him, she plucked the book from his hands and threw it into the pit.
Hiccup turned to Gobber. "I don't see you throw anything into the pile," he said. "And I thought you bought something from Trader Johann." The boy eyed his mentor suspiciously.
"He did," said Astrid, "he bought silk."
"Hand it over Gobber."
"Can't do that, Hiccup," Gobber replied, pulling his pants. "It, uh, currently in use." Gobber leaned in. "It's my skivvies," he whispered. "They're glorious." Hiccup placed his hands on his hips and glared at Gobber along with Astrid.
"Fine." The blacksmith headed behind a rock where he was out of sight. A moment later, a pair of bright purple underwear flew from behind the rock and into the pile. Gobber walked out.
"I could've gone my whole life without seeing that," Hiccup muttered. Though on the inside, he was relieved. But if there was to be any visible progress, it would be shown in the morning.
We're getting to some serious fan fiction writing soon. One or two more chapters!