With August coming soon, so does the start of my college days so I am working overtime to finish Riders and Defenders of Berk before that happens. Hope u guys keep supporting my stories even when I don't update for a long time because I'll be focusing on my studies!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD

The Eel Effect

If there is one disease that even Vikings aren't immune to, it's the dreaded Eel Pox.

"Here, try some of this…" one Viking said as he handed a bowl to an ailing woman. All the sick had been isolated into the Great Hall, the sound of coughing and sneezing echoing throughout the entire building as Hiccup and Zenna peered in, their faces filled with worry.

"Holy Shields…this is the worst Eel Pox epidemic I've ever seen…This tops the flu epidemic back in the South when I was five…" Zenna murmured, spotting her parents, who had been unlucky enough to catch the disease, trying to help some of their fellow sick but were also coughing and sneezing like crazy.

Hiccup could only watch with worry evident in his eyes until Fishlegs and Meatlug came. "Hiccup! Zenna! Astrid went to pick up Gothi. She'll meet us at the Academy," Fishlegs informed the two Night Fury Riders. "Oh, good…Alright, bud, let's go," Hiccup said, mounting Toothless. "To the Academy, Stryka," Zenna said, getting on her loyal dragoness' back.

Flying into the Academy, Hiccup looked at his friends who were lucky enough to have been spared. "You ready, gang?" Hiccup asked them. "Ready to leave Berk during an outbreak of Eel Pox? Hmmm…Let me think, let me think, let me think…actually that's a big fat yes!" Snotlout Jorgenson said. "The sooner, the better. I do not want to get sick," Tuffnut Thorston said, folding his arms across his chest. "And if he gets sick, I get sick," Ruffnut Thorston added. "You do?" Tuffnut asked. "Yeah, we're twins," Ruffnut told him. "So, wait, if I slap myself…then would you feel it?" Tuffnut asked. "Definitely. Give it a try," Ruffnut answered with a mischievous smile. "Haha! Cool!" Tuffnut laughed and slapped himself in the face! "Ow! Do it again," Ruffnut pretended to feel pain, prompting her brother to slap himself again. "Ugh! Do it again! Harder!" Ruffnut encouraged him. "Gladly!" Tuffnut hit himself again. "Didn't feel that one," Ruffnut said, making Tuffnut try again. "Ow! Do it again!" Ruffnut said, barely holding back her snickers. "Ruff, stop tormenting your brother," Zenna chided her.

"Guys, please, we need to leave for Healer's Island as soon as Astrid gets back," Hiccup said seriously before hearing his sick father's voice call out, "Hiccup!"

Turning around, Hiccup saw his father, Stoick the Vast, enter the arena while coughing a bit. "Dad, you should be resting up at the Great Hall," Hiccup said worriedly. "Nonsense!" Stoick said before sneezing up a huge cloud of Eel Pox germs right in Snotlout's face, the Jorgenson boy screaming in terror and running away in hopes of avoiding catching the illness. "Bless you, Chief," Zenna said politely. "I wouldn't be grounded by the sniffles," Stoick said stubbornly before letting out another great sneeze – right in Hiccup's face!

"Again, bless you!" Zenna said, making sure to cover her face with her special face mask. "Whoa! Okay…" Hiccup said, praying to all the gods in Valhalla that he wouldn't be the Eel Pox's next victim just as Astrid and Stormfly flew in with Gothi. "We've got the list of ingredients and it's a big one," Astrid said as Gothi showed them the list. "It's got to be if we're gonna get all the people afflicted with this Eel Pox cured," Zenna said. "Well, then, we better get moving. That medicine isn't gonna make itself," Hiccup said, ready to go.

Sniffling, Stoick followed his son. "I should be going with you…Ahh-choo!" he sneezed, Hiccup blocking his germs with his shield. "Dad, Berk needs a healthy Chief, not a sick Dragon Rider. We can handle this," he reassured his father. "Alright, I'll stay here with the rest of the village," Stoick coughed. Hiccup then mounted Toothless and, with the rest of the Riders, headed out. "Be safe, Hiccup," he told his son. "When am I not safe?" Hiccup asked as he and Toothless were about to take off. Stoick gave him a look that clearly said, 'Really, son?'

"Uh, never mind, don't answer that!" Hiccup said hastily before he and Toothless left the Academy with the team.

Arriving on Healer's Island, the gang all took a look at the list of ingredients. "Okay, gang, we've got a lot of ground to cover. Let's get to work," Hiccup said and assigned the ingredients each Rider needed to get.

"Buckthorn Root, lightly roasted."

Snotlout practically fell backwards pulling the stubborn root from the ground and ran away in fright when Hookfang fired out a weak fireball to lightly roast the Buckthorn Root to perfection. "Hookfang…" Snotlout muttered, his Monstrous Nightmare making off with the root.

"A dozen Rock Blossoms."

Fishlegs cheerfully smelled one of these flowers as Meatlug brought a few more. "Hm, twelve rocks for twelve Rock Blossoms," Fishlegs smiled as he gave Meatlug her reward.

"One handful of Goat Weed."

Astrid had Stormfly use her Spine Shot to cut a healthy handful of said plant and caught it in midair.

"One Wild Dagga Plant."

Tuffnut scaled the cliff wall, the plant within his sights, when rocks suddenly began falling on his face! "There's got to be an easier way…oof! A way to do this…owow!" he yelped, Ruffnut giggling from the top of the cliff where she could easily pluck the Wild Dagga Plant and readied an even bigger rock to throw at her brother.

With all the ingredients, the teens headed back and Hiccup and Zenna went over the list. "I think that's everything, right?" Hiccup asked Gothi as he placed the ingredients in Toothless' saddlebag. "Nope. There's still one more ingredient to find," Zenna said, Gothi shaking her head in agreement. Gothi then used her staff to draw some pictures and runes in the sand. "She says the last item isn't on Healer Island. The key ingredient for curing Eel Pox is…a Blood Bane Eel," Fishlegs translated, eyes widening at the last sentence. "And with dragons, we all know they and eels don't mix," Zenna said grimly. "Where do we find one of those?" Fishlegs asked Gothi, who pointed with her staff out to sea.

"Well, great! Because we're not gonna be able to search the whole ocean this afternoon. We need at least a long weekend for that. You know, maybe even into Monday night," Tuffnut rambled before Gothi hooked his neck with her staff and effectively silenced him. "She says don't interrupt," Fishlegs told Tuffnut before looking down at Gothi's scribbles.

"We have to head North to…Eel Island!" he gasped, the dragons backing away. "Our dragons would never go near Eel Island. They're terrified of eels," Astrid said, petting Stormfly. "Well can you blame them? The name itself is enough to scare most dragons off, except for Typhoomerangs since they eat eels," Zenna said, stroking Stryka's head. "You're right. Toothless, Zenna, Stryka and I will go alone," Hiccup said. "What?" Toothless warbled, giving Hiccup a panicked look. "I know, bud, eels aren't your favorite. But you and Stryka are the fastest dragons. We'll find this eel and we'll be back to Berk in no time. No problem," Hiccup said, getting on Toothless and flying off. "There better not be any prwoblwems…" Stryka warbled as Zenna got on the saddle. "We'll be okay, girl," Zenna reassured her loyal dragoness before they followed their boys out.

"Good luck!" Fishlegs called after them. Then Astrid remembered something important and began to run after Hiccup. "Wait, Hiccup! You've got all the other…ingredients," Astrid managed to shout before giving up, seeing that her boyfriend and Zenna were already too far away to hear her. "Ah, don't worry. They'll be back before we are," Fishlegs reassured her. Astrid could only give him a look that clearly said that she hoped he was right.

The coughing and sneezing began just a few minutes after they had left Healer's Island.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo! AAHHH-CHOOO!" Zenna made sure to cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief but it did little to mask the sounds of her coughs and sneezes. Stryka warbled worriedly at her while Toothless rumbled to Hiccup, who looked at Zenna and saw her coughing and sneezing. "Ah, no…Zen…I think you might be coming down with Eel Pox. You should probably head back to Berk," he said worriedly. "Eel Pox? No way! This is just…hay fever! Besides, if I had Eel Pox then I would be having a fever. And I don't have a fever. I'm perfectly fine," Zenna told him, determined to finish the mission despite the fact that there was a chance that she was sick.

Hiccup still looked worried but, then, turned his attention to the island he had just spotted and checked the map. "That's it. Eel Island. Let's get a closer look, bud," Hiccup said, Toothless flying towards the island. Stryka warbled curiously to Zenna, who coughed and nodded, before following her mate. Flying over the island's main river, Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka could see a bunch of blood-red eels jumping out of the water.

"Whoa, eels! That was quick. This place sure lives up to its name," Hiccup remarked. Toothless and Stryka both growled at the eels swimming in the river. "Yeah, and they don't like this place at all," Zenna said, gently scratching Stryka behind the ears to calm her down. "Whoa, Toothless, I know you and Stryka don't like these guys but we need to do this," Hiccup soothed his best dragon friend and fired his shield's grappling hook into the water. "Good thing I borrowed a fishing rod with a long line," Zenna chirped, casting her rod out into the water. If Hiccup's line didn't get anything, at least she had the chance of hooking one.

"Okay, just need to hook one…" Hiccup murmured before, suddenly, the line jerked! "Whoa, boy! This one's putting up a fight!" Zenna yelped as her line jerked as well! Two eels jumped out of the water and nearly got eaten by Toothless and Stryka, who both frantically shook the eels off and accidentally sent their Riders into the water! "Whoooaaa!" Hiccup and Zenna hollered as they hit the water with a loud splash!

Toothless and Stryka quickly went near the riverbank to try and help their Riders who were struggling to keep the eels from attacking them. But the Blood Bane Eels didn't like trespassers and were strangling Hiccup and Zenna! Frantic, Toothless and Stryka both flew up and fired plasma blasts into the river to keep the eels away from the two teens. When Hiccup and Zenna didn't come up for air, Toothless and Stryka both dove into the water to save them.

To their bad luck, they both ended up eating part of the eels Hiccup and Zenna had managed to wrestle into submission!

'Uh oh…' the four best friends simultaneously thought as they got out of the water and onto dry land. The effects of the eel began to kick in and Toothless and Stryka both roared in discomfort. "Are you okay?" Hiccup asked Toothless worriedly. "Holy Shields…Stryka, you feeling okay, girl?" Zenna gulped. Both Night Furies both gulped, already feeling sick.

"This is bad…This is very bad-bad…" Zenna gulped. "Most dragons never even touch eels. You two just both ate one!" Hiccup said, hoping that the effects of eating eels wouldn't be so life-threatening to both Night Furies.

Hiccup and Zenna both tried to go near Toothless and Stryka but their best dragon friends growled, warning them to stay away. "Toothless…it's…it's alright…" Hiccup said calmly. "Stryka, don't worry…" Zenna said as she and her one-legged brother checked their dragons. Toothless and Stryka both flinched, red plasma building up inside their mouths as their Riders examined them. "Let me and Zenna just take a look at you two," Hiccup said softly, just as Toothless and Stryka succumbed to the eel effect.

"Uh, Hicc…?" Zenna warily eyed the two Night Furies looked at them with dazed and confused expressions. To Toothless and Stryka, their Riders now looked like distorted blobs and their voices sounded all muffled up. "We just need to check you two out," Hiccup said as Toothless' pupils dilated and narrowed. "Stryka…say something to reassure me…" Zenna said nervously, her one-eyed dragoness growling aggressively.

Fearing that their Riders would be hurt, Toothless and Stryka turned tail and ran away!

"Stryka!" Zenna called out worriedly. "Toothless? Bud, come back!" Hiccup called out after his best dragon friend. Toothless and Stryka both looked over their shoulders once before running further away from their Riders.

"Toothless!" "Stryka!" Hiccup and Zenna shouted, running after them. And Zenna ignored the headache assaulting her temples as she and Hiccup ran after their dragons…

Back on Berk, the Riders had flown back to the Great Hall. Stoick opened the doors and went outside, followed by Zenna's parents, Henna and Edgar. "Do you have the ingredients?" Stoick asked them, coughing. "Uh, Hiccup has them," Fishlegs replied. "Well, where is he?" Stoick asked worriedly. "I don't know. He and Zenna should be here. They went off to get the last ingredient," Astrid said worriedly. "Oh, dear…that last ingredient's a Blood Bane Eel…" Henna mumbled, sneezing into a hanky. "And with their dragons, it'll be tricky getting one…" Edgar groaned, coughing. Stoick coughed and said, "Well, we have to find them. We won't be able to stand this Eel Pox much longer. The fever, it makes it hard to think straight…" just as the doors to the Great Hall opened and a delirious Gobber came out.

And, mind you, a delirious Gobber is something both amusing and disturbing especially when he thinks he's his Great Auntie Rose.

"Yoo-hoo! Where's my little Gobber? Great Auntie Rose wants him to give him a big kiss!" Gobber said in a high-pitched voice, his helmet adorned with flowers. Edgar and Henna both shuddered, backing away from the blacksmith while Stoick kept him from kissing him. "See what I mean?" he asked Astrid and Gothi, who were both freaked out.

"Ah, yeah…We'll find them, sir. I promise," Astrid told the Chief before flying off with Fishlegs. "Ooh, you better wear a wrap so you don't catch cold, dearies," Gobber cooed, waving a purple hanky in the air. "Would you stop that?" Stoick demanded, not caring that his best friend was delirious. "Oh, you got a wee smudge, darling," Gobber cooed again, wiping his thumb on Stoick's nose. "Gobber!" Stoick snapped. "Let's hope Hiccup and Zenna come back with the cure soon…I do not want to experience delirium…" Edgar muttered, shaking his aching head. "Same here, love…Same here…" Henna sighed, sneezing again.

What Edgar and Henna didn't know was that their daughter had also caught the Eel Pox. Zenna sighed and shook her head to try and get rid of her headache. Every time Hiccup looked at her, Zenna put on a brave face and smiled to show him that she was fine. But, truthfully, she wasn't feeling so good. 'The sooner we find Toothless and Stryka, the sooner I can go home and sleep…I could really use a nap right now…' Zenna thought, feeling woozier with every step she took.

Meanwhile Toothless and Stryka had run into the woods in a daze. Thanks to the two eels they had eaten, both Night Furies' senses were way off and they were beginning to crash headfirst into the trees. After crashing headfirst into one particularly hard tree, Toothless and Stryka picked themselves up and kept on running only to trip and fall over a fallen log! Their hearing had also become super sensitive, making them uncomfortable with all the sounds they could now hear like a fly's buzzing and distant calling of birds. Disoriented and desperate to experience some sort of relief, they both fired red plasma blasts into the ground that caused a loud explosion to be heard throughout the island!

Following the light from the explosion, Hiccup and Zenna found their two best dragon friends stumbling about the clearing in a daze. "Toothless!" Hiccup said with relief. "Stryka!" Zenna coughed out. Toothless and Stryka were alerted to their Riders' presence at once. "It's alright, girl…You're just a little sick because of that nasty eel…We'll get you and Toothless all better…" Zenna said soothingly as she inched over to her dragon. "Hey, bud…it's-it's okay, bud, I can help you…" Hiccup said softly.

Confused and sick, Toothless and Stryka backed away. "Easy there…" Hiccup and Zenna both said when Toothless and Stryka felt another plasma blast coming on and frantically growled to their best friends to run. Luckily when they did fire, both red plasma blasts hit the trees instead of their Riders! "Red plasma?!" Zenna exclaimed in shock as she and Hiccup ducked behind their shields. "Alright, that was big and incredibly dangerous. No wonder you guys go easy on eels," Hiccup remarked. "Go easy on eels? Hicc, they avoid eels like a plague," Zenna pointed out as they stood up. Toothless and Stryka fired again, this time, into the sky twice.

"Okay, six shot limit…that was four…" Hiccup said as he and Zenna kept their shields up just as both Night Furies fired really explosive shots into the brush! "Five!" they both yelped, hiding behind their shields. Then Toothless and Stryka both released their sixth plasma blasts into the sky, creating a huge boom! Coughing from the dust cloud, Hiccup and Zenna worriedly lowered their shields. "And that makes six…" Hiccup said. "Finally…" Zenna sighed with relief. "Let's not do that again. Well maybe, now, we can figure out how to…" Hiccup managed to say as he and Zenna went over to their dragons only to get the shock of their lives when they saw their Night Furies getting ready to fire again!

"Seven shots, are you kidding me?!" Hiccup and Zenna both exclaimed before Toothless and Stryka fired again…and again…and again!

Astrid and Fishlegs flew to the Haddock house where Snotlout and the Twins were. And, judging by the Twins' lack of energy to cause destruction and Snotlout's hunched over position, they had gotten Eel Pox too.

"Hiccup and Zenna aren't back yet…" Astrid told them. "You sure? 'Cause I…I could use some of that…" Tuffnut managed to say before feeling sick and vomiting. "Medicine…" he finished weakly. "Wait, you guys are sick too?" Fishlegs asked worriedly. "I-I-I-I-I'm…f-f-f-f-fine…Ah-choo! J-j-j-just p-p-p-peachy…" Snotlout stuttered, sneezing again. "We can't send them out again. It's too dangerous," Fishlegs said to Astrid who told him, "Gothi and I will get everything ready for when you get back." The old healer nodding in agreement.

"Right," Fishlegs said before realizing what Astrid wanted him to do. "Wait, get back from where?" he asked, praying Astrid wasn't thinking what he thought she was thinking. "Fishlegs, you're going to find Hiccup and Zenna," Astrid told him firmly before taking off with Gothi on Stormfly. "On Eel Island? Great! Aha, great! That's just perfect!" Fishlegs laughed hysterically, already panicking, as he and Meatlug left, leaving Snotlout and the Twins behind.

"Maybe…maybe the fever is kicking back in but…I think I just saw a guy fly off…on a dragon! Haha! Dragon! I don't even…How crazy would that be?!" Tuffnut cackled, the delirium starting to kick in, before collapsing face first on the grass. "Who am I? Who are each of you?" he mumbled.

Back on Eel Island, Hiccup and Zenna were not having a good time. Somehow the amount of plasma blasts Toothless and Stryka could both fire had exceeded their six shots shot limit and both Night Furies were now firing red plasma blasts left and right! And, honestly, Hiccup and Zenna had already lost count on how many fireballs had been shot…and had nearly hit them.

Keeping a tight grip on their shields, Hiccup and Zenna frantically dodged plasma blasts left and right. Toothless then fired a shot close to Hiccup's right leg while Stryka fired a plasma blast close to Zenna's left side. "Okay, a bit too close to the one working eye…!" Zenna gulped. "Okay, that one was a little close to the one good leg," Hiccup said. Suddenly, two more plasma blasts came right their way! Luckily, Hiccup and Zenna both held up their shields in time to protect themselves from the initial brunt of the blasts but they were both knocked back hard into the trees!

That was when Toothless and Stryka managed to snap out of their eel-induced daze to see what damage they had caused. Roaring worriedly, they ran over to their Riders. Stryka warbled worriedly, nudging Zenna, and the one-eyed Fiersome girl managed to focus her gaze on her. "Stryka…?" Zenna mumbled before letting her head loll forward. The same went for Toothless, who nudged Hiccup, and the one-legged boy managed to lift his head up slightly. "Toothless…" Hiccup murmured, trying to get up but was still reeling from the blast.

Guilty and still disoriented, Toothless and Stryka left.

"Toothless…" Hiccup regained consciousness first and saw the destruction his Night Fury and Zenna's had caused. Going over to Zenna, who was still unconscious, Hiccup shook her shoulder. "Huh…? Wha…?" the one-eyed Fiersome girl mumbled before shaking her head and recovering from the blast. "Okay?" Hiccup asked her softly. "Okay," Zenna nodded before they both heard rustling from behind them. Holding their shields up, Hiccup and Zenna braced themselves.

To their surprise and relief, Fishlegs and Meatlug came out of the brush!

"Hiccup! Zenna!" Fishlegs said, smiling. "Phew! False alarm," Zenna breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Fishlegs! Boy, are we glad to see you!" Hiccup grinned as the chubby blond Viking got off of Meatlug. "Are you two okay?" Fishlegs asked them. "We're fine," Hiccup and Zenna both said. That's when Fishlegs noticed the carnage and that two Night Furies were missing. "Uh, where are Toothless and Stryka? And what did all that?" he asked. "That would be Toothless and Stryka," Hiccup replied. "And who were they fighting?" Fishlegs asked, confused. "Uh, mostly me and Zenna. Also themselves a little bit," Hiccup answered. "Luckily, they weren't fighting each other," Zenna added. When Fishlegs didn't react, they both said, "Welcome to Eel Island!"

"Well, did you two find any eels?" Fishlegs asked curiously. "Oh, we found some alright…" Zenna mumbled nervously. "We did, including the ones that ended up in Toothless and Stryka's stomachs," Hiccup said, making Fishlegs do a double take.

Grabbing the two Night Fury Riders, Fishlegs asked, "They ate eels?" in a shocked tone while Meatlug growled at the mere mention of eel. "They did," Zenna said reluctantly. "And the eels are not agreeing with them either," Hiccup added before he went over to Meatlug and pulled out a net. "What are you doing?" Fishlegs asked as Hiccup laid the net on the ground. "I'm building a Netter trap," Hiccup replied, pulling out his grappling hook. "You really think this net's gonna hold Toothless and Stryka?" Fishlegs asked him quizzically. "Well, if it doesn't, Meatlug can always sit on them," Hiccup shrugged. "She can hear you, you know," Fishlegs reminded him, looking at his sleeping Gronckle.

"One day. I don't know how much worse things can get," Hiccup remarked, throwing the grappling hook over a tree branch to secure the trap in the air. "I do. Pretty worse, actually. The ingredients for Gothi's Eel Pox cure are still in Toothless' saddlebag and I do not even want to tell you and Zenna what's going on back in the village," Fishlegs informed him.

Hiccup was about to ask what was going on back in the village when he noticed Zenna staring into space. "Uh, Zenna? Zen?" Hiccup called out to his best human friend who seemed to be in a daze. When Zenna didn't respond, Fishlegs went over to her and waved his big hand in front of her face. That managed to bring Zenna out of her stupor. "Hm? What?" Zenna mumbled, looking confused. "Are you sure you're okay, Zen? You spaced out for a while there," Hiccup asked worriedly. "Hicc, I'm fine. Don't worry…Hey, when did a Netter trap get set up there?" Zenna said before looking at the Netter trap in confusion. Fishlegs then noticed that Zenna didn't look like her usual self. He could only hope that she wasn't coming down with Eel Pox…

Meanwhile, back in the village, things had officially taken a turn for the wacky as Snotlout began to experience delirium. What was really wacky about his delirium was that he thought of himself as the leader of a dragon rebellion and had set up a makeshift podium to give a speech.

"And while they sit there, warm and cozy, who stokes their fires and fills their fish barrels, huh? Who defends the village from the enemy while these so-called warriors cower in their Great Hall?" Snotlout asked his audience of dragons, which consisted of Thornado, Hookfang, Barf and Belch and four of the Terrible Terrors the teens had trained. And all dragons had the same thought: What the heck is wrong with this kid? One poor Terror was already freaked out and was unfortunate enough to be held by Snotlout as he rambled on in his delirious state.

"And do they give you loyal dragon workers any support? Any respect? And rights? Nay, says I! They cast you aside like common animals. Well, no more!" Snotlout exclaimed before the Terrible Terror decided to make him pay for shaking him about! The other dragons could only watch as Snotlout was punished, all still thinking the exact same thing.

What the heck is wrong with this kid?

Back on Eel Island, Hiccup had finished setting up the Netter trap up in the tree. "Here's hoping that it works. We better get in the air and see if we can track Toothless and Stryka down," Hiccup said as he got on Meatlug with Zenna. "I sure hope we find them…" Zenna mumbled worriedly, coughing again which made Hiccup look at her worriedly. "Again, Hicc, I'm fine," Zenna said stubbornly.

Deciding to take Zenna's word for it, Hiccup focused on looking for the two runaway Night Furies. "Hey, Fishlegs, does that clearing look familiar at all?" Hiccup asked, noticing a massive scorch mark on the ground. "That's…That's a Typhoomerang mark!" Fishlegs exclaimed, recognizing the swirling pattern of the massive Stoker Class dragon's scorch mark. "The only dragon that eats eels," Hiccup said. "Oh, well, that makes sense. I-It's a perfect habitat for them, really. I bet there's tons of wild Typhoomerangs here," Fishlegs smiled. "You're forgetting something, Fishlegs," Zenna said in a deadpan tone while Hiccup gave him a deadpan look.

That's when Fishlegs remembered that wild Typhoomerangs could also be extremely aggressive towards trespassers. And…they were trespassers.

"And that's bad, really bad," Fishlegs said at last. "Ya think?" Zenna said, shaking her head repeatedly to get rid of the dizziness. This was no time for feeling dizzy! But what she didn't notice were the occasional worried looks Hiccup was giving her…

Snotlout managed to pry the angry Terrible Terror off his face and continued his speech. "My brothers-in-flames, let us join hands, hooves and talons and take what is rightfully ours!" he proclaimed before another Terrible Terror flew into his face, sending him falling down the steps of the Great Hall. Once he had crashed onto the ground, Snotlout weakly raised his arm and whimpered, "Can somebody please get me a blanket?" feeling worse.

While they scouted out the area, Hiccup and Zenna told Fishlegs about Toothless and Stryka's symptoms after they ate the eels. "Hiccup, Zenna, you two said that Toothless and Stryka's skins felt warm, right?" Fishlegs asked them. "Yeah, plus they've both got what you might call an explosive cough," Hiccup said. "And by explosive, he means red plasma blasts that exceed the six shots shot limit Night Furies are known to possess," Zenna added. "Okay, put all that together and it sounds a lot like…" Fishlegs managed to say before Hiccup and Zenna both said, "Eel Pox!"

"Oh, Holy Shields, how are we going to cure them when they hate eels?" Zenna wondered out loud. "I wonder…if eels cure the Pox in people, maybe they cause it in dragons," Hiccup said. "Maybe…" Fishlegs shrugged. "So if we give Toothless and Stryka the medicine, maybe that'll counteract the eel?" Hiccup asked hopefully. "That's kind of stretching it," Fishlegs told him. "If you got a better idea, I'm open," Hiccup retorted. "Nope, stretch away, my friend," Fishlegs replied before two red plasma blasts shot up into the sky!

"There, on the cliffs!" Hiccup and Zenna pointed in the direction and Fishlegs steered Meatlug towards it. They had just reached the cliffs when they narrowly dodged another red plasma blast and looked down to see Toothless and Stryka stuck on the ground and firing plasma blasts all willy-nilly.

"There they are…" Zenna murmured. "Alright, get me and Zenna in close but be careful. They can't control where they fire," Hiccup told Fishlegs. The chubby Ingerman obeyed and got Meatlug to slowly fly down the ditch. Hiccup and Zenna were about to go over to the two rampaging sick Night Furies when a large shadow loomed overhead. Looking up, Fishlegs paled and nervously asked, "Uh, Hiccup? Zenna? You two got a sec'?"

"Ah, busy, can it wait?" the two bonded siblings replied. "It could. It could. But I don't think it will," Fishlegs said, nervously pointing up at the massive Typhoomerang! "Oh, a Typhoomerang…Can this day get any worse?" Zenna asked sarcastically.

Apparently, they were about to find out!

The Typhoomerang did not like seeing trespassers in its domain and angrily fired a plume of flame to get Toothless and Stryka to leave. But the two Night Furies were still afflicted with Eel Pox and could only fire their plasma blasts, missing their target every time, without making any moves to fly away. In Toothless' case, it was impossible for him to fly with Hiccup. In Stryka's, she was still too disoriented. Flying up into the air, the Typhoomerang breathed out fire to chase the two Night Furies away!

"Toothless!" "Stryka!"

Hiccup and Zenna watched in horror as their Night Furies were chased towards a dead end! "We gotta help them!" Zenna cried out in alarm. "Fly us over Toothless and Stryka!" Hiccup told Fishlegs, who got Meatlug to fly over to the two Night Furies. "Meatlug, Spew!" Fishlegs commanded, his female Gronckle spewing out lava to distract the Typhoomerang so they could follow the two Night Furies currently trying to escape capture.

"Meet us in the clearing," Hiccup told Fishlegs who looked at him and Zenna confused. "Where are you two going?" he asked. "What does it look like, 'Legs?" Zenna retorted, standing up along with Hiccup. "Zenna and I are getting our dragons back. Just keep that big guy busy," Hiccup told the chubby blond Viking. Fishlegs looked a bit nervous. "Fishlegs and Meatlug against a Typhoomerang? Does that really seem fair to you two?" he asked timidly. "Nope, the Typhoomerang doesn't stand a chance!" Hiccup and Zenna both hollered as they jumped off of Meatlug and landed on Toothless and Stryka's saddles.

Almost instantly, the two Night Furies freaked out and tried to buck them off! "Whoa there, girl! Whoooaaa! Easy! Eaaassyy!" Zenna yelped, trying to get Stryka under control while Hiccup struggled to click his prosthetic into the modified stirrup. "I'm not letting go, bud! Like it or not, you're stuck with me!" Hiccup said firmly as he held onto Toothless with all his might.

While the two surrogate siblings rode their bucking dragons, Fishlegs had Meatlug spew another lava blast at the attacking Typhoomerang and they narrowly avoided getting barbecued! "That was close! Stay-stay away!" Fishlegs screamed as they led the Typhoomerang away from Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka.

Yelping, Hiccup and Zenna held onto their two best dragon friends for as long as they could until Toothless and Stryka both began to run towards to the edge of the cliff! "Holy Shields!" Zenna shrieked, gripping the edges of the saddle tightly. "Okay, that's going to be an issue," Hiccup said, finally getting his metal leg into the stirrup.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Hiccup and Zenna both screamed as they and their dragons tumbled over the edge of the cliff, heading towards the water! Luckily Zenna managed to get Stryka to pull up at the last minute while Hiccup opened the tail fin just in time! Toothless and Stryka, now airborne, then proceeded to fly about in a crazy pattern thanks to the Eel Pox! "This still doesn't make anything better!" Zenna yelped as Stryka looped and dove like crazy.

"Thor, if you're listening, I could really use Astrid's help right now…aah! Or Snotlout's…aaaah! Or the Twins! Seriously, I will even take the Twins!" Fishlegs screamed to the heavens as he and Meatlug avoided the Typhoomerang's flames as they were chased.

The Eel Pox, admittedly, had some rather positive effects on the Twins. Aside from the strange development of an accent that closely resembled Edgar and Henna's, Ruffnut and Tuffnut had gotten…dare I say it…

Smarter.

Tuffnut was now standing on one of his and his sister's Zippleback's head, holding up a feather and a rock, ready to perform an experiment. "One…Two…Three!" he said and dropped the two items. Coughing, Ruffnut took note that the rock hit the ground first. "How fascinating!" she said.

"Oh, dear sister, our hypothesis appears to be correct. The air offers a much greater resistance to the falling motion of the feather than it does to the rock," Tuffnut said, completely out of character due to his smarts. "Remarkable. Shall we increase our sample size? What say you?" Ruffnut asked, also completely out of character. "We shall!" Tuffnut proclaimed. "I propose we try dropping a large yak alongside a normal-sized Dragon Rider," Ruffnut suggested, smiling. "My sister, that is brilliant! And I'm a normal-sized Dragon Rider! What luck!" Tuffnut exclaimed, grinning. "Aha! I'm off to find suitable yak!" Ruffnut said.

"Science!" the Twins both cheered, high-fiving each other, before coughing.

If Elias, Zenna's older brother, had been there to witness the Twins being smart and having accents similar to Eret's…well, he would have thought it to be a sign of Ragnarok. If Zenna had been there…she would have decided to observe the Twins and record her findings and not think about giving them the cure because it would have been such a waste of the Thorston Twins' newfound intellect.

"This is making me feel…sick…er…!" Zenna swallowed down her lunch as Stryka kept on flying crazy. "This would be a lot easier if you just…!" Hiccup managed to tell Toothless before they got dunked briefly into the water! "…slow down…" Hiccup said weakly, barely hanging onto the saddle with one hand.

Fishlegs and Meatlug weren't having that much fun either, what with the wild Typhoomerang still chasing them and all. Then the Typhoomerang ran out of firepower. "Oh, would you look at that? Out of shots, huh?" Fishlegs asked the dragon before paling when the Typhoomerang went to the water to snap up some eels and replenish its fuel! Fishlegs screamed in terror as the Typhoomerang performed its signature Flame Cyclone move and had Meatlug swiftly swerve out of the way before both he and his sweet female Gronckle got incinerated!

"Okay, we've had enough! Looks like it's time for the Gale Force Gronckle! Hit it, girl!" Fishlegs said, fed up with running away, and Meatlug flew full steam ahead towards the Typhoomerang! "Gale Force Gronckle!" Fishlegs yelled and Meatlug began to rapidly spin clockwise and delivered multiple hits to the Typhoomerang until it flew away in retreat.

The Gale Force Gronckle was an effective move, indeed, albeit the dizziness afterwards might not be for the faint of heart.

"Whoo! Atta girl…Oohh…okay…give me a second for my insides to catch up with my outsides…" Fishlegs mumbled, feeling dizzy, as Meatlug stopped spinning. Once he had recovered from the dizzying effects of the Gale Force Gronckle, Fishlegs hugged his dragon. "That's why we don't do that one too often…Now, let's go get Hiccup and Zenna," Fishlegs said, his Gronckle buzzing off.

"For the love of all that is holy, make it stop!" Zenna begged to the gods for mercy, already feeling sick to her stomach. "You know, I…I actually remember when this was…easy…!" Hiccup grunted as Toothless still thrashed about in the sky. Then he caught sight of the clearing and got an idea. "Zenna, the clearing!" Hiccup yelled as he yanked on Toothless' harness. "I see it!" the one-eyed Fiersome girl shouted, also yanking Stryka in the direction of the clearing with the scorch mark. "Toothless, if you're in there, we're about to…whooooaaaa!" Hiccup hollered as he and his dragon crash landed! "Gaaahh…brace for impact…!" Zenna yelled as she and Stryka crash landed next!

Getting up, Hiccup and Zenna saw that Toothless and Stryka were getting closer to the trap. Another step and the net fell on them, successfully capturing the two Night Furies!

"We know! We're sorry about that! Just relax, you two, you're both gonna be okay!" Hiccup and Zenna apologized profusely before narrowly dodging two plasma blasts that ripped the net open!

"Toothless, Stryka, no!" Hiccup and Zenna yelped. Both Night Furies prepared to pounce when, suddenly, Fishlegs had Meatlug sit on them!

"Thank Odin for the Gronckles and their heavy weight…" Zenna thanked the gods. "Alright, Fishlegs! I can't believe that actually worked," Hiccup said, relieved to see his nerdy friend. Then Fishlegs leaned in and whispered, "Careful, Hiccup and Zenna…They might shoot…"

"No, they won't," Hiccup and Zenna both said firmly and made their way over to their sick dragons. Toothless and Stryka were both roaring and snarling but managed to calm down when their Riders were near them. "It's okay, Stryka…Everyone gets sick sometimes…But, don't worry, we'll get you and Toothless all fixed up…" Zenna said soothingly. "Hey, you're just a little sick, bud…But we may have a way to fix that…" Hiccup said softly. That was enough for Toothless and Stryka to calm down long enough for Fishlegs to make the medicine.

"Let's hope this works…" Zenna murmured. "Here goes nothing," Hiccup said as he and his one-eyed surrogate sister quickly gave their Night Furies the medicine before another couple of red plasma blasts came out of their mouths! Both Night Furies grimaced at the taste. "Yeah, it doesn't taste too good I'm afraid…" Zenna said apologetically. "Did it work?" Fishlegs asked. "I'm…not entirely sure," Hiccup admitted.

After a few minutes, however, Toothless and Stryka managed to throw Meatlug off and pounced on Hiccup and Zenna. Nervous, the two bonded sibling prepared for the worst…

Then Toothless and Stryka promptly regurgitated the eels they had eaten.

"Die, eel, die!" Zenna said, taking out her battle sticks and whacking the bit of eel to a pulp and kicked dirt over it. "Oh, great…" Hiccup said sarcastically. As soon as those eels were out of their system, Toothless and Stryka returned to normal.

"There's the Toothless I know…Welcome back, bud," Hiccup smiled, hugging Toothless. "Aww!" Fishlegs gushed, happy to see the reunion, and Meatlug affectionately licked him. "You feeling good now, girl?" Zenna asked softly. "Vewry gwood…" Stryka warbled, affectionately nuzzling her Rider.

That's when they heard the distant roars of a Typhoomerang!

"Well, I love the reunion…Perhaps we should finish it back on Berk?" Fishlegs suggested. "I couldn't possibly agree with you more," Hiccup smiled, getting on Toothless.

"Whew…okay, can we go now? Because I am…" Zenna managed to say before her legs buckled underneath her and she collapsed! Stryka and Toothless both roared in alarm while Fishlegs and Meatlug gasped. "Zenna!" Hiccup cried out, jumping off of Toothless' back and rushing over to his one-eyed surrogate sister's side. Zenna's face was pale and her cheeks were flushed a deep red, almost as red as a Blood Bane Eel. Gently placing his hand on Zenna's forehead, Hiccup flinched upon feeling how hot it was.

"Oh, Thor…wh-what's wrong with her?!" Fishlegs squeaked nervously. "I knew I should have taken her back to Berk myself before all of this…" Hiccup murmured, gently taking Zenna into his arms. The one-eyed Fiersome girl whimpered weakly and buried her feverish face into Hiccup's tunic and shivered, coughing weakly. "She's got the Eel Pox. We need to bring her back to Berk," Hiccup said urgently and climbed onto Toothless, clicking the stirrup open. Toothless took off like a shot, Stryka flying close to him, Fishlegs and Meatlug not far behind.

"Oh, Zen…" Hiccup sighed, tenderly brushing his cool hand against Zenna's cheek. Zenna slightly opened her eye and sighed, leaning her face into her surrogate brother's cool touch…

Once they were at Berk, Hiccup gave Zenna over to Gothi to treat before flying over to the cliff overlooking the Great Hall. Astrid had been sitting on Stormfly on that very spot for hours and, now, she was beginning to cough due to the cold.

"Excuse me. Uh, you should be indoors, young lady. You'll catch your death of cold in this weather."

Looking up, Astrid was relieved to see Hiccup back with Toothless. "Hiccup! You're okay!" she exclaimed, happy beyond words. "We're okay. We both are," Hiccup said, patting Toothless' head. Flying with the boys to the Great Hall to give the rest of the village the cure, Astrid noticed someone missing. "Where's Zenna?" the Hofferson girl asked. "At Gothi's. She got the Eel Pox as well…" Fishlegs sighed. "Let me guess…Zen was too stubborn to admit that she was sick?" Astrid asked Hiccup, who just nodded. "Hiccup, it goes to show you that Zenna's exactly like you. I'm surprised you two aren't blood siblings," Astrid said, shaking her head.

And Hiccup had to agree with his Milady. Sometimes he and Zenna thought so much and behaved so much alike that it was as if they really were related! And Zenna, in her own right, was as stubborn as a whole pack of mules and always put others before herself…much like him…

Hiccup smiled a bit upon realizing that…while he and Zenna were different in some ways…they were mostly the same and complemented perfectly…Yup, they were siblings not by blood but their bond was powerful enough to surpass that…

Later that night, everyone had been given the cure and everything was returning to normal.

Well…almost everything.

Stoick and Gobber glanced at Snotlout, who was in a corner and still a bit delirious. "We were so close to uniting our people…We could have had it all…You and me, we could have been kings among men…and dragons. And, now, look at us? What have we got, huh? Nothing! Nothing!" Snotlout said before bursting into tears, the Terrible Terror he was with scampering away before going back to attack his face! "Better make his a double dose," Gobber told Stoick just as the Thorston Twins came in.

"Everyone, we've had a breakthrough! Ruffnut has determined that if you boil yak milk, you can freeze it on a stick and dip it in a variety of tasty flavorings, including coconut!" Tuffnut exclaimed, still delirious. "I call it Ruff Cream!" Ruffnut said, striking a pose. "Hold on! I thought it was Tuff Cream! We talked about this, in the other room, you said it could be Tuff Cream. And did I mishear you or are you pulling the wool over my eyes, madam?" Tuffnut demanded, his accent switching from his normal to Eel Pox-induced one.

As the Twins argued, Gobber said, "And a triple dose for those muttonheads. Who would freeze perfectly good milk? Never heard of anything so barbaric in my life."

What Gobber doesn't know is that Ruff and Tuff Cream…is actually called ice cream in our time…and it is a perfect treat for a hot summer day. But, since they live in Berk…cold foods are not ideal.

After their crazy adventure, Hiccup and Fishlegs decided to update the Book of Dragons regarding dragons and eels. For a long time, everyone wondered why dragons hated eels so much. Now, thanks to Hiccup, Zenna and Fishlegs, they finally knew.

"I'm noting the skittish behavior, the fever and the out of control firepower," Fishlegs said, writing down all the info in the Book of Dragons. "Well, now we know why most dragons won't eat eels. It makes them really sick," Hiccup summarized. "Except Typhoomerangs. That's why they live on Eel Island," Fishlegs reminded him. "And that's why we're never going back to Eel Island," Hiccup said. "Oh, thank Thor…" Fishlegs said gratefully.

As he got up to leave with Toothless, Hiccup turned back and said, "Hey, Fishlegs?" and Fishlegs asked, "Yes, Hiccup?"

Smiling, Hiccup said, "Thank you. I don't know what we would have done without you. Both of you." Thanking the chubby Ingerman boy and his Gronckle. Fishlegs smiled and said, "Group hug, Meatlug!" and he and his sweet female Gronckle both flattened Hiccup in a hug, Toothless watching in amusement. "Isn't this great?" Fishlegs grinned. "Oh, yeah…! It's great…!" Hiccup groaned, suffocating under boy and dragon.

After that rather tight group hug, Hiccup made his way over to the Fiersome house to check up on Zenna. Edgar and Henna were already feeling better and welcomed the one-legged boy and his Night Fury warmly. When Hiccup asked about Zenna, they both sighed. "Compared to the rest of the village, Zenna's Eel Pox is a little more severe. No doubt the amount of energy she spent today on your little excursion on Eel Island has taken a toll on her…" Edgar said, shaking his head. "Oh, don't worry now, Hiccup. You know how Zenna never gives up. A little illness won't keep her down for that long," Henna reassured Hiccup upon seeing the boy's worried face.

Heading upstairs, Hiccup and Toothless saw Zenna in bed, Stryka curled up around her to provide her with an extra layer of warmth. "Hi…" Zenna said, sneezing into a handkerchief. "Hey…" Hiccup smiled gently at her, sitting at the foot of her bed. They spoke of many things and Zenna laughed when Hiccup told her about Snotlout thinking he was the leader of a dragon rebellion and laughed even harder when he got to the part of the Twins becoming geniuses. "Holy Shields, I wish I could have seen that! And this Ruff and Tuff Cream of theirs sounds tasty…Note to self: try making Ruff and Tuff Cream next week with chocolate dipping sauce," Zenna giggled, scribbling herself a reminder on a notepad.

Then Hiccup noted that Zenna's cheeks were still flushed red, indicating that she still had a fever. "Zen, why didn't you just go back to Berk and stay with the others? Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" he asked worriedly. Zenna shrugged. "I didn't want you to worry when you had more important things to worry about…" she mumbled. Gently brushing his hand against Zenna's cheek, Hiccup smiled. "Zenna, you're my sister. It's my job to worry about you," he told her. Zenna smiled back and yawned. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning," Hiccup told her softly. "Sing…?" Zenna asked hopefully.

Hiccup smiled, knowing just what to sing his surrogate sister to sleep.

"Have no fear, my dear

For I am right here

Close your eyes and sleep

Dream and do not weep

In my arms, you're safe and warm

I'll protect you from all harm

Have no fear, my dear

For I am right here…"

Zenna was already fast asleep by the time Hiccup sang out the last verse, smiling peacefully in her sleep. Stryka cooed and rested her head next to Zenna, gently blowing warm air over her bangs. Toothless warbled softly and smiled his toothless smile as Hiccup leaned over towards Zenna. "Good night, Zen…Get well soon…" Hiccup whispered, tenderly kissing his surrogate sister's forehead.

Read and review! Those two things make me very happy.

-GuardianDragon98