Hello, everyone! It's me back with another chapter!
I had someone ask which leg Hiccup was bitten on, and it was his right one (not his prosthetic one). So, yeah, hopefully it clears it up. :) Shout-outs next chapter. :D Enjoy!
"I hope this soup turns out to be edible…"
Astrid frowned as she reread her recipe. She knew she wasn't the best cook due to the fact that for Snoggletog one year, they had a Yaknog drinking contest, and Astrid won, but tasted her own terrible concoction. Since then, she hasn't trusted her own cooking, and now Valka had asked her to make something for Hiccup. She really hoped she didn't ruin it.
"Garlic, broth…I have no idea what I'm doing here," she said, slamming the book down on the table in frustration. She could wield a sword, ride a dragon, fight Outcasts like there was no tomorrow, but she couldn't make something as simple as soup.
She was just about to try again, when there was a knock at the door. At first, Astrid panicked. Oh no. What if someone needed Hiccup? She couldn't let them find out how sick he was, because then, they were bound to spread the news, and Astrid didn't want that.
She thought it out in her head: She'll open the door, tell them to ask Fishlegs and Gobber for whatever they needed help with, and then close the door and act like nothing ever happened. Perfect. It would work like a charm. So, she approached the door, grabbed the handle, and swung it open.
She started talking without even looking to see who it was: "Please, I ask that you direct your questions to Gobber or…" She paused, finally seeing just who it was at the door. "Fishlegs?" she asked.
And so it was Fishlegs. He was standing with Meatlug behind him, twiddling his fingers uneasily, as if he were nervous.
"What are you doing here?" Astrid asked calmly.
"Gobber told me Hiccup was sick," Fishlegs said. He reached into the satchel he carried, pulling a small bottle out of it and handing it to Astrid. She took it from him, examining it in her fingers. It was a clear bottle, and the liquid inside of it was clear, but looked a mix of green and purple and white.
"My mother's remedy," Fishlegs said. There was pride in his voice. "It always works when I'm sick. What's Hiccup got?"
"Fever, mainly," Astrid said. "A bit of nausea here and there, but yeah, the fever's the biggest thing."
"Oh, well, this'll work for both," Fishlegs said.
"Nice," Astrid said. "Thank you, Fishlegs. Do you wanna come in for a minute?" In honesty, she was wondering how the village was holding together with Fishlegs and Gobber running it. Plus, she wanted to hear some news outside, see how the other dragon riders were.
"Um…sure," Fishlegs said, stepping into the house, giving Meatlug orders to sit outside and wait for him. Astrid shut the door behind herself and Fishlegs, spinning around and offering Fishlegs a seat once she finished. Fishlegs sat on a stool, and Astrid sat across from him.
"So, how's the village?" Astrid asked.
"Very good, actually," Fishlegs said. "I gave Gobber the easier jobs so it doesn't end up like it did last time, and he's doing them without a word else wise, so I suppose we're doing good, yeah. What about you? How's Hiccup?"
"He's pretty sick, Fishlegs," Astrid said. "He's sleeping right now. Valka and Toothless are with him."
"Do you know how he got sick in the first place?" Fishlegs asked. "Is it a contagious disease? By chance, do you think it could be Eel Pox?"
"No, it's not Eel Pox," Astrid said.
"Then what is it?" Fishlegs asked.
"It's a long story, and we don't really know for sure, but we think we have a good idea," Astrid said.
"What is it?" Fishlegs asked.
"Well, last night," Astrid said, "Hiccup told me that he found something strange in the forest. He heard some sort of…undragon growl, apparently, and asked me to come look with him. So, I did, and the entire time, I nagged him and nagged him constantly, and then, well…it turns out he was right."
"What did you find?" Fishlegs asked, leaning forward, interest sparkling in his eyes. "Was it a new dragon species?"
"No, even though it would have been easier to take care of if it were," Astrid said. "It was a pack of wolves. An entire pack of them, Fishlegs. They weren't small wolves, either. They were big. Bigger than usual."
"Wolves? On Berk?" Fishlegs asked. "I've never seen them before."
"That's what I thought," Astrid said. "But they're there, nonetheless, and there's nothing we can do about it. So, anyways, they attacked us…"
"They attacked you?" Fishlegs questioned. "Wolves don't normally do that."
"Yeah, Valka pointed that out earlier," Astrid said. "So, we were fighting off wolves, right?"
"Right," Fishlegs agreed.
"Right," Astrid said. "And then…I really don't know. I heard Hiccup shout my name, and the next thing I know, Hiccup and the wolf are tumbling down a hill at full speed."
"Oh…Thor…" Fishlegs said.
"I know," Astrid said. "I thought he was dead, or unconscious for a while, but then he screamed, and I attacked the wolf, got it away from Hiccup, and then it and its pack disappeared again into the forest. But…the wolf bit Hiccup."
"It bit him," Fishlegs repeated as if he had heard her wrong. Astrid nodded. "So, are you thinking that the wolf carried a sickness, or something?" Fishlegs asked.
Astrid sighed. "Sadly, that's exactly what Valka and I are thinking," she said, looking down at the floorboards. "Wolves normally don't attack humans, and they don't normally go towards fire, either. Hiccup had Inferno."
"I assumed," Fishlegs said. He was breathing hard, his face covered in disbelief. "Poor Hiccup!" he said. "Is there anything I can do to help you guys?"
"You're already being a huge help to us by taking care of the village," Astrid said.
"Well, yes, but is there anything else?" Fishlegs said. "Anything at all, Astrid? Please, I want to help."
Astrid paused, thinking it over for a moment. "Well," she said, "how good are you at making soup?"