Chapter 1 ~ Dragon Flower
Note! If you have not read How to Love a Night Fury, HTLANF: Gift from a Lover, HTLANF: Race to the Edge, How to Love a Night Fury 2, HTLANF: How to Heal a Broken Heart, HTLANF: Hidden World, and HTLANF: Homecoming, I recommend you do so. I also advise that you read them in the order listed! That way you are not confused as you read this story!
Please note that this story is written in italics since it is flashbacks! The only things that will not be italicized are the dragon tongue and emphasized words! So keep that in mind when you start reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD! That belongs to DreamWorks! I only own the plot, the original characters, and the head canons! I also did not draw the cover! Credit goes to who created it! I only added the text!
~~~HTLANF~~~
Berk is a small island in the middle of nowhere. So when we get a taste of something new…
"Trader Johann is here. Trader Johann!" Bucket exclaimed as a merchant ship pulled into port to dock.
We tend to go a little overboard. Unfortunately, new isn't always good.
Johann smiled and spread his arms as he released a relaxed breath when his ship was anchored down. "Ah, Berk, my favorite of all the islands I travel to."
"Where have you been this time, Trader Johann?" Bucket asked excitedly as he bounced in place on the docks.
"Oh, Bucket, the things I've seen, the people I've met! I'd need a week to regale you, but alas, we have limited time to conduct our business together. Whatever it is you're looking for I can assure you you'll find it here!" Johann said happily as the tribe crowded around his ship excitedly.
People began filing onto his ship and looking through all the wares, nothing but excitement radiating off the Vikings as they did. Hiccup and Kala were able to get on board and maneuver around everyone as they looked through things, Kala keeping close to him and holding his hand to calm her nerves.
Although it had been a few months since her secret was revealed to the Vikings, she was still very hesitant to be going about in human form so often. Especially around Astrid.
"It's all mine. I call dibs on everything." Snotlout said as he began to search through the wares, being the smug boy he was.
"I've got food of all sorts, spices, exotic animals…" Johann listed off as he milled about the deck with a smile.
The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were looking about with mischievous intentions. Tuffnut's attention was caught by one of the animals to the left of him and he got closer to see what it was.
"Is that moving? Does that one move?" He asked as Johann passed, but he got his answer as the animal lunged at him from within its cage. "Whoa!"
"Works of art, jewelry, not to mention, knowledge." Johann continued.
Fishlegs came up to the merchant with a book in hand. "Trader Johann, is this your only book on botany?"
Johann turned to the Ingerman and smiled when he took notice of the item. "Yes, Mr. Fishlegs. Why it was given to me by the author himself."
"Would you take this necklace? It's made from baby dragons' teeth." Fishlegs offered as he held up the necklace in question.
"Fair enough Mr. Fishlegs." Johann agreed, accepting the offered accessory.
Fishlegs walked off happily as he began to read through his new book, walking past Snotlout who just so happened to be checking himself out in a mirror he found.
"Oooh, I'm even better looking than I thought."
Astrid rolled her eyes as she passed the Jorgenson, then she stopped in her tracks when she saw Gobber and raised a brow in confusion. "You okay there, Gobber?"
"I'm better than okay, I'm in heaven!" The blacksmith replied as he busied himself with feeling some purple silk.
Hiccup picked up a small jar and looked at it curiously. Kala tilted her head as she looked at it as well and her nose scrunched up slightly when she caught a whiff of the contents.
"That smells odd." She said and Johann chuckled as he came up to the young couple.
"That's because it is pure squid ink my dear. Wrestled from the colossal squid of the Northern waters." He explained, then offered his hand to shake. "Trader Johann at your service."
Kala hesitantly shook his hand, then inched closer to Hiccup nervously. "Kala.."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Kala." Johann said happily, then he looked at Hiccup. "Interested in getting it, Hiccup?"
The teen in question smiled with a nod. "Yes, will this spyglass do?" He asked as he pulled a spyglass out of the satchel he brought, having to let go of Kala's hand. "Made it myself."
"I know. You've given me five just like it. Unfortunately, I've only got two eyes. What else have you got?" Johann asked.
"Oh, uh. What about this?" Hiccup said as he put the spyglass away and pulled out a winch and offered it to the man. "This winch could help you pull up your gangplank."
"A welcome tool for a working man's ailing shoulder. Consider it done." Johann agreed as he took the winch gratefully.
Hiccup smiled and stashed the ink jar in his satchel as Kala's attention was torn from the interaction when something gray caught her eye. She turned to the stack of crates they were standing close to and moved a few items aside to get a better look. To her surprise it was a wolf plush with piercing, yet soft brown eyes. She tilted her head curiously as she picked it up, her eyes widening when she noticed how soft the fur was.
"Ah, I see you found the wolf plush. Got that from Fenrir himself. It's made from his own fur." Johann said as he noticed Kala looking at the plush.
"Fenrir? Who's that?" She asked as she looked at the merchant with a slight head tilt.
"Why, he's one of Loki's children of course! Fenrir is a giant wolf that is trapped by unbreakable chains, for the gods feared his strength and needed a way to contain him." Johann explained then gave Kala a curious look. "You do know who Loki is, don't you?"
Kala nodded as she looked at the plush. "The god of Mischief and Pranks. Hiccup told me about him."
"I see. Would you be interested in getting that plush Miss Kala?"
Kala thought about it then shook her head as she placed it back on the crates. "No, I was just looking."
Hiccup looked at the plush as Kala walked off to look at something else, then looked at Johann when he knew she was out of earshot.
"I'll get it for her. Would some parchment and charcoal sticks do?" He asked as he offered up the parchment and charcoal sticks he brought along.
Johann considered the offer then nodded with a smile as he took the offered materials. "It sure will, lad. I am curious, though. Are the two of you courting dear boy?" He asked as he handed the plush to Hiccup.
Hiccup blushed as he took the wolf plush and hid it in his satchel, taking the squid ink back out to keep the plush from getting ruined. "Y-yeah. Yeah we are."
As that interaction was going on, Kala ran into Stoick and tilted her head curiously as he tested out a sword.
"Another sword, Chief Stoick? Did yours break?" She asked.
Stoick chuckled as he stopped testing out the sword. "Gods, no. This isn't for me lass. I'm heading off to my yearly meeting with the chief of the Shivering Shores. The last man who showed up without a gift left without a head."
"So..he died?" Kala asked with a raised brow of confusion.
"Well..yes he died." Stoick said with a weary laugh, then he looked over at Johann. "Johann! What will you take in trade?"
Johann came over and smiled wide. "Stoick! It is but your good graces I desire when my amble ship passes through Berk."
"You'll always be welcome on our shores." Stoick said with a nod as he sheathed the sword on his belt, then he looked back at Kala as the merchant was called away by another tribe member. "I'll be back in five days. What am I saying? I'll be back in two, thanks to Thornado."
Kala smiled with a nod. "Good luck at the meeting Stoick."
Stoick smiled and ruffled her hair as he got off the ship, then he mounted Thornado. "Up, Thornado."
Thornado obliged and took off from the docks, leaving Berk behind for the next couple of days.
As Stoick was leaving, Hiccup came up to Kala's side and gently took her hand. She looked at him and smiled, which he returned with his own.
"Ah, men riding dragons. What a magnificent sight." Johann said as he watched Stoick leave.
"Johann!" Mildew yelled as he boarded the ship, his pet sheep Fungus following right behind him.
Kala shrank away from the old man, her hold on Hiccup's hand tightening slightly. Hiccup smiled softly and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, keeping an eye on Mildew as he passed them.
Johann turned to the grumpy old man and gave a small smile. "Mildew!"
"Did you bring what I want?" Mildew asked, not in the mood for conversation with the merchant.
"Always straight to the point. I like that!" Johann said as he picked up a basket from a group of them and showed the man the contents. "I assume you've brought my cabbage?"
Mildew handed over the cabbage as Johann set down the basket, then he motioned to the group of baskets with his walking stick. "Take these to my house."
As the exchange was going down, Kala was able to catch the scent of whatever was in the basket and she sneezed then whined softly. Hiccup looked at her with a silent question and she nodded with a small smile.
Mildew left the ship when Johann nodded, but Fungus stayed behind and tried to dig through the baskets.
"Now, now, now little fella, that's not for you. Away." Johann said as he shooed Fungus away from the baskets.
Fungus bleated in displeasure and bit Johann.
"Ow! Feisty little one, isn't he?" Johann asked as he rubbed his hand where the angered sheep bit him.
Fungus headbutted Hiccup's good leg as he passed to show his displeasure for the boy as well.
"Ow!" Hiccup winced, releasing Kala's hand to rub his leg to soothe the pain.
Kala growled at Fungus, but the sheep wasn't phased by it as he disembarked the ship to catch up to his master. As Kala was watching the rude sheep trot off, Astrid walked past her and 'accidentally' walked into her. Kala yelped in surprise at the force and accidentally ran into Hiccup as she tried to regain her balance. Hiccup lost his grip on the ink jar as he rushed to catch her before she tumbled to the deck, the jar shattering as it hit the wood.
Both of them looked at it once Kala was upright again and Hiccup sighed.
"Well there goes the ink.." He said dejectedly.
"Oh, sorry, lad. That was my last one. But rest assured, I'll find that colossal squid and wrestle you another bottle." Johann reassured the boy.
"No, it's okay Johann. Really. I'll just stick with charcoal for now. Thank you, though." Hiccup said with a slight smile.
~~~HTLANF~~~
About an hour or so later, the teens were gathered in the Academy. The twins had hauled their new collection with them and were positioning it all in the arena.
Hiccup shook his head and looked away from them. He then remembered the plush and dug it out of his satchel.
"I got you something milady." He said as he offered the plush to Kala.
Kala looked over and her eyes widened as she took the wolf plush gently. "You got me the plush?"
Hiccup smiled and nodded. "I saw how fascinated you were with it, so I couldn't not get it for you."
Kala smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."
He blushed and gained a lovestruck look as Kala hugged the plush close with an adorable smile on her lips. He would never get tired of seeing her happy like this.
"Mind being all lovey-dovey elsewhere?" Snotlout asked grossed out as he stopped looking at himself in his mirror.
Hiccup and Kala blushed in embarrassment and glared at him.
"What? It's weird to watch knowing what Kala is, okay?" Snotlout defended as he crossed his arms.
The young couple rolled their eyes as Astrid entered the Academy with a small bundle of blue flowers of some kind in her hand.
"Hey guys. You've gotta see these flowers. Aren't they beautiful?" She asked as she held out the small bundle near Kala.
As she did, Kala got a face full of the scent from the flowers and sneezed. Hiccup looked at her worriedly.
"Are you okay, love?" He asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I-I'm fi-" Kala began to say, but was cut off as she sneezed again, accidentally transforming into her dragon form as she did, the wolf plush falling out of her grip.
Astrid had the tiniest hint of a smirk on her lips as Kala sneezed again, a plasma blast being released from her maw. Snotlout yelped as it came his way and shielded himself with the mirror, the blast bouncing off of it and hitting the rock wall.
"Watch it!" He exclaimed fearfully.
"She didn't mean to, Snotlout." Hiccup said as he rubbed Kala's head to comfort her as she proceeded to have a sneezing fit, struggling to not release plasma blasts with the sneezes.
"What's wrong with her?" Ruffnut asked worriedly.
"I don't know.." Hiccup admitted, but then he glanced at the flowers that were in Astrid's grasp and then between them and his girlfriend a few times as it clicked.
He then snatched the flowers from Astrid and tossed them as far away from Kala as he could.
"Hey! What'd you do that for?!" Astrid asked exasperatedly.
"They're what's making Kala sneeze." He stated with crossed arms.
"And what makes you think they're the cause? They're just pretty flowers, Hiccup." She shot back with her hands on her hips.
To prove Hiccup's point, Kala's sneezing fit came to a stop and she whined as she flopped on the rocky floor of the arena. Hiccup gestured to her with an I-told-you-so look as he knelt down and scratched Kala's head soothingly. She purred softly and leaned into his touch.
Astrid scoffed and crossed her arms as she blew her bangs out of her face. "Okay, so? Still doesn't mean anything. She could just be allergic to something. Doesn't mean it was the flowers."
Hiccup glared at her. "Do you see her sneezing because of anything else in here, Astrid?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
~~~HTLANF~~~
Later that same day, Hiccup was comforting Kala in their hut as she had another sneezing fit in her human form.
He was rubbing her back gently with a worried look as the sneezing finally died down. Kala whined and buried her head in the crook of his neck and he smiled softly.
"This sucksss…" She complained, sounding very congested.
Hiccup ran his hand through her hair. "Yeah, I know. I'm sure you'll feel better after you rest, though."
Hiccup's attention was torn from his task as the door opened and Tuffnut rushed inside.
"Is everything okay, Tuff?" He asked as he stood with a confused look as the male Thorston caught his breath.
"You…you gotta come help, Hiccup. The dragons are going nuts! And not in the fun explosion-y way!" Tuffnut pleaded as he grabbed Hiccup's arms.
"Okay, okay! Calm down." Hiccup said as he pulled his arms free and glanced at Kala. "You gonna be okay in here by yourself while I handle this, milady?"
Kala nodded as she covered her mouth with her sleeve as she sneezed yet again. "I-I'll be fine Hiccup…"
He nodded and left with Tuffnut, following his friend to where the supposed chaos was going down. When they got there, he saw that the others' dragons were struggling to fly right or were having sneezing fits like Kala was.
"Easy, easy! Whooaaa!" Snotlout yelped out as he clung to Hookfang as the Nightmare crashed from the sky.
Hiccup's eyes widened as he jumped back to keep from getting hit by the dragon as he crashed. Fishlegs and Meatlug then passed him, the Gronckle also struggling to fly correctly.
"Help her, Hiccup! She's sick! Whoa! And I'm about to be!" Fishlegs exclaimed, covering his mouth to keep from puking.
"It's spreading to all the dragons." Hiccup realized, but then had to cover his mouth as he sneezed.
"Seems like it's spreadin' to more than just the dragons, lad." Gobber said as he hobbled over to the teens.
"I'm fine, Gobber." Hiccup said as he rubbed his nose. "How do we stop this?"
Gobber thought over the question then smiled as he pointed a finger towards the sky. "Gothi! She'll know what to do!"
"I heard she could tell when you're gonna die, just by looking at your fingernails." Ruffnut said as she looked at her nails with a shudder.
"Ah, that's just an old wives tale. She looks at your tongue." Gobber said offhandedly.
The teens gave him a look as they all made their way to the Elder's hut by foot. The blacksmith paid no mind to said looks as they walked.
When they got to the hut, they explained the situation to Gothi and she began to write in the sand on her floor. Gobber read it and translated for the others.
"She says they're reacting to something, like they're allergic."
"Yeah, we know. But to what?" Hiccup asked with crossed arms, wanting to know how he could help Kala through this.
Gothi wrote something else down and Gobber read over it.
"To a moose wearing boots. Shouldn't be hard to find." He said, but winced as Gothi hit him across the head. "Didn't think that was right."
She rewrote what she said in an easier to understand format.
"Ah, they're allergic to something new that's just come to the island. But that still looks like a moose." Gobber said, looking at Gothi as he mentioned the last part.
"Well, there are a lot of new things on the island. Trader Johann was just here." Astrid said as she rested a hand on her hip.
Hiccup gave her a look, but shook his head to clear it as he focused on the task at hand. Gothi wrote something else down.
"She says to get rid of everything, immediately." Gobber translated. "Otherwise it's just going to get worse. The dragons are going to get sicker."
As he was saying that, Hiccup had to cover his mouth with his sleeve as a sneezing fit hit him and the others all looked at him.
"So much for bein' fine, hm?" Gobber said with a knowing look.
Hiccup gave his mentor a halfhearted glare once his sneezing died down.
~~~HTLANF~~~
The following day came with lots of convincing to get everyone to agree to get rid of their new things.
They had dug up a large pit that would house everything away from the village to make sure no dragon would be affected by whatever it was that was causing the sickness.
"I know this is hard, guys, but I promise you, you're doing a good thing." Hiccup said as tribe members passed him with their items. "You're helping the dragons."
Astrid glanced at him and saw the wolf plush he got for Kala poking out of the satchel slung across Hiccup's body. She smirked and yanked it out, then threw it into the pit.
"Hey! Astrid!" Hiccup yelled as he glared at her. "I was going to do that later!"
"Oh come on Hiccup. It's the least we can do for them, right? You got that for her from Johann just like the rest of the items. It had to go." She said with crossed arms.
Hiccup's glare sharpened slightly, but broke as he went into a sneezing fit again.
"Goodbye, beautiful." Snotlout said sadly just before he dropped the mirror into the pit and walked away dejectedly.
Ruffnut looked at Fishlegs and gained an exasperated look when she noticed he still had his book. "What are you doing?! Throw it in!"
"I'm sorry! But this botany book is a real page-turner! I've gotta finish it again!" Fishlegs justified as he flipped through the pages.
Ruffnut rolled her eyes and yanked the small book out of his grasp and tossed it into the pit.
"No, Ruffnut!" Fishlegs whined as he reached out for the book sadly.
After Hiccup's sneezing fit ended he looked over at his mentor with a skeptical look.
"I don't see you throwing anything in the pile, and I thought I saw you buy something from Trader Johann." He said with crossed arms and a raised brow.
"He did. He bought silk!" Astrid said with hands on her hips.
Hiccup tried his best to not glare at Astrid as he reached out a hand to Gobber. "Hand it over, Gobber."
"Can't do that, Hiccup. It's, uh, currently in use." Gobber said awkwardly, then he leaned close to his apprentice and held his good hand to his face as he whispered. "It's my skivvies. They're glorious!"
Hiccup gave him a stern look and the blacksmith huffed as he straightened.
"Fine." He said in resignation, then walked off behind some rocks and removed the silk, throwing it into the pit before he came back out as he finished pulling up his pants.
Hiccup shook his head and shuddered a bit. "I could have gone my whole life without seeing that."
~~~HTLANF~~~
Later that night Hiccup was putting the finishing touches on the makeshift 'nest' of furs and pillows on Kala's stone slab in their room.
Kala crawled into the furs sluggishly in her human form and flopped down with a weak purr as she nestled into the 'nest'. Hiccup followed and laid beside her, pulling her close as they both promptly fell asleep. Both feeling too under the weather to do much else, Kala more so than Hiccup.
~~~HTLANF~~~
The following morning, the teens had gathered to see if any of their dragons were any better, but it looked to be that none were.
Hiccup joined the group as Fishlegs was talking, kind of out of it as he sniffled and yawned. He and Kala hadn't gotten much sleep from the amount of times they woke up from either sneezing fits or Kala getting nauseous.
"We got rid of everything from Trader Johann, but our dragons still aren't getting better, they're getting worse!" Fishlegs said worriedly.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut spotted Hiccup as he joined the group and gained concerned looks for their friend.
"They're not the only ones." Ruffnut said as she gestured to Hiccup.
The others looked at him and gained concerned looks of their own.
"Gods, you look like death cuz." Snotlout said and Hiccup gave him a look.
"Thank you for summing that up Snotlout..I had no idea.." He said, sounding very tired and very congested.
Snotlout raised his hands in surrender. "Chill man. Just sayin' what I see."
"Is Kala doing any better?" Fishlegs asked, hoping that his Night Fury friend was, but that hope was shot when Hiccup shook his head.
"No..she can barely move right now she's so sick.." Hiccup said with a sigh.
"Who cares?" Astrid asked with crossed arms.
Hiccup glared at her harshly, but had to stop as he began to have yet another sneezing fit.
"Astrid, now is not the time." Fishlegs said with a small glare then he turned his attention to Hiccup. "So, as we were saying before you got here, Hiccup. The dragons don't seem to be getting any better. There might've been someone who didn't throw away what they bought."
Hiccup crossed his arms as he looked at the ground in thought. He doesn't remember ever seeing Mildew toss whatever he bought into the pit, but then again, it's Mildew. It was better to just leave the old codger alone than get into it with the man.
"Let's– let's make a list..as you said there's probably someone who didn't toss their items in.."
"If I find out who was holding back, I am going to be so mad! Hookfang was so sick, I was up all night scraping dragon barf off our walls!" Snotlout complained irritably.
"Yeah? Well, ours is dead!" Tuffnut said.
Astrid gasped as she and the others gave the twins terrified looks.
Tuffnut stifled a laugh and smiled. "Just kidding. But, he's really not that fun anymore."
"He just sits there. He won't blow anything up!" Ruffnut whined.
The Zippleback in question grumbled weakly from their spot between the twins, both heads keeping their eyes closed.
As the teens were talking, Stoick and Thornado landed as they returned from their trip to the Shivering Shores. The chief dismounted and began to make his way over to the teens when he spotted them.
"Hiccup! Put this in the Book of Dragons! Never fly on a stomach full of under-cooked mutton. The Shivering Shores will never be the same." Stoick said with a shudder then he gained a worried look when he noticed the state of his son. "Odin's beard, Hiccup, are you alright?"
"It's just allergies, Stoick..I'm fine.." Hiccup defended, then had to cover his mouth as he went into a sneezing fit again.
"Seems like more than just allergies to me, lad." Stoick said with crossed arms, then he noticed the dragons with the teens. "What's the matter with your dragons?"
"They're sick! And getting worse." Astrid said, worry clear in her voice.
"Every dragon?" The chief asked with wide eyes.
~~~HTLANF~~~
Hiccup filled Stoick in on what had transpired while he was away, both standing outside their hut as they talked.
Stoick looked up at the hut with worry filled eyes after Hiccup finished explaining Kala's state to him. "Poor lass.. What do you think happened?"
"I'm not sure, chief.. I know that some flowers are why Kala got the symptoms at first..but I haven't seen any of them since the first day.. Gothi said they're allergic to something new to the island, but we think we've gotten rid of everything.." Hiccup explained, clearing his airway of any mucus as he did.
"But, if the dragons aren't getting better.." Stoick said, thinking through what his son had told him. "You mentioned flowers. What did they look like?"
"Uh..blue flower with five petals..faded into a light purple near the stem.. Why..?" Hiccup asked with a raised brow.
"'Cause I saw groups of them planted throughout the village as I came in to land." Stoick said with concern and Hiccup's eyes widened.
"What..?!"
~~~HTLANF~~~
Hiccup and Stoick found Fishlegs, filling him in on their theory and the three of them found a bush of the flowers.
Fishlegs looked it over as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Definitely looks an awful lot like the Blue Oleander. I recognize it from my botany book, chapter eight."
"I-is there anything specific you can remember..?" Hiccup asked worriedly.
"They're very beautiful, very soft, perennial. And… Poisonous to reptiles!" Fishlegs realized in fear.
"Which means poisonous to dragons..! I knew it..!" Hiccup said in realization, but he then proceeded to have a rather harsh sneezing fit.
"Seems like it's more than just the dragons that it's harmful to." Stoick said with worry for his son, but refraining from trying to comfort him to respect his boundaries.
Fishlegs quickly guided his friend as far away from the oleanders as possible, Stoick right behind the teens. After a couple minutes, Hiccup's sneezing finally came to a stop and he groaned as he rubbed at his nose in agitation.
"Please tell me your book said something about a cure…" Hiccup pleaded as he looked at his friend, clearing his airway the best he could.
"Not the botany book, but I remember that the Book of Dragons talked about a dragon that feeds on the Blue Oleander. It's called the Scauldron. In a perfect world, if it eats the flowers, maybe its venom can be used as an antidote, like with snakes and spiders. But alas, we do not live in a perfect world. The book never mentioned the Scauldron having any venom." Fishlegs explained downcast.
"The Book is wrong!" They heard Gobber say as he hobbled over to them. "I've dealt with a Scauldron before. They're sixty feet long, with razor sharp teeth! And they'll shoot boiling water that melts the flesh from your bones! The Scauldron has no fear. No conscience. But what the Scauldron does have is venom! And lots of it!"
"Alright…Fishlegs, you and the others stay here and take care of the dragons…" Hiccup said as he began to form a plan in his mind.
"Hiccup are you serious? You're in no condition to go after a Scauldron!" Fishlegs said worriedly.
"I-I'm perfectly f-fi-" Hiccup tried to defend, but he ended up passing out from exhaustion and overheating from fever.
Stoick quickly caught the boy before he could make contact with the ground and sighed.
"Um..Chief Stoick? There's something you need to know. We never saw Mildew throw in what he got from Trader Johann..he might be the one that planted all the oleanders in the village." Fishlegs explained nervously.
Stoick's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. "After I get Hiccup home, you and Gobber will come with me to confront the old codger."
Fishlegs nodded slightly in understanding as his nerves got the better of him. Stoick nodded back before he left, Hiccup out cold in his arms.
As Stoick was walking back to his hut, he thought over everything that had been going on.
'There has got to be something more to this than Hiccup being allergic to the oleanders..but what could it be? How is it that he is the only human on this island that is under the weather?' His eyes widened as the dots began to connect on their own the more he thought about the situation. 'No, it's not possible. But everything is pointing to that. The change in diet, the increasing dislike in eels, the change in who he's more comfortable around. It all makes sense. But how in Odin's name is my son turning into a dragon? Are the gods punishing him? Or is this just a coincidence?'
~~~HTLANF~~~
Stoick met up with Gobber and Fishlegs outside of Mildew's hut after he got Hiccup home and laid down in his bed.
He nodded at them, which they returned before Stoick pushed open Mildew's door and barged in.
"Mildew!"
The old man jumped and hobbled over, leaning against his walking stick for support. "Why, Stoick! It's not like you to barge in like this. Has something happened?"
"Oh don't play dumb, Mildew. We know you planted those flowers in the village!" Gobber said as he pointed his prosthetic at him accusingly.
"Well, so what if I planted some flowers? The town square has never looked better. I was merely trying to spread some beauty and happiness." Mildew defended.
"Since when have you cared about beauty or happiness?" Fishlegs asked, confused.
"You did this!" Stoick accused, his worry for his son and Kala getting the better of him.
"What? Me?! Ha!" Mildew laughed as he realized what they were accusing him of. "Well, I had no inkling, Stoick, that these flowers had special properties. Oh, it's true, I'm not a friend of the dragons, but in this case, on my life, I was not trying to harm them."
Stoick glared at him then turned to leave. "Let's go."
Gobber and Fishlegs followed behind their chief, Gobber giving Mildew a final glare before he closed the door behind them. What they didn't hear was what Mildew said once the door closed.
"Ah. The poor, poor dragons." He said as he smirked triumphantly.
Stoick turned to Gobber and the young Ingerman once they were far enough away from Mildew's hut.
"Now that we know he's the culprit, we'll take him and a small group of Vikings out to search for that Scauldron tonight." Stoick decided.
"W-what?! Tonight?! Chief, don't you think it's a little too dangerous to go after a Scauldron? I-I mean-" Fishlegs began to rant, but cut himself off when he noticed the looks he was getting from the adults. "O-oh..I'll shut up..you're right."
~~~HTLANF~~~
Later that night, Stoick was checking on Thornado, who had become sick not even an hour after they had returned from the Shivering Shores.
"How's my dragon warrior?" Stoick asked as he knelt down in front of the sickly Thunderdrum.
Thornado crooned weakly as Stoick rubbed his snout. The chief smiled sadly and propped Thornado's head up with a flour sack as said dragon fell asleep.
"I spent my whole life trying to kill them. Now look at me." Stoick sighed as he stood.
Gobber hobbled his way over to his friend and Stoick looked at him with a silent question.
"The ship's ready to go Stoick." Gobber said firmly.
~~~HTLANF~~~
"Well, this is an outrage! I dug up all the flowers! I did my part!" Mildew complained as they were sailing in search of a Scauldron to get some venom to cure the dragons and hopefully cure Hiccup as well.
Stoick glared at him. "We're all out here because of you, Mildew. If we all have to put our lives at risk, then so do you!"
"You have no proof, Stoick!" Mildew said rather upset. "You can't blame me every time something goes amiss with your precious dragons."
Everyone then proceeded to ignore the old man as he hobbled away angrily.
"Alright, Stoick. What's the plan?" Gobber asked as the chief turned to him and Fishlegs.
"Fishlegs, when Gobber and I secure the Scauldron's head, Sven will wedge its jaw open." Stoick began to explain, the nervous teen nodding slightly in understanding as the chief grabbed a bucket that had a cloth covering the opening. "We'll need you to drain the poison into this bucket."
He then handed the bucket to Fishlegs, who proceeded to fumble with it as his nerves got the better of him.
"R-right.." Fishlegs said sheepishly as he tried to keep his entire body from shaking out of fear.
Stoick then picked up one of the bags filled with the oleanders that Mildew dug up and proceeded to sprinkle them into the water off the side of the ship.
"This should lure the dragon to the boat." He said as he emptied the entire bag then tossed it aside.
They waited around for a few minutes in nervous silence, but Mildew then broke it in agitation.
"Bah! This is not working! It was a stupid idea to begin with!" He complained.
Fishlegs glared at the man as his worry for his friends and his dragon overshadowed his fear and he was about to argue with him, but was stopped as Stoick placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Easy, Fishlegs, that's not why we're here." Stoick said calmly.
"But that is." Gobber said as he pointed to something in the water coming their way.
Stoick rushed over to where the blacksmith stood and his eyes widened when he spotted the creature.
"Scauldron!"
"I may need to change my skivvies again." Gobber admitted as they looked at the dragon in question.
"We need to lure that dragon on deck!" Stoick decided as he poured out the second bag of oleanders onto the deck of the ship.
"Oh, that's great. Get it on the ship where it can have at us all!" Mildew exclaimed rather upset.
Stoick ignored his complaining as he turned to the others. "Gobber! Secure its neck with this! I'll lasso its horn!"
Stoick then tossed a hooked rope to Gobber and grabbed a plain rope for his part.
~~~HTLANF~~~
After the straining wait for the antidote, they were able to help all the dragons get better.
Stoick took a few doses of the Scauldron venom back home with him to help Hiccup, Kala, and Thornado get better.
Thornado was the first to come around, sending out his soundwaves joyously. Stoick chuckled and patted his head happily.
"Good ta have ya back, Thornado." He said happily.
His attention was torn away as he heard the door to the hut open and he smiled when he saw Kala walk out looking as healthy as could be.
"Well look who's finally up and around. How ya feelin' lass?" Stoick asked as he and Thornado made their way to the young Night Fury.
"Much better." Kala said with a soft smile, but that smile faded as quick as it came as she glanced back into the hut and up the stairs. "But…Hiccup's still sick…"
Stoick's eyes widened in worry. "What? But I gave him the antidote just after you. How is he not better yet?"
"I-I don't know, Stoick…I'm really worried…" Kala whined, her worry for her intended very noticeable in her body language and eyes.
Stoick then rushed inside with his mind set on getting the boy to the healer.
~~~HTLANF~~~
Once Gothi was done looking Hiccup over, she took what remained of the Scauldron venom and mixed it with some cold medicine.
She then signaled for Stoick to prop Hiccup up, which he did not a second later, and poured the mixture down Hiccup's throat.
The boy coughed in disgust as the medicine took effect and he groaned.
"Ugh..I will never get used to that.." He muttered as he tried to forget the awful taste.
Stoick laughed and patted his back. "Ah, that just means it's workin'. Probably doesn't help that we had ta add in the Scauldron venom, though."
Before Hiccup could say anything else, he was tackled by Kala who was purring happily as she nuzzled against him.
"Thank Akatosh you're okay!" She exclaimed in glee.
Hiccup smiled and hugged her back, holding her close as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Yeah.."
~~~HTLANF~~~