Tunnel Vision

It was one of most unpleasant days on Berk but when one of the most important duties for the good of all Berk must be done. And yet getting it accomplish was never an easy task and it literally did take the whole village to get it done at times.

Today was Gobber's Bath Day.

Gobber was many things but one thing he was constantly was beyond unhygienic! He NEVER TOOK A BATH! And it was one of the few things that Stoick and Valka agreed that was a fault of Gobber neither could stand. In fact everyone in the village couldn't stand it when he got so beyond smelly from not bathing the air supply was beyond putrid from his body odor polluting it!

This time around they'd hoped it be easier to catch him and get him into the tub, though truthfully Stoick and Valka greatly disliked having to ask their children to try and use their blessing for this sorta task.

The kids also felt this wasn't the reason they're given these special gifts but felt for the good of people of Berk might as well put them to good use.

So the night before they're going to attempt this Hiccup had causally walked past Gobber's home to glean his memories and then reported all of he'd been able to absorbed to his parents.

Una had strained to use her powers to see both past and future events. So she was able to match both the memories Hiccup's information with past Bath Days as well as a glimpse of tomorrow so they'd an attack plan. So when that was all figured out Boden then mentally related it to all dragons who'd be helping them executed it.

The next morning when Gobber was leaving to start his day and whistling his favorite song he wasn't expecting the Haddocks to all be on dragon back waiting for him but when he saw them he knew was up at once and made a mad dash for freedom.

"He doesn't make it easy does it?" Stoick replied wearily."

"No he doesn't, my love. Hiccup you told Skullette and Firefang to watch him from above right?"

"Yeah they're tracking him from the sky so we should know where he heading next. If our calculations are right he should be hitting Astrid and her siblings next!"

"I'll signal to the sisters," Boden replied as he had Stardust shot a single bot in the air.

They got a burst of red light from Firefang telling them indeed Gobber was heading to Astrid. So that was Una's signal to have Nightrainbow sing a special tune to have Astrid get ready for him.

The family went to cut off Gobber in the rear Skullette flashed her stone which meant the Twins with their siblings should be getting ready with heavy duty soap and scrub brush.

And a double flash of light told Snotlout and his siblings to get by the tub to get it into position ready for him.

Gobber didn't stand a chance with this time with how perfectly coordinate everyone was. All he could do was argue the fact was a Viking was supposed to smell.

But the Haddocks were telling him they'd heard his stupid argument before and Valka wasn't really having it and neither was Stoick as they were telling him about 50 reasons he needed a bath and why he should be bathing regularly.

With his attention on them he didn't notice how their kids had moved behind him. Or how quietly Snotlout and his siblings were pushing the extra-large tub solely used just for Gobber just behind him.

Then during the arguing Stormfly out of nowhere shot some spines that made Gobber stumble backwards and as he stumbled he was also tripped up even more by three large tails of dragons.

He was blinded by the sister stones above him so Stoick and Valka held him down tightly as the Twins and their sibling were running forward with the soap and scrub brushes and Fishlegs and his siblings were supposed to be bringing a lot of water.

However all Fishlegs was able to dump was nothing more than a little less the enough to wet Gobber's face.

"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that, Fishlegs," Stoick told him and Fishlegs looked at him nervously.

"I'm sorry sir I can't! The well run dry!"

Everyone completely forgot what they're doing and the Haddocks were immediately at the well looking to see if it was true and sure enough the water was gone.

"How is this possible, Daddy?" Una inquired as she tried to climb up and he yanked her down.

"I don't know, sweetheart. It shouldn't be as we just dug this well two summers ago. And please don't play around the well. And empty well is very dangerous."

She flushed with shame and mumbled she was sorry. "Stoick this is very serious business. It took as a long time to find this spot to dig this well to start. It could take us a very long time to find another spot dig another one.

After all finding or dowsing for water is no easy task and we don't know if this could happen again." Valka replied with great concern to her husband who nodded.

"I know this is a very serious matter. The best we can do for now is ration water till we can find another water source to make a well. I want you, Una the rest of your friends to take care of the people and rationing of water in the village."

"I'll get the Riders and their siblings to go to other sources of water throughout the island to bring in as much as possible Dad. Though we might want to figure out what went wrong here first. So we can avoid it when we can build a new well."

"How do you plan to do that, son?"

"Well the only way is to go down the well and see what went wrong. Boden can watch my back."

"What?!" exclaimed Boden looking very pale and shaking and everyone knew exactly the reason why.

"Bro have you forgotten I don't do well in very cramp spaces?! I can't go down that well with you! I'm sorry but you'll have to get someone else!" he was shaking like leaf he was that scared.

Hiccup knelt down to his brother so he was eye level with him and took his trembling hands in his own and spoke softly and kindly. "I know you're scared and I know why. And I don't blame you. But I can't trust anyone but you, Boden.

You're the only one who can protect me and watch my back this time around. If I get in trouble down there I need you to help me and I can't do this without you. So can you be brave and watch over me this time? Can you try and face your fear and watch over me this time?" he asked him in a slight plea.

Boden looked at his brother and felt some very strange emotions but knowing his brother was counting on him this time to do what he'd done for him all his life he felt he'd to help him.

"I'll do my best to protect you and control my fear, Hiccup. I'll protect and watch over you brother."

"Okay let's go tell the other Riders where they've to go and then get Fishlegs and his siblings to help us," as he gave his brother a very proud smile.

So the other were given their assignment and it soon became apparent while they're helping gathering water it was up to the younger siblings to make sure their big brothers and sisters didn't do anything dumb.

Or at least Brimstone and Velika had to make sure their brother Snotlout didn't do a stupid "Get rich quick scheme". It was still a work in progress with the teaching and learning going both ways and everyone improving as people but sometimes bad traits still came through.

Back at the well Hiccup was busy tying the rope securely around him and Boden who was really trying to be brave. His little brother was already very pale and repeating a mantra saying "I'm protecting my big brother. I'm protecting my big brother."

"It's gonna be okay Boden" he reassured him as he got him on his back and gasped as his brother gave him a death grip and he gasped, "Boden, I can't breathe! Loosen up a little okay?" to which his brother did enough to let him breath.

"Okay let us down slow and easy Fishlegs." Hiccup ordered as Fishlegs was telling Meatlug what to do and Alle and Lanon were keeping an extra eye on the dragon.

Boden was still clutching to his big brother back for dear life with his eyes shut tight repeating his mantra while Hiccup held the lantern and was looking at where the water level was before it dried up.

"That weird it was way up here, nowhere close to going dry. And it's still wet so this seem to happen overnight. Um Boden you doing, okay?"

"I'm doing alright. My heartbeat is slowing down. But I can't open my eyes," he whimpered and Hiccup squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Okay, I understand, can you at least manage to throw a rock down below so we can estimate how far down this goes?"

"I'll try," he spoke in a shaky voice with his eyes shut tight he manage to find a rock and drop it and they heard it fall for a long time before it hit bottom.

"Hmm. That's strange it's like the bottom of this well was taken out. It's not like it went sideways or something. Something took out the bottom of the well. Boden please be brave. We have to go a little lower."

"I'll try brother."

"Fishlegs we need to go a little lower."

"Okay," he said but he wasn't seeing how frantically Alle and Lanon were tugging at the rope or trying to stop Meatlug from going after a pile of nearby rocks. Not until it was too late and the rope snapped and both Haddock brothers were falling down the well.

The screams echoed loudly and both their dragons barely fit down the well chasing after them. Hiccup twisted himself so his belly hit first so Boden didn't hit the ground first and then their dragons fell down.

"You okay, Boden? Boden? Boden speak to me!" he asked frantically to the ten year old who was still trembling with his eyes shut he was now hyperventilating.

"Is it over? Are we out of the well? Are we in a big space?!"

"Yes, Boden. You did a good job. You can open your eyes. We seem to be in a cave or something."

Slowly he opened his eyes and finally let out his breath and started crying and buried his face in his brother chest. "It's okay, Boden. You did well. You did good, trust me."

Just then they heard their dad calling down from above. "Hiccup! Boden! Are you okay?! What's going on down there?! Are you alright?!" he cried out frantically.

"Dad we are okay. Neither of us are injured, however it's too narrow to fly back up. Do us all a favor and don't let Mom know about this!" Hiccup called back up.

"Is there any way for either you to get back up before your mother does find out?"

"We seemed to be in a cave or tunnel system. It might be connect to Sanctuary or if not it's got to lead up to the surface eventually." Hiccup shout up to their dad.

"It might answer also where the water went too Dad. Don't worry I'll watch Hiccup's back while we're down here till we make it back up! I can do it Dad!" Boden shouted back up and his brother smiled proudly at him. He knew Boden was feeling he didn't do that inside the well and still wanted to do that down here.

"Okay but both of you stay together and be very careful!"

"Will do Dad!" they both replied and started down the tunnel but didn't make it ten feet before both of them were hit with overwhelmed anxiety.

For Hiccup it was because of his anxiety disorder for Boden it was because his empathic powers were picking up on the fact they're weren't alone and something very, very bad was awaiting them.

"Um, little brother tell me are you feeling a little more anxious being down here?" he asked as they made their way through the peculiar tunnels. "I don't think these are natural tunnels. They look familiar in a strange way. Like we've seen them somewhere else before."

"I'm feeling a very strong dragon presence up ahead, Hiccup. I'm also hearing like racing thoughts and like someone hungry very hungry! Um this way!" as he pulled him hard down the left tunnel and they came to a bunch of broken eggshells.

"Dragon eggs? Here? But how?" Hiccup inquired as he was inspecting the eggshells closely trying to identify the species.

"I know who brought them Hiccup! Look what they left behind!" Boden pointed to a broken box with the Outcast crest stamped in blood red ink on it.

"Oh no. If the Outcast planted these eggs then these are most likely Whispering Death eggs as that's the dragon we helped Alvin trained."

"It would also explain the unnatural tunnels we've passed through. They'd to be made from Whispering Deaths! And that means when Alvin attack us a few months back it was a distraction so he could plant these eggs! Which means…"

"Boden let's get out here fast!" Hiccup gaze was at the ceiling where dozens of tunnels were including one that was way bigger than the others. Not needing to be told twice both brothers and their dragons ran for it but tripped and the lantern.

It went out plunging them into total darkness which made Boden scream and in the split second it took Hiccup and Toothless to relight it they're surround by three very large Whispering Death Hatchlings!

"Oh shit!" Boden cried and Hiccup couldn't help but look at his brother and wanted to chastise him, but the real priority was escaping the Whispering Death.

Luckily neither Toothless or Stardust cared if Boden cursed as they fired both together a round of plasma blasts and lightning bolts, then threw the brothers on their backs and used Toothless's echolocation to find their way out of there.

Because they now knew where those dragons were heading. They're going up and gonna tear Berk apart and they'd to stop them.

It didn't take the Whispering Death long to get up to the surface where topside Brimstone and Velika had to really reign their older brother Snotlout about not taking advantage of people in times of need and making sure everyone was getting water.

But when the Whispering Deaths popped out of the ground the Riders forgot about everything else other than getting their brothers and sisters to safety. So in all of five minutes they'd round them up and got them to their mothers who'd being protected by Skullette and Firefang.

Stoick had given a horn to a random villager to signal the rest of the village and some people had formed a defense line protect those who couldn't fight.

Meanwhile Stoick and Valka summoned their dragons and along with the Riders were trying to do battle with the Whispering Death Hatchlings who according to Fishlegs were more dangerous than adults. Since they didn't have full control over their jaw muscle yet!

Luckily Hiccup and Boden made it up from the underground and got back with Una and together began using their Gronckle Iron weapons to help them take them down.

The Riders were flushing them out of the ground, then Hiccup used his shield to blind them with sunlight while Boden showed of his bola was good for more than tying things up.

He would fly in fast and close as he could while they're blinded and swinging the bola like a lasso above his head it released some type of small pellets. When they fell on Whispering Death they screamed in pain for the substance the pellets were made of burned when it came in contact with dragon scales.

And from the opposite direction was Una with her Gronckle Iron dagger that was way more like an Army Knife with more than a few tricks to it. As she came flying in fast she kept using it like a switchblade and every time it snapped a dragon claw came out to rack the Whispering Deaths.

As they manage to chase them away everyone was getting ready to count their chickens before they hatched but Hiccup said something was still to come and he was right.

Because rising from the earth came something that they'd never seen before but was something that did truly bore a hole through your hole. It was the largest and most terrifying thing anyone had ever seen.

A gigantic all white dragon with blood red eyes and its scream distorted the dragons thus Tuffnut named it right there and then Screaming Death. But Hiccup noticed something else that scared him to death.

As that monster took off it was flying directly in the path of his brother and sister and they're still as stone and not even breathing! He and Toothless had to move faster than sound to knock them out of the way.

He saw they're truly paralyzed with fear from that thing. Worse he knew without Boden opening his mouth that Boden's powers were downright useless with that thing. His brother's big wide eyes and loss of speech told him right there and then Boden and his empathic abilities would under no circumstances be able to work on the Screaming Death.

He wasn't even about to wonder if Una could offer anything he just shook his siblings till they could breath and move again. "Huh?! Is it gone?!" they cried in surprise.

"No, I'll take care of it. You two go find Mom and stay with her. The other Riders will deal with the hatchlings. You get to Mom now. That's an order."

"Understood!" and they flew off to find their mother, the Riders went to get rid of the hatchlings and Hiccup went to engage the Screaming Death.

The Riders quickly dispatched the Hatchlings and as soon as his father along with Thornado and Stormy caught up with him they manage to get the short version of what was going on.

"We've got to get rid of that thing now! How do you plan to get rid of it son?" Stoick want to know.

"I'm gonna lead it to the sea stacks, Dad. I don't know what I'll do when I get there, this is more about flying by the seat of our pants kind of planning, but we got to get it at least away from town!"

"Okay, I'll send the others you're way as quick as I can. Be careful!"

"Understood!"

It really was coming up with a plan as they went but they manage to use the Screaming Death attraction to the light and size against it to make it hit a large sea stack finally injuring it. The other hatchlings took it away and for now they could breath.

A couple hours later as the people of Berk were dealing with the aftermath Hiccup was telling his father what he and Boden had discovered down in the tunnels. It was very troubling to know how cunning and dangerous Alvin really was.

But for the moment they couldn't worry about Alvin or what else he'd might do with his dragons. They still had to fix their water problem but then Fishlegs and his siblings cried out Alvin had just fixed that for them.

Curious what they meant they went back to the well which was starting overflow. And Hiccup had to laugh at the irony of it all. "Well Alvin wanted his Whispering Death to destroy the town by eating the ground beneath our feet.

Which did lead us to losing our water and nearly the destruction of the town but now thanks to those same dragons and their tunnels they opened even more channels that we now have twice as much water. We'll have still dig another well but only because we'll need it so this one stop sloshing over!

So in trying to destroy us he did us a favor!" Hiccup couldn't help but laughing.

As for everyone else in town square at that moment they're all looking at Gobber who was trying to sneak away but everyone pounced on him like a cat on a mouse and while he was screaming for mercy they're finally able to decontaminate what had to be over three years of not bathing!

It was nearly dusk by the time Astrid saw Hiccup again whom she hadn't seen as part of the bath brigade which everyone else had participate in. She finally spot him in what seemed like a serious talk with his mother and he only nodded and looked very grave as he walked over to her as they stood by the cliff that overlooked the bay.

"Hey you okay? Why weren't you part of the fun of getting Gobber clean?"

"Mom pulled me aside and told me we need to have a serious talk."

"Was she upset about you and Boden falling down the well?"

"No. She was telling me I've to be doubly protective of Boden and Una now that we have to worry about the Screaming Death coming back. Since Boden's powers our useless against it and that thing scared both Boden and Una to the point they couldn't move."

"But that thing long gone, Hiccup. Why would you need to be more protective?"

"Dragons in general are very protective of their birthplaces, Astrid. Whispering Deaths are no different. They are known to come back and claim them as their own. It's what we learned early on during our dragon rescuing missions."

"You mean that thing could come back?" she asked gravely as she became as pale as the Screaming Death itself.

"No, I don't think it could come back, Astrid. I mean it WILL COME BACK," as he too was as pale as the Screaming Death itself and they both looked at the setting sun knowing they just added a third threat to the growing list of threats to Berk.