The Eel Effect
Many months ago there an been an epidemic making the dragons sick, now the reverse had happened and the Vikings of Berk were sick with a breakout of Eel Pox.
Almost everyone was currently out of commission with the minor exception of a few selected people.
Right now at the Great Hall Valka, her brunch club and the Anquetils sisters were all perfectly fine and showing absolutely no sign of getting sick at all. It was almost like they're immune to the Eel Pox in some way even though they're taking care of the sick in the Great Hall.
Stoick was sick but not nearly as server as the rest of his people. Almost like he had had some of what was keeping the women playing nursemaids to everyone had only hadn't had as much.
"You feeling okay, beloved?" asked Valka as she dabbed his sweaty forehead some as she left the food line where Bloodthorn with Breezy where serving the most nutritious food and freshest water they could to the sick.
Stoick raised his head enough from the sickbed that Valka had made for him in the Great Hall and saw her other friends were busy caring for the sick in their own ways.
Lily was offering temporary medical relief till her aunt could make the proper cure. Ewe was giving out warm wool blankets and Romi and Remi were being mother hens tending to whatever needs anyone needed addressed.
"I'm happy to know Berk is in good hands, no better hands for it to be in then the hands of a group of the most fantastic mothers when everyone is sick," he chuckled weakly.
"Well, that's good to know. As mothers know best how to care for those who are ill. You just rest up some and don't make me tie you down. I'll be back, the sisters and I have to go meet the children in the arena before they head to Healer's Island with Gothi."
Stoick started coughing and she poured him some water and helped him drink it and once he stopped coughing he looked at her and said, "Make sure they are safe and if they say "When are they not safe?"
"I know say to them is that a trick question. Since they are almost never safe and we know our secret Guardian Valkyrie has her wings and hands full protecting them," she whispered as she kissed her fingertips and pressed them to his lips.
"I'll make sure they're fine. You just get well, Stoick, at least you're somewhat protected as are the children. Una's powers really gave us good forewarning this time."
"Thank the Gods they gave her this vision and we had two weeks in advance to prepare for this or I'd really be twice as sick."
"Yes," she smiled, "Our children are truly blessed. Now I need to check on our children. I'll be back in a short while just nap while I'm gone, alright?"
Nodding he rolled over and slept with a special smile on the beautiful Viking woman's face as she was soon joined by the equally beautiful and specially blessed girls as they headed to arena.
When the trio of women got to the arena they saw Valka's children and all the Riders along with their siblings. The only one currently not there was Astrid, though that wasn't a surprise as someone had to go get Gothi.
If you did a quick gaze at the group you could tell instantly who was likely to fall victim to the Eel Pox and who had this strange immunity and just what was the source of the immunity was about to be revealed.
Una came skipping over to her mommy with her brothers in tow to ask about their father's condition.
"Hello, Mommy!"
"Hello, sweetheart. How you're feeling?"
"I'm fine! As is anyone who had the special tea made from the special flowers found only at Dragon's Glen and Lover's Cove that we brewed that tea of. Just like my dream told us too."
"Yeah, Mom. Una's vision seems to have come true. Anyone who drank that tea twice day for the last two weeks have shown no symptoms at all and seemed to be immune to the Eel Pox," reported Hiccup honestly.
"The theory seems to have proven itself quite well, Mom and those who did miss a few does did get sick, like Dad but his symptoms are severally less. So the tea is truly a preventive medicine," Boden pointed out all the facts that had proven himself.
"If that is all true then we can be assured that no-one who missed a dose of the special tea will get sick," Valka concluded.
"Doesn't seem that way, Mom. However, Astrid missed three cups and I think Fishlegs was the only other one too try some but I don't know how much he drank. So it's like the others will get sick since none of them tried it.
But all the children were given it by their mothers so they all should be immune to the eel pox," assured Hiccup to his mother.
"Well, that's good news. Since sickness such as a pox are far more deadly to children then adults as they do have weaker immune systems to begin with," Skullette pointed out.
"We need to make sure that this tea is put in Gothi's Healer Guide along with any other preventive medicine you all may figure out with your powers or brains in the future. I need to speak to Gothi about her book anyway when she gets here," Firefang spoke up as she was playing nervously with her scarlet tipped hair.
"Does this have something to do with your secret library, Firefang?" questioned Una who made Firefang flush as scarlet as her hair tips.
"How did you know? Wait of course! I've already asked you for your…Oh here she and Astrid are back!"
And it was true at that moment Astrid had returned with Gothi who'd written a copy of a very long list of ingredients from her Healer's Guide of what cured this particular plague.
"Hiccup it's quite a long lists and we'll need to bring the kids with us to cover as much ground as quickly as possible to get everything. So we need to saddle up fast and get to Healer Island as fast as possible," Astrid told him.
"On it! Mom you sure you and the others can hold down the fort till we get back?"
"We'll do just fine, son. We are mothers, this is what we were born to do since all of you came into this world. But before you say don't. You and your siblings are never not safe.
So don't say "When are you're not?" Since the day each of you were born you've been in danger and saying when your not are is both a lie and only worries your father and I more."
The three of them all become colored with great embarrassment, "Okay then we will try to be more careful and not get into trouble. Even if it's drawn to us like those magnetic rocks we discovered." Hiccup promised.
"I guess that's the best you can do. I'll do the best to care for your father, but just come back in one piece and not in pieces, alright?"
"Yes, Mom/Mommy!"
As they're about to go Firefang came forward and called out to Gothi, "Excuse me, Gothi? May I have a moment of your time?" the 13 year old asked respectfully.
The mute held up her hand and looked at the girl with both the scar and scarlet tips who bowed in respect and then spoke very politely what she wanted. "I don't know if you are aware of this, but everyone on Berk agrees I've the best handwriting and I did invented something called shorthand writing.
I've also kept records for a long time during the time Hiccup and his siblings were secretly rescuing dragons. I've been using my talents in writing to recently to make copies of all of Berk's books of great significant.
You know so if the originals get damaged or destroyed their knowledge isn't lost forever? I've been keeping the copies in what I call my "Secret Library" which is an elemental proof truck I keep in a hidden location.
I was wondering if you'd like me to make a copy of your Healer's Guide? In the event it was damaged or destroyed your knowledge isn't lost forever. I can get it done within two days.
Therefore with your permission may perhaps I make a copy of your book and add it to the secret library?"
Gothi seemed to think about it for a few moments then gestured to her great-nephews and wrote something down and gave it to them to read to Firefang.
"Auntie Gothi says you've her permission to make a copy of her Healer's Guide." Lanon read aloud the first part of the note, "And she'll give it to you in three days' time to make a copy of."
"Great!"
"But you must treat it with great respect and not damage or ruin the original in anyway or expect a curse on your head after she whacks you three days," Larkin cautioned her finishing the note.
Firefang looked a little frightened but turned again to face the small but formidable woman and again bowed and spoke courteously. "Don't worry, Gothi I treat all written work and books with the upmost respect and care. Your book won't be damaged at all. Your property will be returned in the same condition you give it to me, I promise."
Nodding that they had a binding verbal agreement Lanon and Larkin got back in their seats and the group was off.
"You scared, little sister?" Skullette inquired her sister apprehensively as they departed.
"A little, big sis, but I do treat all written work with upmost care, so I don't think I've much to worry about."
"Well, I don't think you have too much to worry about then. Come we have the sick to care for. Let's get going," Valka ushered the sisters back to the Great Hall.
Getting to Healer's Island didn't take a long time, what took a long time was getting all the ingredients for the cure which was because of the amount of silliness going on.
Which both the blame was on both the older and younger siblings this time who couldn't help but act silly even when they had a serious job to do. So a lot of monkey business hinder their progress for a good hour and half getting the ingredients together because of the tricks going on between the ten children and their older siblings.
Which you had to expect that sometimes children will be kids and teenagers will be teenagers and that meant moments of silly pranks and tricks even when you needed to be serious and mature you just got immature and stupid because they just want some fun.
Finally after a long two and half hours they finally got everything with some very stern looks from Gothi who really gave her great-nephews looks that told them they're gonna get a lecture when they got home from their mother for goofing off.
Trying to make up they went over to their Auntie to translate her words for the group.
Um we aren't quite finished with getting everything here for the cure," Lanon reported glancing up.
"What?! But we got everything on the hag's list Oww!" Tuffnut got whacked for that.
"Auntie says don't interrupted and watch your mouth," informed Larkin looking back at his auntie's writing. "We have everything that can be found here on this island. However the last thing needed to cure eel pox isn't on this island. It's on another island."
"Another island? Larkin which island is your aunt talking about and what do we need?" his older sister asked.
"Um you really don't want to know, big sis."
"Yes we do since everyone sick. So don't hedge about it, Larkin, tell us," his sister order him.
Sighing he looked back at the writing and pointed due north. "You'd have to travel about three miles north to get to the island in question, sis."
"But wait! I know this because our older sister helped me improve my geography skills to pass this on our last geography test! The only thing north of here is Eel Island!" exclaimed Birger and everyone was like "What?!"
"If memory severs that's home to the blood bane eel. Your auntie saying we need one of those to cure the eel pox?" Ria inquired as if it was red or associate with her favorite color in any shape or form she knew about it.
"Yep, that's what we need. We need a blood bane eel from Eel Island to finish the cure or the rest is useless," nodded Lanon in confirmation.
"Well, that should be really easy! Go to an island full of eels which by the way we can't get to without a dragon who all are literally terrified by eels!" snapped Alle in the sharpest of sarcasm.
"Not helping Alle and we don't even know why the dragons don't like eels! There got to be a reason for it but we have to figure out that riddle later!" shot back Velika.
"Yeah, they must have a reason for fearing them, but we can't get out of this pickle without getting there with a dragon that is fast and getting one," Creel pointed out.
'And the faster we get an eel the faster the village recovers, because the longer the people are sick the worst their symptoms are gonna become and we'll have to play mother hens to them."
"You will?! Really?!" laughed Snotlout as he and Twins couldn't help but laugh but their siblings gave them a sharp look.
"You won't be laughing when we're the ones nursing you! You didn't drink the tea so you're gonna get sick, probably in a like three hours!" they predicted to which their older siblings shrugged in disbelief and finally Hiccup got in the middle.
"Okay let's not argue about this. Since time is health. My siblings and I have the fastest dragons so we'll go and get the eels. Hopefully between our powers and the speed of them we can nab one quickly and be back in an hour.
The rest of you get back to Berk and get things ready for making the cure. And Snotlout? Ruff? Tuff? I wouldn't be surprise when I get back and they are playing mother hen to you three."
"Trust us you really should've drank that special tea we brewed," Una remarked as she threw her golden and lilac hair over her shoulders as she mounted her dragon.
"And when you're given the cure later don't blame us when we say "We told you so!" to your faces!" Boden let out a laugh.
"Astrid just make sure the others are taken care of till we get back, okay?"
"Will do."
And they were off but it took all of thirty seconds for Astrid to realize something and call out to Hiccup who lost the message to the wind. That they still had the ingredients in their saddles bags.
With little else to do they all returned to Berk to just get what they could prepare for when they could make the medicine. Though the village was in worst shape then when they left.
Returning to the Great Hall more people were laying on cots and clearly the fever from the pox was causing sever delirium. Some cases were worst then others given how Valka was using her dragon staff to try and beat Gobber away from her husband.
Gobber was dressed like someone great-aunt and acting very goofy and it was highly embarrassing and didn't even care that Valka was beating him up.
"Um what's going on?" Astrid asked to Skullette who was closer when she walked in.
"Well about 45 minutes ago was when the first people fell prey to delirium. Gobber's is causing him to think he's his Great Aunt Rose and he's been acting so kooky and trying to well be an aunt to Stoick and Valka been defending her husband.
"Yikes! I'm afraid to ask, but how is everyone else doing?"
"The rest of the village seems to be doing better than Gobber. Most of the other people delirium just cause them to talk to people not there but not manifest them into doing anything physical.
Bloodthorn and Breezy are still making sure everyone is still able to able eat solids and stay hydrated. Lily been kept very busy treating the minor symptoms she can with the help of Romi and Remi. And Ewe is keeping everyone warm and snug.
Firefang and I have been busy with keeping the beds clean, dabbing foreheads free of sweat and helping people to the bathrooms."
"Well, you do your best to keep the people here comfortable. I've to check on the other Riders. It's been three hours and according to a bet by the kids Snotlout and Twins should be getting sick since they didn't try that tea."
"Oh they are sick. We can feel that. You'll find them already starting to come down with the first stages of the illness when you get outside." Firefang came almost skipping over as if she was delighted in the fact they're sick.
"Why are you skipping?" Astrid wanted to know.
"Just because it's kind of nice to prove to them they need to listen a little more when someone tells them something. Remember the only reason they didn't drink the tea was because they believed and I quote "It was a lot of yak's dung?"
Well now whose the one who sick and having a bunch of kids under the age of eleven taking care of them?" she said with some triumph in her voice as she turned to her sister and cringed a bit.
"We're gonna need to help more people to the bathroom faster or they're gonna be a lot more accidents."
"Okay gross, but okay. Astrid go outside and help. You did drink the tea even if you missed some cups you'll be able to hold it off the longest. Go," Skullette dismissed her and she went outside and indeed found the younger siblings already playing mother hens to the older ones.
She also saw how fast the symptoms were coming on to Snotlout and the Twins.
"Here take this blanket, Snotlout or you'll get more chills." Velika was saying as she draped one of her mom's best wool blankets around him.
"Here's some of my mom's best baked goods, bro and some of the best berry juice from my dad's special berries. It will help you heal faster," Brimstone was actually helping Snotlout eat and drink.
"We'll take care of their dragons for them, alright. You just get your big brothers and sister back on their feet, okay?" Astrid and Fishlegs siblings informed Snotlout's and the Twins siblings.
So Alle and Lanon went to take care of Barf and Belch and Bloodfire, Birger, Ria and Larkin went to take care of Hookfang. Neither dragon seemed to mind to be cared for by the children.
"Alright, come on Ruff and Tuff let's get you by a fire and start making you all better," Creel started to say as she held Ruff's hand and was leading her in the direction of her home.
"Yeah, we'll get a fire going and then make some soup. That will help you both get back on your feet."
"They're doing a good job caring for them. That's surprising of them." Fishlegs said with a bit of pride.
"I'm proud of them too, but I've a job for you."
"Me?"
"We need you and Meatlug to go to Eel Island and bring back Hiccup and the others. They must have gotten into some trouble if they ain't back yet. And knowing them trouble found them rather quickly.
You did hear their mother didn't you? So go quickly and find them before they end up dead! I'll stay here and watch over the others. Beside you're the least likely to get sick since you drank some of the tea too."
"Well I had at least two pot full but how is that gonna protect me?"
"It just means you can fight off the pox longer. You have to go. I need to manage the here. So go now!" she screamed at him and he flew off like a shot.
Just as Astrid and Valka had said and predict things did go south quickly on Eel Island for Hiccup, Boden and Una.
They'd gotten there no problem. The problems had started when Hiccup tried to wrangle an eel with his shield and the eel had knocked him off Toothless and that caused Boden and Una to fall in the water too.
They'd immediately began to be chocked by the eels and Toothless dove right in to save all of them, but the only way to do that had been to chomp the eels chocking them.
Which meant Toothless had parts of eels now inside of him! Stardust and Nightrainbow had fished them all out and made sure they're okay. But Boden began to act very weird as did Toothless and Una screamed to back away as they're in a lot of danger.
And then Toothless went nuts and Boden describe what he was seeing and feeling and they'd so far been trying to track him with a combination of Hiccup's powers and Una's danger sense.
But all they could conclude was eels made dragons very, very sick and that's why they stayed away from them and the only logical conclusion to fix the problem was to get the eels out of Toothless.
But they couldn't wait for him to pass them or if they would even pass without killing him first. They needed him to throw them up fast, the question was now how to get him to stop shooting up everything long enough to force him to throw up?
The answer came crashing on top of them literally when Fishlegs showed up.
"How many times have we asked you not sit on top of us?!" yelled Hiccup as he got up from under Meatlug.
"Yeah do you not get the concept you're gonna kill us that way?!" shrieked Boden as he had to try and redo his ponytail that had come undone and Hiccup had to come over and quickly redo it.
"What are you doing here and before you ask the short version is this. Yeah we found eels but Toothless had save us from being killed by them and he got them in his stomach and we need to get them out of him. Now what news do you bring?!" demanded Una as she was dusting off her dress.
"Um okay, you're right that the Twins and Snotlout got sick and the children are playing mother hens to them. With the other half taking care of their dragons. The ingredients for the cure are in your saddlebags.
And when the fever gets high enough it causes you to do the strangest things since it make Gobber act like an ever greater buffoon then normal and your mother literally having to beat him off with a stick."
"Well I can tell you right now what that fever is doing to Snotlout and the Twins," Una replied.
"How can you know that when we are here and there back on Berk?" Fishlegs asked dumbly.
"Hello! I'm blessed! I see things! I can see images in my dreams of the past or future! I talk to the dead! I can read an object's history! I sense danger and I can see events when I'm at a location and sometimes I have waking visions.
And right now I can see in my mind's eye what's going on at home and this will make you laugh my BBBFF!"
"What's going to make us laugh?" Hiccup wanted to know needing a good chuckle.
"Snotlout's fever is making him a rambling fool trying to start a dragon rebellion and the Twins have become genius! I mean I can see them doing very advance experiments and that Creel and Gala are recording it all in the "Book of Natural Wonders""
"Wow! A smart Ruff and Tuff?! That is funny but in a good way. We'll need to check the book when we get back to find out what their temporary bout with genius came up with. But let's focus on getting Toothless better first.
I can tell you I'm not enjoying feeling like this." Boden informed them as his head was spinning from all the distortion he was feeling.
"Well if he's sick he needs medicine and none of you got sick since you came up with a way to prevent it with that tea."
"Then the medicine he likely needs is the one we already got! If we got the cure for eel pox that should help him. And guess what? I still have some of that tea in my flask. There enough for all our dragons to have one gulp. So maybe if they ever accidently come into with eels again this won't happen again!" Una suggest holding up her flask.
"Nice theory. Let's put it to the test and fast!" Hiccup cried as they quickly got a netter trap set and quickly set out to find Toothless only to discover this island was the homeland of Typhoomrangs!
"Okay danger level went up! We need to get out of here even faster! Let's move it! I can feel him over there! Let's go!"
They did find Toothless but a Typhoomrang also found them, the siblings though in Fishlegs' mind cruelly ditch him to deal with the dragons while they went to help Toothless.
Somehow by some miracle they not only defeated the Typhoomrang, but were able to stun Toothless with a mild lightning blast, get him in the netter trap and hold him there with Nightrainbow singing.
Shortly afterwards they gave him the medicine which made him finally throw up the eels. Afterwards Una poured her flask full of the special tea and all the dragons drank up their share and she told them they'd have one more doses when they got home to hopefully grant them immunity to eels.
Then they hightailed it home as fast as they could which was just in time to see Astrid was just started to fall victim to the pox but the tea had let her hold out the longest so it was indeed a true vaccine.
They spent the next three hours giving everyone the cure which near the end Gobber was saying he thought Snotlout needed a double dose and the Twins and triple dose when Valka told him the only one who needed another one was him.
All Snotlout needed really was more bed rest. As for all the genius ideas the Twins had come up with during a temporary bout of really high IQs?
They'd come up with ice-cream which would be called ruff-cream. Which all the moms were eager to try and make. They'd also discovered air resistance, some basic principles of physics, and even come up with trigonometry and calculus.
That night in the Great Hall all the Twins' findings along with what was discovered on Eel Island as well as an earlier then promised copying of the Healer Guide was being worked on by the Haddock Siblings, Fishlegs and Firefang.
Firefang was busy making copies for everything in the copy of the "Book of Dragons" "Book of Natural Wonders" and making the copy of the "Healer's Guide" as she was adding the special tea that prevent people from catching eel pox to begin with.
But she also had to yank Fishlegs off her own adopted siblings when he once more was crushing them after they'd thanked them for helping them cure Toothless and reminded him his weight was gonna kill them!
So much knowledge was gained from that sick day!
