*takes deep breath*

*rolls bowling ball down lane*

*Split*

So, I went bowling yesterday...I GOT SPLITS NEARLY EVERY SINGLE TIME I ROLLED THE BALL! It was awful. The splits were. I had fun bowling. I got a few spares, no strikes, quite a few splits...but HEY, not bad for a first-time bowler, aye? :D

Shout-outs:

LunarCatNinja: Thanks! :D

midnightsky0612: KILL THE GEMSHO!

sophhascoconuts: GO SNOTLOUT! :D

BraveDragonof214: I know, me too! Caring Snotlout...I really want to see that!

silverwolvesarecool: *grabs paintball gun* Let's DO THIS! :D

Silverthornofriverclan: Thanks! :D

awal216: Thanks a bunch! The Gemsho is promounced "JEM-show". :D

Markiplier is My Senpai: Bowling is AWESOME. I now love it! :D

Silver Electricity: GO SNOTLOUT! :D *grabs spider gun*

Toothless801: Bowling is AMAZING. I can't believe I haven't been before yesterday. I had a lot of fun. It was so unfair, though, because my friend went to the arcade and did one of those "Wheel of Fortune" things to get tickets, and SHE GOT THE JACKPOT (500 tickets!). And then after that, the rest of us were all trying it, and when we didn't get anything, she stepped up and GOT 500 TICKETS AGAIN! It was SO unfair...XD Hahaha, roll, as in bowling...oh dear...XD. I love puns. I really do. And bowling is right up my alley! Haha, get it? Alley, as in...bowling alley...hm...*clears throat* Sorry...Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate every review I get! :D

freyathefearless: You're welcome! Thanks for reviewing! :D

IonitaMircea32: I know what you mean...writing scared Hiccup is getting a little boring now...I don't think there will be much more of that in this fanfiction. Or, at least not for quite a few chapters, anyway. :) I really need to stop writing so much Hiccup!Whump...I should write a fanfiction where Astrid gets hurt by Dagur and Hiccup goes berserk on him...

Astrid spent as much time as possible at her house with Avril before the search party was sent out. She knew that Hiccup needed to rest, and the healers needed time to tend to him without her there to interrupt them. So that resulted in Astrid landing at her little sister's bedside, her mother and father out to get some air.

Astrid sat with her sister, combing her fingers through the three year old's blonde hair, untangling the knots that had gathered there while she was sleeping. She still couldn't believe that Avril - her sweet little Avril - had been laid so low by the Gemsho. It made her so mad, she almost couldn't begin to think of a punishment suitable for the horrible creature.

And Hiccup…

Hiccup was being destroyed by the monster.

She couldn't help but think of him as she held him in her arms, listening to him cry with there being nothing she could do about it at all. She thought about the infectious gash that was slowly killing him, bit by bit, little by little, taking all the sweet time in the world.

Astrid was suddenly broken out of her thoughts when she heard Avril whimper. Looking to her sister suddenly, she saw that the girl had her eyes open, and was staring at Astrid intently.

"Avril!" said Astrid. "You're awake! You're awake, Avril!"

Avril stared at her a moment, before she opened her mouth, and spoke one single word:

"Run."

Her voice was flat, as if no emotion existed behind it. Astrid stared at her sister, wondering what was happening, and what her little sister was talking about.

"What do you mean, Avril?" said Astrid. "Run from what?" She already knew what it was; the Gemsho, but that didn't mean she didn't want to hear it from Avril herself. Maybe she could learn even more about the Gemsho by doing this.

"Dragon...talking…" said Avril. "It wants us all...dead...run."

"No, Avril," said Astrid, smiling softly as she hugged her sister. "No, we're going to stop that dragon before it hurts you. You'll see. We're going to get rid of it before it even gets here, I promise. It will never hurt you again."

"B-but it talked," said Avril.

That was the same thing Hiccup had said. A talking dragon that wanted to kill the Berkians and everyone else in sight, possibly. It was beginning to get eerier, and Astrid didn't like it one bit. Any doubt she had about the Gemsho being able to talk vanished. Hiccup said it did, and Avril said it did. Two people with the same story, both being victims of the creature.

"Promise?" said Avril.

"Promise," said Astrid.

Avril would always trust her big sister to make everything better, and so she did once more, falling asleep in Astrid's arms. Astrid looked at the sleeping child for a moment before she laid her back down, brushed the bangs out of the girl's face for just a moment before leaving the house.

She knew that she should probably tell the healer that Avril was awake, and she left to do so, heading towards the Haddock residence, where she was certain the healers would be.

On her way over, she bumped into Valarie, who was on her way over to Astrid's house to check on Avril.

"Valarie," said Astrid. "Avril was just awake a few minutes ago. I was coming to get you."

"Did she speak?" Valarie asked, walking towards the house, her mind set. Astrid jogged to catch up with her.

"Yes, she did," said Astrid. "It doesn't seem like she's in her shock anymore."

"That's good," said Valarie. "Do you want to go visit Hiccup before you leave with the search party?" Although Valarie hadn't actually been in the meeting, word spread on Berk. Everyone, by now, knew of the search party and its members.

"If...if I can," said Astrid. "I mean, I know he's probably exhausted, and needs to sleep-"

"He is, and he does," said Valarie simply, cutting the girl off, "but I think seeing him would be beneficial to the both of you. Besides, if he wakes up, you seem to be one of the only people who can actually get him to relax and calm down. Am I wrong?"

"No, actually," said Astrid after just a moment of silence in which she used to think about her answer. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you when you go check up on Avril, though?" she offered as the healer continued to walk.

"No, I think I can manage," said Valarie. "You go see Hiccup." Then, she and Astrid went their separate ways, each to their own destination.

Astrid pushed the door to the Haddock house open, finding the main room vacant, while there was a bit of commotion going on upstairs.

Rosie and Gina were rewrapping Hiccup's stomach when Astrid made it to the top of the loft. They nodded to her in a way to let Astrid know that they realized her presence, and then went straight back to their patient.

"Is he doing any better?" Astrid asked.

"It's hard to say," said Rosie. "He woke up again just a while back, and we got him to eat some more broth, but he's still very weak. His infection hasn't changed a bit, not getting better, not getting worse, just staying the same as it has always been."

"It's hard to know what to do in these situations," said Gina. "We can't really treat the infection properly when his body can't handle it, but we can't leave the infection, doing nothing about it."

"He's strong," said Astrid. "He'll be fine, in the end. I'm going with the search party."

"We know," said Gina. "Valarie told us."

"You really think there's such thing as a talking dragon?" said Rosie.

"Yes, I do," said Astrid. "I know, it sounds impossible, but both Hiccup and Avril said that they saw it. And I'm not about to question it."

"You seem a whole load more confident than we are," said Gina. "Is there a reason?"

"Not really, I guess," said Astrid. "I don't know, actually." She glanced out the window, seeing the sun getting ready to set on the horizon. "I have to go now, before they leave without me," she said. "Take care of Hiccup."

"You know we will," said Rosie.

Astrid nodded to both of them in gratitude, and then left the house, running towards the Great Hall.