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❛ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴇsɪ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴅ(ᴇᴇʟ) ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ꒱


❝ WHEN AM I NOT SAFE? ❞

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There several pros and cons to living so far away from Berk's village. Cons: it took longer for Dany to join her friends in the morning. During harsh weather, she had to decide which place she wanted to stick to until it passed. Flying home at night after a long day of training was usually not ideal. Pros: she got peace and quiet by being separate from village life. Snotlout couldn't show up at her door all hours of the night to try and flirt with her. And whenever an epidemic hit, her family was often the last to know.

This was the case for the most recent illness to hit the archipelago: Eel Pox. While her friends hadn't had a choice in their proximity to the disease, she got to escape from it whenever she went home. It left her feeling a little guilty, so she had happily agreed to help the riders find the necessary ingredients for the medicine that would cure the villagers. Now, they stood gathered in the arena while they waited for Astrid to arrive with Gothi.

Hiccup returned from his latest check up on the Great Hall, where most of the ailing Vikings had assembled. His expression was grim as he joined them; things were only getting worse. "Ready, gang?"

Snotlout arched a brow at his question from where he leaned against Hookfang. "Ready to leave Berk during an outbreak of Eel Pox? Mm. . . let me think, let me think, let me think." He pretended to consider the idea. "That's a big, fat. . . yes!"

"The sooner the better," Tuffnut agreed. "I do not want to get sick."

Ruffnut nodded, gesturing to her brother. "If he gets sick, I get sick."

"You do?"

"Yeah. We're twins."

He looked at her thoughtfully as he thought about the possibilities. "Wait. So if I hit myself. . ." He gasped as he came to a 'realization.' "Would you feel it, too?"

"Definitely," his sister said brightly. "Give it a try."

The older twin laughed at the idea that passed for brilliance for him. "Cool!"

He eagerly slapped himself, the force of the hit so hard that it turned his head sideways. Ruffnut made an exclamation of pain, then encouraged him to do it again. They went on like this for a few minutes; Tuffnut easily believed the lies his sister told him while she laughed at his stupidity. Finally, Hiccup called their attention back to the matter at hand. "Guys, please. We need to leave for Healer's Island as soon as Astrid gets back."

"Hiccup!" came the hoarse call of the chief's voice. He walked into the academy, coughing harshly as he went.

Dany flinched away from him even though he was nowhere near her. She took refuge behind Drogon's large foreleg, disgusted by the thought of being coughed— or worse, sneezed— on. Hiccup gave his father a reproachful look. "Dad, you should be resting up at the Great Hall."

"Nonsense." He stopped just in front of Snotlout before violently sneezing on him. The boy stumbled away, revolted. He wiped furiously at his face to clear it of the snot. For once, Daenerys felt bad for him. "I won't be grounded by the sniffles."

Hiccup moved closer to his father— a terrible mistake, in Dany's opinion— to try and urge him back to rest. His proximity landed him in the line of fire when Stoick sneezed again. He ducked to avoid it. "Whoa! O-kay."

Luckily, Astrid arrived with Gothi, saving them from further sneeze attacks. "We've got the list of ingredients," she announced. "And. . . it's a big one." Gothi removed a list from her satchel and unrolled it, revealing a long piece of parchment with at least two dozen ingredients on it.

"Well, then we better get moving," Hiccup decided, glancing pointedly at his father. "That medicine isn't going to make itself."

Stoick, unfortunately, did not get the message. He wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand as he followed after his son, insisting: "we should be going with you."

The brunet barely managed to avoid being sneezed on once more by lifting his shield just in time to block the explosion. "Dad, Berk needs a healthy chief, not a sick dragon rider. We can handle this."

His father coughed again and conceded defeat. "All right. I'll stay here with the rest of the invalids." Dany had waited for Hiccup to take off, so she heard the chief call after him: "be safe, Hiccup."

"When am I not safe?"

"Would you like that alphabetized or by date?" the Targaryen asked— mostly teasingly— as they left the arena.

Hiccup gave her an affronted look. "It can't be that many times!"

"Chronologically, then," she determined cheerfully. "Well, I don't know much about before I met you, so how about we start with you trying to take down a Night Fury all by yourself? Then. . ."

🏹🏹🏹

". . . and then we were caught in an avalanche, which lead us to being trapped in a glacier—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Hiccup said with a sigh as they landed at Healer's island. "You really didn't have to list all the times I was almost in danger, you know."

Dany shrugged, giving him an amused smile. "Well, you asked. We haven't even gotten to all of the Outcast and Berserker stuff."

"How do you even remember all that?" he wondered, begrudgingly impressed. "I mean, I remember the big things, obviously, but you even remembered that time Meatlug dragged me through the air by my foot!"

The blonde froze and she quickly became interested in scratching the underside of Drogon's snout. She couldn't tell him that a lot of those times had resulted in them being particularly close to each other— like when they'd ended up in that glacier. Or that looking back on those moments had helped her realize her true feelings for him (how nervous she'd been once their dragons had freed them from the avalanche and they'd found themselves all but cuddling for warmth.) Or that every time he was in danger, her heart would seize with worry as she wished desperately he'd make it out okay.

Instead, she cleared her throat and turned to their friends, who arrived shortly after them. "We should get started looking for those ingredients. Let's split up so we can cover as much ground as we can."

They took a few items each and separated for most of the day, only returning to the meeting spot once they'd each gathered their items. The sun was setting as Hiccup double-checked the list since time was of the essence and no one wanted to make a second trip. ". . .Buckthorn Root, lightly roasted. A dozen rock blossoms. One handful of Goatweed. One wild Daga plant. . . I think that's everything, right?"

He looked to Gothi to make sure they'd gotten everything, but she shook her head. Then she dragged her staff through the sand to draw a series of pictures that communicated what she wanted them to do. Tuffnut peered studiously at the diagrams as if he could interpret them but it was Fishlegs who did the translating: "she says the last item isn't on Healer's Island. The key ingredient for curing Eel Pox is. . . a Bloodbane Eel. Where do we find one of those?"

The healing woman pointed her staff out across the water, towards the horizon. They turned to look in the direction, but it was unclear exactly what she meant as all they saw was sea. Tuffnut scoffed. "Well, great. Because we're not gonna be able to search the whole ocean this afternoon. We need at least a long weekend for that, you know? Maybe even into Monday night."

Gothi hooked the curved part of her staff around the boy's neck and brought him face-first onto the beach. "She says 'don't interrupt,'" Fishlegs told him, then looked back at her drawings, finishing his interpretation with: "he have to head north to. . ." He gasped, his eyes widening with fear. "Eel Island."

"Our dragons would never go near Eel Island," Astrid pointed out. "They're terrified of eels."

"Not Drogon," Dany interjected. "He'd never eat one, but he's not afraid of them, either. We'll go."

Hiccup stilled, not liking the thought of her going off on her own at all. He knew that she could handle herself, but they had no idea what awaited them on Eel Island— what if she got into trouble? She might need backup. He countered her quickly, "no! Er— not by yourself, you're not. Toothless and I will come with you." Toothless' head shot up at his rider's words. Hiccup pet him reassuringly. "I know they're not your favorite, but you don't want Drogon to go alone, do you?"

The Night Fury looked over at the larger dragon, then turned his head to glance at himself as if to say 'do you see the size difference here?' The brunet sighed. "I know Drogon can handle himself, but you're the fastest dragon. What do you say, Dany?"

She smiled a little as he made sure it was okay with her. Of course it was, but she was happy that he'd asked— even more pleased not only because he wanted to make sure she was safe (though she told herself it was just because that's what friends did, and there wasn't any special meaning behind it) and the thought of the two of them going off on an adventure alone.

"Yeah!" Her agreement sounded a bit too excited, especially for the circumstances back on Berk. She cleared her throat and attempted to sound more serious. "Yeah, we'll find this eel and be back to Berk in no time. No problem."

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When they arrived, they flew low over the river that wound through its valley. It didn't take them long to find the island's namesake. After only a few minutes of flying, soft splashes caught their attention. Both riders turned to look at the sleek red fish. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Whoa! Eels!" Dany gave him an amused look, causing him to explain sheepishly, "sorry, just. . . surprised. That was quick."

She nodded in agreement. "Usually something goes horribly wrong before we find what we're looking for."

"You were just hoping to add it to the list of reasons why I'm not safe," Hiccup teased her.

Toothless let out an uneasy warble, clearly dismayed by the sight of his least favorite species. The teen put a comforting hand on his dragon's head. "Whoa! Toothless, I know you don't like these guys but we need to do this. Dany can't see over Drogon's wings to know if she caught one or not." He looked over at her. "How were you going to catch one?"

She shrugged. "Either on the river's edge with a line or in the water, like a bear."

Hiccup was definitely glad he'd come so she wouldn't have to possibly get injured by one of the eels. "Luckily, I thought ahead."

He opened the center of his shield to release the rope. It lowered into the water, the slight plunk causing some of the eels to disperse so they could avoid it. The line moved back and forth with the water's motion before it pulled taught. Hiccup let out a startled noise as it jerked his arm unexpectedly. The eel was stronger than it looked so the brunet struggled to reel it in. He yanked up on his shield, sending the fish flying through the air and into Toothless' mouth.

The Night Fury startled, disgusted. In his haste to get the eel away from him, the black dragon accidentally threw Hiccup from his back. Dany lurched forward in her seat as she watched the boy fly through the air, his arms waving wildly. "Hiccup!"

While he landed in the water, his landing was only softened; there was still the threat of the eels to contend with. Daenerys didn't even have to fully think her plan through— she was already moving to stand on Drogon's back, holding onto his spikes for support as she prepared to jump in after him.

But Drogon could feel the change in his mother's weight and knew exactly what she was going to do. As much as Dany complained about the danger Hiccup put himself in, she was just as much of a magnet for it as she thoughtlessly chased after her best friend. Since there was something he could do to protect her this time, the large dragon wheeled around— forcing his rider to cling to his spike at his sudden change in movement— and made sure that there was land underneath them.

Understandably, Dany was not happy about this. "Drogon! We have to go back and help him! He's in there by himself— they're called Bloodbane eels for a reason—!"

He ignored her protests and continued to circle the land so she wouldn't get herself into trouble. After all, he could see that Toothless had it handled and trusted that the Night Fury would protect his own rider. (Of course, if Toothless hadn't been there, he wouldn't have let the boy perish— it was just an unnecessary risk as the black dragon was present.) Once Hiccup was out the river, Drogon landed quickly as he would certainly let his mother make sure her friend was okay.

Dany scrambled down from Drogon's back and rushed over to the brunet, kneeling on the ground next to him with a look of utmost concern on her face. "Hiccup! Gods, are you hurt?"

He coughed a few times to let the water he'd accidentally swallowed out of his system, but smiled warmly at her. "I'm fine; Toothless saved me before anything happened. It's him we should be worried about, actually— he just ate an eel."

"What? I've hardly known any dragon to touch them," the Targaryen exclaimed, shifting her attention to the Night Fury. She stood and went over to him, gently resting her hand on his snout as she bent over to peer into his eyes.

Toothless tried to meet her gaze but seemed to have trouble doing so; she got a glimpse at dilated pupils before his head suddenly reared back. She crouched down slightly, trying to make herself appear smaller so he wouldn't feel threatened. She spoke in a soothing voice as she reached out to him again. "It's all right, it's all right. Just let me get a look at you."

His mouth opened and she saw a glimmer of red flame— not purple. Dany drew her hand back with a sharp breath, causing Hiccup to look at her in alarm. "What? What is it?"

She didn't answer the brunet, too focused on trying to figure out what was wrong with his dragon. Toothless tilted his head, clearly trying to focus on her. Now she had a better angle to see his eyes and saw them expanding and dilating. Before she could make any further observations, the Night Fury roared at them and bounded off.

Hiccup didn't waste any time in asking her what she'd seen; he picked up his shield and ran after his dragon. Dany directed Drogon to keep close, but she knew forests weren't the easiest for him to navigate so she didn't make him follow. They were able to locate him by the red blasts that his usual purple shots had become. When the first one had gone off, the brunet had stumbled to a stop in shock.

"That's one of the things I saw," Dany explained. "His eyes are all funny, too— like he's high or something."

"We have to find him, and fast." That was the only response he spared for her before they were off running after the Night Fury once more.

When they finally arrived at the clearing where the shots were coming from, Hiccup didn't even hesitate to climb over the log as he called his dragon's name. Reckless, Dany thought with a huff as she followed him. Completely reckless! What if Toothless starts firing again?

Hiccup didn't seem to think that was a possibility. Instead, he slowly approached his dragon, speaking in the same soft voice Dany had used. "Hey, bud. I-It's okay, bud. We can help you."

But Toothless appeared to have trouble recognizing his rider; he kept backing away whenever the brunet tried to move closer. He shook his head, as if trying to dislodge something that was stuck in it. The chief's son continued forward. "Hey, easy there."

The black dragon opened his mouth to reveal that same red light Dany had seem earlier. He abruptly closed it as if he were going in and out of awareness. He lashed back and forth, keeping them at a distance. Then he lost control altogether and fired off a red blast; this one luckily ended up hitting a tree. It exploded with more force than his usual shots had, leaving nothing but a charred spot where the trunk had once been.

Hiccup had hastily dropped to the ground and covered himself with his shield to be completely protected from it. "All right. That was big and. . . incredibly dangerous. No wonder you guys go easy on the eels."

Daenerys went over to help the boy back on his feet, not meaning to do anything besides exactly that. She had no interest in adopting her best friend's penchant for danger, after all. But a few things happened in rapid succession:

First, Toothless let out another series of shots. In order to avoid his fire, Hiccup lifted his shield. Then, seemingly in a instinctive gesture— with only the intent to ensure their safety— the brunet slid an arm around Dany's waist and pulled her close, under the protection of his shield.

The Targaryen froze as she felt the warmth of the boy's body pressed up against her own. She could no longer focus much on what was wrong with Toothless, her whole attention acutely aware of how very little space there was between them. Her face grew hot due to the proximity and she could only stare at her best friend, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted from shock. Despite her customary preferences, she didn't mind being this close to Hiccup; he was the only person she felt comfortable doing something like this with.

But, for the first time, she noticed how fast he made her heart beat. She felt the warmth of his arm around her and the light press of his palm against her side. He was strong and sturdy next to her, unyielding even when Toothless' blasts bounced off the shield. If she hadn't already figured out that she had a crush on him, this would've done it.

Vaguely, she heard him mutter, "okay. Six shot limit. That was four."

As Toothless let out yet another blast, Dany forced herself to concentrate; now wasn't the time to act like a normal teenage girl. The final shot went straight up into the sky. Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. "And that makes six. Let's not do that again, okay?"

He moved closer to his dragon, feeling confident that there wouldn't be any more danger. Toothless growled lowly in his throat and his mouth opened to reveal that bright red color. The brunet backed up swiftly, lifting his shield just in time. "Seven shots? Are you kidding me?"

Dany lifted her arms to cover her eyes from the brightness of the explosion. She dropped them back down to her sides again once it dissipated, then grimaced. "I wouldn't stop counting there. . ."

It turned out that she was right— Toothless wouldn't stop firing. They had to dance out of the way of the flares to avoid them since he couldn't aim. Hiccup lost his footing and tumbled to the ground, watching his dragon warily for the next shot. Dany saw it coming, the red glow more noticeable in his mouth than the purple one. She was a safe enough distance away but Hiccup couldn't scramble backwards fast enough.

The dirt exploded between his legs, causing him to give his dragon a wide-eyed look. "Uh, okay. That one was a little close to the one good leg."

Before he could regain his footing, another blast came. Dirt exploded around Hiccup and he couldn't lift his shield in time. Dany launched forward, suddenly not caring at all about the black dragon's uncontrollable shots. "Hiccup!"

Her best friend was thrown against the tree, his back hitting it forcefully. He fell limply against the trunk and didn't move. Her heart in her throat, the blonde rushed towards him and dropped to the ground for the second time that day. She slid two fingers under his chin to tilt his face up, looking for signs of movement. Her other hand reached for his wrist, which her fingers wrapped around as she searched for his pulse.

Dany's heart rate slowed a little when she'd found it. Once the dust had cleared, Toothless let out a scared growl as he saw the state his rider was in. He came over and nosed at the teen. The Targaryen gave him a reassuring smile. "He'll be okay, buddy."

As soon as he heard that Hiccup was alright, the Night Fury cast the pair a nervous look and trotted off into the forest. Dany let him go, knowing that they could find him by tracking his red flares. She turned back to the brunet, still not entirely convinced that he was fine. She gently cupped his face with her hand to get a better look, making sure he hadn't been hit in the head.

It was then that Hiccup regained consciousness. His vision was blurry at first and he wasn't quite sure what had happened. All he could see was silvery-blonde hair and very purple eyes, which slowly turned into his best friend's face as his eyes focused. Dany was looking at him with furrowed brows, the worry obvious on her face. He felt guilty for scaring her and he would've apologized, had he not become intensely conscious of the warmth on his face.

His gaze followed the path of her arm to her hand, which was just out of eyesight. He realized that it was her hand that he felt on his cheek. Despite the situation, Hiccup felt absurdly happy— she had broken her personal space rule for him, because she was concerned about him. He might've leaned into her touch, allowed himself to enjoy her fussing over him if he hadn't been so anxious about Toothless' wellbeing, or heard the sudden rustling of the bushes behind her.

As it was, his gaze was drawn past the blonde in the direction of where the noise was coming from. He was on his feet in an instant, ignoring the girl's protests about how he'd just been knocked out. He quickly drew her close again (he had never loved this particular invention more) as he raised his shield. 

The source of the bushes' movement soon revealed itself to just be their friend, Fishlegs. He burst from behind the leaves with a relieved smile on his face. "Hiccup! Daenerys!"

"Oh, Fishlegs." The brunet released the breath he'd been holding. "Boy, am I glad to see you."

"Are you okay?" he asked, hopping off his dragon.

"We're fine—"

Then, the Ingerman noticed their position. He frowned, glancing between them with a genuinely confused expression on his face. "Why are you two standing so close together?"

Hiccup had dropped his shield by this point but hadn't removed his arm from Dany's waist. Now, the teens jumped apart, their faces burning red as they suddenly looked everywhere but at each other. The chief's son stuttered out awkwardly, "tha-that's not important right now. What is important is Toothless—"

"Where is he?" Fishlegs asked, thankfully taking the bait and changing the subject. He looked around the clearing, expecting the black dragon to be nearby. "And. . . what did all that?"

They were just noticing the destruction the Night Fury had created now that the dust had cleared. The trees around them used to be green and healthy, but after Toothless' explosions, most were blackened. The ones that remained were lucky to have any part of their trunks at all. Hiccup smiled sheepishly. "That would all be Toothless."

"And. . . who was he fighting?"

"Mostly. . . us? Also himself, a little bit." Fishlegs understandably seemed to have trouble taking this in, so he didn't say anything in response. Seeing his shocked expression, Hiccup added dryly, "welcome to Eel Island."

"Well, did you find any eels?"

Dany grimaced. "Yes. . . and also no. We found them, but we don't have any with us right now."

"Where are they?" the larger boy wondered.

It was the Targaryen's turn to look embarrassed. "Um. . . in Toothless' stomach. He might've. . . accidentally eaten one."

Forgetting about her preference for personal space, Fishlegs launched forward, pushing his face close to hers. In shock, he hissed out: "he ate. . . an eel?"

Daenerys took several steps back, regarding him warily. Meatlug made a noise of disgust as if sympathizing with her friend. Hiccup nodded, answering the teen's question so his attention wouldn't be so focused on Dany. "And it's not agreeing with him."

Hiccup went over to the Gronckle and took out a spare net that Fishlegs carried in her saddlebags. As he laid it on the ground, her rider asked, "what are you doing?"

"I'm building a netter trap." The brunet opened the center of his shield to remove the rope that was stored there.

Fishlegs was justifiably suspicious as his friend worked. He went over to pick up the end of the rope and studied the hook attachment. "You really think this net's gonna hold Toothless?"

"If it doesn't, Meatlug can always sit on him," Hiccup joked.

Dany, who had decided to entertain herself by petting the Gronckle, sent the boy a reproachful look. "Meatlug has a rock diet; of course she's going to weigh a lot!" She turned to the dragon, who had fallen asleep under her ministrations. "Don't listen to him, Meatlug. You're perfectly healthy for a Gronckle of your age."

"Long day," the brunet explained by way of apology. "I don't know how much worse things can get."

"Aaand now you've jinxed it," Dany said with a sigh.

"She's right," Fishlegs agreed as Hiccup flung the rope that he'd attached to the net over a branch above their heads. "They can be pretty worse, actually. The ingredients for Gothi's Eel Pox cure are still in Toothless' saddle bag, and I do not even want to tell you what's going on back in the village."

"Well, here's hoping that works," Hiccup stated once he'd finished setting up his trap. He stepped over the trigger and approached Fishlegs and Meatlug. "We'd better get in the air and see if we can track Toothless down."

The Targaryen was a little disappointed that her best friend had decided to fly with Fishlegs, but she could acknowledge his reasoning; it was a lot easier to jump from Meatlug's back to Toothless' than it would have been on Drogon's. They flew around the island together a few times in search of the Night Fury, but didn't find anything of note. Well, not until they crossed over a patch of forest they'd apparently missed on their first rounds.

It was an unnatural clearing. What clued them in on this was the large scorch mark that was burned into the ground in an unfortunately familiar pattern. It was darker in the center, then spiraled out until it met the unharmed grass. Hiccup leaned over Meatlug's side to study it better. "Hey, guys? Does that clearing look familiar at all?"

"That's. . . a Typhoomerang mark!" the Ingerman exclaimed.

"The only dragon that eats eels," Dany pointed out. But, instead of fear lacing her tone, it took on an excited note. She released the spike she'd been holding onto to clap her hands together happily. "Oh, I hope we get to meet one!"

"Dany," Hiccup started carefully, "you know we're in their territory, right? If they find us, they'll probably attack—"

"I know!" she cut him off cheerfully. "It would be fun!"

A Typhoomerang attack sounded like the opposite of fun to Fishlegs, and he shuddered nervously on Meatlug's back. "Oh, we better not meet one."

Hiccup sighed, not really surprised by the girl's eagerness. "Either way, we'll have to keep an eye out for them."

They continued on from that spot. As they flew, a thought occurred to the larger boy. "Dany, you said Toothless' skin felt warm, right?"

"Yep," she replied. "Not to mention his. . . uh, explosive cough."

"Okay. . . put all of that together and it sounds a lot like—"

Hiccup's eyes widened at the realization. "Eel Pox! I wonder— if eels cure the pox in people, maybe they cause it in dragons. So. . . if we give Toothless the medicine, maybe that'll counteract the eel."

Fishlegs wasn't convinced. "That's. . . kind of stretching it."

"Actually," Dany chimed in, "dragon cures are really similar to human ones. Some of them are even the same! It's really quite amazing since we're so different."

The brunet nodded in a 'so there' sort of way. The Ingerman relented, since Daenerys had more background than they did in knowledge of dragon ailments. "Very well. Stretch away, my friend."

A blast of red caught their attention. Rather unnecessarily, Hiccup pointed towards it. "There! On the cliffs."

They followed his direction and landed nearby, not wanting to scare Toothless with more dragons, even ones he knew. He was still shooting out red bursts of light at uncontrollable intervals so they would have to be careful with approaching him. Dany stayed above them on the cliffs since Drogon would attract to much attention. Because of this, she was the first to notice their unwelcome guest. The Typhoomerang's shadow fell over them, followed by a growl that announced its presence. Never one to back down from a challenge, Drogon's head whipped around at the threatening sound.

Below the pair of dragons, Fishlegs felt the shadow fall over them as well. He looked up anxiously to see the newcomer facing off with Drogon. "Uh, Hiccup. . . you got a sec?"

"Busy," the brunet replied tensely. "Can it wait?"

Fishlegs didn't need to answer his friend's question; Drogon's roar did it for him. Hiccup's head jerked towards the ear-splitting sound. He groaned at the sight. "Well, at least Dany will be happy."

"What do we do?" Fishlegs exclaimed.

Hiccup thought quickly. Toothless had heard the dragons' roars and added his own. He'd turned to face the source of the noise which also redirected his uncontrollable fire. He shot off a few blasts, most wildly missing. . . well, everything. Only one of them hit the edge of the rock, just under Drogon's claws. "Get us up to Dany's level."

Fishlegs directed Meatlug upwards so that she was in Drogon's line of vision. The larger dragon had spread his wings to increase his size, becoming a threatening shadow that towered over the Typhoomerang. The teal dragon wasn't deterred, determined to defends its territory. Before Dany could launch an attack, the brunet spoke hastily, "Dany, you take care of this guy! We're going after Toothless. Meet us back in the clearing."

She gave him a thumbs-up to show that she agreed. As they turned around to focus on the Night Fury again, Fishlegs couldn't help but ask, "does that really seem fair to you?"

"It's Drogon," Hiccup said, not quite understanding what the problem was. There were only a few species that could best Dany's dragon; he could easily take this one on.

The Ingerman shook his head. "I meant for the Typhoomerang."

🏹🏹🏹

It was easy for Drogon to make short work of the Typhoomerang. While Dany would never, ever want to hurt a dragon, combat for the sake of protecting her friends was the exception. And she made sure to never hurt the dragon irreparably, either. But she loved the rush of adrenaline that she got from fighting— more potent than when she was just flying— and that was what excited her about going head to head. She returned to the boys just in time to see Meatlug sit on Toothless.

"Alright, Fishlegs!" Hiccup cheered. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"Careful, Hiccup," Fishlegs whispered as the Night Fury roared. "He might shoot."

The brunet shook his head and fearlessly approached his dragon. "No, he won't." He crouched down in front of Toothless to reassure him: "you're okay. You're just a little sick, bud. But we may have a way to fix that."

They quickly made the medicine meant for Berk's villagers, aided by Dany's experience with sick dragons. Hiccup stood in front of his dragon once more with the bowl in hand. "Here goes nothing."

Hiccup held the bowl in front of the Night Fury's mouth. He weakly leaned up and sniffed it. Apparently the smell disagreed with him as his mouth opened, the red glow visible just inside. Thinking fast, he poured the liquid into his dragon's open mouth. Toothless snapped it shut and swallowed, shuddering in disgust as he stuck his tongue out. But the red fire went away and his pupils stopped shrinking and dilating.

The three teens watched Toothless carefully for a reaction. When none came, Fishlegs asked, "did it work?"

"I'm. . . not entirely sure," Hiccup answered slowly. "Dany?"

"Sometimes it takes a minute?" she offered, though she didn't sound entirely certain.

Toothless suddenly had a burst of strength, throwing Meatlug off of him and tackling his rider. He snarled above the boy's face, roaring for added effect. It actually did take him a minute before he regurgitated the eel he'd swallowed hours ago. Now Hiccup shuddered in disgust as the eel's tail landed in his lap.

"Oh. . . great." He said with forced happiness. The dragon purred, looking at him with clear eyes. "There's the Toothless I know." Hiccup reached up and hugged him. "Welcome back, bud."

Fishlegs hugged his own dragon, moved by the reunion. Daenerys smiled warmly at the pair, relieved that everything worked out. A roar in the distance broke into the tender moment. The Ingerman looked towards the sound nervously. "Um. . . while I love the reunion, perhaps we should finish it back on Berk."

"I couldn't possibly agree with you more." Hiccup climbed onto his dragon's back, glancing at the girl. "Had enough of an adrenaline rush for the day, Dany?"

She nodded in agreement. "I'd say so. Let's get this medicine to the village."

🏹🏹🏹

They returned to Berk to find Astrid waiting for them. Dany's brows furrowed with concern as she saw her best friend shiver from the chills that accompanied the sickness. Hiccup seemed to notice her decrease in health, too, as they hovered next to the blonde. He chided her gently to get her attention. "Uh, you should be indoors, young lady. You'll catch your death of cold in this weather."

"Dany, Hiccup!" she exclaimed. "You're okay!"

"Yeah." He looked down at Toothless and gave his head a reassuring pat. "We all are."

After giving the medicine to Gothi so she could prepare to hand it out, they unwound from their adventure by documenting it in the Book of Dragons. Since Fishlegs had the nicest handwriting out of all of them, he was the one who did the recording. "I'm noting the skittish behavior, fever, and the out-of-control firepower."

"Now we know why most dragons won't eat eels: it makes them really sick."

"Except Typhoomerangs," Dany put in. "That's why they live on Eel Island. Drogon's the other exception since he's so big a tiny eel can't scare him."

Hiccup gave her an amused look. "Just to be safe, we're never going back to Eel Island."

Fishlegs let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Thor."

The brunet got up to return home after a long day. He paused on his way to the door, glancing back at their pair appreciatively. "Hey, guys?" When they turned to look at him, he continued: "thank you. I don't know what we would've done without you two."

Fishlegs let out a squeal of joy, pleased to be recognized for his efforts. He called a group hug and rushed towards the chief's son, who wasn't quite fast enough to get away in time. Dany had no inclination of joining the embrace and stayed in her seat, content to giggle at Hiccup's misfortune of being on the bottom of the pile.