Chapter 9 ~ The Scourge of Odin

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 Less than a week after my argument with Snotlout had passed before I was called into action for my healing training. As usual, I was with Gothi in her hut, going over a variety of herbs used to treat certain illnesses and diseases. Mainly, we were focusing on skin rashes and allergies, the springtime air full of pollen and other allergens. Soon, we'd be having a line of vikings at her doorstep, needing something to aide with sneezing and sinus problems, as well as headaches and even nausea.

Right after I had given my aunt a jar of poppy seeds so she could count them and see if we needed to stock up on more, a massive crash came from outside her door, as if the entirety of the deck had fallen. Startled, I ran outside to see the damage, only to find a familiar orange and black reptile sprawled out across the floor, his rider looking just as disheveled. Snotlout sat up, his expression full of urgency and even...fear.

Despite how upset parts of me still were, I had gotten over the whole Helle incident as best as possible right now, and there was obviously something much worse that needed my attention. Whatever it was would take precedence over our emotions. "Brenna! Brenna! Please! We need your help!" I waited for him to go on, a bit frightened myself. "Listen, I know you're still upset with me, I don't know why, but I get it! But right now, we've got a huge problem." "What's wrong?" I demanded, finding myself fearing the worst. He dismounted Hookfang, coming over to me. "It's Astrid! We think she came in contact with the Scourge of Odin! She's really sick! It's bad, really bad! Even Hiccup is worried." He explained. My eyes widened as I exchanged a glance with Gothi. "The Scourge of Odin? Are you sure?" I asked slowly. He nodded in affirmative, appearing uneasy as he met my worried gaze.

Turning away from my friend, I looked around the shelves of the hut, trying to find a remedies book. "Is there any cure that you know of?" He asked. "There might be one..." I trailed off, rummaging through parchment rolls and empty vials. "What is it?" Snotlout asked. I sighed, continuing to gather Gothi's notes. "It's nearly impossible to make now. It requires a Buffalord dragon's saliva. But they were hunted to extinction centuries ago." I explained quickly. Gothi nodded in agreement, concurring with my previous statement. "But we won't give up." A strong surge of energy formed in my chest, a resolution that I would not let my friend succumb to this illness. Not if I could do anything about it. Scanning another part of the room, I withdrew a small leather bound book from underneath a jar of ginger shavings and flipped through the pages rapidly. My thumb ran over the runes, falling upon the page we needed, "Here." I handed the book to him so that he could see what I was talking about.

Snotlout raised his eyebrows."Thanks Brenna. Gothi. But there's one more thing. They sent me to bring you back. We need you to watch Astrid for us if you can." He explained. I looked back at Gothi, who nodded in permission. "Of course I will! But we have to hurry! She only has three days." I said, calling for Nightwing and grabbing my travel bag of essentials. Nightwing glided down from where she was chasing some Terrible Terrors, landing at my side on Gothi's platform. "I'll be back soon! I'll send for help if I need it!" I told her, mounting my dragon."Can you watch over the trio while I'm gone?" I hesitated. My aunt nodded in understanding, watching as Nightwing jumped into the air while the babies were distracted by rolling around with the Terrible Terrors. Snotlout had already mounted Hookfang as well, and so he started speeding away. "Come on girl. As fast as you can. Don't hold back! We need to get to Dragon's Edge!" I told Nightwing, patting her head. She rumbled to acknowledge my words, and shot forward like an arrow through windless sky. We quickly caught up to Snotlout and Hookfang, and even passed them. Seeing as Nightwing and I were with them, the boys also sped up, and the dragons flew side by side through the warm air.

It took far less time than usual for us to get go Dragon's Edge. I could see how exhausted both Monstrous Nightmares were, although I had to admit that Hookfang was in worse shape, having done two laps at extreme speeds. The poor thing was ready to collapse.

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