A New World, Complicated

Chapter 36: The Eel Effect (Hiccup)

        I pushed open the door to the Great Hall, revealing a congregation of sick Berkians, coughing and hugging their knees in an attempt to keep warm. I didn't dare to actually step in myself, out of fear of catching the sickness myself, but I could stare from a distance.

"Hiccup!" I turned my head to see Fishlegs hovering on Meatlug. "Reign went to pick up Gothi. She'll meet us at the Academy."

"Oh, good." I jumped up onto Toothless, ready to finally get something done around here. "Okay, bud. Let's go."

Everyone had already packed themselves up by the time Toothless and I got there, waiting for Reign to get back with Gothi. She was the last person we needed before we could set off.

"Ready, gang?"

"Ready to leave Berk during an outbreak of eel pox? Mm... let me think, let me think, let me think." I rolled my eyes at Snotlout. "That's a big, fat... yes!"

"The sooner the better. I do not want to get sick." Tuff crossed his arms over his chest, staring me down with a defiant glare.

"If he gets sick, I get sick."

"You do?"

"Yeah. We're twins." Tuff's jittery eagerness melted into curious contemplation.

"Wait. So if I hit myself..." He gasped as he came to another bone-headed realization. "Would you feel it, too?"

"Definitely. Give it a try." Tuffnut slapped himself across the face, believing the lies his sister was feeding him, as usual. "Ow!" she cried, pretending to feel the same pain Tuff did. "Do it again." He obeyed, but this time, she decided to toy with him. "Aah! Do it again. Harder!"

"Gladly!"

"Ah, I didn't feel that one." This time, he hit himself so hard, he fell to the ground. "Ow! Do it again."

"Guys, please," I sighed. "We need to leave for Healer's Island as soon as Reign gets back."

"Hiccup!" The cry of my name was followed by a weak coughing fit. My dad managed to stumble his way into the Academy, somehow gathering just enough strength to move.

"Dad, you should be resting up at the Great Hall."

"Nonsense." He stopped just in front of Snotlout, before violently sneezing on him. "I won't be grounded by the sniffles." I tried to approach him, but I moment I saw him readying another sneeze, I ducked to avoid the line of fire.

"Whoa! Oh... kay." Thankfully, I watched Shriek round the corner outside, and she landed with Reign and Gothi on her back.

"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 large parchment with at least two dozen ingredients on it.

"Well, then we better get moving. That medicine isn't going to make itself."

"We should be going with you," my dad insisted as I made final preparations. I heard him inhale deeply, and stuck my shield up in front of me to block another one of his sneezes.

"Dad, Berk needs a healthy chief, not a sick Dragon Rider. We can handle this," I assured him.

"All right," he sighed. "I'll stay here with the rest of the ­­­______." The others took off already, not wanting to wait to get what we needed. "Be safe, Hiccup." I turned around and scoffed at him.