Snowfall on Berk

Chapter 16

~Hiccup~

Sometime later my mom came up to Gothi's hut. She sat down next to me and rubbed my back to calm me.

"You're not pacing. Should I be worried?"

"I don't know. My legs have started to burn, so I quit for a while," I say.

"How's she doing?"

"I don't know. Gobber went in a while ago. I haven't heard or seen anything since."

I look down at my hands. I haven't washed them, so they're still stained with Astrid's blood. I feel defeated. I'm nothing without Astrid. I need her, just like I need to breathe.

"She's tough. The toughest yet Hiccup. She's not going down without a fight, and you know it."

"I know. I just feel like I've failed. Like I made a mistake, and Astrid suffered from that mistake."

We sit in silence. My mom continues to rub my back making me feel at ease.

"Did you get Toothless home alright?" I ask breaking the silence.

"Yeah. Stormfly too. They've been fed. But they're both worried sick. Stormfly especially. But your dragons have a bond just like you and Astrid," my mom says.

Finally the door to Gothi's hut opens and both Gobber and Gothi walk out. I stand up and turn around.

"How is she?" I ask with major worry.

"The lass is fine. At least for now," Gobber says.

"What do you mean for now?"

Gothi starts to draw in the dirt. Gobber reads it and says, "The knife that stabbed Astrid was coated in a poison. Gothi doesn't know exactly what it is, but she's trying everything she can."

"C-can I see her?"

Gothi scribbles once more, and Gobber says, "Yes. But she's unconscious."

I walk in the hut and I see Astrid, MY Astrid laying on the cot. Her skin looks ghostly pale. Her right shoulder is elevated and wrapped. She's breathing and that's all that matters.

"Hey Gothi," I call, "is it possible to get the Scourge of Odin again if you've already had survived it once?"

I hear Gothi scribble. Gobber says, "It is very possible, but it hasn't happened before. Why?"

"Because this is how Astrid looked when she had the Scourge. And the hunter that stabbed her said that he was going to kill Astrid slowly, instead of instantly. The Scourge is one way to do it."

Gothi walks over to Astrid. She feels Astrid's head, and wound. She draws in the dirt, Gobber reads it. "Gothi agrees. All this signs are there. But there might be something else at play. It's most likely the Scourge but it could be something very similar. Gothi says she hasn't tried a Buffalourd," Gobber says.

"We need a Buffalourd. And quick," I say.

Astrid moans in her sleep. I kneel down next to her. "Shh. It's okay. You've beat this before, and you'll beat it again."

She moans once more. I stand up. "We need to go."

I walk out of the hut. My mom runs up beside me. "Do you even know where a Buffalourd is?" she asks me.

"If it's still in the same place where we left it last, then yes. I know exactly where to find one.