An Unknown Sickness - httyd

The Dragon's Solution

Shout out to @MazesandArrows and @Horselover3k! Thank you guys so much for your support and for encouraging me to write more! It means a lot! ♡♡♡ Happy reading!

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Stormfly squawked in horror and Astrid had to shush her quietly. The Grapple would know that they were there. Spying on them. Though Astrid couldn't see where the other riders were, she could sense they were in the bush as well. Watching the exact thing she was witnessing. It was horrific. For one thing, there was blood all over the ground as the Red Grapple looked at its dead prey. The wound from the stomach kept seeping out blood and it looked black in the dark. The Grapple's eyes glowed white in the dark just like a full moon did.

The Red Grapple circled the Nadder. Astrid didn't want to watch what the Grapple would do to it, but she couldn't find herself able to look away. But what the Grapple did next was confusing. It looked like it was about to lunge itself again at the Nadder, but it just crouched down and wriggled its body. It brushed itself against a tree right next to the Nadder and Red scales fell off of its shoulder and arms. Astrid watched curiously at the Grapple and squinted in the dark to see what it was doing. It crushed the scales under it's feet until it was nothing but small flakes of dust, Astrid assumed.

"What in Thor's name is happening?" Snotlout asked quietly from somewhere near Astrid's right. Astrid and the others shushed him to be quiet.

The Grapple's head snapped up and gazed at the bushes. The eyes were scanning for them. Astrid didn't even let out a breath. It slowly looked back to the crushed scales. Astrid noticed it didn't blink. Astrid watched as the Grapple's forked tongue liked the flakes of scales from the ground and walked over to the spot where the Nadder had been stabbed by its own tail. Is it trying to heal it? Astrid asked herself as the Red Grapple started licking the wound. It went to the scratches on the dead Nadder's back and licked there too. In the little moonlight, Astrid could see saliva dripping from its mouth onto the ground occasionally. 

Astrid almost let out a gasp when the Grapple lunged forward at breaking speed and started devouring the Nadder. Ripping off its wings and eating them swiftly as it went for the Nadder's stomach. Astrid finally looked away. She thought she was going to be sick. The sound was also horrendous, and she resisted the urge to cover her ears. 

It went on for what felt like forever, but in reality, ten minutes. Astrid could hear the Grapple stop eating and walk away. Wing beats were heard and then the crashing of branches and leaves. The Red Grapple was back into the trees.

After waiting a moment, Astrid climbed out of the bush and saw Fishlegs was already out, along with Meatlug who was following. She looked terrified. Fishlegs was looking at the Nadder. Blood covered everywhere.

"What just happened?" Astrid asked in a shushed tone. Fishlegs's face was pale. 

"I-I don't know..." He answered honestly.

"You gotta admit that was awesome," Tuff said with wide eyes as he exited the bush with his sister. They both were smiling slightly.

Fishlegs looked at them with equally wide eyes. "What part of that was awesome?" He asked in disbeleif. 

"All of it, but I think that the best of it was when he ate the limbs. Ripping them off and walking away with the bloody bone," Ruff said with a snicker and a devilish look in her eye. Astrid had to admit, the twins absolutely terrified her sometimes. In many different ways too. But there was no way she would admit that to them.

"You mean you watched all of it?" Fishlegs asked, flabbergasted. 

"Never looked away," Tuffnut said with a laugh. "Didn't want to miss a single thing." Astrid swore that she was going to hurl.