Stormfly was blocking most of my view of Astrid, and I figured moving to get a better vantage point would result in a few tail spikes becoming airborne. It was everything I could do just to sit next to my dad and Gobber, listening helplessly as Astrid gasped like a fish out of water.

Even though she was mere feet away from me, not being able to see Astrid only heightened my anxiety about the coming moments. My right foot started bouncing, a small action to hopefully ease some of the worry that was rapidly building in my gut.

My dad's eyes were closed, like he was patiently waiting this entire production out. Gobber had an unfocused stare on his face.

Johann came limping down the stairs. Just like Gobber a few minutes ago, the world played out in slow motion as the words inexorably tumbled out of his mouth.

"Oh! Allow be to helb her!"

There was a brief pause as both Gobber and I had to bring ourselves back to reality to comprehend what was happening.

Johann half-limped, half-hopped toward Stormfly once he reached the ground floor.

"Johann, no!" Gobber finally shouted. He jumped up a second before I did, but our movements were too late.

Astrid's dragon was eyeing Johann with a suspicious leer during his production, but when she saw he wouldn't stop, she whipped her head and neck around, grabbing a hold of his right arm with her teeth. She hissed with his arm in her mouth, then let go, pushing Johann away at the same time. He stumbled backward and fell on his rear.

Figures, I thought. Had Gobber actually reached Johann, he probably would have tried to approach Astrid anyway. I slumped back down in my chair with a quiet groan, just hoping this craziness would end sometime before the snow thawed.

Johann sat there in shock for a second or two, then checked his right arm. His sleeve was punctured from Stormfly's teeth, but it was the only evidence he had of a Deadly Nadder bite.

"Let Astrid's dragon protect her," Gobber advised with a hint of a smile in his tone of voice.

Stormfly whuffed in irritation at Johann, then turned back toward Astrid, who had stopped gasping.

None of us dared to move. Toothless and Thornado had a clear view of Astrid, but neither of them did anything except stare at her.

After a few seconds, I felt someone's eyes on me. Looking around, I immediately found Toothless looking in my direction. He blinked, then returned his gaze toward Astrid.

"I dought Asdrid's drahgod was subbosed to be friehdly," Johann mused, finally connecting his arm to Stormfly's actions..

"She is, as long as you follow her rules," I responded. "Just be glad she didn't impale you with a tail spike."

The entire time Johann was sitting on the floor, Stormfly had her tail in his view, telling him not to try his little ruse again. Johann groaned, causing her to shift positions slightly, readying her tail for an attack. But instead of approaching Stormfly again, Johann backed toward the wall.

Stormfly turned toward Astrid, who was panting. She nudged her head downward and pushed toward her right. Astrid's upper body came into our view. After about five seconds, she stayed in position, acting as a support for Astrid.

Astrid had the exact same incoherent look my dad did when Toothless and I entered the house. Her mouth was slack, her shoulders were slumped, and her eyes looked like she was staring blankly through the wall in front of her.

Some of the tension built up in my shoulders released itself. Astrid was still worse for the wear, but being able to see her was reassuring.

"She's awake!" Gobber shouted excitedly. Both my dad and I flinched at his exclamation, and Stormfly responded with a deep hiss.

Five minutes, I thought. Count down from three hundred seconds.

I focused on listening to my breaths come and go, just trying to get my mind off of worrying about Astrid. She was going to be fine, and I guessed she'd take about the same amount of time to regain muscle control as my dad.

Four minutes.

"Oh!" Johann shouted in realization. "I'b sure Ahstrid ahd her drahgod would certaidly abbreciate by recent escabe frob–"

"Johann, I'd be ecstatic to not hear that again," I interrupted. It didn't matter whether I knew what he was going to say. The problem was that once he started spinning a yarn, he wouldn't shut up until next week.

Three minutes.

I glanced at Astrid again. Her eyes were still blank, but every now and then they focused on the wall in front of her.

"Astrid?" I asked quietly.

Her head turned slightly to her right, toward the direction of my voice.

Behind Astrid, Toothless grunted. He was sitting back on his haunches, staring directly at me again. His intense expression told me everything he was thinking. I had "fixed" Astrid, just like my dad.

Two minutes.

Like she was made of wood or fused iron, Astrid drew her knees in closer to her chest. She slowly planted her feet underneath her center of gravity and keeled over to her right, crashing into Stormfly's flank. A frustrated groan escaped her throat.

Stormfly craned her neck and licked Astrid's cheek, encouraging her to try again.

One minute.

This time, her movements were more purposeful. Astrid was able to get her feet underneath her much more quickly the second time. She stood, wobbling in what looked like dizziness. She took a step forward, her foot crashing into Stormfly's right leg. Her dragon jumped out of the way, and Astrid continued staggering forward at a snail's pace.

Please don't fall now, I thought.

Luckily, my dad was thinking ahead and held onto her forearm. Each step she took brought more confidence, and that extreme focus in her eyes was slowly dissipating. She was returning to normal, exactly as I had predicted.

I couldn't help it any longer. I jumped up from my seat and rushed in for a hug, somehow staying mindful of Astrid's lack of balance at the moment. A huge grin split my face in two.

I wrapped my arms around her chest and whispered, "Hi, Astrid."

Underneath my embrace, I felt her shoulders drop several inches. She pulled in a deep breath and exhaled, a cloud of steam forming between us.

After a few seconds, she smiled.

***

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this story. If you liked it enough, please consider commenting and/or voting. Also, if you see something that you think needs improvement, please let me know. Thank you for reading!