Stormfly squawked and jumped over to catch her Rider by the shirt collar before Astrid could hit the floor. She then laid Astrid down gently as the other Riders rushed over.

"Astrid? Astrid, what's wrong?" Fishlegs demanded.

Astrid's eyelids fluttered open. She stared at Fishlegs for a moment before asking, "What happened?"

"I don't know. You just passed out."

Astrid waved the others away and tried to sit up, but found she couldn't. She flopped back onto the floor, panic in her eyes.

"I can't move my legs," Astrid said.

Fishlegs' eyes widened, then he glanced over his shoulder to where the Dragon Eye image had been.

"Astrid, have you felt light-headed and dizzy for the last few hours?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yes," Astrid muttered, not liking being unable to stand.

"One of the Sleep Stingers must have stung you at some point," Fishlegs said. "The symptoms are the same as what the Dragon Eye says. You weren't stung enough times to be put right to sleep, but once is still enough to eventually cause it."

Astrid's hand went to her waist. "When we first fought the Sleep Stingers. My armor came a bit undone, but I didn't think I had been stung."

Fishlegs lifted Astrid's hand to check. Just above her belt line was a single pinprick.

"Yeah, they got you," Fishlegs said.

"Great," Astrid muttered. She shoved her hands against the floor, managing to sit up this time.

Fishlegs leaned forward, hands out in front of him. "Woah, woah! What do you think you are doing?"

"I'm going with you," Astrid said, as if it were obvious.

"No, you are going to stay here." Fishlegs gulped when Astrid glared at him, but remained firm. "Your condition is only going to get worse as time goes on. I don't know how you stayed on Toothless this whole time!"

"But, the Sleep Stingers!" Astrid protested. "You'll need all the help you can get!"

"We'll be fine, Astrid," Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, leave everything to me," Snotlout interjected. "I have this whole thing covered."

Astrid fell back with a moan, hand coming up to cover her face. "Thanks, Snotlout. I feel a lot better now," she said, completely sarcastic.

The rest of the day was spent in resting and coming up with a plan to get the Speed Stingers to their cave. Which meant Snotlout and the twins throwing out as many crazy ideas they could think of, and Fishlegs rejecting them one after another.

Astrid tried to help out, but it was getting harder and harder for her to think straight. She sat up in the cot the twins had brought to Hiccup's hut for as long as she could, but eventually she was too fuzzy-headed to do even that and was forced to lay down.

It was early evening when Fishlegs gave up on Snotlout or the twins coming up with a plan that didn't involve something being smashed or crushed.

"This is what we are going to do," Fishlegs said, cutting off the twins' explanation that involved entire flaming trees and a net. "We need to go out there and see if we can find the Sleep Stingers before they start flying for the day. We'll need to make it so the only way they can fly is back to the cave, then we can chase them that way as soon as they wake up."

The twins looked at each other and shrugged. Fishlegs hadn't mentioned breaking anything, but they were pretty sure they could convince Fishlegs that something needed broken.

"Who made you leader?" Snotlout asked, determined to be annoying.

"After Hiccup and Astrid, I'm next in charge," Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, we've seen how that can go," Snotlout muttered.

Fishlegs scowled, but didn't respond. He had the only logical plan and Snotlout knew it, he just would never admit it.

"We need to go right now, so we can find the Sleep Stingers," Fishlegs said, turning.

"Wait."

Fishlegs spun to face Astrid when he heard her quiet murmur. Astrid's eyes were barely open as she struggled to sit up.

"You aren't going with us, Astrid, and that's final," Fishlegs said firmly.

"Not me. Stormfly," Astrid murmured. "Take all the dragons."

"But who will be here to watch over you and Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.

"You're taking care of the Sleep Stingers. We'll be fine." Astrid's eyes closed again, but she didn't stop talking. "You'll need all the help you can get."

Fishlegs hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, Astrid."

"Night Terrors," Astrid adds in a voice that is barely audible.

"Yes, we'll take them, too," Fishlegs assures her. "You just rest."

Astrid didn't respond, having fallen fully to sleep. Although Fishlegs doubted she would be disturbed by the Riders talking, he motioned for Snotlout and the twins to follow him outside. There, he explained his plan.

The twins would gather the Night Terrors and have them spread out across the island to search for the Sleep Stingers. Snotlout and Fishlegs would find any of the other dragons on the island that had been tamed, and recruit them to help.

"Let's go," Fishlegs said, once he was done explaining and started replacing his armor. "We have a lot of ground to cover in a very short time."

For once, Snotlout and the twins didn't argue. The gravity of the situation had finally sunk in enough for them to follow Fishlegs' leading.

Fishlegs frowned at the nearly-set sun, as if he could make the day last any longer. He, Snotlout, and a dozen mostly-tame dragons had been combing the island without luck.

Meatlug grunted nervously, and Fishlegs gave her an absent pat. Toothless had decided to not allow any of the other Riders ride him, and had taken his search to the forest floor. Fishlegs hadn't seen him since.

Barf and Belch flew up to Fishlegs, with a couple of Night Terrors flanking them.

"No signs of the Sleep Stingers," Ruffnut reported.

"We've checked the entire island," Fishlegs moaned. "Where could they be?"

"Any chance they might have, you know, moved to another island?" Snotlout asked hopefully.

"The Eye said the Sleep Stingers are not migratory," Fishlegs said. "They should only really be awake for a day or two of the year, so that's no time to move around much."

"In that case, I suggest we go migratory and leave," Snotlout said.

"We still need to cure for Hiccup and Astrid," Fishlegs said.

Snotlout opened his mouth to retort, but there was a roar from below.

The dragons turned and saw Toothless. He was perched in a tree, as close to the top as he could go. Once he had their attention, he started scrambling down the tree.

"Maybe he found them!" Fishlegs said excitedly as he followed Toothless to the forest floor.

When the Riders' dragons reached the ground, Toothless started pawing at a hole in the ground. He rumbled and looked at Fishlegs meaningfully.

It didn't take Fishlegs long to catch on. "Oh, the Sleep Stingers must have burrowed underground to stay hidden and get away from the sun!"

Snotlout peered into the hole. "I don't see anything. Hookfang!"

"No, don't!" Fishlegs protested before Hookfang could light up the hole. "If we wake them up now, we won't be able to get them headed the right way." He glanced up. "Now come on, we have a lot of work to do."

Stormfly was on guard near the hole when the first Sleep Stinger exited. She chirped and hunkered down as the tiny dragons slowly emerged and stretched. It took some time for every Sleep Stinger to emerge, and by that time, the ground was black with them.

Stormfly waited a moment. She could see Snotlout and Hookfang off to her right, and a friendly wild Nadder to her left.

She roared and shot a line of her tail spikes at the Sleep Stingers. At her signal, Hookfang and the Nadder rushed forward in a burst of flame.

The Sleep Stingers squealed in fright and sped off in the one direction that no attack was coming from.

As the Sleep Stingers fled, Stormfly, Hookfang, and the wild Nadder flew after them. Any time the Sleep Stingers seemed to be preparing to go on the attack themselves, the pursuers would discourage them with flames and tail spikes. Night Terrors stayed to the sides, jumping out at the Sleep Stingers if they tried to divert from the path.

The group moved quickly through the forest, the Sleep Stingers becoming more frantic with any moment.

Snotlout narrowed his eyes. Soon, the Sleep Stingers would have to be turned to head in the direction of the cave. That job belonged to the twins, but whether or not they would succeed was admittedly iffy.

Suddenly, Barf and Belch dove from the sky. Barf spewed out a curved line of gas, then Belch lit it up.

The Sleep Stinger squealed at the wall of flames, then turned off to the left. Snotlout and the twins cheered, then continued their pursuit.

Soon, they reached the cliffside where the Sleep Stingers' nest was. As the Sleep Stingers reached the tunnel, Toothless and the other tamed Nadders came from the forest to join in fire blasts that encouraged the Sleep Stingers to take refuge in their nest. Once the Sleep Stingers were inside, Snotlout shouted for Fishlegs.

Meatlug and a couple wild Gronkles appeared from where they had been hiding in the rocks. Working quickly, they shoved some boulders forward so that they sealed up the tunnel. Shrill squeaks came from the blocked tunnel as the Sleep Stingers realized they were now trapped.

The dragons drew back and watched the sky nervously. If there were other exits or if the group of Sleep Stingers could move the boulder, they would be right back where they started.

After a few moments, however, no Sleep Stingers appeared, and the group relaxed.

"They won't be getting out of there anytime soon," Fishlegs said.

"Um, what about getting some of their venom to make a cure," Snotlout asked.

Tuffnut clapped his hands to his face. "Oh, no! He doesn't want Hiccup or Astrid to wake up ever again!"

"Fishlegs is the tyrant!" Ruffnut proclaimed.

"We are still going to get the venom," Fishlegs said in annoyance. "It will just be best if we wait until they are asleep."

The twins immediately calmed down, only to start arguing about who was going to go inside the Sleep Stingers' nest.

"I will do it!" Fishlegs interrupted.

Snotlout narrowed his eyes. "Well, don't get stung, because Hookfang and I are not going in after you."

At the exact same time, the twins pointed to Snotlout and yelled, "Tyrant!"

Confident that the Sleep Stingers wouldn't be able to get away, the Riders and their dragons headed back to the edge to await daylight.

Toothless headed straight to Hiccup to lay at his Rider's side and pick him up every time he rolled out of bed.

Stormfly went to Astrid. Astrid's eyes opened briefly, but she was too tired to pet or speak to her dragon, and her eyes closed again soon after.

Fishlegs started preparing the cure for Hiccup and Astrid. He busied Snotlout and the twins with gathering ingredients -and other errands that were pointless, but kept them out of trouble.

When daylight finally arrived, Fishlegs started gathering the supplies he would need: a blanket to wrap the Sleep Stinger in if necessary, a jar for the venom, and a net.

Snotlout and the twins had predictably disappeared as soon as Fishlegs announced he would be leaving soon.

Fishlegs only shook his head at the absence of Riders, and threw his supplies into Meatlug's saddlebags, then climbed on. Meatlug was about to take off, when Toothless bounded out of the hut.

"Toothless, what is it?" Fishlegs asked. He glanced at the hut. "Is it Hiccup?"

Toothless rumbled reassuringly, then stood beside Meatlug.

"You want to go with us?"

Toothless crooned, then hopped and glided to the ground below. He broke into a run as he headed for the forest.

"I guess that's a yes."

Fishlegs was relieved to find the tunnel still blocked up and silent. After a moment's hesitation -it was possible the Sleep Stingers had set up another ambush- Fishlegs motioned for Meatlug and Toothless to move the boulders slightly.

The group stood back and waited. No Sleep Stingers came flying out, and the no sound was heard.

"Well, here goes," Fishlegs said, approaching the tunnel.

Toothless jumped in front of Fishlegs and led the way. Fishlegs was greatly relieved. It was too great a risk to light a torch, but Toothless could see in the dark. He kept close the the black dragon, and Meatlug followed in the rear.

The tunnel turned sharply several times, which had to be how the Sleep Stingers were never bothered by the sun, before straightening.

Fishlegs wasn't sure how long they had been walking before Toothless rumbled and halted. Without the sound of walking, Fishlegs became aware of another sound: breathing.

Fishlegs fought to keep himself under control, but it wasn't easy when he could hear the whole group of Sleep Stingers breathe. At least the steady rhythm seemed to indicate that the Sleep Stingers had fallen asleep.

While Fishlegs was calming down, he heard some scuffling sounds from Toothless, then felt his blunt muzzle on his arm. Sensing that Toothless wanted to give him something, Fishlegs reached out a hand.

A small, warm, scaly body was placed gently in his hand. A Sleep Stinger!

Panic flared in Fishlegs before he realized that this Sleep Stinger was also asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Reaching back with his free hand, Fishlegs asked quietly, "Meatlug, can you give me the jar, girl?"

He heard Meatlug snorting excitedly, then the smooth jar was pressed into his hand.

Fishlegs pulled out the cork of the jar with his mouth, then rested the jar in the crook of his arm, while he ran his hands gently down the Sleep Stinger's body until he felt the tail.

Fishlegs took a deep breath as he put the small tail on the side of the jar and tapped a couple times. He didn't need much, just a few drops, but in the darkness he couldn't tell if he was getting even a drop.

Finally, Fishlegs' nerves couldn't take any more, and he held the Sleep Stinger out for Toothless to take and return to its spot. Then, he turned and walked as quickly as Meatlug would go in the darkness.

The group rounded one last turn, then burst into the daylight. Panting even though they hadn't run, Fishlegs whirled around.

No Sleep Stingers. Good, they had remained undisturbed.

Fishlegs checked the jar and was delighted to find a the venom fully covering the bottom. There was enough for ten cures!

Fishlegs corked the jar, than climbed onto Meatlug. He had already decided to leave the tunnel open. As long as the Sleep Stingers were left alone, they wouldn't go on the rampage again. Besides, he didn't want to trap the Sleep Stingers for when the next time that they were supposed to wake up and hunt.

Once he got to the Edge, Fishlegs directed Snotlout and the twins -they had been waiting with feigned innocence when he returned- to bring Hiccup and Astrid to his hut while he finished up the cure.

It didn't take long for Fishlegs to finish up. He hurriedly gave the cure to Hiccup and Astrid, then he, Snotlout, and the twins sat back to wait.

Astrid opened her eyes within a few minutes. She was confused at finding herself in Fishlegs' hut with Stormfly and the Riders -excluding Hiccup- watching her, but then the memories flooded back.

"You did it?" Astrid asked.

Fishlegs smiled proudly. "We did it."

Astrid experimentally sat up and swung her legs off the cot. Stormfly squawked and pressed up against her, making Astrid smile and pet her.

"I'm fine, girl." Astrid's expression turned serious when she saw Hiccup still unconscious. "What about Hiccup?"

"Well, he did have more venom in his system than you, and for longer," Fishlegs said. "It will just take a little longer for him."

It was nearly a half hour before Hiccup rolled his head and frowned. Astrid stood from her seat in the cot, hopeful that Hiccup was waking up for real, and not just moving in his sleep.

Hiccup's eyes crept halfway open. He stared blearily at Astrid and Toothless standing over him, then his eyes widened and he jolted onto his elbows.

"You won't believe what Toothless and I found!" Hiccup exclaimed, his speech slightly slurred.

"Woah, calm down, we know all about it," Fishlegs said, trying to press Hiccup back down.

"No, I-"

Astrid cut Hiccup off, "We know about the dragons, and we took care of them. You were stung, but Fishlegs made up the cure."

Hiccup blinked a couple times, trying to process the new information. Toothless nudged his arm, and Hiccup absently began petting him.

"What were they?" Hiccup asked, his voice becoming clearer with every word. "I think they were dragons, but they went crazy, and my torch blew out."

"They were a new type of dragon!" Fishlegs exclaimed, excitement taking over and not allowing anyone else to talk.

Astrid smiled and shook her head as Fishlegs explained everything they had learned about Sleep Stingers. Soon enough, Hiccup had joined in the conversation, asking for more detail on parts Fishlegs had skipped.

They might be discovering new things every day, but some things never changed.

A/N: Wow, so many readers and reviews! It really inspires me to keep writing!

...though it may be a bit. ;)