Disclaimer: I do not own either the characters from the movie Balto or the novel series The Wings of Fire, only the story. Balto and the characters of the franchise belongs to Universal Studios and The Wings of Fire belongs to Tui T. Sutherland.. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something. The dragons in this production will be wingless and the size of humans.
Chapter Seven: Trying to Get Back Home
As Clay lay there in the snow, the dragons of the team looks to Flame in horror as he snickered over his apparent victory. Qibli looks back over to Clay, gasps at the sight and said, "Look!"
All attention was focused on Clay as he struggled with a grunt to get up. Flame, surprised and confused to how the Mudwing could still get up, then snarled in anger. With a lunge he went to attack Clay, but all he managed to do was catch Peril's bandana in his teeth as he nearly swung himself near a cliff. As Flame pull-ed on the bandana, Clay resisted the pull as best as he could. But as Flame tried to bring Clay closer, the knot of the bandana started to come loose. It untied and then standing on his back legs with the bandana still in his mouth for a moment, Flame fell backwards over the cliff with a scream. Clay could only go to the edge and watch as Flame tumbled and hit the rocky surface as he fell. He kept tumbling and hitting the rocks until he landed at the bottom of the cliff with a groan.
Somewhat relieved the Skywing still lived, Clay took a few deep breaths from the beating. Turning back to the dragon sled team he walked over as they had already turned the sled back over and were now putting the musher on the bed. Clay came up to the musher and nudged his hand in with the rest of him as the man said with a groan, "Good boy."
Looking at the dragon team, he noticed that they were all waiting for him. He walked up to Qibli, who held the lead harness for him. Clay was surprised as he stepped into it. It felt weird, but it also felt like a dream come true to him. Though he didn't make the team at first, Clay was now on a dragon sled team.
Flame had made it back to the top of the cliff, exhausted from the climb. Panting he looked to see Clay and his team running up the slope as the musher yells to the grunting dragon. Not wanting the wild low-born to steal his glory, Flame says to him from afar, "Go ahead, low-born. You'll never get home." Remembering Clay's plan to get back he said, "I'll make sure of that."
He found Clay's mark and decided to put his own plan into action. Laughing crazily he said, "I'll show him." Running in a certain direction he questioned, "Why not this way?" Jumping up against a tree he started scratching the wood, 'How about over here?" Snickering to himself he said, "No, that's the wrong way."
Soon, Clay and the other dragons came across the mixed trails. Clay looked around and was gasped in shock, "Oh, no."
Looking around, he could to see that all trees had been scratched up. There was no way of telling which way to go. Qibli then asked, "Which way, Clay? Which way? Which way?"
"Uh…" Trying to think of which way he came, he randomly picked a direction, "this way." The team took off into that particular direction.
Time passed as the team kept running, but it would all be for not. They soon came back to the area where Clay had gotten lost. Clay, sees the tree stump, and stops with a skid. But this makes all the other dragons crash into him. This causes the team to question him as Deathbringer questions, "Clay, why are you taking us in circles?"
"I'm not! I mean… I don't know." Clay said as he was confused. He then realized the one behind this, "It's Flame."
"Maybe we was better off with him there." Riptide said, second guessing their choice to the other dragons. Clay, not wanting to lose their faith in him, nor waste any more time. He said, "No! Come on! Mush!"
He pulled the team forward, making them run through the forest. But without a clear direction they were running blindly to who knows where. Qibli tried to make Clay stop, "Clay, slow down!" His open mouth got him a stick in his mouth. Clay tried to remember which way he came, but with so many marks, he couldn't tell where he was going. Clay started to run faster, making the other dragons yell, "Hey, hey! You're goin' too fast!" Not knowing what to do scared Clay so much that he didn't see that they were coming towards the edge of a cliff. Qibli tried to say, 'The moun—the moun—"
They all screamed as they tried to stop themselves from going over. The musher fell out of the sled as they kept sliding to the edge. Clay used all of his strength to make the team slow down. They were able to stop themselves as the sled stopped itself against a rock. Everyone panted from the experience. But their troubles weren't over yet as someone shouted, "Look out!"
Ropes broke and the crate started to come loose from the sled. Clay gasped and quickly slipped out of the harness and then jumped to catch a rope with his mouth. Holding on tight, he kept the crate and himself from falling over the edge. Qibli then said, "All right! Good catch, Clay!"
The dragons smiled at the saved cargo, but all happiness faded as the sound cracking could be heard in the rock. The ground from underneath Clay started to give way, making dragon and crate fall over the cliffside. Clay screamed as the other dragons could only watch in horror as he fell down the mountain. Falling and screaming into a tumble of snow, his world turned black.
Back in Nome Rodan, David and Thailog looked into the window in the boiler room as a dragon questioned about Clay in his search, "I don't get it. How could Clay hope to find Flame and his team? They were off the trail."
"Well, he's tracking them." Peril told them. A skeptical dragon thought it was ridiculous and commented, "That low-born! Tracking a championship team in a blizzard!"
This makes all the dragons who didn't believe in Clay laugh. The only dragons not laughing were Peril and Webs as the latter looked to former's angry face. The door bursts open, and everyone gasps as they look to see who opened it as a draconic shape walks in. Peril, hopeful that it was Clay asked, "Clay?"
"Flame! Flame's alive!" Someone said happily. She became disappointed at who it actually was. The other dragons; however were grateful as one said, "You're back! Where ya been? Are you okay?"
One of the dragons rolled a bone his way, which he leapt at and tore into hungrily. Webs asked more important question, "Flame, where are the others?"
"Yeah, what happened to the others?" Someone else asks. Taking a moment, Flame then starts to act all depressed after getting his breath back, and then said, "Well, one by one they fell." He sniffled and walked as he said, "Frozen, barely alive." Shaking the snow and ice off of him, which made a few dragons duck from the shards. Flame then continued his 'tale of woe', "I-I pulled four onto the sled. Three more on my back." He counted or flexed with his claws and said, "And I, I walked… and I walked…" He sat down depressed as he said, "but it was just—it was too late."
The other dragons gasped at this as Flame said, "They wer—" He feel onto the ground.
"What about the medicine?" Webs asked. Everyone wanted to know about that part too. Flame continued to tell his tale of laws, "Uh… I-I went on… dragging the medicine alone. All alone." He stood before a furnace before taking a more serious expression, sniffed and said, "And then suddenly… that low-born appeared. Clay." Making him sound as if he were a glory hound, Flame said, "He demanded I let him take the medicine." A sad expression etches itself on the Skywing's face as he looked to Peril and said, "You know, he, he just wanted so much… to be a hero in your eyes." Peril looked down, knowing whether or not to believe Flame. "And he grabbed the crate…" he sniffled when he said, "but he couldn't handle it. He-He couldn't see the patch of ice, the snow, the wind, and then the log. And the cliff! Well, he just didn't have a chance." He hung his head in depression. Starting to sob he said, "It's—I'm sorry. And then…" Taking a deep breath, he pulled something out of his collar. Peril gasps at the item, "My ban-dana." Peril hung her head down and closed her eyes in sadness.
"He made me promise to take care of you, Peril." Flame said. Peril lifted her head and opened her eyes and thought, knowing that Clay would never say anything like that, she narrowed her eyes as she realized that Flame was lying, "You're lying."
Everyone gasps in shock at the accusation as Flame's eyes dart from left to right. Getting up, Peril tells them, "Flame's lying. Clay's alive." The other dragons murmured to themselves as she bent down to pick up her bandana, and said, "He's coming home." She then ran out of the room. Flame makes up the excuse that the grief had given Peril false hope and said, "Uh… well, you know, she needs a little time." He nods with what he said as the other dragons started murmur in agreement with him.
Outside the telegrapher's office, both the telegrapher and his Gronkle step outside. The man stepped toward the lantern and rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that even though he didn't like doing this, the situation didn't look very hopeful. With a sigh, the telegrapher reaches up and pulls the lantern off of its hook.
From the window of the hospital, Rosy's mother gasps when the telegrapher turns out the lantern. Putting her hands up to her face, her husband puts his arms around her as she begins to cry over the possibility of the worst happening to her daughter. Rosy could only just lay there in the bed, wheezing as her clock seemed to be ticking down.
On the outside of Nome, as the town lights flickered out for the night, Peril came dragging a lantern through the snow and freezing winds. She dragged it to the top of a tall hill. Remembering what Clay taught her the other night as she set the lantern down, she said, "Sun." Carefully moving some broken bottles to the right position she then said, "Ice caps." Feeling that it was just right, Peril moved to the side to let the light from the lantern hit the bottles and created a much bigger version of Clay's Northern Lights. The light projected itself on a taller hill next to Peril's. Though she found it beautiful, she knew she couldn't have done it without him as she looked out beyond Nome and whispered, "Clay."
Speaking of our favorite Mudwing, he had awakened and was starting to dig himself out of the snow. After a few pushes with his head, he emerges his upper body with a grunt. Clay keeps grunting when he started to pull the rest of him out as the sun shone down on him and fell onto his belly. Thinking that he had failed everyone in Nome, Clay feels at his lowest and depressingly said, "Rosy." Then covering himself with a paw, he starts to sniffle in sadness.
Laying there, feeling sorry for himself and those that he had let down, he breathes heavily with what he deems as his greatest failure. Soon he feels a presence before him, removes his paw from his face and looks to see someone standing before him. Looking up to the being's face, he finds himself staring into the eyes of a pure white wild Mudwing. The white Mudwing then takes a deep breath and lets out a mighty roar. It looks back down at Clay, waiting for his response. But Clay, ignoring his wild side, only looks away from the white Mudwing. It looks to him as he just lays there depressed and unresponsive. When he didn't give it a sign, the white Mudwing turns and leaves him alone.
Clay suddenly sees something nearby. Lifting his head he sees that the crate of medicine hadn't been buried in the snow. He lifts his head higher to look at the climb back to the sled. Just as he's starting to think that it's impossible, Rodan's advice comes back into his mind, "Let me tell you something, Clay. A normal dragon cannot make this journey alone." Clay starts to know the truth that acting like all the other dragons will only get him so far. "But maybe a wild dragon can." But his confidence builds when he remembers that though he's just a Mudwing, they're still considered to be strong and true to themselves. With a new-found determination, he looks to where the white Mudwing disappeared to. Clay looked down at the tracks that it left behind. He shakily gets up on his feet and puts his talons in one of the prints. Seeing as how they fit, he decides to truly accept his heritage and takes a deep breath. Lifting his head high, Clay lets his own roar ring out to the world! The sound of his roar as he kept it up brings the white Mudwing back to him. The white Mudwing comes closer to Clay and starts to roar harmoniously with him. Both dragons roared their hearts out as Clay knew he was always meant to be: a wild, yet heroic dragon.
Back at the top of the cliff, the dragons had gathered around and shivered as they started to become buried in snow again. The roaring could be heard from the top making them all gasp in wonder. Riptide then comments, "Oh, great. Things are not bad enough. Now we got wild dragons."
"Wild Dragons!" The other dragons cried as they huddled together and whimpered in fear. Deathbringer looks over the side of the cliff and a smile comes onto his face as he shouted, "Hey, hey! Hey, over here!"
"What? What is it?" Riptide asks as he looks over too. All the dragons at the top of the cliff look and gasp in amazement at the sight. Clay was steadily bringing up the crate of medicine up the walkable parts of the cliff face. This surprises everyone, "Clay?" "A-And he's got the medicine."
Riptide cheers Clay on as the Mudwing keeps pulling, "Come on, Clay! Yous can make it! "
As Clay struggled with the cargo, a patch of snow falls out from underneath his foot, making him slip. He falls with a grunt as the team from above gasps in anticipation. Deathbringer starts to compliment with Riptide in full agreement, "That's the most amazing-, the most fantastic-, that is the most incredible-, that's the most phenomenal-, I-I never—"
"That's good!" Qibli interjects. This annoys both dragons as Deathbringer brings his rump over Qibli's head and sits down on him, the yellow dragon going, "Oh!"
"Hey, he has got the feet of a wild dragon there." Riptide said. The team keeps cheering him on as Clay keeps climbing, "Clay, come on. That's it. Come on Clay. Keep trying. Come on. That's it. You got it." Then all of the dragons started chattering at once. The chattering continues as Clay slowly makes his way up. As Clay reached the top, the dragons kept cheering and he pulls the crate back onto the cliff. When the box is on the ground, the dragons cheered even more as Riptide and Deathbringer took the ropes into their jaws and pulled the box back over to the sled. Every dragon on the team cheered at Clay's heroics and shouted with joy.
Soon, the team was harnessed back up and the crate and musher were back on the sled. Clay and the team started to run through the forest again. They crossed a lot of ground as they pulled the sled along. They ran over hills of snow and through plains covered in it. They traveled a great distance as they came into another forest.
The team came to another fork in the road. Like the last forest, Flame had already been there and had scratched up nearly every tree. The dragons panted and waited as Clay looked around to see what was familiar. Clay looked from tree to tree thinking. The other dragons waited for him to make a choice as their tongues hung out of their mouths. Knowing better this time, Clay took a different approach to the situation and started sniffing for the right trail. He found it and with a motion of his head he led the team in that direction. The team took off with Clay as he followed his trail, not wasting a second.
The team had come across a narrow ice bride across two cliffs. Slowly and carefully, they made their way across. The ice starts to break under their weight, making the other's gasp with worry. As they continue to cross, the bridge continues to crack. Clay hears the cracks starting to get worse and turns to the others and shouts, "Mush!"
Not needing to be told twice, the team picked up the pace as the ice started to collapse. The team made it to the other side of a steep hill just as the rest of the bridge went. But the weight of the sled started to drag them back. All the dragons yell in fear and started clawing at the ground to find a hold, but they kept being pulled by the sled. Seeing a plant, Clay catches it with his jaws and tries to use it as an anchor. The plant manages to hold, allowing the Clay and the team to pull themselves and the sled up the hill. But as Clay climbed up the steep hill, he pushed the roots of the plant back into the ground. All the dragons grunted as they pulled the sled up the hill. After climbing and pulling, the dragon sled team was able to bring the sled away from the cliff's edge.
Author's Note: I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See all of you next time.
