No Dragon Left Behind
Tenor was sitting on the porch of the clubhouse, listening to the Riders talk about getting the Edge back on its feet. He was waiting for orders and munching on a dead seagull while he waited. The other dragons approached him.
"Hey Tenor," said Stormfly.
"Hi," said Tenor, with his mouth full.
"Are they still talking?" asked Hookfang.
"They have a lot to talk about," said Tenor. "This place needs a lot of work." He went back to his seagull.
"How've you been?" asked Belch. "You've been very quiet since Re fired you."
"I'm just bored," Tenor said. "Nothing's happened since the Flyers attacked." Suddenly there came a loud siren wale that rang from the other side of the island. The dragons jumped slightly. Stormfly sighed.
"Not again Garf," she said.
"Sounds like he's doing better," Tenor said.
"Yeah, Astrid's been taking care of him," said Stormfly. "She's been sending letters to Serenity, asking her for advice."
"Why didn't she come back and take care of him herself?" asked Hookfang.
"Serenity's a Wingmaiden now," said Tenor. "She'll never come back here, not with those Flyers out there."
"Do you think she'll be a Wingmaiden forever?" asked Meatlug. "She seems very happy with them."
"A part of me hopes so," Tenor said. "She'll still be with dragons, and still serving her god. And she'll never find out that Re and Aurora have gone rogue and fired me." The riders came outside and mounted their dragons. Tenor stuffed the last of the seagull into his mouth. He spread his wings and followed the other dragons.
They flew over the forests, following the Death Song's cry. Stormfly took the lead. She'd become very fond of the young Death Song. They were now such good friends that Garf's siren song had no effect on Stormfly. Tenor saw the look of determination on her face.
"You've become very attached to that dragonet," he said.
"Yes," said Stormfly. "I used to think that different dragon species couldn't build such relationships. I've never heard of two different species becoming mates. Could you imagine the odd looking dragons that would come from that?"
"No, I can't," Tenor said sarcastically. Stormfly looked at hem.
"Sorry Tenor," she said. "I mean no offense to hybrid dragons." Tenor suddenly spotted Garf down bellow. He towered over Smidvarg, who was trapped in amber.
"Down there," Tenor said. He swooped down landed between the two dragons. Stormfly landed next to him and pushed Garf away.
"Garf stop," she ordered. Garf backed down at once. Astrid dismounted and Tenor released Smidvarg. Garf and Stormfly began chasing each other playfully.
"I hate to say it Hiccup, but this is getting too dangerous," said Fishlegs.
"I agree," said Hiccup as he stroked a traumatized Smidvarg. "He's now hunting like an adult Death Song."
"But it's not his fault," said Astrid. "He's just following his instincts."
"Unfortunately his instincts don't care about the safety of us or our dragons," said Hiccup. "I think it's time we find Garf a new home."
"Where though?" asked Tenor. "Melody Island is still under threat, and Draconia's too far away. How about Dragon Island?"
"Not a good idea," said Hiccup. "Death Songs eat other dragons, the dragons of Dragon Island will either kill him or chase him away."
"I know of a place," said Fishlegs. "It's near here and so far, safe from the Flyers."
"Where is it?" asked Hiccup.
"I'll have to double check my maps," said Fishlegs.
"We'll head out there tomorrow," said Hiccup. The riders got back on their dragons and took off.
They flew back to the outpost and split to their respective huts. Hiccup and Fishlegs headed for the clubhouse. Tenor headed for a cave near Astrid's hut that he'd made his own. It was small but cozy. The floor was littered with animal bones and bird feathers. He went to the back of the cave where he slept. Warmed the spot with his fire and laid down. Just then Astrid and Stormfly landed on the ledge outside, Garf landed beside them.
"Hey Tenor can Garf spend the night in here?" Astrid asked. "There's no room in my hut, and it's too dangerous to have him unsupervised." Tenor took a deep breath.
"Fine," he said. "I have to hunt tonight, but I can wait until he's asleep."
"Hey thanks friend," said Garf happily. He curled up on the stone.
"Is there a chance you could skip hunting tonight?" asked Astrid. "I don't want Garf left alone." Tenor narrowed his eyes.
"I'm fresh out of food," he said. "I ate my last seagull this morning."
"I'll bring you more food, if you do this for me," said Astrid.
"I am not the Red Death Astrid," said Tenor. "I catch my own food."
"Please Tenor, just for one night," said Astrid. Tenor sighed.
"All right," he said. "I'll do it for you Astrid."
"Thanks Tenor, I owe you one," said Astrid. She mounted Stormfly and took off. Garf watched Tenor make himself comfortable.
"You can hunt if you want to," Garf said. "I don't plan on going anywhere."
"No, once I make a promise, I keep it," Tenor said. "I'll hunt tomorrow." He laid his head down. "I haven't been asked to skip a night of hunting since Re and Aurora were raising a human child."
"They raised a human child?" Garf repeated. "That's unusual. Do they not have this human anymore?"
"No, he drowned in the ocean years ago," Tenor said. He closed his eyes.
"What about your human?" asked Garf. "Did they raise her too?"
"They did, but they didn't adopt her," Tenor said. "They took her in when her guardian dragon died."
"Oh, that must have been terrible," said Garf. "And she still lives with those Wingmaidens?"
"Yes," said Tenor. "She's going to stay there until the Flyers are defeated." He rolled onto his back and yawned.
"So she's not your rider anymore?" asked Garf.
"For the moment, no," Tenor said. "Any other questions?"
"What's your hunting method?" Garf asked. "Besides going at night."
"Sneak up on the prey, jump on it, then bite the neck," Tenor said. "My venom takes care of the rest."
"You have venom?" asked Garf, impressed. "What's that like?"
"Makes me very dangerous," said Tenor. "And I heard, that it makes me immune to the venom of some other dragons. But I bet that only comes when I reach my titan level. Are you going to miss Stormfly?"
"Yeah, It'll be hard without her," said Garf. "I'm so used to having her around to take care of me." Tenor yawned and rested his head on a flat rock.
"Perhaps it's about time you took care of Stormfly," he said. "She and Astrid did a lot for you, you should do something for them."
"I don't eat them," said Garf.
"That's a good start," said Tenor. "But remember these guys saved your life. My healer may have done the hard part for them, but they did all the rest by themselves."
"You're right," said Garf. "I hope I get my chance soon." He laid his head on his front paws, deep in thought. "Why can't I stay here again?"
"The riders don't want you eating the Night Terrors," Tenor explained. "They're good friends."
"I have to eat something," said Garf. "Fish doesn't sustain me much. How about that fat, brown chicken that's running all over the place."
"Trust me I've been tempted to eat that chicken myself," Tenor said. "But I find it too entertaining to eat." Garf yawned.
"Well I'll be able find food tomorrow," he said.
"Great, can you stop talking now?" Tenor asked. "You're making me hungry." He fell asleep a few minuets after that.
The next morning the riders and dragons gathered on the runway. Fishlegs brought his map of the are. Tenor arrived last with Garf in tow. They landed beside Stormfly.
"Thanks Tenor," said Astrid.
"You're welcome," Tenor said. His belly quivered from lack of food.
"We should get going," Hiccup said, mounting Toothless. "Fishlegs, you lead." The other riders got on their dragons and took off. Tenor flew at the back, near Astrid and Garf.
"How'd things go last night?" asked Astrid.
"It was fine," Tenor said. "But I really don't want to talk right now." Astrid didn't ask anymore questions.
They were soon approaching the island. Garf seemed excited to see it.
"I'm telling you guys, this place is perfect," said Fishlegs.
"What do you mean be perfect?" asked Astrid.
"It has a similar climate and vegetation to Melody island," said Fishlegs. "And there are no known hostile species."
"Hey here's a thought," said Hiccup, jokingly. "Why talk about, when we can walk about it." No one laughed.
"Nice effort though," Tenor said. They went in for landing.
They landed in the center of the island. Garf sniffed around and explored. He found several bushes with orange fruits. He remembered such fruits on his home island. They were quite filling and very sweet. He began munching them. The Riders watched him.
"I have to admit Fishlegs this place is perfect," said Astrid. "As much as I love the little guy, he's not so little anymore." Garf curled up on the grass with his fruit.
"Every dragon leaves the nest," said Tenor. "It's never easy at first."
"Well, I guess it's that time," Hiccup sighed. They went up to Garf one at a time, and said their goodbyes. Suddenly Tenor smelled something very strong. Hiccup noticed him sniffing the air.
"What's wrong Tenor?" he asked.
"I smell venom," Tenor said. "And it's not mine."
"How do you know?" Hiccup asked.
"My venom may be deadly, but I don't have nearly the amount I'm smelling," Tenor said. Hiccup mounted Toothless, and the other Riders mounted their dragons. Just then Hiccup heard a loud hissing sound. He turned to see a thick tail slither out of sight. The hissing grew louder and several giant, red snakes slithered angrily towards them. The dragons growled and the Riders all glared at Fishlegs.
"What?" he exclaimed. "Oh right, like I knew about the giant snakes." He rolled his eyes. But then one of the snakes flared it's right red wings.
"Those are not giant snakes," he said. "Their Slitherwing dragons."
"What are Slitherwings?" asked Snotlout panicking.
"They're poisonous," said Hiccup as Toothless took off. The Slitherwings hissed angrily and spat venom at the intruders. Stormfly guarded Garf who was badly overwhelmed.
"Don't touch their skin," said Fishlegs. "Or you'll be dead by the next moon." Tenor found himself surrounded by Slitherwings. He snarled and flashed his black teeth. The Slitherwings flinched. Tenor blasted himself out and headed over to the Riders. He spotted a Slitherwing about to strike Astrid. Tenor ran over and put himself between her and the Slitherwing. Astrid jumped into his saddle and Tenor flew up beside Toothless. Astrid spotted more Slitherwings attacking Garf and Stromfly. The two of them suddenly turned and ran into the trees. All the Slitherwings sped after them.
"Stormfly!" Astrid cried. The Riders all mounted their dragons and flew after the Slitherwings. They could hear a fight going on below, but couldn't see through the trees. Astrid got panicky. Tenor followed the sound to a different clearing where they found Stormfly incased in an amber cocoon. She was glancing around with a look of pure terror on her face. The other dragons landed and the Riders dismounted. They all looked around while Astrid ran to Stormfly. There was no sign of Garf or the Sliterwings. Hiccup pulled out Inferno and began cutting Stormfly free.
"I don't get it," said Fishlegs. "Garf is such and excellent shot, how could he miss the Slitherwings and hit Stormfly?" Soon the amber around Stromfly broke and she began running in circles squawking loudly. She seemed badly disoriented. Astrid tried to calm her, but had to keep dodging Stormfly's spiky tail. Tenor was sniffing around. He could still smell the Slitherwings' venom, but it was very faint now.
"Um, I think the Slitherwings took Garf," he said darkly. They all looked surprised, except Astrid who was still chasing Stormfly.
"But not before they poisoned my dragon," she cried. Tenor could see that she was close to tears.
Astrid kept trying in vain to calm her dragon. Stromfly kept running in circles, panicking. Astrid was getting desperate.
"Look at her eyes," she said to Hiccup, who was standing right next to her.
"She must be in shock, from the venom," he said quietly. Fishlegs pulled out his stat cards and thumbed through them, looking for his Slitherwing card. Astrid rushed over to him.
"Hurry Fishlegs," she said. This startled Fishlegs, and he dropped the cards.
"Astrid," he wined.
"Sorry Fishlegs," said Astrid. "I'm..."
"Scared I know," said Fishlegs. Tenor used his claws to carefully rake though the scattered cards. He found the card with the Slitherwing on it.
"Is this what you're looking for?" he asked.
"Yes!" exclaimed Fishlegs, taking it. "Thanks Tenor." He looked at it. "There isn't much on how the venom works. But there is an antidote. It's made up of angel fern root, pine sap, and ohhh..." His face fell.
"Let me guess Slitherwing venom," said Hiccup. Fishlegs nodded. Astrid went back to chasing Stormfly, but was having no luck. But suddenly Stormfly stopped and collapsed onto the ground. Tenor laid down beside her. Hiccup looked over at the other Riders.
"Fishlegs, you and the Twins find the ingredients for the antidote," he said. "Astrid, you stay with Stormfly. Tenor you stay here and keep an eye out for anymore Slitherwings, Snotlout, you and I are going to find Garf." Snotlout pouted. He and Hiccup got on their dragons and took off. Fishlegs and the Twins left to find the ingredients. Astrid sat on Stormfly's other side and stroked her beak.
It was quiet for several minuets. Tenor kept sniffing the air, looking for the smell of venom.
"I wish Serenity was here," Astrid said. "She would have the antidote."
"She has the cure for just about everything," Tenor said.
"I wish I hadn't given her such a hard time about her dragon friends," said Astrid.
"Don't worry about it Astrid," said Tenor softly. "She's had to suffer far worse." Just then Fishlegs and the Twins returned. Astrid jumped to her feet.
"Did you get the venom?" she asked. She quickly saw that they had all the other ingredients."
"No, these guys ruined out game," said Tuffnut sourly. Astrid glared at them. Then she ran into the woods, ignoring Fishlegs' protest. Tenor jumped to his feet and ran after her. He found her just as she found a large Slitherwing. She thrust her hand into its belly and extracted the venom. The Slitherwing hissed in pain. Astrid ran off, clutching the handful of venom. The Slitherwing chased after her. Unfortunately the venom was slowing Astrid down. The Slitherwing open its jaws. Tenor hurried over and got between Astrid and the wild dragon. The Slitherwing spat its venom and it hit Tenor right in the face. Tenor hissed and shot a plasma blast at the other dragon. The Slitherwing dodged it and roared in outraged. It lunged at Tenor, but Tenor slashed it across the face, getting more venom on him. The Slitherwing howled in pain and flew off. Tenor turned to see Astrid fall to the ground. Fishlegs and the Twins finally caught up. They crouched over Astrid, who had passed out. Fishlegs carefully put the venom in Astrid's hand into a flask. He quickly got to work making the antidote. Tenor carefully hoisted Astrid onto his shoulders. They went back to Stormfly. Fishlegs noticed the venom on Tenor's snout.
"Tenor, you've got some venom on you," he said. Tenor put a talon on his snout and sure enough it was covered in the sticky venom.
"Strange, I don't feel any different," he said.
"Maybe it doesn't effect you," Fishlegs suggested.
"I have heard that Blackfangs are immune to the venom of other dragons," said Tenor. "They said Blackfang venom is so powerful and acidic that it burns away the foreign venom. The venom not only serves as a weapon, but as a shield. I guess I don't have to be at my titan level." They reached Stormfly and Tenor set Astrid down near her. Stormfly seemed very concerned. Fishlegs finished up the antidote. He gave some to Astrid and some to Stormfly. Tenor shook the venom off his face. He sat back down beside Stormfly.
A few minuets later Astrid came round. She opened her eyes and sat up. Fishlegs and the Twins looked down at her.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Take it easy Astrid," said Fishlegs, calmly. "The antidote it still working through you, you need to lay still."
"I'm fine," said Astrid. "How's Stormfly?" She got to her feet.
"It's very odd," said Fishlegs. "The antidote worked on you, but it doesn't seem to be working on her." They looked over at Stormfly, who hadn't moved. Astrid sat beside her. Stormfly croaked weakly. She seemed relieved that her rider was okay.
"Thanks for your help back there Tenor," Astrid said, fighting back tears.
"You're welcome Ms. Astrid," said Tenor humbly. He reached into a pouch on his saddle and pulled out Serenity's tearstained handkerchief. He handed it to Astrid, who accepted it gratefully.
"Why didn't the antidote work?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," said Fishlegs. "Dragon anatomy isn't so different from ours." Astrid quietly laid her head on Stormfly's snout. Tenor scooted closer to them.
"How come you're not covered in venom?" Astrid asked him.
"I've recently discovered that I'm immune to Slitherwing venom," Tenor said. "My own venom burns it away."
"Oh," said Astrid. Tenor then turned his attention to Stormfly. He suddenly began sniffing the air around her. He looked a touch confused.
"That's odd," he said. He got to his feet and circled Stormfly, still sniffing.
"What is?" asked Fishlegs.
"You say she got poisoned," said Tenor. "Yet, I don't smell any venom on her. Usually when someone gets poisoned, the cent of the venom would be all around them. Maybe the antidote didn't work on her, because she wasn't poisoned."
"But then why was she behaving like that?" asked Astrid. Tenor turned to the Nadder.
"Stormfly," he asked gently. "What happened in that clearing?" Stormfly sniffed.
"It was so horrible," she said, and Tenor translated. "We were outnumbered and surrounded. The Slitherwings were about to capture me. But Garf shot his amber at me, to shield me from their venom. Then he lead them away from me. The Slitherwings chased after him, and there was nothing I could do. Now he's gone, and Draco only knows what they're doing to him." She sobbed.
"So she wasn't poisoned at all," said Astrid.
"She was grieving the loss of Garf," said Fishlegs.
"The loss of her friend," said Astrid sadly. "Oh, I'm so sorry Stormfly. I know how you feel now."
"I'm sure Hiccup and Snotlout will find him," said Tenor.
"What if they can't," said Stormfly. "What if they don't find him in time." Tenor took a deep breath and stood at his full height.
"Well you can either sit there crying about it like a hatching," he said firmly. "Or you can get up and go help them." Stormfly sat up and looked him in the eye. Just then a loud siren wail rang through the air. They all looked in the direction of the sound. Stormfly jumped to her feet.
"That's Garf," said Astrid.
"We best go lend a wing," said Tenor. The Riders mounted their dragons and took off. Tenor followed them, and they followed Garf's call.
They found him, Hiccup, Snotlout, and their dragons in a deep cave, surrounded by all the Slitherwings. Stormfly roared and blasted white hot fire into a hole in the cave ceiling. The Slitherwings scattered, hissing in outrage. She and the other dragons landed in the cave and fought off the wild dragons. Tenor slashed his claws at them, and Stormfly shot more white hot flames at them.
"What is that?" asked Hiccup.
"That's her new thing, cool huh?" said Astrid, beaming. "Now lets get out of here." Hiccup and Snotlout mounted their dragons and took off with Garf in tow.
They left the cave and the Slitherwings. They gathered in formation as they left the island. Stormfly was happy again.
"I'm so glad you're okay Garf," she said. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Not this time," said Garf proudly.
"And thank you, for saving me," said Stormfly. Garf smiled.
"Think of it as payment for being there for me in my own darkest hour," he said. "That white flame though, what was that?"
"Must be an early stage of my titan wing," said Stormfly. "I've never met a titan wing Nadder, so I don't know. It's strange, one minuet I'm almost killed by a Death Song, and the next being saved by one."
"Maybe Lord Draco is slowly evolving our kind," said Garf. "So that instead of trying to kill each other, we help each other."
"Draco knows what's best for us," said Stormfly. Garf nodded in agreement.
They flew over the ocean towards another island. They soon found one that was similar to the one they'd just left minus the Slitherwings. They landed on its beach. Tenor scouted the island for any hostile species, and found none. He landed back on the beach.
"No hostile species this time," he reported. "And there's plenty of that orange fruit that the other island had."
"Thanks Tenor," said Astrid. They said their goodbyes to Garf again. Stormfly was last again. She and Garf nuzzled and embraced each other.
"I hope to see you again," said Stormfly.
"You will," said Garf. "I guarantee it." The Riders watched them.
"It must be hard for them to say goodbye," said Hiccup.
"It's not really goodbye," said Astrid cheerfully. "More like; see you later." She reached into her pocket and took out Serenity's handkerchief. She went over to Tenor and handed it back.
"Thanks Tenor," she said. Tenor scraped the Slitherwing venom of his talons and took it.
"You're welcome," he said.
"You must really miss her," said Astrid.
"Very much," said Tenor. "But it's too dangerous to bring her back now. I know she's safe where she is." Astrid went over to Stormfly and mounted up. The other Riders mounted their dragons and took off. Tenor put the handkerchief away and followed them. They headed back to the Edge.