A New World
Here's the next chapter of my 'Dinotopia' multiple crossover story. So to those who are following this story, I'm thinking of switch it from being a crossover and to put it in the Dinotopia section. I'm hoping that it might get more reviews in that section. Do you all think I should do that or just keep it where it is?
crocodilesmile55: I've seen a little bit of the first season of 'Trollhunters', but I lost interest in it after a while.
Chapter 7: Beginning of exams and catastrophes
A week had gone by after the Sunstone Parade and Tabitha had been studying really hard for her footprint exam, along with her half-brother David. They would study together as they helped one another in whatever they needed to learn in their footprint language. During that time, Karl had also been studying for his exam, with Marion helping him as his personal tutor. Tabitha was annoyed when she found out that Karl had Marion helping him study, and was sick at the knowledge of know that he was getting special treatment from other people once again.
'Just like how he got special treatment back home,' thought Tabitha to herself.
The day of the exam finally came for the three half-siblings. Tabitha and David were at their desks as they got ready to write their exam. Shorty was curled up on one of the bookshelves within the classroom where he would take a nap and stay out of the way while Tabitha, David and the students worked. The little dragon wanted to give Tabitha her space so that she can concentrate on her exam. As for Karl...he was absent within the class, which had Marion wondering where he was.
"Do you know where Karl is?" asked Marion curiously.
"He said that he was going to be a little late," answered Tabitha with a shrug. "But that he'll make it before the end of the exam."
Marion smiled at Tabitha before she turned her attention back onto the students within her class, and began to speak to them.
"Alright class, your graduation question is 'how are we to live?'. You have an hour to answer in any way you wish. You may begin."
Marion turned over an hour glass and began to watch as her students got their papers and stampers ready. Tabitha paused as she thought over what she wanted to write before smiling when she came up with something. She began to write down the answer to her exam. An hour went by as Tabitha, David and the children worked on their papers. Just then, they all heard the sound of the classroom door being open. Tabitha and David looked up from their papers for a sec to see Karl entering the room before they went back to writing their exam. Karl took a seat at his desk before picking up his stamper. Tabitha looked up to glance at Karl and narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she saw a sly smirk appear on his face. That was a look Tabitha knew all too well for it told her that Karl was up to something. She went back to writing the last lines of her footprint sentence before the sand within the hourglass finally ran out.
"Stop writing please," said Marion.
Everyone stopped before they put down their writing stampers. Shorty woke up from his hour nap and stretched out his limbs before he flew over to Tabitha. She held out her arm for Shorty to land on before the little dragon took his place on her shoulders. Everyone was dismissed from class as they now had the whole day to themselves. Tabitha walked out of the school with David strolling along beside her, while Karl walked behind them a few feet. Tabitha trotted a few feet in front of David before she turned to walk backwards in front of him.
"I'll see you later, David." said Tabitha with a smile. "I'm going to be heading back to Zippo's house."
"You're going to look at that old Norse book again?" asked David.
"Yep," answered with a wink. "Let's just say that the words within the book have really drawn me in."
"Okay, see you later," said David with a smile.
Tabitha nodded her head before she turned and began to run back to Zippo's house. Shorty held on tightly to Tabitha's shoulders as the girl raced down the street, while expertly dodging around people and dinosaurs. She was eager to get back to the librarian's home to continue reading the Book of Dragons. She wanted to find out what kind of dragon was able to disappear completely into thin air. Then, at the last second, she decided to go to the library to study up on more of Dinotopia and its history before going back to the house. Tabitha ran for about an hour before she came to the doors of the library and she slowed to a walk. Tabitha opened the door to the library and walked in. She was just walking down the halls when she saw Zippo looking through one of the book shelves with a worried expression upon his face. Tabitha quickly trotted towards him before coming to a stop beside the librarian.
"Zippo, what's wrong?"
"Oh, this is terrible," muttered Zippo as he turned to look at Tabitha. "A book...a book has been stolen from the library."
Tabitha and Shorty looked at one another with concerned expressions upon their faces. Zippo had told them that stealing books from the library was forbidden and considered a crime within Waterfall City. Tabitha looked back at Zippo before she calmly started to speak to him.
"Okay, calm down Zippo. Just take in a deep calming breath."
Zippo quickly did what Tabitha told him before exhaling as he tried to calm his nerves.
"Alright," said Tabitha in a serious voice. "Now tell me, which book was stolen here from the library?"
"Um...it was...Oh yes. It was the Captain's log of Rebecca's Folly," answered Zippo when he remembered the title of the book.
"A Captain's log?" repeated Tabitha with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," replied Zippo before he turned and began to look for the said book on another shelf. "It is a book that tells of the World Beneath and about Dinotopia."
"I see," said Tabitha as she took on a thoughtful expression. "Then there are only two possible reasons why anyone could have stolen it."
"I dread to ask, but...what two possible reasons could there be for someone to have stolen it?"
"Well..." Tabitha hesitated before looking at the librarian with a grim expression upon her face. "One reason is that the thief stole the book so that they could sell it to make money off of it for themselves. As for the second reason...*sigh* well it could be that someone on this island is dumb and desperate to find a way off of Dinotopia. Despite the danger they'll be putting themselves in later on."
"Oh dear," voiced Zippo with fear. "Who would do that?"
Tabitha took on a thoughtful expression as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I have my suspicions, but I don't want to start pointing fingers just yet. Not until I have all of the facts I need to prove I'm right about my theory."
Tabitha let out a sigh before gazing back up at Zippo again as she gave him a sad look of regret.
"For now, you'd better report this to the Mayor tomorrow. Let him know about what has happened," suggested Tabitha as Zippo only nodded at her. "Until then, let's head back home, and see if we can't whip you up some tea to help sooth your nerves, alright?"
"*sigh* yes," said Zippo sadly before he, Tabitha and Shorty began to walk out of the library. "You know, this isn't the first time a book has been stolen from the library."
"What do you mean?" asked Tabitha as they walked through the streets together.
"Well...The people within Waterfall City don't talk about it much these days, but a long time ago a young woman, who was probably three years older than you, had decided to steal a book from the library. Nobody knows which book she had stolen, only that it had been important to the library at the time. It was around that time when her twin sister, Liliana, had disappeared, along with her soon to be husband."
"Somebody disappeared?" questioned Tabitha with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," replied Zippo sadly. "You see...Liliana's fiancé, Larsen, had been forced into something by her sister, but nobody knew what it was. Larsen had been so ashamed by what he had done that he left Waterfall City, with Liliana following after him. The last we've heard of them was that they had been seen wandering into the Rainy Basin, after that..."
"You think they might have been eaten by Tyrannosauruses?"
"That's the possible theory. After their disappearance, or deaths, Liliana's twin sister also disappeared without a trace. Nobody knew where she went. All anyone found was the book that she had stolen from the library. Everyone thought that she had followed after Liliana and Larsen, thus probably sharing the same fate as them."
Tabitha sadly frowned as she tucked her hands into her pockets after hearing this information. "That's a sad story, Zippo."
Zippo sadly nodded his head in agreement before he spoke again. "It was a sad day for the people of Dinotopia to lose Liliana and Larsen. Liliana was said to have a natural talent in healing both dinosaurs and humans, while Larsen was one of the bravest Skybax riders within Dinotopia."
"What was Larsen like?" asked Tabitha curiously.
"Well...he was known to have been one of the best Skybax riders within his class. He was also known for his bravery when it came to facing Tyrannosauruses that would attack traveling convoys. He was very selfless and open minded to new possibilities, while also having a quick mind in figuring out how to get out of a tight pinch."
"He sounds like a guy who was willing to risk his life for others," said Tabitha with a soft smile on his face. "And what about Liliana, what was she like?"
"Oh...she was a kind soul and was known to be gentle of heart," answered Zippo with a fond smile upon his face. "Liliana was also known to be quite clever. She would always know what type of herb could heal a human or Dinosaur if they were sick or injured. Unlike her twin sister, who was rebellious, short tempered and preferred to do things her own way. Not to mention getting things that she wanted or caught her eye. Liliana's sister had a fondness towards Larsen and had fought with her twin to win his affection, but Larsen had given his heart to Liliana in the end."
"Sounds like he made the right choice," said Tabitha. "Liliana sounded like a wonderful woman and a good match for him."
"Yes," replied Zippo with a smile as they reach the door to his house. "It was tragic that Larsen and Liliana had not been given the chance to wed each other."
"Yeah...I would have liked to have met them. They both sound like interesting people to talk to and get along with." Tabitha said with a smile, while Shorty let out a chirp of agreement.
Zippo only nodded his head before he opened the door to his house. The trio walked into the house together before Tabitha made her was over to the table, where the 'Book of Dragons' sat. Zippo walked towards the kitchen to whip himself up some calming tea to help him with what had happened today. Tabitha sat down in the chair that was near the table with Shorty jumping down from her shoulders to land on the table. Tabitha smiled at Shorty as the little dragon looked up at her with an excited expression upon his face before she picked up the book and opened it. Tabitha began to flip through the book as she tried to look up a dragon that had the ability to disappear into thin air. After a while, Tabitha came to a page of a dragon that looked like the Night Fury. Except, this dragon was sleeker than the black dragon.
The dragon had a long single spine running down the center of its back and four small nubs on its head, which were shorter and rounder then the Night Fury's nubs. The dragon's head was shorter along with its mouth. The wings of the dragon were slightly shorter than a Night Fury's wings with the tip of the wings not being sharp at the end. Near the end of the dragon's tail were two flukes that were triangular in shape. They slightly resemble a heart and were shorter. The dragon also had two smaller triangular flukes above the main one, which were slightly hard to notice. Tabitha raised an eyebrow at this dragon before she looked up the dragon's name.
"Light Fury," voiced Tabitha quietly to herself. "The subspecies of the Night Fury."
Tabitha let out a hum as she gazed at the picture of the dragon for a moment before she began to read about the dragon.
'Light Furies are elusive and intelligent dragons that are white with a glimmering texture on its small smooth scales. Their belly, chest and feet are a light blue, while their nose is a light pink. They are lighter than a Night Fury and are also shorter than them. They are highly aggressive towards humans, but their trust can be slowly earned if a human saves its life. They seem to be sociable towards dragons that they have grown to be friends with.
'Like the Night Fury, the Light Fury will hang upside down on a tree branch like a bat to sleep. Light Furies have the ability to turn themselves invisible by flying through a blast of their own fire, which causes their scales to heat up and take on a mirror like quality. This cloaking ability is only temporary as it lets them blend into their surroundings. They can also be seemly invisible when they fly through clouds, sea fog or over distant horizons.'
'That would mean they would be pretty easy to spot against the black surface of the night sky.' Tabitha thought with a frown. 'So what kind of dragon did I see at the Sunstone Parade?'
Tabitha quickly noticed something written near the left side of the page and began to read it.
'If a Light Fury and Night Fury mate with each other they could produce offspring's of hybrid dragons called Night Lights. To learn more about Night Lights, flip to page 201.'
Tabitha quickly flipped over to the page where the 'Nigh Light' would be and blinked in surprise. It was a dragon that looked like a combination of a Night Fury and a Light Fury. Tabitha turned her gaze onto the writing within the book.
'Night Light
A hybrid dragon born from both a Night Fury and Light Fury. Night Lights have the same abilities of both their parents, but share the same features of a Night Fury. They can be born of different colors and patterns, with their eyes being either blue or green. The Night Light's behavior can fall somewhere in between their parents and can be quite fierce when they are protecting those who are close to them. They can also be curious about things and playful when you've earned their trust.'
'Could that have been the dragon I saw?' thought Tabitha curiously.
She wasn't able to wonder for long about that question when she heard the door to Zippo's home being opened. Tabitha quickly closed the book before turning her attention towards the door and saw David walking in.
"Hey, David," greeted Tabitha as she laid the book down on the table. "How was your walk around the city?"
"It was good," said David with a smile. "I was just chatting with a Dinosaur about what America was like in Saurian."
"That's great," said Tabitha with a proud smile. "You've really learned a lot here on Dinotopia, David."
"Thanks," spoke David with a chuckle. "So, are you looking forward to our graduation tomorrow?"
"Yeah, and who knows. Maybe I'll win first place in our written exam." Tabitha teased with a playful smirk on her face.
David laughed for he knew that Tabitha was only joking around with him. Tabitha laughed with him before she became quiet as a light frown appeared on her face. David noticed this before he walked around the table to stand beside her.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked David.
"I'm just thinking about what will happen to us after our graduation," answered Tabitha as she looked down at the surface of the table. "You remember that we have to find a Saurian partner for ourselves, right? Well...I've been looking it up in the library and I found that when the people of Dinotopia are of age, like we are right now, they will be sent off to different parts of Dinotopia to take up habitat training. And that got me thinking...will we be separated from each other and placed in different locations on Dinotopia?"
David lightly frowned as he thought over what his half-sister had said. Even though he and Karl didn't have much of a close bond with each other, David cared about Tabitha and the thought of being separated from her made his heart clench. Tabitha had always been by his side with him returning the favor in the process. He took in a deep breath before he knelt down and placed a comforting hand on his half-sister's arm, which had Tabitha turning her head to look at him.
"Tabitha," started David but paused as he thought over the words he wanted to say before continuing. "If it does come to that, I'm sure that our separation won't be forever. Besides, you're strong and independent so I'm sure that you can handle anything out there on the island with Shorty by your side. And I'm confident that we'll get back together when we finished our habitat training."
Tabitha smiled at David before the two half-siblings wrapped each other up in a comforting hug. After a minute of hugging, Tabitha and David pulled away from each other with David nodding his head before he headed towards their bedroom. Tabitha watched him leave for a sec before going back to reading the 'Book of Dragons' to find out what other dragons were in it. She spent hours looking through the book and she was amazed at how many dragons were within the book's pages, along with the information on what they were like. Tabitha decided to stop for the night when supper came around, and joined her half-brothers at the table. After supper the three half-siblings got ready for bed for they had a big day tomorrow. But as Karl and David fell asleep, Tabitha laid awake on her bed as she stared intently at Karl with a look of suspicion on her face.
'You're up to something Karl,' thought Tabitha with a deep frown on her face. 'I know that you're the one who stole that book from the library. The question is...who did you give it too?'
Tabitha glared intently at her half-brother's sleeping form for a moment before she turned over in her bed to face Shorty, who was sleeping next to her pillow. Tabitha smiled at her dragon friend as she couldn't help but think how cute Shorty was when he was sleeping. Tabitha soon closed her eyes and let sleep take her as she grew excited about her graduation tomorrow.
The day finally came for the half-siblings and the children. They were all gathered within the palace as they sat in the seats of the court room. Tabitha sat in the front row with her half-brothers, while Shorty perched on her shoulders. All of the citizens of Waterfall City were there as they eagerly waited to hear how the off worlders had done on their exam questions. Tabitha was excited, while also a little nervous about the whole thing.
'I hope I've done a good job on my written exam,' thought Tabitha to herself.
Shorty, who seemed to have sensed his friend's anxiety, gently nuzzled his head against Tabitha's right cheek to help calm her down. Smiling at his actions, Tabitha raised her hand up and gently scratched underneath Shorty's chin. She then turned her full attention back towards the front, where Marion and Zippo were standing in front of the whole court.
Marion gazed around at the audience before she began to speak. "The question we asked was perhaps the most important question any Dinotopian can be asked: How are we to live?"
Marion turned her eyes on David. "David, yours was possible the longest answer we've ever had. At seventeen pages, your argument was an exhausting one, and you're clearly not frightened to say what you believe many times in the same document, well done."
Marion then turned her gaze onto Tabitha. "Tabitha your answer to the exam was the most outstanding out of everyone else. Despite it being four pages long, your answer clearly tells of how we should all experience life to the fullest. Along with never turning away from discovering new things that could help teach us how to have a better understanding of ourselves."
David gave his half-sister a friendly nudge as a proud smile appeared on his face. Tabitha smiled back at David as she felt her heart swell up with pride, but that soon came crashing down at what Zippo said next.
"But perhaps the finest answer we have ever had was written by Karl."
Shock ran through Tabitha and David as they turned their eyes on Karl, who smirked at them.
"Marion will now read Karl's answer aloud for the entire assembly," announced Zippo.
Marion cleared her throat before she began to read Karl's answer. "Is this the real life? Or is it a fantasy? Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see."
"Oh, brilliant," said Zippo before he and everyone within the court room began to clap.
Tabitha felt a burning anger rise up within her as Karl stood up and bowed to everyone within the court room with a smug look on his face. David glared up at his half-brother in anger and disbelief.
"That's cheating," accused David.
"Those were the lyrics from Bohemian Rhapsody!" hissed Tabitha as she gave Karl a death glare that promised pain later on.
Shorty growled as he too glared at Karl for upsetting his human friend as the half-brother sat back down with a smirk. Tabitha and David shared a look with each before they turned their attention back onto Marion as they wallowed in their shared anger.
After the assembly was over, people and dinosaurs began to walk out of the building. Zippo and Marion walked beside each other as they talked about Karl's written answer, unaware that Karl had cheated on his exam.
"Karl's answer was very inspiring, Marion," spoke Zippo with a smile.
"Yes, it was quiet special Zippo," said Marion in agreement.
"It was the way he combined 'fantasy' and 'reality' and compared it with a landslide." Zippo continued as they, along with the children, walked out of the building.
On the other side of the room, Karl was enjoying some fruits that were set out on a silver rotating tray before Tabitha and David came up to him. Tabitha was the first one to grab her half-brother's attention by slamming her hands down on the wooden table's surface. That action caused Karl to look up in surprise as he found himself staring into the blazing eyes of his little half-sister.
"You low down, no good, snake in the grass," growled Tabitha with a dangerous edge in her voice.
Karl didn't seem aware of his half-sister's anger for he only smirked in triumph. He had always one-upped his sister when it came to their exams back in high school, and he always took pleasure in seeing his sister get riled up. He also took pleasure knowing that he had knocked David down a peg after seeing him being so cocky last night. David thought he would have the last laugh, but had winded up being blind-sided by his half-brother once again.
"Have you ever done anything in your life where you haven't cheated?" asked David in anger.
Karl chuckled in delight at his two half-sibling's anguish before he spoke.
"You've always been sore losers you two," stated Karl with a smirk.
"Hey, both David and I have worked hard to get through that exam!" exclaimed Tabitha as Shorty bristled on her right shoulder in anger as he glared at Karl with the dragon's pupils narrowing into slits.
"You two are taking this Dinotopia stuff way to seriously." Karl said as he began to walk away from his half-siblings, who followed behind him in anger.
"What is it you've got about this place?" questioned David in a demanding voice.
"I wouldn't know where to start," said Karl casually.
"Oh really?" said Tabitha angrily as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Then how about we start with the first item on the list of why you hate this place. Maybe it's because you're trying to blame Frank's dying on Dinotopia, huh?"
That statement got Karl's attention as he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Tabitha in disbelief.
"Hey, leave dad out of it," said Karl in a stern voice.
"Oh, I'd be glad too," said Tabitha with a sneer. "After all, let's face reality here. He pretty much left us out of his life."
"Don't talk about him like that," said Karl with a glare.
"At least you two had something in common," stepped in David as he stood beside Tabitha. "He didn't have the time of day for me."
"Wonder why that was?" questioned Karl in sarcasm as he turned and began to walk away, while hoping his half-siblings wouldn't follow him.
Unfortunately, David and Tabitha didn't back down on their verbal insults as their anger for their half-brother cheating continued to fuel them.
"Well he pretty much dumped your mother before he dumped mine and Tabitha's." David continued as he walked behind Karl.
"David's right," said Tabitha with a glare. "He only took me in after my mother died, but I bet he was ashamed that he had to raise another kid with a woman he didn't love or care about. But after what he did to us, you still worship him and the ground he walks on."
Karl whirled around to glare at his half-siblings. "Don't talk like that!"
"I'll talk about him whatever I want!" yelled Tabitha as she stood tall in front of her half-brother before she lowered her voice. "After everything that's happen to us, I can finally say I'm relieved that I don't have Frank weighing me down and telling me what to do."
Karl stared at his half-sister in disbelief, but then David spoke as he added salt to the wound within his half-brother's heart.
"You know, without dad, I feel free," said David with an amused huff. "Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?"
Karl stared at his half-siblings in anger, but what David said next really pushed Karl over the edge.
"I'm almost glad he's gone," said David.
That was when chaos erupted. Karl grabbed David by the front of his shirt and pushed him backwards into a sculpture, which fell and smashed upon the floor. Karl shoved David to the ground before he was suddenly tackled by Tabitha, who quickly came to David's aid. Shorty had flown off from Tabitha's shoulder and was now hovering over the two half-siblings. The little dragon chirped encouraging words towards Tabitha as she swung a right-hook into Karl's left cheek. Karl let out a cry of pain before he shoved Tabitha away from him, but was tackled again by David who sent them flying towards the doors of the balcony, which looked out over one of the waterfalls. The doors to the balcony flew open at the half-brothers' suddenly force before the two of them landed on the stone floor. Tabitha quickly ran out after them and saw David pinning Karl to the ground, while delivering a punch to his half-brother's face. Karl retaliated by punching his right fist into David's stomach before flipping them over so that he was on top of his half-brother. Tabitha shot forward and tackled Karl off of David and pinned him to the ground. She then raised her fist and delivered three punches to Karl's face, before Karl punched her across the left cheek. Tabitha yelped in pain before Karl flipped her off of him and pinned her to the ground. Karl was about to punch her again before Shorty suddenly dived bombed him and began to claw at his arm. That distraction caused Karl to loosen his grip on Tabitha, who quickly punched him in the gut, before he was suddenly pulled off of her by David. The two half-brothers gripped at each other's shirts as they struggled to throw each other to the ground.
Tabitha had gathered her wits together before she shot forward and tackled into both of her half-brothers. But the force of her tackle sent all three of them flying over the railing of the balcony and falling over the falls. All three of them let out screams of terror as they fell towards their doom. Shorty let out a worried screech and was about to go into a dive when suddenly a black and white blur flew down and passed him. Shorty hovered in surprise for a moment before he quickly flew after the black and white blur as he followed it down towards the river. Halfway down, Shorty saw the blur dive into the depths of the river before it shot out of it again a second later. When the blur appeared in front of Shorty, the little dragon squawked as he stared at the being in shock and surprise.
The black and white blur was a young adult female Night Light that held Tabitha's unconscious form in its front legs. The young Night Light had the body shape and figure of a Night Fury, but had the slim figure of a Light Fury. The top half of the Night Light's body was covered in black scales, along with her legs, but the underside of the Night Light was white with a soft shade of blue on its surface. The white on her chest and belly stretched out underneath her tail before ending halfway down. Running down the length of the Night Light's back was a thin white strip that stretched all the way down to the tip of the female's tail. On each side of the Night Light's head were two long appendages that were slightly rounded along the edges. The dragon had a set of small spines running down the top of her head, while a long single white spine ran down the middle of her back. Sprinkled underneath the Night Light's two large wings were tiny white dots, which seemed to sparkle like stars against the dark background. On the bridge of Night Light's nose sat a medium sized pure white four pointed star marking, but the most unique feature about the female Night Light is her eyes. The Night Light's left eye was a bright forest green, while her right eye was a deep aqua blue.
Shorty stared up at the Night Light in astonishment before the larger dragon let out a soft croon as she looked down at Tabitha's unconscious form, which she held within her arms. The Night Light then looked at Shorty before she gestured with her head for him to follow her. She then slowly started to fly towards the Rainy Basin. Shorty quickly followed after the Night Light with a determined expression upon his face. He had to make sure that he didn't lose sight of the Night Light that was carrying his friend away from Waterfall City.
To be continued
And here you go, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!