Downpour
Tom woke very early one Saturday morning. He sat up and the first thing he laid eyes on was the old Viking helmet, with the dragon symbol on the front. Tom remembered Thunder burning the same symbol on the wall of the sleep cave, and Thunder had never seen this helmet before. Tom wanted to know what it all meant. He got out of bed, dressed, and packed the helmet into his backpack with his other items. Then he snuck out of the Kullersen dome.
Down in the Dragon World; Edelweiss was just saddling up Black Widow while her breakfast cooked. Splendor was munching on a pile of raspberries. The little Bubblehorn found he liked staying with Edelweiss and Black Widow. He was guaranteed to see things he'd never seen before. The large ledge they all shared was plenty big enough. It had tunnels that led to smaller caves, which Edelweiss wanted to put more furniture in.
Just as Edelweiss was checking on her oatmeal, Tom and Thunder flew by. They turned around and flew back to the ledge.
"Morning Edel," Tom greeted.
"Morning Tom, Thunder," Edelweiss answered. Then she saw Tom's helmet. "Nice hat."
"Thanks," Tom said. "It's a family heirloom." Both Edelweiss and Black Widow saw the red symbol on the front, and they both recognized it.
"You out joy flying?" Edelweiss asked.
"Yeah, I've a lot on my mind lately," Tom said. "Well, we should get going."
"Okay, see you," Edelweiss said. Thunder took off again. Black Widow exchanged a look with her riders.
"That was the Strike Class symbol," she said. "The same one Hiccup Haddock wore a lot."
"Yeah," Edel said.
"You don't think Tom's a descendant of Hiccup do you?" Black Widow wondered.
"We don't know for sure," Edel said. "I don't remember Hiccup ever having that helmet. I've never seen it before."
"Me neither," said Black Widow. "I'd be cool if it were true though."
"Yeah," Edelweiss said.
"I'm thinking we should tell these riders how old we actually are," Black Widow said.
"I agree, though they don't seem to like it when secrets are kept from them," Edelweiss said. "But that's there problem." She turned back to her breakfast.
Tom and Thunder flew all around the place. Doing fast and erratic maneuvers. For Tom this was better than any roller coaster. He whooped every time Thunder sped up. The dragon was loving this as well. He roared with excitement. Then after a while they stopped to catch their breath.
"Hopefully there's something else out here with this symbol on it," Tom said. He figured Thunder must have seen it somewhere himself before he met Tom. Just then they heard loud roars coming from a distance. "Well that's defiantly something." He steered Thunder in the direction the roars had come from.
A moment later they found themselves flying over a vast lake, that had no visible shoreline except for a small island in the middle. The crystal walls were sky blue, lighting up the area like daylight. Thunder hovered over it. Then he swooped low over the water, trailing the tip of his wing through the surface. He let out a happy roar. The disturbance seemed to stir up thousands of what looked like underwater fireflies. Thunder flew higher and glided over the water.
"The other riders won't believe this place," Tom said. Then he slouched. "But then they'll know I went exploring without them again." Thunder crooned at him. "I know. But I want to understand this symbol first." He took off the helmet and looked at the symbol. "I want to know what connection I have to it, to you." Thunder smiled in understanding. He was just as curious about the helmet as Tom was, and why it had that symbol on it. Suddenly a shadow appeared in the water below. Then a large, gapping mouth rose out towards him. Thunder managed to get out of the way in time. He and Tom saw what looked like a giant manta ray breaching out of the water. It splashed back down. Then another one jumped out of the water. Thunder dodged it so fast that the helmet fell of Tom's head and splashed into the water. Tom immediately jumped in after, despite Thunder's protests. Tom swam through the water and managed to snag his helmet. He felt a disturbance and turned to see one of the water dragons coming right at him, its mouth wide open, scooping up the underwater fireflies. It was about to swallow Tom, but Thunder grabbed him in the nick of time. The Night Light flew him out of the water and landed on the crystal island. He set his rider down. At first Tom didn't move, but then he coughed water out of his lungs and sat up. Thunder nudged him concerned.
"Thanks pal," Tom said, gasping for air. He then saw that he was still holding his helmet. "Got the helmet." Thunder was not amused.
Back in the sleep cave; Edelweiss and Black Widow landed inside just as the other riders came in. They were quick to notice that Tom and Thunder were missing. Jun was furious.
"I can't believe he did it again," she said.
"You can't believe the guy who wanted to keep dragons a secret, even from us, went off on his own again?" Alex said.
"Honestly, I'm more surprised when Tom is here," said D'Angelo. Jun turned to Edelweiss.
"Did you see Tom down in the Dragon World?" She asked.
"Yes, he was solo flying with Thunder," Edelweiss said.
"He broke the deal we made, where no rider goes exploring without a buddy," said Jun.
"What are you his lawyers?" Edelweiss said, bored. "I'm sure Tom meant no disrespect. He probably just wants to spend quality time with Thunder." At that moment Tom and Thunder joined them. Thunder landed and Tom dismounted.
"Well, look what the dragon brought in," said D'Angelo. Jun glared at Tom, who looked sheepish. Thunder backed away awkwardly.
"Tom, you know you're not allowed to go off by yourself," Jun scolded.
"I know, but nothing happened we're fine," Tom insisted.
"Then why are you all wet?" D'Angelo asked.
"Well, Thunder and I found this amazing lake," Tom said.
"And went swimming in your clothes?" Jun said suspiciously. Tom scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"Yeah, I sort of fell in," he said. "I promise it won't happen again."
"Remember, you're part of a team," Jun said. Edelweiss and Black Widow exchanged a glance.
"Is it just me or is Jun a bit too obsessed with Tom," Edelweiss said to her dragon.
"I heard Jun found out about the dragons because she was stalking him," Black Widow said.
"Poor kid," said Edelweiss. Just then Alex's tablet beeped. She pulled it out and looked at it.
"Dragon alert?" D'Angelo asked.
"No, this one's coming from ICARIS," said Alex. With that they headed back out.
Once outside the riders headed for town. At once they saw huge clouds of smoke over the forest. The smell of burning trees filled the air.
"Guess we know what the emergency is," said Alex. "That fire's too far away to come here right?"
"Depends on the wind," said D'Angelo.
"We should find out parents," said Jun. At that moment Olivia and Chief Baker ran passed. Tom ran over to them.
"Mom!? He called.
"Dad," D'Angelo called at the same time. The two adults ran to a van. They turned as the riders approached.
"We're heading out to see if anyone needs our help," said Olivia.
"You kids take shelter in you're domes," said Chief Baker. "We'll back later." With that, they climbed into the van and drove off. When it was out of sight, Tom smirked.
"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked. They all groaned, knowing exactly what he was thinking. They headed back towards the sleep cave.
Edelweiss and the dragons were waiting anxiously. The dragons ran to their respective riders.
"What's happening?" Edelweiss asked.
"The woods are on fire," said Tom. "My mom and D's dad are heading into it to see if anyone needs help. We're going to follow them on our dragons."
"Okay," said Edelweiss. She got on Black Widow.
"Have you fought forest fires before?" Jun asked her, as the riders got on their dragons.
"Well no," said Edelweiss said. "The only time the forests back home ever caught fire was during volcanic eruptions, and you can't really fight those." They all headed outside and headed for the clouds of smoke.
"I don't like this Kullersen," said D'Angelo. "The dragons will be right out in the open."
"We can use the smoke as cover," said Tom. "This way we can give our parents some air support."
"My dad's been in combat," said D'Angelo. "He can handle himself." Edelweiss and Black Widow flew closer to them.
"My dad's been in combat too," Edel said. "But he told me it didn't prepare him for everything."
"Come on, we're going up," said Tom. He led the others out of the fissure and up into the dark clouds. Once they were above the clouds they looked down for the ICARIS van, but only saw clouds.
"How do you expect to find our parents when we can't see?" D'Angelo said.
"Okay, maybe I didn't think of everything," Tom said sheepishly.
"We got this," said Edelweiss. She patted Black Widow's beck. The large black dragon sent out a loud sonar signal. She took the lead and activated her titan wing. Her whole body lit up with red lightening markings. She used her sonar to guide the others through the dense clouds, the red lights on her spines and wings made it easier to see her. In no time at all they found the ICARIS van weaving its way through the blazing inferno. Wooden buildings were everywhere, some burning some not.
"Wow, nice work Black Widow," said Tom. Black Widow smiled at him. Tom turned to Alex and D'Angelo. "You guys go ahead and see what you can do to help." The two riders flew off on their dragons. Jun and Tom kept following the van. Wu shot his frost breath at patches of fire before the van could run into them. The van was going so fast, but was able to stay on its tires even on the tight corners.
Edelweiss steered Black Widow after Alex and D'Angelo, Black Widow used her sonar the whole time. She spotted the two riders who had just spotted three helpless loggers. They were trapped on the road surrounded by fire. They looked terrified. But then an unseen force lifted them one at a time and dropped them on a clear patch of road. Black Widow spotted Plowhorn nearby, with D'Angelo and Jun on her back. She flew over to them. They watched as a cloaked Feathers dropped the last of the loggers onto the clear patch of road. In minuets the ICARIS van drove up to them. It fishtailed round so the back door was facing them. The loggers quickly got in and the van took off again. Feathers came back to her friends. She uncloaked herself, looking so pleased with her work. Once Alex got back on her saddle, they all met up with Jun and Tom. They started to fallow the van back towards Rekketown, Black Widow kept using her sonar. Just then another van came flying at them on fire. They dodged it, and it exploded on the ground.
"Wow, I hope there was no one in that van," said Edelweiss. The riders headed back towards town.
The fire was getting dangerously close to their homes. Fortunately the domes were solid stone and wouldn't burn, but the humans there were in danger.
"It's getting too close to Rekketown," said Alex. "How do we get it out?" Thunder growled as if he wanted to attack the wildfire.
"I know pal, but we can't put out a fire with lightening," Tom said.
"Wu and Wei are our only hope," said D'Angelo. They looked down at the two headed dragon. Wu was trying to use his frost breath to douse the flames, but they were barely putting a dent in it.
"How much they got left?" Tom asked. Wu soon ran out.
"Not enough," said Jun.
"We need a bigger water dragon," said D'Angelo. Then the light went on in Tom's head. He remembered the big stingray like dragons in the lake he'd found with Thunder. He was sure they would be able to douse the fire. Wasting no time he steered he dragon back towards the fissure and was gone in a flash.
"There he goes again," D'Angelo said. "Blazing off like the rogue he is."
"Nothing wrong with going rogue," said Edelweiss. Alex was still staring hard after Tom.
"Wait here," she said. She steered Feathers after the Night Light.
Down at the underground lake; Tom landed Thunder on the large crystal island. The water was still and quiet. There was no sign of the big water dragons. Tom dismounted and ran right to the edge. Thunder clamped his teeth onto Tom's jacket, holding him back. Tom saw the worried look in his eye.
"We got to do this, ICARIS and Rekketown are in danger," Tom said urgently, stroking the dragon's head. Thunder sighed and let go, but still looked worried. Tom turned to the lake and ran his hand through the water. The glowing insects surfaced. "I know you're in there Floodfang, I just need your help to put out a big fire." The Floodfang burst out of the water, its jaws opened wide. It would have swallowed Tom, had Alex and Feathers not flown in and fly him out of the way. Thunder followed them. They hovered over the water, Tom dangling from Feathers' mouth.
"Wow, that was close," Tom said. "Thanks Alex." Alex just glared at him. The Floodfang circled the lake, it showed no further interest in them. The two riders and dragons flew back to the island.
"That was either crazy heroic or crazy stupid," Alex scolded. "Either way crazy applies." She crossed her arms.
"I vote for crazy heroic," said Tom timidly. Alex said nothing. "I know, I know. I just saw this dragon and thought it could help put out the fire."
"Okay, but you can't keep flying off to do everything by yourself," said Alex. "And this is coming from the girl who loves doing everything by herself. We're the dragon riders. Not one dragon rider and a bunch of useless sidekicks." Tom took a deep breath.
"I guess I've been traveling with my mom and doing things on my own for so long," he said. "That it's gotten harder to let people get too close."
"We all did Tom," Alex said, softly. "But you need to start trusting us. I mean I let you into my world, now you need to let us into yours." Tom exchanged a look with Thunder, who seemed to nod in agreement.
"Okay," Tom said. "I'll start letting you guys in more, I promise." Alex smiled at him. "We should go back to Jun and D'Angelo." But Alex stopped him.
"Well now that we're here," she said. "What do you know about this water dragon?" She turned to the water.
"It likes to eat those blinky bugs," Tom said. Alex looked at the insects, the Floodfangs were scooping them into their mouths.
"They look like fireflies," she said. "And I know where to find a lot of fireflies." She mounted Feathers, Tom got on Thunder and they took off.
Alex led the way to a section of woods that wasn't on fire. The sun was going down and the fireflies were out. Alex grabbed nets from her dome, then she and Tom scooped up the flies. They headed back to the lake and showed the flies to the Floodfangs. Once they had the dragons' attention, the riders led them outside.
Once they were outside; Tom and Alex led the Floodfangs to the fire. They went passed the other riders, not even stopping to address them.
"Whenever you're ready Tom," said Alex.
"You're the expert on fireflies," Tom answered. "You make the call." Alex looked flattered, then focused on the task at hand. They soared over the fire, the Floodfangs right behind them.
"Now!" Alex yelled. She and Tom released the fireflies. The Floodfangs opened their mouths and sprayed water all over the flaming woods. Within minuets the fire was out. The riders cheered as they regrouped.
"Where did you find those dragons?" Jun asked.
"It's a long story," said Tom.
"But he's going to tell you all of it," said Alex. "Because we're a team."
"First we should round up more fireflies," Tom said. "So we have something to lead the Floodfangs back home."
Later all the riders and their dragons were gathered on the crystal island. The Floodfangs were circling overhead. Edelweiss flew Black Widow down and she landed swan like on the water's surface. Edelweiss sat sideways on her dragon's back, and put her toes into the water. Jun was stroking her dragon, when she spotted Tom sitting separate from everyone else, Thunder beside him. Jun went over to him.
"Okay Tom, what's on your mind?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Tom said. But he knew he wouldn't win this argument. He leaned back and absentmindedly stroked Thunder.
"I know when something's bothering you," said Jun. Tom took a deep breath.
"Okay, I'll open up," he said. Jun sat next to him. "You know the…." He stopped not really knowing how to explain.
"Come on," Jun urged him.
"Sorry, it's a little personal," Tom said nervously.
"Too personal to tell Alex and D'Angelo?" Jun asked. Tom hesitated.
"For now, yeah," he said.
"I'm not sure I like that," Jun said. "But okay, your secret's safe with me." Tom smiled at her gratefully.
"You know a lot about myths and ancient civilizations right?" He asked.
"I do," said Jun.
"It's this symbol Thunder burned into the wall of the sleep cave," Tom explained. He pulled out his Viking helmet. "This is a family heirloom." He handed the helmet to Jun. She admired it, and saw the red symbol on the front. "I need your help to find out what it means." Jun said nothing for a long time. Then she looked at Tom and nodded.