Dragons: The Nine Realms
Season 4
Cold Open
The Riders of ICARIS were all hanging out in their dragons' sleep cave. It had been two days since their big battle against the Sky Torcher and the Flamethrowers. And ever since then Tom had been fiddling with the mysterious metal cylinder he'd found in the Crystal Realm shortly after. He kept trying to get it open, but was having no luck. He didn't even notice his friends and their dragons watching him. He didn't even pay attention to Thunder. They were all growing concerned.
"He better get that thing open soon," said Jun, munching. "It's controlling every aspect of his life." Suddenly there came a loud dragon roar and they turned to see Edelweiss riding in on Black Widow. Even Tom seemed to lighten up at the sight of them.
Edelweiss had been recovering in her cave in the Crystal Realm after her big fight with the Sky Torcher, in her dragon form. Everyone had insisted that she take it easy, since she'd gotten a bit battered. She'd spent that down time telling the riders more about herself; about how she couldn't grow old due to her mutation and how long she'd been around. However she still hadn't told them her second big secret, but she promised that she would someday.
Black Widow landed next to the other dragons and Edelweiss dismounted. She still had large bruises on her face and arms, and walked with a slight limp so she used her staff for balance.
"Edel, good see you up and about again," said Jun. "How you feeling?"
"Better," said Edelweiss. "I was starting to cramp up so I decided to get back in the saddle." Feathers nudged her shoulder. Edelweiss smiled at her and stroked her neck. "Hello sweetheart, good to see you too." Feathers chirped at the compliment. All the dragons greeted her. "What are the rest of you up to?"
"Tom's still trying to open that box," said D'Angelo, pointing at the cylinder. Suddenly Tom yelled in triumph, but it was followed by a groan of disappointment. They all went over to him.
"Tom don't beat yourself up," Jun said. "That box is a crazy puzzle."
"Probably made by an even crazier person," Alex added.
"And you don't even know if it has anything to do with your connections to Thunder," said D'Angelo.
"It has to," Tom insisted. "It has the dragon symbol on it and its made out of the same metal as Jun's shield." He pulled out a thin metal stick and tried to pick the lock on the cylinder's side, but it only broke in half. Tom roared in frustration. Edelweiss sat on a flat boulder next to Thunder.
"Tom, you're becoming obsessed with that," said Alex.
"I'm not obsessed," Tom argued. No one was convinced.
"When was the last time you ate?" D'Angelo asked. Tom thought a moment.
"Breakfast, yesterday," he said.
"Slept?" Jun asked. Tom thought again, then just shook his head.
"Look I appreciate your guys' concern," he said. "But I'm fine." Still no one was convinced.
"Why don't you come to the Crystal Realm with me and Eugene," D'Angelo suggested. "We're going to check on the dragons that were injured in the Sky Torcher battle."
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Tom said wearily.
"Okay, suit yourself," said D'Angelo. He and Eugene got on their dragons and flew off. Black Widow settled herself next to Edelweiss. Tom went back to box.
"Well I'm not taking no for an answer," said Jun. "Alex found some unusual anomalies coming from that sink hole in the middle of the woods."
"It seemed to be admitting strange cold temperatures," Alex said, looking at her tablet.
"We're going to check it out, and you're coming with us," Jun said looking Tom in the eye. He paused and looked back at her.
"I'd rather…" he started, but then both Jun and Thunder gave him puppy dog eyes and he gave in. Jun looked at Edelweiss.
"Do you want to come too?" She asked. "Or do you want to take it easy today?" Edelweiss took a deep breath.
"I'll wait here with the dragons," she said. "I don't plan on doing anything too stressful." Alex and Jun headed for the hole in the ceiling. Tom reluctantly set the puzzle box down and followed. When they were out of earshot Edelweiss picked up the box and looked at it herself. She traced the key hole on the end that was in the shape of the Strike Class symbol.
"You think when Tom does crack that he'll finally relax?" Thunder asked.
"I hope so," said Edelweiss. "I'd hate to see him hurt himself." They all agreed.
"What do you think's inside it?" Wu asked.
"Something really valuable and really old I'll bet," said Black Widow. "We've never seen this thing before." Edel set the cylinder down and stretched her sore limbs. She got to her feet just as Jun, Alex and Tom came back.
"You're back already?" Edelweiss asked.
"We've found something at that sink hole," said Jun, excitedly.
"It snowed out of the ground," said Alex.
"Snow?" Edel said.
"We're going to see what's down there," said Jun getting on her dragon. Alex got on Feathers, still holding her tablet. Tom mounted Thunder, but looked at the cylinder out of the corner of his eye.
"You know Tom, putting that cylinder aside for a few hours isn't going to kill you," Edelweiss said, mounting Black Widow. Tom sighed.
"I know," he said. They headed out of the sleep cave. "You said you knew the Vikings though."
"Not very well I'm afraid," Edelweiss said. "I didn't socialize with them as much as I did the dragons. And I have no idea what they got up to after the dragons went underground." They headed to the top of the fissure and landed in the woods. They walked their dragons towards the sink hole, keeping an eye out for anyone.
"Why didn't you socialize with them?" Jun asked.
"Well, they didn't really like me much," said Edelweiss. "They didn't hate me or anything. But because I grew up with dragons, the vikings thought I was a bit too, well, wild. So I stayed out of their way. My parents could have told you more, they got on better with the Vikings." At that moment they reached the sink hole. Cold air rose up out of it, along with a few snow flurries. Edelweiss reached into her saddle bags and pulled out a sage green bomber jacket that had white flowers embroidered around the hems and sleeves, and a big white dragon stitched on the back. She and Black Widow followed the others in to the hole.
They reached the bottom and faced a dark tunnel. Tom pulled out his flashlight and led the way. The air grew colder the deeper they went. Then Tom spotted light ahead.
"Look a way out," he said. He turned his light off and ran towards it, the other followed. They stepped out into a vast winter wonderland. The ground was covered in glittering white snow. Strange trees and mounts of ice blue crystals were scattered everywhere. Dragons were flying at their leisure.
"Whoa, look at this place," Jun gasped.
"A Fire Realm, now an Ice Realm?" Alex grumbled. "Make up your mind."
"It's a new realm of dragons for us to explore," Tom said. They all split up and looked around the Ice Realm. All the dragons seemed to like it, except Feathers. She held her wings closer to her body and her teeth chattered. Unlike the other dragons; Feathers had no fire to keep her warm. She shivered. Tom and Jun were busy checking out interesting looking slugs. Edelweiss looked at Feathers.
"You going to be okay Feathers?" She asked. Feathers didn't answer as her teeth were chattering too much.
"She's not a fan of the cold," said Alex, hugging herself. "Like me." Edelweiss considered.
"I might have something that can help," she said. She dismounted and rummaged through her saddlebags and pulled out what looked like a large, thick shawl made of dark grey fur. She wrapped around Feathers' shoulders, just behind her saddle. It covered her wings, but it was loose so she could still fly. Edelweiss secured it just in front of the wing joints. Feathers stopped shivering and relaxed. The fur shawl was a bit itchy but very warm. She happily nuzzled Edelweiss's torso.
"Ooo, careful of the ribs," Edelweiss said, wincing. Feathers nuzzled her shoulder a bit more gently.
"You don't have anything in a human size do you?" Alex asked.
"Err," Edelweiss said, she went and reached into her saddlebag again. She pulled out a pair of thick mittens that were shaped like giant cat paws, and made of the same dark grey fur. She handed them to Alex. "You can borrow my mittens, it's the best I can do for now." Alex accent the mittens and put her cold hands into them. Edelweiss got back on her dragon. And they rejoined the others. Thunder started running around on a slick patch of ice, and letting himself slide back and forth.
"Thunder seems to like the snow," Tom said. "Don't you pal." Thunder gave an excited roar and went for another slide.
"Careful on the ice Thunder," Jun warned. "It's a bit…." But before she could finish the warning Thunder slid right off the edge of a steep hill, and out of sight. They all ran to the edge but the dragon had vanished.
"Thunder!" Tom called, but got no answer. They all got on dragons and took off. They kept calling for Thunder and looked all over. Black Widow used her sonar. Jun then noticed the shawl on Feathers.
"Ooh, where'd you get that shawl?" She asked.
"I loaned it to Feathers since she has no fire to warm her," Edelweiss explained. "It belongs to Avalon, but I don't think she'll mind." Feathers chirped happily. Tom called for Thunder again. They looked around for the Night Light again. But then suddenly, he came flying up to them looking a bit scared. Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thunder, glad you're okay," he said. He jumped from Wei and back onto his own saddle. He hugged Thunder around the back of his head. Then Thunder growled at something below him. Tom followed his gaze and saw a thick rope tied around one of Thunder's hind legs. Tom felt his heard race and steered his dragon back to the ground. Everyone followed. When they landed; Tom got the rope off Thunder's leg and examined it.
"Did someone try to trap Thunder?" Jun asked, worried. Thunder looked up at a tree branch that rest of the rope tied around it.
"Someone must be down here," said Tom, then his face lit up. "It could be the person who dropped the arrowhead, the shield and the puzzle box."
"Er don't get ahead of yourself Tom," Edelweiss warned. "There's millions of humans out there that could have fallen through that sink hole, and it'll be pretty slim chance it'll be the one that made all that stuff." Suddenly they heard moaning coming from a near by tree. They all looked over to see someone lying behind the tree. Tom and the girls slowly approached. Edelweiss took off on Black Widow and circled the tree from above. It turned out to be a man about Eugene's age. He wore a brown wool sweater over a dark shirt, jeans, boots, and a black beanie. He looked up at the riders in surprised, and relief.
"Oh, thank goodness," he said. "People. I thought you were one of those strange creatures."
"Strange creatures?" Tom repeated.
"Haven't you seen?" The man asked. "They're everywhere. I'm Keith." He held his hand out to Tom, and Tom shook it.
"Tom," he said. "So where you from?"
"You don't look like you're from around here," Alex said suspiciously.
"I was hiking through the woods, listening to my favorite band," the guy explained. "When I fell down this sink hole." He looked up at the riders. "How'd you guys get down here?" For an answer to his question Thunder pushed his way between Tom and Jun. His eyes fix on the guy, his teeth bared, and growling deep in his throat. The stranger cowered agains the tree trunk.
"It's okay, Thunder won't hurt you," Tom assured him, restraining the Night Light.
"He's with you?" The stranger asked. Wu, Wei, and Feathers soon joined them as well. Edelweiss and Black Widow continued to circle out of sight. Edel didn't want this stranger knowing about her just yet. She pulled Black Widow to a stop in mid air. They waited patiently.
"Thing is, some one just tried to trap one of our dragons," Alex was saying. "Wouldn't have been you would it?"
"Ok, I'm sorry," said the stranger. "I didn't know they were friendly. I've been eating snow for days, I'm stranded down here, and oooh I think my leg's broken." He clutched at his right leg and scrunched up his face like he was in pain. Tom knelt in front of him next to Thunder's head.
"Alone, stranded, starving, and a bad leg," Tom said. "I guess that makes sense." He stood up.
"Let's talk about it over here," said Jun nervously. She led her friends over to another tree. The dragons kept their eye on the stranger.
"This guy's seen the dragons, what do we do?" Alex asked.
"We can't leave him stranded down here," Tom said. "He's starving and hurt."
"But what about the secret?" Jun asked. "Do you think we could convince him to keep quiet about the dragons?" Tom opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the dragons snarling. They turned to see Wu and Wei stalking towards the stranger who was now holding a small hatchet. Jun quickly ran to pull her dragon back.
"I'm sorry," the stranger said. "I just wanted to get a closer look. These dragons are so majestic." Thunder roared and lashed his tail angrily.
"It's okay Keith," Tom said. "We're going to fly you to a doctor. But before we do that, I need to talk to you about the dragons." The stranger looked at Thunder nervously.
"You mean you'll fly me out on him?" He said. "Oh no I can't ride just yet. Not until my leg is immobilized." He clutched his leg again.
"Sounds like a plan for Dr. D," said Jun.
"He's probably still in the Crystal Realm," said Tom. Jun got on her dragon.
"I'll go find him," she said. "You guys stay here and watch him." Both Tom and Alex nodded. Wu and Wei took off and Jun steered him alongside Black Widow. "You want to come?" Jun asked.
"No thanks Jun," Edelweiss said, her eyes fixed on the stranger. "I want to see what this guy's going to do."
"He seems harmless," said Jun.
"A strange, creepy guy with a hatchet is not my idea of harmless," Edelweiss said. "You should hurry through." Jun nodded and steered Wu and Wei back towards the sink hole. Black Widow kept circling.
Tom had set up a tiny pile of kindling.
"Okay, light it up Thunder," he said. The Night Light roared again, but did as he was told. Once the fire was lit however, he got as far from the stranger as he could. He laid down but didn't relax his tense wings. Tom went over to him.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Tom asked. Thunder snarled and turned away from his rider. "Look I know you don't like Keith because he tried to trap you. But our only chance of keeping you and the other dragons safe is to show him how amazing you are. So can you at least try to be on your best behavior?" Thunder looked at him with weary eyes. He sighed then groaned quietly as if to say; 'all right Tom'. The boy smiled and went back to the fire. Thunder stayed where he was, he wanted to be no where near the stranger's hatchet.
"So how long have you had these, pets?" The stranger asked.
"They're not pets," Tom explained. "They're more like friends."
"And you fly on their backs," said the stranger. "Isn't that scary?"
"They're amazing," said Tom. "They may seem scary at first. But once you get to know them, they're not so bad."
"Can they all shoot lightening?" The stranger asked.
"No," said Tom. "Wu and Wei can shoot mist."
"And Feathers can make a sound blast that will blow away you very soul," Alex said, threateningly.
"A sonic blast huh?" Said the stranger. Suddenly he grinned mischievously. Alex and Tom exchanged a nervous glance. The stranger then started poking the fire. "Looks like the fire's burning low. We should get some more."
"Right," Tom agreed, getting to his feet. "Alex why don't you come help."
"Sure," Alex agreed, also getting up. "But Feathers is coming with me." Her dragon screeched in agreement. The three of them went off. Thunder got to his feet, his dragon heart pounded in his chest. He knew what was coming. The stranger got to his feet, his hungry eyes fixed on the dragon. But when he reached for his hatchet, he found it gone. He spun around looking for it. He suddenly spotted Tom using the hatchet to cut the firewood that Alex brought him.
"Oh, I borrowed your hatchet," Tom said when he spotted the stranger looking at him. "I hope you don't mind." The stranger scowled but only for a split second.
"Oh no problem at all," he said uncomfortably.
"Hey, you're standing up," said Alex. The stranger suddenly realized this and sat back down quickly, moaning.
"It thought I could walk it off," he said. "But no, still broken." Alex turned to Tom.
"You can't possible be buying what this nut is selling," she said. Tom chopped a pile of wood with the hatchet.
"Well what choice do we have?" He asked. "We can't leave him out here to freeze to death."
"I've come across a lot of fakers on the internet," said Alex, setting more wood on the tree stump they were using. "And this guy smells rotten. Plus I've seen the way he looks at Thunder when he thinks no one's looking. It's like a deep seeded rage, or like the have a history or something." Tom got more nervous. The hand holding the hatchet was getting sweaty. He brought it down on the pile of sticks, then he spotted writing carved into the hatchet's handle. He looked closer at it.
"Property of Lenard, Burn Lumber Company," he read. "I thought his name was Keith." Now he was scared.
They returned to the fire. The stranger was looking at Thunder, not even blinking.
"We're back," Tom said. "Thanks for letting me borrow your hatchet Lenard." He handed it back, his hand shaking. Lenard took it back.
"Not a problem," he said. "What ever I can do to help." He ran his thumb almost lovingly along the sharp blade.
A few moments later; they were sat around the fire again. Except for Thunder, who was still in his spot. He didn't take his eyes off Lenard. The stranger suddenly patted his stomach.
"Man, I'm getting hungry," he said. "Do you have any more of those cheeses loops?"
"Nope, you ate them all," said Alex, just as tense as Thunder.
"I guess we could go and bring you back something," Tom suggested. "Who knows how long it will take for Jun to find D'Angelo."
"Yeah that would be great," said Lenard. Both riders got to their feet. Tom went over to Thunder. "Oh, can you leave Thunder here with me? I feel so bad about what happened. I'd love for a chance to really bond with him." Tom smiled and shrugged.
"I guess that will be okay," he said, he turned to his dragon. "You okay with that pal." Thunder nodded but then went back to staring hard at Lenard. Both Tom and Alex got on Feathers and took off. When they were out of sight Thunder readied himself. Lenard turned to him, and brandished his hatchet. Thunder's heard pounded so loud in his ears he couldn't hear what the hunter was saying, but it didn't matter. Lenard threw his hatchet at the Night Light, but it missed and hit the tree behind him. Thunder shot lighting at Lenard, but he dodged it. Lenard then turned an the other direction, and Thunder chased him. They ran through the trees, Thunder kept blasting and snapping his jaws. He chased the hunter until he felt his leg snag on another rope, and next thing he knew he was caught in a net. Lenard gave a triumphant, evil laugh.
"Didn't see that one coming did you?" He sneered. "And they said you were smart." He again reached for his hatchet, but again found it not there. He looked behind him to see his weapon still lodged in the tree. He groaned in frustration. Then he picked up the net and dragged back to the tree. He then ran towards the hatchet, but unexpectedly hit something hard and fell back. Feathers rematerialized hiding both Tom and Alex. They all glared at Lenard.
"So the truth comes out," Tom said, folding his arms. "Nice job Thunder." The Night Light shoved the net off him and rejoined his friends.
"Wait you and him cooked the whole up?" Lenard shouted, jumping to his feet.
"Like I said, they're smarter than they look," said Alex. "And so am I. I knew you were a loon from the start."
"It's over Lenard," said Tom.
"Only my mom calls me Lenard," the villain yelled. "The name's Buzzsaw!" He was about run at them like a angry beast, when he was blasted off his feet by a red plasma blast. He landed on his back a few feet away. He rolled over to see a big black shape speed overhead. Buzzsaw got to his feet but was hit by a sound blast from Feathers, and it knocked him down again. But this caused huge chunks of ice to fall of the cliff overhead, and pinned Alex, Tom, and the dragons down. Buzzsaw got up and advanced on them, holding his hatchet.
"Man I'm getting dizzy from all the back and forth," he said, walking right on top of the pile of ice, looking down on Tom and Thunder. "First I'm about to win, then you're about to win, now I'm about to win again." He raised his hatchet, about to go in for the kill. But he was blasted off his feet yet again, this time by a fire bomb from Plowhorn. Tom and Alex looked up to see the rest of their friends flying towards them. Buzzsaw was so distracted by these new arrivals that he didn't see Black Widow land gracefully behind him, folding her big black wings. She growled and Buzzsaw spun round. Black Widow flashed her black, venomous teeth, and glared with her vivid red eyes. Edelweiss stared down from her saddle, her mouth and nose now covered by a white scarf. Buzzsaw could now see he was outnumbered.
"This isn't over!" He demanded, before running into the trees. The rest of the group got the ice off their friends and they got to their feet.
"Are you guys okay?" D'Angelo asked.
"We're fine," Tom said. "Thanks for coming." They all looked around for Buzzsaw, but he was no where inside.
The riders flew all over, but Buzzsaw had evaded them. Eventually it was getting late and they decided to head back to the sleep cave. Tom was determined to find Buzzsaw and get him out of the dragon world, but he was also determined to find a way to unlock the puzzle box. He followed his friends out of the Ice Realm, his head buzzing.
They landed back in the sleep cave. Tom told the others everything that had happened. They all dismounted and sat in a circle.
"This is terrible," said D'Angelo. "We've looked all over for that crazy guy, but he's running around loose down there."
"The dragons are in danger," said Jun. "But if we bring him back, he'll tell everyone the secret."
"But now that we know what we're up against," said Tom. "I'm willing to risk it to get him out of the Ice Realm. He's too dangerous."
"And everyone will just think he's crazy anyway," said Alex. "Which he is."
"There's also the advantage of him having no allies," said Edelweiss. "And he hardly has any weapons except for a tiny little hatchet." Tom got to his feet, feeling more confident.
"Well, it's getting late," he said. "We need to get an early start tomorrow, and plant sensors in the Ice Realm." He started to climb towards the hole in the ceiling. "Hopefully Buzzsaw will trip into one of our traps." He then picked up the metal cylinder.
"What about your cryptic boss Tommy?" Eugene asked, looking almost hopeful. "If you're too busy to lead this mission I'd be happy to step up." Tom looked down at the cylinder.
"If I've learned anything from this experience Eugene," he said. "Is that unhealthy obsessions lead to an unhappy life. I mean look at Buzzsaw." He went to put the cylinder down, but paused. "But maybe I'll still take it with me."
"Tom!" Jun scolded. Tom gave a sheepish smile and put the cylinder down.
"All right I'll leave it here," he said as he made is way out. Edelweiss bid the dragons good night, then flew off towards the fissure on Black Widow.