The Nightlights pt 1
Edelweiss was sleeping in the dragons' sleep cave along side Avalon. She was in her human form, since she'd run out of the energy she needed to stay in her dragon form. This also gave her an excuse to sleep in. The riders were all ready in the cave by the time she woke up.
"Morning guys," she said.
"Morning Edel," Tom called, as he was saddling up Thunder. Edelweiss got to her feet, followed by Avalon.
"Where are you off to?" Edelweiss asked.
"Solo recon," Tom said. "We're going to check for any sign of Buzzsaw." Avalon stretched her wings. "Uh, why don't join us, for back up." Edelweiss looked surprised.
"All right," she said. "it'll be nice to be riding again." She mounted Avalon and Tom mounted Thunder. They set of for the Ice Realm.
When they got there; they flew over the hills and snow. Avalon's iridium crown gleamed in the daylight. So far they saw no sign of Buzzsaw. But then Edelweiss spotted something else.
"Tom, what's that on the back of your saddle?" She asked. Tom looked at what she was pointing at.
"Oh, I finished my lightening sword," he explained, pulling it out. The blade looked like tongues of flames, secured at the base with sturdy leather.
"Hmmm, that's flashy," said Avalon. "But I hope you guys aren't all going to start using weapons. Dragon's don't really trust you if you're armed."
"Don't worry, this is more to defend the helpless," Tom explained. "Like Edel carries a dagger to cut dragons loose from traps." Edelweiss and Avalon exchanged a glance.
"Okay then," said Avalon. They went back to looking for Buzzsaw.
They didn't see any sign of him. But then Thunder spotted something below and alerted the others. They all landed to find a huge ice cage. Tom dismounted and went to inspect it. Luckily it was empty.
"Buzzsaw," he said darkly. "Well this is once cage he won't be using." Thunder then blasted the cage to icy splinters. Tom patted him on the head. He was about to mount up again, when Thunder was alerted to something. He suddenly got really excited and ran off.
"Thunder wait," Tom called after him. Edelweiss swung Avalon around and they all ran after Thunder. They soon caught up with him in an open patch of snow. He seemed to be playing with something.
"What'd you find Thunder?" Edelweiss asked. Thunder looked around at them, beaming. Then they spotted a pare of green eyes peaking out from Thunder's shadow. When it saw them, it came into the light. Tom and Edelweiss gasped, Avalon was speechless.
"It's a baby Nightlight," Edelweiss said. Thunder moved aside so they could see the baby better. It only came up Thunder's ankles, about the size of a small terrier. It was mostly black with a white belly and a few white spots on its shoulders. The baby cooed with excitement at the sight of new friends. Then Tom and Edelweiss noticed the top around the baby's leg.
"Oh no," Tom said. He quickly rushed to free the baby, while he was distracted by Thunder. Once he was free, he ran at Thunder who started playing with him again. The two dragons seemed so happy to see each other.
"You two seem to know each other," Tom said. Thunder beamed at his rider.
"It's my little brother Shadow," he explained, and Edelweiss translated. Shadow suddenly flew into Edel's arms, almost knocking the wind out of her. She wrapped her arms around his little body, and he licked her face. She scratched his little ears, then Shadow flew at Tom knocking him over. Tom laughed and patted Shadow's neck.
"Wow, you're friendly," he said. "Nice to meet you." Then Shadow went back to Thunder, but then whimpered when he put weight on his sore paw. Thunder nudged him, concerned.
"Oh his leg hurts," Edelweiss said.
"That snare must have got him good," Tom said. Edelweiss carefully scooped up the little dragon.
"Did you hurt your foot," she cooed, in a motherly tone. "You poor thing."
"Dr. D can fix that right up," Tom said. Thunder crooned in agreement. Edelweiss scratched Shadow's ears.
"Let's get you out of this cold huh?" Edelweiss said. Shadow screeched with excitement. Tom mounted Thunder, and Edelweiss handed Shadow to him, before mounting Avalon. As they turned to leave; Thunder thought he heard a roar in the distance. But Shadow plopped himself on top of his head, and Thunder smiled at him. They headed out of the Ice Realm and back to the sleep cave.
When they got there; D'Angelo looked Shadow over. The reactions to the baby Nightlight were mixed. Jun was absolutely over the moon about him, Tom was happy to meet one Thunder's family, Alex and Eugene weren't as thrilled about him. D'Angelo finished his inspection.
"Wow, this is serious," he said. "This is very serious. I'm afraid he has a severe case of, adorable." He looked down at Shadow. Everyone relaxed. Shadow was soon up and running around the cave.
"We found him in the Ice Realm," Tom explained.
"Really, Thunder doesn't seem like an Ice Realm dragon," said D'Angelo. Shadow then ran over to Edelweiss who was sitting next to Avalon.
"He probably got lost," Edel said, scratching Shadow's chin. "I'm just glad it was us that found him, and not Buzzsaw." Shadow then ran around again, running between the legs of the other dragons. Feathers, Wu and Wei were more nervous about the baby. But Webbs and Plowhorn let him climb on them.
"What's his name?" Eugene asked.
"His name's Shadow," said Edelweiss. The baby Nightlight ran up onto Thunder's saddle and pulled out the lightening sword, running off with it.
"Wow, you finally finished your lightening sword," said D'Angelo.
"Yup," said Tom. "Shadow thinks it's a toy." Just then Shadow sneezed, causing a bolt of lightening to travel down the sword's blade and hit the wall between Tom and D'Angelo.
"Probably not the best toy for him," said D'Angelo.
"I think I can make him drop it," Edelweiss said. She went to her sleeping spot and pulled out a large bulging sack. "Hey Shadow!" The little dragon looked at her. She reached into the sack and pulled out a small shrimp. She sat down and tossed it to Shadow. He dropped the sword and ate the shrimp. Tom grabbed the sword and put it away. Shadow squealed happily, and ran to Edelweiss wanting more shrimp. "Yeah I'll bet you're hungry." She tossed him more shrimp, which he tried to catch in his mouth. This seemed to entertain him.
"Wow, you must be really good with baby dragons," Jun said, impressed.
"I guess I didn't tell you guys yet, but Nightlights are my specialty," Edelweiss said.
"Um how long is he going to stay here?" Alex asked.
"I just want to make sure his leg is okay," Tom said.
"Yeah, that could take a while," Jun said, sounding weirdly happy about it.
"If he's going to stay here, we're going to need a lot more supplies," said D'Angelo.
"Edel, you think you can keep entertaining him while we go up and get some more supplies?" Tom asked. The riders all headed up and out. The other dragons, including Avalon, dozed off. Edelweiss kept tossing Shadow more shrimp, occasionally tossing one to Thunder when he wasn't expecting it. The older Nightlight laid down next to Edel.
"Is this your only sibling?" Edelweiss asked.
"No, I have another little brother called Stormy, and a sister named New Moon," Thunder said. "I'm the oldest."
"What are your parents called?" Edelweiss asked.
"My mother's called Jewel Eyes, and my father's called Silverback," said Thunder. "Then there's my grandfather, Condor." He took a deep breath. "He's our alpha. I'm not sure how he'll like the humans. He's not very trusting of outsiders."
"Sounds like my aunt Windwalker," said Edelweiss. "She didn't trust outsiders either, didn't matter if they were dragon or human. Any outsider that came into her nest, she'd watch like a hawk for a while until she decided whether or not she was going to trust them. It took her ages to warm up to anyone. Your grandfather doesn't judge based on looks does he?"
"No," Thunder said. He seemed nervous. "Grandfather's not a dragon you want to get on the wrong side of." Edelweiss tossed Shadow a few more shrimp.
"I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you again though," she said. Thunder smiled again.
"Oh yeah, he treats his family like his most precious treasure," he said. "And I'm sure he'll be at least fascinated that I found a rider, since the Great Alpha himself had one."
"Hiccup and Toothless," Edelweiss said. "I remember them. I may not remember the other riders too well, but I'll never forget them. Their bond was one of the strongest I've ever seen. And if Tom does happen to be Hiccup's decedent, their bond must have been reawakened when he met you." Thunder smiled at the idea. Shadow finally seemed to have had his fill of food. He belched and smacked his lips. Edelweiss petted his tiny head. "That's better huh?" Shadow purred gratefully and began sniffing around the cave. He then took off towards the exit to the fissure. Thunder ran after him and brought him back. Shadow seemed anxious. Edelweiss held him securely.
"Are you ready to go home Shadow?" She asked. Shadow's little bottom lip quivered. "Oh, don't worry. Once the others get back we'll get you back home." Shadow gave a small smile and got excited again. He flew out of Edel's arms and landed on Thunder's saddle. They could both guess what he was after. Thunder grabbed him and lifted him off.
"Sorry little bro, no sword for you," he said. Shadow put up a protest. He ran for the exit again, Edelweiss retrieved him this time. Just then they heard the riders renter the cave. The other dragons woke up from their doze.
"We're back," Tom announced. Shadow flew to greet them.
"And we brought treats," said Jun, holding several bags of cheese loops. Shadow knocked them out of her hand and landed on them, sending up clouds of cheese dust. Jun looked disappointed.
"I really wish you guys wouldn't feed dragons that trash," Edelweiss said. "It's not good for them." Just then Shadow made another dash for the exit. Thunder took his turn to retrieve him. The baby was wailing in protest when Thunder brought him back.
"He a handful pal," Tom said, amused. Thunder just groaned in frustration.
"Shadow really wants to go home," Edelweiss said, stroking the little dragon. "He's only a baby."
"And his home is Thunder's home," Tom said, excited.
"Well Shadow," Edelweiss said, scooping him up again. "You ready to show us where you live?" Shadow squealed happily and was off towards the exit again. The riders all got on their dragons and followed him.
They headed through the Ice Realm. The older dragons found keeping up the Shadow a bit straining.
"Wow, baby Nightlights are fast," said D'Angelo.
"He's just extra excited," Tom said. Shadow headed to an icy wall close to Where Tom and Edelweiss had first found him. They were all heading to a hole in the wall. Shadow flew right in. Thunder was about to follow, but Tom was cautious.
"Whoa, we're not just going to go into some burrow," he said. They approached the cave, and felt a strong wing coming from inside.
"I think this is more than just a burrow," said Avalon. "It smells different." Suddenly Shadow grabbed Tom's arm and pulled him inside. The others followed and found themselves in a different realm that was darker and warmer than the Ice Realm. The only light came from glowing mushrooms scattered around the floor.
"Are you guys seeing this?" D'Angelo exclaimed. "Bioluminescent fungus."
"These look like the plans we found at the bottom of the fissure," said Jun.
"Are you saying we could be under the bottom of the fissure?" D'Angelo asked. Thunder crooned.
"Thunder says it's called the King's Realm," Edelweiss translated.
"Guys over here," said Jun. They all hurried over to see what she'd found. It was a large wooden chest. "Could that be another Viking artifact?"
"It doesn't have the dragon symbol on it," Tom observed.
"It could be full of gold," Eugene said hopefully. "Or diamonds." Just then Shadow screeched at them, looked scared.
"What's wrong with Shadow?" D'Angelo asked.
"He's probably just anxious to get home," said Tom.
"So, maybe we should leave the box alone," Edelweiss suggested.
"Not before I grab all the riches," said Eugene. He ran towards the chest.
"This'll be fun to watch," said Avalon, amused. Eugene opened the box, and his face fell.
"There's nothing in here," he complained. "Just a bunch of gears and turny things."
"Gears?" Tom said, a thought came to him. "Oh no booby trap." There was a click and Eugene was caught in a netter trap. Then there came a loud rumbling sound.
"Heads up," Edelweiss alerted as a dozen large boulders came rolling towards them. They all dodged them, Plowhorn rammed a few with her horn. Edelweiss cut Eugene free from the net, and they all got out of the way of the boulders.
They headed further into the King's Realm. Suddenly they spotted something on the floor. They paused to check it out. A thin cord was stretched across the trail, and a dozen loaded sling shots.
"Who do you think set these up, Buzzsaw?" Jun wondered aloud.
"I don't think so somehow," said Tom. Just then Feathers accidentally trod on the cord.
"Feathers no!" Alex warned too late. The sling shots fired small rocks at them. Ducking their heads and ran through as fast as their dragons could carry them. Edelweiss deflected several rocks with her staff. Then when they got out of that, Eugene accidentally stepped on another cord across the trail. He was hit in the neck by a tiny dart. He pulled it out and looked at it.
"Ha, it's going to take more than a net, some rocks, and tiny dart to take me down," he boasted. But then the left side of his body went numb and he collapsed. Jun examined the dart.
"You think these were set up by some ancient dragon hunter?" Jun asked. Tom considered.
"I don't think these were set up for dragons," he said. "That dart won't break their skin, and they would barely feel those rocks." Suddenly Eugene had stumbled into a hole that had been concealed in the ground. They all gathered around it. "See, a dragon could easily fly out of that. These were designed to keep humans out."
"But to keep them out of what?" Jun asked.
"Um guys, probably this," said Alex. They all went over to see what she'd found. They found themselves staring at a vast space, filled with daylight. In the center was a tall rock formation, that seemed to be large rocks stacked on top of each other, forming a tower. Thunder sighed happily, he was home. Tom smiled at him.
"Look familiar?" He asked. The riders got on their dragons and flew towards the tower. There were giant mushrooms scattered everywhere. So far, there was no sign of any other dragons. "Any sign of Shadow?" Tom asked. Just then Thunder spotted a large cave that he recognized in the middle section of the tower. They all landed outside it. Avalon perched on a giant mushroom. The minuet everyone landed Shadow came running out of the cave, along with two more baby Nightlights. One was white was small black spots, the other looked like a smaller version of Thunder. They were all excited to see their older brother, and all his friends. Thunder greeted them, bouncing with happiness. But then their parents arrived. The older Nightlights landed and advanced on the riders growling.
The female had a slender figure and a slightly bulbous head like a beluga whale. She had mostly white scales with thick black outlines. Her eyes were aqua green.
The male had dark grey scales with a patch of white down the middle of his back and on his paws. His eyes were periwinkle blue. He had a few small scars on his shoulders. Both dragons were twice the size of Thunder.
The adults got closer to the humans. They didn't even notice Queen Avalon or Edelweiss. The riders all backed up timidly. Thunder ran between the riders and his parents, flaring his wings.
"It's okay, these humans are friends," he said. Then he smiled.
"Is that you son?" Said Jewel Eyes. She approached him, smiling back at him.
"Yes, I'm back," Thunder said. Jewel Eyes nuzzled him, purring.
"Oh, my baby is home," Jewel Eyes cooed. "And looking so handsome and grown up." Thunder leaned into her. "We missed you so much."
"I missed you too Mother," Thunder said. He looked up at his father, who smiled fondly at him.
"What's been keeping you son?" said Silverback. "We haven't seen you since that fissure opened."
"I found these humans and other dragons," Thunder said. He smiled back at the riders and their dragons. Suddenly Jewel Eyes spotted Tom approaching Shadow. She snarled and pushed Tom back. He quickly backed up.
"Don't worry Mother, Tom is my friend," Thunder explained. "He won't hurt us."
"You're friend?" Jewel Eyes said skeptically.
"He calls me Thunder," Thunder said. Jewel eyes exchanged a look with her mate.
"Thunder eh?" Silverback said. "Seems appropriate."
"I kind of like it," said Jewel Eyes. "Very bold." She and Silverback sniffed out the riders. Thunder went back over to Tom.
"They're beautiful," Tom said warmly. "No wonder you wanted to comeback here so bad." Thunder smiled. Then he ran over to his parents again.
"Hey, watch me fly," he said. Both his parents exchange a smile, then nodded. Thunder took off and did a smooth upward spiral, flaring his wings. His parents took off and joined him in the air, followed by the three babies. Tom watched them, he suddenly felt his heart sinking.
"He looks so happy," said Jun. But then spotted the sad look on Tom's face. "Why aren't you?"
"Thunder's home," said Tom. "What if he chooses to stay? I just realized, this might be goodby." No one spoke.
The Nightlights soon returned from their flight. Thunder ran to Tom, who hugged him.
"Have a nice flight?" Tom asked. But then there came aloud call from the top of the tower. The Nightlights went ridged, and their eyes went wide. They took off again and headed up to the top. Thunder waited for Tom to mount up, then he and the others followed. They landed in front of a massive cave entrance at the very top level. The riders dismounted. Everyone was looking up at the cave as though waiting for something. The Nightlights all bowed their heads. Thunder did as well, and used his tail to push Tom onto his knee.
"Guys," Tom said to the others. They all knelt down, and their dragons all bowed their heads.
"Why are we doing this?" Eugene asked.
"So that whatever comes out of that cave won't want to kill us," Tom explain. Eugene didn't object and knelt down as well. No one spoke and fixed their eyes on the cave.
From it, came a Nightlight the size of a farm tractor. He walked out and glided down to the other Nightlights. When he landed again, he held himself tall and proud, flaring his wings. He had black scales with white belly, white paws, and white half moon shapes on the trailing edge of his wings. There was a V shaped stripe on the front of his neck, and his eyes were turquoise.
The Alpha Nightlight looked down at the crowd before him. First thing he noticed was Thunder. He approached closer, no one moved.
"Is that you grandson?" The Alpha asked. Thunder looked up at him.
"Yes Grandfather," he said. "I'm home." The Alpha smiled warmly and tapped his forehead against Thunder's, who returned the gesture.
"Well, it's good to see ya," the Alpha said. Then Thunder nudged Tom forward. The Alpha narrowed his eyes.
"This is my friend Tom," Thunder said. "He calls me Thunder."
"Hmmmm," said the Alpha curiously. "That's a pretty good name." He lowered his head to get a better look at Tom. Thunder waited anxiously. But then suddenly Shadow had pulled out the lightening sword. Everyone gasped, and the Alpha glared.
"No Shadow, not a toy," Tom said quickly, he got the sword away from Shadow. He heard the Alpha growling behind him. Tom turned to face him, timidly.
"I'm sorry, I'll get rid of this," he said. But then Shadow sneezed. A small jet of lightening hit sword, enhanced, then shot right at the Alpha. He roared in pain and fell to the ground unconscious. Everyone froze, and Thunder felt his blood run cold. Tom dropped the sword and to the Alpha, but Silverback roared and ran in front of him. He smacked Tom away. The other Nightlights, minus Thunder, stood between their Alpha and the riders who were now on their dragon. Tom looked up, slightly dizzy to see the two sides about fight. He quickly jumped out his feet and ran in front his friends.
"Guys no, they're just protecting him," he said. Jewel Eyes and Silverback shot lightening at them. It was pandemonium. The Alpha got back on his feet. Tom and Thunder were at a loss for what to do.
Then a new roar shook the sky. Everyone stopped and looked up. Avalon was gliding towards them, with Edelweiss on her back. Perched on a distant rock behind them was the rest of Avalon's group. Avalon landed gracefully and Edelweiss dismounted, clutching her staff. They both approached the Alpha calmly, but confidently.
"Queen Avalon," the Alpha said, a note of respect in his deep voice.
"And you must be Condor," said Avalon. She smiled at him.
"Yes," said Condor. "I apologize, my grandson has just brought us these humans."
"Oh I saw what happened," said Avalon. "And I understand. My friends would have done the same for me." She looked around at Tom, who was still holding his sword. "I can assure you Condor, this young human meant no harm. He made a mistake."
"Yes, so it seems," he glared down at Shadow, who scurried off to hide behind his mother. "Mistakes happen. But having humans around will always lead to trouble, and I want no trouble here."
"These humans did just help two of your grandsons get home," Avalon reminded him.
"Yes they did," Condor agreed. "Therefore I won't hurt them, but I don't want them here at all."
"But Grandfather," Thunder protested.
"That is my final say," Condor insisted. He looked at Edelweiss. "Edelweiss Dragonborn."
"Yes sir," Edelweiss answered.
"Please tell these humans that I am pleased with my grandsons' safe return," Condor said. "But I they must leave at once." Edelweiss gave a shallow curtsy then turned to Tom and the riders. She repeated what Condor had said. The riders breathed a sigh of relief. Tom and Thunder looked at each other.
"Guess it's time to go," Tom said quietly. "And I guess you're not coming." Thunder sighed, and nodded. Jun put a hand on Tom's shoulder.
"Say what you need to say," she said. "We'll give you a moment." She and the others got on their dragons and walked off. Thunder turned to his family.
"I'll just say good by," he said. His grandfather nodded his approval. Avalon and Edelweiss went to stand beside the Alpha. Tom and Thunder looked each other in eye. Tom silently removed Thunder's saddle and set it on a nearby rock. He stroked the dragon's snout.
"You're back where you belong," Tom said. Thunder nuzzled him, cooing softly. "I'll miss you too." He rested his forehead against Thunder's. "You're the best friend I've ever had." They shared one last hug. Then Thunder went back to his family, and Tom got on Wu and Wei with Jun. No one said anything as the riders turned their dragons around and took off. Thunder sat next to his mother and watched his friend vanish into the mist.
"Oh by the way Avalon," Condor said, remembering suddenly. "I think one of yours has been staying in my cave the past few weeks." Avalon looked at him, confused. Condor turned back towards his cave. Another dragon emerged, but it wasn't a Nightlight. Both Avalon and Edelweiss recognized this dragon's honey golden eyes.
"Eclipse!?" The said in unison. Edelweiss ran up to her and hugged her.
"Hey, Edel," Eclipse said, hugging her back. Avalon reached them. "Hello Avalon."
"You were here this whole time?" The queen asked.
"Yeah," Eclipse said. "I was exploring the realms and I came across Jewel Eyes and Silverback. They invited me back here. They said they were looking for their son, who had been separated from them when the fissure opened." The three of them looked back down at the Nightlights.
"Poor Thunder," Edelweiss said.
"He'll be all right," Avalon said assuringly. "This isn't quite the same as it was with Hiccup and Toothless." Then she made eye contact with Condor. "Eclipse why don't you and Edel go with the other Nightlights to their cave. Condor wants a word with me."
"All right," said Eclipse. Avalon clicked her talons and a black saddle with gold trim appeared on Eclipse's back. Edelweiss mounted up and they flew back down. Condor soon landed in Eclipse's vacant spot.
"She's been telling us a lot about you?" He said.
"Black Widow's been worried about her," said Avalon. "We've been staying in the Crystal Realm."
"Perhaps you could relocate here," Condor suggested. Avalon smiled.
"We'd be honored," she said. "I know Edelweiss would love it. She always adored the Nightlights, all the way back to the original three." Suddenly she tensed and her eyes widened in alert. She looked in the direction the riders had gone. Condor followed her gaze.
"What do you see?" He asked.
"Snow Wraith," Avalon said. "He's heading this way, and he's hunting." Both she and Condor quickly flew down to the others. Eclipse had reunited with Black Widow. Avalon roared a warning and they all sat up in alert. "Snow Wraith!" Suddenly the big snow dragon came out of the mist. He dived at them. But Condor and Avalon held him at bay. Black Widow, Apollo, and Eider flew up to join the fight. Edelweiss mounted Eclipse, and they helped Silverback and Jewel Eyes herd everyone into the Alpha's cave.
When they were safe in the cave, Jewel Eyes checked to make sure everyone had made it. But she soon found one missing.
"Shadow!" She called. Edelweiss rode in on Eclipse, after checking that the Snow Wraith wasn't chasing them.
"Is everyone here?" Edelweiss asked.
"Shadow's missing," Thunder said. "He must have run off again."
"Stay here, we'll get him," Edelweiss said. She swung Eclipse around and rode back outside, leaving the other dragons to fend off the Snow Wraith.