Arrival
The next morning Edelweiss was up bright and early like she always was. She rode Eclipse down to the Roost. The Rescue Riders were still asleep. Edelweiss pulled out her retractible staff. She began her morning exercises. Eclipse watched while munching on fish. Edelweiss exercised with her staff and her throwing knives. She managed to throw several at once and hit her targets. She exercised with her staff when she ran low on knives. She was in the middle of her exercises she sensed someone approaching her, and her staff was blocked by a another one. Edelweiss suddenly found herself in a fast paced duel with Marina.
"Morning Marina," Edelweiss said, swinging the staff at Marina's feet.
"Morning Edelweiss," Marina said, jumping to avoid being tripped.
"What brings you up here?" Edelweiss asked, blocking Marina's advance.
"I heard the King of Dragons himself was coming in a few days," Marina explained. "I come to ask if it's true."
"It's true," said Edelweiss.
"I've heard stories of the Night Fury, I thought they'd been wiped out," Marina said.
"There's a few left," said Edelweiss. "They're all safely hidden away."
"It would be an honor to meet the Night Fury," Marina said, swiping at Edelweiss's head. She ducked, and knocked the stick away with hers.
"Well, he'll probably be staying here at the Roost," Edelweiss said. "So you'll be able to meet him. His arrival is highly anticipated around here, everyone's excited to meet him." She suddenly swung her staff so fast that it knocked Marina's staff out of her hands. Marina stood there stunned, but shook it off.
"Well, you're a pretty good fighter," she said. Edelweiss stood at her full height, leaning slightly on her staff.
"You're not too bad yourself old woman," she said. "I haven't had such a worthy opponent since I left home." Marina picked up her staff. Edelweiss picked up her throwing knives.
"When does the king arrive?" Marina asked.
"In three days," said Edelweiss.
"So soon," said Marina. "Well, I should get back. If you ever wish to be defeated in another duel, come visit me."
"I might take you up on that," said Edelweiss. Just then Marina seemed to have spotted behind Edelweiss.
"What's that out there?" She said. But Edelweiss didn't fall for it.
"Nice try," she said cooly. She retracted the staff and put it in her pocket. They heard the dragons stirring inside the Roost. Marina turned and left.
The Rescue Riders ate breakfast. Their fish barrels were running low again. They had just one barrel left.
"Time to get more fish," Dak said. He got to his feet. "We only have three days until the Night Fury King arrives."
"Man I wish it was sooner," said Winger, excitedly.
"We all do," said Eclipse. Everyone got to their feet. The three riders mounted their dragons and they headed down to the village.
They landed near Elbone's house boat. Elbone was unloading a ton of fresh fish. There was a wide variety as well.
"Hey what's Toothless's favorite fish?" Layla asked.
"He really loves trout," Eclipse said. "Any kind of trout."
"It used to be cod," said Edelweiss. "Then my mom gave him a trout, and it changed to that."
"Well, we should get plenty of fish," said Layla.
"Trout's my favorite too," said Burple, licking his lips.
"I thought you said yellow tailed pike was your favorite," said Eclipse.
"Yeah, it is," said Burple. "I have a lot of favorites." Eclipse rolled her eyes. They reached Elbone. They helped him unload all the fish he'd caught. There was plenty of it.
When they finished Elbone let them take as much as they needed. Edelweiss made sure to get plenty of trout, a whole barrel full. Once they had enough fish to last them a few weeks, they thanked Elbone and headed back to the Roost. They put the barrels of fish near the door. Edelweiss marked the barrel of trout with a black Night Fury head.
"Okay, this barrel is for Toothless only, so no one take any," said Eclipse.
"Maybe I can make a seven spice seafood surprise for him," said Layla. Edelweiss looked interested.
"Not that again," said Dak. He gagged.
"Don't worry, I still remember the recipe," said Layla. "He'll love it."
"I wonder if he's coming with anyone," said Edelweiss. "I just thought of that."
"I guess we'll have to wait and see," said Eclipse. She stretched her wings. "There's always room in our cave."
"Lets go flying," Winger said. "Make the time go by faster."
"Okay, I've got no objection," said Dak. They all agreed. The riders mounted their dragons, and they all took off.
They flew miles from the island. There were several dragons out and about, also seeming to be preparing for the Night Fury's arrival. The two Divewings and their hatchlings were swimming in the open ocean. Fathom and Gill seemed to be teaching their hatchlings a song to sing for the Night Fury King. The mother Ironclaw was out flying with her hatchlings, teaching them how to fly in formation. The two Fire Furies were racing each other, talking excitedly about racing the Night Fury King. Even the two Songwings, Melodia and Cantata, were in the area. They were listening to the Divewings practice their song. No one paid any attention to the Rescue Riders.
"Toothless will have quite the welcoming committee when he comes," Edelweiss said. She smiled.
"How many dragons live in his kingdom?" Summer wanted to know.
"Millions," Eclipse said. "Even more then Avalon has in her queendom."
"Wow, that's a lot of dragons," said Cutter. "More then I can count."
"Don't worry, that's more than anyone can count," Edelweiss said. Just then something seemed to have caught Cutter's eye. He paused mid-flight.
"Guys, I see a storm heading this way, and I really don't want to fly in the rain," he said.
"I don't either," said Winger. "Lets head back to the Roost." They turned around and headed back towards Huttsgalore. The sky darkened as they got closer.
They managed to reach the Roost before it started raining. The Rescue Riders took shelter in the Roost, Edelweiss and Eclipse headed up to their cave. They landed on the ledge and went inside. Edelweiss dismounted and sat in her chair. Eclipse lit up the fire pit, and sat next to her.
"You think this storm will delay Toothless to much?" Edelweiss asked.
"I don't think so," said Eclipse. "He's the best flier in the world. He'll make it." Edelweiss yawned and leaned back in her chair.
"Mother said this is what is was like for her when she first landed in Berk," she said. "The vikings there were quiet impressed with her skill with dragons, and the fact that she could talk to them and knew how to make them feel better."
"But she didn't have any human friends who could also speak to dragons," said Eclipse said.
"No," said Edelweiss. "Dad was the only other person in the world who could."
"You miss them?" Eclipse asked.
"I do, I always do," Edelweiss said.
"Perhaps they'll be coming with Toothless in a few days," Eclipse said.
"No, they said they would never set foot in the human world again," Edelweiss said. "They keep getting separated, and they don't want that to every happen again."
"That's understandable," said Eclipse. She got to her feet, warmed the stone beneath her, and laid back down. Edelweiss got up and went over to the hammock strung up in the back of the cave. She laid own and went to sleep.
The next two days were spent either helping with chores around the village, or playing games. Time seemed to pass by rather slowly. But pass it did. Soon the big day dawned. The Rescue Riders exited the Roost, Edelweiss and Eclipse landed in the yard.
"Who's ready to meet our friend Toothless?" Edelweiss said enthusiastically.
"I sure am," said Layla.
"Everyone's heading the Flyhoppers' island," Eclipse said. "They really want to meet Toothless as well, but they can't fly very far."
"That makes sense," said Summer. "Let's go already." Dak and Layla mounted their dragons and they took off. They made their way to Flyhopper Island.
It took the rest of the morning to reach it. There were lots of dragons heading in the same direction. Ms. Ironclaw was carrying her hatchlings on her back. Eclipse pulled up alongside her.
"Good morning Ms. Ironclaw," Edelweiss greeted.
"And same to you Rescue Riders," said Ms. Ironclaw cheerfully. The dragons soon spotted Flyhopper Island, and they all grew very excited. The Night Fury King was no where in sight yet.
The dragons soon landed on the island. The Flyhoppers welcomed them and fed them apples and fish. The local wolves on the island stayed well away from the vast group of dragons. They made themselves comfortable while they waited for the big arrival. Edelweiss sat next to her friends.
"So you've flown on a Night Fury right?" Dak asked.
"Yes," said Edelweiss. "When I was little my dad would take me flying on his Night Fury Windwalker. When I was too little to walk my mother had a special baby seat on the back of her saddle so she could take me with her on her dragon Tenor."
"You think we can meet your parents sometime?" Winger asked. Edelweiss exchanged a look with Eclipse.
"I think we can make that happen," said Edelweiss. "They'd love you guys. Being able to speak to dragons is such a rare talent."
"Cool," said Dak. "I bet they're the first humans to every speak to dragons."
"Yes," said Edelweiss. She patted Winger's neck. "My parents would love your dragon friends too. I bet you guys would bring them happy memories of when they were your age." At that moment a dragon cried out.
"He's coming!" They shouted. "I see him!" Everyone jumped up. They ran towards the dragon who'd shouted, LaBurn, and followed her gaze. They saw a group of dragons heading towards the island. There was a total of eight dragons in the group. The dragons on the island made a landing strip for the approaching group.
Out over a different area of the ocean; Magnus and Axle were flying the Mechano Dragon. Magnus had installed a passenger seat so he could tag along. They had made flyers advertising the upcoming sale of the rare Night Fury. They flew all over the Archipelago and dropped them. Several people picked them, unfortunately the flyers were picked up by pirate ships. The opportunity to catch the last Night Fury in existence was just too good to pass up.
Back on Flyhopper Island the approaching dragons soon landed among the local dragons. The Rescue Riders got a good look at the group.
The largest dragon was a rusty brown Stormcutter. He had two pairs of wings and bright yellow eyes. The second largest dragon was a shiny green Rumblehorn that had red head. The dragon next to him was a flaming red Monstrous Nightmare. Next was a light blue and yellow Nadder. Next was a dark brown Gronckle that was twice the size of Bruple. Next was a tall light green Zippleback.
Then there was the large black Night Fury. He stood in the middle of his group. His scales were as black as the shadows. He had a series of sonar flaps around his wide head. He had thick solid muscles, large spines going down his back. His eyes were a vibrant grass green, they stood out against his black scales and had large black pupils. He had is large, elegant wings folded against his side. His long tail ended in a pair of black fins. Standing next to him was another Fury dragon, that looked similar to the Night Fury, but had sparkling white scales and pale blue eyes. The trailing edge of her wings and heart shaped tail fins hade the same color blue. Her head was more round, and had stubbier ears and sonar flaps.
Toothless looked around at all the dragons that had come to greet them. He smiled warmly.
"Hello my fellow dragons," he said cheerfully. "It's wonderful to see you all here. I'm grateful that you all came to see us."
"We've been really looking forward to your arrival your majesty," said the Divewing Gill. Toothless smiled at him.
"My friends and I look forward to getting to know you all in time," he said. "But first I've asked my friends to introduce themselves." He turned and looked at his group. They all turned to the Monstrous Nightmare.
"I'm Hookfang," he said.
"My name's Stormfly," said the blue Nadder. "We've been excited about coming up here too."
"I'm Meatlug," said the Gronckle.
"I'm Barf," said one head of the Zippleback.
"And I'm Belch," said the other head. "I know our names are silly, but try not to judge."
"I'm Cloudjumper," said the Stormcutter.
"I'm Skullcrusher," said the Rumblehorn.
"And I'm Queen Moon," said the Light Fury. She nuzzled Toothless, who blushed. Edelweiss smiled excitedly, stroking Eclipse. The local dragons all introduced themselves. The Rescue Riders waited their turn. Layla's eyes were wide at the sight of Toothless.
"Wow, so that's a Night Fury," she said.
"That's a Night Fury," Edelweiss confirmed. "Beautiful isn't he?"
"Yeah," Dak agreed. At that moment Hookfang spotted them and whispered to his friends. They slowly made their way over to the Rescue Riders. Dak and Layla felt their hearts race with excitement. Toothless looked down at them.
"You must be the Rescue Riders," he said. "Avalon's told us a lot about you."
"That's us," said Winger boldly. "It's an honor to meet you, you've always been my hero." Toothless purred.
"Thank you," he said. "I get that from young dragons all the time." Queen Moon looked over at Dak and Layla. She smiled at them.
"Avalon said she'd met more humans who could talk to dragons," she said. "You must be Dak and Layla."
"Yes," said Layla. "Dak and I were raised by a mother dragon." Toothless looked at them.
"You really can speak to dragons," he said. He gave them a wide gummy grin. Layla giggled.
"Hey you don't have any teeth," said Dak. "Do you have retractable teeth like Eclipse?"
"Yes I do," Toothless said. He flexed his jaw and popped his teeth out. "That's how I got my name. It's wonderful to meet you Dak and Layla. I hope you will think of me as a friend more than a king."
"Sure," said Layla. She patted his nose, and he purred. He nuzzled her.
"I bet you're super fast," said Dak. "Even faster that Eclipse."
"Much faster," Toothless said. "No offense Eclipse."
"Non taken sir," said Eclipse. At that moment Hookfang nudged Edelweiss playfully.
"Hey Edel, we haven't seen you in so long," he said. "How come you don't come to visit us anymore?" Edelweiss wrapped her arms around his neck, and scratched him behind his horns.
"I'm sorry Hookfang," she said. "I have so many friends that live far away, I can't visit them all at once."
"It must be really nice to find more humans like you though," said Hookfang. "That can speak to dragons."
"Yes," Edelweiss agreed. "I've never had human friends before." She patted Hookfang's snout. Just then LaBurn and Cinda came up to them.
"Wow, those red scales look so dashing," Cinda said, her scales glowing brightly.
"I'll say," said LaBurn, batting her eyes. "You're flaming hot Hookfang." The two of them wormed up against him.
"Whoa, take it easy there ladies," Hookfang said cooly. He carefully pushed the two females back with his wings. "You want hot, I'll give you hot." He then burst into flames, flaring his wing and standing on his hind legs. The two Fire Furies squealed with exhilaration. LaBurn fanned herself with her wing.
"This is the greatest day of my life," Cinda squealed. Edelweiss smiled amused, then turned back to the rest of her friends. Moon turned to Toothless.
"How about we go find somewhere to stay," she suggested. "I'm pretty worn out from that long flight." Winger approached them.
"We'd be honored if you'd stay at our Roost," he said professionally. Toothless looked surprised.
"Really?" He asked. "Is it big enough for all of us?"
"It should be," Eclipse said. "Edelweiss and I sleep in a separate cave."
"Well, let's go have a look at it," said Moon. She yawned and stretched her back. The riders mounted their dragons. All the local dragons headed off back to their homes, Toothless planned to pay them all a visit within the next few days. Both Fire Furies blew Hookfang a kiss as they took off. Finally the Rescue Riders and their guests took off and headed back towards Huttsgalore.
The three Slinkwings were hidden in plain sight cloaked in invisibility. They watched the Night Fury King fly away with his entourage. Lurke chuckled darkly. Snoot looked awestruck at the sight of the Night Fury.
"Can you believe it?" Snoot said giddily. "The King himself, right here. This is so exciting."
"Silence," Lurke spat. "He's not going to be king for much longer, soon I will be king."
"What about the Queen?" Vizza asked.
"All in good time," Lurke said. "She shouldn't be much of a problem, once the king is finished we'll deal with her. Come we should follow them." He spread his wings and took off, the other two followed, cloaking themselves again.
