A/N: This chapter title was actually for Chapter 6, but it really fit this one better. If I don't get reviews for this chapter and chapter 6, I'm going to wrap it up in chapter 8 and quit.
I don't own Storm Hawks or Dragon Booster. I own my OCs Spytfyr, the Streaks, and Samantha and Krystall…
Chapter 7: Rivalries Set In
"While my imagination's running wild,
Things are getting clearer,
This time"
"Here…" Spytfyr lowered herself down to let the Storm Hawks climb on. "Go, Hial… Find them…"
One of the red dragons ran ahead, tense on the course.
"We've got a lead…" Spytfyr reported to her riders. "Make on it." She ordered the other bi-pedal dragon.
"Mam…"
"Stop that!" Spytfyr snapped
"Sorry."
"Hostile?" Piper laughed.
"I'm just so tired of Nial calling me 'mam.' It's like I'm some sort of commander… "
"Well, you are a Skyknight." Piper settled more comfortably on the dragon's back behind Aerrow and Flayme.
"For the time being anyways. The humans of this Terra are winning the Cold War going on right now, breeding us into impure forms, and then racing to get us as pure as they can again. They're trying to make us weakened and obedient. It drives me nuts."
"But what's that got to do with your being a Skyknight?"
"When the humans reach dominance, the power will shift to a being of that species, and I'd be stripped of my title and have to go back to racing for a living." The dragon swiftly followed after the rest of her crew.
"And the others?" Aerrow looked almost shocked.
"Same… pulled from their position and reduced to the Armed Forces of Atmos; The basic Army."
"Yuck..."
"But that's how strict the SSA… the Sky-Squadron Association," Spytfyr added at a backward glance to Junko and Radarr, who looked confused, and continued, "and the sky-council are with new Terras asserting their dominance. First they go with the strongest physical creatures on the Terra, then to the most powerful beings. And so that is the downfall of the Streaks." She sighed. "Humans have that gear to control us, and thus cheating their way to the top.
"Can't you do anything about it?" Piper asked tentatively.
"Yeah, start the war up again and win." The parade of reptiles slowed down and came to a stop outside a long, one-and-a-half story building in front of a three story one.
The roof of the shorter structure was caved in at some places and looked patched. A neon sign of a balding man with carrot-red hair with two black silhouetted dragons behind him was toppled over the entrance with a hole in the middle. Someone had broken in… Or out.
Aerrow dismounted, swinging himself off the dragon and sliding two feet until he hit solid ground. "Woahh…" Everything swam around him, and he almost collapsed. One of the dragons caught him with mag and put him back upright.
"Careful. The constant motion is like the sea. Then stopping… you need to find your land legs again." Derek chuckled.
The energy surging through the Storm Hawk's body jolted him awake. He moaned again.
"You okay?" Piper was being magged off the red and blue creature and set down carefully so as to not fall over.
"I'll be fine…" Aerrow popped his neck, finding his balance.
No one had noticed that Junko had been riding on Derek, too heavy to be carried with everyone else. He was magged slowly, almost sliding off.
"Of course… Penn Stables. The snot-nosed brat busted them out and dragged them up here… Convenient. I have a bone to pick with them anyways" Spytfyr jumped through the hole in the sign, not bothering to be discreet. The others followed, Radarr leaping off onto the smaller Skyknight's shoulders.
The dragons walked in formation, with Spytfyr in the lead, naturally, Derek followed behind and to her left, and on her right was an open space—Indygo's space—with the others following in the final row, like a wedge, some might say an arrow.
They approached the three story building when Hial bolted straight up, long ears flicking. She darted over to one of the stables and knocked lightly in the door of one. A scratching answered.
"Indygo?"
"Hial? Get me out of here."
"Stand back." Hial charged up red mag and shot it at the door. It reflected, and Hial slid backwards on her back. "Owww…"
"Mag resistant doors…"
"What's going on down there?" A man appeared in one of the doorways on the house part of the larger shop.
"Stay out of this, Connor. It isn't your fight."
"You're the ones breaking into my stables."
"Don't make my friends hurt you old man!" Indygo's voice struck through the weakened door.
The off-Terra squadron whipped around as another red and blue dragon stampeded into the clearing.
"Spytfyr." He greeted the dragon.
"Penn." She growled back without turning around. "Would you like to see not only one, which is quite sufficient for kicking you and your dragon's tails, but two Skyknights fight? 'Cause that's where you're going now."
"This time I'm not alone."
"Cowardice."
"Well, you're always carting your 'squadron' around."
"I never make them fight, especially weaklings like you."
"Talk the talk, you do it then." The rider of the lead dragon whipped out a staff, and Spytfyr promptly bit down and pulled it out of his grasp.
"You should know that by now."
A green, heavy set dragon with a brown face and rider in a saddle positioned over its back stepped through the hole. It was followed by a small blue and yellow dragon with a comically drawn dragon on its left hip and a ten-year old rider with the same color hair as Connor, obviously related.
Spytfyr looked to Aerrow for commanding his squadron.
"Just keep them off us while we get the dragon out."
The green's rider yelped and shrunk down. He looked the eldest, around eighteen with dark skin, maroon hair with a bit of a goatee and dark eyes. The blue's was perhaps the opposite, with almost-carrot red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.
The two new comers stared at the strange beings, Junko and Radarr.
"What the? I don't recall anything that looks like that in this world…" the green's rider sputtered.
"Too shocked to speak in long words?" Nial asked sarcastically.
"OW!" Aerrow yelped as the red and blue's rider, Artha, slammed him on the back of the head with the staff. He'd felt worse. Whipping out his blades, they connected with the staff, sending sparks.
"Better choice…" Piper's staff collided with Connor's and they fought it out, spinning and slashing while Spytfyr and Beau seemed to get along well.
"Where's your girlfriend?" Spytfyr questioned, trying to get Artha to get distracted and let Aerrow pin him. It didn't work.
"With some twit I broke out form jail to get Indygo, since you already know she's here."
"Junko!"
"On it!" The Wallop smashed the door and it fell to pieces.
The light blue dragon bolted out, and smacked Artha to the side, sending him flying across the clearing. A small, silver microphone was rigged beside her mouth; her platinum gear for speaking. The only real fight was over. Beau didn't even mag for his rider.
"Squadrons, move out!" Spytfyr roared, and the Atmosian dragons moved out, followed by the 'Hawks. "Where is he?" Spytfyr demanded, magging Artha up and Aerrow moved to her side, placing a hand on her flank.
"OW!" He recoiled, snatching back his hand and caressing it with his other.
"Sorry. Mag hurts if you aren't tuned to the right frequency. Well?"
"I don't know…" Artha's voice sounded strained from the foreign energy flowing through him.
"Let go of my son!" Connor darted over, fast for his wrenched his blades forward and held him off.
"I really don't know…" Spytfyr let him drop a few feet and walked slowly away. "Come on We've got all we're going to get here."
Aerrow spun, letting the staff smash to the ground, and walked away, following the dragon.
"Why are you putting so much work into this? It's not your problem." He questioned her as they climbed through the hole in the sign.
"If you don't want us to help, we won't interfere, but it's happened on my Terra, there's nothing else to do, you're a fellow squadron, and… there's… something about you… something special, something different."
"Is that good?"
"We'll see…Won't we?" And they continued on the trail of energy.
"Here, turn up your radio,
There's something I want you to know,
This time…"
A/N: Wow… Even with my threats, no one reviewed. This time I'm serious. Please Review!
