The Nine Realms season 6
Dragons Everywhere
The people of Rekketown woke up one morning. At first things were normal. The neighbors greeted each other. But then an orange Tiny Terror came flying through the town chasing a sheep. Tom and his fellow riders came flying after the stray Terror on their dragons. The whole town stopped to watch, ducking to avoid the low flying dragons. The riders closed in on the Tiny Terror, Tom and Thunder in the lead. With in minuets they had the Tiny Terror surrounded. They all slowly closed in. The little dragon headed in Alex and Feathers' direction.
"You're all mine," Alex said. She as about to grab the Tiny Terror when Tom swooped in on Thunder and grabbed it instead. Tom held the little dragon firmly to keep it from escaping again. The people watching cheered.
"Well would you look at that, Tom swoops in for the glory grab," Eugene said also glowering.
"Glory grab, not even," Tom scoffed.
"Totally even," Eugene argued. "That was Gonzo's wind and you snatched it."
"That was kind of weird Tom," said D'Angelo.
"Oh come on they're not cheering for me," said Tom. "They're cheering for all of us."
"Dragon Whisperer does it again!" A man cheered. Tom waved at the crowd timidly.
"See?" Eugene said.
"Okay, but it's be a crazy month since the dragons came to the surface," Tom said. "I don't have to just Buzzsaw any more; but our parents, and rounding up and stray dragons."
"You mean we all have to deal with that stuff," said Alex.
"It would be nice if that other dragon whisperer we have would help out occasionally too," said Eugene. No one spoke for a few minuets, deep in thought.
Edelweiss rarely came into town. Over the past month she'd spent most of her time down in the dragon realms; visiting her dragon friends, making new ones, and occasionally harassed Buzzsaw when he was least expecting it. Whenever she did come into town she came after work hours and usually payed Olivia a visit, since they were good friends still.
Tom heaved a big sigh, drowning out the cheers from the crowd.
"She's still nervous around people," said Jun. "I'm sure she'll help more if we ask her." The crowd started cheering for Tom and Thunder to do their boom boom good bye trick.
"Well while we wait for Wild Dragon Woman, might as well give your fans what they want," Eugene grumbled. Tom handed the Tiny Terror over to Jun, then took off on Thunder and performed a few stunts.
Later that evening; Edelweiss and Olivia were in the Kullersen dome sharing a pot of coffee. Edelweiss had already told Olivia about her very long history with dragons. They were now discussing Thunder's family.
"That's pretty sad Thunder was separated from his family for so long," said Olivia.
"Yeah, Night Lights are very sociable dragons," said Edelweiss. "They rely on each other for protection and companionship. Thunder never gave up trying find them, even after he met Tom. Eventually though, he did find them."
"What's his mother like?" Olivia asked.
"Jewel Eyes?" said Edelweiss. "Well, she's a mom. Loving, nurturing, but will fight to her last breath to protect her babies."
"I can sympathize with her on that," said Olivia. "So is Thunder full grown?"
"No he's still a juvenile," said Edelweiss. "Dragons don't really keep track of their age like humans do. The fact that he and Tom are about the same age I think is what helped them bond so well." At that moment Tom came through the door. Olivia and Edelweiss looked up as he collapsed on the couch. "Wow, some one's been working long hours." Olivia set down her empty coffee mug and went to sit on the couch beside him.
"You okay boyo?" She asked.
"I had to catch a wondering Snow Tail that had wondered into town, and return it to the Ice Realm," Tom said, out of breath. "Then I had to check on all of Alex sensors, before restocking the food tray in the Lair."
"Sounds like you've had a pretty big day," said Olivia.
"That was just the morning," said Tom. Olivia exchanged a concerned look with Edelweiss.
"I'm glad I don't have to carry the burden of the dragon secret anymore," said Olivia. "But now it looks like you're trying to take on too much."
"Well what choice do I have," said Tom.
"What about the other riders, can't they help?" Olivia asked.
"Of course they can," said Tom, sitting up. "But I guess because I was the first to find Thunder, and we have a connection to Hiccup, every one looks to me to fix all the dragon problems."
"I'm sure it's not as bad as all that," said Olivia. But then there came a knock on the door. Edelweiss got up and went to answer it. Director Wong walked in and looked right at Tom.
"These dragons are becoming a major distraction," she barked. "Can you do something about that Tom?" Then Carla stuck her head in and also turned to Tom.
"One of those dragons trampled through our garden," Carla said. "Can you do something about that Tom?" Then Phil appeared at the opened window and looked at Tom.
"Another windmill has been knocked down due to dragon perching," Phil said. "I thought you were going to take care of that Tom." Tom curled into a ball, looking overwhelmed.
"Okay, everyone out," Olivia ordered. "The Dragon Whisperer needs to get some rest."
"And you guys have kids of your own you can bother about all that," Edelweiss added. Everyone turned and left, Edelweiss closed the door behind them. Both Kullersens relaxed.
"Okay I see what you mean," said Olivia. "Having the dragons up here is a big change for everyone."
"You've no idea," Tom sighed.
"Edel, didn't you say your family helped ours with dragons in the passed?" Olivia asked.
"Yes ma'am," said Edelweiss. "I really wish we had an alpha dragon like we did in those days. I mean who better to solve dragon problems then a dragon." She took a deep breath. "But until one comes along, we'll lend a wing. I didn't realize it had gotten this bad."
"Thanks Edel," said Tom. He picked up he backpack and headed to bed.
In his room; Tom sat at his desk and pulled the Dragon Journal out of his pack. He opened it to the page that showed Hiccup and his friends. Tom so often wished Hiccup were there to give him advice. Just then there came a scratch on the window. Tom looked up to see Thunder looking back at him with worried eyes. Tom opened the window and Thunder stuck his head in.
"Hey pal," he said, stroking the dragon's snout. "You should head back to the Lair, get some rest. We're done for the day." Thunder crooned and gave Tom's arm a nudge. Then he turned and walked off.
Thunder was about to head to the Lair when he spotted Edelweiss leaving the dome. He crooned at her and she turned.
"Hey Thunder," she said. The Night Light trotted up to her, just as Jun came around the corner. "Where you off to Jun? It's late."
"I wanted to talk to Tom," Jun said. Edelweiss rolled her eyes as she patted Thunder on the head.
"Tom's pretty worn out," she defended. "I think whatever you have to say can wait 'til morning." Jun looked through Tom's window, and he was already fast asleep.
"I guess it can," she said. "He seems to think he's handling all the dragon problems by himself, and he takes all the credit like we're not doing anything." Edelweiss relaxed slightly. Then she turned to the Night Light.
"How are you holding up with all this Thunder?" She asked.
"Well, I'm glad the town has accepted us at all," Thunder said. "And all this it better than being in a cage." Then he yawned. Just then Black Widow glided silently down and landed beside Thunder.
"Are you going to stay and help us again?" Jun asked.
"I've already agreed to it," Edelweiss said as she went over to her dragon. She climbed into the saddle. "Come on Thunder, you can bring us up to speed on the way back to the Lair." Both dragons spread their wings and flew off into the night sky. Jun watched them fly away, then headed back to her dome.
The next day Tom headed for the Lair, feeling refreshed. He soon reached the silver cabin. The doors were shut and there was a sign in the window that read; OUT FLYING. Apollo was sunning himself on the back patio. He sat up when Tom approached the cabin.
"Morning Tom," he said.
"Hey Apollo," Tom answered. "Edelweiss not here?"
"No, Eclipse came for a visit early this morning," Apollo said. "Edelweiss and Black Widow went flying with her. They asked if I wanted to join them but I declined, I'm quite comfortable here. They hope to be back before things get too crazy." He stretched his limbs.
"Are the other riders down there already?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, sounds like they're talking about you," Apollo yawned, then laid his head back down and dozed off. Tom continued towards the hole.
He entered the Lair to find all the other riders gathered. None of them noticed Tom entering.
"Yeah, I have no problem telling Tom right to his face," Eugene was saying to the group.
"Tell me what?" Tom asked, announcing his arrival. They all spun around to look at him, all looking guilty. "What's going on here?" D'Angelo opened his mouth to answer.
"Tom, kids!" Olivia called through the hole. "We have a major dragon problem up here." The riders quickly jumped onto their dragons and flew out of the Lair.
On the surface; Apollo joined them and they headed for Rekke Town. They found swarms of small dragons flying all over the town, harassing the citizens. The larger dragons all landed, and Tom dismounted.
"It's a dragon infestation!" Alex exclaimed.
"They keep coming up from the fissure," said Olivia.
"Something must be driving them from the realms," said Apollo. They all ducked to avoid low flying dragons.
"Thomas," said Director Wong. "We need to have another conversation about these dragons." Tom thought a moment.
"Okay, I'll head down to the realms and find out what's causing them to come up here," he said. "The rest of you stay here and corral the dragons, make sure they don't escape the town."
"Whoa wait," Eugene protested. "How come you get to be the big hero and solve the problem, while we clean up the mess."
"Guys this is important," said Tom, as he got back on Thunder. "We can't risk any of these dragons getting out and exposing the secret to the world."
"Still I should go with you as back up," said D'Angelo.
"We'll come too," said Jun. "You have no idea what you're flying into."
"I'll be fine," Tom insisted. Jun turned to the others.
"Let's do this riders," she said. She and the other riders took off, with Apollo following. Tom took off on Thunder, and they headed into the fissure.
They headed deep into the fissure. Tom looked over Thunder's wing into the abyss below.
"If you see anything don't hesitate to speak up," he said. Thunder grunted in agreement. They continued deeper. So far they didn't see anything. Then a Tiny Terror flew at them and Thunder just managed to doge it. The dragon and rider looked where the Tiny Terror had come from and spotted a tunnel in the fissure wall. Tom steered Thunder towards it and the entered it.
"Never seen this cave before," Tom said. "How could we have missed it, it's right underneath the station." Thunder picked up the pace as he went deeper into the tunnel, and came out into an underground meadow surrounded by trees and shrubs. Tom was taken aback. "A new section of the Realms." Thunder landed and Tom dismounted. They split up a bit. Thunder spotted some orange flowers crawling with bright blue slugs. The Night Light roared at Tom to get him to come see.
"We don't have time to play around," said Tom. "I have to find out why the dragon here are coming into town." Thunder growled and stamped his paw angrily, before turned his back on Tom. "Oh come on, not you too." Thunder huffed and snorted, still not looking at his rider. Tom glared at him. "I thought at least you'd understand." He snapped. Thunder growled again and stalked off. Tom sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." Thunder looked at him again. Tom walked closer to him and hugged his head. "It's just no one understands the pressure I'm under. The parents, the other riders, seems like everyone wants a piece of me." Suddenly three gray spines shot passed them and lodged into a nearby tree. Tom and Thunder spun around as a dragon that looked like a giant spiky parrot came charging out of the shrubs at them. It fired a magnesium blast at them, which Tom and Thunder dodged. They turned and ran, but the spiky dragon gave chase. It let out angry squawks. Thunder turned around and fired lightening at the spiky dragon. This stunned it long enough for Tom and Thunder to hide behind a rock.
Up in the town; Apollo and the other riders were rounding up all the little dragons. Each of the riders managed to snag one eventually.
"What do we do these guys?" Jun asked.
"Let's put them into the infirmary for now," said D'Angelo. So they gathered as many dragons as they could and shut them into the infirmary, which was empty. Apollo helped them; herding several small dragons into the building, cracking his long tail like a whip. D'Angelo and Alex shut the door and locked it. There came loud crashing sounds from inside.
"That sounded expensive," said Alex.
"This is such a waste of time," Eugene complained. "We're here doing the sweating work, while Tom gets to go joy riding."
"He's not joy riding," said Jun, but then she rubbed her shoulder unhappily. "But it does seem like Tom doesn't trust us anymore."
"Of course he does," said Apollo. "It's perfectly common for teams to be split up to take on separate assignments, my sister does it all the time. Tom's stretched too thin and he can't be in two places at once. Besides, this it your guys opportunity to show the people that you're just as capable of handling dragon problems as Tom is." He flexed his wings.
"You make a good point Apollo," said Jun. "I still wish he hadn't gone down there alone."
"He's not alone he's got Thunder," Apollo pointed out. "And if things get to be too much for them, they'll come back up and get you guys." He then spread his wings and took off to round up more dragons.
Down below; Tom and Thunder hid behind a boulder catching their breath. They looked out at the spiky dragon who was sniffing around for them. He then spotted two Tiny Terrors and charged at them. The smaller dragons fled into the tunnel that led the to fissure.
"Looks like we found out why the dragons here are going topside," said Tom. "But why is this dragon acting so aggressively?" Thunder grunted and shrugged. "I bet it was Buzzsaw. He must have tried to trap this dragon." Tom reached into his pack and pulled out a box of fish nuggets. "Well I've got to try and bond with him." He started to come out from behind the boulder. Thunder tried to stop him. Tom turned to him.
"It's the only way pal," he said. "I have to show him that not all humans are bad. Then maybe he'll chill out and stop intimidating everything." Thunder sat on his haunches anxiously. Tom cautiously came out and approached the spiky dragon. The dragon flared his wings and came at Tom again. He paused and seemed to look down his beak at the boy, stamping his foot.
"Hey friend," Tom said calmly. "You hungry?" He dumped the box of nuggets at the dragon's feet. "Here, for you." The spiky dragon didn't attack and Tom took that as a good sign. He stood up and faced Thunder with an 'I told you so' look on his face, turning his back to the spiky dragon. Thunder saw that the dragon was getting angry again and roared a warning. Tom felt a blast of hot air and heard the spiky dragon growling. Thunder quickly ran and pushed his rider out of the way before the wild dragon could snap his head off. Thunder blasted more lighting distracting the dragon so they could hid behind the boulder again.
"That didn't work," said Tom, catching his breath. "I don't know what else to do." But then the light bulb lit up in his head. "The Dragon Book." He rummaged into his pack, but the book wasn't there. "Oh, must have left it on my desk. Well, I don't need nuggets or the book. I've got everything I need to train this dragon right here." He placed a hand on his chest. He moved out in to the spiky dragon's line of sight again, and he waited. He could hear Thunder pacing behind him. The spiky dragon flared his wings and flexed the spines on his tail. Then he charged at Tom, who didn't move. The spiky dragon stopped just a few inches short of running the boy over. Tom flinched but held his ground. He looked the dragon in the eyes. The dragon sniffed him. Tom relaxed a bit and reached his hand out towards the dragon's beak.
"I'm not like those dragon hunters," he said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Let's be friends." The dragon relaxed and lowered his head to Tom's level. Thunder held his breath. Suddenly two more spiky dragons came out of the shrubs and shot their spines. Thunder pulled Tom out of the way again, firing back. They ran from all three wild dragons. "Why are they so angry? We didn't do anything." Suddenly one of the spiky dragons shot both his fire blast, then his tail spines. The blast knocked Tom and Thunder down. They were winded but only for a minuet. Thunder got to his feet and Tom got on his back.
"Get us out of here!" Tom said. Thunder turned and ran. The three dragons flew after them. They blasted again. Thunder spun around and fired back. The spiky dragons dodged, but were again distracted long enough for Tom and Thunder to dash out of sight.
The other riders were starting to get overwhelmed with the number of dragons. The infirmary was getting too full, and there were still more dragons. Even Apollo was having trouble.
"They just keep coming," Eugene said. The riders were all gathered outside the infirmary. At that moment Director Wong and Phil approached them looking angry.
"Several of your dragon friends got into the general store," said Phil sternly. "Ate all the emergency supplies." He glared hard at D'Angelo.
"Where is Tom?" Director Wong demanded.
"We don't need Tom, we can handle this," said Jun.
"Lets hope so," said Phil as he and Director Wong walked off.
"Man, your dad is like crazy scary," said Eugene when they were out earshot. "I mean not that I'm scared, but I can see why you're scared." D'Angelo scowled at him. Jun was thinking.
"I think I might have a way we can solve our dragon problem," she said. "Apollo, what are dragon's afraid of?" The red dragon turned his attention from watching the fissure.
"Hmmm," he said, as though he was reluctant to answer. "Well, most dragons are terribly afraid of eels." All the dragons flinched.
"Why would dragons be afraid of eels?" Alex asked.
"Same reason Jun's afraid of spiders," Apollo explained. "Creepy, and would make you very sick if you ate one." Jun shuttered. "Even Edelweiss is highly allergic to eels."
"Where do we find these slimy suckers?" Alex wondered aloud.
Down in the realm; Tom scanned the air above from their hiding place. He didn't see any of the spiky dragons.
"I don't see anything," he said. "Maybe we can make a run for it. Fly out of here, then blast the tunnel on the way out." Suddenly Thunder moaned in pain and collapsed. Tom ran to him. "What's wrong, where does it hurt?" Thunder moaned again and looked at his left shoulder. Tom spotted the spine lodged in the dragon's skin. "Oh no, you're hit. What did I get us into?" Tom was starting to panic now. Thunder nudged him then gestured to the spine, he looked at Tom with pleading eyes.
"You want me to pull it out?" Tom asked. Thunder nodded, wincing. Tom nervously grasped the spine and tried to pull it out, but it was pretty stuck. To make matters Thunder howled in pain which made Tom more nervous. He tried again with the same result. "I'm sorry pal, I don't think I can do it. I wish D'Angelo was here. It's just too much for one person. Maybe Hiccup could do it, but I can't. I'm not a Viking, I'm not a chief, I'm just me." Tom's voice cracked like he was close to tears. Just then there came the sound of wing beats and the thud of a dragon landing right next to their hideout. Tom and Thunder looked out, expecting to see one of the spiky dragons. But to their relief it was only Black Widow, Edelweiss was just dismounting. Once her rider was off, Black Widow took off again to patrol from the air. Tom thought he might fain from relief.
"Edelweiss, you have no idea how glad we are to see you guys," he said.
"We were just flying through the fissure, when Black Widow heard your guys," said Edelweiss. "You guys okay, what happened?"
"We came down here to find out why dragons were infesting the town," Tom explained. "We found the wild dragons that have been driving the other dragons out of the realms. We confronted them, and Thunder got hit." Tom pointed to the spine in Thunder's shoulder. Edelweiss got a closer look, calmly stroking Thunder's neck.
"Looks like a Nadder spine," she said.
"You're familiar?" Tom asked.
"I knew a Nadder named Stormfly back in the day," said Edelweiss. "They're usually pretty friendly if you don't get them riled up."
"I've tried to pull that spine out, but it's stuck," Tom said, stroking Thunder's snout.
"I can get it out, I've pulled these out several times," said Edelweiss. Thunder tensed. "This will only hurt for a second." She grasped the spine firmly and yanked it out. Thunder roared in pain, but then relaxed. Tom hugged him and he returned the gesture. Then Tom hugged Edelweiss which took her by surprise; except for her parents, no human had embraced her in over a thousand years.
"Thanks," Tom said.
"Not a problem Tom," Edelweiss answered shyly, hugging him back. Then they both turned to their dragons, just as one of the Nadders found them. He screeched and flared his wings. He shot more spines, Tom jumped aside and landed on his back. His lightening sword fell out. Thunder took up the defensive as all three Nadders homed in on them. Edelweiss pulled Tom to his feet. He picked up his sword and she pulled out her retractable staff. They watched Thunder fighting all three Nadders. At first he seemed to have the upper hand, blasting them with lightening.
"He's taking on all three of them?" Tom asked in disbelief.
"He's doing for you Tom," said Edelweiss. All three Nadders shot their spines at the Night Light. They missed, but Thunder faltered. They moved in to finish him off when a red plasma blast hit the ground between Thunder and the Nadders. This caused the Nadders to back off, Edelweiss and Tom joined the fight as well. Tom managed to distract one of the Nadders, while Edelweiss took on the other two, they had back up from both their dragons. Suddenly one of the Nadders blasted Tom, sending him flying backwards. He landed hard on a rock, and dropped his sword again. Thunder turned to see the Nadder advancing on his rider, ready to go in for the kill. Edelweiss was busy with the other two Nadders. Thunder summoned a huge surge of power, his body lit up with lightening. He let out a roar so loud it made all three Nadders stop in their tracks. Thunder spread his wings and rose above them majestically. He sent out a strong power surge, and it made the Nadders cower. Thunder perched on top of a tall rock and held himself tall and proud. Then to Tom's amazement, all three Nadders bowed to him. Thunder roared an order at them, and they ran off. He then looked down at Tom and Edelweiss, smiling.
"How did you do that?" Tom asked, awestruck. "There were three of them, and you just went full alpha." Thunder jumped down, and crooned happily. Tom patted his neck.
"Runs in his family," Edelweiss said, as Black Widow landed next to her. Thunder nuzzled his rider.
"How's your side?" Tom asked. "You think you can fly us out of here?" Thunder nodded confidently. Tom climbed onto his back, while Edelweiss mounted Black Widow. Just then they heard the Nadders wining. The two riders looked over to see them in their nest. Tom spotted small pieces of dragoncite scattered around the nest.
"The dragoncite as been removed," Tom said.
"No wonder those Nadders were so upset," said Edelweiss. "Their nest was ransacked by someone."
"Buzzsaw," Tom said darkly.
"Lets get back to the others," Edelweiss said. "We can worry about him later." Both riders turned their dragons towards the tunnel out. As they made their way back up; Edelweiss sang to herself to pass the time.
Legends never die
When the world is calling you
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die
They become apart of you
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Relentless you survive
They never lose hope when everything's cold
And the fighting's near
It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke
When the fire is fierce
Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause
Legends never die
When the world is calling you
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die
They become apart of you
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Legends never die
They're written down in eternity
But you'll never see the price it cost
The scars collected of their lives
When everything's lost, they pick up their hearts
And avenge defeat
Before it all starts, they suffer through harm
Just to touch a dream
Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause
Legends never die
When the world is calling you
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die
They become apart of you
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Legends never die
Tom listened to the song even though Edelweiss was singing it very softly. He found it inspiring. The sun was setting by the time they reached the surface. As the song came to an end, the two dragons headed for the town. They spotted Apollo perched on a dome. He was watching the people cheering for the other riders. All the wild dragons had been cleared out. Black Widow and Thunder landed beside the red dragon.
"Looks like things went well up here," said Tom.
"Yeah," said Apollo. "I told them that dragons are afraid of eels. So Eugene managed to find a bunch of rubber eels from the storage house. The riders cleverly scattered the rubber eels all over the town, and it made the dragons here retreat back into the fissure." He spread his wings and headed back towards the silver cabin. Tom watched his friends get the praise they deserved.
"I have a lot to live up to with this dragon whisperer legacy," he said. Edelweiss exchanged a look with the two dragons.
"Well, we've got your back Tom," she said. Thunder crooned in agreement. "And looks like your friends do as well."
With the problem solved for the day, the riders all headed back to the Lair. Edelweiss and Black Widow were heading for silver cabin where Apollo was waiting for them. As Black Widow went in for landing, Edelweiss felt her saddle starting to fall apart. The next thing she knew, she was laying on her back winded. Black Widow landed safely, then she and Apollo rushed to her side and helped her sit up. She looked to see her saddle laying next to her, in pieces.
"You okay?" Black Widow asked.
"I'm fine," Edelweiss said. "That saddle's just really old."
"And we keep telling you to get a new one," said Apollo sternly. "You remember what happened the last time that saddle broke?"
"Yes, I remember," said Edelweiss quietly, running a finger down the scar in the middle of her chest. She looked sadly at her old saddle. "Hiccup and my daddy made me that saddle, even though I've tweaked it a few times."
"It's too old Edel," said Black Widow. "I refuse to wear it anymore, your life is more precious than any old saddle."
"I'll put that one on a shelf and make a new one," Edelweiss got to her feet and carefully picked up the old saddle.
"I'll get one brought in from home," said Apollo. "It'll be faster and made with the best materials like all our saddles."
"Very well," said Edelweiss. "I'll use Eclipse's saddle for now." She placed her old saddle on the railing of her porch, then she headed inside. The two dragons headed for the Lair.