Flashback part 1
Edelweiss was lounging on the large balcony outside her quarters of the Draconian castle. The Autumn air was cool and breezy. The sky was overcast with clouds, which tuned the water of the vast lagoon to gray. Edelweiss knew she had to head down to the throne room for Avalon's council meeting. She wasn't looking forward to it, but she was looking forward to see her friends from the Hidden World. She got to her feet and went inside to find something to wear.
Some time later; Edelweiss headed out of her room now wearing a shiny gold, cropped, strapless top and white leather skin tight trousers that had her flower embroidered on the left hip. She had solid gold bracers on her wrists, and no shoes on her feet.
She headed through the corridors towards the entrance hall. Ever since Avalon had become queen, she had completely remodeled the interior of the castle. There were several bioluminescent plants, crystals, and fungus from the Hidden World lining every wall. All the ceilings were lined with large glowing flowers that Avalon had come up with herself. The floors were all made of moss and grass, kept green and healthy by the green crystals that stood in plant pots along the walls.
Edelweiss soon reached the ground floor and went out a small side door that led onto the enormous front lawn in front of the castle. Avalon had kept the lawn mostly clear so dragons could land safely, except for the large crystal fountain in the center that had a statue of the Dragon God, Draco perched on top. Edelweiss had just passed the fountain when she heard the roars of approaching dragons. She looked up and smiled as King Toothless, Queen Moon, and the three teenage Night Lights landed on the lawn.
"Hey guys!" Edelweiss exclaimed.
"Edel! We missed you!" Dart said. She bounded up to Edelweiss and they hugged each other.
"I missed you guys too," Edelweiss said. "Even though it has only been two weeks." Suddenly the white Night Light, Pouncer, tackled her and licked her face excitedly. Edelweiss was used to this and was plenty durable for it. She laughed. "All right, all right. I love you too Pouncer." Pouncer got off her, beaming with enthusiasm. Edelweiss got to her feet, only to have the third Night Light, Ruffrunner, boost her onto his back.
"How come you stay away so long?" He asked.
"It's only been two weeks," Edelweiss said. "And I knew you were coming today." She slid off Ruffrunner's back, and kissed his cheek.
"Come on lets not keep Avalon waiting," said Moon calmly. They headed for the giant front doors. Dart looked up at the big castle, and the surrounding landscape.
"It's so pretty up here," she said, she looked over at her parents. "You think Queen Avalon will let us stay and explore her lands?"
"You'll have to ask her," said Toothless. "But I'm sure she'll be fine with it." At that moment they walked through the front doors, which were already propped open.
Inside; the entrance hall had changed along with the rest of the castle. The walls and ceiling were made of sky blue crystal, with large columns of pink table coral. The floor was made of green moss and large purple ferns. At the opposite end of the massive hall was a thick curtain of snapdragon vines that separated the entrance hall from the throne room.
"I can see why you don't want to go back to the human world Edel," said Pouncer, as they walked through the vines.
"Yeah," said Edelweiss. "Humans make a lot of great stuff, but they could never make anything like this. And they don't even know that the Hidden World exists, I'm pretty sure they'd pass out at the mere sight of it." The Night Lights laughed. They made their way through the tall trees, who's leaves were turning brown and falling off. The floor was covered in dried leaves. Butterflies, dragonflies, and ferries flew about. Edelweiss and dragons soon reached the large lake that was glass smooth. Queen Avalon was already sitting in her throne, wearing her favorite peacock feather crown. The rest of her team were perched in the branches of the large gold apple tree, which was unaffected by the change of season. Sitting around the lake were nineteen other dragons, the leaders of the other Draconian towns and cities.
"Welcome friends," said Avalon happily. "You are right on time." She lifted her left talon and a large golden tree root stretched across the lake. Toothless led the way across. They all sat under the golden apple tree. Edelweiss sat on one of the tree's roots next to the queen's throne.
"How long will this take?" Dart asked, annoyed. None of the Night Lights enjoyed the queen's meetings.
"Depends on how many times you interrupt me Dart," said Avalon. Then she smiled. "We're leaving for a buffalo hunt tomorrow, if you three sit there quietly you can come with us, and see more of our lands." The Night Lights looked excited. They settled down in the grass next to their parents, Edelweiss moved to sit next to them. Avalon flexed her wings and turned back to her council.
"Your majesty, is it true you've closed our boarders to the human world?" Asked a turquoise dragon with a long silver stripe down his back.
"Yes Zoar," said Avalon.
"I thought you said not all humans are bad," said Zoar.
"Yes, I said that," said Avalon. "There are good humans, but there are bad ones too. I can't always tell them apart. So in order to avoid the bad ones, I have to avoid the good ones too. But I know someday, humans and dragons will cross paths again. When that happens, we'll talk about it again." She then turned to a bronze colored dragon with brass colored eyes. "Lord Rasha, how are your pigs coming along?"
"They're coming along great your majesty," said Rasha. "They'll be fat enough to hunt very soon. We have more piglets this year then last year. So next year we'll have an even bigger harvest."
"Perhaps we'll join that hunt," said Eider.
"We'll look forward to it," said Rasha. Then Avalon turned to a raspberry colored dragon with dark horns.
"Something troubling you Cousin Arson?" She asked.
"Your majesty, you know my city sits on Silver Valley Lake," said Arson in a businesslike tone. "We've had more rain than normal this year and the lake has risen very high. We're worried about flooding." Avalon looked strait ahead and her face smoothed out.
"I don't see any floods this year," she said. "But we'll keep an eye on it. The water might rise higher when this year's snow melts."
"Can you see any big disasters happening soon?" Moon asked. Avalon looked again.
"Nothing we haven't face before," she said. "Violent thunderstorms, blizzards, and a few earthquakes. We'll be fine, and Draco's Nest is safe from all natural disasters."
"What of this terrible disease your mother spoke of?" said Zoar.
"The Plague won't happen for a while still," said Avalon. "The humans we have here won't be affected by it as long as they stay out of the human world." She looked over at Edelweiss, only to find that she and the three Night Lights had fallen asleep. She sighed and turned back to the circle. "Is there anything else we need to address?" The dragons around the circle looked at each other.
"I can't think of anything else," said Arson. The others murmured in agreement.
"Very well," said Avalon. "I think we can leave things here. There's a strong storm coming our way, so your should hurry home before it comes."
"Thank you your majesty," said Lord Rasha. The dragons all got to their feet and flew out the big window behind the apple tree, which was open. Soon Avalon, Toothless, and their families remained in the throne room. Avalon got down from her throne, and her team came down from the tree. Avalon looked at Edelweiss and the Night Lights, still asleep.
"Guys be honest with me," she said. "Are my council meetings boring?"
"I don't think so," said Moon. "But boring or not, it's still necessary."
"Yeah," Avalon agreed. She nudged Edelweiss roughly. She woke up, followed by the three Night Lights.
"Is it over?" Edelweiss asked, sitting up.
"Yes," said Avalon.
"So can we join you on the buffalo hunt?" Dart asked. Avalon looked at Toothless.
"What do you think?" She asked.
"I don't have a problem," Toothless said. "They're getting to that age where they can stretch their wings more." The Night Lights all beamed.
"Thank you Daddy," said Dart. She, her two brothers, and Edelweiss headed out of the castle.
They walked through the city of Bluegreen that sat in the shadow of the seaside mountain range, of which the castle was apart of.
"I'm excited for this buffalo hunt," said Dart. "It sounds more exciting than fishing."
"Oh it is," said Edelweiss. "It's also more dangerous. The buffalo stampedes cause a lot of damage and can really mess you up."
"Are we hunting all the buffalo?" Pouncer asked.
"No, we're each going to take down one buffalo, and safe the rest for another time," Edelweiss said. "Avalon forbids over hunting or over fishing."
"So, can a dragon survive being run over by a buffalo stampede?" Ruffrunner asked nervously.
"Yes, with a few bruises and maybe a broken bone or two," said Edelweiss. "Nothing our healers can't handle." She looked over at the large building they were passing which happened to be the Bluegreen Hospital.
"What about you?" Ruffrunner asked, even more nervous. The other two paused, looking anxious for the answer.
"Well, I've been on many hunts," said Edelweiss. "Both with and without dragons. I'm always careful." This didn't satisfy them. "But no, I wouldn't be able to survive a buffalo stampede." The Night Lights looked even more nervous. Edelweiss smiled and hugged them. "Don't worry guys, Avalon takes very good care of everyone on her team." The Night Lights relaxed. "Let's go to the beach and go swimming."
"Sure," said Dart. She boosted Edelweiss onto her back and they all took off.
"Do you ride when you hunt?" Pouncer asked.
"Yes, but I always ride Black Widow," said Edelweiss. "We can hang out afterwards though, and fly anywhere you want." The Night Lights smiled at each other.
They flew over the castle and headed for the island that sat in the middle of the lagoon. The island was large, but had no mountains just hills. It was covered in large trees that held a town made of large tree houses. The Night Lights flew over the trees and the town, and headed for the small beach. They landed right in the waves.
"Didn't the queen say a storm was coming," said Ruffrunner, looking at the sky.
"Yeah, bit it's not here yet," said Edelweiss. "And if it starts to rain we can take shelter in the queen's tree house."
"Stop worrying so much Ruffy," said Dart. She splashed water at him with her tail. Ruffy shook himself then tried to tackle his sister, but she dodged him and he ended up tackling Pouncer. The two male Night Lights wrestled each other in the shallow waves. Dart and Edelweiss watched, laughing.
They played in the ocean until it started to rain. Edelweiss got back on Dart and they headed for the town of tree houses. Edelweiss steered them towards the largest, most sumptuous tree house. It sat in the largest oak tree on the island. It was a double decker, made from the wood of a gold apple tree, covered in ivy and more snapdragon vines. The Night Lights landed on the large landing pad, and they all hurried inside. Edelweiss closed the big front doors to keep the wind out. The inside was one large room, with the tree trunk growing right through it. There were wooden armchairs and sofas for Edelweiss to lounge in, large leather cushions for the other dragons, and a cozy nook with another leather cushion in the tree trunk for Avalon and Eider. There were strings of glowing crystals hanging along the ceiling providing light.
Edelweiss and the Night Lights put all the large cushions into one large pile next to the windows, and laid down on them, looking out at the rain.
"Won't Avalon be looking for you?" Dart asked.
"No, she knows were we are," said Edelweiss. "I'm sure she'll come find us when the storm's over." Suddenly a fork of lighting flashed across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder. The wind picked up, rattling the tree branches.
"We're not going to fall out of the tree are we?" Ruffrunner asked.
"No, these tree houses are build to withstand the toughest hurricane," said Edelweiss.
"You guys come here often?" Pouncer asked.
"We used to come here every spring and fall," said Edelweiss. "We'd play for hours on the beach, and spend every second together." Then she sighed sadly. "But we don't spend as much time together like we used to, not since Avalon became queen. They've all started finding things that interests them like astronomy, or the ocean, or weather." She leaned against Dart's side. "I haven't found my thing yet."
"Can we be your thing?" Pouncer asked.
"Sure, why not," Edelweiss said, smiling again. Pouncer laid his head in her lap and she stroked his head. There came another clap of thunder. The Night Lights all started yawning and stretching out on the cushions.
"Why do rainy days make us so sleepy?" Ruffy asked.
"I don't know," said Dart. "But we have a long hunt ahead of us, we might as well get some rest."
"Who lives in this town anyway?" Pouncer asked sleepily. "I haven't seen anyone else."
"This is Royal Town," Edelweiss yawned. "It's a vacation spot for the queen, members of the council and their families. They come out here during the summer months." They all fell asleep before they could say anything else.