Howling Echoes - A How to Train Your Dragon Story, The Echoes, Book 1

Chapter 37: Death Song Training

   Frostflake landed at Defenders of the Wing Island in the middle of the night, startling many of the people before Mala approached with a lantern.

   "Kiara,"  Mala said.  "Everyone has gone to sleep already.  I will show you to your hut."  "No thanks, Mala,"  I said.  "Thanks, but...I don't think I can fall asleep tonight."  "You must try,"  Mala said.

   "I'm siding with Mala on this one, sorry."  Frostflake slid Kiara off her back and nudged her toward the queen.  She yawned and then curled up tiredly.  "Come,"  Mala said sternly.  "Fine..."  I muttered, following her to a hut.

   Viggo cackled maliciously as he held up the Dragon Eye, his half-burnt face gone.  I was in a cage.  "Help!"  I cried.  "Help!  Help!"  The boat split in half suddenly, but nothing changed on Viggo's end.  But she fell into the water, sinking, sinking, sinking, faster and faster with every water-filled breathe.

   I jerked awake, breathing heavily.  My throat felt raw like the seawater had been real, and my whole body seemed to have too much blood and yet not enough at the same time.  I felt my heart race and took deep, slow breathes until it calmed.  It was just a dream.  I assured myself.

   "Kiara?"  I heard Astrid's voice.  "Are you awake?"  "Yeah!"  I called back, getting up.  It took me a moment to find my footing against the unfamiliar, dusty, light brown flooring.  I walked toward the dark brown door and opened it.  Everyone looked bored and exhausted.  I had to feel the same way.  All I wanted to do was flop on the ground until I found something entertaining to do or watch.

   I joined the other riders on the wood that they sat on.  Whiplash nudged me, letting out a soft hiss, but I gently shoved him away.  Chroma spat amber on my arm, and I scraped at it with my fingernail.  I gently scolded her, and she broke the amber with her teeth.  "Thanks, Chroma,"  I muttered.

   "You are all mentally and psychically exhausted,"  Mala said.  "You need to rest."  She and Throk then proceeded to give everyone anything to do BUT rest.  "Kiara, there's some dragon experts on the south side of the island that would love to help you with your Death Song training."  I perked up. 

   "Hear that, guys?"  I looked down to see Chroma about to pounce on me.  "Nope!"  I scooped her up.  "Come on!"  I mounted Frostflake and Whiplash took Chroma - they seemed to have a sort of bond.

   When we landed there were several people in the same tight black Defenders of the Wing uniforms that most of the people wore.  "You must be Kiara."  A pale-skinned man approached me, dressed in red velvet robes with lines of black.  

   His voice was hoarse and he had a gray, long beard.  The hair on his head was more like a patch of hair to keep him from seeming bald.  His dark blue eyes were half-covered by gray, bushy eyebrows.

   "Are you the dragon expert?"  I asked.  He nodded.  "You have a Death Song.  Very impressive."  He studied Chroma, who's scales had become dull over the one or two weeks she had been alive.  "She's going to molt soon."  He rasped.

   "Really?"  I asked, my eyes lighting up in surprise.  "She only hatched about two weeks ago or so."  "Death Songs are one of the fastest-growing dragons."  The old man said.  "She'll probably molt again five weeks after this molt, then five weeks after that, then five weeks after that one more time."  

   Chroma sniffed the old man, then growled and spat amber at his legs.  "Ack!  I am so sorry."  I apologized.  "I'm trying to train her not to do that."  Chroma chewed the amber off, and I quickly snatched her back before she could proceed to eat the man.

   "If you punish her every time she tries to eat another dragon or a human, she'll eventually get the message that she needs to stop."  He suggested.  "Whiplash?"  I asked.  Whiplash roared at Chroma semi-loudly, and she shrunk back with a whimper.  She ran behind my legs and curled her tail in front of my feet.

   "Not what I meant but ok,"  I muttered.  I picked her up.  "Thanks."  I noticed that the pale scales were slightly see-through, and I saw purple scales beneath the orange ones.  "Is color-changing normal in these 'molts'?"  I asked.  He nodded.

   "What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"  I asked.  "Grandalf."  He replied.  "Ok.  Thanks, Grandalf I'll - I'll have to try that."  Suddenly, a roar came from above us, and Whiplash tackled us out of the way of a fireball.

   "This is getting old,"  I muttered.  "Real quick."