Dragons: Rescue Riders

This is Huttsgalor.

A little village on the edge of the Viking empire.

Not much ever happened here until we showed up.

We're the Rescue Riders.

And how we ended up here, now that's a story.

It all started about six months ago during the worst storm we'd seen.

We were trying to get a Wave Glider egg back to its nest.

Why would a dragon put a nest out here?

Wave Gliders put nests on sea stacks so they can see an enemy coming.

Didn't count on a storm blowing one of their eggs into the sea.

-Good thing I spotted it. -If we could just find the sea stack.

I'll go take a look.

Wait, Cutter, no! Stay down out of the wind.

Oh, no!

We got it.

We don't got it.

Summer, go!

H2 on it.

Whoa!

Got it.

Way to go, Summer.

I'm a water dragon. It's what I do.

While I was being tossed around I spotted the nest.

It's on that sea stack.

But how do we get it up there without dropping it?

I have an idea.

Safe and s-- Aah!

Thanks, guys.

No problem.

The momma Wave Glider will be so happy when she gets back.

What is it, sis?

-I don't know, I was thinking-- -You miss our old nest?

Yeah, we do, too.

I was thinking, let's get out of this rain.

Great idea. Head back to the cave Cutter spotted.

Hold up. I see something.

That Viking is in trouble.

We've never rescued a human before.

Human or dragon, we're not gonna leave him.

All for Valhalla.

I don't mean to alarm you, but we're surrounded by dragons.

-We know. -So, they captured you, too?

Not exactly.

I'll distract them. You hide. Or run for it.

Or one hides, the other makes a run for it.

Whatever, just tell my kin I went out fighting.

All right, beasties,

why don't you come over here and meet Thor and, eh... Other Thor?

- -Huh?

You don't understand.

We're not their prisoners. We're their friends.

-What's that? -I'm Dak.

-My twin sister. -Leyla.

That's Summer, Winger, Cutter and Burple.

Um, my name is Duggard.

Duggard the Decisive, chief of Huttsgalor.

I suppose you've heard of it?

No matter. I take it you and your "friends" rescued me?

That's right. Winger and I grabbed you.

It's okay. He's bragging about being the one who spotted you.

Cutter's a Relentless Razorwing.

Best eyesight in the dragon world.

Oh, right.

Might sound crazy, but Dak and I can understand what dragons say.

Sure you can.

When we were little, we were rescued from a shipwreck.

But by a mother dragon who raised us beside her own son, Winger.

-That's how we learned to speak dragon. -Talking to dragons?

A wee bit hard to swallow.

I'll close my eyes. Hold up as many fingers as you want.

-Um, ready. -Summer?

One.

Five.

Ten.

Now she says you gave up.

That was-- Was...

Amazing?

Our mother also taught us how to ride dragons.

Whoa!

Woo-hoo! Yeah!

Magnificent.

Forgive my brother, sometimes he thinks he is a dragon.

I wish.

This is all so amazing.

I was taught to keep my distance from dragons.

But they're not so scary up close.

-Neither is he. Sort of smelly, though. -What'd she say?

-Um... -That you're sort of handsome.

Oh, well, thank you.

So, do you live in this cave?

We don't live anywhere.

We're always flying around, rescuing dragons.

It's our way of paying back our mom for saving us.

Now you rescue people, too.

Yeah, I guess we do, don't we?

I can't wait till the people of Huttsgalor meet you.

Um...

You are going to take me home.

Not much of a rescue if you leave me stranded in this cave.

-Right. Of course we're taking you home. -To Huttsgalor.

A town.

Full of people?

Relax.

There's nothing to be scared of.

You ride like this all the time?

Yup.

Sort of slippery. No offense.

You get used to it. Although, Leyla fell off once.

True. Right into the sea.

That's also how I met Summer. She rescued me.

Right away they got into this discussion about how the moon affects tides--

That's how we knew we were going to be best friends.

So true.

I don't know what she said, but I do know love when I see it.

-Cutter says he sees-- -Huttsgalor!

Uh...

Maybe we should land outside of town.

Nonsense.

My people are the nicest, kindest, most accepting people in the world.

- -Yeah.

Fellow Vikings-- Ground.

These are my friends Dak and Leyla.

And their friends, Winger, Summer, Butter and Curple.

I mean, Cutter and Burple. Heh.

They rescued me.

- They're dragons. -Figure that out by himself?

You have nothing to be afraid of.

Except their teeth.

And their claws.

And their fire.

Haggis, I've missed you, too.

Haggis?

Our town's prize sheep.

You built a statue of a sheep?

Not just any sheep.

He's won Best in Show at the All Islands Viking Sheep Festival four years running.

I have no idea what that is, but it sounds awesome.

You know what's not awesome?

What?

These wild beasts allowed to roam through our town,

just waiting to pounce on one of us.

They're not gonna pounce on anybody.

Says the boy who flew in with these scheming, scaly, sky-lizards.

Who hasn't heard stories of their kind attacking towns,

stealing their sheep, devouring all their food?

Stealing sheep, taking food!

Oh, Magnus, those are old stories.

We see dragons flying past us, and they never bother us.

Keep it that way.

We've heard stories about people treating dragons badly, too.

Yet they still rescued me.

We believe you should judge a person by how they act,

not by stories you've heard about "their kind."

We can't risk letting them in.

Wild animals have no place in a civilized town like ours.

Proving my point. Poor Haggis is doomed.

Aww.

So cute.

If Haggis likes them, good enough for me.

You were saying, Magnus?

Oh, look at that.

Huttsgalor is a wonderful place, though it sure took a beating in that storm.

This is the town center.

There are the docks. We get boats from all over.

Now, Elbone came in on one and decided to stay.

Best fisherman I've ever seen.

-Hello, Elbone. -Hello, chief--

Dragons?!

Hey, thanks.

These are great.

Nice shot.

You've got a lot of repairs to make.

I know. Luckily, we have a very good blacksmith.

Probably already hard at work fixing things.

Hannahr, why aren't you already hard at work fixing things?

Oh, sorry, chief. I cannot get my forge relit.

All my wood is soaked. It'll be a few days until everything dries out