TAW Tales: How to Train Your Shifters (#1)

~ Chapter 26 ~

"This is going to be so fun!" Winter cried in delight.

"Speak for yourself," Zero muttered.

I stood watching my friends and felt like my inner-tail was wagging so hard it was going to fall off. At last, they were all paired with dragons of their own, which Fishlegs tried to match with their personality and height.

Winter, of course, was paired with a Deadly Nadder, a relative of Stormfly's, who was sky-blue with dappled white and turquoise scales and amber eyes, called Cloudsky.

Zero had a right to complain I guess, because he was on one of the newest dragons; a Changewing called Chameleon. It was a fitting name, I thought, as Changewings were practically the chameleons of the dragon world; the could change their normally scarlet scales to match the environment and so totally disappear. Zero, unfortunately, was not in the best relationship with Chameleon, and the Changewing was enjoying turning invisible on him and refusing to co-operate.

Everest ended up with Astrid's friend, a Triple Strike called Sleuther. Sleuther looked to me like a wasp in a way, with his sharp features and brown and yellow-striped body. But he had four legs, a sharp, hawk-like nose, two large horns that looked kinda like antane and three tails, each ending in stinging barbs.

I left Winter to explain Sleuther and Astrid's history together (especially since the television episode where they meet is Winter's favourite) and wondered over to where Night, Moon and Luna were waiting on their dragons.

Luna, of course, was lounging on Darkspine's back while the Whispering Death slept in a curled position, and the others were nervously clutching the necks of their dragons.

A bronze-brown dragon that honestly looked kind of similar to Toothless. It had his cat-like body and round head, along with his flat, bear-like paws and large wings that were kept folded above it's shoulders. It had more spines on it's head though, and it's amber eyes were more slitted. It's tail ended in two, arrow-like horns, and Fishlegs said it was a female Sand Wraith called Sandstorm.

Moon swallowed nervously as she sat on Sandstorm's shoulders.

"Do I have to do this?" she asked uneasily.

"Don't worry; you'll be fine," I assured her.

"And why did I get the smallest one?" NIght complained flatly, folding her arms as she sat on the back of a Small Shadow.

I suppose she was right; Small Shadows were medium-sized dragons, and would serve better as hunting dragons rather than riding dragons. Plus, this one was rescued because it was apparently deaf.

"Well... you're a wolf, right?" Fishlegs replied, padding up beside me.

"So?"

"So, Small Shadows are pack dragons, similar to wolves," Fishlegs explained, "And Greytooth here is the only dragon who would actually let another person ride him-"

"-Not to mention you're the right size," Zero added helpfully, lumbering up on the back of Chameleon.

"Willow's the smallest one!" Night protested. "And I'm only just shorter than you are, Zero!"

"Short enough." Zero grinned.

Chameleon decided to disappear below him again.

"Oh, come on!" Zero complained.

I laughed and turned to the Vikings, who were leaning against their own dragons. My own Wavebreaker was sitting on his haunches beside Stormfly and was constantly turning to snarl at her as she tried to sniff his wings curiously.

"Are we ready to go yet?" Luna complained. "Look, Darkspine's already fallen asleep!"

"Whispering Deaths are used to constantly burrowing underground," Fishlegs replied. "He's not used to having to stay up in the daylight for so long."

"Back to the question," said Winter, guiding Cloudsky over to us, "When do we start training?"

Astrid grinned from where she was leaning against Stormfly.

"Now."