One day, Dak, Leyla, Winger, Summer, Cutter, Aggro, Burple and Ylva decided to go camping on a distant island called Withered Wharf Island. It was called like that because at the seashore there was an old, rickety wharf, like if many years ago, boats used to travel to that island. Upon their arrival, Dak said:
“Here we are, everyone! Withered Wharf Island. Boy, I can’t wait to see what marvels wait for us here!”
“Neither can I, Dak.” Winger said.
“Maybe new dragons to discover!” Summer said.
“Tasty fish to eat!” Burple said.
“A super awesome adventure to have!” Cutter said.
“With lots of perils and hazards among the way!” Aggro said.
“You read my mind!”
“Actually, I would scratch that.” Burple said. “I don’t want our camping to be dangerous.”
“Ah, don’t worry, Burple.” Ylva said. “We’re the Rescue Riders, remember? We can overcome anything!”
“Your words give me confidence, Ylva. And a little courage.”
“Well said, Ylva!” Leyla said. “Now, let’s go find a place to build our camp.”
The Rescue Riders walked through the forest, searching for a perfect place to build their tents. The weather was nice and sunny, the birds were chirping, and the leaves in the trees glowed green under the sunshine. Soon, they found a glade with some flowers, very few rocks and butterflies fluttering around. It was perfect for camping in! Dak and Leyla took the tents off the back of their dragons and working together, they built them. There were four tents. Each one could hold two people… or dragons.
“Ok, now who wants to go get some wood so we can make a campfire at night?” Dak asked.
“I’m in!” Cutter said. “With my super-duper sight, it’ll be a piece of cake!”
“I’ll go with you.” Burple said. “My four stomachs could sure come in handy.”
Cutter and Burple headed to search for wood.
“And what will we eat?” Winger asked. “Heh, heh. Sounds like something Burple would ask.”
“Oh, I know!” Ylva said. “There might be a pond around here. I and Aggro will go see if we can fish something.”
“Good idea! Let’s go, Ylva!” Aggro said.
Aggro and Ylva grabbed a couple baskets and went to look for a pond and catch some fish.
“And in the meantime, what should we do?” Summer asked.
“How about a flight around the island?” Winger asked. “It would be a nice way to know it better and stretch the wings a little.”
“You’re on! Last one is a rotten rainbow trout!”
As she said this, Summer quickly took off to the skies.
“Hey, wait for me!” Winger said.
Then, he flew after Summer. Dak and Leyla stayed at the camp to watch over their belongings and wait for the other dragons and Ylva to come back. Later, as the sun was going down, Burple and Cutter returned to the camp with lots of wood that the latter had chopped with the blades of his tail. Ylva and Aggro came back as well, with lots of fish in their baskets!
“Great!” Leyla said. “Looks like we’ve got everything ready for the camp to begin.”
“Cutter, Aggro, will you do us the honor?” Dak asked.
“With pleasure!” Aggro said.
Both dragons breathed fire into the wood. The campfire was ready!
“Excellent!” Dak said. “Now, how about some fish brochettes for dinner?”
Dak grabbed a couple sticks and skewered some fish. He then roasted them on the fire. Everyone had a tasty fish snack! Soon, the night came, and they began to sing songs around the campfire! Aggro, Summer, Leyla and Ylva were the best singers. Dak, Winger, Cutter and Burple clapped at them.
“Your howls are pretty good, Ylva!” Winger said.
“Thank you. I’ve been practicing.”
“Okay, I think it’s time for us to go to sleep now.” Leyla said.
“Wait!” Dak said. “How about if first we tell spooky stories?”
“Hey, that sounds like a nice idea!” Aggro said.
“I disagree.” Burple said. “I’m not into spooky campfire stories.”
“Why does your fear always has to take the fun out of everything?” Cutter said.
“You have nothing to be afraid of, Burple.” Summer said. “They are just stories, aren’t they, Leyla?”
“Yes! Most spooky stories people tell are made up, with the sole purpose of scaring people.”
“Ohh!” Burple said. “That makes me feel a little better.”
“Great! Who wants to go first?” Dak asked.
“Oh, oh! Me, please!” Ylva said. “I’ve got an amazing story to tell!”
Leyla giggled and said:
“Ok, Ylva. Go ahead.”
“Ok, ok.” Ylva said. “This is a story my parents used to tell me… the Legend of the Wailing Warg!”
“Aah! The Wailing Warg!” Burple cried. “Um… What’s the Wailing Warg?”
“Pay attention to the story, and you will find out! Long ago, on this very island, a wolf pup was born. He was cute, playful and well-behaved like the rest of his siblings. However, he was much bigger than them. The other pups in the wolf pack were afraid of playing with him, due to his great size. The pup kept growing and growing until he became a colossal wolf! Because of this, he became an outcast among the other wolves. Nobody dared to approach him. However, one day, a young she-wolf fell in love with him. The giant wolf was so happy to finally meet somebody who loved him despite his size. Both wolves hunted together, howled at the moon together, played with each other and were very happy… until one day, the female suddenly disappeared. The giant wolf looked for her everywhere, but to no avail. He had lost the only wolf that didn’t fear him. Heartbroken, the giant wolf banished himself from his pack and hid in a cave on top of a tall mountain. Legend says he still lives in the mountain cave, and every full moon, he gives a sorrowful howl, remembering when he howled at the moon with his loved one. His howl is so bone chilling, that whoever hears him in their sleep has nightmares! And all of their nightmares have one thing in common. An enormous shadowy wolf with glowing yellow eyes appears in them. They say it represents the resentful side of the giant wolf, hoping to get revenge on whoever laid a hand on his loved one. And that, my friends, is the story of the Wailing Warg!”
“Whoa, that story sure is spooky!” Burple said. “But at the same time sad.”
“Yeah, I agree.” Cutter said. “What in the world happened to the wolf girl? She just disappeared!”
“Nobody knows!” Ylva said, in a ghostly tone.
“I just hope she’s fine.” Summer said. “I would like this story to have a happy ending!”
“Yeah, me too.” Winger said.
“But we don’t even know if that story is for real!” Dak said.
“All, right, who else wants to tell a spooky story?” Leyla asked.
Aggro yawned and said:
“I’m very tired. We should all go to sleep now. don’t you think?”
Cutter yawned, too, and answered:
“You know what? I agree with Aggro.”
“Agree with Aggro? That sounds funny!” Aggro said.
“Yeah, I think one spooky story is more than enough.” Burple said. “Good night everyone!”
“Good night, Burple.” everyone said.
Dak and Winger went to sleep in one tent, Leyla and Summer went to sleep in another tent, Cutter and Aggro went to sleep to another, while Ylva decided to sleep with Burple so he wouldn’t be scared. After a while, the Rescue Riders fell asleep. However, as the full moon was glowing high up in the sky, a bone chilling howl was heard throughout the island. While they were sleeping, the Rescue Riders had a strange nightmare. All of them had the same one. A giant ominous wolf approached them while growling, and just as it jumped toward them with his mouth wide open, they woke up with a scream.
“Guys, did you hear what I heard?” Ylva said.
“We didn’t just hear it. We saw it!” Summer said.
“Yeah!” Aggro said. “There was this giant black wolf who walked toward me and tried to eat me!”
“There’s no doubt. It was the howl of the Wailing Warg!” Burple said.
“Cutter, are you shivering?” Winger asked.
“Who, me? No! I’m just cold…”
“Ha! Look who’s scared now!” Aggro said.
“I’m not scared!”
“Leyla, did you and Dak have the same nightmare?” Summer asked.
“Yes! It was horrible.”
“I can’t believe the legend appears to be true.” Dak said.
“Well, let’s go and find out, shall we?” Ylva said.
“Do you really want to find out if the Wailing Warg is really out there?” Winger asked.
“Well, yes!” Ylva said. “Maybe if we find him, we can try to comfort him somehow. Besides, if we get back to sleep, we might have the same nightmare again.”
“I don’t want to have that nightmare again!” Burple said.
“Maybe we should go sleep somewhere else then…”
“Ha! Quitter!” Aggro said.
“I’m not a quitter! And I’ll prove it to you! Come on, everyone! Let’s find that Wailing Warg.”
The Rescue Riders ventured into the woods to find out if the Legend of the Wailing Warg was actually true. The weather was cold, there wasn’t much wind, crickets chirping and owls hooting made the ambience. According to the legend, the Wailing Warg lived inside a cave on top of a mountain. Therefore, they searched for that mountain. Suddenly, they heard something approaching.
“Ahh! The Wailing Warg!” Burple cried.
“I don’t think it is, Burps.” Winger said.
“Yeah, he’s enormous, remember?” Summer said. “We would see him right away.”
“Everyone hide!” Ylva said.
Dak, Leyla, Winger, Summer, Cutter, Aggro and Burple quickly hid in the treetops, while Ylva stayed on the ground to defend her friends. Then out of the shadows came three wolves.
“What’s this?” the first wolf said.
“It’s just a little wolf pup.” the second wolf said.
“I haven’t seen you around here before.” the third wolf said. “Are you new?”
“Um... yes, kind of!” Ylva said.
“It’s dangerous for a wolf pup to go out at night alone. What are you doing?”
“I’m just trying to find… the Wailing Warg.”
The three wolves gasped.
“How do you know about that?” one wolf asked.
“From a story.”
“Nobody knows if the legend is true.” The first wolf said.
“What do you mean?” The second wolf said. “It is true! Remember that strange nightmare we had earlier? There was this big black wolf with glowing yellow eyes! And before that, a creepy howl was heard.”
“From what I’ve heard, the Wailing Warg lives in a cave on top of the mountain north of here, but no wolf has ever been daring enough to go up there.” The third wolf said.
“But a little wolf like you shouldn’t meddle in this affair. Now go to sleep.” The first wolf said.
“Um… fine! You’re right. I’m going to bed now.”
When the tree wolves left, the rest of the Rescue Riders came down from the treetops.
“What did they tell you, Ylva?” Leyla asked her.
“Apparently, the legend is true. Those wolves heard the howling and had nightmares, too. They said the mountain where the Wailing Warg lives is found north of here.”
“Well what are we waiting for?” Winger said. “Let’s go!”
The team flew north, and not long after, they found the mountain. Then, they spotted a cave. When they landed at the entrance, Winger said:
“Stick together, everyone.”
When they set foot in the cave, a deep voice said:
“Huh? Who goes there?”
“Um… Hi, Mr. Warg.” Ylva said. “I’m Ylva and these are my friends, the Rescue Riders.”
“Wait, are those dragons and humans?” the Warg asked.
“Yes, but they mean no harm, and I can speak their language! In fact, we all know dragon language!”
“Hmmm… That’s weird.”
“Look, I heard your story.”
“So? You should be running away! I’m the horrifying Wailing Warg!”
“You don’t seem scary to me.”
“Oh, I’m not?”
“No! I know you’re a nice wolf, and I know you lost your best friend. And we want to help you find her!”
“But how? I’ve searched everywhere on this island for years and I haven’t found her!”
“She must have been taken somewhere else, but where?”
Ylva thought for a moment.
“Hmmm… I think I’ll check it out with my friends.”
Ylva went to the Rescue Riders.
“Guys! The Wailing Warg is, as a matter of fact, a nice wolf. And he only wants his friend back!”
“Where can we find her, then?” Summer asked.
“I don’t know.” Ylva said.
She went back to the Warg and asked him:
“Mr. Warg, have you noticed some strange activity around here lately?”
“Actually, I have.” The Warg said. “A few days ago, a ship arrived.”
“A ship?” Ylva asked.
“Yes. And it appeared to have a giant cage on it.”
When Ylva explained the information she gathered to the Rescue Riders, Burple and Cutter gulped.
“The Amazing Arno!” both said.
“You mean your former master is still around here?” Aggro asked.
“That’s what I’m afraid of, Aggro.” Cutter said.
“Rescue Riders, we have a new mission. We gotta find Arno’s ship and find out if he has something to do with the disappearance of the Warg’s friend.” Dak said.
“Come on, everyone.” Winger said. “Let’s wing it!”
The Rescue Riders flew through the night sky and over the sea, searching for Arno’s ship.
“Do you see something, Cutter?” Summer asked.
“Lemme check.”
Cutter used his Razorwing vision to locate Arno’s ship, and he found it!
“Ready for a blast into the past, Burple?” Cutter asked.
“I think…” Burple said.
Together, the team headed toward the ship.
They quietly landed on the deck. Much to their surprise, some dragons were captive there! They were Laburn, Cinda and Oscar!
“Guys?” Leyla asked. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s that foul ringmaster!” Laburn said.
“He kidnapped us and has been using us for circus shows!” Cinda said.
“He’s got me catapulting balls into targets all week! My tail is tired.” Oscar said.
“And we’re tired of creating fireworks just to amaze people.” Laburn said.
“And I’m tired of turning invisible just so I go through a dangerous obstacle course unharmed!” Snoop said, appearing out of nowhere. “It scares me a lot!”
“Don’t worry, guys. We’ll think of a way to get you out of here.” Dak said. “Cutter, Burple, remember what you did when we were here many years ago?”
“Yes! All we need to do is heat this cage a little, have Summer cool it with her water blast, and have Burple roll into it!”
“Yeah! And now that I’m aware I’m a Rockspitter, I won’t have this existential crisis, as if I were a toy spaceman…”
Everyone looked at him weirded out by this.
“Uh… Forget what I just said.”
Cutter, Summer and Burple worked together to bend the bars of the cage and free their dragon friends. Suddenly, they heard a voice.
“Hey, who’s there?!”
It was Arno! And he couldn’t believe his eyes!
“You! What are you doing here after so many years? Trying to rob me my new dragons, eh? Well, it won’t be so easy this time! Snapjaw, get them!”
The Rescue Riders noticed Arno now owned a strange chained dog wearing a mask with blue glowing goggles. They gasped as the dog began to growl. Then, the dog ran towards them, but Burple curled himself up and rolled onto it. However, the dogs easily jumped over Burple and headed to attack his friends. Cutter threw a couple blades at it, and they landed on its mask. The dog cowered and shook, whimpering. Leyla noticed this and thought for a second.
“Guys, I think that’s a mind controlling mask!”
Ylva sniffed the air.
“Ley, I’m picking up that dog’s scent, and it’s… familiar.”
“What do you mean, Ylva?”
“I think it’s not a dog! Could it be…?”
“No way!” Dak said.
“Well, if Ylva and Leyla’s hypothesis is true, we must get that mask out of that wolf!”
Summer was about to use a water blast on the wolf’s mask, but Winger stopped her.
“Wait! What if it has electricity?”
“Well, you shouldn’t use your power blast, either. You could harm the wolf.”
“I know. Guys, cover me!” Ylva said.
She ran toward the wolf, who snapped at her, but Ylva swiftly dodged the attacks, got on the wolf’s back and ripped the mask off its face with her teeth. The dog collapsed. But just as Ylva and Leyla suspected, it wasn’t an ordinary wolf! It was the Warg’s friend!
“No! What have you done to my attack dog?!” Arno said.
“She’s not a dog, Arno. She’s a wolf!” Leyla said.
“And we’re taking her to her legitimate place.” Dak said.
The twins got the unconscious she-wolf on top of Winger, and all the Rescue Riders flew away from Arno’s ship, followed by their dragon friends.
“Hey! Get back with my two Firework Flamebreaths, my Catapult Cutetail, and my Invisiboo!”
“FYI, they’re Fire Furies, a Flyhopper and a Slinkwing!” Dak said.
“It’s not over you naughty kids! I’ll get more dragons for my show! You haven’t seen the last of the Amazing Arno!”
Once the battle was over, the team headed back to the Warg’s cave.
“Mr. Warg!” Ylva called. “I think we have a special delivery for you!”
“For me?” the Warg wondered. “What could it be? What could replace the friend that was taken away from me?”
“Exactly that!”
The Rescue Riders presented him her partner.
“Aron?” She said.
“Janne?” the Warg said.
“How can this…?”
“It’s been… so many years!”
“Wow, I didn’t know they had real names!” Burple whispered.
Ylva shushed him. The Rescue Riders witnessed the comforting reunion of the Warg and her friend. Both wolves hugged each other.
“Awwwww!” The team exclaimed.
“Thank you for saving us, Rescue Riders!” Snoop said. “That old man sure was creepy!”
“And that cage was filthy and gloomy!”
“At least we’re now freeeee!” Cinda sang.
“Hehe, Cinda…” Laburn said. “It seems you still have a bit of Melodia’s singing charm in you.”
“I think you’re right, Laburn! But I think I like it.”
“Okay, guys. I think it’s time to go.” Oscar said. “Toodle-oo, Rescue Riders! Thank you for rescuing us!”
“You’re welcome!” Winger said. “Whenever you get captured by a maniac ringmaster, just growl for help!”
He thought for a second and said:
“Wow, that felt out of this universe.”
The four dragons left for their homes.
“Thank you and your friends for bringing Janne back.” the Warg said to Ylva.
“No problem, Mr. Warg. Oh, I mean, Mr. Aron.” Ylva said.
“Okay, Rescue Riders. Time to go and get some sleep.” Dak said. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
Then, Aggro saw Cutter looking at the distance.
“What’s wrong, Cut?”
“Oh! Uh, nothing. It’s just this experience with Arno left me thinking… I wonder where Raf is now.
“He was such a good friend of ours!” Burple said. “I miss him.”
“Me too.” Cutter said. “You know what? I have a feeling that we’ll meet again someday…”
THE END