Chapter 5

5 A humming sound came from deep inside the box. Then a handle clicked up on one side. The Dragon Girls jumped with surprise. "Turn it!" called the Flame Flies, hovering in an excited cluster. It wasn't easy for Hana to grasp the handle with her big claws. Finally, she managed to pinch it

between two talons. She carefully turned the handle and a series of cogs sprang up. Attached to each was a model of a storm cloud. As the cogs turned, the storm clouds whizzed around and around. "That's so cool!" Hana marveled. She'd always loved machines. When she was three, she'd taken her grandma's radio apart and almost managed to put it back together. This year, she'd built a mechanical solar system for her science project. "It is," said half the Flame Flies. "But it also isn't," said the other half. "What do you mean?" Mina asked. "It's a marvelous machine, but it isn't working correctly," said the first group of flies. "A vital part of the Thunder Maker is missing: the Thunder Drum. Without it, the clouds don't move to the right beat. And they never stop spinning! They just keep swirling."

"This means that there's never a chance for any other parts of the storm to begin," continued the second group. "Oh." Zora frowned. "Thunder alone isn't a real storm. You need lightning and rain or snow, too." The twins agreed. Hana peered at the machine. It was making a clunking, grinding noise that did not sound good at all. The flies formed a single group once more. "We don't know how it happened. We were doing what we always do, lighting the theater with our protective glow and searching for intruders. But then there was a terrible screeching noise and hundreds of nasty little creatures scuttled in. They ran around wildly, creating confusion and mess. By the time we managed to shoo them out, the Thunder Drum was gone. And the nonstop thunder sounds have been happening ever since." Hana, Mina, and Zora exchanged looks. Those nasty little creatures were definitely Chaos

Critters! "Can we help find the Thunder Drum?" Mina suggested. "No," said the flies. For once, they all agreed. "Thunder Drums fall apart very quickly when they're not protected by the Thunder Maker. Sadly, it will be nothing but dust by now." "Hmm. Is there any way to get another drum?" Hana asked. She waited for the bugs to divide into two groups. But this time, they all swirled around as if they weren't sure what to say. "We don't know!" they admitted in unison. "Nothing like this has ever happened before." One bug separated itself from the group and flew over to the dragons. It glowed a little brighter than the rest. "There's only one thing to do," it said. "You must go to the Grizzling Bears." "Do you mean grizzly bears?" Hana asked. "Grizzly bears? Never heard of them," said the fly. "It's the Grizzling Bears we need right now.

Their cave is connected to the Thunder Theater by a tunnel so we often hear them. They're very loud." "So, why do we need to go to see these bears?" Mina asked in a small voice. Hana could tell her twin wasn't all that sure about meeting loud bears. Zora didn't look so sure, either. "Their forebears created the very first Thunder Maker. They are gifted craftbears. Only they have the skills to make a new drum." "The Grizzling Bears are distant cousins of mine," said Beebi, coming up alongside Hana. "They can be moody, but I am sure they'll help you." Somehow, knowing that the bears were Beebi's cousins made Hana feel more certain about what to do. She turned to her own cousin. "I think we should go." Zora nodded. "Definitely." It was only a beat before Mina nodded, too.

Hana gave her twin a quick wing-hug and turned to the Flame Flies. "Which way are the bears?" The flies flew over to one side of the cave. They formed a ring, lighting up a hole in the floor. The Storm Dragons approached carefully, Beebi staying close to Hana. "It looks like a tight fit for a dragon," Zora said doubtfully. "That's because we don't want the bears getting in here," the flies explained. "Once you squeeze through, the tunnel becomes wider." A loud clap of thunder filled the air, making the cave walls tremble. The flies zipped back to the Thunder Maker. The brightest bug jumped on a button. The cogs and swirling model clouds folded down and the box slid shut. The flies then fluttered their wings extra hard, whooshing the machine up through the air. Just in time, Hana caught it between her paws.