How To Train Your Dragon: Bonded

[AssiduousG]

It's not a bad night, he concludes after he finishes putting away the broom. The dust still hangs in the air making him wrinkle his nose as it tickles his nostrils and makes him sneeze for the hundredth time that night. He wipes his nose with the back of his sleeve and sighs, his breathe coming out in a faint wisp that hangs in the cool, wintery air. His room is clean-if not for a few hours-for the first time since he decided to adopt the two Terrible Terrors his family found on their porch. They would have given them up to the hatchy to be taken care of or at least given them up to a neighboring family if not for their obvious attachment towards their son, Arvid.


Arvid spends his time with them mostly because their like little flies that buzz around his head, chirping if he's not paying attention to them or making him pet them in the ungodly hours of the night. He glances at his desk in the corner of his room, the fire of his candle making the shadows flicker and dance repetitively. Sighing he glances towards his bed and watches as the small lumps from underneath his covers move up and down gently, little wisps of smoke coming out from beneath his pillow. He grimaces and briefly thinks to himself to air out his bed when he's ready to go asleep.


He's not particularly tired despite having spent the last few hours of the day healping his mother clean the house and help feed the dragons in the stables. He shivers when he thinks about the pressing darkness of the corridor next to the Whispering Death's stable. He shakes his head to himself to rid of such thoughts and decides to focus on what to do next. He stands there for a few moments, occasionally blinking, the pressing night of the outside seeming to thicken as the minutes go by.


he wants to go out, but decides against it, remembering his father's Gronkle that always sits outside their cottage. He rolls his eyes as he remembers just how ridiculous that is. It's not like RageWort would actually care if he went out. As long as he slipped the beast some Nip from the garden he shouldn't make a protest or move a muscles as long as he was sated.


Stretching his muscles he glances at his bed. The covers shift slightly, the outline of his Terrors underneath his covers. Exhaling he decides to tiptoe towards his door, the bark rough against his socked feet and the cold air pressing against him as he moves. He grabs his jacket by the hanger and pauses as the covers shift once again, this time the covers seem to move longer than the last. He holds in a exasperated breathe and exhales as the stop. His body calms and seems to sag with relief at the thought of going somewhere without the ever constant chirping and growling that seems to buzz around his head when their awake.


He slips outside his door and stands in the middle of the hallway. The dimly lit passage that comes from his parents room is across the hall and he grins as he hears the gentle snores of his mother and the mountain like rumble of his father. Confidence up he strides quickly towards the makeshift indoor garden and quickly pulls the smallest of DragonNip from the soil, making sure not to let his mother's ever keen eye notice the missing plant. It feels rough in his hand, but the cold quickly numbs it. He makes a mental note to take his gloves next time but decides against it seeing as it's already to late and he felt as though he already pressed his luck and urged himself to stay as silent as possible.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Out in the night it was oddly peaceful, at least for a village occupied by bother Vikings and Dragons. Most were in bed, dragons lazing about in or outside their friends homes, sleeping quietly. One of the only creatures not awake however, was a teen girl, Ash, who seemed to be wandering about aimlessly in the cold weather. She didn't mind the loneliness, and loved the peace the dark night brought, cloaking her in pitch black. She wandered along, stealthily dodging dragons, some of which were sprawled randomly.


Stepping over a Nadders spiked tail, she made her way toward the dark forests of Berk, wanting to see dragons in the wild. She was quiet enough not to disturb them, and had washed her clothes in dragon nip to hopefully mask her scent, if not make her seem like a friend, and not like someone who was to be breakfast. She had no dragon of her own, but wanted a friend desperately, and was usually always on the search for a friendly beast.


So far, she had no luck. She never seemed to have much luck with life anyway. Her parents had been killed by dragons when the raids were still happening, and she was made a orphan, uncared for and alone. Since then, she had wanted to take revenge on dragons, until she found that the dragons were not truly at fault and that they were being controlled. After she had found that out, she had started to seek out one to be her best friend, but had no luck with it

 

[AssiduousG]

Stepping out into the pressing cold seemed to jolt his senses into action. He shivered as he brought his jacket over his arms and tugged them around his shoulders. It didn't stop the chattering of his teeth, but it did lessen it to some extent. He sniffed once and glanced over to his right surprised not to see RageWort in his usual spot, asleep beside the entrance way. He narrowed his eyes as the wind passed over doubt clouding his mind as he briefly thought of going back inside, but his inner thoughts scolded him. A viking defeated by the weather? That would be a disgrace in the name in the gods if he was to run away just from a chill! Gathering himself he pushed RageWort out of his mind and started a steady journey towards the barely lit fire that was burning in the center.


He froze as a rumble started behind him. It seemed to hum softly, but grow in tone as if it were a growl. Swallowing down mindless fear he glanced towards his left and laughed softly to himself. Gods since when was ever this worked up? RageWort was deep in the shadows, wings fluttering as he was stuck in own dream. He nodded respectfully towards the dragon despite it's unawares and followed the rocky path towards the edge of the village. He didn't dare go into the woods at night without protection. As he grew accustomed to the chilly air and the ever silent night-only disturbed by the few snores and the puffs of dragons that lounged here and there- he slowly relaxed. Dipping his head towards the shrine to the gods he inhaled letting the sharp tang of smoke and clear night air fill his lungs.


Boy did it feel good not to hear the ever constant hustle and bustle of the village. It felt even better not to witness the low flying dragonriders and their students flaunt their dragons and their bond. Resentment filled in the pit of his belly, but he pushed it away- though he wasn't sure it went away entirely- not wanting to have such dark thoughts at so late a night. He sighed as he thought of his Terrors. It was an embarressment to have to walk around with such tiny dragons following him like lost puppies. He didn't regret having them, but he wanted...more. To feel the sensation of flight and the exhilaration of blood pumping through his veins as he trained and fought alongside the best riders in the village. Most of all he wanted a bond. yes, he was attached to his two Terrors, but not in the way that he wanted. he wanted a bond like his friend Sandy and her Monstrous Nightmare RipJaw. he could see the way they trusted one another as they flew around the village and into the farther parts of the area.


It always bothered him to be honest. Being one of the few not to have a dragon of his own. He never thought much of it at first, being too busy with chores or helping the chief with small matters such as organizing things or-He stopped.


He glanced in front of him, never noticing his feet had always been moving and stared at the darkness of the forest as it loomed before him. Doubt clawed in the back of his mind and glanced around him. Nothing. Nothing but the glaring stare of the stars and clouds covering the moon. Though he could have sworn he had seen movement out of the corner of his eye. Sighing he made up his mind, forgetting all the warning his mother had given him despite the friendliness of the dragons and strode into the forest.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash felt free in the forest. It was a simple fact to most of Berk that the girl acted more like a wild dragon than a viking, always disappearing into the forest, calling with dragon calls to see what she could find. She hardly talked to any of the Berkians, and instead spent most of her time in the stables with some of the riderless dragons like the Whispering Death. Whilst this was all fine to her, and she was quite content to look after the dragons when no one was around, she still felt lonely, and didn't have a bond with any of the stable dragons like any of the riders did.


She sighed, gazing up at the sky as she walked into a clearing, wishing she could fly up there, among the stars, moon and the gods. She always wondered what it was like to fly, to feel the wild winds blowing through her hair, but no one would ever allow her a ride into the sky, and once she had been rejected by them, she never asked again.


Passing a small, lone, Terrible Terror, she knelt and held her hand out, the little dragon crawling forward and nuzzling her hand. A lot of dragons seemed to trust her, as she was a regular occurrence in the forest in which they lived, and she had made many friend among them, more than she had with the Berkians. She gently stroked the dragons head, before sighing and continuing on, needing to find a dragon to bond with, and to fly with

 

[AssiduousG]

After what seemed like hours spent walking with no direction and thinking he's seeing the same tree twice now-he remembers seeing the same three dragon claw marks that are etched into the frosty bark-he wonders briefly if this was a god idea after all. He doesn't really know why he's out here in the forest in the dead hours of the night only that he's tired and that he wants to have some time to himself despite the droopiness of his eyes. the crunch of leaves behind his feet seem to be an comfort rather than an annoyance and he smiles a bit to himself as passes by the curious Terror. It blinks at him slowly and seems to do a half hearted chirp clearly asking for food as it eyes him.


"Sorry...I don't have anything." He says softly mostly to himself as not to disturb or anger any large dragon that might be sleeping near. The Terror reminds him of his own two and he smiles at the memory of being with him. They might not take away the resentment of not having his own dragon to truly bond with, but he was satisfied and grateful with their loyalty.


The Terror seemed satisfied enough with his answer and let out a small cheep before disappearing into the darkness of the trees. He grinned to himself as he watched the jiggle of the trees as they accommodated it's weight.


Rolling his eyes Arvid was ready to walk towards the giant shape of a thrush that blocked his way. He was close to walking around it before he noticed the small chirping again. Turning around as to not scare the creature away he crouched down to get eye level with it. The Terror was alone sitting on the ground alone, which made Arvid wonder where the rest of it's pack was. He glanced around and smiled weakly wondering if he had gotten his message across that he didn't have any food. He was about to reach a numb hand out when it showed it teeth. His hand pausing mid air he blinked in confusion before looking behind it into the darkness. Pairs of eyes were glaring down at him, white teeth showing despite the darkness and hungry forest green eyes flashing at him.


Swallowing the rising bile in his throat, head filling with the myths of piranha like pack Terrors he pulled his hand back and stood up slowlu aware of the lone Terror crawling towards him slowly.


It didn't take him another three second to start running deeper into the forest. The night disturbed with crunching of leaves and the small jiggle of trees and batting of small wings as they charged after him. He estimated that there had been at least a hundred Terrors that were now chasing him.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash had been walking peacefully for what seemed like forever, though she didn't mind. Every so often, a dragon would come to her, and nudge her playfully. She'd smile, and play with the dragon for a while, usually playing fetch with a stone or simply tickling it. Only a few dragons didn't seem to like her, and they were the ones who usually tried to chase her from the forest, which had yet to happen. THose dragons she had tried to make friends with, but the scars on her body warned her from ever going near them again.


There were still dragons in the forest she hadn't met, ones she hadn't wandered close enough to, or ones that were too shy to make themselves known to the girl. She didn't mind, but vowed to meet them someday. As she was wandering, she found a old dragon trap, and began to expertly disable it. She had disabled many traps in her wanders in the forest, and few remained for her to disable so that dragons would be safer in their forest home.


As Ash was doing this, she heard something akin to a large pack of Terrors, and frowned. Quickly finishing the trap, she ran after them, noting the boy ahead and rolling her eyes. Running from them would only make them chase him for the sport of it. She ran faster, aiming to get ahead of the Terrors. She finally managed to do so, and got between them and the boy, turning to them and yelling, "STOP!" She watched them warily, not looking at the boy behind her

 

[AssiduousG]

Inner voices clashed together forming an incoherent process as they fought for dominance. Whispers seemed to growl and nudge one another as the one next to another grappled with the momentary leader of the cluster. The Terrors fought against one another in the their mind clashing for the right to take control of the chase as they raced after the two legged creature. Their minds formed together into a single thought as the faint scent of food lingered on his jacket. The creature-a short one compared to the other ones they had seen in the large pack near the outskirts of the forest- was a male by the musky scent that was swept in their way. His pale hide was was teeming with the smell of fish and his brown fur that sat atop of his head made them wonder if that were one of feathered beasts nests.


The smell of fear drove them on further and made the chase seem even more fresh and exciting, especially to the littlest one at the center of the frenzy. They jumped from branch to branch, wings fluttering as they glided along smoothly making no less of a sound than a leaf dropping. The cold air and the soft blanket of white powder made their bellies shrivel with disgust as they wished from a single thought that this...creature had lied to them. Lies. Lies. Lies! Their thoughts pulsed as one as anger clouded their vision and red swam into their eyes. They the mighty Terrors of the forest had every right towards the meal that this...human-the word seem strange in their tongue-had obviously hidden from them.


The human's legs kicked up small pieces of dirt and snow as he stumbled clumsily through the heavy blankets of snow. Tomtar hissed as he realized just how close his pack had come to the human before another heartbeat and they would finally have him. Drool gathered on their tongues as the smell of fish became over whelming and sent their minds into a frenzy. Closer. Closer....no Agara not there! Fly faster! their mind blended together into one as the voices in their heads as their language-far too complex for humans to comprehend- raged through them.


So, close were they! So close, close, close, close, clo-


"Stop!"


Tomtar cocked his head and raised his tail for a silence. Almost simultanously they all watched the tiny movement of their leader and followed his pattern. Heads cocked and tails raised they watched as another creatures stood before them. Her scent was the almost the same as the other, but with noticeable differences. Out of the corner of his eye Tomtar saw his mate narrow her eyes, her thoughts becoming clouded with confusion as she struggled to understand why he had made his pack forgo the attack. Attack...the word raced through his mind and not a second later into the minds of the others. Some agreed and others hissed at the audacity of the word. They were only taking what was rightfully theirs, the said to him.


Huffing a small breathe of flame he was aware of the sounds of the other dragons becoming restless and others had already come out to watch the encounter. Eyes never flickering from the female he growled low in his throat, the rumbling soon becoming louder and louder until his mate shook her head and glanced at his softly. Watching the exchange the others stepped back slowly, some already in the darkness of the trees and others still there dumbfounded. Fine. Without another thought Tomtar fled into the night, his pack already at his heels.


~


"T-thank you...I- I'm so sorry. That was stu-stupid of me to run....I-I should have known better." His voice was staggering as he panted. Despite the cold he was hot all over. His belly and head feeling stuffy and tired and the warm as the adrenaline went away slowly. Embarrassment soon gave place to excitement and he looked at the ground with shame.


He swallowed audibly and glanced at the gi-Aster? Ally? Ash. Her name was Ash- out of the corner of his eye and sighed internally. "I'm dumb...but thanks...thanks a lot by the way."

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash didn't act scared of the pack, instead staring the leader straight in the eye. That was a thing that most vikings would never do toward a wild dragon, as meeting the gaze of one, especially a pack leader, usually started a fight, the dragons taking it as some form of challenge. Some of the dragons turned their gaze from her amber coloured stare, as if they were intimidated by her confident posture and glare. As the leader growled, as did the female viking, making a low, threatening noise somewhat akin to that of a angry Nightfurys, which made a few scamper in fear.


Nodding as the other dragons followed after their leader and left, she finally turned to the boy, her amber eyes scanning over his body to make sure he was unharmed. Somewhat glad to find that he only seemed tired, she nodded to his words, and huffed, rolling her eyes. She didn't understand why males were so curious about her forest. She had found numerous ones hiking into her woods and cutting down her trees, which angered some wild dragons that lived nearby.


"You're right. You are dumb." She stated, anger in her tone, "Dragons chase after food that moves, its fun for them. The best thing to do is stand as still as possible, and they may ignore you, if you're lucky" She growled, huffing again, "What are you even doing out here? Its dangerous" She asked, ignoring the fact that she could be asked the same

 

[AssiduousG]

"Bit ironic don't you think?" The words came out sharp and quick before he could have time to process them. Gaining a bit more composure for himself, he licked his dry lips with a quick swipe of his tongue and swallowed back the anxiety that pooled inside his stomach. Blinking an apology to her, he glanced around the waning darkness that surrounded them. It was hard to estimate the time that had passed since he came out into the forest and it was even harder to tell what time it was. He bit the side of his lips between his teeth and sucked lightly holding back the innocent question of 'Why are you out here?' It seemed a bit silly that he should question her mainly due to the embarrassing fact that she intimidated him even before their unfortunate....encounter.


"Soooo..." His voice trailed off as he scratched the back of his neck and glanced away from her. His Terrors would be awake by now, he groaned to himself, and most likely waking up his parents with their depressing chirping whenever he was gone from their sight. "You're...Ash right? I'm Arvid. Arvid Stoneson actually. I don't think we've met before....well not formally, but I don't think we've ever spoken." he put our an awkward hand in an attempt to ease the situation.


"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what actually are you out here for? Don't you think the chief will angry with you?" I stopped himself from saying anything further because he was sure that if the chief was going to be displeased with her then he would be displeased with him. He shivered at the thought of the huge viking making mincemeat out of him.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash rolled her eyes at his statement, and gazed about, then looked up at the sky, looking for any signs of the sun appearing, and hummed in relief when she only saw the little white stars above her. She didn't care much for time, it was irrelevant to her. If it was light, she was ignored by the vikings, and if it was dark, she was ignored by the vikings. This was likely the longest conversation she had had with another berkian for ages, yet she had no desire to continue it. She could see that he wanted to ask something, but rolled her eyes again when he didn't speak of the question and instead introduced himself.


She huffed, "Ash Storm." She growled her name in reply, "I know who you are." She muttered, "I know who everyone is. They just don't know who I am" She grumbled, almost to herself. If ever someone did wish to talk to her, it was to order her to do something useful, and usually they would call her a name that by far wasn't hers. They'd always receive a glare in return, and she'd do the job quickly, before disappearing once more into the forest to be with the dragons, whom she found kinder than her own species. Even the pack of Terrible Terrors weren't as bad as the vikings.


She gave a short chuckle at his question, "The Chief?" She asked, "Why would he care about me?" She questioned seriously, "Everyone ignores me, including you. So go home" She snarled. She couldn't care less what the chief thought of her trips, and to be honest she'd rather live with the dragons then the people of berg

 

[AssiduousG]

He opened his mouth slightly, jaw opening and closing as he worked on a reply to her statement. He settled on saying nothing and sighed instead the night's weariness finally settling in his bones. He wouldn't deny what she said mainly due to the fact that she was right and he wouldn't risk this chance encounter-if he could call it that-by saying something stupid. Of course he didn't mean to avoid her like the others. In fact he didn't talk to a lot of people save his one friend, but even then their relationship had been a bit rocky these past few months. He nodded silently and glanced around them wishing he could find the right words to at least make her less hostile to him.


"Look. I know we aren't...friends-gods not even acquaintances, but I'm sorry if I made you seem like an outsider. Now I can't say the same for the others, but I can at least try to get you to understand that I'm not like them. I didn't go out of my way to make you feel that way anyway." He paused thinking to himself, brow furrowing as he considered his words. "I kinda know what it feels like....with everyone having a dragon and me just being...me." He swallowed as he grinned weakly at her.


It wasn't much, but at least it would ease the guilt he would feel if he hadn't said anything to her. To be honest the people of Berk were sorta jerks in their own right. It wasn't as if he was blind to it. It was just he was too scared to say anything directly for fear of being yelled at or worse. He huffed as he pitied his own weakness and wished he was stronger like the others.


"So....this is kinda stupid but can you show me how to get home. It's kinda," he looked around them quickly, eyes scanning the area around them. "uh...weird being out here in the middle of the night."

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash watched him carefully as he spoke, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes, "You may try, but I only trust the dragons." She muttered, before nodding to his other question. She sighed, gazing about quietly, huffing softly. She froze as she noticed a pair of dragonic eyes watching her from the bushes, and growled at it, trying to work out if it was a friend or a foe. She twitched when it snarled back, but the creature stayed close to the shadows so that she couldn't see what it was.


"Stay here" She growled, and slowly moved forward toward the dragon, moving slowly and quietly, daring to keep eye contact with the unknown beast.


(Sorry for the short post. What dragon do you want your characters dragon to be?)

 

[AssiduousG]

Breathe caught in his throat, his eyes flashed back towards her quickly. Eyes widening he swallowed down the fear that was swelling in his throat and bit the inside of his cheek nervously. Taking a slow step back he winced as a leaf crackled under his boot and he blinked apologetically at her and staring quietly into the darkness where she was currently glaring at. He raised his eyebrow, but said nothing as she growled and bit back a confused question before something deeper answered her back. It was throaty and scratchy almost as if it were male-he could tell by the multiple times he had spent watching the riderless dragons in the stables- and narrowed his eyes and froze remembering Ash's instructions from earlier.


"What exactly in the name of the gods are you doing?" he whispered fiercely, hoping that only her ears would catch his words. he clenched his teeth and gulped as he scolded himself and crouched down on the ground inching closer as she did. Let him be a disgrace to the gods if he let a girl get hurt. he snorted to himself as he remembered that this was Ash he was talking about. Not some random village girl. he followed her slowly watching her as she crept closer and closer. He moved silently-or he thought so- taking his time not to step over the leaves and branches that were in his way until he was next to her.


His eyes widening he froze in fear as he started into it's eyes and his breathe left his body in a slow whisper.


(It's cool! I would like a Woolly Howl for my dragon. What about yours?)

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

(I might go for a Nightfury (If you're ok with it) or a Deadly Nadder. (Just to check, is the Woolly Howl the one you'll play?))


Ash rolled her eyes, and turned to look at him, "Its a dragon. Not a viking" She spat, and grabbed his hand, quickly leading him over to said dragon, "It won't hurt you. Don't act nervous, or jumpy, and no sudden moves" She told him, her voice quiet as she lowered her body into a crouch, watching the scaled creature

 

[AssiduousG]

(No, I thought we both going to play each others dragons; like I'll play your night fury and you'll play my Woolly Howl :3)


Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The question seem stuck in his mind as he looked at her through the corner of his eye


and smiled despite himself. Trust someone as mysterious as Ash to make him come out of his comfort zone and come close to a wild dragon. His grin broke slightly as he stared at the beast, it's eyes glaring at them. The tinted yellow glare and the black cat like pupil seemed to stare at him with aggravation. Or at least that's what he thought. He wondered briefly if Ash knew what she was doing, but shook his head-She seemed sensible enough when it came to dealing with dragons....unlike him-


"Are you sure it's okay that we go near it...I mean," he paused and chuckled to himself nervously. "I mean it IS a wild dragon and it's kinda in the middle of Winter..." he tried to stop his rambling before it became a problem. "No offense to you of course-what am I say-fine..." he sheepishly glanced at her and back to the dragon.


Seeing it a bit clearer than before he could make out the sandy colored tip of spiked fur. He paused and tipped his head to the left in confusion, his mind racking as he tried to remember the types of dragons he was taught in Berk. When nothing came to him he sighed quietly to himself, despite the hammering of his heart and mixed feelings about going near it in his head.


Before he could have a change of heart they stopped. Only a few inches in front of the dragon he could make out a few more details. It was a nice and healthy golden brown in color. He noted with slight apprehension that it was taller than both of them by a few feet. Especially him mainly due to the fact that was shortest out of the the three of them and bit the upper part of his lip. It's body was lean and well muscled though he could see a few ribs poking out here and there.


"What kind of dragon is it?" he whispered to Ash embarrassed that he couldn't figure it out by himself.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

(Actually, should we play our own characters dragons? After thinking about it, I would probably be a better idea for things such as flying and interacting...)


Ash sighed softly and looked at him, "Don't you know anything?" She asked with a roll of her eyes, and looked over the dragon, admiring it's appearance. A healthy dragon like this could prove to her companion that no dragon woud harm him of he didn't harm them.


"It's a Woolley Howl" she continued, meeting the creatures eyes

 

[AssiduousG]

(yeah that sounds like a better idea )


A huff of smoke exited her nostrils and the scent of burnt wood filled the air. Her body lifted up and down with each breathe as she glared at the young female in front of her. She blinked slowly, masking her face into a blank nothingness and growled low in her throat. Pupils narrowing she raised her broad head and quietly glanced around, turning her head both ways, senses alert as she listened to the gentle chatter of crickets around them. She snorted to herself and turned back towards the girl and her...friend. If she could say that. Their actions towards each other was interesting to watch and she found herself purring with slow amusement as she watched the girl try to coax the young male towards her.


She licked her teeth in a display of dominance making sure they had a good show of her wicked fangs and dangerously narrowed pupils. She glanced quickly at the smaller male. Black hair falling down his shoulders and dark brown eyes that seemed stare at her in amazement. Good. Let him be in awe of her. Grinning as a dragon could she flicked her tail ignoring the shower of snow that lifted up and the coldness that seeped into her scales. No matter. Rich, warm blood would fill the air tonight and she would feast well. She shook her head slightly as she thought of the scrawny boy. Well, at least one of them would do.


Without a sound and any further warning she leaned her head down towards the snow and and crouched down as if trying to hide herself. Her tail flicking back and forth more quickly now she growled even deeper as she warm smell of fear filled her nostrils.


Fool.





With a wild roar she pounced, claws raking down on soft skin and fresh blood spilled on the ground and made rain like dots in the snow. She pushed the girl away with a mighty flick of her tail and pressed her claws down on the boys throat. She flinched as hunger raked at her belly and caused her to momentarily lose her focus. She roared in his face, spittle flying and fire churning in her belly as she screamed at the young male. Shaking her head she licked her lips and prepared for the final blow to the neck. Her paw lifted in the air she retracted her claws and took a deep breathe before she would seal the deal.


"Please..." the word came out in barely a whisper. If she hadn't been paying attention she would have missed it. She lowered her pay slowly almost in a daze and stared at him. She leaned closer until her mouth was near his neck and took a deep breathe through her mouth. The image of fish filled her brain and she tilted her head still sniffing.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash's eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen. She notice too late, for the creature had already pounced on the boy. The girl ran forward, yelling at the creature before she was simply flicked away like a fly, hitting a tree hard. A sickening thud was heard, and she found it hard to move as she stared at the dragon and her companion, coming to the conclusion that both of the Vikings were doomed, before the world went black around her, having hit her head too hard.


Ash was a beautiful young girl, with pure white hair in a thick platt. Her eyes were a odd amber, and both of these facts were factors in the fact that no one paid attention to her. It was because of this lack of care that she hardly ate, and was the reason that she was unhealthily thin, ribs able to be seen when she didn't have her loose and torn shirt on. Currently though, her white hair made it easy to see the red that seeped into it from the collision with the tree

 

[AssiduousG]

Ash!


Out of the corner of his eye he could see the faint trickle of blood that oozed from her head. Darkening her hair into a blackish pink even that was noticeable even in the night. Breathe coming out in nervous pants and gasps he tried to calm down, but Ash's instructions seemed to be stuck in the back of his mind. Making it hard for him to think and focus on her words as the beast sniffed at him. His chest heaved up and down rapidly, fear filling every part of his mind making his pupils dilate and his muscles lock up and shake.


Tears filling his eyes he glanced down at the narrow shaped head sniffing his neck. It's fur-like spines seemed sharp and deadly even by looking at it and by closer examination they were a pale gold color. In any other situation he would have admired it, but now fearing for his life he couldn't even think straight much less find the time to admire it's scales.


The Woolly Howl.





He could remember now form his classes even though it wasn't much. An elusive dragon that was rarely seen even in it's own habitat, which was much farther than Berk. Very dangerous, he recalled his Fishleg's word, and very fast. It preferred to mangle and tear it's prey to bits before eating it wheater it was alive or not. A sob came from his mouth as he tried to remain calm.


His breathing slowing and his eyes blinking away the tears that threatened to fall he glanced down at it. It paused mid sniff and tilted it's head. The spines along it's back seemed to twitch slightly and it raised it's head. The moonlight reflected off of it making it shimmer. Their eyes locked gazes. Dark brown and gold seemed to locked within each other's eye sight. One evaluated the other and one seemed to be in a mindless daze.


The golden eyes gleamed and blinked slowly and appearing to sigh slowly to itself. It's body was still in a crouched position above Arvid before it slowly back away. Before Arvid could register what had happened it turned tail and disappeared. The night swallowing it whole.


It took a few moments for him to come to his senses before he slowly stood up. Body still shaking and legs barely holding him up. His head felt light and the tears that had threatened to spill rushed down his face before he wiped them angrily.


Ash!





He ran to body and crouched. Hands hesitating before he touched her arm, he ignored the blood even though it soaked into his shirt making his arm sticky nd wet. He grabbed her legs and placed them on top of his arms and held her in a bridal position before standing up slowly. The exhilaration still ran through his body making him stronger though he felt the bile rise in his throat.


Without a second glance backward he rushed towards Berk just as the sun began to rise.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Watching the hunt from afar, sat a black scaled dragon, its wings tucked loosely. Said wings were bigger than its grown body, making it almost impossible for them to be tucked completely to its elegantly shaped body. A pair of green-yellow, cat-like eyes watched the humans and the other dragon with curiosity, frowning as the other dragon ran off. Wondering what had chased it off, for he had seen no weapons used, and the dragon could of killed the boy easily, the creature got closer, following the humans silently as the male carried the female away. It did however, freeze as they got closer to Berk, and turned around, disappearing into the shadows of the forest once more.


-------


Ash whimpered softly as she was picked up, but showed no signs of waking until they were a few minutes from Berk itself. Her amber eyes flickered open slowly, blinking up at the boy in a dazed manner, before she closed them again with a soft whine

 

[AssiduousG]

He almost staggers under her weight as he carriers her through the forest. She's not fat, but he finds it a little hard to think as the adrenaline passes away and he's left with aching and jelly like muscles. His breathe comes out in smokey and cool in the morning air and fades away as he passes the them. The air is sharp and clear almost making his nose sting as he inhales heavily and exhales with the same fervor.


"I almost died..." he whispers to himself as he can see the edges of the village and the top outline of the roofs. He's almost weak with relief and tries to cry out, but he can't. His lungs hurt and his head is foggy, but he can't stop. He knows he can't. Glancing back fearfully at the forest he scolds himself harshly in his mind and quickens his pace. Swallowing back the spit that has built up in his mouth he grimaces as it travels down his scratchy and barren through. It hurts to swallow he finds out.


His arm stings like fire and his head is filled with the jagged memories or blood and yellow eyes that seem to stare at him curiously. He doesn't want to think about it, but what made it stop? He can still see the confusion in it's eyes as it paused it's attack and sniffed at him. He shivers and tries to block it out, but the thought keeps coming back. Over and over and over again in a never ending loop that torments him.


The blood from Ash's head trickles down his arm and onto the ground wetly leaving a dark spots in the snow as he carries her. His own arm is bleeding, but he doesn't want to focus on that. Glancing down at Ash tears fills his eyes as he tries to apologize, but his tongue seems too thick in his mouth. It's like the words are stuck in his throat and don't dare to come out no matter what he does.


I'm so sorry Ash, the thought lingers in his mind as he tightens his grip on her and speeds up. The blood drips down from his arm from the three claw marks that maim his arm, it's going to scar. He can tell just by the pain he feels. he doesn't glance at it in fear that he might pass out...


By the time they reach the village a few vikings are out and about either working on today's fish supply or wood storage. Relief bursts from him and he tries to call out, but nothing seems to escape his mouth but a breathless moan.


"What the-It's Leon and that Ash girl! Someon-" with a grin, that's all he hears before everything else is motion filled blur. Before he can blink he sees the chief's startled eyes and can feel the press of Chief Hiccup's chest as he carries him. He blinks, dazed, at his arms and finds them empty before out of the corner of his eye he can see Ash being carried alongside him by the Mastersmith. The last thing he sees is being escorted into the medical unit before darkness overcomes him.


~


What he doesn't see is at the edge of the village surrounded by the dense forest is eyes. Pale yellow and curious watching them...no him. It narrows it's eyes and hisses under it's breathe as it sees the larger man carry the boy.


Mine. The thought races across it's mind and it blinks startled at the ferocity. It tilts it's head to the side in amazement and makes a gargled sound. Almost akin to chuckling. Narrowing it's eyes it focuses on the boy until he's out of it's view. No matter. I will see to him tonight. That's the last thought as it slowly turns around and leisurely walks away.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

The next time Ash woke, was in the Mastersmiths arms. Her amber eyes widened, and she panicked, rolling out of them onto the floor, then struggling to get up. She gave a weak, whimper like growl, and staggered off, holding her head in one hand. She couldn't see straight, and her feet didn't seem to like going in a straight line anyway, but no one dared to follow her and help her, their attention then turned to Leon as they began to help him.


Ash knew no one cared for her, and whined softly to herself as she felt blood drip down her head, but she walked/staggered on. She finally settled against a tree, a while from the houses of Berk, and curled her legs to her chest, her back to the bark of the tree. She was panting softly, her side hurting from hitting the tree so hard, but she ignored it, closing her eyes to try and get rid of the pain.


It hardly worked however, and instead her thoughts turned to the boy, Leon. The only way for them to of got back was for him to of carried her here, and faint memories of opening her eyes to see his face above her briefly confirmed that. She wondered why he had helped her, no one else would of, proof of that was back at the medical unit.


-----------------


The black scaled dragon had ran around the village of Berk, and was watching the girl, who had now closed her eyes and gone limp. He moved closer slowly, giving a growl, trying to work out if she was awake. Frowning when she didn't react, he nudged her arm with his muzzle, then picked her up on his back when she didn't respond again, understanding that something was wrong with the human, of whom he had only ever seen in the forest, helping other dragons. Deciding that they should return the favor, the Nightfury moved closer to the village, laying her down in a soft patch of grass outside of it, and giving a loud call, before he ran off

 

[AssiduousG]

The Masterharper glanced at the sharp, black figure of the Nightfury as it moved the girl before vanishing into the woods. He sighed softly to himself and glanced around. The commotion in the village seemed to have attracted everyone except for himself. He was worried about the boy, yes, but he knew he would be alright. Despite his small frame he was fighter, Rorik could see that. His hands still fiddling with the flute, carving descriptive shapes into it he set it down softly and stood up from beside his window.


Rorik could see the blood from over where was standing and quickly made his way towards his door and pushed it open. He grimaced slightly at the light that hit his face, but ignored it in favor of almost running to the girl. By the time he got there the blood was everywhere, dying her hair almost black and cursed.


He had seen her go into the woods every night since Hiccup had shown the whole isle of Berk that dragons weren't dangerous... he snorted as he remembered seeing the claw marks on the boy's arm. he had watched her fearlessly walk into the woods despite the still ongoing fear and come out stronger and more knowledgeable than before. He had to admit that she was something to be admired.


Crouching down and softly maneuvering her into his arms he cradled her body, almost dwarfed in size as he hurried towards the medical unit. The rush and excitement had died down and he could see and hear the whispers that floated along the people. Did you see his arm? Oh, gods is he going to die Marga? Shut up you idiot that's Aldin's son, of course he isn't going to die! We should kill that beast!





Grumbling to himself he ignored the silence that permitted when he walked with the girl. He narrowed his eyes as he could see and fell the animosity and almost yelled at them. What did she ever do to them? He almost snapped at a young lady who turned her head and looked away.


He pushed his way through the door and glanced and nodded at the chief who was standing over in the corner talking to Leon's parents. His eyes moved over to where Rorik was and the girl and nodded towards the empty bed. Rorik almost sagged in relief. He placed her on the bed softly and waited for a few seconds until the nurse came in. Her face masked into concern he watched as his wife checked over the girl and leave to get the needles and bandages.


He blinked at Ash and raised his hand to wipe the blood from her face and hair that was stuck and bit the inside of his cheek. He could hear the rushed conversation of Aldin and the chief as they argued.


"We should find that beast and kill it!" the roar was strong and harsh. He glanced over at Leon who had twitched.


The chief sighed sharply and Rorik could hear the anger in his tone even from oer here. "No. We will kill no dragons. Why were they both out past moon high anyway-"


"Are you saying this is his fault?"


"No...I'm sorry you're son got hurt, but I can't help but wonder why they were both out in the first place." The chief voice was stern, but gentle as he soothed the man. "I'll do everything in my power to try and get the dragon to leave. I'll even do search parties to try and drive it out. Though I think I know the reason why it attacked. Let me finish...look I don't want to upset you're wife any further so let's go talk somewhere else."


Rorik could hear the mumbled grumbling of Aldin and the sigh of acceptance as he followed the chief outside.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Ash's eyes flickered open as she felt herself be placed down, and felt someone wipe a liquid from her face. Frowning in confusion as to who it was and how she had got here, she gave a whimper, opening slightly glassy eyes which turned toward the arguing vikings as they left. She huffed, trying to sit, but failing completely and instead collapsing back onto the bed she had been laid upon. Her eyes scanned the room, falling upon Rorik, and she gave a soft, scared sounding whimper.


She seemed to think that, like the other vikings, he hated her, and was only here because of his wife. She growled as her head decided to pound like a Gronkle had hit it, and she closed her eyes again, annoyed by the light. Opening her eyes once more, she turned her head slowly, holding down the feeling of sickness, and noticed Leon. Her eyes scanned his body, fear in the amber orbs, and she turned her head back to Rorik, "W-Will he be o-ok?" She asked, her voice a mixture of stutters and slurs.


---------


The Nightfury watched from the forest. He flicked his tail, his eyes searching for the girl, relieved to see she had been moved from where he had placed her. She was his and he wouldn't allow her to die

 

[AssiduousG]

Rorik grunted as he heard the voices die down as the two vikings left. Their deep voices and yelling would have surely awakened one or two the children by now. He blinked at the slurred and raspy voice that hit him. He turned his head towards the young girl-Ash was her name- and sighed. Leave it up to Aldin with his heavy voice to wake her up. He didn't smile nor did he show his appreciation that she was awake. Instead he frowned and answered her in a gruff tone.


"Aye, he's just in a bit of a shock right now. Besides it would be worse if he hadn't come at all and just passed out where you both were," at this he raised an eyebrow, "You owe him your life. Not a lot of Vikings would have done that for anyone you know." He decided not to say anything about the Nightfury or the type of dragon that had attacked the both of them and instead sighed.


Smirking he saw his wife come back with a wet rag. She glanced down at the awake girl and frowned at the doorway where the two vikings had left and turned Ash's head towards her. "Now just take a deep breathe and relax. This will knock you out so I can clean the blood and stich your wound. Besides, you'll need sleep anyway." her voice held no argument, for it was firm and unquestionable.


Rorik grunted his agreement, "I would listen to her. The pain of the special alcohol she's about to give you will know you out anyway so I would just get it over with the sniff." he paused. "That is if you like pain..."