Returning the Favor. (Asgeir/Ulrika)

[Deleted]

Time and Date:: Early October after noon.
Weather:: Mild snow.


"No no no! I remember the damned place to be around here..." He mumbled as he looked at Heor. The dragon would look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Stop questioning me will you?! I swear." He said, his scarf covering the lower half of his face. He was in his typical 'go anywhere outsider armor'. He jumped down a small edge, catching onto a branch and swinging down as he landed gracefully, Heor jumping down after him. "The chief said there were smoke stacks coming from around these woods." He said with a sigh. "Didn't the chief say anything about a rookie being sent on a hunt?" He asked, looking back at Heor and he was given the same old glance. "Yea yea... I guess that's right." He said, shrugging. He looked down the next edge, finding it safe enough to somer sault down. He looked up to see Heor roll his eyes. "I like showing off okay!"

He shook some of the snow from his hair, he looked around. "Alright, you go find the girl, I'll try and find the damned smoke stack..." He said, taking the blades from Heor's side and hooking the sheaths onto his belt. "Yip yip." He said, patting Heor's side and seeing it fly off. He continued walking the direction he was going, not too sure of what to find.

Heor would fly around the forest, letting a roar off or two. "Hello?" He roared, not knowing if anybody could hear him.

As he heard the roar, he rushed to it, his legs pumping like no tomorrow. "HEOR!" He yelled, not quite close enough yet to be heard by the men. The dragon would hear his friends cry for help and come down to his side as he ran. As he ran, he expertly placed a foot on the tree and jumped on top of the dragon's saddle. With a great push, he was sent flying. Looking around, he found the clearing. "Go straight then circle back my friend." He said, patting it on the side. As if on a stroke of luck, he saw what he was speaking of earlier. He jumped off the saddle, Heor croaking as it looked at Asgeir fall down to the branch.

Mid flight, he grabbed the branches in his way, to slow down his fall and he fell into a roll right infront of the girl. He rolled to his feet, looking at the girl with the bow and he raised his arms in the air. "I'm not here to hurt you!" He said, his scarf covering his face.

[Ulrika&Timber]

Ulrika was hunting, as she usually did. She had found some deer tracks not too long ago, and was now eagerly tracing the steps. She had her bow in one hand and an arrow nocked, and half drawn, ready for a quick strike without hurting her arms too much. She didn't know that her dragon was following her, defying her orders once again. The dragon remained out of earshot, but her keen senses allowed her to follow her all the same.

Unfortunately those keen senses quickly made her pick up another, unfamiliar scent. The night fury raised her head up all of a sudden and twisted her head to face the direction the scent, and faint sound could be heard from. She decided to break from her path. Angry dragons were loud, after all. Timber was curious. She plodded through the undergrowth, and as she went further along the senses became sharper. Soon she could hear voices, but they weren't Berkians. The geography began to dip a little bit, and it looked like there seemed to be some sort of day camp in this small dip in the earth. Timber paused in the shadows, out of sight. There were four men there, some seemed to be making some kind of broth over a fire, one was sharpening an axe and the other was tending to... Contraptions. She tilted her head to the side slightly in confusion at the sight. She hadn't seen anything like it. But she didn't know these men, and she had no idea whether they posed a threat or not. So Timber was content to merely observe, for now.

She didn't realise that she was also being watched. A hunter had emerged from the thicket. He had found mysterious dragon tracks - and they were leading right to the camp! He eagerly followed, keeping quiet, as he didn't want to upset the dragon. He noticed it from far away, and he recognised the breed! It was a Night Fury! What a prize they would earn from it's hide! He didn't want to alert it, he was afraid yet exhilarated. The canopy was low, and thick here, so it couldn't fly away, which was good for them, but they were smart beasts, which was bad for them. He slowly found a route where he could throw his bolas. It seemed like a good position. The dragon was so into what was going on in the camp, he hadn't even noticed him taking his place. He prepared his weapon.

Timber kept watching, trying to figure out their purpose. They didn't seem to be talking much, except making a tally on their weapons. But suddenly she heard a whirring to her left! She turned her head but she realised what it was too late. She tried to jump out the way, but the bolas got her, trapping her wings and legs. She roared; loudly, thrashing in attempt to loose herself from her binds. How did she get so easily caught! The other men quickly arrived at the scene, alerted by the dragon.

Ulrika had found her deer, and she was poised, motionless, ready to strike. She had her bow drawn and she was waiting for the creature to lift it's head from grazing when a dragon roared. The deer bolted before Ulrika could shoot, but she recognised that cry. It was a Night Fury. How many other Night Furies were there on Berk? "Timber!" She gasped. Her eyes widened with dread and she sprung from her hiding place, her arrow still knocked but the string loose. She could hear the struggling cries of her dragon - she was in trouble! She couldn't let it die or get hurt!

The cries stopped but it didn't stop her from making noise, as a thick belt was forcefully wrapped around her head to stop her from trying any more cries or potential plasma blasts. They noticed she had a saddle. They were hesitant, if the dragon belonged to someone or not. One of them sent a guy to check the perimeter for a lurking dragon rider that might pose a threat to their trophy.

Ulrika was sprinting as fast as she could, but suddenly something came crashing through the trees from above, making her skid to a halt and draw her bow in reflex to the perhaps potential attacker. She was breathing rapidly from the running, but it didn't stop her from keeping that bow taught and ready to strike if need be. He raised his arms in the air, telling her he meant no harm. She said nothing at first. All she knew was her dragon was in trouble. And this man landed in front of her all of a sudden, getting between her and where she thought her dragon was right now.

"Did you take my dragon?" She managed to rasp, almost spitting with hatred. She watched for any sign of movement that would betray his cause. "Did you take my dragon?"

He shook his head. "Why would I? So it -is- your dragon down there?" He asked hands still raised. "Put the bow down... I'd rather not be turned into a pin cushion." He said, reaching over and trying to grab the bow.

Ulrika didn't let go of her bow just yet. She had no reason to belive that this man was on her side. He came forwards to try and reach for her bow, but she moved it, redirecting the arrow between his eyes as he came closer. "Don't touch me!" She said louder, there was a hint of fear in there, but she was still recuperating from her run, and there was still the urgent matter of her dragon being in trouble. She backed up slightly.

He backed up slowly, "Alright sorry." He said, moving his hand. The crunching of the snow beneath foot was picked up by his hearing as he raised a hand to his mouth. He pulled his scarf tighter as he let himself fall backwards, seeming to 'disappear' into the snow. Ulrika noticed the noise too, with her hunter's ears. Her sight was redirected for a moment before flickering back to the man in front of him. She watched with confusion as he appeared to simply collapse in the snow, his white clothing making him blend in. Ulrika's stance faltered slightly at this, unsure what to make of it.

Then out of the undergrowth emerged the scout the hunting party had sent after the dragon rider that belonged to the night fury. He spotted her and suddenly something whilsting flew past her. It was a crossbow dart! He had missed by a longshot, but it meant Ulrika had the instinct to hide behind a tree nearby. She held her bow close to her chest. Who were these people? Did they capture Timber? So it wasn't some kind of dragon incident... Trappers! A newfound hatred entered her. She was going to get back Timber, and she was going to give them a piece of her mind. These people were not welcome on Berk.


[ooc - there's some collaborative RP in the piratepad in here so disregard godmodding and all that thing]

[Deleted]

Asgeir rolled backwards to his feet as the man reloaded his crossbow. He quickly spun around, elbowing the Trapper in the throat, knocking the wind out of him. He unsheathed a sword, eyes full of fury as he kicked the side of the trapper's knee, making him fall onto it. He kicked him down, the blade's tip resting on the wounded man's spine. "Death comes to the trappers that fall into Berkian territory. What makes you smart enough that I shouldn't take your life?" He asked, pressing the blade down. The Trapper, having tears in his eyes from the pain, started to shed them. "Please! PLEASE! I have a wife and family!" He cried. Asgeir grabbed the man by the back of the hair, holding him up and making him face where Ulrika had hidden. "That dragon -IS- her family. What would you do if I killed one of your children infront of you?!" He yelled, the man starting to sob some more. "Please! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" The man pleaded. He threw him to the ground again, the man desperatly reaching out and crawling. He turned around, the fury in his eyes like two bright flames able to melt the snow around.

He flipped the sword in his hand. "Death comes to the foolish." He says, kicking him into the ground the man into the ground and he flipped the sword so the hilt of the blade would point the sky. "I deliver you this fool, Hel." He prays, planting the tip of the blade into the man's throat. The gurgling sound of the dieing man drowning on his blood brought Asgeir back to his senses, he blinked rapidly as he removed the blade from the man's throat. He wiped the blood onto the man's shirt and sheathing his blade. He looked up. "It's alright. He's not going to harm you anymore." He says, looking back to where the smoke stack was rising again. "I'll go and save your dragon. If you want to help, follow my footsteps. I'll be waiting ten minutes." He said, walking off.

[Ulrika&Timber]

Ulrika heard a scuffle, and sudden, pleading cries, that didn't sound like the man she just met. She dared to poke her head around the corner of the tree, and watched the events unfold. Something made her not want to watch, but she felt glued to witness the actions. The way this man was acting, what he was saying - he was a Berkian? He likened her dragon to her family… She didn’t quite grasp the concept because of her upbringing, but she knew that Timber was important to her.

He then kicked the man to the ground and raised the sword over him, sentencing him to death. Ulrika had never seen someone kill a man before. It was not what she had expected. The white snow steamed slightly as bright red blood spattered it’s surface in stark contrast.The man died rather violently, drowning on his own blood. It almost made Ulrika disgusted, but it wasn’t like she didn’t know death. She usually gave her prey a quick death, to save hide and not ruin muscle.

She was beginning to realise why she wasn’t allowed to go to the war when they had. But Ulrika’s attention quickly snapped to the man as he began to address her, assuring her that everything was safe. Not wanting to be taken for a weakling, she quickly got up, brushing snow off her furs with her free hand. “I’m fine.” She muttered, not occurring to her to apologise for not trusting him earlier.

He then said some more belittling words. “Don’t coddle me, I’m not weak! I’m saving my dragon! She's going to die if I don't hurry up! I don’t need your help!” She replied defiantly, the sense of urgency quickly coming back once more. She picked up her pace with determination, running ahead of Asgeir in the direction that she knew her dragon was. She quickly reached the outer rim of the hill, once again drawing her bow, ready to strike. She observed carefully, she could see Timber in the middle, tied up and looking very miserable.

The NightFury was surrounded by four men. They were all armed and were considering what to do with the rare beast they had landed themselves. Ulrika was desperate to go in, but the death she just witnessed had bothered her slightly, and she didn't particularly want a repeat. She also doubted her abilities to fight off four full grown men with just a bow. She had never learnt how to do combat with her bow, she only really used it for hunting, and fought with an axe or her fists, whichever came to hand first. 

[Deleted]

He looked down on the hill, crouched a bit and then he stood up, Heor behind him. His face had taken on the rage from earlier, eyes brighter then the sun reflected on the snow. "I DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION!" He yelled, the men turning back and seeing him and they all laughed. "Run along kiddie. This won't be good for ye." Their leader said. Asgeir unsheathed his blades, and flipped them. He made one lean on his shoulder, the other one's tip in the ground. "Nor will it be for you if you don't release that Night Fury." He yelled back.

The men looked at each other and mumbled. Asgeir took this time to look at Ulrika. "Here's the plan kiddo. I'll kill the idiots, you go for your dragon." He said, looking back to the clearing as their stares went back to him. "GET HIM!" The man yelled. Asgeir raised his sword in the air. "I pray to the gods above to give me their blessings in this fight!" He quickly prayed, looking at Heor and nodding. The dragon knew instantly what that meant.

The Galewing would extend it's wings, making them reach their full length and with one, powerful flap of his wings a massive gust of wind blew forth. Strong enough to move all of the snow from the branches around and blow it over the small clearing. The men stopped, and looked at him disappear in the cloud of snow.

Yes, that's right. The snow that was blown from the dragon's wings camouflaged both the dragon and it's rider. "You won't have much time until the snow dies down, I hope you remembered where your dragon was." She could hear from where he was standing before he jumped down, blades drawn. The visibility of the clearing was just reduced to non-existence as blasted another wave of snow forward, thickening the cloud.

The massacre that ensued was all because of this brilliant tactic. Men would stumble over each other as Asgeir would pick them off one by one, using his agility and superior hearing to know exactly where his opponents were tumbling about. The trappers had no idea what was hitting them, the perfect cover for Ulrika to go out and save timber with.

[Ulrika&Timber]

She heard the crunching snow behind him as her hesitation gave Asgeir the time to catch up. While Ulrika was unsure what to do, Asgeir seemed confident, breaking their cover and declaring their attention. As they jibed, she could see Timber, and the dragon was looking back at her. She stirred in her bindings and groaned again, and one of the poachers kicked the dragon. It caused a reflex in Ulrika and she drew her bow at the man. "DONT YOU LAY A FINGER ON HER!" She screamed.

"Pfft! You're the rider of this dragon? Don't make me laugh." Said the man. "This dragon's time will be better spent with us, I assure you." Ulrika snarled, tightening the bow further, but still not letting that arrow fly. "Go on! Shoot! Or are you a coward?" He smirked, egging her on. He could see that she couldn't bring herself to despite his malice. Asgeir murmured some sort of tactic, which Ulrika paid little heed to. She and this man were staring each other down. She wanted to shoot, but the image from before of Asgeir killing their scout was on the mind.

Ulrika almost stumbled as the sudden blast of wind whipped up the snow. Everyone seemed to disappear. She could see vague dark figured down below. The man dressed in white had once more disappeared. She could hear some men fighting over the sudden blizzard. Ulrika had one thing on her mind - Find Timber. She quickly descended, trying to avoid the fight. She saw the even larged, darker mass on the ground nearby. But she also saw the man who was still where he was. She saw a flash of white light - he had drawn a knife.

"Not a step closer! Or your precious Night Fury is Dragon meat!" He said, brandishing it threateningly. Ulrika redrew her bow once more. The wind buffeted her, she took a few steps to stable herself, but the man made a sudden move towards her dragon. Ulrika's arrow flew and she had no idea whether she actually hit or not in the moment but the man seemed to have fallen over. Seizing the opportunity, she pulled her own knife and began cutting away at a few of the ropes. Timber stirred, but then the dragon let out a muted call, drawing Ulrika's attention. The man was getting back up. She could see an arrow in him, but the winds were dying down - Asgeir must have almost finished his job. Ulrika dropped the knife and pulled her bow again, but the man was quicker. He knew he couldn't get to her in time but he threw his knife at her. He was injured so he missed her heart by a long shot, but he nastily gashed her left shoulder, slicing through her tattoo. Ulrika yelped in pain, a hand moving to her arm. It hurt to move it, and she drew back her hand to see quite a bit of blood. And then she noticed. The deep cut had also ruined her tattoo. Now she was angry. She picked up her bow, and stood up. The man laughed. She was never going to shoot with an arm like that! Ulrika was growling, she hurt a lot, but she had to save Timber. The man's smirk face twisted to dread as Ulrika groaned. It hurt like mad, and it was difficult to hold the bow, but she drew it nonetheless. She could feel hot liquid pumping over her skin but she ignored it. She let loose an arrow. The man stood there for a moment this time before falling to his knees. Just to be safe, she tortured herself and drew another arrow, making sure he would not get up again. The snow was falling and the blizzard was clearing, and Ulrika began to see colour again.

Ulrika looked at the man. The snow underneath him was starting to take on the colour red. She also realised her arm was wet, looking to it she almost gasped as she noticed the amount of blood covering her skin, from the strain of firing the bow. Ulrika wasn't finished though. Timber shuffled and groaned again, distracting her. "Timber!" She quickly took up her task once again and freed Timber. The Night Fury instantly bound to her feet and nuzzled Ulrika, and Ulrika hugged the dragon's face.

"You saved me!" Timber crooned. "I was a fool, I was curious and-"
"I won't let anything happen to you Timber... You're my friend and I love you." Ulrika said, still not realising that Timber was talking. The dragon didn't complain though. She was tearing up, glad that her dragon was finally safe.
"I love you too, my little idiot." She said, before playfully knocking her to the ground and beginning an assault of licks, which Ulrika struggled against. But then the Night Fury stopped, noticing her wound, sniffing at it. Ulrika was beginning to feel it, now that the adrenaline rush of the fight was dying down. Ulrika sat up and grabbed a fistful of snow and held it against her wound. Timber cleaned up the blood on her arm.

Ulrika sat there for a moment, just replacing the snow when needed. She forgot Asgeir for a moment, and Timber moved around to sit by her to try and keep her a little bit warm by providing shelter. Timber noticed the man though, and craned her neck around. He had killed the other men. Timber made a gruffing noise for his attention. "Thank you for helping Ulrika. I don't think she could have done it without you." She said, unsure whether he knew dragonese or not, but he had a dragon, so at least it wasn't falling on deaf ears. She then looked back at ulrika, blowing some hot hair on the top of her head, ruffling up her fringe.

[Deleted]

He seemed to calm down as the snow died down. Exhaustion over came him at that point. He chuckled as he fell to his knees, the blizzard clearing and revealing the bloody snow around him. He had butchered these people... for a girl he barely even knew. Was that worth it? He nodded to himself. "It wasn't for the girl." He told himself aloud, and looked up to the two cuddling each other in the snow. He had finally seen the cause of the cry, and it was because of that dragon. A Night Fury... he grinned, getting up and panting as he walked over to the corpses, making sure they were all dead. He had blood on himself, he finally realized as he looked down at his once White armor stained red. "Oh how this is going to be a pain to wash off." He said, then he winced, bringing a hand to his face to wipe away the crimson liquid from his cheek. "Not too deep..." He was talking to himself again. He put the palm of his hand onto it to stop it from bleeding too much, and seeing as how he had a bit of snow on there then everything would be even better.



He shook the red snow off his hand to take some more and apply it on his face. It was finally time to go meet the little devil that he had helped. Her dragon seemed to say something to him and he shrugged. "Sorry! I don't understand you're language. Heor doesn't want to help me learn." He said, the dragon landing next to him and whacking him with his wing. "Ouch..." He chuckled. "I guess I deserved that." He said and they both walked over to Timber. Heor seemed to sigh a bit. "Sorry for his attitude. He's a nice guy and his values are at the right place." The dragon roared with a laugh. "Not to say he is quite the fighter. Your small girl surprised me as well." The dragon said with a grin.



Asgeir walked up to Ulrika and took of his scarf. "If you don't mind... I'll just tie this around you." He said, gently putting his hand on hers and moving it off the wound. "Ouch. That looks like it hurt." He said, putting some snow on it and wrapping his scarf tightly around it. "It might sting a bit but I can't let you lose anymore blood." He said, extending a hand afterward. "I don't think we've properly met. My name is Asgeir." He said with a chuckle, a grin coming to his face. He pointed to the Galewing. "That's Heor." He looked to Timber. "You must be Timber. She was deathly afraid for you." He said, then looked to the girl. "Yet I have no idea what your name is.
" He said giving the girl a friendly, warm smile..