Nothing like a bit of real life experience ~ (Open)

[Rilkar Olden & Sindyr]

Time and Date: Mid afternoon, December
Weather: Snowing.... Hard.
Previous Threads:  None

    Running wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do in this kind of weather, nor in the already settled snow.  Having a Nadder nipping at his coat and chasing him down wasn't the most favorable situation either.  The snow bit at his face through his cold weather gear, and the wind itself chewed at his figure.  A spray of spines embedded themselves in the tree in front of him and he ducked instinctively, rolling into the snow.  Not bringing his weapon was one of the only reasons he wasn't dead.  The Nadder kept leaping over everything he kept tripping on, and it was starting to look worse and worse for him every second.  Rilkar slipped over a group of rocks and threw himself into a crevice smaller than the nadder's head so it couldn't get at him with its teeth.  It gnashed down at him for a few seconds before taking a step back and perching on the rocks, waiting for him to move.

    Though not necessarily an opportunity, he slowly, pulled himself up out of the crack in the rocks, making direct eye contact with it and attempting to stay in its blind spot.  Physical adaptation of words on a page was always difficult without a guide or demonstration.  Almost without thinking he reached up with his hands, one further than the other, what he assumed was a normal stance for a stand down, it worked on most pets and horses to calm them down in his homeland.  He took a few steps forward with his hands up, and found the results to be quite the contrary to what he was just experiencing.  Sweat filled his ears and eyes, adding to the discomfort of the moment.  While it didn't hate him anymore, it sure didn't like the idea of him touching it.  Rilkar seized the opportunity to slip away, turning away from the dragon to start running the opposite direction again.  Not soon after he started running did the darned thing lunge onto his back pinning him to the ground.  It almost roosted there, on his back, just sitting there with most of its weight on his legs and back.

    "Oh come on.... Why is it that Nadders always do this to me!"  He buried his face in his arms and waited.

[Scratchet]

There was a new guy on the block, and it didn't take a hobblegrunt for a dragon to know the guy was skittish. It was a new experience, Scratchet had lived exclusively on people used to dragons, or angry at them... But never really wary and afraid like this one! It sparked her curiosity, so decided to play with him.

Naturally, he was having none of it, and tried to escape her, which was new. She jokingly shot a few spines in his direction, obviously missing, but enough to freak him out a bit. But then the man squeezed into a place that she couldn't get at! She hopped around, before easily jumping overhead onto the rocks, ready for him if he makes a break for it. Scratchet was having a lot of fun. It was almost like terrorising the chickens on the farm, but a human! She hopped down again, trying to get him to come out, but then she saw him make a break - but into her blind spot! She swayed this way and that, slightly frustrated she could smell but not see him - he was getting smarter!

He emerged into her line of sight - with his hands up, as if to stop her advancement. She wasn't going to get any closer anyway. She croaked at him, but as he came closer it was clear he was trying to touch her, which she didn't want. He was obviously thinking he could train her, but it was obvious he was clueless about dragons, clueless about the infamous Scratchet!

She snorted and raised her head, and was about to playfully snap at him again to make him run when he bolted. She croaked again and easily chased after him, with her larger gait. She tackled him to the ground and nestled on him, humans were so warm! She grinned and croaked again. Meanwhile the man was complaining. His giving up quickly though surprised her - she didn't feel the struggle. Scratchet craned her neck over and sniffed him.

Oh right! She had pestered this guy before! He was talking about her! Didn't he recognise her? "Silly human, how can you try and train me if you can't tell between them!"

[Jokul & Starkad]

To those who barely even knew her, it was common knowledge that Starkad adored snow. She'd chase it, roll in it, eat it, and even play with it. Most of the humans and other dragons didn't seem to enjoy it as much though, so she couldn't share her happiness with anybody. But that didn't usually bug her, especially since the snow never said no to her and her antics.

Since the snowfall had started that morning, she'd run off into the forest. Sure, her mother would be furious with her when she returned, but she'd deal with her later. In the meantime, she was going to have fun in this winter wonderland.

Jokul, on the other hand, was in his own living Hel. He'd been ordered to follow her to make sure she made her way back, but that was easier aid than done. A viking was absolutely no match for an energetic young dragon. The only reason he didn't lose her in the white forest, was because of her happy-shaded scales. Otherwise, he might've even gotten lost himself. 

The said dragon's sensitive frills were buffeted by the wind, but instead of bothering her, it only seemed to get her more riled up. And though the snow stuck to her scales, nearly giving her a full coat of white, the eye-burning yellow and orange could easily be seen through it.

Starkad stopped her fast pace, and opened her mouth, sliding her tongue out in the process. For a moment, the hobblegrunt was calm and quiet, but it only lasted until her mouth got cold.

Jokul had actually managed to catch up to her in this moment of peace. And he was left panting against a tree when she took off again. "Gods dang it, Starkad! Calm down!" 

The young dragon began rolling around and covering herself with the powdery snow like it was dragon nip. Her tail trashed about in the stuff as she tried to do what the younger humans did. She shook herself free of the snow and stood back to observe her work. There! My own snow dragon!

Of course, if she did that, then she had to go sledding as well. Right? So when Starkad reached a large hill in the terrain, she couldn't contain herself. Without thinking twice, she dove into the snow and slid down the slope on her belly. She might've been lucky not to hit any obstacles, but she still couldn't see where she was headed.

Her rider wasn't as enthusiastic when he saw her vanish out of his line of sight. "Oh, come on!!" 

When Starkad popped her head out as she came to a stop, she didn't quite expect to see a nadder staring back at her, never mind the human she was settled on top of. As Starkad looked further, she realized she recognized the older dragon. In fact, it was surprising she didn't know when she first saw her. Scratchet?! The hobblegrunt had seen her around the in the village on rare occasions, and she'd heard a few of the many things the nadder had done to the humans, however, Starkad had never gotten a chance to speak with her.

Now's my chance!

She literally bounced through the snow towards the nadder until she was a yak's length away. With a tilt of her head, she asked, "Are you Scratchet?"

[Rilkar Olden & Sindyr]

    Rilkar tossed and turned trying to get out from underneath Scratchet.  He never caught a clear glimpse of her until then, he had first met her with a massive hang-over from a night of drinking.  To be honest he didn't remember much of that night or the morning after.  Mostly bulleted events, he got drunk, he fell down stairs, he woke up, then passed back out in the dragon stables.  The day after was also a blur as the blinding headache kicked in shortly after his meeting with Scratchet.  It wasn't until he had manage to wiggle himself around enough to face up at this annoyance that rested on him.  Things were only made worse when yet another dragon jumped into the fray of annoying sounds and jumpy motions.  He wasn't sure of what to make of this.  He knew the dragon didn't want to hurt him, and by now he had realized the thing was just playing with him.  So he had given up running. he'd hoped that it would eventually get bored and leave.  Which it seemed wouldn't be the case.  He just sighed audibly learned to enjoy the warmth at the cost of a major discomfort.  In the end it wasn't too unpleasant.  Weird, he figured scratchet was just trying to annoy him or pester him like he had heard other vikings warn him about.  He was just going to lay there and have none of it.  He'd have to observe and find out.
    "Scratchet... I should have figured it would be you chasing me about..."  He said between the various yarking and rawking of the two dragons.

[Scratchet]

Scratchet looked beneath her as the human tried to escape her grasp. She simply rearranged herself and put him once again into a secure position. She pushed him into the snow slightly to make him stay put.

The fun was interrupted, and her spines flexed as she heard something. Suddenly a bright yellow hobblegrunt came tumbling down the nearby slope. It made her jump and she let go of her playtoy, her wings splayed out to make herself look big in defense to the surprise. The smaller dragon popped her head out of the snow and looked at her. There was an awkward pause.

“Are you Scratchet?”

Scratchet blinked incredulously. She ruffled her wings and folded them back at her side, seeing as there was no longer a threat. She held herself sideways and put on a pompous pose.

“You don’t recognise me? Has everyone forgotten who I am today? Of course, I’m the infamous Scratchet! I should never be forgotten!”

The human then spoke and Scratchet cocked her head to the side to see and hear him. She glanced between him and the newcomer. “Quick. Let’s bury him in the snow before he can get away. He’s very squirmy.”


(Happy hobblegrunts are yellow, right?)

[Jokul & Starkad]

"Who wouldn't know you? You're the funnest dragon EVER!"

Scratchet was already better than Starkad had hoped her to be. The older dragon didn't take dragon dung from anyone, even humans. So when she'd offered the younger hobblegrunt a chance to help, she jumped at the chance. This dragon, though deemed a trouble-maker, was her idol. Well... next to her mother of course. 

"Yes! yes! yes! Make him into a snow pile!"

She didn't hesitate long before flicking her tail to cover the human's face in the white stuff. Despite the negative, angry emotions coming from him, the hobblegrunt didn't stop. She didn't want to disappoint the nadder. 

Back at the top of the hill, Jokul had managed to find his dragon's tracks, but he kept squinting his eyes to even see the blurry indents through the storm. "I swear, when I get home, I'm making a hobblegrunt belt." He grumbled to himself.

Once he saw Starkad's bright, yellow scales again, he half-ran down the hill. "STARKAD!! YOU'RE PLAYTIME IS OVER! WE'RE GOING-" He was abruptly cut off after snagging his foot on an unseen root. The boy was sent face-first into the snow, and continued to somersault until he reached level ground. 

The hobblegrunt winced at the force put behind her rider's voice. Sure, she got him angry on a regular basis, but this was one of those times he was just plain done. Starkad's fear only lasted until Jokul was sent sprawling down the side of the slope. Then she burst out with hearty grunts and hisses. 

"Oh Haha." The viking brushed himself off. "Let's laugh at the almost blind kid." And then he finally looked up and saw that his dragon wasn't alone. Not only that, but Starkad was helping this nadder bury someone! 

"What in the name of Thor is going on here?!" He shouted in dragonese, trying to surprise the nadder long enough to help the poor man out from underneath her claws.

[Rilkar Olden & Sindyr]

 "Right bloody bastard dragons..." he said as he poked his head out from from the pile of snow, slowly pulling his arms free as well where he could.  He grumbled some in audible words as he slowly emerged, checking himself to ensure all of his things were still on his person.  Once everything was accounted for he gave scratchet a bop on the nose in disapproval and continued to grumble, giving starkad a death glare as well.  He looked over at Jokul and smiled softly.
 "Oh, glad to see a friendly face.  At least there's one in this group."  He patted him on the shoulder and thanked him for his assistance.  He began to explain what he was doing out in the woods and what had happened.  "So, I run out here to try to see if calming a dragon worked the way the book said, and instead of a wild dragon I ran into scratchet here.  Then this weird thing pops out and starts warking and barking back and forth between itself and scratchet.  I guess burying me alive was a goal they shared."
    He sighed and looked into the woods.  He realized that he had lost track of where he was in his frenzy to keep running from scratchet.  That was a minor issue for him.  Maybe less so for the locals, but it was definitely an issue for himself.  He looked over at Jokul with a confused look and decided maybe it was best to voice his thought.  "I hope one of you knows the way back...  Because I sure don't."

[Scratchet]

Starkard's human arrived shortly on the scene. She sensed him earlier and had stopped whilst the hobblegrunt continued to terrorise the human. He bellowed but his scolding didn't last long as Jokul tripped and tumbled down the bank of the hill. By now Starkard had also noticed which meant Rilkar was free to go. Scratchet cackled her laughter at the newcomer, not hearing the insults the knight was spewing.

His standing brought her attention on him again, he checked himself out, which made Scratchet curious, but as she got close Rilkar bopped her on the nose. She suddenly leapt up in surprise surprise and took a few steps back. “Nadder’s noses are sensitive, Godamnnit! What’s wrong with you!” Since she didn’t really have arms to rub her nose she nuzzled the tip of her snout in the snow slighty.

The man obviously didn’t realise what he had done because he completely ignored her and walked up to Jokul to greet him. She watched, her eyes reduced to slits, before slowly removing her nose from the snow. She shook her head and sligthly sneezed at the cool moisture that had not into her nostrils, and titled her head to the side to see what the humans were doing. No one bops Scratchet on the nose. Nor call her dragon brethren a “thing”. Even board-walker, the stupidest girl on the island, knew not to hit dragons!

She stalked up behind him and violently knocked him to the ground. Her spines were erect and her tail lashed around behind her in extreme disappointment. She screamed in his face, loudly, opening her jaws and showing him her sharp teeth. Since she lived in the village now, if she killed someone it might not look good for her or Kenna, and she wasn’t in a murderous mindset, yet. She put a foot on him to stop him from wriggling away and applied pressure.

If the hobblegrunt decided to ruin her moment and change her emotions, she would snap at her. This human needed to know their place.

Snarling, she cried out at him. “Do you have no respect for the dragonkin? To have the nerve to treat us like mangey dogs. Where do you come from to think dragons are beneath humans? Hysteria? If you’re from Hysteria I will kill you on the spot right now.” The thought of Hysterians made her angrily shudder, reminded of her past. There was only one Hysterian she could trust and this guy wasn’t him.

She kept up a constant low growl throughout, her head slightly to the side so she could see him, ignoring the boy and his dragon.

---

OOC: the hobblegrunt bit is optional xD it depends if starky wants to try stop scratchet or something xD it could also apply to jokul if he tries to stop her i guess too

[Rilkar Olden & Sindyr]

  He suddenly flopped onto his back with an angry dragon pinning him to the ground squawking angrily at him.  An old familiar feeling crept into his mind as he tried to determine exactly what was happening.  He had picked up some small chatter from other dragons, a few places, a few concepts and other words.  Nothing really that helped him figure out what Scratchet was squawking on about.  He listened for a second, a sort of anger and pain building in his chest, his breathing increased as he listened.  Something about hysteria made scratchet tense up, something about wanting to kill him, probably if he was from there.  The  build up had hit its peak and his face scrunched into a scowl.
  "IF YOU WANT TO KILL ME, YOU BLOODY BETTER DO IT.  YOUR KIND KILLED MY PEOPLE, YOU'LL ONLY FINISH WHAT YOUR KIND HELPED START!"  His voice was a rasping outburst of agony.  "Only know that I don't know what or where Hysteria is, and that I came to seek the truth of your kind.  Are you evil?  Or kind hearted beasts?  My blood is on your claws, dragon."  He reaches his hand up to Scratchet's snout and brushes past it to grab the horn and turn scratchet's head so he was in her line of sight.  He did not look afraid, not even intimidated, only a look of accepting.  "Where I came from, Dragons were on the front lines of an army who slaughtered my people and destroyed my home.  Tell me you're better than that..."  His head hits the snow and he simply looks up at her.  He doesn't try to fight.

[Jokul & Starkad]

Things were happening too fast for Jokul's brain to process. The man his dragon and Scratchet were torturing come to him as if they were already acquaintances, which only confused him on the situation further.

The boy wasn't really worried about why this man was out here, being the source for two dragons' entertainment. He was actually more concered about what'd happen after Scratchet regained her posture. The older viking wasn't exactly the best dragon trainer around... especially if he just irritated a dragon in the fastest way possible.

Starkad let out a loud, indignant snort at the man. Out of the snow, he's smellier than he was before, and not only that, he didn't seem to have any common sense. First, he went up to Jokul all 'buddy-buddy' like, and then he called her an 'it'. "Stupid head." She grumbled, knowing he'd hear her growl.

Starkad's frill quivered a bit when a flash of shock sent shivers down to her tail. Scratchet's body wasn't axactly graceful as she bounced back a few feet from the man's hand. The nerve of him! Whacking Scratchet on the nose! How dumb was he?!

She tried to get a closer to the distraught nadder, only to see Scratchet stick her head into the snow. She'd never seen a nadder react like this before, considering everyone knew not to smack one on the nose. And it wasn't long before the surprise wore off, and rage replaced it.

"S-Scratchet...?" She started tentatively. She didn't want to anger her further, so she stayed her distance. The hobblegrunt didn't even dare try to calm her down. She'd barely practiced with that ability, and she wasn't about to test it out when Thor knows what'll happen.

The moment the older dragon honed in on the man, Jokul knew this wasn't going to end well. He'd spotted Starkad's huddled form not far behind Scratchet as well. Having a hobblegrunt does have its pros sometimes, like an early warning system for angry dragons. "Um... You might want to-"

Jokul winced at how hard the man was thrown aside. "Never mind." He almost squeaked out. He didn't know what'd gotten her this mad. Sure, she has the right to be irritated, but in an outrage like this? Scratchet began her rant by hissing and spitting in the man's face.

Okay... he didn't have much time before claws were brought out. He wasn't the fastest thinker in the bunch, but at least he had the guts to do something to the nadder. In the middle of her speech, Scratchet turned her head just enough to block him from view. Jokul was going to react then, but when the man beneath her foot began yelling back in the same tone (If you can call dragon grunts a tone), he stopped himself.

The young viking didn't know what to do. Did he interrupt their... 'loud' conversation? Or wait? He found Starkad's dark mulberry scales, and tried to convey a message to help, but the hobblegrunt didn't even budge, too afraid to make a move.

It's now or never, I guess.

Jokul didn't try to think it through too hard, and rushed forward. Having been in Scratchet's blind spot had improved his chances of succeeding, if only he could find the right spot under her chin... And for someone who doesn't have the most perfect eyesight, he was definitely testing his luck today.

"No one's killing anybody today!" He shouted above the squawks. "I know he's a yak-brain, but cut him some slack!" He switched to dragonese to avoid the man from hearing being called an idiot. Jokul only hoped to get Scratchet see some sense if he couldn't find the 'sweet spot'. 

[Scratchet]

She flinched when the man bellowed back at her, almost equalling in volume, but she quickly regained her composure, only to snarl a rattling hiss as he pretty much admitted that he was a dragon killer. Scratchet moved - that was the line - she couldn't stand them; but then Rilkar grabbed her horn in a sturdy grip.

She was breathing loudly, nostrils flaring as he turned her head to look at him. Her pupils probably couldn't get any thinner at this point. She could kill him right then and there, but he had her in a hold, so not only was she insanely furious, she was also afraid, for someone who can kill dragons means she could get killed here too.

She then heard the Hobblegrunt's human talk over her noises before she could even take into consideration the murderer's words, trying to create peace. She couldn't see him, but she suddenly felt light scratches under her chin. He was trying to find her sweet spot.

She made a screaming noise, and ripped her head from Rilkar's grip and Jokul's unsuccesful scratching and leapt several metres away from them. "NO. Just, NO! Don't touch me! Neither of you!" It was obvious she was flustered. The man was a killer. She hoped so much to never encounter those kinds of men ever again. And the younger one, of Berk, didn't seem to bother that there was a dragon killer in their midst.

Her mind was finally started processing Rilkar's question. The mental process calmed her down slighty, but she was incredibly wary, and eyeing both of them from a distance to make sure they wouldn't do any funny business. She gave another rattling hiss, she didn't want any of them near her.

"Dragons... are nor good nor evil. We don't follow your concepts. We survive. If surviving means getting freefood and doing jobs for humans, so be it. If those humans use us for 'bad', so be it. We are alive and eat food. If surviving means destroying buildings, or killing men, to survive, so be it. If you threaten us, we will kill you, because we want to stay alive."

On her brief time on Villany, at the beginning of exile, she knew the dragons would return to the mainland. Not only for vengeance, but also to loot for free food. It was easier to kill a lone dragon, so it was risky to pick on fishing boats, but instead attack the main town in swarms and overwhelm. Scratchet didn't take part, of course, she was still very young and inexperienced, but it was information she soaked up regardless.

[Rilkar Olden & Sindyr]

    "I'm sure you've smelled the blood of dragons on the suit of armour I wear, Scratchet.  I did not kill them because I was trained to or because I wanted to.  I killed them to survive.  I killed them because It was their life or my family's."  His voice had toned down quite a bit.  Scratchet was hurt, terrified.  She really had no reason to be.  He wouldn't hurt her even if he wanted to.  He probably even couldn't.  He wasn't afraid of her, he'd fallen prey to an old instinct he thought he had suppressed.  He flopped back onto the ground and stared up into the snowy sky.  Flakes melted off his features as he puffed hot breath into the air.
    "I'm here against my own reflexes, every inch of the old me screamed this place was a bad idea.  I sought change in my heart, I sought answers to questions created by the actions of a cult.  I've seen the effects the actions of a bad few can have on a good many."  He sighed and looked over at Scratchet.  "When I finish learning your language, I'll try to talk to you more.  We're survivors, you and I."
    Unsure of how things would go now, he submit himself to the snow and cold, letting the events wash over him and drift into a state of calm.  He reached down to his hip to grasp at his flask.  He held it to his chest once he finally found it.
    "Thank you, by the way."  He started, not really directing his attention to anyone in particular, though it was evident he was talking to Jokul.  "If you never showed up, I'd still be buried up to my neck in snow."
    The wind had calmed down since he first started running from Scratchet, the snow was falling heavily still, He looked over at Starkad and Scratchet, then looked to Jokul directly.  "Any chance you could finish teaching me Dragonese?  I need to talk to Scratchet, and I really can only pick out concepts of what she's saying."