Old Habits Never Die [Scratchet, Luna, Grima]

[Sigrun the Volatile]

Time and Date:: Dragons have returned, festivities dying down. Early morning, not long before dawn.
Weather:: Snow is slushy from brief warm spell, everything is damp and soggy from it. Still cold and bitter, but no wind.
Previous Threads?:: To Tame The Sea [INCOMPLETE]

When she had first landed on this island, she had been worried. Somehow, everything apparently was going quite well for her. Not only did they love dragons, they seemed more eager to help upon mentioning her occupation. For some of her prized shiny trinkets she managed to hire some help on rebuilding her boat. She managed to avoid many awkward questions about it's contents, explaining she traded with many islands, and that seemed to satisfy any one who wondered. The progress was slow, considering the mast and rigging had to be completely redone, and several major sections of the hull. But even she needed a break from the repetative work process.

The lands surrounding their village proved pleasant location to get away from it all. But of course, not even she could simply stop working. In the dead of the night she had transported some of her cargo from a small shack she had been set up in out to the forest. What she failed to mention, was said cargo was traps. Traps that were significantly too large for any normal animal. No these traps had one creature in mind, of the large and scaled type. For the most part she had learned that the tamed dragons didn't wander out of town, unless with a viking. And thus she took it upon herself to memorize what areas where most traveled. And when she set out with her traps she made sure to avoid these areas.

Set up took her most of the night, but she showed few signs of actual tiredness. Her progress remained quick and steady. By sunrise she had at least three hanging traps set and covered. But by that time she had begun to hear the sounds of leaves rustling. Every so often a wild animal would dart by, the sounds of dragons in the distance.

But upon finishing up a fourth trap, she heard a snap of a tree behind her. The branches groaned as a weight they weren't meant to hold landed among them. She pulled two knives from her belt, and crouched into the undergrowth. She hadn't had time to cover the trap yet, and if it was viking were to stumble upon it she would be likely doomed. "Come on then." She muttered to herself, knees like loaded springs being held back. "I haven't got all day." For some reason the Berkians trusted her, and she wasn't about to let some lost soul ruin that, be them dragon or otherwise. If a throat had to be slit, so be it.

But the sound did not seem to continue, and she lowered her brow, her eyes narrowed. "Maybe they left?" No, it was never that easy. Not when dragons where involved. Her one hand slipped the knife back into her skirt, reaching around the back where she had tied some spare bolas for just such an occasion. "Give me something to shoot at." She readied her arm, prepared to throw. Nothing was going to get the better of her, not when she was in her element. Sure dragons had lived in the wild for eons before she was even born, but she knew them just as well, if not better. 

[Scratchet]

Scratchet had been out of the village for a while. She had been a little bit too much mischevous which meant she had to make her leave for a few days... Not even being under Kenna's roof made it safe so she decided to run it wild for a bit. It didn't bother her much, but she hoped Kenna wouldn't forget about her (even though its only for a few days). She was stalking the forest at night, just generally checking out what was new.

She got more than she bargained for. She weaved in and out the trees, nearing the coastline. She picked up a scent. She could smell before she saw it - the ambient light of some passing Faerie Whisps brought out some metal, and everything became clear - dragon traps! The tracker class could smell the worn out scent of panicked dragons that had previously been ensnared. She paused, and raised her neck to listen. It was eeriely quiet, but she could hear life nearby. She made sure to be extra quiet, her nose guiding her to avoid the traps. Being from a place that turned to dragon killing on a coin and ultimately separating her from her inseparable childhood friend, she was determined to stop who was setting up these devices.

She felt she was close but didn't want to get caught unawares, so she took to the skies and landed in a tree that would give her a vantage point. The tree groaned and bent with her weight, and the voice of a human below rang out, making Scratchet freeze. Of all the trees she had to land on, it had to be the one where the culprit was almost right under.

Freezing didnt help, as the branch she was on gave way and she was sent crashing down to the ground. Scratchet warked an expletive and frantically made to get up and run - obviously someone who made dragon traps was not going to be friendly to a dragon, and Scratchet was right. Before she could even stand on two feet she was struck by bolas and was sent crashing once again to the ground. One of her legs was caught up and so was one wing - a part of her crest of horns was also caught so she had difficulty moving. It didn't stop her from thrashing about though, desperate to get free.

Next thing she knew someone pinned her head to the ground, further stopping her from getting up and going. Her spined tail thrashed around, a could of spines shot threateningly into nothingness, but she couldn’t make a target - one was on her head and she didn’t know if there was others. They wrestled for a while. Scratchet matched the humans strength but it was because her restraints held her back.

Suddenly a name could be put to the scent. She recognised it as Sigrun, though that was not how she called her. “Missus-Mc-Pouty-Face?” She croaked as much as she could in her restrained state. Unfortunately the recognition of the human just made her still for a split second - and that was all it took to get her fastened tight.

[Sigrun the Volatile]

The last thing the trader had been expecting, was a Nadder falling right infront of her. She usually never went for Deadly Nadders, too difficult to get on her own and not enough people seemed willing to trade for them. Spits motel lava? Great I'll take that! Shoots spines from it's tail? Oh no far too dangerous to attempt with the amount of preparation she had. She sneered at the thought of it, but dare not let it linger any longer than that, every second was precious to her. The dragon seemed to be a bit stunned from the fall, and she took that chance to twirl the bolas, and launch with as much force as she could put behind it.

Her mark hit, she knew it would, and she could't have begged for it to have gotten caught a better way. As long as she was quick, this would be relatively easy! Well, as easy as trapping something likely four times your own size could possibly be. Darting towards the downed dragon, she made sure to keep low and quick. Staying mostly to it's blind spot, she made her way up, loosening a rope from around her belt while doing so. Grabbing the dragons horn, she jumped onto it's head. The best place for her right now, to keep it pinned and continue on her work.

But naturally the dragon wasn't ready to just roll over for her. It struggled likely just as much as she did, but all the while she tossed her rope about, ensnaring whatever limb got in it's way. Until there was a moment where the dragon just, stopped. She had no clue why, but it was enough to tie the rope tightly around the dragons legs, and bring it back around enough to loop around it's head. She didn't have much with her, so she had to make due. But the more time she spent near the dragons head, the more she could swear she had seen it before. But that was crazy, considering she didn't stay put long enough to see dragons she didn't trap twice. And by the time she did come back, they had long since left.

But then, as she tied further, it sunk in. With a final yank of the rope she grabbed the curved horn of the dragons nose, jerking it's head so she could face one eye. "You're that damned dragon from back ..." She stopped herself, she had almost said home. But that place hadn't been home for a very long time now. "What the Hel are you doing out here?!" She never knew the dragons name, she barely remembered the dragon them self but at a young age certain things stick to your memory, and this was one of those things.

"You're pretty far away from your home then, aren't you beast?" She pulled out her favourite knife, one of the ones made from a Nightmare claw. "Bet there's no one here to miss you." She couldn't possibly hide a live dragon right now, and she just needed some simple merchandise to get her back on her feet. Maybe a nice set of Nadder daggers, and their gorgeous scales would surely make some nice apparel.

[Scratchet]

Scratchet was trapped and she was freaking out. She struggled against her restraints - but to no avail. Her captor didn't seem to realise that she spoke, but that just made it worse. But then she came back, and shoved her face forcefully so she had to look at the trapper.

The Nadder stared into her stern eyes, pupils as slits; terrified. She spoke - she did recognise her! Scratchet dared to make a small croak of acknowledgement, as much as she could with her jaw fastened shut.

She asked what she was doing here, which despite the situation actually made Scratchet heave a brief chuckle. "That's what Baldr said when he saw me too." She made in her throat. She rememebered Baldr! Of course! He was chief! She could try for diplomatic immunity! She didn't know Sigrun had been away from Hysteria for many years, though.

"Chief Baldr will have your head if you kill me!" She managed to mutter through her bindngs, but she saw the knife being pulled out. She trembled and struggled more, desperate to be free. She couldnt even call for her minions like this to save her.

She gave a quieter croak this time. Was this really it? She had escaped Hysteria for 21 years, and yet here she was, trapped and to be killed by a Hysterian anyway. Funny how things worked out...

---

Short post - i think its like luna's go now or else scratchet is a goner, lol

[Luna Hieler & Ayer]

"Egh!" Luna exclaimed. At least she'd managed to catch herself this time. Her tailbone was already going to be sore. She'd landed her foot in another patch of muddy snow-slush. She'd been stepping in it all morning, and she'd already taken a few spills. The freezing stuff had began to seep into the bottom of her fur boots. Hopefully she wouldn't catch cold. Slush was worse than snow, any day of the week. The murky clouds in the air promised a chilly week ahead. It was cold now, but it would be colder still."Good" she thought "Better a freeze than a melt. Besides, it's too early in the year for a proper melt."

It was another early morning for Luna. Even in the middle of winter, there were resources to be gathered. There were no herbs on the ground right now, but at least she could gather mosses. Even wet moss was useful, because when dried, they were used to soak blood from a dragon's wound. Her shoulder bag was full, but not heavy on account of the lightweight material. Because it was so light, it was easy to gather a substantial amount in just one morning. 

She was by herself this morning. Everyone at home was still asleep, and she chose to let them lie so she could have a few minutes of quiet. And it was quiet. Other than the sound of the footfalls on the slushy ground, there was silence. It would be lonely for some, but when you live with two other humans and four dragons, silence is welcome. She could have the hustle and bustle when she got home. 

The silence remained as the sun crept up over the horizon, until a shrill screech filled the air, followed by a thump. Dragon! The commotion was close enough that the ground at her feet trembled at the thump. A few more cries filled the air and she picked up a couple fragments of dragonese speech with a distinctly Nadderesque accent. Luna listened carefully, trying to get a sense of exactly where it was coming from. Had a Nadder been seperated from its flock? She followed the screech to its source, moving as quickly as she could while still avoiding the patches of slush. 

Beneath a cluster of trees was a familiar snout and a not-so-familiar face. Scratchet was twisted into an unnatural position and tangled in ropes. A woman stood over her. Luna felt a rush of panic. Seeing any dragon captured in such a brutal manner enraged her, but even more so now, knowing she had a distant but strong connection to this dragon. She remembered seeing the way her father looked at Scracthet, and the way she innocently toyed with him. This was the first time she'd seen her since then. She might be mischievous, but this was not an aggressive dragon. 

"What in Thor's name is this!?" She stepped forward, looking bolder than she felt. Hoping her unexpected presence would surprise her, Luna slid between the woman and Scracthet. "Berk is a peaceful land! I won't stand for this!" The older woman's eyes drilled into her. Luna spotted a weapon at her side. Her heart leapt into her throat. She hadn't considered that she might be armed. 

[Sigrun the Volatile]

Tugging on the bindings once more to make sure they were snug, she glanced downwards as the dragons barked at her. "Squawk all you want, wont make a different to me." She brought the knife to the dragons neck. "Oh how the mighty fall." About to slash the beast for the final bow, she halted. Head turning ever so slightly, she was frozen, seemingly concentrating. The rustling of branches, footsteps too light to belong to a dragon. Backing up a bit, her face was pulled into a sneer.

Straightening up, she began to twirl the blade in her hand. Holding it backwards, so the dull of the blade was pressed against her own arm she listened as the Berkian intervened and began to speak. "Don't waste my time, Girl." She took a step forward, adjusting her stance so if it did turn into a fight at least she would be prepared. The situation was tense, any small amount of reputation she had left could be shredded right here. "Look kid, I got a job to do." She narrowed her eyes. There was no dodging this one. "And one less wild dragon ain't going to hurt any one." Something about the way she said wild felt forced, as if repressing memories that shouldn't have been dredged up.

The entire time, she didn't even offer the nadder a second glance. She was confident the beast wasn't going anywhere any time soon. And just to be sure, she had placed herself roughly in the dragons blindspot. Even though the beast was free enough to thrash in her bindings, and could likely regain sight of the trapper quite easily. She had thought of all this, and still felt no concern. For now, her focus was on the human who posed more threat to her way of life than any dragon ever could. Dragons were predictable, creatures of habit. It was humans she could never predict.

[Scratchet]

Scratchet couldn't help but heave a massive sigh as she felt the blade move away from her, with no harm done. She refocused slightly, still very afraid, and didn't know what was to come. Out of the greyish green tinges of the background came a shade of familiar red.

The Nadder's pupils flitted in recognition of Luna. She had recently discovered that Luna was Baldr's daughter. As Sigrun stepped away, Scratchet made an attempt to struggle, pushing against her bindings. Though she wasn't 100% restricted, the experienced dragon hunter had done a good job, she could feel in some places the rope cutting into her.

Scratchet tried to gurgle for help, but with her mouth tied shut it was hard. She watched Luna, tail tip swishing anxiously. This was her only lifeline, but she knew Luna was too soft for this kind of negotiation. If only she could speak properly...

The turquoise nadder gurgled louder to try get Luna's attention. Scratchet's idea was to stall Sigrun enough for Luna to (hopefully) say some things that would get Sigrun to back off, or simply stall them long enough for her to loosen her restraints enough to squeeze out. If she could get her tail sorted maybe she could strike the attacker. She was one of those Hysterians. Scratchet had no mercy for them.

[Luna Hieler & Ayer]

Luna was terrified, it took every ounce of her willpower to stand her ground. She only hoped her fear did not show. Scratchet fidgeted behind her. She could tell she was struggling to communicate with her, but this woman's bonds held her. She turned her head to glance at the dragon, but she snapped back to attention when her captor spoke.

Setting her jaw, she returned her piercing look with as much pluck as she could muster. Her angry voice was rough and intimidating, but the words roused her defenses. "A job to do?!" This was disgusting. "A job? You call this a job?! I'm not sure how you plan to profit on Berk." she realized that her own hostility was probably digging her grave, but she couldn't help it. This was madness. 

What did she plan to do with Scracthet after she'd killed her anyway. There was no way she could move the massive Nadder on her own. That meant one of two things: She had a team on the way, or she was simply on a killing spree. Neither would bode well for Luna- she was defenseless against both. 

"One less wild dragon?" That angered Luna more than anything so far. She clenched her fists at her sides. "She's not wild!" she shouted. Her heart pounded, if she played this card, there was no going back. "She's mine!"

[Sigrun the Volatile]

A grin actually managed to spread across her face, a small and vile looking grin, but a grin none-the-less. "I never said I would profit from Berk." She slashed her knife through the air as if cutting up an invisible dragon before her. "A claw here, a spine there. Not every island is quite so fond of these beasts." She rested the dull end of the blade against her wrist once more. "And they will trade top products for what I have to offer." She could still hear the faint rumbling from the downed Nadder, but with the girl between them she simply ignored the noises. "Do you know what I could get for a Nadder skull?"

But what came next caught her as a surprise. "Your dragon?" She lifted her brow a bit. "How interesting." Pulling another dagger from her belt she bent her knees slightly. "Then you will die together. As dragons and their owners should." She sneered. The handles slid through her fingers until both blades were pointed upwards, and towards the Berkian in her way. "Besides, I hear when tanned correctly, human skin can make quite dashing accessories." It was clear right now that she wasn't in the right of mind at the moment, the longer this took the more time was wasted. With a crack of her neck to the side, and bent her knees slightly.

Her face stuck into a crazed snarl, planning her next move. She would certinly have to remove the girl from the picture, perhaps a slice to the achilles tendon to stop her from any sudden movements. It would certainly down her, but she would still be able to move the rest of her body. Maybe just kill her outright, quick slit of the throat and be rid of the pest. "No one needs to know this ever happened." And with that she sprung forward, ready to rip open the first throat she hit.

[Grima the Brash]

Grima had ended up going to bed at a normal time for once, which of course felt weird, and he’d not liked not being able to hunt resently. He woke up before the sun rose up and ended up deciding to go out into the forest for, while not actually hunting, a walk that felt like he was hunting. Stahl and Flint had returned with the rest of the dragons, but they were still sleeping and would have been pissed had he woken them.

After a while he came across a contraption that Grima had never seen before, least not at that size. It took him a couple of seconds to realise and then a shiver went through him. It was a trap set for a dragon. There were dragon hunters on the island. He looked and quickly saw tracks of the person that made it. There was only one it seemed. He was about to follow the tracks when he paused. I should go tell the village, even though it’s only one person the village should probably know and deal with it as a collective in they-

Before that thought could continue the Viking in training heard a loud squark in the distance. It was a dragon in distress. He knew instinctively it was connected to this. Maybe the trapper had laid another, more successful trap. He knew he couldn’t just leave the dragon to its fate. About to leave, Grima looked at the trap by him. He went and grabbed a rock and threw it at where he thought the trigger for the trap was. It activated harmless, You’re not getting anyone today. After that he moved in the direction of the noises, trying to keep his movement fast but quiet.

As he got near to the destination he heard voices. Both were female, one he didn’t recognise though the other seemed slightly familiar. He finally was able to see the two women, one had her back to him, obviously the trapper by her gear and the fact she was an unknown to him, and the other was Luna, the dragon healer. What is she doing out here at this time? he thought to himself. She seemed to be trying to talk the trapper out of killing the dragon, which Grima recognised to be the nadder Scratchet, a pest of a dragon who had ingratiated herself into the blacksmith’s good books somehow.

Luna seemed to be failing at diplomacy with the dragon hunter, which Grima wasn’t surprised by, If someone is stupid enough to try and kill a dragon on Berk, reason isn’t exactly going to be their strong suit. He then heard the trapper told Luna she and Scratchet would die together. He grabbed an arrow out of his quiver and aimed at the woman. As he was doing so he started to remember what Ulrika had done. She’d shot a dragon poacher just like he was about to. It messed her up pretty bad…was this going to mess him up? He loosened his arm as he stalled for a moment. The image of human skin being used made him cringe slightly.

He was finally set into action when she said ‘no one need know’, Grima knew he had to act then and there. He quickly drew back and immediately fired without holding. The arrow flew true and hit the trapper in her right shoulder, “Stand down, Outsider,” he said in as intimidating a manner as he could, taking a few steps closer so they could easily see him and drawing and knotting another arrow as he did so, “and step away from the dragon healer.” He didn’t want to shoot her again, and he hoped that what he had done wasn’t too serious an injury, but he had a feeling this woman might not stop there. 

[Sigrun the Volatile]

She hadn't time to react or dodge, the arrow had caught her extremely off gaurd and struck it's mark. Sharp and sudden pain ripped through her arm, starting from the shoulder and growing. The sudden pain forced her hand open, dropping one dagger. Still holding the other one, she brought up her opposite hand and grasped the shaft of the arrow. Her eyes darted from the girl to the newcomer as he began to speak. Her face contorted from the pain, it took all she had to keep her focus.

As he prepared himself to fire again, she backed up ever so slightly. "Do you people live in the woods?" She muttered. She was trying to plan, think of what to do, but not even underhanded tactics could get her out of this easily. Two humans and a dragon, even a tied one, were a bit too much for her. 

Dropping the other blade, she still was trying to think of a way out. But the archer clearly demonstrated enough skill he could easily take her down should she turn heel and run. But this couldn't be it. She took another step back, eyes darting from one object to the next as her hand wrapped around the shaft of the arrow once more. The arm below it hung limp, and while her fingers could still move slightly the pain and effort was too much. And while she knew better, she still wanted to rip it out of her and be done with it.

"Fine, you caught me." Even with her face contorted from pain, her anger at the situation was quite clear on her face. "For now." She added as her eyes focused on the forest floor for a moment, quiet enough that it was to herself but she had no intention of keeping the comment from them. Her eyes continued their scattered path across the scene, hoping for any sort of opening she could take advantage of. With one arm, she wasn't finding many she could pull off with out making the injury worse for herself.
But that didn't stop her from backing up. Further away from them seemed better right now. Much better.

[Luna Hieler & Ayer]

Luna's eyes were locked on her captor. The dragon trapper's threats hit their mark, and Luna was unable to hide her obvious fear. The woman brandished her knives, each a deadly sharp weapon. Heart pounding, the healer backed up slowly. She knew making a run for it would result in a pursuit, but her timid instincts kept her from standing her ground. It didn't take long for her to realize there was nowhere for her to go. Incidentally, she'd backed into Scratchet, who was momentarily as helpless as she was.

Eyes wide, her vision darted around the clearing, desperate for some sort of escape, although her mind knew there was none. She thought about screaming, but knew there would be no one around to hear the cry. Glancing at Scratchet, she saw the dragon's eyes frenzy between her and the attacker, full of fear and rage as she struggled against her bonds. If only there was some way to free her... it would save them both. Luna reached out a trembling hand and stroked the Nadder's scaly hide. It was meant as an act of consolation for the dragon, but it gave her a sense of comfort as well. In light of recent discoveries, she couldn't help but feel some sort of kinship with her.

Bracing herself, Luna shut her eyes and prepared for the worst. Her mind raced, the images she'd stored up of her future died as the ring on her finger seemed to triple in weight. In silent prayer to the gods she besieged them to somehow free Scratchet... to spare both the dragon's life and her own. The moment seemed the stretch on for hours.

However, the events quickly changed in her favor. Hearing an unfamiliar voice, her eyes snapped open just in time to see an arrow slice into the shoulder of her attacker. Shocked, Luna was frozen for a moment, but realized her prayer had been answered. Giving a glace to the archer to determine friend or foe, she vaguely recognized him as one of the current trainees at the Academy. He was a friend. Trusting him to keep the enemy distracted, she turned her back on the trapper.

Acting as quickly as she knew how, Luna leapt into action. Dropping the pack she carried on her shoulder, the healer quickly examined Scratchet's bonds and determined that the best move would be to free her head first, if at all possible. It would give the dragon control, but also use of her teeth and horns... and her fire. She dropped to her knees beside Scratchet's giant jaw and looked for a weak point in the ropes. "We're going to get out of this" she told her. More determined than ever, she began to pull on the ropes holding the Nadder in, using every bit of muscle she had.