[Spitnose] Let Me Show You

[Fern & Nima]

Time and Date:: December 1st, afternoon

 Weather:: Freezing cold, lightly snowing

 Previous Threads?:: N/A

CURRENT IC SEASON - Winter

The day was especially cold, fresh snow falling from the heavens. It had already blanketed the island beneath it, frosting over the edges of the sea. Even high up, higher then the clouds, it was still snowing. Luckily, it was more of a light snow then a blizzard, so flying was bearable today. And of course, what with the island of Berk having long ago tamed dragons, a dragon was inevitably flying through the skies.

If one looked close enough, they could see them soaring high above the clouds. From the shore they most likely looked like a tiny speck meandering through the sky-line. But as they swooped down through the clouds it became clear this was no speck, nor bird, nor any other mammal. This.. was a dragon.

And so Fern flew through the clouds, guiding her dragon downwards. Her gaze fell to the shore as they dove towards the sands. She was supposed to be meeting a girl here. Honestly she had no idea what the girl looked like and what not, only that her name was Spitnose. Nima had promised a friend that she would take her for a ride, so here she was landing on the shore to look for her.

Nima let out her talons and landed roughly on the sands, running a few steps before coming to a halt. She bobbed her head and screeched, as Fern patted her neck, "It's alright girl. We'll work on the landings." She smiled at her dragon and sighed, looking around for the girl. Looking to the sun, she calculated the time; mid afternoon. She should be here by now.. but where was she?

Eyes quickly looked over the shoreline for her, and Nima decided to get her saddle ready. "Lunch, check. Riding rope, check... Saddle secured.. check..." She looked around once more, "Now to wait..."

[Spitnose]

Stinking of fish, the girl had found herself once again late for something. She hurridly grabbed her sheild, buckling the strap tightly around her chest. "Okay, bye dad, tell mum I'll be back later!" She called out, more to the house than her father specifically. She also took the chance to punch her brother in the gut as darted past him, hearing the groan of displeasure she laughed and threw the door open. Instantly she got a faceful of snow, and sneezed. "Eugh..."

She had been the one to set up this meeting, being interested in learning more about actually interacting with dragons, and yet she was still going to be late. Anything she would learn could only help so much though, as no one could help her learn the specific things she would need. Given the unique reason she needed to know them.

Her progress down towards the shore was slow, the snow making her slip and disappear beneath it every so often. She tried to be quick, but it simply wasn't working out in her favor. But as she got closer, she saw something a lovely shade of purple standing out against the white. "Oooh, she's got a Deadly Nadder!" Her heart dropped. "She's got a Deadly Nadder." She wasn't sure she was ready for this. Going from the sea, to the sky was a massive jump. Litterally. And while she would love to fly... if she were to fall off and no one was there to catch her. A shudder ran down her spine, and while distracted by her thing she slipped the last bit of the distance.

Popping back up out of the snow she sneezed again. "Hi!" She shook her head and wiped her nose on her sleeve, the other arm waving. "Sorry I'm late." She brushed off the remaining snow. "My brother's gotten sick, so I had to do his chores today." Once she was as snow free as she could manage she turned her attention back to the other, eyeing the dragon. She had had run ins with Nadders before, mostly Scratchet, but she had never really gotten to see one up close. And the drawings didn't do them justice. "Your dragon is really pretty." She blurted out, not really even realizing she had said it out loud.

[Fern & Nima]

Sighing, Fern once more checked the skies for the time; still mid afternoon. For thor's sake where is this lady? Fern thought with a frown, however as she looked to her dragon she noticed her dragons spines going upwards. "What is it girl?" She asked before looking around once more. And, upon further inspection, she saw in the distance a speck making their way towards her. "Ah that must be her, eh girl?" She said, and grimaced as the girl slid down on the ice as she neared her, and she got a better look at her. Young, maybe around her own age, she looked.. pretty. She couldn't help but giggle as the girl popped out of the snow, yet hid it with a frown. As she introduced herself Fern absentmindedly petted Nima, who let out a rumble of her displeasure at not being greeted. Yet momentarily, the compliment was given and the Deadly Nadder let out a soft purr like rumble.

Fern, however, looked to the girl, "Lets begin then. I'm Fern Rosewood. This is Nima, my Dadly Nadder." She looked at her, motioning to Nima's spikes, "And yes, while Deadly Nadders are beautiful they are dangerous; you should never approach one without food and compliments," She reached into her knapsack, pulling something out, "Here," She took out a piece of chicken from the knapsack and offered it to the girl.

"First, reach out your hand, like so." Nima reached out her own arm, extending it towards Nima, who reclined her nose into her hand. "This allows the dragon to get your scent. After that, you can feed her the chicken. But watch her spikes. A dragon always has ways of telling you if they are happy or not. For nadders, when they are alarmed or defensive they raise their spikes on the tail. If she raises her tail above her body, its best to get back, as she is about to attack. As long as her spikes and tail are down, you're safe."

She looked to her, adding, "She should relax after she gets your scent, so first things first; go on and introduce yourself to her, same way I did." With that Fern stepped back, and Nima, whose spikes were still slightly raised, examined the girl with a chirp. Her tail flicked back and forth as she eyed the chicken, bobbing her head in anticipation.

[Spitnose]

Wow, she was right to business. "Uh, my name is Spitnose." She added in quickly, her name wasn't of major importance and she didn't exactly want to treat it like anything special. She did however want to watch the dragon. Getting close to any dragon, tamed or otherwise, with out knowing what she was getting in to wasn't exactly something she wanted to do.

Blinking slightly, she took the chicken from Fern. Staring at it, she found her mouth watering. Not often was food placed in her hands, and not for her to stick in her mouth. It took a surprisingly large amount of restraint to not take a bite out of it.

Watching Fern reach out her hand, Spit lifted her arm as well, fingers spreading apart. Arm held out in front of her, she mimicked the other closely. She listened, while watching for the signs Fern had mentioned on Nima. She inched forward slightly "Hey there Nima." She kept her pace slow, trying to stay alert. Part of her was pretty scared of this, but she had encountered a wild dragon. Compared to that, it was more a tiny inkling of fear rather than a full on tidal wave. "We can be friends, right?" She was grinning a bit, but careful to stay calm in hopes the dragon will do the same. She glanced back at Fern, to make sure she wasn't missing something, or doing something wrong. The last thing she wanted was an angry dragon on her hands. Angry anything wasn't something she could really deal with.

"Hey, uh... does she treat you like a child?" The question was an idle one, but had a bit of reason behind it. She was curious to see if it was a normal dragon thing or not. Besides, why not figure out more about this dragon? Anything she learned could be applied to potentially any dragon, and that was her ultimate goal with this whole meeting.

[Fern & Nima]

Fern watched her, stepping a few paces back as the girl stared at the chicken, then put her arm out. "Careful now." She advised as the girl inched closer, but she needn't worry. The girl seemed to have everything under control. Well, almost everything. Watching carefully, Fern knew it was up to Nima on how well she would reply. "Wow..." Fern muttered under her breathe, "That's pretty good."

Meanwhile Nima watched the girl extend her hand, raising her tail slightly in alarm. Momentarily, however, the dragon perked up. For she was slowly realizing that the girl spoke to her... She examine the girl, her spines still up, and as the girl asked if she could be friends Nima swayed her tail, spines still raised. After a moment, she lowered her spines a little, as the girl kept approaching her. She inched forward just a little, sniffing the chicken, before pulling back and raising her spines at her comment.

Her head tilted to the side, as she suddenly realized the girls hand was in front of her. Slowly, she nudged her maw into her hand. Pulling back abruptly, she snatched the chicken and raised her head, swallowing it in one gulp. Turning to eye her once more, she came forward, before her pupils turned to slits and she regurgitated part of the chicken. Dropping it at the girls feet, she let out a soft rumble, nudging the chicken closer to her.

At this point Fern stepped in, "Alright I think you've earned her trust enough to prepare yourself for riding her." She said, and came to her dragons side. "Take a moment to examine how her saddle is put on." She gave her a few moments, then continued, "Now... First, you'll need to know how to set up the saddle, the rope, and, and anything else you need." With that she unbuckled the dragons saddle and tossed it on the ground. "Now, to put it back on, you throw it over her back, grab the buckle from underneath her belly and strap it onto the buckle. Make sure it is tight; you won't choke her, as dragons have very strong lungs. You want to be sure its on tight because if its not it will slip and slide when you are flying. To be extra sure scratch her under the chin so she relaxes, as dragons sometimes puff out their chests; no one knows why really. After that just tie on the knapsack and fasten the rope to the handles and around your waist, and you're all set." She looked at her quizzically, "Think you can do all that?" Stepping back she sighed, "Well give it a go."

[Spitnose]

Everything seemed to be going well, her eyes glued to the dragon in before her. Chewing on her lip a bit as she noticed the spines lifting. Had she said something wrong? But it seemed to pass, as the Nadder pressed her nose into Spit's outstretched hand. Her grin grew as Nima pulled back, snatching the chicken out of her hand. It was a bit alarming, that many sharp teeth being so close to her hand. And yet not a single one got even close enough to cut.

The next action though... was more than a bit unpleasant. She had wanted the chicken, but as she stared at the slimy bit that was now in the snow in front of her she seriously reconsidered. "I uh... no thanks." She was glad that Fern took the chance to start talking again, because the thought of eating something that had just come out of a dragon wasn't the greatest.

Now came the part she was waiting for, and dreading. Well, okay the saddle stuff not so much but what inevitably followed. "I get it... I think." There were straps and such, holding it in place on the dragons back, and it seemed to be fitted so finding out where it went wouldn't be too hard. But the more Fern said, the more she was doubting herself. Ropes, straps, buckles, her brain started to spin a bit. She backed up staring at the saddle now on the ground. "Are you sure?" She looked at everything that now lay there, and swallowed a bit. "I mean... what if I mess up?" She picked up the saddle, it was a tad heavier than she had expected, but with a good hoist of her arms she managed to get it on the Nadders back.

Taking a deep breath she looked to Nima's head, before back to the saddle. "Okay, let's do this." She reached for the strap to the saddle and pulled it around. It was very much like what held her shield in place, so she threaded it together quite easily. She gave a yank on it, glancing back at the Nadders face. She wanted to make sure that she didn't upset the dragon while doing this. She cautiously reached out, scratching the underside of the dragons jaw as directed. Assuming it worked the way Fern had explained, she gave another slight pull of the strap to get it snugly into place.

But as she turned her attention to the knapsack she blinked a bit. "Does that go on her or me?" She felt kind of silly asking, but she had honestly no idea.

[Fern & Nima]

Watching her put together the saddle and the rest of the equipment, such as the reins and the stirrups, she nodded. "Alright, well done. Let me check it over real quick like." She said, and walked over, examining it and checking to make sure it was on right. Testing the saddle to make sure it didn't slip or slide, she smiled. "Well done, then. Oh and that..." She said, as the girl asked about the knapsack. "That you can tie around your waist or hook onto your belt strap." She said, giggling a little at the question.

Regaining her composure, she hopped on Nima's back, offering her hand to the girl. "Hop on then, and we'll go. Oh and make sure you fasten that rope." She said, motioning to the rope tied to the saddle, which was to go around her waist.  Then she waited for the girl known as Spitnose to get on, as Nima shifted in anticipation, "Ready? Okay, Nima, let's go!" As soon as she said the word go, Nima's wings lifted and in once swift motion her legs pushed off the ground. Quickly flapping her wings, she climbed high in the skies, before steadying herself.

Fern laughed a little at Nima's eagerness, "You alright back there?" She asked, looking over her shoulder. Realizing it was just the two of them, Fern felt her cheeks turn hot and knew she was blushing. Hopefully Spitnose hadn't noticed it. Brushing it aside, she spread her arms out to either side. "This.. this is what it is to be a dragon!"

[Spitnose]

She grinned at the comliment, before looking back down. "Oh, okay." She grabbed it and tied it onto the strap holding her sheild in place, down to the lower side. She grinned as if it was an accomplishment of monumental perportions.

But as Fern offered a hand out, she hesitated. This was really happening. She was going to fly on one of the fastest and most maneverable dragons. She swallowed and nervously took the others hand, hoisting herself awkwardly onto the dragons back. "Rope?" She looked down at the saddle, noticing it the mentioned rope. She tied it tightly, perhaps a little too tight, but would much rather stay firmly on the back of the dragon. "I... uh... ready?"

As she felt the muscles of Nima working as they began to take off. She let out a faint yelp and found herself clinging to Ferns waist, eyes firmly shut. "I-I'm great!" She lied, but telling someone you were scared out of your mind wasn't exactly a good idea. However she did let go once they leveled out, chancing a glance at the shrinking landscape below. She laughed a bit. "I'm flying." Her grin returned, as she looked back at Fern. "Haha, I'm flying! This is amazing!" All her life, all she knew was the ocean and the forest and Berk. But now, up here she felt like she hardly knew them at all. Everything seemed to different from this vantage point.

She inhaled deeply, taking in the chilled air. The air was so... fresh! No stink of fish like the docks, or the constant lingering smell of the village itself. Just the icy chill of the wind, stinging your nostrils with every breath. "It's terrifying, but really amazing." She finally admitted she had been scared, no sense in hiding it now. Besides she was getting over it slowly but surely. Her thoughts did drift back to the ocean, and a certain dragon whom had vanished for the season. Would they ever fly like this? She wondered if Scauldrons could even get this high. They didn't seem to be built for the sky, much like Spit had never considered herself to be made for flying. And yet here she was.

Even though she seemed to have calmed down, every movement that caused her to tilt in the saddle sent her arms reaching for something to hold on to, be it the saddle, Fern or her shields strap. She knew it wouldn't help should she actually come loose, and the rope was secure enough to hold her in place. She had certainly made sure of that before they had set off. But still, the thought of being able to grab something in a panic made her feel a bit better. And each time she looked down at the ground, she was happy for any extra reassurance she could get.

"My brother would be so jealous." She laughed a bit at the thought of her chunky brother on a dragon.

[Fern & Nima]

Feeling the girls arms tight around her waist as they took off made Fern a little red in the cheeks. Cheeks hot with emotion as they climbed high in the skies, she managed to hear a scream as they climbed through the air. Finally they leveled, and Fern heard her excited tones behind her. "Yup, you're flying." She said, laughing a little. She felt the girl let go of her waist, a little to her disappointment. As she peered back at her she saw the girls face, and wondered what was going through her mind; probably excited, if not a little scared. Being up this high was not for the faint of heart.

Nima screeched and fired a shot into the distance; the flames dissolved into the air, the smoke whisping into a puff before disappearing into the wind. Fern laughed a little, but it faded as she heard the girl admitting her fears. "Completely natural." She said softly, adding, "It's not exactly easy to get used to; y'know, trusting a dragon with your life and all. Takes time; and a lot of trust. But..." She smiled, turning half way to face her passenger, "... once you do... you'll know there's nothing she won't do for you."

Turning back around, she said softly, "Hold on tight, we're gonna try some of those famous maneuvers." She said, a tinge of mischief in her tones, as she nudged her nadders side. Quickly, the nadder spun in circles, before diving downwards; all the way to the ocean. Below, a scauldron roared through the seas, whilst Nima extended her claws and caught a fish as it leapt from the waters. Fern pulled her to a steady hover, "See that dragon? That's a scauldron. What a beauty, eh?" She said, smiling at her, unaware that the girl was seeking to tame the very same breed of dragon.

[Spitnose]

She winced slightly as Nima let a bolt of fire go, glad that it dissapated before it could reach them. She already faced one fear, she didn't need another one to pop up now. She listened to Fern speaking, but only half heard it. And that wasn't just because of her one bad ear. She was so absorbed by the experience she didn't really notice what was going on.

But she snapped out of it instantly when she mentioned 'maneuvers'. "W-what?" She croaked out, voice rising a bit. Her hair began to snap about, slapping her in the face as she instantly clung to Fern again. Tears stung her eyes as they plummeted towards the water, and she was probably squeezing a lot harder than was nessicary. She felt like her hair was going to rip off, until they seemed to stop, the water right there. Her nails were dug into her own arms, even through the sleeves of her shirt it hurt. But then she noticed a familiar sight below the waves.

Her eyes grew wide, could it be? She looked hopefully down as Fern began to explain the dragon. "Y-yeah." She frowned a bit, it wasn't the particular dragon she had been hoping for. She unhooked her nails from her arms, cringing a bit as she unbent her stiffened elbows. Her stomach felt like it had jumped into her throat, and she decided that she was never going to do that again. Okay, never was a long time. But she wasn't sure she could handle another drop. "T-that was ... really scary." She laughed nervously again, watching as the tidal dragon dissappeared below the waves, deep below the reach of any Viking. She sighed a bit as it left, hoping the other rider didn't hear. Crystal was a secret, and she couldn't go staring longingly at Scauldrons all day or else people might start to wonder what was up.

"Do you come by the water often?" She never noticed many dragons flying about when she was fishing, unless they were specifically helping to fish. And yet they were right at the water level now. She was pretty sure she would notice some one flying this close to the water. But it never hurt to ask.

[Fern & Nima]

Fern smiled as her dragon prepared to do dangerous maneuvers; within moments they were twirling and plummeting through the air. As the dragon caught a fish she chirped her delight, leaning back and tossing it with one claw and catching it in her jaws. It disappeared just as quickly as she had caught it, as she had swallowed it in one gulp. Fern laughed a little, "You've never lived until you're on the brink of dying!" She said, excitement in her voice. She looked back at the girl, as she watched the scauldron.

"What a day, huh! Not every day you get to see a wild scauldron." She said happily; briefly she thought she heard something like a sigh but brushed it off as the wind. She smiled as the girl asked if she came to the waters often. "Often enough. Nima here still has her instincts, she still hunts just like any other dragon; though usually I just let her fly out and catch her own. I think.. she usually goes a lot further from shore then this. Not many get to witness a dragon catch its kill, let alone be on their backs while they do it." She smiled, leaning to peer with excitement at the girl, "Exciting, eh?"

It seemed her entire life was devoted to dragons, her entire being devoted to leaning about them, discovering their secrets and what they did. Everything about dragons made her that much more excited when she was with Nima. Their bond was much more then she could ever ask for, and it showed in everything she did. Smiling at the girl she said softly, "So where do you want to go next? While we're flying we may as well explore!"

[Spitnose]

She laughed nervously, adjusting the strap of her sheild a bit. Sure this was thrilling, and excitment bubbled in her blood, but she couldn't help but feel that nagging sensation in the back of her skull. What if you fall? What if she doesn't catch you? What if? She forced it down, she had gotten on this dragon knowing full well what was going to happen. You didn't go for leisurely strolls on dragon back.

"Yeah! Not every day." Had Fern been looking, she might have noticed Spits eyes darting from one object to the next, anything to keep her from staring at the rolling waves below. Lying never came natural to her, and keeping secrets was even harder. She was thankful for the change in conversation though. "Huh." She did often see dragons darting out further into the ocean, but she never suspected to go fish. She always assumed they where just stretching their wings. "It's pretty awesome!" She had seen plenty of Terrors hunt, and by hunt she of course meant steal her hard earned hauls. But that wasn't nearly as interesting as something the size of a Nadder fishing.

Oh, exploring! She grinned a bit at the chance to see places she'd never been before. "I work on the ocean, nothing exciting out there." She was going to push her luck. In a hushed tone she began speaking again. "You know those old stories? About the Red Death?" She gripped the saddle tightly, looking a little evil as she grinned. "I want to see it's skull!" She wanted to go to the Island where they say the friendship of vikings and dragons was truely born. Not here on Berk, but out there, testing their bonds like nothing else could.

That was what she wanted to see.

[Fern & Nima]

For a moment Fern wondered why the girl had gone silent; had her nerves gotten to her? Had she done the unthinkable and looked down; down at crashing waves of the ocean below? For now they had flown higher up, hovering once more above the clouds, the ocean seemed like a small pool of water from here. But, to her relief, Fern heard her behind her chipping in her nervous excitement, commenting on their finds. Smiling, Fern listened as she mentioned it was awesome.

Hearing about her work, and how there was nothing exciting, she giggled. Then her laughter faded as she heard about where she wanted to explore. "You sure?" She called back, thinking it over. Yet after a moment she sighed, "Alright, next stop.. Dragon Island." She gave Nima a nudge, who roared her dismay at the thought.

Distantly, Fern wondered just how long dragons could live for; had Nima been around when the queen had ruled? And if not, had she ever been under the rule of a queen or king? And that made her wonder, were they good or bad? For there were so many mysteries yet to uncover about her dragon; maybe this journey to dragon island would answer some of those hidden questions; the ones which always seemed to elude answering. And.. perhaps.. for good reason.

(Thread End!)