[Spitnose] Trust Exercises

[Fern & Nima]

Time and Date:: January 1rst - Mid-Afternoon

Weather:: Bitterly cold, foggy, slushy snow everywhere, ice in places

Previous Threads?::  N/A

CURRENT IC SEASON - Winter

The day was bitter cold; perhaps mid afternoon. There was a fog in the air, and slush like snow on the ground; which, in fact, was quickly freezing once more. Besides that, a light snow had started to fall onto the ground, making one girl they called Fern pull her coat tighter around her. Walking back from the weapons lesson she was not too happy. She had been made a fool of, in front of the entire class; and not one person thought to stand up for her. Not even her new found friend Spitnose. It made her wonder if she was cut out to be a dragon rider, yet she quickly shoved that thought aside.

Today she was headed to the cove to work on trust  exercises. Along the way she came across several bent up trees, but thought nothing of it. Little did she know the dragon known as Toothless had crashed in the very spot she was walking through... and the rotted tree that stood here was the one that had broken his fall.

Walking briskly to the cove, she came to a tunnel and walked through it, peering out into the cove. This was where it all began; or so she had heard. The stories were legend; a boy befriending a dragon here... in this very spot. So she would do the same; thus she made a call for her dragon, and listened. Nothing. Giving the call again, she heard a rush of air and saw her land in the cove.

She jumped down, striding over to her dragon. "Okay girl.. Today we work on trust..." She said softly. She petted her dragon, taking out a fish, "Here ya go." She said softly. Her dragon sniffed the fish, before snatching it quickly and gulping it. Then she made a gurgling sound and spat the fish up before her. "Er.. No thanks.." Fern said softly, but the look her dragon gave her made her take a bite. She swallowed it whilst holding back a gag reflex, managing, "Mmm.. see.. good.."

[Spitnose]

Following curiously behind Fern, glancing around at the trees. She knew them well, and the urge to scamper up one was strong. But she managed to keep her attention on their destination.

It had taken her more than an hour to get the spine removed from her sheild, and while the thought of it nearly impaling her was horrifying, she held on ill-will to the two of them. Dragons were skittish by nature, and it wasn't something easily overcome. She had felt bad they had been called out during the lesson, but every one had been put a bit on edge by the sudden shower of Nadder spines.

"Hey, don't feel bad okay?" Spit wanted to comfort the girl, but wasn't really good at that sort of thing. Her voice was barely audible above the rustling of leaves an branches. She fell silent again as she continued walking along, brushing the forest undergrowth aside. Fern had gained ground on her, and was already at the climb down into the cove. Fern began to call Nima to her, and the wind of wings buffeted her before she hand a chance to brace herself. She stumbled a bit, landing with a groan on the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she followed, slower due to a slightly pain in her rear now, but managed to descend into the cove all the same.

Nima and Fern had already begun, or at least Fern was already speaking with Nima. They were... doing something with fish. That she cared not to ask about, it was a bit on the unplesant side. She only had some experience with trust excersizes, and even so she barely had time to practice them. She wasn't sure she was quite ready to offer her assistance just yet. Instead she picked up a decently thick stick and took out her knife. She began to carve away at it, wondering if she could make anything of it. She wasn't good at wood carving, but she wasn't sure what else to do. And it would give her hands something to do.

She sat down on a mossy boulder, adjusting so she could cross her legs and began to carve away. Glancing at Nima, she tried to shape it into a Nadder head.

[Fern & Nima]

They walked along, Fern taking  the lead and Spitnose behind her; Fern let out a sigh, which must have been audible for Spitnose tried to comfort her, telling her she shouldn't feel bad. And at this, Ferns face turned red with a tinge of anger, but she held her tongue, and the two walked in silence as Fern was left to think about the lesson. A crude thought came to her mind; that Spitnose wasn't the one who had been made an object of the lesson of in front of the class. How embarrassing that, even at sixteen, she didn't have the closest bond with her dragon out of all the teens. She gave her dragon call and Nima answered, eating the fish from her hand.

Nima decided to work on an exercise, "Alright, Nima, stay..." She said firmly, before moving to the front of the nadder, directly in front of her horn. Nima's eyes turned to slits as she let out a screech, spreading her wings defensively. Just then Fern let her hand touch Nima's nose gently, taking out a piece of chicken. She held it where the nadder could see it, then put it back in her blind spot. Placing it at her jaws, she tenderly stroked Nima as her dragon ran her tongue over the meat. Slowly, Fern massaged Nima's jaw, which prompted her to open it. Then, Fern placed the piece of meat in her jaws, closing it for her, as Nima chewed the meat slowly, pupils becoming larger once more. Coming to her side, Fern watched as Nima hacked up the bone, scratching her beneath the chin to praise her.

Just then her eyes went to Spitnose, and she saw she was carving something. "That for me?" She asked, tilting her head, "Is that.. a nadder carving?" She walked over to Spitnose and sat beside her. "Ever wonder why you got a dragon carving over your house?" She leaned in and whispered, "It's a trophy from your ancestors.. from before dragons and vikings were at peace." She looked at the carving, "Between you and me, I like this carving better. It represents living nadders, not the other kind." She said, referring to the nadders killed in battle so many years ago. Meanwhile Nima wandered over to them, sniffing first Spitnose and then Fern for more treats. Fern laughed a little, "I can't imagine a world without Nima. Y'know?" She fell silent after a moment, remembering that Spitnose didn't have a dragon. Or did she?

[Spitnose]

Barely paying attention over her carving, she made a slight grunt as she shaved a bit of skin off her thumb. Shaking her hand out, she glanced at the two. Sucking the blood from the wound she blinked thoughtfully. They looked so perfect together, she couldn't imagine how they could possible improve upon that.

"Huh? Oh..." She looked at the carving, taking her thumb out of her mouth. "If you want it to be, sure!" She grinned a bit, it had just been something to occupy her hands with. "Yeah... I tried anyways." It wasn't the best representation, but the shape was close enough to tell the species. The comment about the dragon sculptures above their homes made her stop. She thought about it, and it made sense. Though chances are it now just stuck as a part of tradition or something. Just like how her family still wore jewelry made from dragon teeth, but instead of prying them from dead jaws, they just used teeth that have fallen out.

She grinned a bit. "But mine isn't as good as those." She held it up as if comparing it t Nima when the Nadder strutted over to them. A laughe escaped her as the dragon sniffed at them. But then she frowned a bit as Fern spoke again. "Yeah I guess it would be pretty rough for you..." She stared at her feet, not mentioning how it was ripping at her not being able to see her own dragon. She wasn't quite sure Berk was ready for her surprise yet, or even her family for that matter. "She must mean a lot to you then." She still avoided eye contact, not wanting this to venture into awkward territory.

[Fern & Nima]

Nima took to sniffing around for scraps of meat, while Fern explained the carvings over the viking houses to Spitnose. "Mine is a nadder. I can't believe my ancestors actually ki-" She leaned over and whispered, ".... killed one." She looked at Nima, who didn't seem to have heard her, instead she was nosing around the knapsack for food, before finally coming to nuzzle against Fern, though Fern wasn't sure if she wanted attention or food, so she stroked her scales down absentmindedly.

Fern watched her as she carved away bits of wood, seeming to cut herself in the process. She smiled a little as she said it could be hers, "I'd like that!" Fern said softly, and at her next words she looked at the carving. It wasn't the best, but she was only a kid; her carving skills probably weren't the best yet. "The shape is right. You just need to carve the spikes now." She said softly, smiling at her. As Fern went on to mention how she couldn't imagine life without Nima, she saw Spitnose frowning a little. "Yeah, she does.." She said softly.



Meanwhile Nima was nosing around for snacks, so Fern obliged and gave her a piece of chicken. She ate it in one gulp, before crooning at Fern. Fern smiled, taking out a piece of equipment similar to a modern day brush, and ran it over Nima's scales. In response Nima made a soft cooing sound, as Fern went to pat down her spikes on her tail. She finally looked back to Spitnose. "What's eating you? You look.. sad."

[Spitnose]

She nodded slowly, the thought of killing dragons was terrifying to her. Then again, if something were you attack her, she would most certainly defend herself. Even if it was a dragon. She sighed a bit at the thought. "I don't think I could have lived before we made peace." She grinned a bit as Nima seemed to be on a hunt for food.

"Great, then it's yours." She looked her thumb over, the cut seemed to have been shallow enough it was done already. "My dad can carve little dragon figures. I just picked it up from watching him." She took the knife, guiding the tip through the wood in an attempt to get the head crest right. She was focused so hard that she started to grumble a bit. But she was still listening, but Fern seemed to go a bit quiet as well. Lifting her head once more, as the smell of chicken seemed to pick up. Turning her head, she watched Nima down the meat.

The question however caught her off gaurd. "I...sad? No no, I'm fine." She turned back to her carving. "Just a lot going on... you know?" She chewed at her lip as she began to carve once more, trying to bury her thoughts away. She wasn't ready to face the village as a dragon rider just yet, even if she had come to trust Fern she wasn't sure she was ready to let the other know. Instead she pocketed the knife and looked the carving over, it was crude, but at least it resembled a dragon of sorts. "Okay, so we came her to work on your trust right?" She placed the carved wood in Ferns hand, desperatly trying to change the subject from her. "What did you have planned?"

[Fern & Nima]

Fern looked to Nima, listening as Spitnose commented about living in that long ago era. "Yeah, it wouldn't be easy. Had to have been a lot harder.. fighting dragons and all. And to think; one boy changed it all! Makes me wonder if I'll ever do something big like that... Probably not, but.. still..." She looked off into the distance, her eyes dreamy for a moment, before the comment of the carving brought her back to attention. She had nearly forgotten about that little wooden carving, as Spitnose offered it to her and momentarily explained how she picked up the habit. Soon enough, Fern was intrigued with her and her carving once again.

Upon watching her, and realizing something was bugging her, she shifted in the silence before her question lingered, seeming to catch Spitnose off guard. She reacted in defensive mechanisms, and Fern furrowed her brow, before brushing it off, looking to her as she asked what she wanted to do, "Well, I've been practicing some minor exercises up until now.. But I think I really need to put this exercise to the test." With that, she strode over to her dragon and slid atop her back, kicking her behind the wings to get her to fly.

In an instant, she was soaring high above the clouds, her dragon leveling momentarily. They were perhaps several hundred feet off the ground, and Fern looked down, gulping, before closing her eyes. Then, she jumped from the saddle. It seemed to take Nima a moment to realize her rider was no longer on her back, but when she did she dove down, chasing after her riders falling figure.

Meanwhile Fern held her eyes closed tightly, a scream escaping her that could not quite be heard over the wind, as she fell helplessly to the ground. Just when she felt like all was hopeless, and this had been a horrendous mistake, she saw a shadow come over her vision, and felt pressure as a scaly figure was suddenly swooping beneath her.

Clinging to the scales, she shakily got back in the saddle, her breathing heavy as she looked around herself. She wasn't that far from the ground, and she breathed a sigh of relief that her dragon had caught her. Just then, she let her arms reach for the skies as a shrill whoop escaped her lungs, as her dragon landed and she ran over to hug Spitnose, "We did it! We did it! We're crazy, but we did it! Did you see? Did you see us?!"

[Spitnose]

Listening to the explanation, she couldn't help but wonder what they had done before. It didn't really matter but curiosity nagged at the back of her mind. "Good luck!" Spit called out as the two took to the sky.

Pulling her bangs back, she watched them in the sky. She swallowed realizing what they were about to do. Even though she wasn't the one falling, her gut knotted and fear ripped through her. What if she didn't make it? She didn't want to watch any more as they got closer to the ground, but her eyes were glued. 'They'll be fine... no worries...'

Not longer after though Nima had scooped Fern back into the saddle, and Spit realized she had been holding her breath. Gasping for air she let her hair fall down in front of her eyes once more. And it was only moments before she found herself pulled into a hug. The sudden force knocked a gasp out of her. "Did I see you?" She spoke as if that was even a question worth asking. "Of course I saw you! How could I not? That was terrifying!" She gripped Ferns forearms, grinning. "You two where amazing! I could never do that!" She let go, brushing her bangs aside and turning away slightly. "I don't think I could trust myself enough!" A nervous laugh escaped her as she glanced down at her feet. She trusted Crystal more than anything, but she feared that her own stupidity would be her downfall, not lack of trust in a dragon.

[Fern & Nima]

The moment Fern had jumped from the saddle, several thoughts ran through her mind; doubts, worries, even parts of her life flashing before her eyes. Seconds passed, moments which seemed like hours, before her dragon came through for her and caught her on her back. As she landed she was in complete disbelief that she had just done that; and lived! Her heart pounded so fast and so hard she could hear it in her ears. It felt like her heart was going to burst right through her chest, and she breathed deeply to steady herself. Then her excitement built as she hugged Spitnose, sharing her joy with her in that moment.

At her excited words, Fern smiled like a goof, "Yeah! It was! I can't believe I actually did it! I mean what if..." She shook her head, "No, I can't think that way. Nima caught me; that's all that matters. It's amazing, really... I knew she'd do it, and I was terrified as I was falling that it'd been a mistake, but then... Then she caught me, just like planned... The whole thing was... a...amazing!" She said, her voice rising in excitement, "And now I know I can trust her with my life; if I didn't know then I know it now."

She finally heard her last words and smiled, as Nima came over to her and started nuzzling against her, sniffing her all over. It seemed as though she were checking to make sure her rider was alright; and once her dragon realized her rider was unharmed, she ran a forked tongue over her repeatedly, knocking her down in the process, as she kept licking her in the face over and over. Fern laughed, usually she didn't like dragon spit all over her, but this time she could make an exception. Cradling Nima's head, she pressed her forehead against her horned nose, "You're amazing, you know that? Thank you."

Finally she heard Spitnose's words and looked over to her, running a hand over Nima's scales. "I think... it's more about trusting your dragon then trusting yourself... Trusting yourself only gets you so far; if you trust yourself to drop from the skies and rely on yourself to get out of the situation, you're doomed to fail. So, I guess you just have to trust that your dragon will protect you, and sort of catch you when you fall. In this case, literally." She said softly, the last bit with a laugh. She got up, walking over to Spitnose.

It was then she looked to Spitnose, tilting her head, as a sudden realization hit her, "Haven't you gotten a dragon yet?" She asked curiously. It had occurred to her that although Spitnose was seemingly very fond and knowledgeable about dragons, she didn't seem to have her own. Though, come to think of it, she oddly enough smelled a lot like sea water. Fern had the sudden feeling that Spitnose was hiding something, and she said softly, "So whats up? Why don't you have a dragon...? Are you afraid of them? Are you stuck between choosing one?" Her tones softened, as did her expression. She put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, you can tell me. Whatever it is, it'll be our secret."

[Spitnose]

Grinning wide, Spit laughed a bit as she brushed her hair aside. Ferns excitement was making her feel giddy as well. "I knew she would catch you!" She looked over to Nima as she began to give Fern slobbery dragon kisses. They were so perfect together, and she couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy as she watched them, dragon and rider. But she shook it off, not wanting to seem rude. This wasn't about her, it was about them right now.

"Yeeeeaah but..." Shuffling her feet she glanced to the side. "I trust Drumgut more than anything, but I still wouldn't jump off a cliff even if I knew he was going to catch me." Sure her brother wasn't the same as a dragon, but it was the best comparison she could come up with. She was going to go on further when Ferns next comment stopped her dead in her tracks. "W-what? A dragon?" She began shuffling her feet again. "N-no I don't have the time..." She stared at her feet and drew circles with her boots.

But as Fern lay a hand on her shoulder, she looked up again, frowning slightly. "I'm not scared of them." She chewed her lip a bit. "I ... just don't encounter them much. Being a fisher and all, I'm usually out on the water." She glanced up at the sky, trying to avoid eye contact. "And we don't see Scauldrons every day out there." She stopped herself, biting her lip hard. She had said Scauldrons. Not dragons, she had said specifically Scauldrons. "D-did I say Scauldrons? I, uh meant... dragons..." Spit had that kind of, puckered face as if she just ate something sour and was trying to hold it back. She messed up, and she knew it. Sure she trusted Fern to keep her secret, but she wasn't sure she was ready for any one else to know. But now, she stood out like a night fury in a blizzard, making the most awkward face ever trying not to let anything else slip out.

[Fern & Nima]

The excitement had ebbed into a gentle happiness, and then into a mild curiosity. After Spitnose mentioned about her brother, she tilted her head in confusion about the comparison, "Dragons aren't really people though.. Although they do seem similar.. At times." She said with a small laugh. "Whether your brother would catch your or not is a different story." She said with a small chuckle, "Dragons.. They have a much.. deeper... connection. Some sort of like.. Deeper understanding.. or something. It's kind of weird.. but cool..." She trailed off, before going off to ask her about why she didn't have a dragon yet. Meanwhile Nima took to sniffing Spitnose, making soft grunting and growling sounds as she did so.

It was then the realization had hit Fern quite suddenly. She didn't have a dragon, yet the odor of seawater was strong on her. And one other smell that she couldn't quite place, a tangible one that was familiar yet not so easy to place. It reeked sort of like sea water and sort of like fish, but not like any fish odor she was familiar with. And judging by Spitnose's nervous reaction, there was something fishy going on. Something she wasn't telling her; but what?

Fern listened intently as she said that she was just a fisher, that she didn't see many dragons, no scauldrons, around- Wait what? Fern furrowed her brow. "Scauldrons?" She asked curiously. It was then the realization hit her. That smell was a dragons odor! And.. with its fishy odor it had to be a water dragon.. And hadn't Spitnose just mentioned Scauldrons?! A smile lit Ferns face as she walked over to her, "You.. You trained a Scauldron...?" She asked softly, her excitement growing, "You trained a SCAULDRON!" She squealed beneath her breathe; it didn't come out incredibly loud, for she covered her mouth before it got louder then her normal voice. Still, her excitement was growing. "T-That's amazing!"

[Spitnose]

Listening to Fern talk, she knew that all already. She just... couldn't bring herself to to admit it. Gnawing at her lip Spit stared at her feet, scratching at the edges of her nails idly to keep her hands occupied. She looked up as she felt the soft puffs of Nadder breath, Nima was sniffing her once again. With a laugh she shook her head. "No treats Nima, sorry." The dragon seemed far to interested in her, as if trying to find something more than just a scent.

And she couldn't help but think Fern to was picking out the details. The picking of her nails became a nervous scratching, tugging at loose skin. And then when Fern repeated her mistake she froze. 'Oh Gods she knows....' She folded her hands behind her and looked up to meet Ferns gaze. She actually almost jumped a bit as the other girls voice rose slightly. "Y-yeah okay... I guess I kind of did..." She moved one hand to the back of her neck, scratching at it faintly, a shaken grin spreading across her face. "I mean I didn't really... train her... we are just friends... yeah..." She trailed off staring at the large pond close to them. "My big... water boiling... sea dragon... friend." When she said it like that, she felt kind of weird. But she couldn't find any other words to explain it. The Scauldron had become more than just her friend, that connection Fern had said, it ran almost as deep as blood, and she knew she would never leave the dragons side. But when she tried to say it to others it became a tangled mess.

With a deep exhale, her arm lowered back down to her side. "Well... now you know I guess. I... uh, please don't tell the entire village, okay?" She felt like the entire event had turned to be about her now, and wasn't sure she was quite fond of being the center of attention. Her hands had begun tugging at the finger holes of her gloves, tearing loose a few stray threads. "S-so uh, how about them trust exercises?" Spit tried to turn the topic away from her. "Ff-ow." In her idly tugging, she had pulled at a scab on one of her knuckles with out realizing. Shaking the hand a bit she glanced at it, while it had hurt there was no blood. After that however she made a mental note to keep her hands away from each other. 

[Fern & Nima]

Fern squinted her eyes as Nima started to sniff all over Spitnose; meanwhile her mind delved deep into thought about the whole situation. Spitnose was acting weird, but why? Why did she smell like fish and yet.. not like fish? Yet at her slip up she knew something was up, and her excitement grew. She hardly noticed her flinching as her tone rose in excitement, and she leaped forward to hug her. "Wow.. just.. wow.. A scauldron! Of all dragons, a scauldron... I mean... how... when... Alright..." She grinned at her, while Nima shot her a glare for her excitement at the aspect of another dragon, "Tell me everything!" She said excitedly, plopping down in the sand.



Nima came over and curled around Fern, who leaned against her, pulling her wing over her much like a blanket, with some effort. "Wow, you're friends with her? I mean, don't you want to train her? I mean, have you ridden her yet? Can she fly.. Can scauldrons fly?" She looked around, her tones hushing down to a whisper, "D-Does anyone else know?"



She asked softly, before she nodded her head, making a motion over her lips, "Your secrets safe with me!" She said happily, before hearing about trust exercises; she shook her head. "Nima's too tired..." She said softly, looking to her dragon, who let out a loud growl-like snore. "Lets hear about your dragon.. Tell me everything."

[Spitnose]

The hug caught Spit off guard, grinning a bit at it. "I know right? She was the last thing I expected to find while I was out fishing." A small giggle escaped her as Nima seemed to look a bit jealous. "Careful, Nima might think you are trying to replace her." She laughed again and looked back to Fern as Nima settled down.

She tilted her head a bit at the comment. "Well.. I don't know. We learn from each other... I guess it's training?" She shuffled her feet a bit and sat down once more. "I... we haven't flown yet." A small sigh escaped the girl. "She can, I just... don't know. I don't want to ask her ... I'm worried she wouldn't be okay with it." Twiddling her thumbs she glanced up at the sky. "No... not yet." Her gaze returned to their level. "I'm not ready for that yet... people expect so much more of kids with dragons. And she seems so scared of people... I don't want to force it..."

Her smile thinned, but seemed more genuine as she looked to Fern. "Thanks, that means a lot. I want every one to know when we are both good and ready." Spit leaned a bit to glance at the sleepy Nadder. "Aw, sleepy thing." But the next comment, she inhaled deeply. "Okay... oh Gods where do I start?" Brushing her bangs away, she exhaled and found her words, and where to begin. "Right so, I was out fishing-"

Her words trailed off into the chilled air, explaining the situation to Fern. It felt good to release the burden of the information onto some one else, and she made sure not to leave any detail out.

---

OOC:: Hope you don't mind Fern, but I think this is actually a perfect place to end it!