[Jokul] Flight Rising

[Fern & Nima]

Time and Date:: January 16 - Sunset, early evening
Weather:: Snowy terrain, chilly, light snow fall but otherwise clear skies
Previous Threads?:: N/A

CURRENT IC SEASON - DEVASTATING WINTER

"Come on, Jokul! It'll be fun!" Pleaded Fern earlier that day. And after much pleading, and convincing, it was decided that they would go on a flight together. From what Fern knew, Jokul had never really flown before, or at least that she knew of. Well, she had never personally seen him on a dragon besides when he got tackled by Starkard, but that was besides the point. The point being that she wanted to introduce him to something new, something that they could share together; unaware and perhaps naive to just how frightening it was for him.

Thus she knocked on his door, eagerly waiting for him to open it. "Come on, Jokul, you can't hide away forever!" She called out, before picking up a pebble and aiming it, throwing it through the open window. "Yoo-hoo! C'mon! We haven't got all night!"

She stepped back, "Okay, but I guess if you're staying home... you'll be stuck with Starky all night." She whistled innocently, pretending to walk away, waiting for him to come out and hopefully stop her.

[Jokul & Starkad]

Jokul couldn't believe what he agreed to. He knew it wasn't something he could hide forever, but Thor help him if he's going to show another weakness.

So here he was, sitting in his room with Starkad curled up at his feet, dreading the moment Fern would come get him. "There's no way I'm not a masochist by now."

"Should I be worried?" His mother spoke up from the stairwell. The teen jumped in his seat, and spun around to find her leaning against the back of his chair.

"N-no! Of course not!" The little dragon by his feet grumbled at the loud noise, but didn't make a move to stop him. "It's not like that."

Kari Steinthor hummed mischievously, "Oh? So you're telling me you don't like waking up to Stark sitting on you? And here I thought you loved your family." Jokul was used to this banter from her. If he didn't know any better, he could say she still had the mentality of a 12-year old.

"What I love is staying on solid ground." The woman cleared her throat to urge him to continue, knowing he wouldn't see her narrowed eyes.

With a sigh, Jokul leaned forward. "Fern wants me to go flying with her."

The snort that came from his mother was to be expected. After all, she already knew about his fear of heights. "Oh buddy boy... you are a special kind a masochist." The teen growled at his mother's lack of sympathy. "At least you're doing it for a girl. Better than nothing."

"Gee, thanks. You're the best mom ever." The sarcastic response came out almost in a monotone. "You could try to act like I'm going to my death here."

"Pfffft. Don't be melodramatic. No one's died from flying for years!"

"All the more reason it's going to happen today."

Before Kari could get her say in his pessimism, Fern was heard downstairs, "Come on Jokul, you can't hide away forever!" He groaned and grabbed his boots. Better go before she starts-

If not for his helmet the small rock she threw would've hit him in the head. It ended up bouncing off harmlessly with a 'ting'.

"Yoo-hoo! C'mon! We haven't got all night!"

"Yeah yeah..." He sighed and readjusted his helmet. "Mom, if I'm not back before you fall asleep, assume the worst." She just waved him off as he made his way to the door downstairs.

"Okay, but I guess if you're staying home... you'll be stuck with Starky all night."

The teen made a move to push the door open, but a larger hand held him back by his shoulder.

"I'll make sure the little one doesn't follow." He heard his father's gruff voice sound from behind him. "We both know how she can make a bad situation worse."

With a grateful breath, Jokul nodded at him.

It's now or never. He told himself as he opened the door and called out, "Just so you know, Starkad is the worst roommate."

First thing he did was he was outside was finding the girl's red hair, which was the easiest task in the white landscape. "I'd like to see you spend a night with that hellion." He rolled his eyes at the mere image of it. "Now that I think about it, she'd probably suck up to you and Brutus."

Once he was within arm's distance, he looked around for Fern's dragon. "Where's Nima?" He swallowed heavily, trying to keep himself from appearing scared.

[Fern & Nima]

Fern could only imagine what Jokul was up to in there, and as she paced around she could have sworn she saw a figure through the window, though she couldn't make out if it was Jokul or not. As she threw the rock, she heard a metallic ting and giggled, "Bulls-eye." Before she teased him some more. Just as she started walking away, she heard his voice calling out about Starkard. Laughing, she teased back, "Oh she can't be that bad... Just a big bundle of sugar, right?"

At his next comment she laughed, "And let you miss out on all the fun? Never!" Though at his eye roll and comment she looked up and noticed his father restraining Starkard. "Probably for the best, today, though." she said softly, and as he asked about Nima she smiled, then did a mock dragon call. Moments later, with a gust of air, Nima landed near her. "Alright, You gotta get on, so take my hand." She went to grab his hand and to lead him to Nima, as she climbed on first.

"Alright, getting on is probably the worst part. Just remember she's alive. She moves and breathes just like you and me, and that's normal. Weird as that sounds..." She said with a nervous laugh. Nima seemed to sense that he needed an easy mount and knelt down to the ground so he could mount easier. "You ready?"

[Jokul & Starkad]

"You say that now, but just you wait. She'll chew up everything but the chewing post." It almost sounded like he was joking around, but he was serious. The little hobblegrunt was the cause of each and every broken piece of furniture in his house.

"That, would be some fun I'd gladly sit out for." He grinned, albeit forcefully just as he heard Nima approaching.

Jokul watched silently as Fern hoisted herself onto her dragon's shoulders. The purple nadder seemed to eye him before she leaned down. Could she feel his uneasiness? She was no hobblegrunt, but then again, animals had a knack for sensing emotions.

The whole mini-lesson that Fern was telling him went though one ear and out the other. Luckily, he remembered hearing it before from his mother. But that was back when Starkad wasn't even born; back when he didn't know any better. Now he knew exactly what to expect.

Jokul snapped out of his numb state when he heard Fern ask if he was ready to go. He could feel his heart hammering in protest when he nodded mutely. It felt like he was volunteering for his death. Mostly from having a heart attack, if not from falling.

Hoping his hands weren't clammy, he took hold of Fern's outstretched arm. Once he was atop the dragon, he tried to distract himself from the inevitable. Nima's sides expanded and shrunk with every breath, and the repetitive motions relaxed him somewhat.

"R-Ready."

It was, no doubt, understatement of the year.

[Fern & Nima]

Fern looked to him with a smile; oh how she admired him sometimes. Even in the worst of scenarios he still had that same, cranky sense of humor. She laughed a bit at his comment, before Nima landed and she noticed him tense. As she mounted, she helped him get atop Nima before he was up on the dragon. For a moment Nima stood, inhaling, before he said he was ready. She gave Nima a light squeeze in the shoulder area, which let Nima know she was ready.

Nima rose up, her wings outstretching. "Hold on tight!" Fern said with a smirk, grabbing onto the saddle. Nima started to run, wings beating to gain momentum. Faster and faster her wings beat until...

She was in the air, climbing steadily upwards. The wind beat through Ferns hair, sending it wildly backwards with the breeze. Fern looked back to check on Jokul, before shouting back, "How ya doing back there?"

"Just a minute more!" She called back, before Nima suddenly eased her flight onto a level form, gliding slowly over the clouds. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." Fern said with a smile, figuring that he wasn't looking. Of course, there was no way to know for sure, as she couldn't see him; for all she knew he could have been watching this entire time.

[Jokul & Starkad]

"Hold on tight!"

Barely after they'd lifted off the ground, Jokul scrambled to get a hold of something. As it turned out, Fern was the only option, since the scales underneath him gave him little grip. He didn't even think twice as he wound his arms around her. Before he could shut his eyes, Jokul saw the ground below him grow smaller, and it made him even more terrified.

The teen didn't even care how childish or awkward a position he found himself in. After burying his head between the girl's shoulder blades, he managed to bring his dangling legs up and around Fern's middle, effectively anchoring him in place behind her.

Jokul could barely hear anything over the pounding of his heart, never mind the howling wind. So whatever Fern had asked was drowned out. It wasn't until he felt Nima's body relax that he could finally hear anything.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Bad idea. Without loosening his grip, he shook his head against her back. "N-No!" His teeth were chattering together just as fast as his heart was beating. He knew very well he'd panic if he so much as peeked. "I-I t-think it's better if I d-don't!"

[Fern & Nima]

Fern felt the gust of wind against her as Nima climbed the skies, going higher and higher. She grunted as Jokul gripped her tightly, even going as far to wrap his legs around her waist. She moved to give his legs a light pat as they went, just as they steadied out. At his words she laughed, "C'mon, now, Jokul. The only way to get over your fears is to face them. And there's a sunset... and clouds... C'mon, trust me."

She looked to back and moved to hold his hand, as Nima glided effortlessly through some clouds. Nima tilted her head and crooned at him, saying in dragonese, "I won't drop you, you know. I take care of my riders. Come now, you're safe."

Fern smiled, understanding a little bit of Nima's dragonese, "Thank you, Nima." She said in dragonese, and although poorly spoken Nima understood and bobbed her head up and down. Fern smiled as she looked out at the horizon, gazing at the sunset, "Do you see this, Jokul? It's... beautiful..."

She hoped that Jokul could enjoy the this at some point, but she had to remember just how frightened he was of being in the air. It reminded her of her first time flying; how frightened and enthralled she had been, and how she had grown to love it. The thought made her smile a bit, hoping Jokul would feel the same someday.

[Jokul & Starkad]

"The only way to get over your fears is to face them."

She's laughing. Of course my panic attack is hilarious. I must look like an idiot. I'm never going to live this down. I might as well tell all of Berk that I won't do the one thing everyone dreams of doing when they finally get a dragon! His inner monologue might've been a bit exaggerated, but you could blame the shortage of air reaching his brain. After all, Jokul's breaths had become short, gasps of air, and up above the clouds, that's the last thing you want to do.

"C'mon, trust me." "Come now, you're safe."

Both of them tried to break through to him; to get him to calm down. He wanted to so badly, but he couldn't bring himself to move. His limbs stayed stiff and locked around her, even when he felt her hand grab his.

"Do you see this, Jokul? It's... beautiful..."

NO NO NO NO! Was the only thing replaying in his head. Somehow, by some miracle, however, he stuttered out, "I-I don't s-see a-anything anyways." He meant to say the statement sarcastically, making it into a joke, but is small, unsure voice gave it a serious tone.

The teen slowly, hesitantly, reached out blindly in front of Fern for the handle of the saddle. Once he grabbed hold of it firmly in the one hand, he quickly untangled his other arm to do the same. His face was still hidden and he made no move to change that. Instead, he leaned forward and tried, in vain, to slow his breathing.