[IC] How To Train Your Dragon: Spreading Wings

[AHeartlessNobody]

"Blizzard? Who names a dragon Blizzard?" She asked, raising an eyebrow before shrugging, "Not the worst name I've heard though." She commented as she continued to eat an when he said there was a human village on this island, she frowned and topped her eating, "There are people here? On this island?" She shook her head, "I don't know about being here then. I mean, my father has a LOT of enemies. And when I mean a lot, I mean everyone who is not a part of my village probably hates him. If these people figure out who I am, they won't be non-hostile any more. You can believe that." She said eating some more of her fish for a moment before she continued on, shaking her head, "I'd much prefer we not run into any other humans at all. That would be safe thing."

While this dragon boy didn't seem so bad, she sure wasn't about to put her trust in any one else, whether it be other humans or other dragons. She was taking enough risk trusting him. Trusting anyone else could very well get her killed or held against her will. But, than again, she would put up a fight if they tried to hold her against her will anyone. She was a Bludfist for crying out loud! And though she was not as strong, she was quick and she was smart. She could escape if someone caught her. She was sure of it.

She kept her eyes away from the now human, not wanting to see something she shouldn't see, and crossed her arms, "Why are you even still here anyway? I figured with you being a dragon and all that once we were out of that lace you would have dropped me off somewhere and went off on your own." After all, he was a dragon. He could fly anywhere he wanted. He could have left her by now and there would have been nothing she could have done about it. And, from what she had heard from her father, dragons were sneaky like that. She wouldn't put it past one to do something like that.

[Toothless]

Hiccup. That was who gave him the name and it was a smug thought because the poor man had the most pathetic name of the generations before him- he’d given many dragons better names than he’d ever been graced himself. But Ava wasn’t really asking and it was better he didn’t bring up her true father just yet. “Well, I will go into the village and get the extra skin your kind wear over the first.” He’d seen them stripped of it before and understood that it was not their own flesh that they were peeling away. He could get this himself so she would not be so bothered by looking at him. He didn’t like that she would rarely meet his eyes when they spoke. “You don’t have to come.” He had added thickly at her reluctance though he should have known by her expression that she was lost deep in her thoughts.

He leveled a look of impatience upon her though she couldn’t be expected to get why he was still here. He shouldn’t think she would rush into a memory so old and miraculously remember everything. Or even just him. Rather than glare any longer he turned his gaze up and away from her, quirking his lips and grumbling: “because I feel like it.”

A dragon did not need to explain one’s self.

[AHeartlessNobody]

Did all dragons have anger problems, or was it just this one? He didn't seem to keen on her right now, and she could guess it was because of her questioning why he was still here. She didn't think it was that bad of a question herself. It was just simply wondering why he hadn't don what would have been smartest for hi to do. After all, he didn't know he she planned to kill him with her dagger. She wasn't planning to of course, but he had no idea what ran through her mind. Yes, the safest thing to do would have been to just leave her. And, when he stated he was going into the village to get some clothes, she thought very well that's what he was doing He was surely taking mind of what she had said and was leaving her there on this island.

She still didn't look at him as she waited for him to shift back and fly off toward where ever the village was, only glancing to see which direction he flew to get to the village so she wouldn't go that way. She didn't need to run into any people here. Once he was gone, she put out the fire and began to gather up what little things she had with her before deciding she would walk along the edge of the coast. It wasn't too far from where they had flown in from, so if he wasn't leaving her he could find her. And if he was leaving her, maybe she could find some unattended boats on the coast she could go off in.

Only a quarter hour had passed when she finally did find a tiny boat pushed up onto the sand. Approaching it, she frowned in disappointment to fin it had a hole in the bottom and sighed. Turning around to continue her walking, she yelped in fear to find a very big dragon standing there. The Monstrous Nightmare stood in front of her and with its large pointy teeth, razor sharp claws, and size, far got the better of her and she began backing up quickly as she draw her dagger, tripping over her own feet as she did, screaming out in fear and it seemed the sight of the dagger somehow angered the dragon because it caught fire all over its body, roaring angrily at her as it knocked her dagger from her hand, bellowing its roars at her, yet not attacking as the human girl coward on the ground.

[Toothless]

His journey into the village had been short, he swiped the clothes from a basket some middle aged woman had been carrying. It seemed as if she’d been drying the skins on an outcropping of rocks and had just now finished- a younger human had called out and secured him that moment in which he was able to steal from her. He ran off into the woods without ever having to confront anyone and within the shadows of broad canopies he tried on the garments and examined his reflection in a small pool. While not familiar with clothes he thought perhaps these were a tad too big for his slim form. He tossed away the extra skins and grabbed up a length of leather, securing the pants with a satisfied nod. Once he was no longer… bare he’d headed into the village and pilfered a bag in which to carry the clothes.

Details of his little endeavor aside- he had been striping back down to shift when he heard a scream. He forced his transformation over himself despite the painful creak of bones and pull of muscles, he knew he should never rush it but did so right then. The bag slid from his shoulder as he changed- and thoughtlessly he snapped it up in his mouth before launching into the sky, snapping countless branches without caring to slow despite the sting of them wiping past his hide. He was in the air in the instant. Over the trees and descending towards the coast. The fire had drawn his eyes and nose. In an instant he was upon the nightmare rolling it into the foamy surf and the two of them scuffled down there at the base of the coast- kicking up sand. While the smaller of the two dragons he had little trouble holding his own. Only kicking back from the nightmare to flare his wings in warning and bare his teeth with a snarl. Thinking in their short struggle he had made his point clear. The nightmare hissed with a sizzle of small flames but took off, understanding it was outmatched.

[AHeartlessNobody]

It all happened so quickly that Ava wasn't sure what had happened at first. One minute the Nightmare was standing over her and she thought it was going to harm her, and the next it was off of her, the sound of a fight between two dragons ensuing. She didn't look toward the scramble at first but instead stumbled away from where she had been laying to grab her knife that had been tossed away from her. Once she had it, she sun around, holding it outstretched with both hands in frightened way her eyes wide and expecting to come face to face with the large dragon again. But she didn't instead, she saw Blizzard standing up to the Nightmare, teeth bared. Teeth. Short but sharp pearls that could easily rip through flesh if they wanted to.

The Nightmare seemed to know it had lost in this small fight and flew away but even when it did, Ava did not let her guard down. She kept her knife pointed at arms length, sparks bouncing off of the metal as she took a few steps back away from the Nightfury/Arcus dragon, "You lied to me." And while it was such a small lie, it didn't matter to her. It he could so easily lie about something like that, then what else could he be lying about to her? That was what scared her the most. Still trembling with that same fear, she continued to back away from him, voice shaking as she poke quietly, "I don't want you near me. Leave. Now."

[Toothless]

Blizzard’s expression fell as suddenly as his wings dropped limp at his sides- his eyes portraying hurt in the face of rejection but it was short lived as he turned and saw the dagger thrust out before her, threateningly angled in his direction. He snarled instinctively since he was still wound up from the scuffle and felt anger boiling up among his inner fire. Lie or not he had just saved her and this was how she thanked him?!

He should have saw her fear but all he felt was his own hurt and the raging frustration that ate at his insides at her sudden decision- all because he had teeth! He wanted to knock her to the ground and scream right in her face so she could feel how he did right then. His muscles coiled to pounce but something stopped him-

Behind blind instinct he was an intelligent creature. She had not betrayed him because in her mind they had never been close, he’d never been anything been a docile beast and now she saw that he wasn’t merely a harmless kitten pawing for attention. He released the tension in his body and dropped down onto his stomach cooing softly with regret.

[AHeartlessNobody]

Ava flinched and moved back a few more quick steps when the white dragon's expression changed and he was snarling, seeming ready to come at her any second. He bent slightly and she prepared herself to be attacked. Never before had she fought a dragon, and she was fairly sure if he did attack her that she wouldn't be able to fight him off. Her hands tightened on the dagger and trembled more, body tense, waiting for that finally jump that would be likely to leave her dead, or at least wounded badly and left to die.

But, the dragon didn't pounce. Once again, his expression seemed to change and he was on the ground, ,cooing softly, the slits in his eyes once again turning round and friendly. She had never seen a dragon act like this before and so it was strange to her. Dragons never stopped their attacks, right? After all, they were bloodthirsty animals. She had seen this to be true in her village and from the many stories her father told their people.

This dragon though didn't seem like that. The way he cooed at her, as if asking for forgiveness, it was none short of....adorable, and it was instantly hard for her to be angry with him, much less scared. Very slowly, her dagger lowered and when again he made no move to jump at her, she turned the electricity off and sheathed it, slowly making her forward to where he lay, and once close enough, her shaky hand reached out to touch his head, still tense, as if waiting for his mood to suddenly switch. And when it didn't, she petted him slightly, her hands still trembling, "Dragons.......are creatures I will probably never understand....." She said quietly, before looking him in the eyes, doing her best to give a slight smile despite all that had just happened to have her shaken up, "But. I can try."

[Toothless]

She’d sheathed the knife but part of him screamed to remain wary- moments ago she would have used it on him in a heartbeat just because he had shown his teeth. He forced himself to remain on his stomach though, as small as possible as she approached. Anyone else he would snap out at but she was different and he was right to think this as she admitted that she would try to understand. The way she was raised- she had no reason to bother but as her hands rubbed at his scales he knew she was sincere.

Something akin to a purr rumbled from deep in his throat and he repeatedly nudged his snout into her, encouraging her hands to keep on rubbing. When she couldn’t seem to do it enough he pushed her over with one more insistent shove and finding her on the ground blinked innocently down at her before running his tongue across her face.

[AHeartlessNobody]

Ava was honestly surprised at how the dragon reacted toward her touch. He purred and began to rubbed his snout against her, and no matter how much she petted and scratched at his scales, he seemed to want her to rub and scratch more until finally he nudge her so that she fell back with a gasp. She blinked in surprise and was half temped to pull her dagger out again. Though, she thought against that. Even though he did knock her down and was on top of her, he didn't seem to be doing so threateningly.

Looking up at him, she grew confused by his innocent look, only to flinch as he knelt his head down and ran his tongue over her face, "Ugh! Gross!" She said and sitting up, she began attempting to wipe her face off. She found it utterly sticky though and walked over to the ocean line, and began to attempt to wash it off there. When she thought she had it off the best she could, she walked back over to him, her heads on her hip, leaning over with a mockingly and playful glare, "You just love to annoy me, don't you, you big lumax."

[Toothless]

Amusement swelled inside of him as she wiped obsessively but couldn’t still manage to get all off her face until she rubbed it away with seawater. He cackled a few times and when she came back he absolutely gaffed with laughter- spinning around and springing away, kicking up sand around them but he stopped his wild prancing after only a short moment. Then he changed forms before grabbing the bag off the beach and got dressed with his back to her.

Once he was properly clothed he faced her with a certain sternness brought about by impatience: “now we explore.” She’d wanted a good place to start out and this was fine. “But you can’t draw your tooth on anymore dragons. I won‘t fight them like this, I don‘t want to tear this other skin.” He mumbled while plucking at the plain tunic. It seemed he had forgot something important in his search for garments though and that was shoes.

[AHeartlessNobody]

Ava laughed slightly as Blizzard ran around, kicking up sand and laughing inn a sort of garbled way at her, "I will take that as a yes, you do love annoying me." Though very soon he stopped his jumping around and began to shift forms. She looked away as soon as she realized this and kept looking away until she was sure he was dressed. Once she was sure he was, she turned back his way, hearing him say they had would get to start exploring now. She wasn't sure about starting on this island because fo the humans living here, but she guessed as long as they stayed away from that village it would probably be okay. She just really didn't want to have a run in with any other humans. Not after leaving her own village less than a day ago.

"My tooth?" Ava asked confused, tilting her head to the side as she thought about what he said and then realized what he meant, "You mean my dagger?" Now that would be very difficult for her. How was she supposed to know if dragons were going to attack her or not? She couldn't be properly prepared if she didn't pull it out. How was she supposed to defend herself? She took out her blade and looked at it with a frown, "But..." Truthfully, she couldn't say why she wanted to keep it out, because she didn't want to offend him so soon after getting back on good terms with him. But, the truth was she didn't trust dragons. She had it set in her mind that they would kill her first chances they got. Maybe Blizzard was different, but for all she knew that could be because he had a human form.

Looking up at him, she thought for a moment longer before finally sighing and giving in to his request. After all, he knew dragons better than she did, "O-okay. I'll keep it up." Putting it back in its sheath at her waist, she was about to start walking when she paused, looking down at her feet with pursed lips, "You didn't get shoes?" She asked, crossing her arms, "Your feet will get hurt...."

[Toothless]

If not for her gaze going to his feet he wouldn’t have known what she meant- but he compared his to hers and saw that there was a distinctive difference. He had toes. A slight smirk tugged his lips. “Ah. Yes… I see what you mean but unless you want to come back to the village with me…” He drawled out pointedly and gave his shoulders a small shrug. “I guess I’ll just have to go without.”

And that was it- he didn’t push it because he didn’t see the importance of any of these skins, as a dragon he went around bare and it never caused him any pain. It was clear he had no real intention to drag her towards that settlement since he immediately started to trek towards the forest instead. While he felt weird upon two legs rather than the usual four he choose this form over the other so words wouldn’t be lost between them. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to make much of a difference though and he didn’t want to start a conversation when his understanding of the world would be alien to him. He hummed a catchy tune that was not his own but he sometimes overheard the wife of the previous chief of Berk sing and had learned from Hiccup it had more to it.

As a dragon he didn’t understand what marriage implied but he liked the words all the same. “My dearest one my darling dear, your mighty words astound me, but I have no need of mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me.” Of course his own mother use to sing to him and his siblings when one of them was bothered or scared but this was something she had to transform to do because it was something that humans did best. “But I would bring you rings of gold, I’d even sing you poetry.” He drew a breath as he hopped down from a rocky ledge to lower ground “and I would keep you from ALL harm if you would stay beside me.” And because he enthusiastically threw his hand out right then he ended up slapped in the face with a branch, jerking back with a curse. His gaze shifted upward as lower creatures laughed at him from the higher canopy and he growled- the rodents taking the hint to run off right then.

[AHeartlessNobody]

Ava sighed slightly when he said he would go without and was sure sooner of later would hear something of him getting hurt on the bottom of his feet. But, she guess that would just have to be something she would deal with when the time came. Instead, she followed him as they tracked through the woods. It was nice, to go out int he wilderness like this. It was quiet. And peaceful. That is, until humming could be heard coming from Blizzard. It was a tune that was very VERY familiar. One she felt like she had heard millions of times, yet couldn't seem to remember. And when he began to sing the words, it was like an old fond memory from somewhere she couldn't place. She knew the words. Knew the tune. But she just didn't know where she had heard it from.

She watched him closely as he sung and seemed to get very excite about the song because at the end, he threw his hand out and ended up with a face full of branch. She giggled at first, trying to keep her laughter down but in the end, she was laughing more as she hopped down from the ledge as well, and, found herself singing as well the familiar tune, wishing she knew where it was from, "I have no use for rings or gold! I care not for your poetry!" Words she had heard many times, filled with so much meaning, yet the meaning was long lost, "I only want your hand to hold! I only want you near me!" Dancing. Dancing around in a warm room, filled with laughter. The room was large.....or was she small? Standing on the feet of a grown man who would chuckle and spin her round, calling her 'his little Ava' before switching to dance with a grown woman sitting near by speaking quietly to an older woman sitting next to her. She couldn't see any faces. And their voices were muffled. But the words and tune where clearly this song and it gave her a strangely warm feeling in her chest, "To love to kiss to sweetly hold! For the dancing and the dreaming! Through all life's sorrows and delights! I'll keep your laugh inside me! I'll swim and sail on savage seas! With ne'er a fear of drowning! And gladly ride the waves of life! If you will marry me!"

Why did this song leave so many mixed emotions in her? She was happy and sad all at once. Yet, she was laughing and dancing the whole time she sang and ended with a small twirl and curtsy in front of Blizzard, a huge smile on her face. She giggled slightly and moved to the side though after a moment, rubbing the back of her neck in an awkward way, "Sorry. I have no idea where that came from. I didn't even think I knew that song. I don't even know where its from for the matter. It's just.....well it seems like such a happy song that you can't help but sing and dance to it."

[Toothless]

He was ready to make those rats his lunch when he heard the song picking up behind him and felt his anger suddenly swept away by surprise. There was no way she could have heard it anywhere but in Berk from her own family. He slowly turned to stare at her as the music moved her body and her singing picked up as the tune quickened. How… did she remember that?

He swallowed thickly as she curtseyed before him with laughter hidden behind her smiling lips, a sight gradually dwindling when she realized she was the only one grinning and it became awkward. He exhaled a small breath and smiled with the certainty that his silence when be taken badly when really he was just sort of shocked. “It is a really happy song. Two great people sung it on the day they became life mates.” Her parents but it was too soon to say that. If she remembered anything it didn't seem to be who her real family was and surely it wasn't enough to convince her of them if he tried to explain.

[AHeartlessNobody]

It seemed to make him either surprised or confused that she had sung the song and it made her feel even more awkward until he smiled at her. She then smiled back at him, shrugging her shoulders, "It must be a rather popular song if I heard it." Maybe a folk song? It was possible, as the tune seemed to be really catchy. She walked along around trees and hopping over fallen branches and roots, "It is a really happy song. I know it made me feel happy, that's for sure." She said with a nod before blowing her bangs away from eyes, pushing back branches in her path, being sure not to hit him in the face with the branches and that he didn't do the same to her. It wasn't too difficult walking side by side, as they were doing mostly, but sometimes one would get in front of the other making that harder. It was just a matter of being aware of one another.

And so far, tracking through the woods, she hadn't seen many dragons. None close by anyway. She could see some flying high above in the skies when they as a break in the canopy. Sometimes there would even be a little terror in the branches twenty of thirty feet above them. But none on the ground thus far. She didn't mind though. If she was honest, she still had that slight fear of dragons and would prefer to not run into any more. And, for a moment, as they ended their journey on this island, she thought they wouldn't. Only, when they got to the edge of the woods, she turned to go around a cliff side and almost ran smack into a Nadder. Yelping in fear, she stumbled back and had half the mind to draw her dagger, but remembering Blizzard's command on not pulling it out, she instead scrambled to her feet and over to where Blizzard was standing, eyes wide and unsure, "Y....you can tell t to go away, right?"

[Toothless]

“Not any better than you can.” Blizzard whispered to her but didn’t seem frightened even though in this form a nadder was a couple times bigger than him and could take off either one of their heads with a single snap of his beak. If anything he seemed… excited, grinning to himself before dropping his bag and swallowing down the smile. If anything this was a chance to show her that dragons weren’t mindless beasts. He moved towards the creature and though it had its spikes flared in warning it dropped its guard when he dropped his, tilting its head (to get a better look at him) with an uncertain trill of sound.

He reached towards it, pausing when it paced anxiously in place and giving it a moment to calm before approaching again and this time it let him near so he could place a hand against its beak. He did not have the same ease that Berk’s chief had with their kind but he understood them just as well- he was a dragon after all. He rubbed with the palm of his hand though he knew it would prefer he scratched at the scales but he didn’t want to dragon getting too close to him and getting the wrong idea about this momentary relationship they had. Just enforced the fact that he- no, they meant no harm.

He kept his hand in place as he looked back at Ava, extending his other hand towards her. “Here. I don’t need to scare it off. She doesn’t mean us any ill.” He assured and he knew that her parents had already shown her how safe it could be to interact with even wild dragons when they were approached properly. Given the way she reacted to their kind though he was certain she forgot all that. “Here, come scratch her, just don’t move too fast before she gets a good feel for you.” He was sure the dragon would take well to her as long as she didn’t spook it.

[AHeartlessNobody]

"Scare it off? A dragon? Scared of me?" It seemed like it should be the other way around. She was terrified o this beast in front of her. Especially with its spikes that looked like they could pierce right through her. Still though, she moved forward slowly and carefully, worried eyes on the dragon as she approached, ready to run for it if the dragon made any move to hard her. Finally, she took Blizzard's hand nervously and almost jerked it back when he moved her hand toward the dragon. She half expected it to bite her hand off, as she had said before when in her home village. But, it didn't. Instead the dragon seemed curious about her and when her hand touched smooth scares, the Nadder hummed in delight.

Blinking in surprise at him, Ava moved a little closer and began scratching the dragon' scales, confused and shocked all at once, "It didn't try to hurt me." She said in a breathy voice and laughed softly, scratching the scales more, "Wow. Never been this close a Nadder before. This is kind of...amazing." She stated and laughed as the dragon nuzzled her with its snout, spikes pressed down against itself to keep from poking her with them, "Are all dragons like this when you approach them like that?" She asked, looking back at Blizzard.

[Toothless]

Nadders were some of the easiest dragons to charm and probably the quickest to please. All they really wanted was to be scratched in that hard to reach place behind their head spines and a compliment or two to flatter them. “Most of them.” He watched the interaction, having removed his hand so the nadder would focus its affections on her. “Dragons are somewhat like Vikings but less bull headed.” He smirked at Ava before averting his gaze “they have different personalities. So if you try to approach one and its clear they don’t want you to than you shouldn’t push it or they might attack. What do you expect though? if someone won't stay out of your face...” He shrugged halfheartedly even though he had his share of humans trying to get close to him back on Berk. “Honestly they are more likely to attempt to retreat, unless already distressed over something.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

"Alright. Just approach with caution and I'll be fine." Ava nodded, taking in all the information he was giving her. giving him a look, "Vikings aren't that bad. Or at least, not all are. I'm not anyway. Guess I cant speak much for all the other vikings in the world." She commented with a shrug and she finally stopped scratching the Nadder before turning back to him, "So, should we get going again?" It seemed to her they had explored all they could in this area without getting too close tot he human village and she would like to visit some more places before the day ended hopefully. She rubbed the Nadder's scales once more and soon the dragon saw its little petting session was over it left, flying off int the sky. She smiled and looked back to him, "Well, come on, lets get going again before that village of humans spots us here."

[Toothless]

Blizzard shook his head at her before making a gesture for her to turn around. “I’m going to change” he explained because the next moment he had striped down again, stuffing his clothes in the bag and tossing it to Ava. “Carry that for me. Only a fair exchange.” With that he sunk down as his body stretched and grew until once more he was the white dragon with the faint rainbow shine. He shook himself down as if casting off water and then barked to signify his readiness to go.

He waited for her to get upon his back once more and situate herself though it took quite a bit of patience on his part. Once he was certain she wouldn’t go tumbling off on take off he launched. With a few swift flaps he’d caught up with the nadder, startling the poor think by bursting past it- it squawked and momentarily lost it grip on flight due to its alarm before righting itself and turning back towards the island. Blizzard laughed low in his throat and drifted lazily to high altitudes.