Taking on a Challenge (OPEN)

[kavyrie]

DATE AND TIME: July 27, early morning
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Cloudy and foggy
CHARACTERS INVOLVED: Fleta, Sven & Hermes
PREVIOUS THREADS: N/A

Fleta stretched her legs as she wandered out of her cave, rolling her shoulders and twisting her neck until she felt a satisfying pop. She sniffed the damp air and looked around, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Finding nothing, she moved out into the dense fog to patrol, searching for anything out of place or any intruders. She set off and upped her speed until she settled into a brisk jog, swerving around trees and rocks as she circled her territory. It took about an hour for her to finish, circling once and crossing a few times. She was finally satisfied that her home was secure and picked up her speed as she headed back to her lair.

The large female yawned casually and flopped onto her large flat rock, sounding more like a falling boulder than a creature laying down. She flicked her wispy tail and watched the fog swirl around her, her icy blue eyes half lidded. Her thoughts traveled back to almost 100 years ago, remembering her viking companion and reminiscing about her old life. She glanced back at her den, reading the crudely written runes etched into the lip at the top. "Fleta the Swift" is what they read, and reading them only made her heart ache. She turned from the words and back to the forest with an angry huff, spitting a glob of acid just to watch it sizzle on the ground before her.

[Sven & Hermes]

... Nudge. Nudge nudge. "Wake up." No response. Hermes snorted, sending some strands of yellow hair flying in Sven's face. Dissastisfied, she tried again. "OI WAKE UP OR IMMA DO SOMETHING YOU WONT LIKE THAT I HAVENT THOUGHT OF YET!" She bellowed, right intothe human's ear. That did the trick. He jolted awake as if he had been electrocuted. He then rubbed his ear, the other hand rubbing his eyes at the rude awakening.

"Bloody hell, Hermes." He groaned under his breath. "Do you really have to wake me up so early?" Hermes made a crooning noise.

"Yes." She stated blandly. She then raised her elegant neck, because she didn't like having to stoop so low. "i want you to work today. You don't work anymore. That makes me sad." Sven could tell that Hermes was indifferent whether Sven did his job as a Dragonologist or not. But she did enjoy exploring with Sven and meeting other people and Dragons. Sometimes.

Sven quickly packed up his camp, and settled himself on Hermes's back. But Hermes didn't fly off as usual, she began to walk instead. Sven raised an eyebrow. Hermes usually flied whenever she could. "Are you still banning me from flying? I'm not depressed anymore."

"Nope, just change of pace." Sven shrugged. Hermes seemed to become more unpredictable by the day. Then again, Sven hadn't actually trained the dragon, like how they did in the village. It was more of a mutual understanding and interest.

The duo soon began to acsend some hill. When the space provided it, Hermes sometimes leapt the gaps with a single half-beat of her wings, at first taking Svem by suprise. It was as if she wanted to fly, but was resisting.

"You can fly, you know.." Sven said, looking down to pat her black scales, which under the forest canopy didn't let her pelt shine with it's blue hue.

But Hermes had stopped. Looking up, Sven noticed they were just about to enter a clearning, near the edge ofthe tree line where a few caves resided. On a rock, there lay a Dragon. Sven reached quietly for his book, as Hermes did as best she could to not make a noise. She'd be ready to flee if this one was dangerous.

"Hello... What do we have here?" He muttered quietly under his breath, as he began making preliminary sketches and notes.

[kavyrie]

Fleta closed her eyes as she listened to the ground fizz and bubble, the noise always soothed her. She toyed around with the idea of dissolving away that blasted title on her cave. Her thoughts didn't last for long, a tiny black ear flicking up at the sound of footsteps. Her eyes snapped open as she raised her head to look around. That was a human voice. "Show yourself human." She lifted her head a bit farther to take a deep breath through her nose, catching the scent of a dragon as well. "And dragon."

She pushed herself up onto her front legs so she could stare out into the mist, trying to spot any movements that would give the intruders away. If anything bothered her more than humans, it was being spied on.

The Snow Wraith's ears pricked, hearing the sounds of scratching. Her eyes narrowed when she finally spotted them, a male human perched on a black dragon's back. Her lips curled up into a snarl, showing off her black teeth. She stood fully, her long tail lashing. "If you have no business here then leave." She ran her talons over her rock, thinking for a moment. Now that she could see what the pair looked like, it was obvious that attacking would be pointless, since the dragon could easily take off the second she got too close.

When they didn't leave Fleta narrowed her eyes even more. The damn human was still scratching something. "What the hell are you doing?" She couldn't help but cock her head to the side and watch. She snorted at them and folded her ears back, looking offended.

[Sven & Hermes]

Sven's stomach cringed as the dragon spoke up, hearing his presence. He jotted down the creature's sensitive hearing. Hermes complied with the dragon, advancing cautiously.

As the fog lessened as Hermes shortened the distance, Sven could see the beast a lot clearer, and began to make more detailed sketches. From what he could see, the dragon didn't have wings, unless they were folded in such a way that they looked invisible.

Sven could feel Hermes tensing beneath him, and he could see the that the behaviour of the dragon was not one of welcome. She (well, the voice was feminine enough) told them to leave, unless they had a reason. And Sven did. He slid off the back of his own dragon, and composed himself to show through body language that he was of no real threat. Hermes did a similar thing, keeping her scales flat, crest lower than normal, and the 'wrists' of her wings pointing towards the ground slightly.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do have business, since my job revolves around your kind and kin."[/i][/color] Sven started, his lips tweaking slightly. He paused to scribble a little bit more information, before explaining his purpose. He often did this when encountering dragons first hand - it would be unwise to lie to a dragon after all. Despite this, sometimes Dragons wouldn't be keen at all of sharing information with the Dragonologist.

"I'm a Dragonologist, so I study dragons. It's my job to find out these different species so that humans can recognise them and learn not to fear them."[/i][/color] Sven explained. He wasn't keen on that expression the white dragon was wearing. He scribbled a bit more into his book.

He was just about to ask permission whether he could learn more about the new species, when she asked him what he was doing, showing signs of curiosity but also retaining the distrust, as any wild dragon would. Sven quickly explained.

"I'm writing. This is how I record my information, after all, unlike Dragons, human memories can be quite... bad." Behind him, Hermes made a noise, as if she had found the sentence funny. Sven ignored her - being around dragons for so long, the Dragonologist knew that some dragons thought themselves superior to humans, and thus badmouthing one's own race was bound to up the level of trust... at least by a little.

[kavyrie]

Fleta watched at the pair came closer and into view, both trying to not look threatening. She was quite surprised to see that the human could speak their tongue rather fluently. She cocked her head as he continued scratching at the book in his hands. Her expression softened only slightly as he continued to speak, although still keeping her lips curled in a snarl. A part of her felt tempted to get up and make a grab for his book. She knew how to read, at least somewhat.

She could't help but snort in amusement at his last statement. "Yes you humans have never had a very good memory. It didn't take long for your kind to forget me." She let herself relax enough to sit back down onto her rock and motioned towards the writing on her cave with her snout. A few drops of saliva fell from her lips and sizzled as they hit the ground, making her eyes dart down for a moment.

"I can only imagine you haven't come across one of my kind before. We don't stray from the mountains often. I believe your kind refers to us as Snow Wraiths. So... what do I have to do to be rid of you?"[/i] The white dragon smirked and licked her lips. The human was proving to be some sort of entertainment for her for the moment, and maybe it wouldn't hurt to answer some questions he might have. She hadn't really interacted with anyone, human or dragon in quite a while.

[Sven & Hermes]

His comment was received just as he had hoped for. It seemed as if this dragon had previously held relationships with humans. Sven noted how the beast's saliva seemed almost acidic. He noted that. Hermes seemed to have noticed it too, taking a few steps back hesitantly. After the incident with Nightrode, she made sure that she kept her distance from any corrosive substances.

Sven also noted the following words, introducing her kind as a Snow Wraith, and the habitat. From the habitat he could deduce a whole lot of information already. It would explain the fur, stocky build and small ears to retain body heat. He chuckled a little at her question.

"Well... I suppose that depends." He thought about it for a moment. Sven had quickly grew bored of living conditions of beasts, usually adding that later since for most dragons it would be somewhat familiar. From what Sven could see, this dragon didn't have wings.

"Do you not have wings? Can't you fly?" He asked, though his voice was tinged with a tone of regret. A lot of dragons he had met who could fly took great pride in their gift of flight - he wondered how a flightless dragon felt about that, unable to touch the skies like their brethren. "What kind of abilities do you have? I notice your saliva appears to be acidic." He said, hoping to avoid making the dragon uneasy. She seemed to have only just begun to relax in the presence of the human.

Bored, and now noting the Sven didn't seem to be in any imminent danger, Hermes sauntered off to lay down herself, under the trees in the shade.

[kavyrie]

Fleta watched the human carefully, although her gaze quickly switched to the black dragon when she took a few steps back. "Don't worry, I ain't gonna spit at you." She smirked, clearly the dragon had some sort of experience with acid before. She turned her attention back to Sven, thinking for a moment.

"No, my kind does not have wings. Unlike most dragons we have no need for them. I have seen many dragon's wings freeze mid-flight. Doesn't seen very helpful in my opinion."[/i] She nodded at his next statement, making a note at how observant he was. "Our acid easily burns through rock and metal, and even easier through flesh. Us Wraiths are immune to it though, although I will admit is does tingle slightly."[/i] Fleta licked her lips, and for a moment she probably looked like she was contemplating eating him. She eyed the other dragon as it wandered off and laid down, watching her for a moment.

She snorted again as she thought, not really sure about any other abilities. "I'm not quite sure what you consider abilities. My kind excels at climbing and jumping. Our best feature is how long we can run. We can run for hours without needing to stop to rest or eat or drink. We aren't as fast as some other dragons, but we don't need to be when its guaranteed that they will tire before we will."[/i] She puffed out her chest and rose her head in pride.

She was surprised at how easily she was letting herself feel relaxed around the human. She felt a little unsure about herself as she waited for more questions, watching the human as he scratched away at his bundle of papers. "So Dragonologist, do you and your... friend have names?"[/i] Fleta looked at both of them as she spoke, realizing that the intruders hadn't even introduced themselves.

[Sven & Hermes]

Sven nodded at the dragon's explanation for not having wings. It was a legit response. He noted it down. She then spoke of her abilities, though it appeared she didn't really see it as 'special'.

"That's a perfectly fine example of abilities. Stamina is very useful. Hermes has it, but it's mostly in her wings." He pointed haphazardly behind him with his pencil. "I doubt she's very good on the ground. She doesn't really walk long distances often, let alone run." Behind him, Hermes snorted at his remark, obviously not liking it. Sven smiled, turning to whisper jokingly to the wild dragon "And between you and me, she's a little too proud of herself, heh." He knew Hermes also heard that, because now she hoisted herself to her feet and slunk further away into the woodland, not having any of it. He chuckled a little. Hermes pestered him all the time, it was about time he got his vengeance now and again.

The Snow Wraith asked for their names. Sven introduced himself gladly. "My name's Sven. And that grumpy Ambassador is Hermes. We're... partners. I haven't 'trained' her in the way these Vikings tame their dragons, so our relationship has it's ups and downs." Sven then looked up to the cave, where time had eroded the runic script, and he couldn't make out what was written.

"I'm assuming that was your name engraved there. May I ask your name, if you still use one?" Sven asked. He had met plenty of dragons who had previously been 'tamed', who had rejected the name given to them.

[kavyrie]

Fleta snorted in amusement when Sven poked fun at Hermes. The pair was quite amusing to watch. She didn't think she remembered seeing an Ambassador before, or at least not for a very long time. "I go by Fleta, Fleta the Swift, as to what my human called me." She looked at the lip of her cave, realizing that she was just so used to the name she didn't notice how unreadable it had become. She shrugged inwardly, it had been almost 150 years since it had been written.

"He was a scrawny little thing for a Viking, my boy, and he was never much of a fighter. But he was more stubborn than any one of them. The little bastard came here every single day for a whole month, not matter how often or how far I chased him out. Determined little bugger."[/i] She let out an airy chuckle, or at least what could be considered airy for her kind as she looked at the runes. "When I finally let him tame me, well, we were unstoppable together. I was by his side all his life after that."[/i]

[Sven & Hermes]

"Nice name." He commented. The dragon, now known to Sven as Fleta, began to talk of her old human. He listened, though it was nice to know this dragon had lived and accepted humans before, it didn't particularly interest him in his study. He listened, but jotted down other information, and made his sketch of the dragon a lot fuller as she spoke.

He smiled a little as the description of the man sounded very similar. Sven was also 'scrawny' and 'not much of a fighter', as proven in the war. It got him thinking about how he met Hermes. He too had frequented the cave, though Hermes tended not to give a damn, instead of defending her territory.

Sven's expression darkened slightly at the end of Fleta's speech. He had a pretty good idea what had happened, where this Viking was and why Fleta was out here, away from the village. He wondered what Hermes would be like if something happened to him. Knowing her, she'd just be like: 'Oh well damn.' then carry on her life as normal.


"Sounded like a good man." Sven commented. He knew loss too, so he could relate, somewhat. "Well, I guess that explains why you've allowed me so close, if you've had experience with humans before. With other wild dragons, it would take a while to get this close... Unless you have some other motive for allowing me this far." Sven wished he hadn't said that. He knew that with Wild Dragons, unpredictability was the key. With Hermes quite a way back, knowing this dragon could easily outrun him with little effort, he could become an easy snack.

[kavyrie]

Fleta stayed silent for a moment and watched as he continued his scribbling and scratching. She nodded at the comment about her human being a good man. His next comment made her snort in amusement. "I'm not partial to human meat. You would be too stringy for my likings anyways."[/i] Fleta chuckled. "Your dragon friend though, she would have more to worry about. It's been a while since I've had dragon meat."[/i] She turned slightly and scratched her neck, much like a dog would.

"Really though. If I wanted to kill you I would have by now."[/i] She stood and narrowed her eyes slightly and grinned. Fleta leaped from her spot, easily clearing Sven's height and landing several yards behind him. Her eyes twinkled in amusement as she padded closer to him, stopping several feet away. "The only motive I have is to relieve a bit of loneliness that has been in my heart for over 100 years."[/i] Her expression turned a bit dark as she stared down at the human. "Got it?"[/i] Fleta circled around Sven, looking him over. She didn't get closer than about six feet from him, being sure that if for some reason he decided to try and touch her she could easily dodge him. "You remind me of him."[/i]

[Sven & Hermes]

Sven didn't like the idea of being food, but he was glad this dragon didn't like eating humans. Sven was concerned for Hermes' sake, but he was partly confident of her abilities of escaping.

Sven jumped as Fleta suddenly leapt overhead, thinking she was going to attack him. He felt a little threatened as the dragon was now between him and Hermes, thus leaving him quite vulnerable. But she quickly proved she was not being aggressive, just like she had said. He saw a playful look in her expression. His stance relaxed a little, standing still as Fleta proceeded to examine him. Sven's expression softened at Fleta's comment of her lonliness.

"You... want to feel that sense of bond again?" Sven frowned a little. He wasn't sure whether this was an offer of becoming 'tame' once again. Sven and Hermes were nomads... When Hermes finally decides when it's time to leave, Fleta wouldn't be able to come along. The Dragonologist didn't understand why the Dragon stayed in the village and find another human to belong to, to feel a similar bond with another. Several factors flitted his mind, but he daren't ask.

Apparently he reminded the dragon of his previous owner. Sven raised his eyebrows. Well, he could admit that he matched the description well. Sven's eyes followed Fleta as she circled him, observing the muscles that rippled under the thick fur. She kept her distance, still wary and untrusting. Sven wasn't suprised.

"Do you want me to pretend to be like your old human?" Sven asked hesitantly. He finally laid on the fact that you can't replace someone dear to you, which he knew of. Similarity was the closest the dragon, and himself, was ever going to get. It got him thinkings briefly of something else... But he quickly came back to the situation at hand. It was unwise to get distracted in front of a wild dragon.

[kavyrie]

Fleta stopped her stalking and thought for a moment. What did she want? Did she really want to be a companion to a human again, to go through the pain of loosing them again? "I suppose I do. Do not feel bad for me, I have no plans for letting you tame me. You already have a dragon, and I'm not the sharing kind." The dragon let out a drawn out sigh, looking a bit defeated. She was tired of being alone, chasing off anyone that came near her.

His next question made her snort in amusement. "There's no point in mimicking the dead." She stepped a little closer to him, but still stayed out of reach. "I do appreciate it though. Thank you." Fleta eyed him carefully, noticing he had become distracted with his own thoughts. She smirked and continued her circle, an idea forming in her head.

The tip of her tail twitched, making the long fur sweep across the ground. Sven seeming more interested in her face and body than her tail, working well for her plan. She drew the circle a bit tighter, enough so she was looking down at him instead of across. Her tail quickly wrapped around his foot and tugged, sending him straight onto his back. She laughed loudly and stood over him, her thick legs on either side of him. "It is unwise to get distracted Dragonologist. Especially in front of a wild dragon." She put a paw on his chest, although she was sure not to put any pressure on him so he could easily push her paw off. She laughed again and swished her tail as she looked down at him, scattering leaves and dirt. The thought of Hermes not appreciating her pinning the human crossed her mind, but she didn't care enough. She wasn't hurting him.

[Sven & Hermes]

Sven nodded, seeing the dragon also understand the notion of irreplaceable beings. Sven was glad that Fleta didn't wish to be tamed - he wasn't fond of having another dragon. Hermes was a handful as it was.

Absorbed by the beast, he didn't notice that she had shortened the distance between them, just a little further than an arms reach away. But then something grabbed his leg and sent him flying to the floor, almost winding him. Before he could react, Fleta's paw was posed on his chest.

Sven's breathing accelerated slightly, very aware of his situation, which could go either way. He quickly realised that Fleta wasn't putting her weight on him - thankfully, for he would have been crushed and unable to breathe. He smiled a little at her comment. He was wary, but unafraid.

"Looks like I broke that rule!" He said jokingly, playing off Fleta's own laugh, indicating this wasn't serious (or so he hoped). Instead of pushing the beast's limb off, he teasingly brought up a hand and picked bits of dirt from the fluff in between her toes. The fur was soft, which was a nice feeling as he run his hand through the fur. It was thick - designed to keep the dragon warm. He smirked a little, as the dragon had so far been unwilling to come close thus be touched. Those black claws gleamed, though, and the points dug through the fabric of his jacket slightly.

From the forest, Hermes heard the thump, signalling Sven's fall. A crest flicking at the noise, she raised her head, and could see Sven at the mercy of the dragon. She quickly staggered to her feet. She couldn't hear growling or roaring, but she had to be careful. Sven's life could depend on it. She often appeared indifferent about Sven, but deep down, his company was priceless. She didn't want to lose that.

Breaking through the trees into the clearing, she clucked, announcing her prescence. "Whoawhoahoa there, I think you're getting a little to close to my colleague, friend. How about you just give him over and everything will be just -"

"I'm okay Hermes." Sven reassured. Hermes gave an incredulous look. He was speaking from underneath a dragon after all.

"You don't seem to realise your current situation." Hermes said blandly. Sven smiled sheepishly, which just wound Hermes up.

"Aawww come on! Really? I thought we were past this... I thought you weren't all depressed anymore and stuff... I'll, I'll ban flying again! Just you watch!" Sven now laughed.

"I'm not depressed anymore! Can't you let me have a *little* fun?" Hermes grumbled at this, pawing the ground nervously. She kept her distance, just in case.

[kavyrie]

Fleta smirked down at the human, watching his breathing quicken in panic before realizing he wasn't in any danger. "Yes. Yes you did."[/i][/b] She watched Sven pick dirt out between her toes. She tensed when he ran his hand through her fur, not used to being touched. His fingers made her skin tingle, the skin was so protected with fur it was hardly ever touched. She was careful to keep her claws from poking through the fabric that covered his chest, not wanting to hurt him.

She flicked an ear and looked up when she heard the black dragon scramble to stand, intending to 'rescue' Sven. Her lip curled slightly in a smirk, although it got across the second meaning that threatening her would not be a good idea. She opened her mouth to speak, only to have Sven speak for her. She raised a brow as she watched the two bicker, holding back a chuckle.

"Now don't you worry, I'm not hurting him. Of course, I could pin you instead if you would rather that."[/i][/b] Fleta said with a smile, a joking tone in her voice. Her tail flicked in amusement.