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Post by Hiccup on Sept 12, 2011 21:21:46 GMT -5
(ooc: March 23, at night. Closed to Hiccup and Toothless for now.)
The deafening boom of thunder did more than enough to remind Hiccup just how stupid the whole thing was. The night hadn't been nearly that stormy when the dragons had first arrived on the scene, but not twenty minutes into the raid the sky had burst forth with a sudden deluge of water. That had been followed by streaks of lightning jutting out from the dark clouds, only offering brief flashes of light against the otherwise darkened night. Any normal person would have turned around and gone inside. Forgotten all about the raid and just went about their normal nights. But not Vikings. Vikings were either the stupidest or bravest folk Hiccup ever had the pleasure of meeting... and being one of.
So, there Hiccup stood against the darkness with his capture device clutched in his hands. He could feel the unmistakable wave of deja vu washing over him. It felt so familiar somehow, like it had happened before, but Hiccup couldn't place just why that was. Once again he found himself farther away from the rest of the raid. He had claimed just a few days earlier that he never wanted to be a hero. If that really was the case, he would have gone inside as soon as the rain fell from the clouds. But there was just the tiniest bit of Viking bravery - or stupidity - in Hiccup's veins. He knew his killing the Nightmare before had been an accident. A part of his mind told him that this time his attempt wouldn't be an accident. He could prove his worth somehow, and prove to himself that he wasn't as useless as he thought.
"Come on... give me something, gods. Anything." Hiccup murmured. Another boom of thunder broke the silence, followed by a flash of lightning across the sky. Hiccup continued to scan the night sky, blinking away droplets of water as they continued to cloud his vision. It was almost as if he was expecting to see something that might otherwise be invisible against the darkness. Whatever it was, it was good at hiding. There probably was nothing out there. What sort of idiot dragon would tempt fate and fly in such a storm this far from the rest of the group?
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Post by Toothless on Sept 12, 2011 22:02:15 GMT -5
And yet, despite the danger, the Night Fury was out in the eye of the storm. The dragon was full of mischief, full of mystery, and of course, a mouth full of flames most of the time. Night Fury's pale but rather large eyes flashed upon the vikings momentarily just as fast as the lightning crashing out of the clouds. A swift movement to dodge the horrendous weather was made as the black dragon was still airborne. If lightning hit him, or showed a silhouette of himself, he was probably in some serious trouble. Ear-like appendages flickered at the booming of thunder.
The feel of adventure, of excitement made the dragon feel adrenaline pumping throughout his body. Thunder, lightning, and a little rain to boot, it was enough for the dragon to tease both the weather and the vikings. One flash of lightning had nearly hit the dragon as another dodge was made to avoid it. No matter what happened that night, he was not going to get himself caught. Caught by the weather, or caught by a viking. Either way usually meant death.
And the Night Fury was one to want to cheat death. He had to blink away the droplets of rain, barely making out the vague image of a viking. Obviously not like most. Surprisingly, he had the guts to stay outside in the nasty storm. The dragon's attention went from the viking to right in front of him. Focus. He had to stay focused on flying away from deadly weather, then mess with the viking.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 12, 2011 22:12:25 GMT -5
Hiccup loosened his grip on the device briefly, green eyes widening a little as the flash of lightning revealed the vague form of a dragon. He couldn't be certain, but he thought there was something there flying through the storm. "Well, that answers that question." Hiccup remarked, finally knowing what kind of dragon would dare nature in such a way. Then again, he was probably just as much of an idiot for wandering away... again. Did Hiccup particularly care at that moment? Not really.
He at least had a vague idea of what he was aiming for. This time he wasn't going to let some coincidence of a malfunction stop him from getting something without it being an accident. Here goes nothing. Hiccup thought. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, almost anticipating another failure to come as he took his opportunity to shoot. He didn't know what he was aiming at, or how successful he would be, but Hiccup wasn't taking any chances. He shot his device at last, silently praying that this time the snare would snag something.
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Post by Toothless on Sept 12, 2011 22:22:37 GMT -5
Snag.
Night Fury couldn't tell why he hadn't been able to move. Perhaps it was that jolt he had received from a sudden flash of lightning. The dragon's vision was then draped over slightly with the sight of... rope? He was still up in the air, wasn't he? Barely. Wings were caught, barely able to move. Struggling did nothing, and probably attracted more of the storm his way.
A harsh cry was let out from the dragon's mouth, for now retractable teeth unretracted. Flailing in the sky, the beast had to find out some way to get to a good landing, or at least get a good pace with his wings. Difficult though it was, the dragon figured he didn't have much time until plopping onto the ground.
What a wonderful idea it was to take a flight in the storm.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 12, 2011 23:33:58 GMT -5
The harsh cry met Hiccup's ears, causing the redheaded Viking's eyes to fly open and his head to raise as he scanned the sky for what he had hit. Then, after another brief flash of lighting, Hiccup saw it. A dragon about the size of a Nightmare, perhaps a bit smaller, was barely suspended in the air and still somehow able to maintain the slightest bit of flight. The point was, Hiccup had managed to catch something. It was enough to excite him. He whipped his head around quickly, making absolutely certain no other dragons happened to be in his vicinity, and once he had made certain that he was alone, Hiccup returned his gaze to the Night Fury.
Preemptively, Hiccup took a step forward. He wasn't quite sure why he was moving when the Night Fury was still up in the air, but he was moving all the same. Hiccup realized he probably didn't have much to actually try and harm the dragon with, nothing more than a small dagger at his side, but if he did get the chance... would he take it?
First thing's first. Wait for it to land. he told himself. It seemed as if the rain was getting just a bit heavier, almost as if it was trying to ruin the moment by making it harder to see just where the dragon would land. Hiccup wouldn't let it deter him, though. Not yet. He had to take the chance and face the storm. He was already doing so by being so far from the rest of the village, on his own, and essentially weaponless. Hiccup truly was embracing the stupidity that seemed to be coming from the night in waves.
Deciding it was best to not chance the storm getting worse just yet, though, Hiccup stopped moving. He would wait to see just where the Night Fury would land before taking any further action. "Come on... come on..." he begged quietly. He was hoping it wouldn't land too far away.
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Post by Toothless on Sept 13, 2011 20:18:20 GMT -5
The dragon continued struggling, Night Fury definitely not enjoying the trap he was caught in. He knew something bad was going to happen. He was either landing into the water, or onto the land. If he landed in the water, he had a chance of drowning. If he landed on solid ground, he had the same amount of chance to die. Choices oh choices, which way would he like to die?
Well, the dragon closed his eyes, shutting them tight to wait for the impact he'd get. A splash, or a thud. Neither sounded entirely pleasant. Or pleasant at all for that case. Luckily, he made it onto land. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't too far from Hiccup. Probably five miles from him. The Night Fury continued to sturggle in the rope, fidgeting so that it had began to harm the dragon even more, as if the impact didn't do enough harm by scraping a rock on the side of his head. This caused him to stop. If only he could get a piece of rope into his mouth. With his tounge, he tried to grip something from the trap to hopefully chew through with poor luck.
Any minute now, someone was sure to find him. Any moment now, he was going to die.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 13, 2011 21:19:25 GMT -5
In a flash, Hiccup raced from his spot to find the dragon. His heart was racing. He'd done it. He'd actually caught something that no other Viking might have dared to catch, especially with it storming. Hiccup was almost glad he had decided to dare the weather. He was glad he had gone out to an area no one else would have thought to go. This was his chance to prove himself worthy of being a Viking! ...Mostly to himself, though.
However, the weather was making it a bit more difficult to see the dragon. He almost wondered if he had caused it to land in the ocean. Hiccup felt his body tingle uncomfortably at that thought. Drowning would be an unpleasant way to go, especially for a creature with wings. When Hiccup neared the Night Fury, though, he saw that the dragon had not landed in the ocean. He was right in front of him. Another flash of lightning filled the air, briefly making the Night Fury visible, and Hiccup felt his breath catch in his throat. He really had captured something no other Viking could say they had caught.
This has to be a dream. You never get this lucky.
Almost to defy his own thoughts, Hiccup pinched his arm to assure himself it wasn't a dream. Feeling skin instead of the thin air that would have been there if it were a dream, Hiccup realized he wasn't having another crazy dream of grandeur. He'd done it. He'd really done it. He, Hiccup the Useless, had captured a Night Fury.
However, watching the dragon struggle to get free, Hiccup felt his resolve to prove himself slipping. Fast. Green eyes scanned the area, making sure no one else was around, and finally rested on the dagger at his side. Should he end the magnificent dragon's life? A dragon that no one in Berk knew anything about? He'd scanned the dragon book numerous times, but had found nothing on Night Furies. It bothered Hiccup. Why should he take away the life of a dragon when they knew nothing about it? It seemed... wrong. After several moments of silent deliberation and watching the poor Night Fury struggle, Hiccup let a loud sigh escape him. He couldn't do it.
"...Gods, I must be crazy."
Hiccup removed the dagger from his side and inched closer to the Night Fury. Instead of burying the blade into the dragon's side, though, Hiccup focused his attention on the ropes that bound it. "Hold still. I'll get you out of this." Hiccup stated. ...Why was he helping a dragon he had just captured? It didn't make any sense. Hiccup didn't particularly care in that moment, though. He carefully began to cut away one of the ropes that bound the Night Fury. If anyone happened to see him doing so, he was as good as dead. Hell, being so close to a dragon was just tempting fate. Dragons weren't so kind to spare humans, were they? Would this one act of kindness change anything?
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Post by Toothless on Sept 13, 2011 22:04:15 GMT -5
And yet, his act of trying to chew through the rope was not needed. Instead of killing him, or at the very least stabbing the captured dragon, he was... cutting the rope? Night Fury needed one of those extra tooth things to help him out one day. Oh wait. He could probably just use his claws. If he got out alive anyways.
The chance of getting out alive was slim. After all, the viking was probably just cutting the rope for a clear shot at him. Or excitement. The dragon could also go as quickly as he could away from the viking. And yet, it seemed like that wasn't the case. Probably from his weight and look did he not seem like he was going to be killing the beast anytime soon.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 13, 2011 22:15:40 GMT -5
Snap.
One rope down. Hiccup didn't know just how entangled the Night Fury was, but he'd at least cut through one rope. That was good. It looked like the dragon was also listening to him. He wasn't trying to attack him, at any rate. Hiccup briefly wondered if the Night Fury understood what he was saying and understood that he wasn't going to hurt him. Hiccup just... couldn't bring himself to do it. He had the perfect chance to wound the dragon before him, but instead he was cutting him free. The perfect chance to prove he was just as capable of killing dragons as Astrid, but he was letting it go away just as soon as it had come.
You really are crazy, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Hiccup told himself as he began to cut through another of the ropes. He had begun blinking furiously in an attempt to keep rain out of his eyes. Whether or not it was working was hard to tell, but it was better than doing the task completely blind. So much for that Viking bravery. Or was it stupidity? Hiccup didn't know anymore. All he knew was that he was helping the dragon he had just tried so hard to capture. Whether or not it was a good thing, though, had yet to be discovered.
Hiccup felt himself relaxing some as he cut through the second rope. He wondered if the Night Fury would be able to free himself from there, or if he would have to cut through one more rope to ensure that the dragon could get away. Hiccup felt fortunate that none of his peers were nearby. If they were... Hiccup didn't want to think about it.
Of course they're not, Hiccup. You and this Night Fury are the only idiots stupid enough to be out in this storm. Everyone else must have gone inside by now. Hiccup thought with a shake of his head. He highly doubted any of the other dragons were still around, and he was equally doubtful of whether or not the other Vikings were still about. Either way, it seemed he and the Night Fury had one thing in common; they were both crazy.
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Post by Toothless on Sept 14, 2011 18:54:31 GMT -5
Water droplets were flicked away by the blink of an eye. Night Fury had been crazy enough to go out into the horrible weather, and this viking had been crazy enough to set him free. Seemed like they had something in common. The black dragon couldn't catch sight of any dragons, nor any other vikings. His open eye had a slited iris, the other on the ground couldn't see a thing. The dragon figured it probably was just from being on the ground, nothing serious. A chance he was wrong at that, though.
He still felt his wings attatched, and his tail was attatched. He must have been able to fly away from Hiccup when he was freed. Once another rope was cut, the dragon struggled a bit, but managed to be able to get out of the trap. He got himself up to his paws, opening his rather large bat-like wings as his eye still looked upon Hiccup in a slit. Not a joyous, mischief iris. Nope. An angry, slit one. The dragon contemplated on attacking him in the extreme for a moment.
He decided against it, snarling at the daggar now. He had to make sure that the viking wouldn't make a quick stab at him. The beast still had his teeth inside his gums, ready to get them into action if needed. He needed assurance he could go.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 14, 2011 19:29:08 GMT -5
See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?
Hiccup had to admit, freeing the Night Fury had definitely been easier than he had anticipated. A lot easier than catching him, at any rate. Seeing the dragon's large eyes, or rather... 'eye' since one appeared closed, flickering with anger, though, caused Hiccup to freeze. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to stand so close. Maybe the dragon felt threatened by the fact that his space had been violated so. Hiccup took a step back, never once letting his eyes leave the dragon's gaze, and slowly put his dagger away. Once the blade was out of sight, Hiccup took another step back. He had to make absolutely certain that the Night Fury knew he didn't mean him any harm. There would be no point, at least in Hiccup's mind, in freeing the dragon and then causing him harm. He wasn't that cruel.
Hiccup found it difficult to pull his gaze away from the Night Fury. Not only was the dragon majestic in appearance, but his gaze... his gaze was just so hypnotizing. At last, Hiccup closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath before slowly letting it escape through his nostrils. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Hiccup told him. He wouldn't try to touch the Night Fury, tempting though it was, simply because he knew better than to test personal boundaries. Besides, dragons probably wouldn't be so quick to trust humans... even if he had freed the Night Fury.
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Post by Toothless on Sept 14, 2011 20:38:47 GMT -5
Blinking open was his other eye once Hiccup put away the dagger. Unlikely he'd try stabbing him now, but Night Fury was still cautious. But his tone of voice reassured him that everything was fine. Something from his voice calmed the dragon down and reassured him, though he hardly knew what he said. He might as well have kept his eye closed from rain pouring down, simultaneously blinking his eyes. It was noticeable he had taken a huge breath through his nostrils, considering that his snout scrunched up. Probably to get Hiccup's scent.
Instead of flying away, the dragon continued to watch Hiccup, flinching a bit at raindrops pelting at him. He wanted to see what his next move was. Maybe get a bit more insight to a human up close. But not too close. If he got beyond comfortable range, the black dragon would let him know.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 14, 2011 20:54:17 GMT -5
Hiccup decided not to move, carefully observing the large dragon with a curious eye. He wondered if any other Viking had ever been so close to a Night Fury. Probably not. Gobber would probably have said that no one had ever lived to tell the tale about doing so, if there had ever been anyone close enough to a Night Fury. It didn't seem like the Night Fury was going anywhere. Maybe they were both observing one another. It didn't seem too unlikely, at any rate. What was to stop the pair of them from trying to get some insight about one another by looking each other over?
Hiccup did feel a bit uncomfortable with the rain pelting him, what with how it was continuing to soak through his clothing and only succeeding in making him colder than he had been before, but he couldn't bring himself to move. If he could learn something about the dragon before him, it would be worth it. Maybe he did have a bit of that Viking stupidity in him. He had to be some kind of stupid to stand out in the rain just to try and get a better understanding of a dragon no one knew anything about. That, and making any sudden movements seemed like a bad idea. It would only be tempting fate to move away so suddenly, especially after he had taken such great care to make sure not to make himself appear threatening.
Man, I wish I brought my little book with me. If I could just sketch this guy...
It was probably better that he hadn't had the foresight to bring his little book and pencil with him. They might have been viewed as odd objects to the Night Fury, and the book likely would have been soaked horribly by the rain. Hiccup made a mental note to try and sketch the black dragon from memory when he had a chance. For the moment, it seemed the pair were locked in a stare-down. Maybe... maybe the Night Fury would let him get just a tiny bit closer. Hiccup raised his foot slowly and, after just a moment, took half a step forward.
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Post by Toothless on Sept 14, 2011 21:56:28 GMT -5
As it appeared nobody was nearby, save for Hiccup of course, the dragon sat down, his eyes big and watching him intently. He tilted his head only slightly, watching what the viking was going to do next. A half of a step was taken, ear-like appendages up with curiosity.
Or, at least, an ear-like appendage. One was up, the other was down. Though the one up was up with curiosity, the other was down to show he wasn't entirely comfortable. Although the viking did save his life, he wasn't sure if he'd grab his dagger and take a chance to kill him in a heartbeat. One of his appendages flickered to wipe off beads of water.
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Post by Hiccup on Sept 14, 2011 22:16:51 GMT -5
"That's it... I'm not going to hurt you..." Hiccup really wasn't intending on doing anything beyond getting just a bit closer to the Night Fury. After all, it was a wild and untamed creature. Being touched by a human didn't seem like something that would go over very well at all, at least not in Hiccup's mind. The fact that the black dragon wasn't trying to hurt him seemed to indicate that maybe the dragon was just as curious as the boy. Or being cautious. Either way, Hiccup didn't want to chance anything just yet. It was astounding, really. The pair of them had both been idiotic enough to come out in the middle of a storm, which really had come from out of nowhere, and there they both were standing (or sitting in the Night Fury's case) around and trying to get to know one another. At least, that's how it seemed to Hiccup.
He didn't want to chance taking another half step. Not just yet. Instead, Hiccup tilted his head slightly to the side, almost as if he was curious about what the Night Fury was thinking, and offered a slight smile. "You're not so scary when you're not destroying the village." Hiccup said quietly. What a silly sight it must have been. Two idiots, a human and a dragon all the same, standing about in the rain and just... watching. Why wasn't the Night Fury flying away? Was there really something so intriguing about Hiccup setting him free that made the dragon want to stay? ...Hiccup couldn't really blame him if that was the reasoning. He really was a strange Viking compared to the others. Scrawny, weak, doofy, and above all... not a ruthless killer.
Hiccup almost thought he would have killed the dragon. He almost thought that, when he'd seen the Night Fury caught in his trap, that he would finally learn what it meant to be a real Viking. That, however, was not the case. Hiccup had only proven to himself that he wasn't a killer at all. It just didn't seem fair killing a dragon that had been trapped. Trapped by him, no less. No, it seemed Hiccup was much too kind. Much too willing to let the Night Fury go free simply because he didn't know anything about him. At least... Hiccup assumed it was a him. That would be rather embarrassing if he had gotten the gender wrong.
Hiccup's smile faltered when another clap of thunder broke through the air. It reminded him of where they were. Okay, it's official Hiccup. You have to be the stupidest Viking in the history of Berk. Standing around in the rain like this, staring at a dragon instead of attacking... you really are strange. Hiccup thought. And yet, he didn't move. He just continued to stand there in the rain, blinking away droplets of water as they would try to cloud his vision, and continued to observe the Night Fury. He wondered what the dragon would make of their situation.
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