[Takarra]

Takarra groaned as her mind crept back to consciousness and she discovered that her body hurt. It took a mind some time to remember why she was in pain; she and Swiftkill had been pressing through some rough weather when bad turned to worse. The last things she remembered was the lashing rain, ripping wind, and severe disorientation as her dragon lost control and they plummeted into the ocean. So, how was she still breathing? The woman forced her eyes opened, despite their heaviness, and rolled over onto her back. Her skin was itchy from sand and her muscles protested vehemently to the movement, but she pushed herself up. Takarra breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the Nightmare near her. Not able to get to her feet just yet, the ex-trapper crawled to her dragon. "Swift. Swift, are you okay?" She moved up along the dragon's head, placing a gloved hand on Swiftkill's head. It took a few minutes before her eyes fluttered opened. The Monstrous Nightmare's immediate response was to jerk back from the human and snarl, flame gathering the creature's gaping maw. The young woman held both hands up in a placating manner. "Easy, Swift! It's just me!"


Fortunately, it only took a few seconds for the dragon to recognize her rider and swallow the fire back down. Takarra sighed. "I think I'm in one piece. How about you?" She asked as she pushed herself to her feet and checked over herself and her gear; she had some bumps and bruises, but everything seemed accounted for. Swiftkill got to her own feet, bracing her wings on the sand for balance. Everything seemed fine until she sat back on her clawed feet and tried to spread her wings. She cried out and tucked her left wing against her body. Takarra's cerulean eyes snapped to her dragon, her brows furrowing in concern. "Swift? What's wrong? Let me see your wing." It took some convincing and a few called bluffs before Takarra was able to examine the appendage. Nothing seemed broken, but something was certainly strained. "Well, we won't be flying on this for a little while." She really looked around for the first time. The trees were vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellows; a color pallet she would typically find enjoyable, but a blue and purple dragon would stick out like a sore thumb. Laying low would not be easy. "C'mon, girl. Let's find a place to rest. Maybe find some food."

[Gustav]

### words

for Takarra

"Gustav" - "Fanghook"

Remember that your gifts are your gain

Odin above he hoped he wasn't too late...

The storm had gotten too rough to safely fly in when they spotted the other rider and their Monstrous Nightmare, it had forced the teen and his own dragon to pull back to Berk to wait it out. He'd wanted to try and catch up, to give some warning so they could land, those storms had looked like they were going to be hell even from a distance, and he knew full well how dangerous flying in conditions like that could be. When the storm had cleared enough to safely navigate, the pair had immediately set off for the closest land mass where they'd last seen the other rider.

It made sense that if they were blown or landed anywhere, it would be on Haust, it was the only substantial island for miles, and it was a fairly sheltered place, the other possibility was less pleasant to think about, and he would rather just assume they'd ended up safely on land.

It was easy to spot them after a couple of sweeps of the island, the other Monstrous Nightmare's colors were a stark contrast to the orange hues of the Autumnal landscape, and he pointed them out to Fanghook, "there! Take us down...Lets see if they're alright..." The dragon gave a hiss of acknowledgement before coming in for a landing, touching down a little ways away from the pair, Gustav knew nothing of these two, so even though he was concerned, he was also wary as he approached them, eyeing them curiously, "Hey...You made it through the storm!" He chuckled, still clearly wary, "was afraid maybe you'd ate it!" Fanghook kept close at his back, watching them carefully as well, "are the two of you alright?" He stopped a few feet away, enough of a distance so he wasn't invading whatever bubble she had, but close enough to get a good look at her, "what were you doing flying in weather like that anyway?" He snorted softly, raising a brow, "not the smartest thing you coulda' done." He said it more in jest than anything else, clearing his throat, "I'm Gustav, this is Fanghook...What should I call you two?"

x

[Takarra]

Takarra and Swift were about to start moving for the trees when the rustle of wings on wind caught the Nightmare's attention. With a snarl, her head snapped around to glare at the incoming dragon and rider. The redhead laid a steadying hand on the dragon's shoulder and turned to watch them as well. The rider looked...young, much younger than she would expect to see riding a dragon, especially a Monstrous Nightmare. One hand stayed on her dragon while the other went to the hilt of her sword; she would prefer her bow in this situation, but it was secured to Swift's saddle. She felt a bit better when they landed as a respectable distance, but she held her position. It annoyed her that it seemed they had been spotted in the storm, but there wasn't anything to be done about it now. The kid was laughing and smiling, so she doubted he was an actual risk. Swift didn't seem to feel the same. "We're perfectly fine." She called back, keeping her voice cordial, but reserved.

When he moved closer, the navy colored dragon bristled, a red glow growing from between her fangs. Her aggression was nothing new to Takarra, but she was feeling extra defensive since flight was not a possibility at the moment. "Easy, Swift." She soothed the beast, placing a hand on the top of her muzzle. "I wouldn't come any closer." She warned the rider. At his comment over the intelligence of flying in a storm, her eyes narrowed at him, joke or not. "We've been through worse." The second lie she had told him, but she said it with such confidence it would likely be hard to pin point it. She regarded the younger viking with cool eyes, considering how she wished to respond. Perhaps it was time for a bit of truth. "I'm Takarra and this is Swiftkill." Her cerulean eyes shifted to the dragon; Swift seemed unsure of the viking, but it was fortunate he rode in on another Nightmare, a male Nightmare to be more specific. Unless he got aggressive, she only kept part of her attention on this Fanghook. "I'm assuming by introducing yourself instead of attacking, you're not opposed to strangers here?" She didn't know many people who inquired as to one's well-being, gave their name, and then attacked. "I've never been in this area before."


Gustav

[Gustav]

### words

for @tag

"Gustav" - "Fanghook"

Remember that your gifts are your gain

Gustav didn't seem especially put off or concerned when he saw her hand go immediately to the hilt of her sword, lifting his hands where she could see them so she could see that for the moment he was unarmed, "woah hey, no need for that! I'm a friend! Or...Well not a friend...Cause like you don't know me...But definitely not an enemy!" Fanghook leaned his head over his rider's shoulder as he fixed the pair with a more cautious look than his tenacious rider seemed to have, clearly more concerned by the pair than Gustav was. He nodded and chuckled when they said they were fine, leaning against Fang's head, "well that's good, we've been downed in storms before and it can go South quick." He exchanged a knowing glance with his dragon, before turning his attention back to the other two.

He wisely stopped when he noticed how agitated her dragon was, lifting his hands, "okay, I can take a hint...Is she okay?" He tilted his head, "she's holding her wing a little funny..." His tone was genuinely concerned as he tried to get a better look from his safe distance, chuckling at her words, "no doubt, you look pretty tough, both of you. I doubt a little storm would trip you up too much, right?" His face lit up when she willingly gave her name, "sweet! Now we all know each other's names!" He chuckled, gesturing to Swiftkill with a concerned expression, "I have medicine with me, I brought it in case you were hurt when I found you..." He chuckled, "wont cure a sprained wing...But it'll at least make it hurt less.." He gestured around them and shook his head, "this is Haust, it's about a day's flight from Berk, probably one of the nicer places to end up stranded all things considered..." He chuckled, "no one owns it though, so you're not stepping on any toes being here...It's not like Hiccup is especially wary of visitors, especially when they're dragon riders."

He motioned for Fanghook to lower himself a bit so he could dig in the pack at the side of the dragon's saddle, pulling out a filled waterskin and tossing it to her, "it's safe, I promise..." He gave her a curious look, "where did you fly in from?"

x

[Takarra]

Takarra quirked an elegant brow as the younger boy held up his hands and claimed to be friend, or rather, not an enemy. She found the concept interesting, since he couldn't possibly know anything about her. He was making some dangerous assumptions that she wasn't a threat to him. Her blue eyes scanned the sky, wondering if he was truly alone; not that she would be crazy enough to attack him with an injured dragon, but she always kept her options open. If the happy-go-lucky attitude was not an act, it would be pretty shitty of her to take him out, so she removed her hand from her hilt. At least his dragon seemed to have a bit more sense than the rider.

The redhead was relieved when the stranger heeded Swift's warning and stopped advancing. She was hard to control in the best of times, let alone when she was feeling vulnerable. When Gustav commented on her wing, the Nightmare made the deliberate effort to straighten it despite the discomfort and snorted at him in defiance of his observations. Takarra eyed the pair, weighing her options before replying. "It's just a light sprain. She'll be okay after some rest." The dragon shot a glare to the ex-trapper's back, showing her displeasure in Takarra's words by shoving her with her head. The young woman stumbled a step before catching herself and glaring back. "Really? He's not stupid, Swift." She grumbled at the beast, who seemed unimpressed with Takarra's deduction. The redhead turned back to Gustav and Fanghook, shoving back at her dragon's head while offering the smaller viking a friendly smile of her own. "That's kind of you. Thanks."  She replied, referring to the medication he spoke of. She didn't know if the Nightmare would allow her to apply it, but it was worth a try; she did hope Swiftkill wouldn't embarrass her too much.

The young woman looked around the island as he spoke about it. It was good to know it didn't belong to anyone; she and Swiftkill could stay as long as they needed to recover. He was certainly correct that this island seemed more hospitable than others she had passed on their journey. "Who is Hiccup?" She asked to distract herself from being called a 'dragon rider.' Sure, she rode a dragon, but the title 'dragon rider' had a whole other set of meaning beyond 'one who rides a dragon.' She spent most of her life trapping or hunting dragons for profit and challenge. She wasn't unnecessarily cruel, like the group that consumed her family's hunting grounds, but it was means of survival and a life-style. She didn't see anything wrong with hunting them, as long as it was kept relatively fair and the death was quick. How was it any different than hunting other animals? Takarra caught the waterskin with ease and forced herself to drink some without sniffing it warily first. There was something to be said for putting someone at ease with your own apparent trust in their integrity. She offered it to Swift who turned her nose up at it, making the redhead roll her eyes. "Fine, we'll find you a stream or something in a little bit." She took another swig before capping it and tossing it back. "West. Very, very far west. We've been flying now for a couple of weeks..." She eyed him back, equally curious about something. "How old are you? You seem a bit...ah, under-aged to be out here by yourself." She didn't want to insult him by saying small or scrawny, but there it was. If it was typical for their children to ride dragons, the hunters would have field day here picking them off.

Gustav

[Gustav]

### words

for @tag

"Gustav" - "Fanghook"

Remember that your gifts are your gain

Fanghook visibly seemed to relax as well when he noticed the other rider's hand leave the hilt of her weapon, and he bumped his bottom jaw on the top of Gustav's head affectionately, letting his tongue loll out with a content expression. Gustav chuckled and straightened his helmet before regarding the pair, nodding a little, "that's good, it's understandable that she's so agitated, I mean who likes sprained limbs right?" He laughed, turning back to Fanghook's saddle to retrieve the medicine he'd mentioned, "I have dragon nip to if she needs to be calmed down." He eyed Swiftkill with a playful smirk, "I know how moody these guys can be." At that he shot an affectionately pointed grin up at his own dragon, who responded by blowing a puff of smoke into his face, causing the small viking to sputter as he waved it away, "you have awful breath! Time yo get Gobber to clean your teeth again..." He looked back at her, shuffling slowly to a halfway point between them before setting the jar of medicine down and returning to his place, keeping his eyes on Swiftkill the whole time. Better safe than sorry after all.

He leaned against Fang's head again and smiled, "Hiccup is the chief of Berk, you must come from far off, most people in these parts have heard of him, and the village." He chuckled as he caught it back, Fang craning down so he could put it back in the pack he'd brought along, "there's a river just past the treeline that way." He pointed to the thick forest behind them, looking interested when she mentioned coming from the West, "weeks? Wow! You must have come from waaaaay far off! Color me intrigued!" He grinned, then looked more amused than offended when she asked his age, waving a hand, "I get that a lot, I'm seventeen, but I've been training and flying Fang here since I was pretty small...Well...Smaller..." He gigglesnorted, then tilted his head, "if you need supplies while she's recovering, Berk is a quick trip from here, I could make it there and back in a flash..." He figured he would offer, not that he didn't think she was capable, but he'd always been keen to help where he could, even if it didn't always go to plan.

x

[Takarra]

Takarra shrugged lightly. "Honestly not a whole lot different from her normal attitude." She looked at her dragon, brows knit in thought. "Guess it's usually a little easier to get her to calm down." They hadn't been around many people since leaving his clan, the only exceptions being those that came after her and they required aggressive handling. The pair had spotted trade ships, other hunters, and even a few riders once they got closer to this area, but they had striven to avoid them. There was no easy way to tell who was a potential friend or a definite foe. Takarra had no reservation in meeting him in the middle for the medicine, nodding her head in thanks. "You certainly seem to know your way around these beasts." She commented as she noticed how he watched Swift. "I don't think she's ever had dragon nip. At least not with me." Dragon nip wasn't something they typically used with captured dragons; they had other kind of sedatives if they needed to calm one down, but mostly they needed to show the dragon's strength and tenacity to potential buyers.

The viking couldn't help but smile at the antics between Gustav and his dragon, they were certainly a team and had a good relationship. Maybe he hatched Fanghook? After she returned to her own dragon's side, removing the lid in the process, she cocked her head at Swift. The blue Nightmare flared her nostrils in discomfort. "Come on, girl. It will help you feel better." The winged-beast turned her head to the side, indicating she wanted nothing to do with it. Takarra sighed. "This again? Alright." She said the last bit with exasperation, scooping some of the cream out and smearing it on her own arm. "When I first met Swift, I had to prove everything I brought her wasn't poisoned. Ate the same food, drank the same water. I had to take a bite of every fish or piece of meat..." She explained to Gustav as she held up her arm to show the dragon nothing bad was happening. "See? It's nice and cool. Keep it from swelling." After a bit more coaxing, the Nightmare allowed her to approach the wing to coat the swore joint.

"That's an...interesting name." But still, if he was the chief of this area, she should visit him; pay her respects and all that stuff. Especially after one of his people helping her for no reason..unless there was a reason. She chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, it's been quite the journey..." She didn't really feel the need to explain that they were fleeing a group of dangerous hunters. She blinked at Gustav; he was only a year younger than she was? But he was so...tiny. It was good to see he had a sense of humor about it. She chuckled. "No offense, but you're still pretty damn small." Maybe vikings were just smaller here? "Not that size always matters." As a woman, she was intimately familiar with being underestimated due to size and natural strength; men typically regretted that quickly.

"That's kind of you, but I think we'll be okay. Any native dragons I should be aware of around here?" She asked with a gesture to the treeline. Knowing where freshwater was located was a huge help, especially with Swiftkill being unable to fly. Takarra was perfectly capable of hunting without the dragon. "Maybe you wouldn't mind coming back in a couple of days to show us to...Berk was it? I should pay my respects to your Chief."

Gustav

[Gustav]

### words

for @tag

"Gustav" - "Fanghook"

Remember that your gifts are your gain

Gustav nodded and gestured to Fang, giving the dragon a cheeky smirk, "he's a big pussy cat compared to a majority of his kind back home...Ow...Hey! You totally are!" He chuckled as the dragon nudged him roughly with his head, butting up against his back, "growing up on Berk, you kinda have to! Dragons everywhere, a lot of wild dragons, like Fang was when I found him!" He patted the Nightmare's head with a grin, "but for the most part there's a fairly even balance, and Hiccup can usually settle any disagreements that do crop up between Berkians and the dragons that live there."

He chuckled and pulled out a bundle to show her what it looked like, Fanghook suddenly becoming incredibly interested and pushing his nose against his rider's hand, "it's good if you need to relax them, but not necessarily sedate them, also works on people...It makes a pretty good sleep aid if you're having trouble with that..." He realized now that he was talking...A lot...And decided to take a moment to let the silence hang between them while she worked on caring for her dragon.

He chuckled a little at those words, shaking his head, "they're good at being stubborn, more hard headed than any viking I know..." Well that wasn't entirely true, "well almost...Our chief is probably doubly stubborn to any dragon..." He snorted at the thought, there were plenty who liked to make cracks about the man being more dragon than viking, it was fitting. He looked up, "if you met him in person the name would be pretty fitting, he's certainly not your run of the mill guts and glory viking...He's also not the sort that you wanna underestimate either...This is the guy who took down a Red Death and stared down a Bewilderbeast.." Hiccup would kill him for being so blustery about his reputation...But it was worth noting.

When she commented on his height, he waved a hand and laughed, "I am small! Probably one of the shortest guys on Berk, but it has its advantages in a fight!" When asked about native dragons, he looked thoughtful, "Monstrous Nightmares and Nadders mostly, but you have to watch out for Timberjacks here too, Hiccup's had a few nasty run ins with them...The other two will leave you be for the most part, but he's told me that the Timbers are a bit unpredictable." He gestured to her with a smile, "but I have no doubt you can handle them, we'll come back for you in a few days then, alright? The chief'll be interested in meeting someone from so far off!"

x

[Takarra]

Takarra chuckled at Gustav and Fanghook, the two certainly had history; she couldn't imagine teasing Swift like that, even jokingly. Her dragon did not really have a sense of humor. She supposed being tracked down and hunted for days would do that to anyone though, so she didn't blame her. She raised her brows in interest over his description of Berk. That was...interesting. "Wait. You mean to tell me you guys live along side wild dragons?" That was just absurd; sharing your home space with such large and dangerous predators? Her opinion of this 'Chief' Hiccup was waning. Surely it was just a matter of time before food became scarce and then they were competing with the beasts. The main difference being dragons could eat humans, where as dragon meat wasn't very good. As far as she was concerned, if what she heard was true, this Berk was a ticking time bomb.

After applying the salve to the dragon's wing, Swiftkill visibly relaxed, the tension from her injured appendage melting away as the medicine cooled the burning muscle. Takarra smiled, scratching the beast behind one of her horns, just where she liked it. She patted Swift before taking the jar back to Gustav and getting a closer look at the dragon nip. "Mind if we try some?" She asked, seeing the way it interested his own Nightmare. The viking knew Swift would have a hard time relaxing while feeling so vulnerable, especially once it was dark. Not being a sedative was quite the perk; it could help take the edge off of her anxiety without making her senses dull.

The redhead listened as he talked about their chief, it didn't surprise her that he wasn't your typical viking. A typical viking would have been too busy measuring their worth in dragon heads and pelts, not co-existing with them and feeding them dragon nip. In her experience, she much preferred dealing with typical guts and glory vikings, they were predictable and easy to understand. The intelligent, the ones that did things differently, were the ones to be watched warily. It took her mind a few moments to catch up and process what Gustav told her and what it meant. Bewilderbeast? She froze in her realization, a motion that made Swfitkill tense and look around for what had caused the shift in her rider. She tried her best to stamp down the feeling and relax her body; forcing a smile when he talked about flight advantages of being small. "Yeah, I guess it would." And who needed to be big when you had a dragon?

She nodded in understanding as he answer her questions about local dragons. "Yeah, i can handle Timbers. Thanks again." Takarra waited until Gustav was preparing to leave before throwing one more question at him. Part of her insisted she didn't need to know, that it shouldn't matter if this man was who she suspected, but she needed to have time to prepare her own plans if it was true. "Hey, this Chief of yours...he...doesn't happen to have a Night Fury, does he?" She asked slowly, praying silently to the gods that she was wrong and this was NOT the man who defeated Drago Bludvist.

Gustav

[Gustav]

### words

for Takarra

"Gustav" - "Fanghook"

Remember that your gifts are your gain

Gustav was well aware that Berk's way of life was considered off or out there to those who tended to travel in from far away, people were always either terrified or fascinated to see the beasts living so contently alongside their viking neighbors, "yeah! Berk was at war with dragons for the longest time..." He shook his head, "we've figured out how to keep the balance between us, we work with them rather than against them." He glanced to the side, up at Fanghook, "there's no bloodshed, the only problems we ever have are from outsiders..." He let out a wry laugh, "Hiccup's got a healthy dose of enemies." And that list seemed to grow by the day, they never had issues with wild dragons or random attacks from them, the biggest problem they ever faced was accidental inconveniences.

He nodded when she came back over, passing her the dragon nip and taking the jar back to pack it back in Fanghook's saddle bag, seemingly not noticing the way she tensed when he recounted Hiccup's run ins, Fanghook noticed however, and tensed just a little as well, feeling the discomfort spark in the air as he kept his eyes on her now.

Gustav nodded as he gestured for Fang to lower his head so he could hop back onto the saddle, getting situated before he caught her question, grinning, "so you have heard something, eh? Yeah, Hiccup's the one with the Night Fury, you really can't miss him!" He would have to tell Hiccup when he got back to Berk about her, perhaps the chief would decide to come and meet her face to face, "I'll come back soon, okay?" He waved to her before Fanghook pushed off to take flight.

x

[Takarra]

Keeping the balance between humans and dragons was an interesting concept, but she still couldn't see how one could really thrive while sharing resources with the other. Would Berk eventually stop growing? Stop expanding so they didn't invade the dragon's land? Often times they found islands and island groups to be dominated by one or two species of dragons. How would this Chief expand his clan if limited by not kicking out dragons that were there before? They didn't honestly think all dragons could be domesticated? She mentally shrugged the thought off. It wasn't her concern if this clan thrived or shriveled up and died. She couldn't help but snort at his comment on Hiccup having many enemies. "I've no doubt." She muttered more to herself than the fellow viking.

She gratefully took the nip and though Swift showed some interest when she returned to her side, Takarra kept it away from her for the moment. She didn't think the dragon would appreciate being lulled into relaxation around these near strangers, so they would wait. When Gustav confirmed that Hiccup did indeed have a Night Fury, she barely managed to keep from groaning. The redhead gave her best 'I can't wait' smile. "I look forward to meeting him." There was no way she hanging around to meet him. They would swim out of here if needed. She waved to the diminutive rider. "See you in a couple of days."

Once he was out of sight, she turned to her dragon. "Just our luck, huh, Swift? Travel for weeks with hunters on our tails only to finally lose them and stumble into Hunter Bane's territory." She sighed and leaned her head against the Nightmare's chest. "Well, hopefully it will keep Jagg from following us. Probably the reason we haven't seen any hunters or trappers." She mused allowed, knowing Swiftkill didn't really care about the whys. Takarra pushed off of the beast, giving her a pat. "Let's find that water and set up a camp, huh?" She needed to get her dragon watered, fed, and rested. They needed to leave here as soon as possible. She wasn't exactly a practicing trapper anymore, though not for lack of desire but more for lack of time and equipment, but her gear was not uncommon for the trade. Gustav didn't seem to notice, but he didn't seem to be the most observant viking when it came to people. The woman didn't know how Chief Hiccup dealt with dragon hunters and she didn't intend to stick around and find out.

Hiccup

[Hiccup]

### words

for Takarra

"Hiccup" - "Toothless"

A PERFECTLY CONSTRUCTED ALIBI

Gustav was excitable on a normal day, but he was especially eager when he came pounding on Hiccup's door at near midnight babbling about some woman he'd met on Haust, from what he could gather between the boy's mashed together, hastily delivered report, she came from quite a ways away, her name was Takarra, and she had a Monstrous Nightmare named Swiftkill. He'd mentioned that her dragon was hurt, and that he'd intended on going back in a few days to lead her to Berk.

It wasn't that Hiccup was an especially untrusting or suspicious person, but some of the boy's descriptions of her, the way she looked, the things she was carrying...Some of it settled uncomfortably in his stomach, and without giving away his concerns, he'd asked Gustav to let him go and meet her himself, the boy seemed okay with that, and Hiccup had made sure to tell him that he'd done good helping her and coming back to him with information. It was true, he was proud of the kid, though he was a little apprehensive about this stranger, he'd intended to come unarmed, but from Gustav's description...He'd brought his sword just to be safe.

The flight to Haust was nearly a day for most dragons, but their speed cut the journey by half, and the sun was only just starting to sink lower when the island came into view, "we're not here to fight, but we'll stay on our toes, alright, Bud?" He ran a hand over Toothless' head, before focusing his good eye on finding any signs of their camp, from the description of the dragon's injury, he knew they likely wouldn't be flying just yet, it was just a matter of picking them out among the treeline...Which couldn't be too hard...Given he was looking for a rather distinctly colored Monstrous Nightmare.

"There!" He pointed to a tendril of smoke and caught sight of a flash of purple between the trees as he brought them down just far enough away that the Night Fury's landing would not be detected. He wasn't exactly trying to be stealthy, but he would rather not be caught off guard, so the opportunity to take in the scene before making himself known was preferable.

When he was sure that he had a good lay of everything around them, he waved for Toothless to follow, clearing his throat when he was a safe enough distance to be heard, but not a threat, "evening! I was hoping you hadn't flown off yet...Takarra, right?" He motioned with his hands as he spoke, his tone remaining neutral and friendly, "Gustav told me a bit about you, or he tried to, it was mostly just excited yapping...But you learn to read between the lines." He chuckled, gesturing to her dragon, "how's her wing?" He was content to save any interrogating comments just yet, figuring he would show that he wasn't a threat, no matter where she came from, before he started asking where she came from. He was wary, especially at the thought of leading her to Berk, he needed to make sure she meant no harm, "Hiccup, by the way, pleasure to meet you." He gave a bow as he said this, chuckling softly.

x

[Takarra]

They had not only managed to set up a decent camp in the several hours before night fall after their visitor had departed, but Takarra had successfully hunt down a couple of boar. Swiftkill preferred fish, but she would eat meat if it came down to it. The Viking had a net for fishing, but it designed to be used with a dragon or a couple of people and a boat, neither of which she had use of at the moment. After a good night of rest, the Monstrous Nightmare was feeling much better. She was able to carefully stretch her wing without much discomfort. Takarra decided that the next morning they would depart, hopefully leaving before Gustav returned. She'd figure something out if he came back before hand; she got the feeling he'd be easy to dup.

The pair were settling in for the night, the waning light just visible through the trees when a throat being cleared got both of their attentions. Their campsite hadn't been bothered so far by wild dragons, but the hunter had her bow and arrows close just in case. With well practiced movements, the young woman was on her feet, bow up, arrow nocked, and drawn back.

Upon hearing a man's voice she lowered the bow, but kept it ready. She narrowed her eyes at the Viking as he approached, taking in his appearance. "You're not who I was expecting." She stated simply, no apology in her voice for pulling her bow on him. Swiftkill had erected herself from her resting position, ready to move if needed, but she found the young man's voice soothing and didn't feel as wary as her rider. Takarra was surprised by the lack of aggression from her Nightmare, maybe too much nip earlier? But she could hardly spend the time worrying about that now. When she had first looked at him, the redhead had no idea who he might be, but the way he spoke of Gustav sparked her suspicion. Then she spotted the black dragon behind him. By Odin's beard she was stupid. How could she not think that the small Viking wouldn't report to his Chief and that his Chief wouldn't be concerned about a new comes. Did she assume he was as welcoming and trusting as Gustav? Stupid, stupid. She suddenly wished she had nocked an arrow with a bone head instead of a dragon's tooth.

Takarra forced her heart to calm; he was acting friendly so far, but was he alone? There was no way they could outrun the Night Fury. Maybe he wouldn't risk hurting Swift? For now she needed to play it cool; it wasn't like she was up to anything shifty. She relaxed her pull on the bow, but kept it loaded. "She's feeling much better, thanks to Gustav. She should be good to fly with a normal load in the morning." His name didn't come as anything new to her, since she had guessed. She had been so worried about why he was there she hadn't taken much time to really look at him. He wasn't short, really, but lean. At least he had his far share of battle scars. She bowed her head in return. "You're...um, different than I expected." Just because he was slighter than many of men she dealt with didn't mean she'd underestimate him, he was likely to be less predictable.

After a moment of consideration, she removed the arrow from the string. "Yes, I'm Takarra. We were just about to eat. Would you and your dragon like to join us?" She gestured to the campfire with her bow while dropping the arrow into a quiver propped up next to where she had been sitting. She had nothing to be worried about, right?

Hiccup

[Hiccup]

### words

for Takarra

"Hiccup" - "Toothless"

A PERFECTLY CONSTRUCTED ALIBI

Hiccup didn't flinch when she drew her bow at him, he was more than used to having weapons pointed in his face, he gave a nod when she spoke, chuckling softly, "sorry, realize I kind of just showed up, bad habit." He shrugged it off, raising a brow at her, "I was curious about you, that's all, we don't get many visitors from so far away." He looked up at her dragon now, sharing a long look with her before turning his attention back to her rider, "I told Gustav to sit this one out while I came and met you for myself, figured you might try and run if I wasn't quick." There was a small hint of knowing in his voice, and his suspicions from Gustav's description were confirmed when he got a good look at her. She was definitely a hunter, but that was no reason to go immediately on the defensive, so he remained relaxed and friendly.

"Good, when he told me she was injured I was worried." He tsked softly, sharing a glance with Toothless, "storms can be deadly, but it sounds like the two of you are fine." His good eye was trained on her, on her weapon, just in case she decided she didn't like his tone and tried to put an arrow between his eyes anyway, Toothless seemed less anxious as he sat beside his rider, eyeing the pair curiously, "yeah? If I had a scale for every time I've heard that...I could build a whole dragon." He snorted in a good humored way, relaxing when she put the arrow away, he didn't intend on attacking her unless she attacked first, so it was a comfort to know that would probably not come to pass.

He looked surprised when she invited him to share a meal, chuckling softly as he followed them to the fire, "that's kind, thank you..." He waved for Toothless to follow and took a seat by the fire, the black dragon curling up behind him so his rider could lean back into the crook of his body, he smiled and ran a hand over his head, "so what brings you out this way?" His tone was still conversational, but there was still a distinct need to know in his words, he wasn't so foolish to assume she'd left whatever past she had behind, as much as he wanted to believe that, years of putting faith into the wrong people left him more suspicious, but he was also good at hiding that.

x

[Takarra]

Takarra quirked her own brow at him. She bet her shapely behind he was "just curious." She didn't blame him for wanting to check on her, it was his responsibility to look after his clan and a stranger warranted caution. When he made eye contact with the Nightmare, she cocked her head to one side and gave him a lazy blink. If Takarra hadn't been so focuses on Hiccup and his dragon, she might have goggles at Swift. It was not like her to throw calming signals to strange humans...or was it? Truth be told they hadn't been around anyone besides Gustav who wasn't trying to shoot them down. At his next words, she raised both brows, her lips pursing slightly before a smirk slid into place. "Should I have ran?" She asked, and edge to her tone, but she kept her bow down. It bothered her that he'd managed to pinpoint her intentions so easily. They hadn't shared more than two dozen words and he'd apparently decided she would flee just by talking to the shrimp; was his happy-go-lucky persona an act? Had Gustav deemed more from their exchange than she thought? She doubted it.

Would the people in this place ever stop surprising her? With her luck, not likely. At least they weren't unusual and aggressive, but maybe the lack of hostility was one of the strange things about them to her. Takarra was pleased when she had managed to do something he didn't expect and sat back on her log once they were settled. "Only polite, really. I know you don't claim this island per say, but you have an invested interest in this area. You could have come back with a flock." There were a few moments of curiously watching the man and dragon before Swiftkill lowered herself back into a resting position. The young woman had already skinned and and dressed the last of their boar; a good size slab of meat was sizzling on a flat rock in the fire. She grabbed the two severed back legs, tossing one to Swiftkill who caught it deftly and then bringing the other to the Night Fury. Only after resettling in her place and flipping the cooking meat with her hunting knife did she respond to his inquiry. "Needed a change of scenery?" She half-jested, but only paused a moment before deciding he wasn't likely to accept that as an adequate answer. She poked at the fire with a stick, then sighed and looked back up at the dragon rider.

The light from the fire reflected in her blue eyes as she weighed exactly how much to tell him. "Honestly? I was in a bad place and I needed out." She said quite frankly. "I stole her from some hunters," She pointed to the Nightmare with the stick before returning it to the fire, "And ran--well, flew like hell. They weren't happy about it." She shrugged lightly, not seeing any reason to tell him that she had worked with said hunters or that one of the men pursuing her were a bit obsessed with getting her back. "We flew until we weren't seeing them anymore, then flew some more. I don't think you need to worry about them coming all of this way. Not into the Hunter's Bane's territory, anyway." Her lips curved into a teasing smirk at the last bit. She wasn't completely certain of her words, even though she hoped like hell she was. They would not keep after her for the Swiftkill, losing one dragon was better than more than one, but she wasn't sure what Jagg would do.

Hiccup