[Spade]

THERE'S ALWAYS Tomorrow
"Good girl," Spade whispered as he carefully descended from his Woolly Howl, Frostjaw's, back. The two had flown to the top of the Varangr family's house. His father didn't seem to mind them being up there, so Spade had started coming up every now and then to do things like letting loose and playing with Frostjaw. But mostly, he'd go there because it had a great view. He could see some parts of the village and the island of Berk, as well as the ocean. The vast body of water seemed to stretch on forever, disappearing just beyond the horizon. There were a few boats floating close to the mainland. Spade wanted to get on a boat and see the world. However, his father didn't share the same longing for adventure as him and, although he hadn't actually said it, Spade was sure his father wanted him to stay and find something to do in the village forever instead of  searching beyond it. When he was old enough to truly be considered an adult, Spade decided he would finally get himself a vessel and follow the call of adventure that had been pulling at him for years. Feeling a snout nudging his forearm the young viking turned away from the ocean and towards his dragon. He ran a hand over her smooth forehead and the fur-like ruff of scales of varying shades of brown and tan that decorated parts of her head, neck, and torso. Frostjaw began making a low rumbling noise like distant thunder which Spade had, over time, learned meant the dragon was contented. Well, at least that's what it meant for this dragon. He continued stroking the dragon when suddenly, she leapt up and barreled him over, causing him to lose balance and tumble off the roof. Spade winced, preparing for the impact of his body against the hard ground. Instead of hitting the ground like he thought he would, a strong set of teeth clamped down on Spade's leg. Frostjaw was hovering above him with her jaw locked on his leg. The viking's long, dark chocolate-brown hair was hanging down, just touching the ground. Any later, and he would have not the ground like a sack of fish. With him still dangling below, Frostjaw flew back up and perched on the roof. "Are going to put me down?" Spade asked hopefully. The Woolly Howl snorted and laid down. "Uh," he paused, thinking of what to say to the dragon. "Please? I get light-headed when I'm upside-down." She ignored him. "I'll give you extra fish if you can just put me down..." The dragon continued paying no attention to her trainer. This didn't seem like it was going anywhere until Frostjaw was tired of dangling him off the roof of his house. "Fine, I'll just wait until someone comes around who can give me a hand," Spade concluded, crossing his arms over his chest.
487 WORDS "Dialogue" NOTES notes go here!

credit to alisha of adoxography.

x

[Gustav]

Spade

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we are the R E C K L E S S

WE ARE THE WILD YOUTH

The Larson boy always tended to have free range of the village whenever the mood took him, farther than the village really, he could probably up and take off anywhere and his own family wouldn't say a single thing, if they even noticed he was gone. It was fine, really, but left the kid with too many things to do, and too many things to do something had a disastrous after effect when you and your own dragon were prone to accidents. His hands were clean this time, so his pace was leisurely rather than running from a viking or their angry dragon...He supposed the day was still young, but that was no way to look at it.

Gustav's thought process was interrupted when he heard a voice from somewhere in the upwards vicinity, glancing around until he caught the sight of a viking being dangled off the roof, which was pretty hilarious from where he was standing. He had to stifle a snort of laughter as he squinted an eye up at the other teen, "You uh, ahem." He cleared his throat, putting away the mirth wanting so badly to come out, "you look like you're in a pickle." The last word had another chortle to it, to amused to even think about feeling sorry for the poor guy, he didn't look like he was in severe danger anyway, just amusing inconvenience.

The Monstrous Nightmare at his back seemed equally amused as he warbled out his own form of amused laughter, not nearly as keen on stifling it as his rider had been, "Fang don't be rude!" He smirked up at Spade with an amused expression, "you uh, you wouldn't happen to need help, would you?" He had to clear his throat one more time before he managed to climb onto his dragon's back, "okay nice and easy, Fang..." The Nightmare didn't make a motion to climb up on the roof too, instead arching his long neck to allow the fairly small boy to crawl over it onto the building, "how long have you been dangling here?" He was still trying to keep a snicker out of his voice, the whole situation delightfully laughable to him.

CHASING VISIONS OF OUR F U T U R E S

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[Spade]

THERE'S ALWAYS Tomorrow
Spade continued bickering with his dragon, saying anything that might convince the beast to release her hold. But the argument was one-sided for the most part, minus a few muffled growls and purrs.  Frostjaw was definitely enjoying this, her trainer, on the other hand, was beginning to get tired of being dangled upside-down. "Looks like we're playing the waiting game, huh?" Spade sighed. Waiting seemed to be the only option in this situation. Luckily, the wait didn't last long, as soon afterwards footsteps sounded from nearby. An amused-looking teen stood a short-ways off, followed by a Monstrous Nightmare which he assumed to be the boy's dragon. /Well, I guess this must look pretty funny from anyone else's perspective./ Spade imagined seeing someone else in this situation and could hardly keep himself from chuckling. "You could say that," he said, responding to the young viking's observation. "It's about time someone showed up. I was starting to think I'd have to hang around all day," Spade continued with a laugh, although the statement was partially true. He had been preparing to stay upside-down for as long as it took Frostjaw to lose interest, which might as well have been the entire day. Spade flashed a helpless smile while the Nightmare made an amused sound, like a laugh.  "I- Yes, I could use some help." He could feel his Woolly Howl shift while the Monstrous Nightmare arched his neck to give the young viking access to the roof. "I've been here for-" Spade paused to estimate how long he'd been dangling from the rooftop. "maybe half an hour?" That seemed about right, give or take a few minutes. "Careful," he warned, "I'd have half a mind to ask you to just pry her mouth open but that might end out-" Spade grimaced, thinking about what could happen if he landed head-first. "not so good. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get bitten."
319 WORDS "Dialogue" - /Thoughts/ NOTES tag(s): Gustav // I can only guess that something's going to to go wrong, haha

credit to alisha of adoxography.

x

[Gustav]

Spade

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we are the R E C K L E S S

WE ARE THE WILD YOUTH

He was glad that the older teen didn't seem terribly put off by his laughter, he got in hot water for that sometimes, but when a situation was funny it was funny! He couldn't help laughing, "I mean you can't beat the view right?" He turned his back to the pair for a moment, looking out over the village and the ocean below them, "Probably not quite as nice upside down, but still nice!" He smirked back at him, then figured he would behave and actually make himself useful, "okay okay, lets see..." He took stock of the situation, it seemed like his dragon was doing this just to be a pest, since her posture was relaxed and unconcerned, "Okay! I have an idea..." He wasn't terribly concerned with being bitten, he'd had his share of bites while training his own dragon, but he figured he's ease the other's mind and try something a bit less hands on.

"Fang, go get me a stick! Nothing sharp, just a good branch, okay boy?" He grinned and came over to kneel beside Spade when his dragon obeyed, patting his cheek sympathetically, "don't worry, I used to have to do this all the time with the family dog when he'd bite down on me! It's easy!" He looked up at the beast holding onto the boy, "just stick it in her mouth and wiggle it around, she'll probably let go..." Probably. Maybe. He turned his head when he heard Fang coming back, getting wide eyed when he tried to hoist the better part of a whole tree at them, "I said a branch, Fang! Not the whole tree!" He was laughing despite his attempt at sounding stern, pushing the dragon's snout away, "go put that thing down...carefully!" The dragon rumbled out an annoyed sound swinging the large log while just barely missing the three on the roof, "okay...New plan..." He got up close to the dragon, opting to ignore the warning not to try and pry her mouth open.

CHASING VISIONS OF OUR F U T U R E S

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[Spade]

THERE'S ALWAYS Tomorrow
"Yeah, I come up here for the view all the time," Spade responded. "It's actually not so bad upside-down if you just..." He tilted his head to the side until he found an angle that improved the view from his position. Hearing that the younger viking had a plan, his lips formed a half-smile while he quietly observed the idea go into motion. "Uh, are you sure this'll work? I don't think this will be exactly how'd it be with a dog. Frosty's really st-" Spade's words were interrupted by his own stifled laughter while the Monstrous Nightmare started hauling most of a tree towards them. "Hm, yeah, I don't think that one will work," he said in an amused tone, flinching slightly to the side when the Nightmare turned, almost hitting the group with the tree. Well, there went that idea. New plan? Spade hoped this one would work, since the blood rushing to his head was beginning to make his head spin. The sooner he got down, the better. Hearing a low growl from the rooftop, the viking glanced upwards to see what was going on. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned again, seeing that Gustav was moving closer to the Woolly Howl. Too late. Frostjaw snapped at the younger viking, causing her to lose her hold on Spade. With a huff of icy breath aimed at Gustav, the dragon fluttered down from the roof to where her trainer was laying flat on his back. The fall had knocked the air out of him, but he wasn't hurt.  "Well, I guess that worked," Spade said with a grin as he stood up and dusted himself off. Frostjaw was worriedly nudging his arm while he lifted himself off the ground. "I'm a little dizzy from hanging upside-down, but I'm alright. Thanks, uh," he paused, realizing he didn't know the teen's name. "Um, what was your name?" Spade rubbed the back of his neck while he waited for the younger viking to answer.
337 WORDS "Dialogue" NOTES tag(s): Gustav

credit to alisha of adoxography.

[Gustav]

@tagged

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we are the R E C K L E S S

WE ARE THE WILD YOUTH

He didn't seem to heed the warning when it was given, reaching up towards the dragon with a concentrating expression, "naaah I'll be fine!" He chuckled, "I used to have to pry stuff out of Fang's mouth all the time!" He realized just in time that sometimes it was smart to heed warnings when the dragon turned to suddenly try and snap at him. The younger teen managed to pull back just in time to avoid both the icy blast and the jaws that it came from, "Woah! That was close!" Not seeming too put off or shaken by the near miss, he chuckled and looked out over the edge of the roof, "Well...You're down!" He grinned wide, whistling for his dragon. When the Nightmare returned from disposing of the branch, he craned his neck to help the boy down from the roof, onto the ground beside Spade, "Yeah well hanging upside down for a while will do that." He gave him a cheeky expression at that.

When he was asked his name, he chuckled, "Name's Gustav, think you're Spade, right?" He didn't seem entirely put off by the fact that the other viking didn't seem to know who he was, he was fairly used to blending in a little bit when he wasn't making a pest of himself, "sorry for making such a bad first impression." He spoke to the dragon worriedly nudging her rider when he said this, "just trying to help your friend here!" He gave a sort of crooked grin, hoping to make peace.

CHASING VISIONS OF OUR F U T U R E S

ulla

[Spade]

THERE'S ALWAYS Tomorrow
"Yep, the name's Spade!" he confirmed while, at the same time, making a mental note of the boy's name. Frostjaw, however, walked away with a snort. "That's Frostjaw," the viking said, motioning towards the dragon who had settled down further away. "She acts like this a lot, but she doesn't normally do... that. I guess she was just feeling playful," Spade told Gustav, referring to how the Woolly Howl had been dangling him from the roof. "Anyways, she'll calm down soon, she can't stay angry forever, even if she tried," he smirked. Eventually, Frostjaw came lumbering grumpily back to the two vikings, laying down next to her rider. "C'mon, don't be so grumpy, Frosty," Spade said, kneeling down to pet the dragon's head.  She shook his hand off and looked away. "I guess she wants to be left alone." He straightened himself up before rubbing his head and lowering himself again. "I think I need to sit down, my head's still a little hazy," the teen said, sitting down and leaning against Frostjaw. The Howl grumbled but still let him lean against her.
183 WORDS "Dialogue" NOTES tag(s): Gustav ; shorter post cx

credit to alisha of adoxography.

[Gustav]

Spade

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we are the R E C K L E S S

WE ARE THE WILD YOUTH

He watched the dragon grump away with an amused little chuckle, seeming not put off at all by her bad mood, "that's alright, I mean I'd be pretty grumpy too if someone shoved their fingers in my mouth!" He leaned against his Nightmare's head, patting his nose, "Fang gets grumpy too, but he's a big softy, really." He put a hand on his cheek as he looked up where the boy had been dangling before, "like when a dog grabs your pant leg and shakes it...But bigger..." He chuckled, "with more teeth." He could remember a few times where he'd found himself being picked up by his own dragon, although that was less grumpy and more unruly, it happened less now, which was a good sign that there'd be something like progress.

He rose a brow at the dragon and laughed, "hmmm...Hey Fang!" He looked over at the other dragon, "why don't you bring your new friend here something to eat?" He pointed an accusing finger at the dragon, "don't be a glutton either!" He squinted an eye at the maroon dragon as he turned to lumber off, turning back to sit himself when Spade did, "I know I always feel better with a belly full of food, doesn't make for a bad peace offering either!" He eyed him with a chuckle, "well that makes sense, you were hangin' upside down for a while, surprised your brains didn't leak out of your ears!" He gave him a cheeky grin, he was fairly sure that couldn't happen...Fairly sure.

CHASING VISIONS OF OUR F U T U R E S

ulla

[Spade]

THERE'S ALWAYS Tomorrow
Spade gave a slight nod at what Gustav had said. "Yeah, I guess that's true. I wouldn't like someone's fingers in my mouth either." He didn't like having to put his own hands in his mouth longer than he had to. Of course, that would only happen if there was something stuck in his mouth or anything similar. "Definitely more with more teeth," he said with a laugh. "I haven't had a dog do that to me personally, but I've seen it happen to other people a few times." "Food. That's a good idea, I think it'll work. Hopefully," the viking glanced at his dragon, who still had an angry expression on her face and was trying to avoid looking at anyone. "What do you think about that, Frosty?" The Woolly Howl snorted and lowered her head onto the ground. Spade chuckled and ran a hand over Frostjaw's head, which got him a quiet growl in return. "Can that even happen?" he asked, looking back over at Gustav and bringing a hand to his ear. "If it can, I'm glad I got down from there before it did!"  The teen snickered quietly as an idea crossed over his mind. Bringing his hands to his ears, he put on a straight face and began speaking. "Ungh, I hear a ringing sound, is that bad?" He could hardly stop himself from smiling as he acted as if something was wrong. Frostjaw seemed unconcerned, maybe she knew him too well. "Wait, I feel something. It's... mushy. Agh!!" Spade said, pressing his hands against his head, clenching his teeth, and shutting his eyes. He opened one eye a sliver to see Gustav's reaction, or too see if the younger viking fell for it at all.
291 WORDS "Dialogue" NOTES tag(s): Gustav

credit to alisha of adoxography.

[Gustav]

Spade

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we are the R E C K L E S S

WE ARE THE WILD YOUTH

He wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at the thought, chuckling softly, "yeah because other people's hands taste gross." He paused, then coughed a little, "not...That I'd know about that?" He waved a hand and laughed it off as he sat back on his hands, "more like a bear trap but harder to actually pry off." He was glad that he didn't have experience prying bear traps off his legs, as many personal anecdotes as he seemed to have, that one was just common knowledge, not personal experience.

"Well, I suppose even if it doesn't...At least she wont be grumpy and hungry, right?" He chuckled at the utter attitude of the dragon, almost as bad mannered right now as a grumpy toddler, though she was ten times more intelligent. He craned his neck when he heard the loud steps of a Monstrous Nightmare plodding towards them, the large maroon dragon settled a bit closer to the Wooly Howl this time as he dropped a sizable offering of fish in front of her, giving a well meaning croon and laying his head down flat against the ground, "ahaha, master of the puppy dog eyes right there." He smirked, "that brat can butter me up into doing anything with that face." He rolled his eyes, then looked back over at Spade, "naaaah probably not...I..uh..." His words faltered a little when he looked suddenly unsettled.

"are you...Uh..." He scrambled to his feet, all the little hair along his neck prickled with unease as he came closer, "do you need...Uh..." When the other teen's voice rose, Gustav's eyes widened and he pulled his hands back, suddenly looking completely stunned, "u-uhh...Spaaade?" He came close again, looking incredibly concerned as he fell for the little ruse.

CHASING VISIONS OF OUR F U T U R E S

ulla

[Spade]

THERE'S ALWAYS Tomorrow
Spade opened his mouth to say something about what Gustav had said about other people's hands tasting gross, but decided not to and laughed it off with Gustav. "Bear trap?" He winced, imagining how the cold metal of a bear trap stuck on his leg would feel. "I think I'd rather have Frosty here biting my leg than a bear trap," he said, knowing that his dragon wouldn't actually try to hurt him, or anyone she trusted in that case, on purpose. When Fanghook returned with the load of fish, Frostjaw took a violet-eyed look at the offering, then at the Monstrous Nightmare, before loosening her form and starting to eat the food. Warily at first, but picking up speed as she devoured the meal. Spade smiled as the Woolly Howl's mood lightened as she filled her belly. "Looks like we're getting somewhere," he commented. The dragon seemed more relaxed than she had been earlier, but not quite at a point that could be considered completely calmed down, as she still flinched away and growled whenever her rider attempted to reach over and pet her smooth brown forehead. Spade shut his eyes completely and continued pressing his hands against his head and groaning, pleased that the younger teen was falling for his act. He tried his best to avoid letting his new friend onto his ruse by making more sounds of mock agony, gritting his teeth, and doing other things of that sort. However, it wasn't long before Spade tumbled onto his back and started laughing, opening his eyes and turning his hazel gaze back to Gustav. "You fell for it! Haha, I was just acting. I-" He froze when he noticed the concerned expression on the younger viking's face. "Oh, I-I'm sorry if I... scared you. I just didn't want to pass up the opportunity..." The teen shrugged and glanced away, now feeling uncomfortable with the joke he had played.
321 WORDS "Dialogue"