Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-35775904-20190222213128/@comment-34572969-20190606183803

SORRY SORRY SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG!!

Katina

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! RITA AND VIX SANG A DUET! HOW CUTE IS THAT????

...okay, I think I'm done. Aidan had just assigned us another mission, scouting this time. With Tiger still in my hut, too injured and fatigued to fly for such  long time- three hours, apparently- and me being paired up with Aud, I just flew with her on Spark.

The fog around us thickened as we flew closer and closer to our assigned destination, making the area seem as though it had never seen the light of day. I grimaced at the sight. I pulled up my mask as I scanned the area, ready to take out any guards if it was needed.

"What's that for?" Aud asked, nodding to my mask. My shoulders sagged as I groaned.

"Aesthetic! Everyone keeps asking, jeez," I responded, exhasperation evident in my voice.

We scanned over the area, with me pulling out my notepad and sketching the symbols we found from the hanging flags roughly in pencil. A stack-load of crates was haphazardly strewn around the area,  all with written labels printed onto them. I took out a spyglass and began to write them all down.

"Blue oleander... dragon root... dragon nip... The Protector... Smothering Smokebreath eggs... ingredients for Gronckle iron..." I muttered. Then snapped the book shut.

"Let's get this to the others."

As we flew, I did one more scan over the fortress, taking in every single detail that I could. My gaze was soon to land on an almost golden-looking dragon, amber scales decorated with blue and purple patterns. I deduced that it most likely relied on attraction for survival, or it used its bright colours to ward off other dragons. Large, colourful wings and blue frills and spines; attraction seemed likely. Elongated snout, eyes on the sides of its head, loud voice... a Deathsong.

Beside the dragon, its rider- no, her rider, upon closer inspection- stood proudly, giving out orders to other guards and soldiers. Auburn hair, superior-looking uniform, haughty expression... of course.

I could only glare with a hateful expression at him as we continued on our way back to the rest of the Guardians.

--

"Tiger! Flame! C'mon boys, we gotta go!"

I pulled up my mask once more as I mounted the Monstrous Nightmare and grabbed Flame from his previous sleeping position, who squawked in defiance. Tiger stumbled a few times, before standing and looking at me with a pained expression. I frowned.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we need to get out there! Those guys need our help," I protested.

Tiger huffed in annoyance, but latched his jaw onto the back of my shirt collar. I barely had time to scream as he flipped me up and onto his back, with me sprawled over the leather saddle.

I glared half-heartedly at the dragon. "Right. Thanks."

We flew up into the thick of the fighting with the other Guardians. I pulled out one of my daggers and carefully began to aim it at the nearest Harn, going for helmet since I didn't want to actually kill him, then tossed it.

Damn it. Missed. Flame was quick to dive down and capture it once more, flicking it back up and tossing it into my hand. I was about to aim again, when a bloodcurdling screech came from Tiger as he reared back in pain. I quickly gripped onto the saddle, scrabbling at his spines to get a hold of the dragon.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, boy!" I tried soothing, tugging back on Tiger's horns. He shook his head about in discomfort, and even Flame was beginning to get anxious. He chirped and squawked at the Nightmare as he slowly flapped down to the ground, screeching in his pain.

My movement were quick and clumsy as I toppled off the dragon's back after he landed, forcing myself back onto my feet as I rushed over to check up on him.

Tail was fine. Flank was fine. Legs were fine. Neck was fine. Head was fine. What was wrong with him?

Then Tiger turned onto his side, an occasional roar of discomfort slipping past his jaws. I quickly scanned over him, quick to find a flash of red standing out from his light cream underbelly. And- no, it wasn't blood, thankfully.

Instead, an arrow portruded from part of his underbelly. I stiffled a gasp, and grasped the arrow tightly before tugging it out. I then mentally facepalmed. Dang it, Kat, you're not supposed to pull out an arrow!

I looked over the tip of it, to see if the wound had drawn any blood. Luckily, no. Unluckily, the tip was green and smelt of plants. Of course. Dragon root arrows.

"Thordammnit Tiger, the second that you're better, we are releasing you back to where you belong!"

I huffed in frustration. How come he kept putting me through stuff like this?

"Right, so... uh..." I frantically looked around. "Uh... Tiger, stay here... o- or get to my hut, and just... ohforThor'ssake just don't hurt yourself again!"

I rushed off back into the main battle, looking around for the nearest person with a dragon.

Rita. Bingo.

I rushed over to help face off the Harns nearby, as Rita looked over to me.

"Kat? Where's your dragon?"

"Dragon root arrow."

We fought for a while, with me being at a very obvious disadvantage since I was on the ground. I had just finished dealing with one of them when I heard Aud yelling from some way off across the battlefield.

"Kat! Take this guy up to the clubhouse! He's the leader!"

I nodded and shot a quick thumbs-up, before grabbing him by the shirt collar. I was quick to drag him away and oh mY THOR THIS GUY WEIGHS LIKE A HUNDRED TONS--

"Holy- jeebus man, how well off are you back at the Harn-place-thingy? You weigh more than an overfed Gronckle! And I know a kid who has a Gronckle called 'Fatty'," I spat, moving to pinch his ear instead. The dude squeaked in pain, then growled in defiance.

"Let go of me, you stupid, idiotic... girl!" he tried to insult me back. I rolled my eyes, noticing his body covered in cuts and injuries, most likely from past battles.

"Alright then, listen up ScarKid-"

"ScarKid?" he mimicked. I raised an eyebrow.

"You know, ScarKid? Like StarKid?"

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. I shook my head as the rest of the Guardians came filing in.

"What're you shaking your head at?" Isla asked me as she came in, Michael following on shortly.

"He doesn't know who StarKid is!" I exclaimed. I took one look at their confused expressions and waved off their unsaid questions.

"Eh, whatever. Anyways-" I turned back to the Harn guy. "C'mon. Talk."

Michael smirked. “Shall we play some soccer everyone?”

Isla laughed along. “Oh yeah ...we shall," she giggled. Both her and her boyfriend (well, not officially, but still) shared a malicious grin, reminiscent of a stereotypical villain's.

“Wait, what do you mean soccer?” Aud asked. "We're in the middle of a questioning trial!”

“I know. We use this guy as our ball!”

His face paled.

“Alright, alright, alright! I’ll tell you but please don’t play soccer on me! Havardr told us about this game and I don’t wanna do this!" he pleaded. Aud snorted.

“Who knew that Mr. Wimpy No-Brain could wine like a child?!" she added on.

Vix's eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, what? Mr. Wimpy No-Brain?”

“It’s another one of her 'famous' nicknames,” Rita answered, amused. "Remember Mr. Ugly Yellow Teeth?”

I let a small smirk grace my lips. Huh. So I wasn't the only one that used weird nicknames.

We got our information out of him, yada yada yada, the attack was going to be in three days.

"Well then, meeting dismissed," Kate said, and we all left in our respective directions. I followed Aidan to our makeshift prison, where a few sad little cells sat, empty and barren. Aidan shoved him into one of them and then turned to me.

"Keep an eye on him, if you're staying. And- no torturing him. Please." His eyes were dead serious. Well. There go my plans for that day.

I held up an 'okay' sign and turned back to Mr. Wimpy No-Brain, smirking.

"So, I guess you're stuck with me then," I mused. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Immature brat," he hissed. I tutted playfully.

"Nuh-uh, I believe that title belongs to you, mister." He growled at me.

"You can keep talking, Guardian, we'll rip you to shreds when we attack," he promised. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, of course. Which will be in just a few days because you're too wimpy not to give away your plans of which you were probably sworn to loyalty."

He opened his mouth to object, but thought better of it and promptly remained silent, huffing in his defeat.

I hummed in thought for a minute, then turned back to him. "So, how's Erikson?" I asked him. He apparently knew all to well who I was referring to.

"Why do you care?" he retorted. I leaned in nonchalantly through the bars, my usually guarded façade ebbing away. He was in a prison, a sad little excuse of one but a prison nonetheless, and in one of the most secure places in our area of the Hidden world, seeing as we were responsible for taking care of it. I was acting careless and unreserved.

"Oh, nothing, just thought I would ask." I looked back up to him. "So? How is he?"

Mr. Wimpy No-Brain raised an eyebrow- and sorry for that, the nickname was growing on me.

"Perfectly well. Took in an entire group of retreating dragons just last week. Havardr was pleased," he drawled. My expression remained apathetic, but inside...

I shook my head to clear the thoughts. I was about to add something more, something that should have sounded like, "So what do you even do with the dragons that aren't killed?" but came out as, "So what do you even do wi- AGHH SWEET BABY THOR IN A BISCUIT TIN!!"

Don't ask.

Flame was flapping beside my ear, somewhat clumsily after staying with Tiger for so long, and chirruping and screeching in my ear. I covered the ear that he was screaming into, and used my other free hand to place him on my other shoulder. He was looking a little disgruntled after being ignored for so long, but his expression soon changed to one of ferocity as he spotted our prisoner. The man in question sighed as Flame spat out a spark of fire.

"Ooh, a flying lighter. I'm so scared," he deadpanned. Flame made some sort of affronted sound as he sat down back on his haunches, his head raised proudly and amber eyes glaring at the Harn.

After a while I decided it was time to go back to my own hut. I wished No-Brain goodnight, to which he responded, "Eh? Yeah. Whatever," and retreated back to my room, letting the sweet embrace of sleep engulf me.

''I'm... somewhere. In the middle of the ocean. In a tank that's about to fill up. In a pool. In a giant beaker. Whatever. The point is, there's water everywhere.''

''It's peaceful at first. The water is calm, not a single wave breaking the surface. Only blackness stretches over the top of my head, acting as some sort of sky. I'm unfazed by it.''

''Suddenly, the water begins to rise. I think nothing of it, as I float to the surface and let my head bob above the water.''

''But then it gets worse. The water keeps on rising and rising and rising, threatening to swallow me whole. A current from underneath beckons me downwards, as I thrash about in a desparate attempt to stay alive.''

''Soundless screams escape my throat as wave after wave crashes over my head. I call for help. I cry out. I kick at the violent waves that sting my face.''

''But it's no use. I continue to panic as the water reaches my face. I accidentally swallow some; it's bitter and salty. Nothing like real water.''

''I'm still thrashing about aimlessly, drinking in the oxygen around me. The water has found its way to my face now. I can't breathe. I'm hyperventilating.''

Then I let it all consume me.

I woke up in a daze that night.