Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-35775904-20190222213128/@comment-34572969-20190304200550

This was done in the span of about two hours without editing and a sleepy author, so I apologize for any mistakes.

Katina

Operation Find-My-Two-Faced-Dragon-Hater-Of-A-Father is in action. Well, not exactly, but I've never been too good at names.

I woke up to Flame doing the dragon equivalent of screaming in my face like an alarm clock. I rolled over onto my side with a groan of annoyance, knocking Flame onto the floor. Without even opening my eyes, I heard the Terror scramble to his feet and before I could even process what was happening... he was biting my nose.

"OWOWOWOWOW!" I screeched, bolting upright and hitting my head on the shelf above. Again. Seriously, who built that there?

"Okay, okay! I'm up!" I stated, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It was fairly early in the morning, but not too early. I got up, grabbing my kransen from the shelf and left to join in on breakfast with the others.

Patrol first thing after. Alright, no big deal. It was a fairly average day, nothing out of the ordinary. Which worked out in my favour.

I walked back over to my hut, scrawling down a note on a piece of parchment in my satchel. Flame flapped along beside me, peering over my shoulder curiously.

"So, ready for a little hunting mission?" I asked Flame. He squawked in affirmation. "Good, because today, I'll be sorting out some daddy issues."

I stabbed my dagger into the door of my hut, with the note I had written dangling from it. Grabbing my satchel again, I pulled out a map of the nearby area and scanned it over, pinpointing certain areas and, more specifically, Harn bases.

I looked over to Flame, a questioning look in my eye. "Okay, that's sorted out... but how do we get there? No wild dragons on the island, no dragon of my own that's big enough to ride- no offence," I added, seeing Flame playfully scowling at me.

We just so happened to be passing the training grounds that Kate and Aidan used with Devil, and guess who was wandering around the place?

I felt an idea growing in my head. Devil was getting huge now, almost as big as a full-grown Night Fury. Surely he would be rideable, right?

Wrong. Very, very, very wrong. Well, right... but also wrong.

Kate was... somewhere, and Aidan was... also somewhere, so I couldn't really find them to ask for permission. I quickly went back to my hut, scribbled in an extra note about Devil, and then went back to find the not-so-little Woolly Howl.

He ran around freely, sniffing at random objects from time to time and flapping around, enjoying the wide open space. I used the time he was distracted to go get his saddle, or at least the one Kate and Aidan had tried using on the dragon. Flame clamped his jaws onto my sleeve and tried to drag my arm back, clearly realizing my intentions and trying to  stop me.

I simply batted him away with my hand. "Chill, I left a note, and they won't mind... hopefully," I added.

I turned back to Devil, who was still playing around and oblivious to my presence. My plan was to try and put the saddle on him while he wasn't looking, and that way I could get him to wear it without him seeing and by extension, resisting.

Faulty logic, amirite?

"If he doesn't see, he won't resist," I reasoned with myself. I probably should have realized my mistake as soon as that statement left my mouth, but I was too distracted by thoughts of my father to really pay attention.

The second time I had been wrong that day about Devil. As soon as the leather had done so much as touched Devil's scales, he was riled up like an angry bull and immediately started trying to get away from me, batting me away with his wings, growling, etc.

I shielded myself with my arms and backed away, keen to be nowhere near the Woolly Howl anymore. I stopped to catch my breath, having tried to chase Devil before being ultimately chased back. My sides continued heaving as I began to formulate more plans in my head.

After what felt like hours (but was probably less than thirty minutes), I just gave up. I dropped the saddle onto the floor and, after finally getting Devil to stay still, managed to mount him without the saddle. He was a little defiant at first, but eventually managed to cooperate with me and we were able to fly.

We actually ended up flying for a while, with me practically dangling from Devil's tail. I mean, honestly, how do those two even handle him?

Soon enough, we arrived at the Harns' base, the Woolly Howl snapping fiercely at my retreating form. He must have still been bitter about me trying to saddle him. I desperately attempted to hush the dragon, whispering as loud as a person could whisper without yelling.

"Shush, shush, please, for the love of Thor, shut up!" I whisper-shouted. He only growled louder. "Shhhhhhhhh!!"

He shrank back, eyes still narrow.

"Hmph. Fine. No one said you had to stay, so you can go. And probably should, before Kate or Aidan find out you've gone missing."

With that, Devil promptly turned around and flapped off, back to the other Guardians. Flame looked over to me from where he sat perched on my shoulder, almost expectantly.

"Oh no, mister. You are definitely staying by my side," I insisted. The Terror huffed out. "Of course though, no sane dragon would dare show their hideous face around such a terrifying creature as yourself," I added, seeing Flame perk up at the compliment.

It probably taken a much longer amount of time to find my so-called father, but luckily enough for me it was fairly easy. A little too easy, as some may say, but I preferred to brush that thought aside. I was simply too distracted.

After a while of aimlessly running around, I came to a clearing where numerous cages stood, claw marks and snapped door hinges and locks adorning practically every one of them. I looked around, slack-jawed, at everything that surrounded me.

Smoke was wafting into the air, undoubtedly from dragon fire. A long-gone campfire sat in the centre of everything, scales and scraps of worn out clothing scattered around. And there were traps, almost certainly for dragons, littered casually around the place with jagged metal teeth and dried crimson decorating the serrated edges.

I felt Flame twitching uncomfortably on my shoulder, and I looked over to see him eyeing all the traps and cages as I was. Poor thing, he must have been terrified.

"Sorry you had to see this," I muttered,

A rustle from the bushes interrupted my thoughts. How cliché. That rustle soon turned into voices, each sentence being replied to with a grunt or a growl. A dragon and his master, I figured.

The person came closer, and I began reaching for my dagger. As soon as he did so much as step into the sunlight, the man began sauntering over to me, a smirk plastered onto his face.

"Aww, look who's all grown up. My, I can barely even recognize you, it's been far too long."

I paused, narrowing my eyes and looking the man up and down. "Yeah, it has been... dad."

He almost seemed impressed. "Nice to see you finally figured it out," he drawled. I stepped back as he approached, pulling out my weapon. The man saw my movement and quickly stopped me. "Now now now, don't want to be doing that, do we?"

"Why shouldn't I?" I challenged. The man's smirk only grew.

"Tut tut tut, little one, I'd have hoped I taught you better than this. Is that any way to speak to your father?"

I stopped, eyes wide, So it was true after all, even when everything else he'd told me was a lie.

"So it's true. You abandoned your family, the closest people in your lives, all for this? You even have your own dragon, why dedicate your life to something like- like this! You left us all for years- you left me, for years! Do you have any idea of what that was like?!" I couldn't help but yell at him. He simply chuckled at me. Not the good-hearted, bubbly laugh I was so used to, but a sinister, I'm-better-than-you-and-I-know-it kind of laugh, one laced with malice and deception.

"Oh, young kitten. Naive as I was, when I was young. You always did have a soft spot for dragons, did you not?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I own, my dragon. Not befriended, not bonded, own. That is where I am strong, whilst you hold out hope for your beloved beasts."

I heard a low, growling noise behind my father. It was Tiger, his ironically named Monstrous Nightmare, growling at the two of us.

"Down Tiger," my father commanded him. Once he didn't, he pulled a sword from seemingly nowhere and threw it forcefully at the ground beside the dragon. "I said DOWN," he repeated, harsh enough to make me myself flinch. This time, the Nightmare obliged as my dad turned back to me.

"See? Now, it may be time you get your pretty little self home, young one. I'm sure it's far too past your bedtime. Your mother will be-"

"My mother, the wife you abandoned, mind you, is still wondering. Wondering when you'll be back, wondering if you're so much as alive," I stated, still aiming to guilt trip him. It failed.

"Well, you can tell her that I'm still thriving and all is fine and dandy where I am. But you? Perhaps not."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you just so happened to catch me at the right time. I happen to be on a hunting trip with some very finely skilled men. Care to join?"

"Ugh, after what you've done? Fat chance. I'm not joining your little hunting game."

"Oh!" he exclaimed, seemingly remembering something. "Perhaps I've misspoken. I didn't mean you would be a hunter, oh no. That would just be cruel to a soft, childish mind such as yours, wouldn't it?" He chuckled again as I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance. "I meant, you can be the prey."

At that moment, hunters seemed to appear from nowhere. Trees, bushes, even their own dragons. I looked around as the corners of my father's lips twitched into an arrogant, selfish smile of victory.

I raced up to him, pointing a dagger to his throat. He barely flinched, remaining frustratingly unfazed.

"You... you traitor!" I screamed. His eyes narrowed angrily, his expression reading something along the lines of, How dare you defy me?! "I don't care for a minute what you'll say, but know this: you may be my father, but with what you've done, you'll never, be my dad."

He paused for a minute, before putting up a hand, motioning for his hunters to stop. His gaze diverted to me, an amused grin playing at his features. I allowed my defensive stance to drop for a minute in my confusion.

"You have some spirit... I quite enjoyed this encounter, don't you agree?"

I stayed silent.

"Hmph. Very well. As my daughter, whom I love and cherish-"

As if.

"-you may leave. Take Tiger if you so wish, and I do hope we meet again one day, hunters together as father and daughter should be."

I wearily mounted Tiger, still eyeing my father. He gave no indication to attack. As I began to set off, he asked one more question.

"Oh! By the way, how is that lying, treacherous little snitch of a friend of yours doing?" he questioned, his tone so innocent he could have been asking about the weather. Again, I stayed silent.

"Have it your way. But, do tell him this: I have a suitable surprise for that Nicholas."

I nodded without turning away and left for the Guardian base.