Seint
He was a reminder, this tiny human.
The first moment that the Skrill had looked upon his visage, he was reminded of his first master. Nostalgia was an essence often unknown to Skrills, but it had been so long ago that he'd been lost in those ice caps, he knew his master was no longer alive. There was, instead, this different human. This human who had a strange new scent, who had a different build, with a different voice...
He didn't like it.
He wanted his old master - the one who had let him sleep by his throne, who had allowed him to lead siege against other pathetic tiny humans. The one who had given him his first verbal name: Bani. Skrills and other dragons relied on scent to identify each other. To have a verbal name... It was an honor. This new human didn't know his verbal name. This new human didn't know anything about him, did he?
But this new human was as close as he could get to his old master. He still had the same basic scent as him, Bani could tell. It was just barely there, a lingering. Perhaps this was his old master's grandson? Great grandson, perhaps? It didn't matter. His master was dead and this new one was the closest he could get to what he had. The other humans he'd seen had no way of resembling his master.
He wanted this human all to himself.
The way this master spoke to him was much quieter than his old master, who barked out commands without any restraint. This one cooed at him as though he were a pet, and it managed to create both elation as well as humiliation in a simultaneous fashion. It was almost a facetious sort of adoration, but he could tell that beneath the partially sardonic tone, there was an inkling of genuine sincerity. Bani wasn't sure how he felt, but when the new master disappeared, he wanted him to come back. And he did. He hurt a bunch of other tiny humans first, but Bani knew that this master wouldn't hurt him. He could tell, he could feel it in the way that the master walked to him. The vibration of each step wasn't threatening or harsh. It was sensitive and eager. Confident. Excited. Doting.
This master had a strange headpiece, two horns atop his head. Bani liked it. It was like a crown. When master released him from his cage, he instantly sniffed at him, the spikes on his back shooting up for a moment before they settled, and he nuzzled the headpiece to show that he was fond of it. Master seemed to approve as he laid a hand over his scales and stroked them for a moment or so. He did that strange, cooing noise again. Bani didn't understand his language, but he did understand the gentle and kind tone he was attempting to conjure up. It brought pride to the Skrill that he didn't hear his master use this tone with any of the other humans, in addition to smacking away their hands when these humans also tried to touch him.
His emotions were a whirlwind since he'd awoken, but of everyone he'd come across since, this human had grown on him. He was almost alarmed when the master led him away, to the ships, and then fashioned ropes around him. It was just as his first master used to do! Perhaps this new master really did know about him? Bani was ecstatic. He roared in delight and his thorns bristled. He gave his master's helmet a tiny shock and earned one of those human chuckles in response.
Yes, this was a good master.
It wasn't long before the big smelly human - the one who had first taken him from that sea after the battle with that blasted Nightfury - tracked his master and attacked him. Bani longed to help, but he instead watched. His master seemed to handle himself rather well, and Bani knew that he was not to do his own bidding until the ropes were tugged. That was how it was with his old master, and surely, it would be the same here, correct?
He found himself to be right when master yanked his ropes as he knew to do. With delight, Bani struck lightning down upon the pest. He missed the first few times as his master's enemy dodged, but once he was in the water, Bani knew that he was his. And his master knew it too; he used a tone that humans used to daunt and mock each other, which Bani found charming. This was such a delightful human.
The big smelly human's scent faded as he sunk deeper into the ocean, and once Bani shocked the sea, creating an enormous spark of electricity, he could no longer smell the human's scent at all.
When the other humans boarded this ship - Bani identified them as followers of the big smelly human - they took on offensive positions. Bani could sense it in the vibration of their steps against the damp wooden boards of the ship. He instantly felt on the ready to attack, but master had a specific tone to his voice when he addressed them. Bani knew this tone. He had heard humans use it many times before. It wasn't a tone of taunting or malice; it was a tone of persuasion. Whereas dragons often times used facial expressions, guttural whimpers and small clicks to indicate persuasion, humans seemed to indicate everything with the tones of their voices and particular sounds. Bani didn't think he'd ever quite understand the complexity of it all.
Still, he knew not to attack. Not with that tone. But, just to help his persuasion along, Bani surged some lightning throughout his body. It was sent down the rope cords; and luckily, master had been knowledgeable enough on how to hold the ropes so that his hands would not come into contact with the electric shocks themselves. Bani mentally scolded himself for not making sure beforehand. He could have seriously hurt his master by shocking him - and then what? Go on without a master? Preposterous. He had not been without a master in... Far too long.
It scared him to think of what it would be like to be without a human guide, as he had been when he first awoke from his icy slumber. He'd relied on humans for so long... He would've grown to miss their odd communication and the way that his master(s) scratched behind his frills. Besides, he rather liked this human. He was a good master.
Maybe an even better master than his old master.
Bani trilled near silently at the very concept. His old master had been a spectacular human, but had often ignored him when Bani sought his attention. He was an often reclusive beast, but he felt a strong connection to that human. This one didn't seem to mind his mild affection when he descended from his spot in the sky and sat near him, inhaling his scent.
Master fed him some fish, before examining his wings. He laid a hand across them and trailed it downwards, over the thin flap, as though making sure it was completely all right. Bani buzzed at the attention, and his master made a human laughing noise that Bani thought was silly and hilarious. Why did humans have to laugh in such strange voices? This one especially. It sounded like a distorted choking noise to Bani.
Ah, humans.
When they ported upon land, Bani flapped his way up to the sky once more. His master seemed busy taking care of human business, which held no interest to even domesticated Skrills like himself. He admired the salty scent of the ocean for a bit and gazed at the cloudy sky. Perfect weather for him to harness his power. He stretched his talons and admired the view, until a particularly foul scent reached his nostrils.
A Nightfury. Bani had taken them out in the past, and had watched Nightfuries take out his own kind. The two, both lightning harnessing creatures, were naturally enemies. He hadn't seen many before his unprecedented freeze, though. Perhaps they'd repopulated? Regardless, this one was domesticated like himself, by a very tiny human. The tiny human didn't smell so bad, but the scent of Nightfury tainted him.
The small human called out something, and Bani identified it as a call constructed primarily for the ears of his own master. The tone was unidentifiable to Bani, though. He didn't have to wait long for the rope-pulling cue; his master seemed eager for him to battle the small human and his ugly Nightfury. Bani led his master into a chase against the Nightfury and his little master, shocking as directed.
Bani shot some taunting roars of his own at the Nightfury to intimidate him, but received no response. He wondered blankly if perhaps it was too dull to grasp his language, until it made it's own roar at him. It wasn't exactly anything that could be translated to the language the humans used, but it was an insult among dragons to use such a disrespectful and offensive tone. Bani was taken back but not deterred and gave his own roar of detest. At least they were on equal grounds.
The humans shot their own insults at each other, and Bani's indifference for the small human his master faced grew into a bitterness of it's own. How dare this Nightfury rider insult his master?
The Nightfury made a sour face at him before shooting a blast of plasma at him, which Bani easily blocked. If he remembered correctly, Nightfuries had a six shot limit, unlike Skrills, who could charge themselves within the weather. He blocked yet another blast and waited for his master's command, who seemed to speak in a mocking tone at their opponent. He made his cute little laugh and Bani grunted quietly at the Nightfury, as though to demonstrate what a better human he had.
The Nightfury made a vibrating motion with his trills and whined at a pitch too high for the humans to hear, as though to say, "We don't have to fight, I will forgive you for your attacks. Why settle for such an evil human? My human is good."
Bani didn't bother responding to such a cloddish and vacuous suggestion, instead firing upon will this time. His human? Evil? His human understood him! His human cared for him! This Nightfury knew nothing of his human. If his human was so evil, then why would he have been so much kinder than that Nightfury's human was to him? They had chased him, fought him, hurt him! His human had done nothing of the sort.
They progressed into a mini battle of blasts, but each one was blocked by the other. His human put a stop to it with a gentle tug on his ropes that signified he wished for a pause, which Bani followed. The humans had a short conversation of tones, which Bani found difficult to follow. He did, however, grasp the last signifying roar that the Nightfury made.
"Have it your way."
He sent one last blast, and Bani easily blocked it; however, as soon as he did, his jolt of lightning shot down the ropes without warning. No worries, after all, his master knew how to hold the -
What? Master was screaming! Bani looked down to discover that he had been electrocuted by one of his own blasts. Why? What had he done wrong? Bani speculated a bit further, dropping a few feet down to see what was wrong just as his human fell from the rock he'd been standing upon. Water? How!?
"What happened?" He keened out in a whimper too high for the humans to grasp. "My master!"
The tiny Nightfury master made a series of human sounds, most likely directed to his dragon, and Bani felt a rage bubble up within him. This was their fault! Theirs! His master was hurt and - and -
He was going to kill that damned Nightfury!
The Nightfury attempted to communicate with him as he shot several lightning bolts at them, but he paid it no heed. His vision was red with anger. His master, they'd hurt his master!
He tailed them ferociously as they flew to the ice caps. No matter. There was no escaping him here. He attempted to eradicate them with an icy avalanche, but the cretinous Nightfury managed to narrowly dodge it. For a moment, he nearly lost them - but he was determined to make them pay for harming his human. He hadn't been far behind, and once again, nearly lost them, but there! There they were, facing him, directly in waiting for him to strike!
"Foolish, vapid fiend! I'll be the end of you-"
Slam!
He was disoriented - blackness, followed by fuzzy white spots of light dancing in his vision was his only greeting past the dull ache that pervaded into his skull. What? What had happened?
He couldn't open his eyes for a few seconds. And then - water? Frigid, ice cold water, surrounding him, taking away his heat- No! He knew this feeling. He knew what was happening! The ice, it would freeze over, and then he'd...
"Master!" He released one remaining roar into the gelid water.
And then, there was darkness.
Just a lil story from the Skrill's perspective during the episode. It was really only meant to be a drabble but turned out to be longer than I expected. I hope you enjoy. "Seint", by the way, is Old Norse for "cold".