Chapter 43

The mountain path started rising gradually but only got steeper as time went on. It looked like it had once been a well maintained hiking track that had probably been used by thousands of tourists, back during the time when the planet Earth still had tourists. Unfortunately in the years since the coming of the Sholf-4 meteorites, the path had been completely ignored, had washed out in several places, and had even suffered the ravages of a small avalanche or twelve.

Blue and Calla were both now very grateful for the help Thorston had given to get to the bottom of the mountain for if they had walked there, they probably would still be on the lower slopes by the end of the day. Instead they managed to get to the halfway trail marker early in the afternoon.

"I think I need to stop for a bit" Calla said as she deposited herself on the high side of the trail.

"Good idea" Blue agreed "This isn't an excessively high mountain so we don't have to worry about thin air and altitude sickness, but it's still quite a climb so it's best we don't overdo it. How are your legs feeling?"

"Ugh... they're so sore, I'm actually staring to envy Haley. When her leg hurts she can swap it for a fresh one."

Fool that he was sometimes, Blue was about to explain that artificial limbs did not work that way, when he suddenly noticed the cheeky grin on Calla's face.

"I gotcha, didn't I?" she smirked.

"Maybe" Blue sniffed.

They rested for about fifteen minutes more before continuing the climb. Looking back down, they could see the trail had not only taken them up the mountain, but also half way around it. They had started on the inland side of the mountain, but now the Norwegian Sea was stretching out before them.

Even though this wide body of rough water was quite impressive, Blue and Calla beheld a much more spectacular sight at that very moment; looking up the slope they saw a Deadly Nadder gliding down the mountain slope a few hundred meters in front of them.

"Oh wow!" was all Calla could manage to say, which was more than Blue could manage.

They watched wide eyed as the impressive dragon continued down before levelling out and disappearing out over the ocean. Half a minute later, Blue and Calla looked at each other with the same stunned look on their faces normally reserved for people who had just been entertained by a singing frog. The looks of mild shock slowly evolved in to smiles of great joy and much to Firefly and Daisy's surprise, they both held each other tightly while dancing around in a circle and laughing uncontrollably. Firefly just sat on a nearby rock and assumed they were incredibly upset for some reason, while Daisy decided it must be some kind of weird human mating ritual. Neither of the Terrors could have guessed it was because of the other dragon; they had both lost count of the number of Nadders they had seen in course of their lives.

"What do we do now?" Calla asked when she had stopped bouncing.

"We find where it came from" Blue said excitedly.

Suddenly endowed with extra energy, Blue started running up the trail with Calla and the dragons not far behind. He did his best to judge where they had seen the dragon fly by and when he believed he was close, he left the trail and started to climb straight up. He was still able to walk upright but the slope was much steeper and the ground much rougher. He soon came to a distinct line which marked where the grass covered slope ended, and the baron rock strewn crown of the mountain peak began.

He had not gone far along this rugged ground before he came to a place that could not have said 'Dragon's Nest' more plainly without the inclusion of a neon sign. There was a cave like hollow in the side of the mountain, where rocks had been scratched out to create a bare patch of ground for the dragon to rest itself. Outside the hollow entrance and down the slope a short distance, the bones and remains of several animals and many fish littered the hillside.

"Is this where it lives? It must be" Calla answered her own question.

"Right then, let's set ourselves up over there" Blue pointed to a spot to his left.

"What exactly do you mean by set ourselves up?"

"The dragon has obviously been living here for a while, but it has also been doing some travelling too" Blue noted "It took us more than a day to sail up from where we rescued the fishing boat, but I'd guess the dragon could have flown the distance in four of five hours. Based on that assumption, we can't really know if it will be back in ten minutes, or just before nightfall."

"So we camp nearby?"

"Yes" Blue nodded "Not too close, or else we'll spook it; and not too far away because I want it to notice us."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Calla wondered.

"Better than surprising it" Blue shrugged.

The Nadder had clearly chosen the best spot for cover, so Blue and Calla had to be satisfied with a small rock overhang nearby. Unable to pack tents with all the other needed supplies, they made do with a small storm sail from the Star Runner. For the next few hours they took turns keeping watch for the Nadder while the other would pile rocks on the side of their overhang, as a windbreak for the coming night.

Daisy and Firefly stayed close by for a while before they too flew down to the ocean. Through his binoculars he could just make then out as they dove in the water for fish, before returning to rock on the shore to feed. When they were both full, the dragons returned and took a nap in what little sunlight there was. Finally with the sun low in the sky, the sight they had been waiting for finally came into view as the unmistakable outline of a Deadly Nadder approached from just below the clouds.

"Calla; take a seat with the dragons... and um... sit casually" Blue said as he placed his backpack near his feet where he could easily get at it.

The Nadder swooped down in the direction of its cave until it noticed the young man standing not far away. It had clear memories of having encountered creatures like this before, and so the dragon took a defensive posture. It swept around away from Blue before turning back and landing in front of the cave mouth; facing the intruder with wings outstretched and tail high, ready to strike. Opening its mouth wide, the Nadder let out a deafening cry so loud, it made Blue's ears hurt.

"Hello" Blue replied with his arms down at his sides.

The young man's reply actually surprised the dragon, who was more used to a lot of screaming, shouting, and running away. In some desperation, it roared out again.

"My my but you have an incredible voice... and what a handsome boy you... sorry, I mean what a beautiful girl you are" Blue corrected himself when he noticed the Nadder's distinctive markings.

The dragon lowered its tail and wings a little and bobbed its head from side to side, looking the strange boy over. She looked for any threatening sign but could not see anything. What she did see though was another human, small and female, sitting not far away with two very alert Terrible Terrors. The tiny dragons did not seem to mind her presence and she appeared to be petting them, keeping them calm.

The young man standing in front of her did not appear to be any threat, but his presence still made the Nadder somewhat nervous. She had previously seen examples of the human face show fear, anger and several other negative emotions, but she did not know what to make of the calm and contented face in front of her.

"I've got something I hope you'll like" Blue said as he reached down for his backpack.

"RHAAK" the Nadder cried threateningly as she backed up a little.

"No no... it's okay" Blue said reassuringly as he removed something he had been able to procure from Simon Lisberg.

The dragon's cautious fear soon gave way to curiosity and anticipation as Blue brought out something the dragon had never seen before, but it smelled absolutely delicious.

"Would you like some roast chicken?"

The Nadder sniffed the air but did not come any closer, so Blue tried to temp the dragon by tearing off a drumstick and taking a bite.

"Mmmm, delicious; would you like some" he held the chicken leg out.

Slowly and tentatively, the Nadder craned her neck forward and carefully took offered morsel. With one crunch, the dragon's mighty jaws shattered the drumstick before swallowing it. She did indeed find the snack delicious and hoped the boy would share some more, but much to the dragons delight, he held out the entire chicken.

"Here... you can have it."

The dragon stretched her neck out again and picked up the roasted bird in her beak, much like a human would pick up something with their thumb and forefinger. She then tossed her head back and devoured the tasty meal while savouring its flavour and texture.

"Good isn't it?" Blue said as he took a step forward.

Even though the Nadder was no longer afraid of a surprise attack from Blue, she was not yet sure if she could trust him.

"It's okay girl, look."

Blue looked back and called to Firefly. The little dragons head popped up at the sound of his name, then he jumped down from the rock he sat on, scurried across the ground and leapt up on to Blue's shoulder.

"Good boy" Blue smiled as he scratched the dragons chin.

Firefly trilled with delight and rubbed his cheek on the top of Blues head. Hoping this demonstration had allayed the Nadders fears, he held out the palm of his hand.

"Come on girl, come and say hi."

Calla held her breath as she watched the giant beast take one step forward and sniff at the hand. She had her head scar, Haley had an artificial leg, and now she feared Blue would soon have a hook on the end of his right arm. Eventually Calla realised she need not have worried, for Blue was soon petting the side of the dragon's head making it purr so loudly, the ground started to softly vibrate.

"You are a good girl" Blue smiled.

The Nadder found it hard to believe her luck; she had flown out to feed and patrol the area for possible danger, and returned to find a couple of small dragons and their friendly humans. The young man scratching her chin suddenly stopped and pointed towards the other human.

"Calla" he said her name to the dragon and gestured for her to stand up.

"Do you want me to come over there?" Calla asked as she stood.

"No, let us come to you" Blue replied.

He took one step towards Calla while still looking at the dragon.

"Come on girl... come and meet Calla."

The Nadder's head moved a little from side to side as she watched Blue move closer to the other human.

"I know this may be patronising and humiliating, so I hope you'll excuse me" Blue whispered to Calla.

Much to the young ladies surprise, Blue actually patted her on the head before rubbing his cheek on her ear.

"Come on girl, come and meet Calla; she's really nice."

The Nadder pondered the small group; the boy was friendly, the Terrors were obviously happy to be with the humans, and so there was no reason for her to think the girl would be any trouble either. Very slowly, the dragon took a few steps forward while Blue continued to stroke Calla's hair. As she came closer, Blue put out his hand to the Nadder and lightly rubbed her cheek again.

"Okay Calla... slowly do what I'm doing."

Her heart racing, Calla lifted up her arm. She was fully aware that the dragon could see it move but did not seem to mind. Placing her hand on the other cheek, she lightly rubbed the dragon's rough skin.

"Oh wow... she's amazing."

Calla was mildly alarmed when Blue took a step back, but the Nadder seemed just a happy with her as it had been with him.

"Daisy, come here" Blue called and the other Terror soon joined Firefly on his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Calla asked, a little worried.

"Trying to give the Nadder an idea" Blue replied as he walked a short distance away.

The large dragon watched as the boy wandered about, occasionally petting one of the Terrors. A short time later, while Calla continued to pet her new friend, Blue walked back and placed his hand on the dragon's cheek again. He did not stop, but instead moved slowly back along the Nadder's left side, keeping the tips of his fingers along its neck so she always knew where he was. He stopped and patted the dragons back to see how she would react. The Nadder turned her head to look at him but her attention soon returned to Calla; and so with that step complete, he decided to try and teach the dragon by example.

After fetching a spare pair of socks from his pack, Blue took the Terrors a short distance away and threw the small bundle up the slope. This was a game the Terrors had enjoyed ever since they had started playing it back on Berk. It was like a game of fetch, but the winning dragon who managed to retrieve the sock ball first was given tummy rub, or sometimes, a food treat. I the end, the reward became unimportant as the dragons grew to love the simplicity of play.

He tossed the sock ball several times for the terrors, taking careful note of how the Nadder would watch them with interest. The socks seemed a little small for such a big dragon so Blue removed his jacket, and then the woollen sweater he had underneath. After replacing his jacket, he rolled up the sweater into a ball and tied the arms together to hold it all in place.

"Come on girl, ya wanna play?" he said as he tossed the socks again.

The dragon looked at Calla and seemed to be asking her to come too as it took a step forward. The young girl happily obliged and together they wandered over to where Blue and the Terrors were playing.

"Here" Blue smiled as he tossed the large ball to Calla.

Turning to face the dragon, Calla teased her a little.

"Ya want it, huh, do ya?" she smiled before hurling the makeshift ball down the hill.

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Naturally nothing much has changed in the last few days but I'm still going strong(ish). Boo Cat loves the fact that I'm nearly always home but I do enjoy getting out occasionally, since our city isn't on lock-down yet.

Thanks Draco38 (there are those who call him... Tim) for the pep talk, and hope, thanks to your stories, that you do well should the zombie apocalypse come in the near future. I've never seen High School of the Dead so I must check it out if I get the opportunity.

Hi also to Vin (hope things are improving in Italy} and to Madhuntr, a story follower from Germany, where some of my ancestors hail from.

Back with more story soon, Marty