Learning from the Masters
A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction
Based of Le'Letha's "Nightfall"
Alekt huffed softly and massaged his arm as he walked away, easily getting the attention of a few men since they had not once stopped watching him and the dragon ever since he shooed them away, staring as though they expected him to magically disappear in a puff of smoke any second now.
"Pull the cloth back over the cage, to where it was before."
The men wordlessly nodded in a stupor, glancing over him appraisingly as they passed, as though trying increasingly hard to find some body part or limb missing. The only thing Tt-th-ss – as the dragon-boy called it and the dragon responded to – had done was leave shallow teeth-marks with the points of his fangs. Likely all traces of the encounter would disappear within days. Nothing to worry over or write home about.
"Y-you-!" Alekt hummed in question and turned his head to Embrik, who was glaring at him through an arsenal of mixed emotions, though mostly anger and disbelief. "What in Helheim were you thinking? Do you have even the slightest damn clue just how stupid and reckless that was?" When Alekt didn't even humor him with a response, only a calm, indifferent stare, Embrik continued. "You know what I'm talking about! Acting all nonchalant like that and letting that freaking dragon keep a hold on you! I can't believe you did that! You should have just let the men take care of that beast with swords and axes!"
"And what would that have accomplished, exactly?" Alekt tilted his head faintly.
Embrik gaped and stuttered at him, unable to come up with something comprehensible for several moments, while his face quickly became the same color as his hair.
"Of all the hair-brained… Are you completely insane? I mean… does the concept of danger or common sense actually mean anything to you? Your arm - was in the mouth - of a Night Fury!"
"And yet, here it still is," Alekt mused, holding up his arm for Embrik to see and wiggling his fingers. That only made Embrik more furious, as if taking the motion as a taunt.
"That's not the point!" Embrik fumed. "Oh, but what do you care? You've not once given a single rat dropping for the danger or risk, have you? Hardly even for yourself, as far as I can tell, and certainly not for anyone else around you!"
Alekt only continued to stare for a moment, Embrik visibly fighting to find some proper way to channel his temper, before the brunette shrugged and turned away, starting to walk.
"It's not the risks that concern me. In the end, it's results that matter."
"Why I outta-"
Alekt heard the movements behind him at the exact second as his crow companion cawed a warning and took flight off of his shoulder, already maneuvering to dodge the oncoming punch before he had fully swiveled around to face the attack.
He dodged low and easily underneath the swing, sweeping around Embrik's side until he was behind the other. He grabbed a tight fistful of hair at the same moment he knocked the slightly younger man's legs out from under him with one of his own, slamming him flat into the ground, and sat atop his shoulders with the heel of one boot pinning a hand against the ground.
The brunette knew he hadn't managed to knock the other out when he felt Embrik go rigid as one of his blades, a short-handled, black sickle, found his throat warningly, before the fool even had the chance to attempt struggling free.
Alekt could feel the surrendering tension in the other's body under him, as well as the fact that Embrik barely even dared to breathe, completely still with fear. Exactly as he rightly should have been, after the stupid stunt he'd just pulled.
"I can drop a fully grown horse onto its side and remind it who's in charge in thirty seconds flat when it fools itself into thinking it can take dominance by force. Dropping you is much more effortless by comparison," he told him coldly.
Embrik didn't move or speak, but Alekt could feel the faintest shiver that ran up his spine. Despite that Alekt was actually smaller and lighter, Embrik didn't even try to throw him off, seeming to have forgotten this fact quite quickly and easily.
"You can think what you want of me, sneer at me, despise me, question me, insult me, and none of it matters," Alekt stated apathetically, before leaning in close to Embrik's ear, dropping his voice into a promising, deadly hiss. "-but if you ever decide to test your luck and attack me again, especially from behind, you're going to walk away with more wounds than just the ones to your pride, if you walk away at all."
Just as quickly as he'd thrown Embrik to the ground and left him with this one and only warning, he was up again and walking away as though nothing at all had taken place, sheathing his blades. Embrik, however, took quite a few minutes longer before he felt brave enough to even sit up from where he still lay.
Alekt sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he returned from checking some of the work the men had reported was finished. All of the entrances they could find were sealed up good and tight, so no more dragons or potential dragon-riders could hide above them, ready to swoop down. Their rations were stocked well enough for a few days. There was no signs of immediate trouble that needed their attention.
Of course, he wasn't fool enough to think they could relax. Finding confrontation was not an if scenario, it was a matter of when. Keeping the men alert and ready until trouble presented itself was going to be the trick. The longer nothing happened, the more lax they would become.
At least the caged dragons kept the men somewhat on their toes. It was one of the few reasons he didn't try to talk them out of their fear of the beasts, instead manipulating their instincts to be ready for danger, only from a perceived force rather than the real one.
He stuffed a few papers, some blank and others not, under his arm and grabbed a chair with another to haul towards the one cage that held something other than a dragon. He was sure the occupant didn't believe he wasn't, though.
He pulled the cloth aside from it and was immediately being watched by the figure within, two eyes equally as green as the Fury's. Unlocking and swinging the cage door open, he set the chair inside backward-facing and rested his arms over the top.
"Hello," he greeted. The dragon-man watched him warily from a distance, though Alekt had made it a point to set his chair outside the reach of the chain, by just a little bit. He noted those hues scouring his form and hovering for a moment over the sickle at his side, Alekt following his eyes.
"So you saw that, did you?" Alekt mused, though he already knew the man probably didn't understand him very well, if at all. He'd learned the past couple days, with the few remotely human sounds that he'd gotten out of him, that the dragon-man's vocabulary was increasingly limited. Alekt knew three year old children who knew more words. That was going to be troublesome, but probably not nearly as hard as trying to communicate with the Fury had been. That had been a truly frustrating experience, and Alekt didn't get frustrated easily. Not even by a tiny prick.
The dragon was intelligent, which could bode either good or bad for them, but perhaps they could find some sort of middle ground to work together. So far, the dragon-rider was looking to be that middle-ground. If he could only get them to understand each other.
When the man's eyes stopped watching his sheathed blades worriedly, they went to the paper Alekt had in interest. The last time he'd tried to talk to the wild-man, he'd made a few noises, a few very clumsy words. It had taken him a while, but Alekt had finally figured out that what the man was interested in was the paper.
Once he'd figured that out, he knew how he was going to proceed this time, hoping for the best.
"You want this?" Alekt indicated, waving the sheets of paper faintly. The way that the man's eyes followed them like a dog watching a fresh steak was mildly amusing. It seemed he liked paper. "You do, don't you?"
There was a moment of thoughtfulness and concentration, like the man was trying hard to understand and figure out what he was trying to say, before he answered in what might have been Nordic, though it was heavily broken and clumsily spoken.
"Isss."
"Then I'll give it," Alekt said, careful to enunciate and give a little time for the man to at least attempt processing what he was saying. "But first you help me with something." His words didn't seem to reach anywhere that understood, so he decided to continue on without repeating.
Alekt pointed somewhere to the side, questioning, "The dragon, his name is Tt-th-ss?"
The man perked slightly, and it only seemed to take him a few seconds to understand parts of it, at least, though he said nothing, as if still trying to decipher exactly what he was asking and to see if Alekt would try to communicate again. "The dragon is Tt-th-ss?" he repeated.
"Isss. Drakkkn, Tt-th-ss!" the man chirped. He seemed to get joy and excitement out of anything involving that dragon, even the vaguest mention of him.
Alekt nodded. "Okay. So, Tt-th-ss, dragon's name," he indicated with a small, sideways motion. Next, he vaguely waved towards the man indicatingly. "And your name is…?"
That was the point at which he lost him again, but Alekt was patient. Maybe he should try something else. He made a motion again sideways, repeating Tt-th-ss, then to himself as he vocalized, "Alekt", and then motioned to the man again.
It took a few more moments of thought, before the man caught on, and made a noise, sort of a click and then a pop. Alekt had a small bit of trouble with it at first, but noticed the man brighten slightly when he got closer to the same noise.
"(click)-uhp?"
"Isss!" the man yelped happily. Alekt nodded, taking a sheet of paper, and holding it out.
"Good." The man – (click)-uhp – eyed the paper in a way that was both wary and wanting, but he didn't move closer. Just like his dragon, he was being careful, and distrustful. He supposed that was only natural, and fair, at this point.
Despite his unwillingness to get closer, Alekt could see how much he wanted the sheet, but Alekt wasn't going to compromise on this one. Either he had to come forward, or he wouldn't get it. (click)-uhp was watching the paper, but Alekt saw his eyes wander and stop at the indents in his arm with a knowing sort of look that made him shift uneasily. He was sure the man recognized the teeth-marks of his own pet dragon, and became more wary than before.
It wasn't bad at all, barely having scratched the surface. Alekt knew that the Fury could have done a lot more damage, or probably taken his arm entirely, if the dragon had sincerely wanted to. It had been a conscious choice on the reptile's part to leave him with little more than a prick. He was sure (click)-uhp knew that he would have been much worse off if Tt-th-ss had intended on it, too.
Alekt only shrugged.
"It's not bad. Tt-th-ss was only scolding me." That was as close and simple as he could think to describe it anyway. The Fury didn't like to be touched; he knew that. He had pressed his luck when trying, when the dragon was no longer muzzled and then cornered. But the dragon had still only left him with what basically amounted to a warning.
(click)-uhp looked as though he was trying to decipher what he'd said, but only caught hints. Either way, Alekt was sure that his disregard of it probably got the message across, if not the words. He couldn't be sure, though.
There was a look of intense concentration on the dragon-man's face for a long while, and he looked to be struggling with something internally, before he finally tried to speak again. Mostly it was animal sounds he could barely make sense of, but it was questioning, and he caught "drakkkn" in there somewhere, those feral hues shifting to the other cages lined up next to his.
Alekt didn't have a difficult time guessing what he wanted, turning his head.
"We're…" he paused, trying to find a simple way of explaining. He wasn't used to having to dumb down his speech, but he had no choice in this instance. "-catching dragons… to help us create something. We're learning, using them. When we're done, we let them go free." At least half of his words were wasted breath, as was evident by the confused concentration on (click)-uhp's face. He truly wasn't sure how to simplify it more than that and still get his message across.
He supposed he'd have to adjust his tactics – again.
He held up one of the pieces of paper. One of the ones that was marked with sketches. (click)-uhp brightened and became more focused. The thing on the page was a sketch of a dragon from above, with its wings splayed out, and markings for dimensions and scale.
"I need dragons to make these," he said, pointing and hoping that the two together would make the man understand a little better. After (click)-uhp had stared for a good while, he shifted it to the back, to show him a new one, this time of a different species of dragon, and another one after that. "Then, I let them go free," he said, motioning over his shoulder to the cave entrance. "You understand?"
"Isss," (click)-uhp responded.
"Good." Alekt nodded approval. "And I need these-" he motioned to the drawings of dragons again, then flipped to other ones. This time, it was preliminary sketches, basically blueprints, of designs for artificial wings. "To make these. Wings. For Vikings to fly. You understand?"
(click)-uhp looked perplexed, and Alekt wasn't sure if he didn't understand the words, or if he didn't understand what – or why – they were trying to do that. Either one was a fair guess.
Either way, he almost wriggled eagerly where he was as he eyed them, like he wanted to pounce all over them, and whined in an anxious-eager sort of manner as though he couldn't decide between his desire to see them closer or his sense of caution and self-preservation.
(click)-uhp pointed somewhere at the floor, uttering, "Kkh-fff?" Alekt had no idea what that was supposed to mean, and the man was quickly losing patience with him, looking up at him rather than the paper now, though his eyes still occasionally flicked to them. This time he made a motion, toward himself, but then at the same spot again, and repeated himself. "Kkh-fff?"
Alekt had to think on that a moment more, trying to place a word to the sounds. He tried going down a list of words starting with the first sound and line one up, but nothing came immediately to mind that would fit the situation. But he did recall the way that the man said 'dragon', and thought maybe it was an entirely different starting sound he meant. Okay, so a 'g' sounding word, perhaps?
He rolled the sounds over and over on his tongue silently, and realized what it was.
"Give?" he tried, watching the man perk slightly and motion again more insistently, purring approvingly.
"Kkh-fff!"
Alekt held them out, but (click)-uhp's temper flared, looking impatient.
"Nuh! Herrr-" he motioned at the floor again, about halfway between them. "Kkh-fff!"
"No," Alekt stated, crisply and clearly. "You come here. Then, I give."
That much, the man understood, huffing audibly in disdain and further growing impatience.
"Nuh!"
"Then I won't give," Alekt stated simply, ignoring the dirty look he was receiving. It didn't matter either way. Alekt could wait. He didn't think the man was anywhere near as patient as his dragon would be. Not with the way that he'd been eyeing the papers.
And he was right. After a great stretch of time had passed, with (click)-uhp trying to be angry, trying to pretend to ignore him, and trying to act like he was no longer interested and chatter to his dragon two cages away, he crept slightly closer. Only by two steps, but closer, still. His curiosity was greater than his stubbornness.
"Kkh-fff?" he indicated, though he stayed where he was, still maintaining some distance. Alekt eyed him levelly and held them out.
"Come here, and you can have them."
(click)-uhp eyed him and chattered nervously, the Fury answering him, and didn't move even an inch forward for a good few minutes. His eyes once again lingered on the blades at Alekt's side in a vulnerable sort of uncertainty, but when he seemed to deem it not immediately risky, he crept forward, one small bit at a time. When he reached out his chained hands, he touched the paper's edge then immediately jumped back, watching to see if something would happen, as though expecting a trap, and chattering more dragonic sounds.
When Alekt didn't so much as twitch, he moved closer again, reaching out. He froze when he touched the edge of the paper again, watching Alekt intently and barely breathing at all. Then, when he deemed it okay, he abruptly yanked the papers away and retreated to the far end away from Alekt, still eyeing him as he crouched down in the corner. Still making those same bestial noises.
When he finally relaxed somewhat, and his attention turned to the paper clutched in his hands, the noises didn't stop, only quieted slightly, as his eyes traced the drawings in child-like fascination. Alekt could almost see the man's mind working, making sense of what he was seeing with a great sense of interest and perhaps even outward excitement.
As far as the blue-eyed brunette was concerned, that was good. Very good indeed.
When (click)-uhp finally stopped being transfixed by the drawings, he looked back up at Alekt with mixed emotions that were overcast by confusion and worry. Alekt figured that the man had probably managed to figure out what he wanted using the dragons, now. The part that he likely didn't know was the why.
That was going to be a lot harder to explain.
He heard (click)-uhp make a noise of question that needed no greater translation.
"It would help us. Something to help us live better. To make sure we don't die as much."
"Drakkkn?" the feral inquired, increasing concern etching his features.
"No, not to use against dragons. Other Vikings. They're our biggest enemies. It would help us fight and live." Again, most of his words were lost, but the other relaxed slightly. He seemed to understand at least that Alekt wasn't out to go after, fight, and kill dragons. It was probably a fair guess that (click)-uhp had been worried about that for a long time, but of course, most people, Viking or otherwise, were actively against dragons.
(click)-uhp spoke to him again, "Drakkkn-", something he couldn't understand, then questioning, "(click)-uudt? Bad?"
"Do I think the dragons are good or bad?" He received a small, indicative nod, (click)-uhp watching him carefully. Alekt closed his eyes for a moment and hummed. "Such a subjective question, isn't it?" He opened his eyes again, only met with a frustrated stare as his words were once again lost to the man's limited range of language. "Dragons… Vikings… no one is good or bad, really. Everyone's just trying to live." When he was met with more confusion, he clarified, "No good. No bad. Just trying not to die, right?"
He thought maybe the man understood a little more than anything he'd said previously and looked down at the paper, though it was more as if he was looking through it, at something else beyond. What he'd said had obviously struck a chord somewhere, but for what reason or what sort of chord, Alekt had no idea.
Extending his hand, Alekt motioned, catching (click)-uhp's attention as he spoke.
"Give." The dragon-man eyed him again warily, but crept closer. Still cautious, but slightly quicker than the first time, extending the papers, just until Alekt had a hold on them, then quickly retreated again.
Re-organizing them, Alekt shifted his eyes to (click)-uhp, who was still watching him carefully.
"Hungry?" When he was met with a confused stare, he thumbed over his shoulder towards the fire. "Hungry? Fish? Meat?"
"Isss! Fssshh!"
Alekt merely nodded and stood, taking his paper and chair to put away, before he'd go and get something for the man to eat.
"Anything interesting to report from the patrol?" Alekt questioned as he met with the returning party who had went to make sure nothing around the island seemed amiss.
"There was a trade ship that came through earlier today, coming from the east. We saw it on the waters and waved it down," one of the men stated.
"And?"
"Not much to say, but he said there's another band of people in the area, a few miles away. Trappers. 'been catching and slaying dragons all over the waters and coasts nearby."
Alekt hummed, placing a hand to his chin in thought.
" 'might not like competition," the man continued. "You know how some of these trappers are. And if they find out we have a… a Night Fury…" He lowered his voice as though anything but a whisper would be carried away on the wind to unwanted ears.
Alekt nodded his head, dropping his arms back to his side.
"What sort of trappers? Live or dead catches?"
The man shifted uncertainly. "I'm… not sure, sir, but probably dead."
"Maybe," Alekt hummed. "Did you ask what sort of traps they're using?"
"All kinds. Steel traps, nets, snares, pits…"
Alekt nodded his head. It was impossible to distinguish for certain. The likeliest was that the dragons were killed, but not every trapper slayed dragons. At least not immediately. Those with enough experience and gal sometimes took live ones, especially babies or fledglings. Live dragons could be used for a lot of things. Some could be turned loose on enemies. Other times, they took them to pits to use to train young ones or for entertainment. Very rarely, they sold them to collectors and those who liked their exotic pets. It was almost entirely unheard of, but it did happen from time to time.
"Perhaps… we should consider picking up and moving, sir?" one of the others suggested subtly. "They could interfere with our work, or even kill us for our catches."
"No," Alekt stated with finality, raising a hand to still any further suggestions or protests.
Already his mind was hard at work trying to piece together how he could exploit this new development. He needed an opportunity to gain the cooperation of the dragon-rider and his Fury, and he had to do it quickly before further trouble could befall them. That opportunity was almost falling right into his lap. All he had to do was manipulate it to his advantage.
"I think this might just work to our favor." He fixed azure hues on the both of them. "Where did the trader say they were camped?"