Nilda watches as the book gets delicately wrapped up and handed to another person. The book would be travelling across the seas once again, it seemed. From Beserk Island to Murderous Island to the Bog-Burglar Islands. That book had seen more of the world than she had.

She looks between the three of them. Three seemed to be the number of the day. She never believed in omens, but some of the tribe might have taken the terrible terrors to be such. In truth, the tribe could accommodate a smaller group more easily than a larger one. Finding room for all those on board would have been difficult. Still she feels uneasy. “As you wish,” she says, beginning their ascent of the cliffs.

She keeps her eyes forward as they walk upward, “The Typhoomerang came to the island only 3 years ago. I was just beginning to create a suit. It cast a spiral of red flames the same color as its scales around the coastline. It took out a few of the rope bridges making getting to it difficult. You can still see the scorches higher up. I scaled the cliff edge up. Lost my footing a few times. I blew a dart at it. Barely pierced the hide. However, it noticed me. A took a swing at me with its tail, and I fell aways downward before catching hold of the cliff again. I blew another dart which bounced off a wing. This time it take a swipe at me and knocked by blowgun out of my hands. With it staring right at me, I did the only thing I could think to do. I jumped on its face. I must have startled it because the beast seemed shocked. I was lucky that it did not choose to set me on fire. I grabbed by dagger and shoved in its eye. It let out a tremendous roar which became a whine as I blinded the other eye. It shook its head, and I fell back into the cliffs. I used my dagger to get a hold in the rocks as the beast cloaked itself in flames. It flew around haphazardly before getting impaled on that spire over there,” she says pointing to a large rock jutting out of the water in the distance.  She then pats her shoulder, "The hideous zippleback story is less eventful."

Aria fallows with ease as Nilda lead the way; she lived and breathed in her corsets so climbing in them had become second nature. After all she rather have a little restricted movement then be caught unaware by one of her own. Aria actually made it look effortless; indicating she was a very active person. Arias expression was amused as Nilda recounted her tale; her eyes traveling to where she indicated. A laugh escaped her throat at the mention of the beast being surprised.

”I would imagine so, I think I would pause as well if something small, squishy, and hairless jumped onto my face as well.”

Aria listened to the rest of the story; it seemed Nilda was more than happy to recount them.

”My people don’t wear trophies like that; we usually may mount them or display pieces. But generally my people wear jewels and precious metals as their trophies….But frankly most of the time the trinkets don’t have stories attached to them as your suit of armor does…I have many stories however with run ins with dragons; however none of which that I have purposefully gone after one….If I was able to bring myself to do what you do then perhaps I would not be here today and I would still be on the island of Berk. My half sister is much better then hunting dragons then I; I just kinda fall into them….or have them find me….”

She continued to climb with a small smile on her face.

”My trophy however is the sword on my back; he’s my pride and joy”

Nilda couldn’t imagine what was racing through the beast’s mind as she jumped on its face. Her expression must have been that of desperation. She could remember her panicked breathing and the widening eyes. Aria is a good enough listener to the story. Only interjecting the once.

“It is important to show pride in one’s accomplishment and share stories so they don’t get lost to history. It seems like it would do little good to hide the memories away,” she says, thinking about if they hid everything in a dresser instead of placing it on display. A frown crosses her face as Aria compares the tribe to the Hairy Hooligans. The only thing that they shared with each other was violence. “We do not go seeking out dragons. We attack the ones that seek control of this island because it is our domain,” she clarifies. There were other differences between the two clans, but that was not worth getting into.

“And what is the story of the sword on your back? It is beautiful sword. Like something a Bashem Oik would carry.” The blue sapphire sparkled even in the dim light of the night. It seemed well cared for.

From the forests if they knew what to look for, two eyes of moonlit yellow could barely be seen amongst the greens of the forest. He had changed his coloration to match the greenery around him as he observed, save for two spines colored Black and Ice blue. He shifted a small bit, moving very slowly, patiently, as he observed the humans. He was much closer to the two legged creatures than he liked to be with them alive. The light might glint on the fangs that he had about his neck, but all in all he tried to be as hidden as possible.

A shadow emerged from one of the buildings, the shape of a dragon's head and a lithe human form against the dim light of the house. It seems to set its sights on the two ladies, and slowly walks over, hand on a hip.



When he gets a handful of paces away, his eyes lock onto the form of Nilda, looking stern and eyes blazing inside the dragon-skull. The gaze shifts over to the newcomer, recognition slowly following. The eyes in the dragon-skull change to take a more disapproving glare, and the hands reach up and lifts the helm off the man's head.



"What are you doing here, Aria Wurud. You were not expected."

His eyes dart back to Nilda, then return to fix on Aria again, this time more narrowed. The dragon-skull helm is tucked under his left arm, the face still looking forward as if an extra pair of disapproving eyes glaring forward.

”That is a valid point, memories should be displayed…however some things ought to be lost in the chaotic weave that we call history. But I suppose that what marks the growth in a person and society ought to be remembered and displayed….Not my style however I can appreciate it.”

Aria raised an eyebrow when Nilda stated that they did not go after dragons purposefully. By her tone he was easy to tell that what she had implied was insulting. A foreign concept considering hunting down dragons was what Berk was known for. If you were unable to complete the right of passage it was seen as something of a failure.

”I must be mistaken then; my apologies”

Aria smiled when Nilda asked to hear the story about her sword; she chuckled at the idea of it being forged by a Bashem Oik.

”Frankly I am unsure of who forged it…I wa…”

She stopped in midsentence when she suddenly got that odd feeling of being watched. Her eyes scanned around her; particularly the forest around them…her eyes resting on two odd yellow orbs…however her attention was grabbed by the sound of footsteps. She recognized the man to be the leader; they had run into each other before when he had been going after Sidnar the previous Bog Burglar leader. She gave him a lopsided smile and small salute; he defiantly did not seem pleased. Her face blanked when he said they had been not expected.

”But….I sent a response to your inv….damn it! Not again….”

She turned to her men who were standing behind her looking somewhat confused however not to surprised. Messengers for Aria tended to go missing…Aria stood scratching the back of her head with a small frown...

”I got to invest in a messenger bird or something…”

She turned back to the chief of the island and gave a small bow.

”My apologies Garaile; I had sent noticed but it seems my messenger has gone awry. We received your invitation a while back; I responded about a month ago to give you notice of our acceptance. However…this isn’t the first time this has happened so…”

Aria reached into her shirt and pulled out a carefully folded letter that was sealed in red wax with her own personal seal of a single changing. She held it out to him. Frankly this wasn’t exactly how she wanted to start off with patching up the relations with the Murderous Tribe and the Bog Burglars. But the letter would contain a copy of their acceptance to his invite; with the dates that they planned on arriving.

Nilda nods as Aria apologized. There wasn’t much more to do the lay the past to rest and move on. However, she finds it somewhat strange that this tribeswoman has a sister in the Hairy Hooligans. That put an obvious strain on the alliance between the Bog-Burglars and the Murderous Tribe. She grows nervous about whatever this meaning. Three terrible terrors… three bog burglars…. climbing up a cliff.

Nilda looks around as Aria stops mid-sentence to look into the forest. Even as her father speaks, her eyes remain looking into the forest. Her eyes catch a glint of yellow and pale blue. She frowns, her eyes focused on the strange colors in the forest and only half-listening to Aria explain herself.

“Chief Ochoa would be the proper title, Thief Queen,” Nilda says, as Aria calls her father by her first name. They were not that close. “There is something in the woods. The insects stopped making noise,” she says, looking at her father. She places a hand back on her blowgun, but doesn’t do anything yet.

Glancing the way the girls were looking, he pulled out his longsword.



"What evils followed you to my island this time?" he glowers at Aria, then silently walks backwards a few steps to put himself in a more flanking position for whatever is in the woods. His armor began to change to a darker hue, almost blending him in with the shadows around him. His sword glimmers in the soft candlelight spilling out of the house behind him. He dons his helmet again, turning back towards where the girls are looking.

"Come out, demon! Reveal yourself!" he shouts into the woods.

Verix gave a low growl, not aggressive, just warning them. But he moved up and surprisingly, started to back up, the fangs about his neck jingling as he moved. His coloration began to darken, much like Garaile's own armor. Verix certainly didn't want to fight yet, he had heard the armored one call one of teh females daughter, he understood that bond, and was backing up to respect his space to protect his kin. Those moonlit orbs merely watched for now, ever watching in the shadows of the forest.

Aria glanced over her shoulder at the tribe heir; a hand resting on her hip as she quirked an eyebrow at the correction. She was a visiting chief of the same status of rank as her father; yet she was being corrected by the heir. However she was still using proper titles and Aria wasn’t one to take offense easily.

”He used my first name so I thought we already on first name basis; as for me my titles range from just Aria, Thief Queen, Trickster; or bad girl stop licking that”

Aria held up her hands and nervously laughed when she was suddenly accused of bringing evils to the land. A fake hurt look gracing her features at the indication of such a thing happening before.

”Doomfang only showed up once! I hardly can control what fallows me and what doesn’t”

Once again and certainly not for the last time she wished her Second or Third was around; things were usually much more relaxed when her second played the figure head. But it would seem all their attention was directed to what she had spotted in the woods watching them. The men behind her rested their hands on their weapons. Aria who had hardly moved at all suddenly had a long black throwing dagger in her hand; where there hadn’t been before. Her men stepped in front of her to protect her; perfectly hiding her small form. Aria took the opportunity to use what her clan was known for and subtly slink away back down the rock cliff. She went and shimmed over on the ledge a little ways below the group; and climbed up to the vegetation. The soft soles of her boots not many any noise as she crept up behind the large beast…and then…

Aria sprang fully intending to land square on the creatures back; right in the smooth crevice between its wings. Her dagger had been placed back where ever she had hid it for easy access, so she certainly wasn’t intending to stab it….the idea of jumping on a dragon was an amusing one after Nildas story. Aria leaned forward.

”You’re not the type that can set yourself on fire are ya?”

The dragon might be surprised to be able to understand the girls tongue; a special ability known for the Hairy Hooligans to have. It was called Dragonese; while smarter dragons were able to understand some human words when a person who was able to speak Dragonese spoke the meaning was clear.

Verix was actually surprised, having lost track of the one other female in the group. He roared in protest as he felt her jump onto his back, but felt no pain.. 'Get off of me two legger!' His growls and wriggles seemed to imply as he shook his head, his scales actually changing color from the darker shade of green to a red tinged yellow green, indicating, from those well studied in the Moon dragon, that he was very stressed, and very confused.



[Using this chart for mood colors: www.associerge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/eye-color-chart-altered-worlds-deviantart-248764.jpg ]

Nilda ignores Aria’s explanation for her disrespect. She blames it on the Thief Queen’s upbringing in Berk. Of course she knew had no clue about to interact with people. This island was not her domain. Deference to their chief was what the situation dictated.

She gives a sideways glance to Aria when she laughs nervously at her father’s accusation. Terrors wreaking havoc on their island. “Then perhaps you should find a way to control it,” she says before crouching down.

It was clear the creature had no intention of meeting her father’s challenge. She moves into the darkness of the shadows and slowly approaches the creature. Her steps are light and quiet. She withdraws her blowgun and a poisoned dart. This one for slumber instead of death. If it was a large enough dragon, it could be put to work. It was already non-hostile. Part of the breaking process done already.

As she gets closer, she sees Aria jump on the color-changing dragon. A mood dragon like her father’s armor. It was a confusing scene and perhaps a caution against telling stories to the reckless. However, the creature was distracted enough for her attempt to induce sleep in the creature. Whoosh. She blows the dart through the hollow tube, aiming for the dragon.

Garaile watched the dragon dealing with Aria on its back. He knew she wouldn't have taken being protected so easily. He was puzzled, though, as to where the dragon would have come from, being obviously trained for human interaction already. Certainly not one of Doomfang's brood, or was it an elaborate trap? His armor turned yellow briefly before changing to a blue-violet color. He didn't have time for speculation, not with a now angry dragon in his midst.

Once more, he held up his sword. But then, where was Nilda? Probably off getting herself set for taking down the dragon. He couldn't blame her, if he wasn't already at his wits end with the arrival of Aria and her pet guards, he would have probably tried to sneak up on it himself. Then again, all good surprise attacks need a good distraction. His armor changed to light purple as the thrill of action overtook him.

"If you're going to be the distraction, best to do it with flourish," he mumbled to himself before bringing his sword in front of himself and began to slap the flat of the blade against his chest, hoping to disorientate the beast and keep both his daughter and the stupid thief alive.

Verix roared loudly as he felt the dart hit him, shaking his head as he started to feel tired, like he wanted to sleep. And then the other began to make such an aweful racket.. He really hated it when humans did that, it really was annoying. "Stop it.. Stop it!" He roared, trying to shake Aria off with an urgency. He wanted to get away, and debated taking the human with him. The fangs about his neck jingled more so than before, as his tail tried to sweep Aria off his back.

Aria giggled as the dragon ended up being very shocked indeed; her arms wrapped around its neck as it tried to shake her off; holding on tightly with her thighs as she would if riding her horse Briar. However a dragon was much more challenging…considering the scales underneath her legs did not want to grip very well. She watched as the dart hit the dragon…she really hoped they weren’t planning on killing the pretty dragon…she liked its scales… Aria let out a laugh as the chief just rolled with it.

”I’m on top of a color changing dragon; take that for flourish shiny scales HA!...woaah”

Aria lay flat on her tummy against the dragon, just barely avoiding the tail swinging over her head. Ok maybe by now Nilda might get the idea this was not the first interaction she has had with the head of the Murderous Tribe. Aria still clung on to the shaking dragon; it wasn’t like she hadn’t tried jumping onto a random animal before. Aria pat the dragon, and whispered to it in a soothing voice.

”Calm down there buddy; deep breaths”

She ran her hand along its neck; trying to sooth the dragon. She was sure what ever was just shot into the dragon would be working soon…