His Majesty's Dragons: The Battle of Britain

[Charon]

Kunja and Jake landed on the ground with a rather solid thud near Judith and Jeb. Jake looked over at Judith and grinned. "Well it almost worked."

Kunja grinned as he spoke next. "Kind of."

Jake smacked the neck of his dragon and then slipped off, staggering a bit as he was still somewhat shaken from his spinning fall. "Definately need to work on that timing. And on not getting chewed up by the guns."

[LadyTevar]

"Wha' were ya'll doin', headin' right fer his face?" Jebediah asked, having not seen the whole situation. "Ya scart Veritas, so Ah know ya did som'thin' stupid..."

Judith was shaking her head, a soft smile on her face. "Ya idjit. Jis' don' try wha'ere ya did on a Jerry til ya get it right, hmm?" She walked over and straightened Jake's jacket for him, where the wild spin had disheilved it. "Bader's talkin' to yer Dreamwaver now. Ya'll wanna go meet 'em, since he's one o' yers?"

[rhoenix]

By this time, Veritas has finished all the unharnessing (which was a credit to his crew - they did this often enough to actually consider the process rote by now, despite Veritas' size), and glided with Captain Braithwaite on his back toward the procession until he'd have to walk to avoid being rude, and finished walking toward the growing gathering of humans and dragons. "Hmph," rumbled Veritas, as he shook his head, an annoyed expression on his large red face. There was a notable twinkle in his eye which gave the game up, however. "Spitting in the eye, Kunja? Really? You're lucky I didn't go with my first instinct, which was to bite you."

With that, a small smile grew on his face, as he turned to regard the newcomer, studying the dragon, and captain carefully and critically for a moment. Captain Braithwaite slid down Veritas' arm, and walked to stand next to where he now lay on his belly. Addressing the new Captain and the strange new dragon, he bowed formally and politely. "I bid you welcome - I am Captain Alexander Braithwaite, and this is my permanently grumpy little friend Veritas."

As he finished speaking, Veritas slowly turned his head to look down at Captain Braithwaite, with somewhere between an annoyed and irritated look on his face. Since Captain Braithwaite pointedly did not look up, Veritas looked back up toward the rest after a moment, looking slightly like he'd eaten a lemon with his last cow.

[Avian Obscurities]

Captain Marston frowned at Aequitas’s carefully-worded response. The midweight’s body language was unmistakably irritated as he deferred to the smaller dragon. He had stepped back a ways, but remained on the field, silently observing the interactions. Allen took heart, however, that no one had commented on Flinder’s ramblings. He took it, though, as an example of the stuffy British formality that served as politeness, which he had been warned about back in Cairns.

He saluted Captain Bader. “Yes sir, thank you, my men will be happy for bunks that are a mite warmer, and I am happy to stay with Flinder.â€

[rhoenix]

At the complement, both Captain and dragon smiled slightly, but modestly. Veritas spoke up before Captain Braithwaite could, which earned him a slightly annoyed glance of British irritation. There appeared to be a subtle game being played between the two, as if the two were playing chess instead of greeting new compatriots.

Noting the new acting commander as well, Veritas nodded. "Commander, good to see you. As for practice, Captain Marston, I aim to use my abilities to their fullest potential possible, particularly with what is at stake. I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say having one's enemy underestimate you can be a blessing, particularly if the underestimation comes of one's own skill improving."

[Charon]

Jake was laughing as he came up behind Veritas and Braithwaite. "Oh that's a good one. Man I've missed this."

The young Aussie looked directly at Allen, snorted some trying to hold back laughter, before turning to the Russian again and, unable to control himself, burst out laughing.

"Oh man. Braithwaite my friend, they got you. Can't blame you though." Jake patted the Russian on the back a few times before looking back to Allen. "So where's the captain of that very nice looking Weaver?"

[Cynical Cat]

Eventually the nurses had come for Nathan and Frostfell could tell he needed to rest, so captain and dragon had reluctantly parted. The Wendigo continued flying east and all of Britain seemed to pass beneath him. The sea beckoned.

Frostfell rose up high over the wind lashed grey seas and then plummeted down into the slate grey waters. White spray bloomed from his entry and the dragon swam down into the cold Atlantic. His powerful tail propelled him forward and his wings spread and contracted like great oars. It wasn't like flying through the air, but another set of motions entirely that Frostfell had learned just a few years out of the egg.

The great dragon broke the surface and dived again, swimming down into the lightless dark where the sun was only a dim light. There was nothing he need fear down here. No whale or kraken was anything but a meal to the likes of him.

Eventually he returned to the surface, breaking forth in a great spume of foam. He roared to the heavens and water fell from his scales like a fountain. He dived again, swimming at full speed and surface in a great jump. For a moment he was airborne and in that moment his wings caught the air and returned him to the skies. Another trick he had longed practice. It was not easy to launch from water. The great dragon turned and winged his way back toward England.

[LadyTevar]

A young woman with reddish hair had walked up with the outspoken young Aussie who was asking where the real captain of the Dreamweaver was. Behind them was a dragon that looking like a small Victorian Reaper, and one with a blue-white rippled hide and long twisted horns.

"Kunja," ask the blue one in a very outlandish backwood accent. "Wha th' blazes is yer cap'n talkin' bout? Ain't tha' his cap'n righ' there?"

"Jake, yer bein' rude," the young woman said dryly, also in that same outlandish accent. She stepped forward and offered her hand to Allen. "Ah'm Judith McClung, an' tha' there's Jebediah, my Smoke Devil. Th' rude one's Jake Collington, an' his Victor'an Kunja."

[Charon]

Kunja was smiling himself. "Nah, can't be. Only darkies captain 'Weavers."

Jake meanwhile looked almost hurt as he looked back at Judith. "I'm not bein' rude." He then looked back towards Allen, looking past him to to see if he could find the captain of the Dreamweaver.

[rhoenix]

"Perhaps he took a bath," said Veritas dryly to Jake, causing Captain Braithwaite to briefly massage the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

[LadyTevar]

It was Jebediah who reached out a claw-tipped wing and smacked the side of the huge Crimson Angel. "Tain't nice, Veritas." The claw was what made the smack sting.

The Crimson Angel and his captain were both subjected to angry looks from Judith, Veritas for saying that, Braithwaite for not correcting him. She turned back to Captain Allen. "Ah swear th' boys tain't always this stupid. They mus' o' smack'd heads while flyin'." Jake and Alex could both read her tone of voice. They'd be the next ones smacked if they didn't shape up. She'd proven in the mess hall that she could reach over and give a well-deserved smack to the head.

[rhoenix]

Veritas and Captain Braithwaite shared a look, after which Veritas nodded. "Right, right, social niceties - I'll be eating."

With that, he walked a distance away, and then glided over to the cow pens to catch his lunch. After he left, Captain Braithwaite looked at the others, looking somewhat apologetic. "You'll have to pardon him - his sense of humor is dry, and somewhat ignorant at times," he finished with a glare in the direction Veritas had gone.

[Cynical Cat]

Frostfell began a lazy, circling descent over the cattle pasture and then changed his mind. Might as well see who the new hero on the Dreamweaver was. The Wendigo changed his angle of descent and continued gliding down.

[Avian Obscurities]

Allen bristled slightly at Jake’s comment, taking it as a personal jab at his age. It seemed to be made in jest, but his accent reminded him of similar comments from fellow captains when he and Flinder had first arrived in Cairns. And, in a way, the mocking tone reminded him of his father’s ranch hands. He was surprised when the young woman stood up for him, though, and felt slightly ashamed as she identified herself as a captain. He too had assumed she was too young to be one, and also wasn’t used to female officers.

He pulled himself together, however, and smiled. “Good to meet you,â€

[Charon]

Jake blinked a few times as Allen explained. His hand was shaken but it was a sort of second-nature handshake rather than one being paid attention to.

"So. Wait. He's a 'weaver without a black captain?"

Kunja raised his wings in a draconic shrug. "Celestials coming back from the dead, 'Weavers flying with a white man, dragons that don't care if you kill their captain. I think I've seen everything now."

Jake was meanwhile looking from the retreating 'Weaver to his supposed captain. "So, um, how the hell'd that happen?"

[Avian Obscurities]

Allen hesitated visibly. “It’s…well it’s a long story but....â€

[LadyTevar]

It was the blue dragon Flinder called 'rock' that saved Allen. "Soun's lik' me," Jebediah said. "Judith's pa found m' egg out onna cliff, brought me back an' set me by th' fire." The Smoke Devil got a wistful look in his eyes. "Ma McClung could sing lik' a angel.... an' her cookin' was lik no other."

[Charon]

For the first time in his entire life, Jake kept his mouth shut.

"Lucky him."

[Cynical Cat]

Frostfell descended upon the clutch of smaller dragons, his scales shedding diamond droplets of water as he landed. The Wendigo flexed his wings, not at all coincidently displaying his size in an impressive pose. He sauntered forward to the mass of smaller dragons and even smaller captains. "Hello," he said with a toothy smile.

[LadyTevar]

"Uhhuh... ya've seen yer captain, an' now yer full-o piss n' vinegar 'gain, ain'tcha," Jebediah teased, returning Frostfell's grin with one of his own -- smaller, but still toothy.

"Captain Allen, this here's Frostfell, our Windy-go," Judith say by way of introduction. "Captain Nathan Reynolds is recov'rin' from his last mission." She was very aware of just how close and how big the White Bastard was at this moment. "When Cap'n Nathan's not around, Frostfell lik's ta show off how big n' scary he is."

"Th' White Bastard's jis' a big pussycat..." Jeb snarked, knowing full well that would get Frostfell to return the joke. Rough as the Wendigo was, Jebediah would rather see him in devilish spirits than mopey.

[Avian Obscurities]

Allen was intimidated by Frostfell's sudden looming presence, but more out of size than familiarity with the breed's reputation. He had had little up-close interaction with heavyweights before, and his pale ivory bulk put him in mind of a great coastal sand-dune looming up out of the surrounding vegetation.

He bowed to the Wendigo. "I would introduce Flinder personally, but he just took off toward the cows, following that little spitter."

[rhoenix]

Upon seeing Frostfell, Captain Braithwaite brightened. "Hullo, old chap - glad to see you up and feeling frisky. The others are getting lunch, I believe."

[Cynical Cat]

"Yes," said Frosftell, "a lot like a cat. We both like to see our prey suffer before we finish killing it," he said with a smile. "I do, however, like water."

[Charon]

Kunja and Jake were both grinning as the Wendigo made his introductions.

"Well, pleasure's mine Allen. Look forward to seeing what you an' the 'Weaver can do. But I haven't eaten much yet and my stomach's growlin' for somethin'." Jake patted his dragon on the side as he passed by and then headed for the mess tent.

Kunja meanwhile decided to follow after the other Australian dragons. Catching up quickly. "Mornin' Cap. How've you been?"

[LadyTevar]

Judith rolled her eyes. "That man thinks wi' ever'thin BUT his head..."

Jebediah thought of a question to ask but age and wisdom made him decide not to. "Com'on pussycat," he said to Frostfell. "You've had yer bath, mights well go get lunch our own selves..." The horned blue dragon looked back at Captain Allen. "Righ' pleased ta meetcha... look forwards ta flying by ya."

Then the slender dragon, similar in build to the much larger Frostfell, turned and started walking past the White bastard to the feeding grounds. "This tim', don't be throwin th' heads at me," he told the Wendigo as he walked by.