His Majesty's Dragons: The Battle of Britain

[LadyTevar]

Judith and Jeb had already moved far enough away that only the agitated tones of voice were clear to her. She looked backwards at the group, noticing others were joining the group and shook her head. "Com'on Jeb... let's not be heer when th' fists start a'flyin'."

They were interrupted by the 'showoff'

The Australian quickly hopped up on Kunja's back and the two walked over to the woman and her dragon, trying to put on his most winning smile as he yelled over. "There's always the beef in the pasture toots!"

Both dragon and woman turned their heads to look at him oddly. "Ayeah, there is..," Judith answered. "Tha's where ya find cows..."

[Cynical Cat]

"Well, can't blame you for that," said Reynolds, "but they have Germans in the States. Canada too while we're on the subject. The dragon's a Yank though. Judging from the way things are being run, if he's a spy he's in the right place to learn nothing. I'm sure you're used to this by now and have papers we can confirm your identity with?"

[Charon]

Jake continued to smile as Kunja came up beside the two. He was getting a better look now and, damn, the view was only better. And now that he was closer, he could tell that the dragon was a Smoke Devil.

"Indeed it is. You know, Kunja here is a bit peckish as well. You mind if we join ya'?" The Australian leaned far out of his 'saddle' extending a hand. "Name's Jake." With his other hand he patted his dragon's neck. "And this here is Jack Kunja."

Jake had apparently missed entirely the fact that Judith didn't know that the cows were there to be eaten.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Yes" he replied "I have lost count of how many times I have had to present them." Richard replied

(OOC: for the sake of all your eyes, I will cut the accent until either A. I find a better way to mimic it in writing or B. I start hosting sound files)

[Cynical Cat]

"Good," said Reynolds. "For myself, I'm just glad at least one Yank isn't late to the fight this time around."

[LadyTevar]

"Ah'm Judith McClung, an this heer's Jebediah..." she answered, looking the two of them over curiously.

"Pleas'd ta meetcha," Jeb added, nodding politely to them both. "We were jis' a-goin' ta see iffen there was a deer or two runnin' 'bout." He pulled one of his wings in, so Kunja could sidle close enough for the two Captains to shake hands. If either dragon had been bigger, they'd never have managed it ... as it was the 'handshake' was a bare brush of fingers out of politeness.

[Charon]

Jake slicked his hair back again and shrugged. "If you want to. There are cows right in the pasture though. A hell of a lot easier and feeds ya' better."

The Australian looked at the yound woman again, not sure what to think of her going out to see if she could find a deer to go eat, but that she was riding bare-back certainly impressed him, his smile turned into a grin.

"You ride bare-back?"

Kunja meanwhile was taking a closer look at the Smoke Devil. "I must admit, Jebediah. I'd have thought a Smoke Devil would look more, well, smokey."

[LadyTevar]

The comment about bareback was ignored for the moment, as both Captain and Dragon stared at Jake and Kunja as if they'd grown another head, then both spoke at once, showing exactly how different things were between Appalachia and England.

"But... tha's someone's livestock.."
"Ah can't eat cows! Tha's wrong!"

[Charon]

Jake blinked once or twice, Kunja joining him. What the hell? Didn't they... Oh man, they really were all going to die.

"The livestock... it's here for us to eat. It's mainly what dragon's eat..."

Kunja smiled some "I find them to be most delicious."

[LadyTevar]

Obviously, American Dragons weren't fed like British Dragons.

Jebediah's eyes nearly bulged out of his dragonic head, before it whipped around to stare at Judith. "Ah aint n'er ate a whole cow afore ..." he said, a touch of eagerness in his voice despite his age. "Maw gave me summa th' roast offa Sunday, bu' tha's different..."

Judith broke her shocked stare to look back at Jeb. "Tha's a-cause they weretent (h)ours. Cows aint cheap." She fumbled, looking back to Jake again. "So's ya'll are sayin' ... all them cattle n' sheeps in th' pasture there.... tha's fer th' Dragons ta eat?"

[Charon]

Jake started smiling again as he shook his head. Ah the Americans, they really didn't have a Breeding program at all did they?

The pair of dragons stopped at the gate and Jake spoke briefly with the groundskeeper, telling him to let out two cows for a meal. The groundskeeper oblidged and soon two cows were wandering the field.

Kunja entered the pastures then, lowering down into an almost 'pouncing' position.

"Well you might want to hold on, because cows spook when a dragon jumps on top of one of them. An' jumpin' on one is the only way to get one short of chasing one down. Get ready to taste the good life my friends." Jake smirked as he himself lowered down with Kunja, it was a useless gesture, but it got them both into the excitement of the hunt. "This is gonna be messy lil' lady. May wanna avert yer eyes."

[LadyTevar]

The teasing brought a wave of embarrassment to Judith's cheeks, as she realized how country-bumpkin she and Jeb were acting. She tried to recover some dignity. "I've slaughtered hogs, skint deer, an' seen this one eat oft' nuff, so don' ya'll be worryin' bout me there," she said waspishly as Jeb moved over to give Kunja more room.

[Charon]

Kunja sidled up almost freakishly close to the pair of cows before they noticed it. When the cows turned to run the multi-ton behemoth jumped into the air, gliding with his wings for a few moments before coming down hard on the panicked cow. The dragon made the work quick, killing the cow fast.

Kunja and Jake looked over at the other two.

[LadyTevar]

Jeb had already exploded into the air, Judith clinging to him like a jockey on a Arabian. The cow dully tried to evade, but Jeb's thin, sharply angled wings let the SmokeDevil shift instantly to compensate, almost overshooting the beast. Almost, but for one wingclaw snagging the ground and whipping the small dragon's body completely around, leaving the cow no place to go but right into Jeb's claws and mouth.

A loud 'Snap!' and the cow's head was severed, Jeb shoving the body to the ground to avoid getting sprayed by blood as he spat out the head. "Wahl... tha' twas too easy..." he complained, sniffing and tasting the dead cow's blood before taking a small (for a dragon) bite out of it. "Lotta fat onnit," he muttered.

Judith straighted up, sliding down Jeb's side and backing away to let Jeb eat in private. There was a gleam in her eye from the sheer joy of the ride, but she was rubbing her neck from the sudden reverse. "Least ya dint get me cover'd in blood thisa time..."

The Captains were being stared at by the groundskeepers. Civilized British Captains didn't ride their dragons into the hunt. But the groundskeeper had to admit he'd never seen any dragon use that particular trick to reverse themselves before.

[Agent Fisher]

Jack watched from a distance the Smoke Devil and the redhead take down a cow. It was impressive to say the least. Godfrey couldn't have pulled something like that, but he could cook it. A definite plus in his book.

Jack walked, limp visible, towards the cluster of what he guessed were captains.

"Hello there." He said in his british accent. "I'm Captain Jack Taggart." Jack introduced himself to the others, as they stood near a Bonetail, a Malachite Reaper nearby.

[Cynical Cat]

"Nathan Reynolds," Reynolds said, extending a gloved hand. "Always nice to meet the fresh meat." He yelled over Jack's shoulder. "Stow that armour nearby and ready to go. I want Frostfell be be ready to go in under five minutes if the Jerries pay us a visit."

The Wendigo snickered and yawned again, revealing a maw full of fangs again. "You greedy bloody bastard," said Reynolds.

"I must take after you," the Wendigo rumbled back.

"Go ahead and grab one," said Reynolds. The Wendigo struck like a lightning bolt, lunging at the herd of cattle. The ones nearest to him had a moment to panic and then Frostfell's jaws closed around the neck and shoulders of the cow. Bone clunched and blood fountained from Frostfells's jaws. The cow's head fell on the ground as the dragon began tearing the limbs off the corpse and bolting them down.

"He's a bit of a messy eater," said Nathan.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Good," said Reynolds. "For myself, I'm just glad at least one Yank isn't late to the fight this time around."

"And I am certainly glad to help. It is depressing that my country as a whole has not come to your aid and it contents itself with half-measures. I fear though that the isolationist streak is so strong that it will take a major attack on American soil before America will get up off of its collective ass"

[LadyTevar]

Nothing ruins the fun of your first cow like having a multi-ton bone-white behemoth land nearby and start throwing blood and guts around everywhere. Jeb raised his head to look at the Wendigo in annoyance. "Ya'll could o' waited fer th' man ta let a cow or two out fer ya. Ya went 'n scart them cows half ta death."

Judith had walked closer to Kunja and Jake, thinking to talk while the dragons ate. The Wendigo had thankfully landed on the other side of Jeb, so she wasn't in danger of having her clothing splattered by the snow dragon's ... enthusiasm. She let Jeb take care of himself for the moment, looking to Jake. "Ah wanna thank ya fer 'splaining 'bout th' cows," she said softly, still embarrassed by her confusion. "WHere we're from, jis' slaughterin' a cow ta feed one dragon's a waste when there's plenty o' deer and such jis' prancin' round the woods."

The irony of Appalachia -- rich natural resources, but folks barely scraping by.

[Cynical Cat]

Frostfell bolted down the chunk of flesh in his mouth and eyed Jeb coolly. "What would be the fun in that?" the Wendigo replied. He picked up the cow's severed head and tossed it at the Appalachian dragon. "Catch."

[LadyTevar]

Cow heads aren't the most aerodynamic of projectiles, but the snow dragon had given it enough power to get it moving. Jebediah used his near wing to swat it out of the air, and it rolled to an awkward stop. "Ah've found deer more fun ta chase," he replied to the dragon. "Acourse ya might not fit 'twixt th' trees an' th' bryars." Jeb eyed Frostfell's bulk critically. "Yer bigger'n Judith's house."

[Cynical Cat]

"Why would I want deer when I can have carribeau?" said Frostfell. "Not that briars would stop me. Silly hill billy."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Richard, if you don't need me, I saw some cows when we were flying overhead, and the trip made me a tad peckish"

"You sure they are here for us?"

"Yeah, no other reason for them to be here"

"Then you hardly need my permission"

Waldwanderer got up off his haunches and sauntered over to where the cows were kept. Once he got close he moved like a stalking cat. Low to the ground, his wings folded back. He looked at the herd and found one that was not paying attention and struck. He opened his wings and took to the air briefly, he was really not too much bigger than the cow, so he got above it and dispatched it by brining his tail club down on its head, crushing it in rather efficiently. he landed on its still warm corpse and started riping the cows tender haunches like a very large scaly leopard.

[Charon]

Jake and Kunja watched Frostfell as he fell among the cows. That was how he was used to having it done, a herd for the dragon to pick from... Frostfell tore the limbs off of one of the cows that it had just dismembered. Or, to just slaughter randomly.

Jake was memorized, it was truly a beautiful dragon, not like anything from Australia, he couldn't wait to see it in action.

Judith coming closer shook him out of his revelry. "S'not a problem at all, 's a common thing where I'm from as well. Just, not used to a dragon captain in the military not knowing is all, don't fret overmuch. I'm used to a Breeding ground is all, lots and lots of dragons around, lots and lots of dead cows too."

With the number of dragons feasting in the field Jake got off of Kunja, giving him a nudge to follow a ways. With so many dragons about, there was going to be lots of blood soon, and the possibility of a human being mistaken for a cow.

Extending an elbow for Judith, Jake grinned. "'S gettin' a bit crowded here, what say we leave the dragons to their eating and get introductions to the other captains finished with?"

[LadyTevar]

"Why would I want deer when I can have carribeau?" said Frostfell. "Not that briars would stop me. Silly hill billy."

Jeb took no offense to the 'hillbilly', merely cocking his head to one side. "N'er heerd o' a carry-boo... wha's it look an' taste like?" Some things all dragons had in common -- tasty meals were top of the list.

Extending an elbow for Judith, Jake grinned. "'S gettin' a bit crowded here, what say we leave the dragons to their eating and get introductions to the other captains finished with?"

Judith gave Jeb a last look as he conversed with the much larger Wendigo, and then nodded to Jake. "Ah'd lik' tha...," she said, taking his arm and letting him lead her away. As they walked the BoneTail made his own kill, dragging it into the feeding ground. "Greedyguts, th' lot o' 'em. Yall'd thin' we n'er feed 'em."

[Cynical Cat]

"A carribeau looks a lot like a stag," said Frostfell, "and tastes almost as good as a human."