Fleeting Calm

"Bird watching," Valka repeated. She looked around, and from the corner of her eye she saw Cloudjumper doing the same, and sure enough she did see some birds that hadn't managed to get spooked by Cloudjumper's presence. They were high up in a nearby tree. Just seeing them brought back a small smile to Valka's face. Nature sure did have a lot to offer, she thought. Of course, she was brought out of those thoughts as Jane continued to speak.

"I do, actually," she said. "But... as you can see, you could say I'm sort of accustomed to companionship with wildlife." Not that dragons were typical wildlife. She knew they weren't. A lot of stares had been sent her and Cloudjumper's way more than once, and by then she was used to it. The fact that Jane had done nothing more beyond initially staring and watching the two said a lot about her, though.

The introduction was given, and after Valka did one last check to make sure she hadn't missed any dirt on her companion's form, she returned her attention to Jane. This woman would make for an interesting companion. That much she was sure of.

"I'm Valka. And this," she said, "is Cloudjumper. And believe me, I'm glad you said you'd like to talk about him." That was probably just because dragons were more or less Valka's world now. She managed a small laugh, though, when she felt Cloudjumper nudge her forward a little with his wing. Playfulness danced in Cloudjumper's eyes as far as Valka could see, and she just laughed.

"All right, all right. I understand," she said. "It probably is best to actually stand nearer to our new friend while we talk." Her gaze turned a bit apologetic when she glanced back to Jane. She did have a bit of a tendency to talk to Cloudjumper like that.

"Anyway. I've got plenty of time. So what would you like to know, Jane?"

Goodness, that was a lot of questions all at once. Valka did her best to keep up with all of them as Jane fired them off, though. She was nothing if not decent at doing that much. When Jane finally finished, she collected herself and tried her best to answer. One by one, of course.

"Well, let's see..." Valka hummed and glanced upward while trying to work out the best answer to the first question. Then she just looked at Cloudjumper again as a knowing little smile worked its way onto her face. "I suppose it just comes with years of practice. Cloudjumper's about thirty one now, so he's had plenty of time to learn how to navigate through certain obstacles. Trees, rocks, crags..." She tapped one finger against another on her free hand as she listed off what he'd learned. It just had come in handy for him and her to have lived in their little hidden place for as long as they had. They'd gotten plenty of experience that way.

"Now, as for which dragons are closest in relation to, I would say that they're actually closest in relation to reptiles. Surprisingly. Cloudjumper, may I...?" Before she even finished her question, Cloudjumper nodded his head and extended one of his lower wings for her to show Jane. A grateful nod was given before she carefully took hold of the tip and began to point out different parts of what made it up.

"I can see where the bat similarities would be," she observed. "Cloudjumper's wings are fairly similar in structure. That's about where the similarities end in some species of dragons, though. Their diets, for instance, are quite different. Bats are insectivores, but dragons typically are piscivores. ...They typically only eat fish." The explanation came with her releasing Cloudjumper's wing, then motioning for him to lower his head a bit. Again, Cloudjumper nodded. He did take a step back, though, just so there wouldn't be such an imposing presence about to open his mouth right in front of Jane. Valka seemed to sense that, too, so she nodded her head and, when Cloudjumper did open his mouth, she carefully pointed out his teeth.

"I have seen dragons eat other meat. However, that was when I came back to the land I originated from. And it usually was when a dragon's rider was feeling generous and willing to give their dragon a treat. But Cloudjumper's teeth aren't completely pointed. They come to more... rounded points," she explained. That didn't make him less dangerous to his would be prey, of course. It just was interesting to note.

"Actually, Cloudjumper's diet mostly consists of whatever fish we can find at the time-"

"Rrrrgle hrrourf."

At that, Valka blinked and looked at Cloudjumper in mild amusement. Then she lightly patted his nose and gave a laugh. "Oh, really? Haddock, is that right? Since when did we get such a refined palette, Cloudjumper?" It occurred to her even as she was laughing and running her fingers against the side of Cloudjumper's head that it might be considered unusual. She and Hiccup were arguably the only ones who could understand their dragons, at least so far as Valka knew. There could have been others in Berk who had developed such a close bond with their dragons. She knew that. However, in that moment, Valka guessed that Jane might be surprised that she'd answered Cloudjumper as though she understood.

Clearing her throat, she took her hands from Cloudjumper's face and returned her attention to Jane.

"I... suppose you could say Cloudjumper and I have grown quite close," she started. "I spent the last twenty years or so living with him and among other dragons. So you could say I picked up a few things."

The enthusiasm had yet to fully surprise Valka, but she did appreciate it nonetheless. She smiled at Jane's questions. What finally did surprise her again was hearing how Jane had been living amongst wildlife herself. Gorillas, more specifically. Her mouth hung slightly agape as she recollected her thoughts. Cloudjumper even nudged her briefly to get her thought process back on track, and in response Valka nudged him back. Her smile returned again.

"I suppose the two of us were more cut from the same cloth than we realized," Valka laughed. "That must have been quite the interesting transition for you. I'd love to hear about it, if you don't mind." Valka knew she couldn't just leave Jane hanging on her own experiences, though. Perhaps they could exchange stories. After all, Valka did owe her more of an explanation of how she spent twenty years with dragons. A moment passed where Valka looked for a spot to sit, and on finding a relatively comfortable space on the ground near Cloudjumper she decided to just go with it. She imagined Jane might want to follow suit. That way the two of them weren't both just standing and sharing what were presumably long stories.

"For myself... my time with dragons started as something I never would've wanted," she admitted. Cloudjumper seemed to sense a little of her feelings then, because once again he settled himself beside her and nudged her with his head. She smiled again, then patted the space in between his eyes. A heavy sigh followed.

"Back in my homeland, Berk... we didn't always live with dragons. My people used to think they were just brutes. Just... creatures we needed to get rid of. But the night Cloudjumper showed up in Berk with other dragons was the night that changed everything. For me, at least. Everyone else was attacking the dragons, and I would've joined in when I saw him..." Valka gestured again to her friend. She'd tried so hard that night, as she often did during the raids, to try and convince the others that dragons weren't the evil they thought they were. Only when Cloudjumper had made it look like he would threaten her son did she run in on the offensive. Then she'd learned she was right.

"I would've attacked Cloudjumper to protect my son... just a wee babe at the time," Valka said. "But I saw Cloudjumper interacting with my Hiccup. And I saw not a vicious beast, but... a misunderstood creature. One thing led to another, and my husband was trying to attack him. And then I was... whisked away. Cloudjumper just wanted to protect me, but gods. At the time I thought he wanted to hurt me." There, Valka laughed. Times really had changed. It hadn't been funny back then because she had been stolen from her husband and her baby. Both of them had thought she was gone for good, and she thought she'd never see them again, and yet... things were so different. She was glad they'd happened the way they had.

"Once I realized Cloudjumper didn't want to hurt me, and believe me... that was well after he'd brought me to his home," she laughed, "I realized I had been given a great opportunity. Of course, I missed my son and husband terribly. But I thought I couldn't go back at the time." Again, she patted Cloudjumper. The dragon leaned in closer and let her rub her hand against his face. The action was something of a comfort to Valka, even then.

"Anyway, if you don't mind the long story... I did eventually reunite with my family. Not without loss, but... I do still have my Hiccup."