Avengers: Dragon Training Initiative

Ripples of time

After settling into their newly constructed homes, the Avengers found themselves adapting to their unfamiliar sleeping arrangements. Wanda, Peter, Steve, and Natasha were particularly cautious about introducing bedding from their future world, so they had to acclimate to the rustic bedding in their new homes. This meant sleeping on wooden beds and using blankets made from animal skins or other traditional fabrics.

The onset of cold nights required extra layers, as they hadn't been accustomed to such weather conditions in the past. However, Natasha, due to her rigorous training in the Red Room and the austere environment she had endured, found the simplistic bedding and cold nights reminiscent of her past experiences, making her feel surprisingly at home.

Peter was one of the first to wake up since he was always a morning riser as that was when he would usually go on patrol. He walked out of the hut with a yawn, opening his doorway to then stretch and see the rising sun. Since he didn't exactly have a watch and he left his phone at the Tower, since he usually just needed his mask as it had the tech, he didn't know what time it was exactly. But he could guess it was sometime between five and seven. Yet again, that would be New York time he is thinking of. With everything being so vastly different, there is no way that he could know what the time is.

"Hey there." A voice called, getting Peter to turn and see it was Astrid. "Early start?"

"Always been a morning riser," Peter admitted as he stretched, cracking a few times due to the conditions he slept on. "And the fact I'm not exactly custom to your beds played a factor."

"Sorry to hear that," Astrid said as she stopped leaning on his hut. "Me and Stormfly were about to go on our morning flight." She said, starting to head to the stables where their dragons would sleep on occasion. "You wanna...join?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Peter asks.

"Nah, it'll be fun," Astrid promised. "And we could even catch some breakfast while we're out."

Peter decided to go with it and the two made their way to the stables where they found most of the dragons were still sleeping. All except for Stormfly. She squawked when she saw her rider and bounced her way over, where she then started to act as if she were a giant cat. Peter chuckled as he watched Stormfly caress her head across Astrid as she was scratching Stormfly.

"Come on, girl," Astrid said as they headed off. "Let's go for a flight."

As they ventured out over the vast expanse of the ocean on a beautifully clear night, Peter clung tightly to Astrid, not wanting to risk falling off while she skillfully guided her dragon through the skies. Astrid couldn't help but find it amusing to witness someone around her age acting like a scared child while riding a dragon. She had taken many people on her dragon before, and they all had a similar reaction the first time.

When Peter had ridden on Windshear previously, the ride had been slower and smoother. This time, however, Peter got to experience firsthand the exhilarating speed and agility with which they soared through the air, performing daring stunts along the way.

"How are you doing back there?" Astrid asked as she and Stormfly did a barrel roll.

"Well, it's a good thing that I haven't eaten yet," Peter admitted. "I would have lost it everywhere."

Astrid laughed. "You make jokes often?"

"They help distract me from my fear," Peter confessed.

"Well, try not to do it on my dragon," Astrid asked of him. "I will make you wash the saddle and Stormfly. And she loves baths."

Stormfly squawked at the mention of the word, getting Astrid to laugh and scratch her.

"Sorry, girl. Only if he loses his stomach on you," Astrid said as she chuckled. "But we should head back. Everyone might wonder where you are."