Between Waves and Clouds

10 - Bad day

After this realisation, Nuffink had the impression to feel closer to Frost. Though he knew it was just an impression, the expression of his freshly-admitted feelings. Frost and him met the following day and kept on talking as friends while Baby Tooth was playing with the Night Lights.

The dragons had found a large floe near the drakkar, large enough for them to land and play with the beluga without stepping into the freezing waters. Their games were making splashes of water that kept the merman wet. Even if Nuffink wasn't fond of being wet, he had stop complaining because it was good for the merman, and it was allowing him to stay longer with them... with him.

The more time was passing, the more Nuffink couldn't spend enough time with Frost. Their conversations could last forever, but were still feeling like only seconds when the merman had to leave. During the 'nights', Nuffink had troubles sleeping because the merman was in his mind, and in his dreams. During the 'days', the viking was distracted and had difficulties to study the dragons. He couldn't stay focused as he was only thinking about the next time he would see the merman. He was getting obsessed, and the Night Lights noticed it.

Pouncer noticed how he was distracted and tried his best to put him back on the tracks, though the viking couldn't stay focused for more than a few minutes. The dragons were intelligents, so it didn't took long for this one to realise what was bothering his viking. It didn't make his distraction less annoying.

While Dart and Ruffrunner had stayed on the drakkar, Pouncer and Nuffink were trying to follow a Winterwind. The viking still wanted to know more about them, after all they still were the first ice-dragons the vikings had heard of.

Pouncer used his tail to hit his head when the viking got daydreaming again, the Winterwind had just took off and they were going to lose him for the third time of the day. They had been lucky to catch up with it, and even more when they had haphazardly found it the second time. By the way, they had nearly dodge its attack as they had startled it.

Both friends had followed it to a large flat floe when they had watched him use its long tail to fish through a small hole in the ice. They had been watching for two hours, during which the viking had dazed off again to think about the merman. When they lost again the Winterwind, Pouncer was really pissed of and grumbled to his viking. He was getting tired of this.

As he was rolling his eyes and was expecting his viking to climb on his back and urge him to follow the Winterwind, the Night Light secretly planing on throwing him off as retalation, Nuffink turned out to only grunt and burry his face in his hands. The white dragon looked at him, confused, then he whined lowly and nudged his arm.

''I know, Pouncer... Sorry pal, I guess I'm having a bad day.''

The dragon whined again, then layed against him, slightly crushing his thigh against his scaly shoulder. Knowing his best friend, Nuffink knew what this gesture meant. It was the Night Light's way to comfort him and prompt him to let out his emotions and troubles. Even if the dragon wouldn't really understand what he was saying, he still was the perfect confidant.

The blond viking sighed as he stared where the Winterwind had last been, even if his thoughts couldn't be farther away from the ice dragon.

''I can't stop thinking about him.'' He admitted.

The dragon blew from his nostrils with a dead-panned look on his face.

''Yeah, you noticed, didn't you ?''

Pouncer chirped faintly, then rose his head to lick his rider's cheek, making him yelp. The dragon warbled and laughed. While Nuffink tried to wipe the slubber, Pouncer rubbed his head against his back and arm, purring. That too, the viking knew what it meant. It meant the dragon was happy for him, and that made him smile. Though the smile quickly faded. He stroked his friend's head, trying to make him still, which his saddened look did.