Riders of B E R K

Part 12: This isn't one of ours

We were swiftly marched to the General's office. The security team half-dragged Hiccup along while I marched after them. Spitelout knocked sharply on the General's door and his low voice invited us brusquely in.

He still looked imposing behind the wide steel and glass desk, his head bent forward as he made a note on his desktop blotter. He looked up, saw who had entered his office and sighed. "I presume this is going to take some time," he said impatiently. I stood to attention, my back straight and chin up, eyes front. He flicked his cool gaze across the rest of the team: no one else managed the proper protocol. "At ease, Lieutenant." I complied.

"We were alerted to an out of control dragon in Pen Five," Spitelout reported crisply. "We found Nadder X26 out of control, threatening the life of Lieutenant Hofferson. Trainer Haddock had failed to control the beast and was found in the presence of the Night Fury. We were forced to take down the dragon and arrest Trainer Haddock." Hiccup grimaced as he stared into his father's face and once more saw disappointment.

"Were you in there with Toothless?" the General asked grimly.

"Toothless was there," Hiccup said carefully.

"You are aware of my orders," Stoick growled. Hiccup nodded.

"I knew you would not let me see my dragon for at least three days," he admitted. "However, we were directed to Pen Five where Stormfly had been moved. I was not aware that he was there."

"You should have been!" Spitelout snarled.

"Why?" Hiccup snapped back. "My access and authority has been revoked. So I had no authority to move Toothless or Stormfly to that pen. I had no way of accessing the information about which dragons were within. I have to trust to operations to keep us safe."

"Stormfly?"

"Lieutenant Hofferon named her Nadder." Hiccup's voice was calm as his father made another note on his blotter.

"What did you do when you found Toothless there?" Stoick growled. Hiccup pulled his shoulders back and lifted his chin.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly. "I greeted my dragon. I've been separated from him so long: I wouldn't ignore him when he came to me." The look in his eyes dared his father to punish him for the insubordination: he was expecting it, in fact.

"So you saw Toothless against my orders, without permission from any senior officer and entered the pens without a fully accredited Rider," Stoick said slowly.

"Thank you for summing it up," Hiccup replied ironically. "Except I had your permission-to enter the pens, at least. You granted Lieutenant Hofferson's request for me to be her trainer. So I had to enter her dragon's pen with only her. I had no idea my bud was there-but without him, she would have been killed. We had gotten her to safety before Spitelout and his trigger-happy thugs barged in and shot her down."

"You claim she was already safe?" Stoick asked him. Hiccup nodded.

"There was no justification in shooting her," he said angrily. "Something had agitated her but she was flying within the pen. Lieutenant Hofferson was clear-Toothless and I had already dealt with that. It would have been preferable to let her burn off whatever annoyed her and then settle. Instead, they shot her down and she landed hard. She needs assessment by the Vets." Stoick stared at him then at Spitelout.

"You haven't informed them?" he asked the Colonel.

"My job is security, not animal control!" he snapped. Then Stoick looked at Hiccup and I.

"This idiot brought us straight here and gave us precisely no chance to call any help for her before they dragged her here!" Hiccup complained bitterly. The General read concern in his face and lifted his wrist-com, murmuring an urgent order. Then he glared back at his son.