Heart of a Berserker: Trust (School of Dragons)

Chapter 18

"I wish you never thought you had to go
Wish you never thought you had to leave
Together we can lift each other up
We can build a shelter for the weak

No man is an island, we can be found
No man is an island, let your guard down
You don't have to fight me, I am for you
We're not meant to live this life alone" 

- "No Man is an Island" by Tenth Avenue North

Chapter 18

The following morning, Harald and I hung out as usual. I was glad there seemed to be no tension between us. It was very easy to be with him... and our dragons. We were down by the beach, idling chatting and watching Bolt and Leopold run at the waves and splash each other. It  was a beautiful start to a great day.

After awhile, Astrid landed in front of us on Stormfly. "Brennda, there you are!" she said.

I nodded at her. "Hey, Astrid. What's going on?"

"What did you do to Skulder?" she said.

I blinked. "What did I do to him?" I glanced at Harald, and he just shrugged.

"I spoke to him earlier today on my patrol and he sounded like he was at the end of his rope! I thought Fishlegs said you solved his problem."

"We did! We showed him how to get his little Mudraker friend to come out of the mud and say 'hello.'" I then remembered how unused to dragons he was and how much could go wrong. I hoped he was not in any sort of trouble.

"Well, whatever you did, it didn't take. Go back to Mudraker island and help him out!"

I saluted her. "Yes, ma'am." I turned to Harald to see him watching me in amusement. "I guess I'll see you later."

"I'll keep him company for you," Astrid said, moving to stand beside Harald. She smirked. "It's about time we had a... talk."

Harald did not looked phased by this in the slightest. "It certainly is." He nodded at me. "Off you go, Brennda. We'll be just fine."

Looking from him to Astrid, I was not so sure, but there was nothing to do for it. I called Bolt back to me, and then we were off to Mudraker Island. We flew straight to Skulder's camp. This time, it looked... different. Things were scattered around, and there was mud on everything.

"Hey, Skulder," I said, cautiously stepping over objects. "What's going on?"

Skulder gave me a frantic look. "We've stumbled on a whole new problem altogether, Brennda. The Mudraker is over his shyness. That is, he is comfortable most of the time. But now he seems to have a major problem with me. Look!" He swept his arm across the mess. "Little Muddie threw mud all over my camp. Why does he hate me so much, Brennda? Why?!"

I blinked. "Uh..." I caw what Astrid meant. He seemed to have lost it. I did not know how to respond, so I hung on to one word. "Muddie?"

"Oh, I named him Muddie," Skulder said in a slightly more cheerful tone. "It might not be an appropriate name for a dragon, but it seems to suit him."

"I like it."

He gave me a tentative smile. "Thank you. Will you help me clean up my camp? I need to clear the mud from my stuff."

"Of course!" While the two of us worked to clean his belongings, I thought about his problem. I certainly could see an angry dragon throwing mud everywhere. However, I did not want to jump to conclusions. "So... What was Muddie's attitude while causing trouble?"

"He was in a good mood," Skulder replied. "He looked so happy to throw mud on my stuff. He must really enjoy upsetting me.

Now finished, I washed my hands in the water. "Hmm... I think you're making a pretty big assumption there."