We knew the path that Valka and Eret were on. First heading south towards the Hysterics Tribe, then westward for the Mongrel and Hymir Tribes. Following that, they would head north and connect with the Outcasts before returning home. Mala and Atali were both made aware of the summit and had sent their desire to attend; both would be bringing their seconds which meant we'd see Throk and Minden again. Minden had really grown into the role since the Battle for the King of Dragons, and any self-doubt she had before turned into a steel resolve. Dagur and Heather would both be in attendance as well as a couple representatives from the Meathead Tribe, it was the outliers that we needed to form an iron-clad pact with.

Several other tribes were gone completely, too small to play any major militant role to be included in the summit to determine the path against the Trappers, or too isolated. The Murderous Tribe had all but disbanded for and joined the Outcasts years ago, though their legacy followed with them. The Hysterics were outliers to be sure, then there was the Visithug Tribe which was also rumored to be violent but isolated. The Bog-Burglars were less of a tribe and more of an island of thieves we didn't really want to associate with, same goes for the Bashem Oiks and their slave trading. They may well be a center of discussion at the summit, to be fair.

All that said, Valka was supposed to send a terror mail after arriving to and leaving each island. By now, it had been almost two weeks, she should've been leaving the Hysterics on ship. If they ran into trouble, they knew to take off on their dragons, but to use the ship to travel to avoid appearing a threat. Hiccup and I were past that, and we knew flying into the Hysteric Lands on the backs of dragons may well be seen as aggressive. Neither of us cared, if they had harmed either Valka or Eret, or their dragons, it'd be an act of war.

The flight to Hysteria was quick on dragons that moved with a purpose, and we arrived around midday to quiet waters. Hysteria was a large, mostly cliff-riddled island with little access to sea level that was layered in white from the storm. That said, there were small coves with docks that traders had used to visit the island and Hysterics before. The Hysterics were something of an enigma in the Archipelago, with strange beliefs that bordered heretical or downright illogical. For one, they believe the world does not have an edge one can sail off of; which made them something of the laughing stock of the Archipelago. It's also rumored they issue judgement without logic and use a simple swing of an axe; a point of view I can relate with most days, to be honest.

Unfortunately, though, as we circle the island, we find no sign of a ship, let alone a ship with the Berk colors. This didn't exactly bode well with either Hiccup or myself, and as I glance over to him, I can see his face contort with worry as his mind must be running through countless thoughts. I had hoped we would simply run into them but as fate would have it, that was not the case. Now all I can do is pray to Thor that nothing bad has happened that would give us another cause for war or pain.

"Hiccup! I'm sure they're fine. Should we keep flying the route?" I ask, "I don't see any sign of ship traffic." I add as he shakes his head.

"Yeah, I know. But we could be flying for days along the path. As out of protocol as it is, we may as well land and see. I don't want to fly past them if they are in trouble and we just can't see them." Hiccup answers and I nod in agreement.

"You're right, let's check each stop until we find them. We can cover a few islands a day as long as we're careful." I respond with a weak smile. I could tell he was concerned, more concerned than he was letting on.

"Let's land there, we'll walk the path from their docks and see what happens. Hopefully, they don't take this as aggression. Keep your eyes peeled." Hiccup says after another circle around the island.

We swoop into the only cove with usable docks and land. Taking off our flight helmets and sashing our weapons and his shield, we start making our way up the long winding trail that leads up several hundred feet.

Hysteria was an island that had an ominous feel too it, with the Doomfang that lived in the sea near the cove and cliffs around the rest of the island, gaining access to the place was tricky at best. The trees were all wilted and in a perpetual state of disarray, much like those found on Outcast Island only these had leaves on them still, though them being covered in snow didn't help the ominous feel. The path from the docks was narrow and rocky, just barely enough room on the main path for a two-wheeled wagon at a rather steep incline. It was a high rising zigzag that took several minutes to climb, and once we reached the top, we were met with a shadowed treeline. We could see smoke from their main village beyond what could only be described as a dark, snowed and dead forest. As we walk, I found myself inching closer and closer to Hiccup before my hand eventually found his.

"Tell me again why we need to ally with these people? They don't have any ships of note, they don't ride dragons, they are brutal and violent. We would be better leaving them to their own devices." I mutter softly and he nods.

"All true; but the trappers operate on their waters so either they are enemies or in league. Also, they have a large tribe that could seriously augment any fight if they became our allies." Hiccup answers softly, his hand tightening around mine.

"I get that. They also have some strange beliefs and are brutal." I retort and he nods.

"We'll be fine. We've got Berk's greatest warrior and two of Berk's most amazing dragons here." Hiccup answers with a smile as I scoff, smiling.

"And the greatest leader Berk has ever seen." I reply as he laughs lightly and nods.

We're about a quarter of the way inside the forest and we can hear the sounds of beating drums in the distance near the firelight. Almost like war drums or something, echoing through the island as it reverberates through the ground. I feel my breath hitch as I find myself looking in the corner of my eyes at each possible shadow I see. Though it was still midday, the cloud cover over Hysteria seemed almost unnatural and gave the island a darker feel to it, it was much like Outcast Island in that regard, the two were peas in a pod.

Hiccup suddenly stops and before I can say anything, my ears perk as the drumming intensifies in the distance and inbetween the beats, we hear a bone-chilling howl that echoes through the forest. Following that, there is a chorus of howls that suddenly seem to be surrounding us, like we were being stalked and cornered. Toothless and Stormfly each come to either side of us and their tails meet as they encircle us.

"It's okay, bud, let's see what happens." Hiccup whispers as I grip the bottom of my axe that remains sashed on my back.

The howling intensifies and seems to be getting closer as the drumming seems to begin beating in tune with the howls. I hear the rush of footsteps and as I turn to look, nothing is there but I can see leaves rustling around. Another howl is almost deafening and sends a chill down my spine as I look ahead of us down the pathway.

Walking towards us is a man draped in what appears to be wolf's hide, holding a pair of large hatchets and hooded by what looks like the head of a wolf. As he gets closer, I see his body tense up as he howls directly at us and clangs the hatchets together. At that time, two more people flank him; one man and one woman, both draped in the same wolf's hide and wearing little else. They were remarkably fit and looked intense, gazing at us through what could only be described as warpaint. I glance around us and notice several were now visible and flanking us, the drumming beyond slowed to something akin of a heartbeat as the obvious leader stared us down. This would be when Hiccup would shine as a leader, for my first though was to throw my axe and take off.


That wasn't quite the welcome I was expecting, but I suppose it was better than them coming at us with weapons, aiming for the kill. I counted at least twelve of these Hysterics surrounding us, various members around us making howling or barking guttural sounds as the three in the road approached us. They lived up to the reputation of seeming brutal and vicious, now was a matter of finding a common ground to communicate with them. I could feel Toothless's apprehension and noticed Astrid as she shifted her stance to a defensive one, she was ready to draw her axe. I lightly squeezed her hand before releasing it and stepped forward, exiting the circle formed by Toothless and Stormfly, approaching the trio ahead of us in the road. I felt Astrid try to pull me back before my hand slipped from her grasp, and I felt the same, I wasn't exactly fond of how this was looking either.

As I approached, I heard the others around us continue their grunts and taunts as the one in the center stepped forward as well. Pausing, I lowered both my shield and my sword to the ground and took another step forward. He did the same, throwing each hatchet which stuck to the ground and stepping past it. At least, so far, we seemed to have common ground. He was a sight to fear, to be sure. A build similar to that of Ryker only larger with a full beard and scarred skin. He looked like he had seen his fair share of fights and won them all; he was the alpha here. We stopped about six feet apart, and though I wasn't as tall as him, I was looking him in the eye.

"I am Chief Hiccup Haddock of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk. This is Astrid Hofferson, General of the Hooligan Tribe. We come in peace." I state and suddenly hear several of the Hysterics start to laugh amid their grunts as their leader seems to literally growl.

"Chief? So, the rumors of Stoick's death are true. I knew your father, boy." He growls, crossing his arms. "You may call me Silver Claw. Why do you come to my island, Hooligans? On Dragons?" He asks gruffly, stepping closer as both of the two behind him inch closer as well. I can see the man is watching me like a hawk with a bow in hand, and the woman has her eyes locked in on Astrid; as if they expect us to move against them.

"We come in search of my mother." I answer honestly and am glad to say that the leader seems visibly taken aback by the statement. He looks me up and down and I notice the woman behind him had shifted her gaze to me. "She set sail to meet with you, to extend an invitation for us to be allies against the Trappers that plague our waters. She is overdue and I fear for her safety." I explain as the leader narrows his eyes. I see them shift to Astrid and back to me.

"And you think we are to blame." He finishes coldly and I quickly shake my head.

"Not at all, Silver Claw. I now fear the storm may have blown her off course and for some reason, she isn't able to make it back." I explain and his posture remains still as he judges me. "I don't know if you have any stake in the trappers or their activities off your shore, and I don't presume to know your allegiance. But should you consider them an enemy, we can be great allies to one another. If they are your allies, or you want no part, that is understood; and we hope to leave in peace." I finish as I hear the grunts of the ones surrounding us pick up. Like animals almost, they grunt and bark as if taunting us or trying to provoke something before the one called Silver Claw snaps a guttural growl that almost made me jump that silences them all.

"You are the first outsider we have seen in many months. Your mother has not been here." He explains matter-of-factly and turns his head, looking to the woman behind him who only nods. I see his face twitch with annoyance as he turns back to me. "You will follow me. All of you." He states and turns his back to me, walking away and picking up his hatchets. I do the same and retrieve my equipment before returning to Astrid. The trio then leads us down the path as we remain flanked and followed by three on either side of us with their weapons drawn.

"Are you sure about this, Hiccup?" Astrid asks softly besides me as we walk, and I shake my head.

"Not really, no. We didn't get attacked; we were essentially invited. We have to play situations like this carefully." I answer softly and she nods.

"What about your mother and Eret?" She asks

"Assuming they are being honest, they didn't make it here, which likely means they are shipwrecked and possibly hurt somewhere along the way. Once we leave here, we search the surrounding islands." I answer softly and she nods along.

"I hope you're right, Hiccup." She says softly and I nod.

"Me too." I answer.

We are led to the Hysteric Village, where the drumming has never ceased and only gotten louder since our approach. The people of the tribe were almost all draped in animal hide or fur, and there was an obvious difference between their warriors and their commoners; with all the warriors wearing wolf's hide. The drums that we had been hearing were impressive, a pair of them, each the size of a small house with a pair of Hysterics on each.

We followed to what must've been one of their great meeting places, where we saw a large wooden throne carved like that of a wolf, surrounded by three smaller thrones on either side. Four of them were already occupied, and the other three, including the large one, were soon occupied by the trio that led us into town. A large, ornate and blood-stained axe sat at the foot of the large throne and powerful plates of fire lit the large chamber. Their leader, Silver Claw, crossed one leg and leaned down, looking at us as the others on the chairs remained terrifyingly quiet. We could hear yips and howls from those around that were watching.

"Hooligan. Tell me more about your reason for being here." Silver Claw states as I nod, I feel Astrid reach for my hand but withdraw it as I step forward.

"To create an alliance. My mother, Valka, made it her mission to travel to various tribes around the Archipelago to extend the offer in person. We wish to hold the Summit of Chiefs again to address the problem of the trappers. There has not been a summit of this nature since Drago Bludvist, who was slain when he attacked Berk several months ago. His former lieutenants now control his fractured army and continue their efforts to weaponize dragons as tools of war." I explain as Silver Claw leans back and glances around him at the others.

"Much like you Hooligans do. With your two warbeasts you bring here today." He states.

"These dragons are our allies, our friends. As are all the dragons that occupy Berk, we have found a way to coexist peacefully, and we wish the same for our neighbors. The trappers seek to own and dominate and have no regards for borders or loyalty." I explain and he seems to think. He glances to his right, towards the woman that was with him. Her eyes seemed to be staring me down.

"What say you, White Fang?" He asks her as she doesn't take her eyes off me. I meet her gaze confidently and see her scowl as it dissipates to a slight nod.

"I think this one speaks truthfully. You there. Hofferson Hooligan. Do you have words to add?" The woman called White Fang asks Astrid as I glance to her. I can see that Astrid was caught slightly off guard but nods, stepping forward.

"My Chief speaks true. We come seeking allies, and we search for his mother. If you are open to an alliance, we would ask both you and Silver Claw to attend the summit as our equals. Representatives of several of tribes have already confirmed their attendance. If you are not, we ask that we be allowed to leave in peace so we might find his mother as the storm may have sent her awry." Astrid says confidently and I smile listening to her. I turn back to them and nod in agreement as White Fang's gaze turns back towards me. She then looks towards Silver Claw and nods again, he simply grunts.

"Hooligans." Silver Claw states, standing. "We accept the invitation to your summit. Our eyes watched you defend the Doomfang from our shores from these Trappers. Such cowardice has no place in our waters. When?" Silver Claw asks as I sigh a breath of relief, that was easier than I expected.

"One week after the Winter Solstice to be held on uninhabited island of neutral ground. Two will be permitted per tribe. Each tribe will be asked to bring an offering to be made to Thor before we begin." I explain, "If you have a map, I will point out the island." I add as White Fang gets up and nods, walking me over to a nearby table. I point out the island and she nods, glancing back to Silver Claw who closes his eyes and nods.

"Go to Danger Brute Dungeons; our eyes also saw a ship sail there during a vicious water spout. Possibly your mother. May Freya guide your way." White Fang says with a nod of her head as I nod and rush to Astrid and Toothless. We quickly take off again before anything else, though we hear the resuming sound of drums in the distance coupled with hefty howls. That was an experience, but not a bad one. Now we had a lead on where my mother may be, and if she and Eret had dodged a water spout on a boat, they may well need help and possibly be injured.