Chapter 23: The Tribunal
AN: forgot something, so I had to repost this a little bit after first posting it. sorry.
*Somehow posts before going back to school* I don't know how I finished before school either. But we're here and I'm loving this.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Balto or How to Train your Dragon. They both belong to their respective owners and this is just for fun, NOT for profit.
(Stoick POV)
I always loved hearing the stories of my wife's people. Her passion of retelling their tales and traditions was something I would always love, even when I couldn't fully understand it much. As I wonder around with void of bright orange fog, I could only assume it was one of those dreamscapes that she would speak of while visiting the Qugax Tanaa. I couldn't help but remember that was I wondered around this void of bright orange fog.
The last thing that I remember before appearing here was feeling a little feverish the Antitoxin was a week late from being in Berk. I collapsed and when I woke up, I was surrounded by this strange orange fog. I ran and walked everywhere, hoping to find a way out of it, but with not sunrise or sunset and no landmark in sight, I had no clue where I was or how to get out.
After wondering for either hours or days, I grew tired and considered stopping and taking a nap. However, would here a whisper that sounded familiar & far away, urging me to stay up and alert. What little patience I had paid off, because after what felt like forever, something changed again. Swirls of the smoky fog start to bellow around me. Not knowing what it was, I ran but I couldn't get away from it. It circled around me until I couldn't see my know hands and blocked my vision.
When my vision cleared, I found myself in a clinic bed with an ache over all of my muscles. As I sat up, I saw others in clinic beds getting the antitoxins and waking up. When I moved to get up, I was immediately met with Gothi, who giving everyone a last look over before they leave the clinic. Once she saw that I was alright, she pulled me aside to tell me something.
"Gothi, why can't you just let me leave? I need to see Spitlout and why he was late with the medicine."
In what little broken Atkan Aleut that I could understand, she said "at inaqamis halx aligis sngaluxs" (*1 - "at your son's trial")
"My son? Why is he on trial?"
"ukul aligngix aguun ukul ugayaasix" (*2 - "got wolf help to get medicine")
"What! I- I need to go!"
Despite my still stiff muscles and joints, I made my way toward the Great Hall. As I busted threw the doors, I came into a room filled with back and forth yelling. The chairs, benches, and tables of the Hall were arranged into a large U-shape that semi-circled around Snotlout and Astrid tied to a pair of chairs. The Council was made up of the eldest able-bodied head of each household with the exception of the +1 person limit for each head, however the Council was smaller than usual thanks to so many people being in the clinic. With all the noise, I couldn't make sense of what they were even saying, so I did what I did best.
"SHUT TE HELL UP, THE LOT OF YOU!" I bellowed, leaving silence in my quake.
I stroke into the semicircle until I stood between the small crowd of the indifferent Council and the two teens that looked more worn out than me.
"Now! You're going to tell me what in Tanam Aguuguu is going on. Starting with you two." I gestured toward the teens/
"But Stoick, your son-" an older member of the Council started only to stop from my pointed look.
"One at a time." I said in a deadly calm tone that pierced the councilman's will.
"Well," Astrid spoke up first. "Not long after you got sick, Hiccup couldn't be found anywhere. When anyone last seen him go was to the Qugax Tanaa. I took a couple a dogs and picked up the trail going out of town, so a packed a sled and tried to find him. When I found him, the Night Fury and he were trying to get away from a bear and I lost my dogs in that fight. But he explained he was trying to find the Louts and the medicine, so I tagged along to watch help watch his back. As we got closer to them, we eventually found ourselves going toward the Main Cave."
"Ah ha! The beast was just bringing you to your death!" shouted an older member, I think Mildew.
"Let them speak!" Gobber yelled in the direction that the interruption came from.
"Why and how did the Louts' trail lead the Wolves' Cave?" I asked with a raised brow.
"You see," Snotlout directed to the attention toward him. "On our way back Dad and I got caught in a blizzard to the point that we lost our bearings. We tried to get out of it but ran into some wolves that chased us into their Main Cave. We lost most of our dogs try dodging, defending ourselves, and trying to find a way out. We eventually found a narrow part of the cave was too small for the wolves to get into. Not long afterward, my Dad got sick too. After trying a few attempts that killed the rest of our dogs, I was stuck until Hiccup and Astrid showed up with that Night Fury wolf that could pull the sled out of the Cave and to Berk in time to save everyone." Spitlout emphasized by trying to stand but was stopped by his tied hands.
Even though I was taken back by Hiccup taming and working with a wolf, I couldn't have been surprised considering his mother. As I was listening to the two describe Hiccup's actions, I couldn't help but remember at the things Valka tried to ease tension between Berk and the wolves. Making traps and weapons that would try to scare them away without hurting them. Sourcing the lower quality food in less secure areas so that they would just take their fill of that and leave the better meats. Even stepping in front of people before they killed a wolf, so that the wounded animal could at least die in peace. As crazy as some of those things were, it seemed Hiccup's ideas were even crazier by approaching a wolf directly. But all the cured Berkians and I were living proof that it worked.
As the teens were finally able to tell their tale and explain that Hiccup was knocked unconscious & currently locked up with his wolf, I could see a few members of the council shift in their seats from the weight of their situation. Some could barely hide the looks of guilt for not waiting to hear the whole story and having to be shushed to actually shut up and listen. When the teens finished, not a single person tried to be damning them like they did before. Of the few that were still indifferent, they still didn't have enough pride to look the teens or me in the eyes. But just to be on the safe side...
"Now that's all settled. What do any of you have to say that warrants punishment for them?" I looked to Council to see them shift, but not say a word. "Spitlout, you surprisingly haven't said a word."
I looked as Spitlout who sat near the center of the U-shaped table with a neutral expression. Spitlout stood up with a heaving sigh before addressing the room.
"I don't like any of this Stoick. Your boy has always been off in my opinion, but there is one thing that I can't deny. We would be in some deep shit if he and the Hofferson girl didn't come find my son and me. I'd honestly like to question him on how he controlled the damn beast. But considering he used that wolf to bring that medicine to Berk; he can be left off the hook if the beast stays put."
There were murmurs of agreed started to travel among the Council.
"And the other two?" I asked.
"If Hiccup fine, then they are too." Gobber pointed out with murmurs of agreement backing him up.
"Does anyone have any objections to Spitlout's & Gobber's suggestion?"
No one spoke up.
"All in favor then?"
Most of the Council raised their hands with an "aye".
"Right then, untie these two and let's ask Hiccup a few questions."
Despite a few of the older members murmuring in disagreement, The teens were untied and breathed a sigh of relief. As they went to check on other recovering loved ones, a couple of members helped show Spitlout and I to the Arena were they threw Hiccup and the wolf in since the beast wouldn't let them get close enough to untangle or move them with out a grapple hook. But when got to the Arena where my son and that wolf were locked up, it was empty with torn rope netting littered everywhere.
(*1) inaqamis = yourself; hlax = boy, son ; aligis = elder ; sngaluxs = men social gathering
(*2) aguun = help ; aligngix = wolf ; ukul = to get sight of, to find, to get ; ugayaasix = medicine
Some of you might be wondering why Stoick isn't raising Helheim for befriending a wolf and the answer is simple. To be with Valka, Stoick willing tried to learn about the language and culture of her people to understand her more sympathetic nature toward the Wolves. With these nuggets of info, he appealed to people on all sides when it came to his position in the town.
- How to walk in Blizzard = wwwDOTeurekacampingDOTcom/blog/article/how-use-compass-blizzard
Other Atkan Aleut Translations used:
- Qugax = assistant spirit ; Tanaa = place
- Czar = Tanam Aguuguu = god of the earth
Thanks for all those that reviewed, every little bit helps. If you're new to the story, please let me know what you think with a review. Constructive criticism is accepted, but no flames please. And don't be too shy to check out some of my other stories.