Chapter 25: Announcements & Negotiation

Since it's been a while since I updated this fic, I would like talk to you guys about some stuff at the end of the chapter. Hope that the longer chapter can make up for the long wait. Especially since there might be another wait with school just around the corner.

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's POV)

When I found out that Hiccup was gone, I had a few ideas where he was. Hell, anyone that knew Valka or him would too. But I kept my mouth shut so that no one would hunt Hiccup down, especially since I was in no condition to stop them. Once the Arena was cleaned up, sent a small search party, and another set of guards at the arena to keep up appearances for now, I had to clear the confusion in the center of town. Still weakened from the infection, I had someone help me up a crate to address the growing crowd around the clinic.

"Attention! As some of you may have seen with me up here, the antitoxin has finally made it to Berk." The crowd murmured positively. "We're giving antitoxin to everyone inside and giving everyone a couple of days to rest before we can let them go back home."

"What about you? You were in there too, weren't you?" someone in the crowd shouted.

"No little cough can bring down Stoick the Vast" someone answered, making the crowd laugh a little.

"What about that wolf tho?" a disgruntled man shouted, making the crowd murmur questioningly.

"What Wolf?"

"How could you miss it? It ran right through town."

"I saw it trying to snatch a sled and the musher jumped on his back."

"What?!"

"QUIET!" I strained to shout, since my voice was still too sore from yelling earlier. "It is true that a wolf had briefly come through Berk, but it wasn't a coincidence. The Council was able to determine that they wolf was pulling the sled of antitoxin not trying to take it and it been secured for now."

"So, the musher of that sled befriended a wolf?", said another man next to the disgruntled man from before. I didn't know them personally, but I knew they was kin to council members that weren't eager to leaving the kids unpunished. "How the desperate can you get? What a load of shit."

"Who said that? Was that you?" I singled the men out.

"Aye. What of it, chief?" the two men said mockingly as the stepped to the crate I was standing on. "If it's true, a traitor like that should be hanged."

As they stood before me, the other one whispered. "It's not like that son of a bitch could do much anyway."

Even when my vision tunneled on them, I was aware that everyone in the crowd that also heard froze. As my eyes narrowed at them, one of the bastard had the gall try to subtly bite his thumb and flick it at me (*1). Before they would even realize what I was doing, I grabbed the two of them by the collar and launched them into the wall behind me.

"As I was saying, the musher was riding the wolf to bring the sled of antitoxins to Berk. And that musher is my son.", I said resulting in everyone mostly gasping or shouting. "I wanted you all to hear it straight from me and let you know that I was just a surprised as you all. The situation is currently under investigation with the Council and you will be updated as more information comes to light."

The crowd still seem to murmur, but it didn't sound as problematic and they gradually dispersed enough for now. I was a little unsteady as I go down form the crate and a few in the crowd tried to address me, but thankfully Gobber was able to shoo them away so that I could go home to rest.

"Thanks, Gobber. Let the Council know that Arena is secured, and the crowd is starting to disperse. Did the search party find any leads or traces of Hiccup around the perimeter?" I whispered.

"No prints or sign in the forest and not even the Qugax Tanaa, or at least not yet."

"Yet?"

"I prayed earlier both at the Qugax Tanaa and at home, I think he'll be at the Qugax Tanaa later."

"Are you sure?"

"Aye, I trust the Spirits." Gobber said as we went in my house. "For now, you need to rest. I'll be right by the firepit if you need anything. We'll go find him tomorrow."

I didn't realize how tired I was until I laid down and almost instantly falling asleep.

The next day around noon as Gobber suggested, we gathered a party of 15 members of the Council. We fanned out as we entered the forest and made out way to the Qugax Tanaa. It came into view, a piercing chill went down my spine and as I looked around, I saw I wasn't the only one that felt it. Some even stopped in their tracks, so by the time we got to the Qugax Tanaa, Spitlout, Gobber, and I were the only ones comfortable enough to step from the tree line while the others settled with securing the perimeter.

As we entered the large wooden hut, he became a little guarded when we saw that we weren't alone. Across from the firepit, Hiccup sat on one of the wool mats and behind him laid a wolf with pitch black fur staring at each of us intently with it emerald green eyes.

"So, you came?" Hiccup said opening his eyes. "It's nice to that that you all are well. And you might want to put down your weapons."

"Not while that beast is this close to me." Spitlout said "You've got some explaining to do before I even consider putting it down, boy."

The wolf growled a little before Hiccup pet his back to calm him. "Okay, but you might want to sit down still. Cause this will take a while."

And so, we sat on the other side of the hut, with our weapons lowered but still in our hands. I may trust my son, but after seeing so many of my men injured or killed by those wolves, it's hard put my weapon down completely. But I listened to the summary that Hiccup explained: how the wolf behind him was the one he shot down, how he rode the beast in exchange for helping it walk again, and how it led Astrid & him to the Louts. There were times that he paused or hesitated, so I knew he wasn't telling us everything, but I knew now wasn't the time to push on that.

"That's a lot." I finally said as Hiccup finished. I was pretty mad with myself that I didn't realize what was going on, any of it.

"Sorry you had to go through that lad." Gobber said.

"You're telling me that you have been fraternizing with the enemy for that long?" Spitlout grunted.

"Be glad that he even could." Gobber spoke up. "If he didn't you would have died in the Wolves' Cave, lost almost half of Berk's population, and our Mayor-Chief would be gone."

"I know! I defended the boy at the council meeting, didn't I?!" Spitlout argued. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"But can you replicate it?" I said after stewing over all the information.

"What?" Hiccup said confused.

"You more or less tamed a wolf. A wolf that was able to find the Wolves' Cave. If you can find it again, that may be enough to be in favor of Berk."

"I thought you said that the Council pardoned me."

"The majority did, but there's a few members that still aren't too keen on you befriending a wolf. You described the wolves in the Main Cave has a hive mentality. If we take out Queen, the hive should fall apart, and the raids should stop."

"But Dad, you don't know how gigantic the Queen is."

"But you do. What forces would we need to go up against something like that?"

"Nothing that we have access to. We wouldn't have enough people if we even get help from neighboring towns. And the government never listened to us before, so I doubt they will listen to us now."

"Why don't we fight fire with fire?" Spitlout spoke up. "You were able to get my son and me out of the Cave with that Wolf, right? Let's use it again to both find the Cave and take out the Queen."

"Uncle Spitlout running and fighting head on are two different things. Toothless and I can't do it on our own and sending people on sleds would just lead to their deaths."

"Then we'll ditch the sleds, for wolves." Gobber spoke up as well. "In some of Gothi's tales, they mention our ancestors working with various animals to survive the trails of nature. They were only stories to me, but now you are proof that they're more than that. If we can train enough wolves, could we stand a chance?"

"I… I don't know." Hiccup said as he tilted his head back and rubbed his face. "What do you think bud?"

Wolf seemed to roll his eyes as it let out a huff and tilted his head to Hiccup as if he knew what the creature was trying to get across. And it did mean something considering Hiccup let out a sigh before sitting up and saying. "Let's see how I can train some wolves."

Clarifying AN: Outside the native terms used throughout the story, everything else was made to be more of a mythical fantasy. I'm no master scholar of legends and history, but I do try to look up a few things before I write something that I want to add cultural hints to. And when it came to North American natives in areas like Alaska & Canada, there's not too much information about their spiritual aspects. So, things like the spiritual places and practices in this fic is influenced by other cultural traditions and I try to make it authentic by trying to incorporate an actual northern native language (Atkan Aleut). If your familiar with the Atkan Aleut language or spiritual culture of the Inuit, PM me.

(*1) First and foremost don't do that gesture. That gesture is called "The Cutis" and not only does it mean f*** you, but f*** your whole family. But for real, don't make this gesture unless you're planning to be thrown out by or beat up by whoever your doing it to.

Other Atkan Aleut Translations used:

Qugax = assistant spirit

Tanaa = place

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.