The Lost Boy IV - The Hidden World

17 - For a child

The journey delayed by the storm, the three dragon riders were now on their third day away from home, and they only reached their destination by noon, in a thick fog that almost prevented them from seeing the barbarian islands were the Bearclaw clan lived.

Avoiding to scare off the locals, they decided to land away from the villages and finish by foot. They had spotted three villages but went to the bigge one, where they had more chances to find the clan chief.

Preparing themselves for a harsh welcome, they left their dragons in the forest and removed their helmets to show they were humans and not demons. They went out of the wood and quietly walked among the houses. Well, Hiccup and Eret were quiet, Fishlegs was completely stressed out.

The houses were quite different from the berkians. Where the vikings were building their hutts entirely in wood, this clan rather use piles of rocks and let moss spread on the roofs. Pieces of furr and leather were hanging by the door frames and windows, visibly serving to overshadow the outside light without stopping the air. It seemed quite handy seeing how the air was dry in this part of the archipelago.

The villagers were eyeing cautiously the new incomers, some of them had their hands on their weapons without unsheathing them. Eret wanted to shield his chief but Hiccup walked ahead and rose his hands to show they weren't harmful.

''Don't worry, we're not here to do any harm. We come in peace, we only want to talk to yout chief, Scarlar the Hunter.

He only had the name from Eret, since it was the first time he was coming, he was counting on his friend to identify the man. As the vikings surrounding them still seemed distrustful, one of them stepped forward. Almost as tall as Eret, his shoulders were respectful but has enough fat over his muscles to make him look nice, like Gobber. He glared at them with clear distrust, putting on his shoulder a large cudgel which would have suffice to break Fishlegs bones.

''Who are you ?'' He asked.

Hiccup understood why he was asking, it was logical the villagers would back up their chief, trying to protect him from outsiders, especially weird outsiders dressed in scaled armors.

''Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, chief of the Hairy Hooligans clan, from Berk. You may know me under another name : the Dragon Master.''

Gasps escaped from the crowd, the villagers were clearly surprised. The man with the cudgel didn't show it on his face and only turned his head to the hutt behind him, which he seemed to guard. Another man stepped out of it, pushing aside the two pieces of leather hanging from on the door frame.

Despite a large belly, he also had respectful build, and the muscles of his arms could easily compete with Eret's. The man seemed in his middle fourty he had short dirty blond hair, simple clothes that were the same as the other villagers, but he was wearing a peculiar hat. Judging by the claw hanging from it, it was made with a bear paw, and the claws were trying to hide the scars circling his left eye, eye that was closed and seemed to not could open ever again.

''Berk, you say ?'' He wondered.

Hiccup stood with a solemn and diplomatic posture, then nodded as a reply. It was obvious this man was Scalar the Hunter, even if he hadn't the clothes of a chief, he had this presence and confident tone.

''Do you have any acquaintance with the white-haired warlock ?''

From the corner of his eye, the young chief of Berk noticed the surprised look his two comrades gave each other. He remained as stoic as possible, simply waiting for the man's reaction.

''Yes, we do.'' Hiccup answered.

The chief's expression changes as he looked at Eret, whom he pointed.