Declawing of the Fist

Prelude
In preparation of the coming assault, Hadr withdrew his forces from the Fist. His strategy required that aggressors not know their disadvantage, and so he arranged to conceal all of his men within the nearby forest. The Thunderfist warriors would position themselves near to the foot of the ascent to their great rock to draw the enemy easily in, but high enough that they fought their foes at an advantage. It would be sufficient to bait the berserkers to the slaughter, but dangerous enough to give the other clans pause. Then their claw would snare its victims.

Battle
The Winterbloods arrived first, combined with their Snow Owl allies numbering roughly twice the Thunderfist Tribe. Fighting grew tense as Hadr awaited the Milkwater Raiders; his Sigrid was out there on the front lines, he knew, bleeding shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the tribe’s warriors. He understood then why his father separated the lovers; could a heart go on when it longs for its vanquished mate? Every moment tempted his horn, but he stayed his instincts, minute by minute, until finally his gamble paid off.

Marching toward the Fist, a strong host of Milkwater Reavers pushed to harass the attacking warriors. Once they'd committed their effort, Hadr gave the signal. His Crowkillers poured in from the east, Men of Hardhome from the west. He fought fiercely in the van, eager to find his love. The enemy forces, knowing they'd been done in, retreated then south. The berserkers were too far gone to realize they’d lost, and easily fell to surrounding swords.

The Milkwater Reavers and Snow Owl fighters engaged in a truce as they fled south, but stopped dead in their tracks at notice of the surrounding force that had emerged from the nearby wood. Coalition forces did not engage, but instead stood, weapons in hand. A loud command uttered by the badly beaten warrior at the head of the remaining force saw them lay down their arms, and he approached Hadr to discuss terms.

Aftermath
The man, Skelmir, unsurprisingly turned out to be chieftain of the Milkwater Reavers, smiling through broken and bloody teeth to congratulate Hadr for his victory. A splendid ambush, he'd called it, offering his services to solve the Winterblood threat once and for all. Hadr felt a sudden urge to open the man ear to ear, but knew his warriors would be useful in the coming battles. A trickster like Skelmir would always play as if he held the shortest stick of the bunch, but steal the largest one from under a man’s nose. As long as Ekkill's cause was a winning bet, Skelmir’s loyalty would be assured.

The Snow Owl Tribesmen brimmed with equalling glee to be free of berserkers, and joined Hadr gladly. The following period would be dedicated to uniting the west in order to make a decisive push to the northeast and solve the conflict permanently.