Defenders of the Wing

The Defenders of the Wing were a tribe of dragon worshipers on the island of Caldera Cay. They were initially introduced as antagonists; wanting to kill the Riders. But they soon became some the Riders strongest allies.

They first appeared in the episode Defenders of the Wing, Part 1.

Description
Unlike all previously encountered tribes, the Defenders don't seem to be based on Vikings and are rather designed as an Asian civilization, with a lot of Chinese and Japanese elements in their clothing, weaponry and architecture. The Defenders seem to be a monarchy, ruled by Queen Mala who is very protective over her kingdom and all dragons, which the Defenders see as holy beings. Especially the Eruptodon, a Boulder-Class dragon that lives inside a volcano on Caldera Cay and prevents it from erupting for which it is worshiped as the Great Protector. The Defenders frequently offer it tribute, like food and flowers.

They seem to have a vast knowledge of dragons but any contact, like flying on their backs, is strictly forbidden. Thus the Defenders do not bond with dragons and don't know about dragon training.

History
The Defenders lived in peace with the dragons on their island; they also established a relationship with the Eruptodon, whom they called "The Great Protector". At some point they also encountered the tribe of Dragon Hunters that came to be led by Viggo Grimborn, and a lasting antagonism developed between the two factions. Viggo later played this fact to his advantage in his conflict with the Dragon Riders, whom he tricked into traveling to the Defenders' island with a map he had made out to make it look as though they were his allies. Using their arrival as a distraction, Viggo and his men then snuck onto the island and captured the Eruptodon, taking it to Dragon's Edge in order to activate the volcano there, effectively enabling Viggo to eliminate both his greatest enemies. However, the Defenders and Riders were able to work together to save both islands and the Eruptodon, and soon joined forces against Viggo.

Mala, queen of the Defenders, came to believe that Rider Snotlout Jorgenson might prove a worthy king, but Defender law required that he pass a series of tests in order to earn the position. Though Snotlout was surprisingly capable, he failed the final test and was thus disqualified.

Political System
Caldera Cay is a monarchy. Mala is currently the acting queen of Caldera Cay and the Defenders. During her reign, Mala chose Snotlout Jorgenson as her king. However, to prove his worth, Snotlout had to undergo three trials to prove himself worthy of being Mala's king.

To become king, Snotlout had to undergo three trials: However, Hiccup had toothless sabotage the final trial and Snotlout failed to catch the arrow before Mala was able to grab it.
 * 1) Walk the Pool of Valor, which was lava pool.
 * 2) Survive a maze filled with poisonous and giant eels.
 * 3) Take a shot for mala by taking the arrow.

Tribe Members

 * 1) Queen Mala (Chief)
 * 2) Throk

Trivia

 * This is the first time a tribe other that Berk has both men and women as background characters.
 * This is the first time another dragon-friendly tribe is introduced to the franchise, other than Berk.
 * The masked members are redesigned models of Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather
 * So far, this is the only franchise tribe to have a woman as their leader.