The Survival of the Wild Tribe

115

"That leopard..." Amidst the dark mountains, a thin middle-aged man draped in animal skins and sporting a disheveled beard and hair murmured, his gaze fixed on the chaos below. Despite the battlefield being distant, it appeared as if unfolding right before his eyes, crystal clear.

For a brief moment, the middle-aged man's eyes sparkled. If there were two things in this world he could recognize at any distance, one would be his partner, and the other, perhaps, his cub.

Recalling that his old tribe lacked even a single intact piece of animal skin upon his return, he had assumed his cub had long departed these wild lands. Yet, to his surprise, the cub stood before him suddenly.

Sitting cross-legged on the snow, the middle-aged man retrieved a wooden tube from behind, uncorked its animal skin stopper, and took a sip. As the hot liquid trickled down, his gaze sharpened. Returning his focus to the chaotic battlefield below, his eyes remained fixed on the white giant leopard.

The orc warriors, accustomed to battling various beasts in the wild, initially reacted with slight disorientation upon encountering the bow and arrow. However, with growing familiarity, evading them became manageable.

Soon, soldiers began scaling the city wall. Given the relatively small number of people in the Riyao tribe and the vastness of the wall, only two defenders manned intervals. While Luo Zhen was originally stationed with Lu Zhan, the latter found himself engaged in combat with the river battle beneath the city wall. Even if aware of climbers, he'd likely be unable to summon support.

"Commoners?" A warrior, visibly scratched on the face, presumed the climbers to be formidable adversaries, given the warriors' distress. Yet, upon encountering them, he found them to be mere commoners, raising doubts about their threat.

Luo Zhen tightened his lips, hand still poised on the arrow feathers concealed behind him.

"Never underestimate commoners." With these words, Luo Zhen drew the arrow, took aim, and released it toward the approaching man. Despite the close range, the man's agility allowed him to dodge the arrow effortlessly.

"What is this? Killed our orc warriors with such a thing?" The man, unfazed by Luo Zhen's action, eyed the bow and arrow curiously. As Luo Zhen prepared to retaliate, the man lunged, attempting to seize the weapon.

However, before reaching Luo Zhen, his legs went numb, illuminated by the neighboring brazier's faint light. Realizing they were swarmed by fiery ants, the man leaped in panic, perplexed by their selective aggression against him.

The fire ants' swift anesthesia took hold, causing the man to stumble and fall, frantically attempting to rid himself of the crawling ants. Horror etched across his face as they advanced, ultimately enveloping him entirely.
Due to the anesthesia, the man couldn’t discern whether the flame ants were devouring his flesh. He recalled the veterans' warnings against provoking flame ants and had cautioned others likewise. While flame ants despised water and dwelled near the lake, encounters with them were rare for men.

Yet, encountering flame ants in this unfamiliar tribe caught him off guard. With its sturdy walls and long-range weapons, this tribe posed a direct challenge even to ordinary folk like him. Confronting formidable warriors, the presence of flame ants seemed inconsequential.

"Don’t feast on human flesh," the ordinary man admonished. "Feasting on it will upset your stomach. Return, and I'll prepare a tastier meal for you."

In an astonishing turn, the flame ants receded like a tide upon the ordinary man's words, encircling him protectively within the shadow of the battlements.

The battle concluded swiftly. Realizing he couldn’t best the white giant leopard, He Zhan, his vision blurred from swelling, acknowledged his defeat. Oblivious to Lu Yi's presence, his eyesight compromised, he grasped the river witch's caution: handling this enigmatic tribe required vigilance to avoid costly losses.

Even with meticulous preparation, breaking this tribe proved daunting. Recognizing the tribe's unexpected strength, He Zhan signaled retreat, steering his horse toward Lu Zhan. Dodging the attack, Lu Zhan glanced back to find the behemoth vanishing into darkness.

Beneath the city wall, only Lu Zhan and a leopard remained. As the enemy withdrew, some carried their fallen comrades or those incapacitated by arrows, refusing to leave their tribe's corpses behind for potential consumption.

Trembling, Luo Zhen grasped the wooden bow, confronting the gravity of his actions. Meanwhile, Lu Yi, brimming with excitement, clambered up the city wall, intending to boast to Luo Zhen. Had it not intervened, its brave actions might have spared its father from the orc warrior's assault. Protecting not only its mother but also the male ants chosen by her, Lu Yi stood as the colony's most formidable soldier.

"Mother?" Lu Yi paused, perched on Luo Zhen's collar, sensing his mother's disquiet.

"It's alright," Luo Zhen gently stopped Lu Yi from touching his face with his tentacles, then attended to the person who had been numbed by the flame ant after climbing the city wall and was left behind by his companions. Hei Fu escorted him down from the wall with the flame ant colony, and by the time Lu Zhan returned, Luo Zhen was nowhere to be seen.

As per their agreement, Luo Zhen prepared a hearty barbecue for the flame ants. However, his mood seemed off today, and even the meat he grilled tasted bitter. The flame ants surrounded the meat but no longer gobbled it up as before; they merely took a few bites and remained still.

That night, the flame ant colony didn't return to their nest. Instead, they positioned themselves under the wooden bed to protect Luo Zhen, with Lu Yi perched at the head of the bed. Understanding Luo Zhen's reluctance, Lu Yi refrained from touching him, suppressing his anxiousness to avoid disturbing him.

Upon returning home and finding the fire in the fireplace dying out, Lu Zhan quickly tended to it. He then joined Luo Zhen in bed, his body still cold from being outside. Although Luo Zhen pretended to be asleep, Lu Zhan could sense his wakefulness.

"The attackers were from the Great Lakes tribe," Lu Zhan disclosed, having interrogated the captured orcs earlier. With no need for secrecy, he shared the information with Luo Zhen. "They learned about our tribe from those savages. Many of their tribes, like the Panthers and Shanjia tribes, migrated to the other side of Changfeng Mountain with a wandering beast. It's peculiar, isn't it? Why would so many people climb Changfeng Mountain around the same time?"

Pausing for a moment, Lu Zhan embraced Luo Zhen from behind, burying his head in his warm neck. Sensing Luo Zhen's breath mingling with his own, Lu Zhan's trembling hand found its way to Luo Zhen's fingers.

"I'm alright, just feeling a bit under the weather," Luo Zhen reassured, nestled in the quilt.

Knowing that Luo Zhen would be fine after a good night's sleep, Lu Zhan reflected on the harsh realities of their world. "I understand. The first time I faced such adversity, I fared even worse—I vomited on the spot."