The old Militia was captured. None of the twenty-one crew mbers escaped.
Everyone had their weapons confiscated, their gemstones taken, and their ship seized. A Canine Hunter tried to snatch the golden Sun Amulet from around Priest kate’s neck. kate shouted in anger, fighting back to the death. As a result, the red-haired Canine Captain ca out, scolded the hunter a few tis, and surprisingly let it pass.
"What did he say?"
"I couldn’t understand his words."
Priest kate shook his head, a look of puzzlent on his face.
"But I think I heard the Chief Divine’s na... does he believe in the Chief Divine?"
No one knew the answer, and they were all herded like so kind of goods into the Elder’s large thatched house in the village, becoming captive prisoners. However, surprisingly, this group of Canine Warriors, who appeared out of nowhere, still provided them with food and treated the wounded after stripping them of all their possessions and weapons.
"kate, did you notice? The weapon their leader is holding seems like one from the Kingdom..."
"Of course, they robbed us..."
"No. I an, he was holding it the first ti we saw him."
"What?! The first ti we saw him?"
In the pitch-black hut, Priest kate suddenly stood up. He pondered for a mont, a hesitant look on his face.
"You an..."
"These are not the savage Canine from the Wilderness... they’ve had contact with the Kingdom!"
"Contact?... What kind of contact then?"
With that, both fell silent simultaneously. Considering the Kingdom’s consistently strong-handed approach, it was unlikely to be a good contact. And now, any day might be their last.
"Ah! May the Chief Divine protect us! Sleep now..."
The days of captivity were dull and tedious, yet filled with anxious tornt. The group was imprisoned in the small village for more than ten days without any communication. The guards were Canine warriors of the sa number, fierce yet simple, stubbornly silent, and unable to communicate due to language barriers.
"Oh Chief Divine! Where on earth did these Canine co from? They can’t even understand the language of the Guajili?"
Priest kate squinted his eyes, peering through the cracks of the hut at the warriors outside guarding them. He noticed their blue face paint, long hair, and the leather headbands they wore, all of which left no impression on him. It wasn’t until he saw one of the warriors’ horns that he seed to realize sothing.
"A Bison horn from the North? Tribes from the farther northern plains?..."
Several days of hard captivity passed again, and the sll in the hut beca sowhat stifling. The fields outside the village were lush green, the corn being already half as tall as a person. It seed already July, and even the seriously injured prisoners could now walk.
It wasn’t until then that the red-haired Canine Captain gathered his n, preparing to escort the prisoners away. But just as the old Militia was led to the village entrance, they saw a red-haired Scout rushing in from the Northwest, speaking a few words to the Canine Captain.
"What? They’re coming?"
The Canine Captain was visibly shocked, hesitated for a mont, then reordered the crew prisoners back into the house.
Another two days passed. Not until the morning of the third day did another group of over a hundred Canine warriors arrive swiftly from the Northwest. From the crack in the hut, the sharp-eyed scout Mountain Bird noticed these Canine were carrying long spears of two to three ters, many with dyed red hair, clearly more elite than the village’s troops.
Under the anxious watch of everyone, the new Canine leader, wielding a Bronze Axe and accompanied by several trusted aides, ca bounding towards the hut after asking just a few questions. Then, the red-haired captain from the village hurriedly arrived, blocking their path outside the hut.
"By the Chief Divine and Ancestors! Why are you here so quickly?"
"Ancestors witness! Of course, I ca in a hurry! If I were late, you’d have sent the people to the South already!"
The newly arrived Canine leader, with nacing red face paint, projected an aura of aggression, clenching his teeth fiercely.
"Let in!"
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you think I’m going to do?"
"The Great Chief said it! The xica are our allies now. You can’t kill them!"
"Ha! Allies? If they’re allies, why did you rob them?"
"That’s another matter. Their weapons and armor were too nurous, and they were injured... Giving the weapons to us can truly utilize them! Besides, I haven’t killed them; I even treated their wounds..."
"Ancestors witness! The xica are not our allies!"
The young painted leader roared, letting out a wolf-like howl.
"They’re just using the tribes! They had the best armor but never gave us any... Have you forgotten? Who drove the tribes from the Highland to here?"
"Everything you said, the Great Chief knows! Alan Little Chieftain knows too! That’s why we took the Otter City and didn’t give it to them."
The red-haired Canine Captain gritted his teeth, suppressing his internal urge to kill, and answered angrily.
"They attacked the tribes, hunted us down, killed so many of our warriors from various tribes! Even the mighty Chichika Great Chief fell to their hands..."
"All these years, I’ve never forgotten! I rember their wooden beasts, their Fire Arrows, their Thunderbolt, and their heavily armored warriors... I wish to kill them too!..."
"But now is not the ti to turn against them! The Great Chief is continuously relocating the subservient Vastec tribes to new nests in the North. There are also the armies of City Pamus at the outskirts of Otter City... The Silver Raven Tribe, loyal to the xica, is becoming increasingly active in the South... Therefore, the Great Chief said to treat them as allies, no killing allowed!"
"No killing allowed... ha!"
Upon hearing this, the young painted leader suddenly cald down. He let out a sneer, paused for a mont, then softly said.
"Hand them over to ... let kill them! No one will ever know..."
"But..." "
"You know of the blood feud I have with the xica! Our blood feud with the xica!... The people I brought are more than yours..."
The young painted leader squinted his eyes, exuding both killing intent and threats.
"Hand them over! I promise, no one will ever know!..."
"You!..."
"I also promise... all the weapons and armor you’ve seized, will remain with you, no one will take them!"
"..."
After hearing this last statent, the red-haired Canine Captain paused for a mont. After so ti, he asked softly.
"You promise?"
"I promise!"
"You all promise?"
"We promise!"
"Alright then."
The red-haired Canine Captain stepped aside, pushed open the hut door, revealing the terrified crew mbers to the young leader’s view.
"Chief Divine and Ancestors witness! They’re yours... make it clean, don’t let anyone know..."
"Ancestors witness! Don’t worry!"
The young painted leader grinned, showing sharp teeth. He then strode into the hut with personal guard warriors, chuckling sinisterly with his Bronze Axe.
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