At this mont, sounds of footsteps crushing tree branches and the rustling of bushes echoed through the forest.
Under the shades of the tree were Kai, Luo, and the rest from the Giant Bear Tribe. Unfortunately, what was originally a group of six had been reduced to four, with two mbers tragically losing their lives along the way.
When Ferocious Beasts appeared, although the other two were skilled, they were not Totem Warriors. Thus, they t their end.
The remaining four – Kai, Luo, Lan, and Li – had escaped, but now found themselves lost in the forest, looking completely dishevelled.
“Just hold on a bit longer, we might see a Tribe soon.” Li said, fighting back her exhaustion.
Her red hair was covered in leaves and tree sap. Her face was streaked with dirt. Gone was her previous beauty, replaced only by a haggard appearance. Though she was the strongest of the four, she was not a Totem Warrior. Having been out for so long and frequently encountering Ferocious Beasts, it was impressive she had lasted this far.
“Sister Li, we should have never co…” Lan said, looking equally exhausted.
The dark circles under her blue eyes told everything. Despite her short hair, her round face was covered in tree sap, and her naturally monolid eyes looked even more exhausted now.
“We’re already here, this is training!” Li surveyed their surroundings and continued, “The Chieftain chose us because of our abilities. We should be happy about that.”
Her thinking remained peculiar as ever, always finding reasonable explanations to convince everyone.
“That’s true, but we’ve been out for such a long ti and still haven’t found a Tribe…” Lan sighed.
The once energetic girl now looked dejected. She did not even have the energy to scold Luo anymore. Initially, she had always mustered the strength to berate him, but now, she could barely take care of herself, let alone deal with others.
In fact, they had encountered a Tribe along the way. It was a small one with only ten to twenty people. It could barely be called a Tribe. With the rainy season approaching and them having made no preparations, they seed close to extinction.
“Let’s keep trying. I have a feeling we’ll find a Tribe soon.” Kai encouraged.
Though he was encouraging others, he lacked confidence in his own words. In fact, his expression also betrayed his words. They had all visibly lost weight, and after this experience, they probably would never venture out for training again.
“I really want to eat at and have a good sleep. I’m so tired,” Luo said. His once chubby cheeks had sunken considerably. Previously plump, he now looked much thinner and walked as slow as a slug.
Kai put his hand on Luo’s shoulder and weakly said, “We’ll get there soon, just hold on for a bit longer.”
“Do you even believe what you’re saying? I can see you’ve lost all confidence already.” Luo said, holding his stomach. His forr slight bulge had deflated significantly. He used to trust Kai, but Kai’s navigation skill had proved to be horrendous. They still have not found a suitable Tribe after so many days of sleeping in the Wilderness. His spirit had long since broken.
Moreover, all he wanted was a good sleep and a full al. He could not even get these basic things here, which inevitably frustrated him.
“You’re not leading the way next ti.” Lan firmly said. “If we don’t find a Tribe before the rainy season cos, we’re done for.”
Originally, they had planned to return to their Tribe before the rainy season. Now, not only could they not return, but they might not even find shelter before the rain cos.
Being out in the Wilderness during the rainy season was dangerous. There was the possibility of
‘man-eating grounds’ and ‘devouring trees’ appearing. In short, one should not venture deep into the Wilderness during the rainy season unless they had a death wish.
Thus, even if they could not return to their Tribe, they needed to quickly find a Tribe where they could take shelter from the rainy season, or death would be their only outco.
“Are you all blaming now? Why didn’t you lead the way from the very beginning then?” Kai was getting angry too.
He usually had a good temper, but under their current predicant, everyone was on edge. Everyone felt lost, and the smallest things could trigger them.
“We’re not blaming you. I’m saying we need a better navigator next ti.” Li said, making a calming gesture.
If she had not been the oldest of the four and more thoughtful, they probably would have started fighting long ago. She had been constantly suppressing her own frustration, trying to stay hopeful as they continued through the forest.
“If we wanted to bla you, we would have done so far sooner. Why wait until now, after wasting so many days?” Lan, who was not known for her good temper, scoffed.
Luo took a deep breath and said, “I don’t care who leads, I just want to sleep. Can we please just quickly find a Tribe?”
“Everyone be quiet and follow !” Li loudly called out, trying to stop them from arguing again.
It was the first ti they had heard her raise her voice. They all fell silent, standing quietly beside her.
The silence beca almost frightening as the four wordlessly looked at each other, the air seeming to freeze.
If not for the occasional animal calls or the rustling of leaves, one might think soone had pressed a pause button.
Li sighed, blinking her red eyes, and said, “Follow , and from now on, don’t talk. Save your energy.”
“En,” The other three softly responded.
*Tap tap tap…*
*Rustle rustle…*
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The four suddenly fell silent, quietly continuing through the forest.
Li kept her head down, observing the changes in the soil and surroundings, looking for signs of Human habitation.
The others did the sa, not staying idle, all scanning their surroundings for signs of Human passage.
“Look, isn’t this a footprint?” Lan suddenly called out, waving.
She had found what appeared to be a footprint, but only half of it was visible, so she was not completely sure.
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