The Eagle Flock organization was a transformation of the Eagle Claw tribe, a Mountain Barbarian Tribe. While other tribes struggled for survival in the Mountains under Bastia's blockade, the Eagle Claw had pledged allegiance. As a result, they enjoyed the good life and no longer needed to battle nature for ager chances of survival.
Of course, their loyalty to Count Bastia was the price they had to pay.
When they were in the Mountains, they were formidable scouts. There was even a saying that spread throughout the Mountains: "No prey can escape the eyes of an eagle," and this eagle referred to them.
Perhaps the comforts of Bastia had dulled so of their vigilance from their ti in the Mountains, but they were still the best scouts.
Bastia's ability to control the Mountains for many years relied heavily on the Eagle Flock, aside from the fortresses. Indeed, only Barbarians truly understand Barbarians.
And now, they were doing sothing similar, acting as scouts tracking down the remnants of the Fang Tribe.
"You go back and inform the Cavalry Troop to bring them here. Just say we have found the enemy's location."
The woman fell silent. She had worked so hard to find this clue, only for it to be taken from her. Instead of being allowed to follow up, she was being dismissed with this insignificant task...
"You're not going yet? Will you take responsibility if the delay allows them to escape?" The sub-leader's tone imdiately turned irritable.
"Yes," the woman replied, hiding her face beneath her hood. She promptly turned, beckoned with her hand, and the Hawk resting on a nearby tree imdiately flew to her shoulder. Together, they vanished into the wilderness.
Judging by her reaction, this wasn't the first ti sothing like this had happened.
Seeing the woman withdraw, the sub-leader turned back to his n and waved them forward.
"Hurry! Find their trail before the main force arrives!"
The other Eagle Flock mbers imdiately began searching the area for traces of the Barbarian Tribe warriors.
The sub-leader, however, fell silent, his gaze fixed on the arrow that had pierced the white wolf's heart and the one that had struck the warrior squarely in the face.
He had encountered warriors of the Fang Tribe before and knew the strength of these elites. Even he wasn't confident he could kill them in a direct confrontation.
To achieve this, she was indeed a genius with the bow.
Back in the Mountains, the appearance of such a genius in his team would have been a cause for celebration, as it signified a stronger tribe and eased the pressure of hunting or confronting enemies.
The imnse pressure to survive left no room for infighting. All their strength was consolidated, a unified force dedicated to the tribe's survival.
Now, however, they had left the Mountains. Survival was no longer their primary concern. Without that pressure, their unity naturally began to fray.
Furthermore, the Empire's bureaucratic systems and those of the Nobility had infiltrated the simple, even primitive, social structures of the Barbarian Tribes.
After tasting a life of corruption, their goals shifted from collective survival to power, money, and desire...
For the sub-leader, her finding a clue he hadn't discovered was a problem. Moreover, her performance was outstanding. If she continued like this, his own position could be threatened. By reassigning her now, if he pursued the trail and found those individuals himself, the credit would still be his. His position wouldn't be threatened, and he could even use this opportunity to grandstand a little. He couldn't let a woman outshine him.
Although he had been corrupted by the bright lights and debauchery of the Empire, this didn't negate his professional competence.
He soon found the trail. More signs were discovered, all pointing to the Fang Tribe warriors' location.
"That's right, these are the paw prints of those wolves."
"The droppings are still fresh; they must be nearby."
"This white fur rubbed onto the tree bark is undoubtedly from a white wolf."
This news sent a wave of elation through the n. They had faced many enemies, but few were as cunning as this particular Barbarian Tribe contingent.
Despite their aerial reconnaissance capabilities, they had lost the trail because these adversaries exploited the cover of night.
They rested and hid during the day, traveling only at night, thereby neutralizing the Eagle Flock's visual advantage.
Once on an even playing field, their sowhat disorganized Eagle Flock was naturally no match for the thods of a true Mountain Barbarian Tribe.
Consequently, the Eagle Flock had lost their trail for several days and had only just managed to pick it up again.
"That kill just now must have been a periter sentry. Knowing their habits, the main force is still so distance away."
"Now that we've eliminated their outer sentry, and without knowing their guard rotation schedule, we must quickly pinpoint their main location, or they'll escape."
The sub-leader did possess so astuteness, succinctly outlining the current predicant.
In fact, this was a scenario they had experienced before: they would locate the enemy, only to capture a few stragglers on the periphery while the main force slipped away.
For this very reason, he had been reprimanded by Alvin, the Cavalry leader and the Earl's son.
Thus, sending the woman to deliver the ssage was part of a deeper calculation. If the enemy slipped away again, he could shift the bla to her, claiming her delay allowed their escape. Back when he was still in the Mountains, such thoughts would never have occurred to him. It could only be said that after stewing in the Empire's "pickling vat" for so long, he too had beco "smarter." Perhaps this was the Empire's "civilization."
"What do we do now? Send the Hawks to confirm their position?"
"No, they're undoubtedly concealed in sheltered locations now. It would be very difficult to spot them, even from the air."
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