Rion’s group mbers raised their heads and watched Rion stride towards the aggrieved.
He walked towards an old father and mother holding the body of their son, who looked to be in his twenties.
Rion took a seat by them, and they looked at him with hollow gazes.
He t their eyes with a steady gaze and said calmly, "You are not alone... the tribe is with you, I am with you."
Hearing his words, the dam that was stopping their emotions from flooding out broke, and they began to wail uncontrollably, clinging to their son’s body as tears stread down their faces.
The father’s shoulders shook with deep, guttural sobs while the mother pressed her face against her dead son’s chest, letting out heart-wrenching cries that carried years of love and sudden, unbearable loss.
Rion didn’t say much, he just acknowledged their grief with his gentle whispers.
His group watched him with clenched hearts.
A few minutes later, they dispersed, walked towards the aggrieved and comforted them with their silent acknowledgent.
The night passed in unrestrained sobs and cries. Rion returned to his hut and sat on his fur bed.
He stared at his dry palms with a face hardened with grief and helpless rage as The Remnant’s words echoed in his head like a devil’s whisper:
I have found sothing that may grant Mother her revenge.
Rion knew that sothing was none other than himself, but he also understood that the events that had happened yesterday would have happened eventually, possibly when Haden wasn’t around to save others.
The door to his hut creaked open, but he didn’t look up at the person who had entered.
His lips parted, and he began to mumble, "The guards had been their puppets for years..."
The wooden floor creaked as the person walked closer to him.
Rion continued, "The incoordination during the attack because of those ego-driven group leaders has made the tribe vulnerable..."
The person placed a hand on his shoulder. Rion looked up in Haria’s eyes and declared with determination and fury burning in his eyes,
"If no one has the strength or will to fight this bullshit of a tradition, I would be the one to do it."
Haria looked into his eyes for a few monts and gave him a silent nod.
She sat by him and asked, "Do you think yesterday’s events are enough for those bastards to step down from their high horses?"
He bit his lower lip, and she answered her own question, "A few of them, maybe. But all of them? Nuh uh... for them, their little kingdoms matter more than the tribe."
"Why?" He asked.
She chuckled and said, "Because they have already lost a lot. They have lost their friends, their parents and even their lovers... so not to lose anymore, they keep what is theirs within their small world..."
She forced him to look into her eyes and stated, "All of them live as caged birds, for the world is too cruel for them to take flight."
"Is life truly worth living if all they’ll ever be is a caged bird?" He asked.
She let go of his face and said with a dry chuckle, "Sotis living matters more than it being worthwhile."
Rion shook his head and muttered, "Sotis? Yes, it does, and those tis are when you can see a path to grow, to move forward instead of a wall that traps you forever."
Haria’s lips arched up slightly as she questioned, "Are you saying it’s fine to stop once you reach a wall?"
The corner of Rion’s lip lifted into a faint smirk as he responded, "Heh. That would turn you into a caged bird, no? You don’t stop before a wall, you break through it."
Thk! Thk!
Soone knocked on his hut’s door.
Haria’s lips arched up in a smirk, and she teased, "I guess I shouldn’t be a bone in your at. Bye."
Rion gave her a wry smile.
She chuckled, stood up from the fur bed and made her way out.
As soon as she pushed the door, her eyes fell on the girl standing there with a faint smile stretched across her face.
Dora’s smile disappeared instantly, and she spat, "Why are you here?"
’She is like a cat.’ Haria thought and said, "I don’t need permission from a girl that still slls of her mother’s milk."
A vein throbbed at Dora’s head, and Rion muttered while looking at both of them with a tired expression, "Big sis... not today."
Haria sighed and comnted, "You were so cheerful when you were younger, but now you sound like an old man."
Her gaze shifted at Dora, she narrowed her eyes and remarked, "You really think you can handle my Rio?"
Dora, who had been silent till now, suddenly felt challenged. Her lips cracked into a sharp smile, and she stated, "I can handle My Rion very well, ’Old’ sister."
They glared into each other’s eyes, and Rion was sure that he saw sparks crackling between the two before things could worsen even further. He muttered, "Didn’t I just—"
"We heard you. Now shut up," both of them cut off his words at the sa ti.
Haria clicked her tongue, glanced at Dora and left the place.
Dora snorted, and the wooden floor creaked softly as she stepped inside.
She walked over to Rion and slumped down on his bed before asking, "What were you talking about with her?"
He chuckled and said, "We talked about how to continue from now."
A faint gloom appeared across her face.
She sat up, looked at his face and asked, "What are you going to do then?"
Rion looked into her garnet eyes and responded,
"We aren’t changing our plans. Before, the feast was both a eting place for the group leaders and a trap for the Ruler of Purple; now, instead of a trap, it is a place for the tribe to share their sorrow and move forward."
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