C13 Hunting Team Attacked

On the night they were encamped in the cave, Jieying and Jietu stealthily went to gather wood for Yuan Ge after everyone else had fallen asleep. Initially, everything went off without a hitch, but as they were about to return with the wood, they found themselves encircled by a pack of Moon Wolves. These pack animals typically wouldn't venture near the hunting grounds, but on this occasion, they emerged en masse.

At first, the pair leveraged their speed to fend off the Moon Wolves. But once their last stone spear was thrown, they had no choice but to find a way to break through the encirclement. The sheer number of Moon Wolves was overwhelming, relentlessly pursuing them. Only by pushing their speed to the limit were they able to gradually lose the last of the wolves.

They thought they had completely evaded the wolves upon reaching the cave's entrance, but suddenly, a piercing howl sounded from behind. Dozens of Moon Wolves had once again surrounded both them and the hunting team inside the cave. The wolves' howling awoke all the warriors, who seized their stone spears and charged out, only to be met by the simultaneous assault of the pack.

In such hunting encounters with pack animals, especially those outnumbering them, the usual strategy was to exploit their speed advantage to escape to safety before planning an attack. However, this time the Moon Wolves had emerged in full force, executing a flawlessly planned attack. Led by the alpha wolf, the strongest males led the frontal assault, while the slightly weaker ones encircled them from the outside.

As they recounted the event, both Jieying and Jietu's faces were etched with horror, as if reliving the terrifying ordeal. The memory of the Moon Wolves' menacing growls and the sensation of being torn at sent shivers down Jieying's spine. Had Jiewu not arrived with reinforcements at breakneck speed, they would have surely ended up as prey to the Moon Wolves.

Yuan Ge listened to Jieying's account in contemplative silence. Though part of him knew the inherent dangers of hunting, he had never fully grasped its perilous nature. Unfazed by the danger, he pondered how he would handle such an attack, realizing that continually enhancing his combat skills was the most direct and effective way to confront any threat head-on.

At that moment, silence had fallen not only upon Yuan Ge but also on the other side of the tribe, where the patriarch Jieyang was left speechless after listening to Jie'ao's account. Although the story he heard vastly differed from Jieying's version, as the tribe's leader, it was his duty to thoroughly analyze and investigate the true cause behind the Moon Wolves' assault.

The Moon Wolves are known for their strong territorial instincts, rarely attacking creatures outside their domain unless their territory is breached. This time, they mobilized en masse with a well-coordinated offensive. Clearly, someone from the tribe must have ventured into their territory, provoking the attack.

According to Jie'ao, when they emerged from the cave, they spotted Jieying and Jietu outside. It seemed highly probable that they had attracted the Moon Wolves. With this in mind, Jieyang opened his eyes, which had been tightly closed, and asked Jie'ao, "Are you certain that Jieying and Jietu were the first ones you saw when you came out of the cave?"

Jie'ao nodded affirmatively, "Yes, it was them!"

He paused briefly before adding, "Jieying and Jietu are Yuan Ge's relatives. And Yuan Ge himself is no angel—always shirking his studies and resorting to underhanded methods to make a quick buck. Lately, he even came up with some foolish contraption called a bow and arrow. In my view, the whole lot of them are troublemakers!" Seizing the opportunity to air his grievances, Jie'ao rattled off a litany of Yuan Ge's misdeeds.

"Bow and arrow?" Jieyang's face showed a flicker of confusion upon hearing Jie'ao's words. What was this newfangled device he had never heard of?

Jie'ao, mistaking his father's confusion for agreement, pressed on with gusto, "Exactly, the bow and arrow. It's made by securing a beast tendon to both ends of a piece of Gorewood. Then, using its elasticity, it propels a small stone spear. To me, it's no different from a child's plaything…"

"Enough, I've got the picture," Jieyang interjected. He knew his son all too well—always rigid and set in his ways. Whenever a new invention surfaced in the tribe, Jie'ao was quick to dismiss it, regardless of its potential. Although Jieyang hadn't yet seen the bow and arrow for himself, he was not about to take Jie'ao's biased word as gospel.

"Father, I haven't finished talking about Yuan Ge..."

Jie'ao was so intent on voicing his complaint that he failed to notice the impatience on Jieyang's face. He mistakenly thought Jieyang was preoccupied with the issue of the bow and arrow, not realizing that Yuan Ge was the subject of his grievance, not the weaponry. But before he could complete his thought, Jieyang cut him off with a cold tone, "That's enough, no more talking. You've been injured in the hunt as well. You should get some rest."

In that moment, Jie'ao recognized the chill in Jieyang's gaze. It was not the authoritative distance of a tribal leader towards his warriors, but rather the sternness of a father addressing his child. Frightened, Jie'ao shuddered, quickly grabbed his bone knife, and left Jieyang's room. He knew that if he had lingered even a second longer, he might have felt the sting of Jieyang's hand on his face.

The hunt had resulted in significant losses, and it was his team that had encountered trouble. Jie'ao understood that his father was obligated to provide the tribal elders and the High Priest with an explanation. He was also aware of the immense pressure his father, as the tribal leader, must be shouldering in light of these events.

With these thoughts, Jie'ao cast another glance at the door of his father's stone house. Throughout his life, his father had rarely engaged in much conversation with him, always bearing the weight of his responsibilities alone.

Under the weight of Jieyang's expectations, Jie'ao had been driven to become a warrior of such caliber that he might one day exceed his father. He had always executed the commands of his father and the tribe with the utmost precision.

In his view, the decisions made by his father or the tribe were invariably correct. His role was to excel in his duties and to strive to be the tribe's finest warrior. He envisioned a day when he would take over as tribal leader from his father and lead his people to a prosperous and fulfilling life.

Jie'ao had rejected anything that fell outside the tribe's traditions, as such things could undermine his convictions. He despised tight-fitting garments, bows and arrows, and Yuan Ge. And now, his disdain extended to Jieying and Jietu. If not for them, his hunting team would never have suffered an attack from the Moon Wolf.