Chapter 95: The Seed of the Tribe
Kellar woke up very early, just as the sky began to turn a pale blue over the mountains. He dressed in his furs and stepped out of his wooden house, running into Grok’s imposing figure, who was already waiting stoically by the entrance like a stone statue.
"What’s the matter, Grok?" said Kellar, stretching his arms and letting out a long yawn as he felt the crisp morning air. "Did you fall out of bed or something?"
"I am used to early hours, Shaman," said Grok, without moving a single muscle in his face.
Kellar let out a short laugh at his guard’s absolute seriousness.
"Tell me something, where do you live?" said Kellar, glancing at the various structures in the settlement. "Which one of these is your house?"
Grok raised an arm and pointed to a long wooden building located a few yards away.
"All the hunters live there for the time being," said Grok.
"In there?" said Kellar, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "All together? What about your families?"
"They have their own family houses," said Grok. "But it is custom for hunters not to live with their families during hunting season."
"Didn’t hunting season end when the snowfall hit?" said Kellar, frowning.
"Yes," said Grok. "However, nowadays with you in charge, every single day feels like hunting season."
Kellar slapped a hand to his forehead, letting out a frustrated huff.
"Damn... looks like I’m going to have to give you all more days off," said Kellar, shaking his head. "How the hell am I supposed to grow my tribe like this? Starting today I’ll speak with Krag; you all need to be fucking every single day until you get your women pregnant and get even more. How are we going to have future warriors if there are no kids around?"
At that moment, the door to the neighboring house swung open, and Krag stepped out into the snow while tightening his leather belt.
"The Shaman always leads by example," said Krag, letting out a booming laugh as he walked up to them. "Every night we can hear the raw passion echoing loudly inside your wooden house."
"Oh, you can damn well bet on it!" said Kellar, flashing an arrogant smirk as he thumped his own chest. "Work hard during the day and work even harder at night—that is the only way!"
As laughter echoed through the freezing air, Mentz and Lennis approached from the work grounds, flanked by the rest of the hunters. One by one almost every man in the tribe emerged from their wooden houses before the sun had even peeked over the mountain peaks.
"It’s good to see you all so motivated this early," said Kellar, scanning the crowd. "You need to work hard, but remember to give your bodies proper rest if you don’t want to collapse."
"Thank you for caring, Shaman!" shouted one of the hunters from the back. "But you gave us hope when we had nothing! Now we must fight with all our strength to sustain it for our families!"
"That’s right! We will fight for the Shaman!" yelled another warrior.
Kellar let out a hearty laugh and raised a hand to ease the surging energy.
"Alright, alright," said Kellar. "Rest assured that with me here, no one will be abandoned. By the way, I hope you all like fish, because it will be practically the only thing to eat for quite some time."
"The fish is delicious!" shouted Grok.
"Thank you for the food!" exclaimed Mentz.
"Long live the Great Shaman!" roared the crowd, bursting into applause and cheers that echoed across the valley.
"Settle down, settle down," said Kellar, gesturing for quiet. "Today I will be away from the settlement. We must inspect a few important things near the borders. Initially I only wanted to go with Grok, but considering the risks, four hunters and I will be heading out."
Kellar turned directly toward Krag and Mentz to issue his final orders.
"While we are away, you must maintain the pace of work without lowering your guard for a single second," said Kellar. "Mentz, oversee the timber gathering and the defense reinforcements. Krag, keep the patrols running along the perimeter and make sure Lennis has all the raw material he needs in the workshop. If anything abnormal happens, use the smoke signals."
"Understood, Shaman!" said Krag, pounding his chest firmly. "We will guard the tribe with our lives until your return!"
The group set off without losing a single instant, advancing at full speed through the thick layer of snow. Up front was Brak, leading the way with agility thanks to his prior knowledge of the terrain, closely followed by Grok, Kellar, and the other two hunters. Above them, through the high, frost-covered branches, a small white figure ran alongside the group, leaping elegantly from tree to tree without making the slightest sound.
Despite the hunters giving their all to maintain the pace, Kellar’s speed ultimately slowed the group’s progress. His physical attributes, though superior to those of an ordinary human, had not yet matched the endurance and agility of the tribe’s veteran warriors. Even so, no one complained and they kept up a steady rhythm for hours.
By the time the sun began to dip in the late afternoon, the snow gave way to a dense, reddish forest floor covered in pine needles. Kellar raised his hand signaling for everyone to stop.
Kellar looked up and found himself impressed by the sight before his eyes. Looming ahead was the Red Forest: a majestic grove dominated by colossal pines with crimson bark that seemed to reach the very sky, their vibrant needles dyeing the canopy in a brilliant red that filtered the afternoon light.
"We have arrived, Shaman," said Brak in a whisper, crouching behind a bush. "Further ahead lies the territory of the red monkeys."
"These pines look so beautiful, almost as if they were made entirely of flames; it’s a gorgeous place," said Kellar, gazing up at the crimson canopy with awe. "I want to see what these monkeys look like. Perhaps we can harvest something useful from them."