Rumble, rumble—huge boulders shot skyward from the pile of rocks.
The Fat Catfish and the puffers pressed close to the ground, wagging their tails as they crawled forward and kept a wary watch.
Aside from lacking spikes and having more evenly colored bellies and backs,
the Fat Catfish looked no different from the puffers in build.
The Dog Head Fish Tribe and the Pufferfish Tribe.
Both were mid-sized tribes under the Iron Head Fish King. Yet even blood brothers often came to blows over trivial matters, much less two entirely different tribes.
They had clung together beneath the Iron Head Fish King merely to survive. There had never been much friendship between them.
The two tribes bordered one another. In ordinary times, conflicts and disputes inevitably arose over Treasure Fish and Treasure Plants. A small fight every three days, a large one every five; a full-scale clash every couple of months was commonplace. If matters grew too serious and casualties mounted, the Iron Head Fish would step in to mediate.
Recently, the small grievances accumulated over a Treasure Land had erupted once more. To reclaim their territory, they launched today's operation.
During a patrol, Spiky Ball, who had happened to bring the Fat Catfish into the tribe, had been assigned command.
The Fat Catfish wagged its tail and eagerly swam over. It spat out a Treasure Fish, offered it up with both fins, and boldly asked for an assignment.
After a moment's hesitation, Spiky Ball decided to form the Black Fellow into a surprise unit for support and reinforcement.
For one, the two sides had no experience working together. Throwing the Fat Catfish into the battle rashly might well have the opposite effect.
For another, the two tribes had fought so many clashes that their major generals knew each other