Found

Everyone's attention was drawn by the call.

The old man turned and saw figures moving in the distance. He immediately rode One-Eye toward them. Karut and Trick instinctively followed their father, and when the others saw them go, they rushed after them too.

They moved quickly. The closer they got, the more clearly they could make out the figures. They were people, all right. The old man rode at the front and had the clearest view. He was the first to recognize his eldest grandson, Krum.

Krum had his head lowered and a rope slung over his shoulder, as though he were pulling something. But Chief Kramsh couldn't see his beloved youngest grandson, Solam. The old chief's heart sank.

The old man had a bad feeling, so he immediately urged One-Eye to go faster.

"Ake! Ake!" Chief Kramsh shouted for his grandson. Krum had clearly heard someone calling him, and he lifted his head. He saw a large group of wolf riders coming toward him through the snow, with his grandfather at the front. Delighted to see his family, Krum stopped and waved to them.

"Grandpa, we're over here!"

To be honest, Krum had just started to think he was lost. Judging by how far they'd traveled, they should have reached the clan camp long ago. But the damn snow made it impossible to see very far. Anything at a distance was just a blur, and he couldn't make out any landmarks.

Krum had been considering whether they should build a snow shelter and wait for the storm to pass. Losing their way in a blizzard was dangerous. It wasn't until he heard someone call his name that he snapped out of it. Then he saw his grandfather and the wolf riders, and knew he'd found his way back to the clan.

The old chief heard the joy in his eldest grandson's strong voice, and half his worries lifted. He knew his boy well. If anything had happened to Solam, Krum wouldn't be acting like this. He might be an honest lad, but he wasn't heartless. Still, he couldn't rest easy without seeing Solam for himself, so he hurried toward them to get a proper look.

One-Eye, the old Direwolf, really was a legend. For all his age, he was still as fast as ever, leaving everyone else far behind. The old man quickly reached Krum and saw that he was uninjured. A makeshift sled was hitched behind him, carrying the carcasses of two Alpine Goats, already dusted with snow. Frostfang and Bloodfang followed behind Krum, side by side, with ropes tied around them and another sled in tow. There was a huge bundle on it, but the snow covering it made it impossible to see what it was. Solam was nowhere to be seen.

"Ake, where's Ram? Why can't I see him?" The old man jumped off One-Eye as soon as he reached Krum and began asking questions.

"He's on the sled behind me, asleep." Krum gave his grandfather a big smile, hoping he'd praise them. This hunt had been a huge success. They'd even taken down three Snow Tigers, something the clan's old hunters couldn't top. But the old man had no interest in that; his grandson mattered more.

"Asleep?" Chief Kramsh asked with a frown as he headed for the sled behind Krum.

"Ram fell asleep along the way." Krum answered nervously, watching the others draw closer. His father was at the front, and the closer he got, the more uneasy Krum felt. With so many people from the clan coming out to meet them, and Solam injured, he figured he was in for a world of trouble—at least a thorough beating.

The old man reached the sled in a few strides. As he passed the two Direwolves, he noticed that both of them were injured.

When he approached the sled, he saw Solam curled up against the carcass of an adult Snow Tiger, wrapped in two Snow Tiger pelts, with even his head tucked beneath them. The old man hurriedly peeled the furs back and found Solam sleeping soundly, snoring softly. Though Solam looked a little pale, his breathing was steady, so the old man knew he wasn't in any serious danger. He continued pulling back the furs and found bloodstains all over Solam. There was the most blood on his chest, and he had wounds on his hands, arms, and legs too. The old man's heart clenched.

Then he saw the carcass of the adult Snow Tiger Solam had been leaning against, along with three Snow Tiger heads nearby—one large and two small. There was no mistaking what had happened. The old man felt both heartbroken and furious, though fury won out. Snow Tigers! What could two boys their age possibly do against them?

But when he noticed the three Alpine Goats tied behind the sled, including what was clearly a mother still nursing her young, his heartache took over again.

Perhaps the old man's movements disturbed Solam, or perhaps the furs being pulled away had left him cold. Slowly, Solam opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the old man standing in front of him.

"Old man, what are you doing here?" Solam still felt exhausted, though not physically. His mind was more worn out; his thoughts felt sluggish.

"You boys have some nerve, going out to hunt by yourselves..." Seeing that Solam was awake, the old man was ready to give him a good scolding. The boy couldn't be allowed to get away with this, or who knew what he'd try next? But he'd barely begun when Solam interrupted him in a tired voice.

"Can whatever you have to say wait until I wake up? I'm so sleepy..." He yawned, pulled the fur back around himself, shifted into a more comfortable position, and fell asleep again.

Seeing Solam like that, the old man didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But the boy looked exhausted, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything more. He decided to save the lecture for when they got back.

Solam had fallen asleep and escaped the scolding, but Krum wasn't so lucky. As soon as his father, Karut, reached him, he jumped off his Direwolf and smacked Krum on the back of the head.

"What, do you think you can fly? You're barely grown and already think you're an adult? You dared to disobey the grown-ups. It's bad enough that you don't know your limits, but you dragged Ram into your foolishness too!" As his anger flared, he kicked Krum. Krum was an honest lad. Seeing how furious his father was, he didn't try to defend himself. He took the kick, stumbled a few steps, then stood his ground again. In Orc culture, if you did wrong, you admitted it; if you were going to be beaten, you stood firm. That was what made a man.

"You're the older brother. Why couldn't you set a better example for your little brother? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused everyone? And where's Ram? If anything's happened to him, I'll skin you alive!" Krum had already been scolded so badly he didn't dare raise his head. Now that his father had brought up Ram, he remembered that Ram really was injured while he himself was fine. He'd been thrilled about the success of the hunt, but now all that excitement was gone. His head drooped even lower.

Seeing his son's reaction, Karut immediately lost his temper. Something really had happened to Ram! Forget skinning his son alive—he grabbed Krum by the collar with one hand and lifted him right up in front of him. The six-foot-tall young man dangled like a chicken.

"Tell me, what happened to Ram?" Karut roared at Krum.

"Ram was injured saving me..." Krum hadn't even finished speaking when Karut balled his hand into a fist and swung at him. Luckily, Trick, who had been standing beside them in grim silence, caught the punch. If it had landed, Krum would have been seriously hurt. The clan's strongest young warrior was no joke, especially when he struck in a rage. There was no telling what he might do to the boy.

"Big brother, calm down first. Ake's just a kid too," Trick hurriedly urged him. He was furious as well, but one nephew was already injured. There was no need for the other to get hurt too. And with his big brother so enraged, Trick was afraid he might lose control and seriously injure the boy.

The others hurriedly pulled Karut away. Among the Orcs, it was perfectly normal for children to get beaten when they did something wrong. No one would object; some might even stand by and watch. But if an adult really laid into a child, the others couldn't just look on. The Avalon Orcs had a low birth rate, so they were very protective of children. They could be disciplined, but an adult was never allowed to seriously hurt them. Orcs tended to have fiery tempers, and once anger took hold, they could lose all restraint. The people nearby had a duty to step in and stop them.

Karut's loud scolding and the others' clamorous attempts to calm him finally drew the arrival of the big boss.

"What's all this commotion? A-Da, you failed to keep an eye on the children, and now you're taking your anger out on them? You think you can do whatever you want? I don't remember ever teaching you that!" The old man hurried over and berated Karut furiously.

Seeing the old man lose his temper, Karut finally came to his senses, and shame washed over him. He remembered that the most important thing was finding out how Solam was.

"Dad, how's Ram? Are his injuries serious?" Karut hurriedly set Krum down and asked. Trick watched their father anxiously too.

"He's fine. Just some cuts and bruises. Auntie Garom will treat him when we get back, and he'll be running around again in a couple of days. But Ram's tired now. He fell asleep on the sled behind us."

Hearing that, and seeing that his big brother had calmed down, Trick hurried over to Ram. The old man reminded him, "He just fell asleep. Don't wake him."

Trick nodded and went over.