The long journey south was all wind and snow, and in the blink of an eye, December had reached its end. Zuwaro rode a sled, traveling two or three hundred li south in two days to meet up with the last batch of returning Mountain Tribe hunters. Then, carrying great quantities of supplies, reindeer herds, and captives, the group trudged through the snow for another ten days, covering twelve hundred li before finally returning to the winter camp of the Hot Spring Mountain Tribe and seeing the old grandmother's kindly, smiling face.
"Mu Lu Ala Shan Wa! Headman of the Sea Tribe, my child, you have done very well, very splendidly! God Mountain is pleased, the Ancestral Spirits are pleased, and I am pleased too... Come! Good child, let me have a proper look at you. You truly are a good child who knows how to fight!..."
"Yes! The Main God protects us! Old Grandmother, it was all thanks to your wise guidance! We ran to the north and launched a surprise attack on the unprepared Deer Moss River Tribe, and that was why victory came so easily!... Mm... about what was mentioned before—the captives to be allotted to us, the reindeer herds, and the southern territory..."
"Mu Lu Ala Shan Wa! My child, don't be impatient. Now that the northern pastures have been taken back, every tribe's territory will have to shift around a little. Everyone must discuss it together. This cannot be rushed. As for captives and reindeer herds, those can be given to you first... Come, everyone is celebrating the victory. Have some Reindeer Milk Wine!..."
"Roar! The Ancestral Spirits protect us! Praise the wise old grandmother!... We have finally taken back the northern pastures of the peninsula. We can raise more reindeer herds and feed more