A Long Day, A Red Dusk

The long wind of the wasteland never ceased. It blew across the fertile valley, across the farmland by the river, carrying the scent of withered yellow grass, and bringing news from the south. It brushed over the yet-unused altar, lightly stroked the weathered stone walls, came beyond ancient Pamus City, and went on until it reached the newly built Red Crow camp.

Although it was called the Red Crow camp, aside from one inherited banner, there were not many old Red Crow people there. Three days earlier, Alan had already led eight hundred able-bodied men and over a thousand women and children, carrying the harvested grain on their backs, migrating east along the Tampico River.

This long-prepared migration had not escaped Great Leader Chichica's eyes and ears. But when the great leader learned the number of able-bodied men, he tacitly allowed the women and children to withdraw in advance. He had even arranged for four hundred Red Dog Tribe warriors, more than two thousand Red Dog Tribe women and children, and over three thousand women and children from the vassal tribes, eight thousand people in all, to migrate east.

Among the eight thousand migrants, there were no old or weak. Even the Dog-kin women and youths could draw hunting bows and swing stone spears. At this moment, they had probably already boarded the prepared wooden rafts and drifted down along the Tampico River, more than a hundred li to the east.

After these eight thousand people left, there were still more than thirty thousand Guachichil tribesfolk preparing for war in the valley, plus six thousand Otomi serfs and captives waiting to be slaughtered. After battle upon battle of bitter fighting, there were almost no armies left in the valley. Only the three thousand tribal warriors in the Red Crow camp