Tauren

Desolace... no, perhaps it should not have been called that yet. Though it was already almost no different from the Desolace in his hazy memories.

The little Tauren sat atop a towering totem pole, gazing out over the plain beneath the setting sun.

He had deliberately chosen a very high spot, so he could clearly watch the sun slowly disappear into the Great Sea.

A withered yellow blade of grass hung from the Tauren's mouth. He chewed it happily, savoring its faint sweetness.

It was only in difficult times like these that the preciousness of happiness became all the more apparent.

The sunset clouds dyed the sky near the sea red. They were beautiful, flame-like clouds, reflected in the waves left by the ebbing tide, shattering and vanishing with the swells as though fire were burning upon the ocean.

An'she's radiance shone upon the grains of sand, reflecting a lovely golden hue. That dazzling gold seemed to breathe fresh vitality into the earth, and the entire plain appeared to come alive again, returning to the way the little Tauren imagined it had once been.

Mashanhi, meaning the Earth Mother's gift.

It was said that long, long ago, this place had been a lush grassland rich in water and pasture. Countless Tauren tribes had roamed and migrated across this land, living peaceful, wonderful lives untouched by strife.

Back then, a fresh-scented breeze would sweep across the vast grasslands, rolling up endless waves of grass. The surging sea of green would startle the grazing antelope, and the timid animals would bolt wildly on all fours, unable to calm down for a long while.

He sighed, knowing it was nothing more than nostalgia for the past.

The sea of grass had long since withered into a sea of sand. The scorching wind was thick with the dry smell of dust, while gray-black grit remained buried beneath that illusory glow, no different from how it looked during the day.

This land was nearly dead, just like he once had been.

"Look who I caught? A little calf who doesn't keep his promises!"

A young voice came from behind him, sounding muffled and guileless, with a hint of grievance and dissatisfaction.

"You're way too sneaky! You clearly promised me, so why are you doing this again?!"

Baine thought indignantly, Can you still call yourself my best friend acting like this?

Just to be safe, I even went to your house and blocked your door. How did you still manage to slip away? Am I really that unwelcome?

A whole day of training had been exhausting, but with the anticipation of a long-awaited adventure, he had spent the entire day in high spirits. He had not stopped grinning like an idiot, and had even been scolded by an elder for spacing out.

Yet that anticipation had been mercilessly stood up.

Full of resentment, Baine puffed out his cheeks and complained, "Apologize to me right now! Or I'll go tell Uncle Carl!"

"If Uncle finds out, hmph! He'll definitely spank you hard!"

Faced with that threat, the little Tauren atop the totem pole remained unmoved. He still sat there lazily, his tail swaying gently, looking somehow even happier.

Little Baine's eyes darted around as he thought, This guy really doesn't fall for that. But he was not worried in the slightest, because he had already prepared a backup plan.

He pulled a face, then turned around with a wicked grin and provocatively slapped his butt.

"Scared now?" Little Baine laughed smugly. "Who would've thought Baine Bloodhoof's fated rival would be such a coward? You don't even dare accept a simple challenge!"

Baine Bloodhoof, son of Cairne Bloodhoof, chieftain of the Bloodhoof Tribe.

The future High Chieftain of the Tauren was still just a little calf.

"Rival?" The little Tauren atop the totem pole turned around, his face full of contempt. He pressed a finger to his cheek and stuck out his tongue mischievously. "Nyeh nyeh nyeh~ I don't want a coward as my rival!"

"A two-hundred-pound cow hanging in the air like a sloth and howling like a ghost—how embarrassing!"

Sai'an Whitehorn, also an eight-year-old calf,

was an unknown member of the Bloodhoof Tribe, with nothing remarkable about him except that he had died once. Well, dying once did seem a little remarkable, but that was a story for another day.

"Uh... who are you talking about? I don't understand a word..."

Faced with his companion's disdain, little Baine immediately scratched his head and played dumb, selectively forgetting everything.

He grinned smugly, looking as though his scheme had succeeded, because he had long since figured out his friend's temperament.

Though Sai'an's mouth could be rather sharp at times, Baine knew his heart was incredibly soft.

Everyone knew softhearted people were not good at dealing with thick-skinned people, and as for being thick-skinned... Baine could proudly say that was exactly his specialty.

Little Sai'an was indeed driven a little crazy. He viciously rubbed his mane several times, sighed, and condensed all his complaints into one powerless grumble. "You're so shameless. You use the same trick every time! I had a feeling nothing good would happen when I left home, and sure enough..."

There was no helping it. Ignoring someone this shameless and persistent was completely useless, and he could not exactly kick this dumb cow off a cliff. Every time, he could only let Baine join him with a bitter expression.

"So you're agreeing?"

"I'll definitely regret this..." Little Sai'an sighed and completely gave up struggling. "Wait, let me climb down first."

With that, he braced himself against the edge, performed a nimble flip, and landed lightly on the ground. He moved nothing like a clumsy, heavy cow, but rather like an agile pangolin.

"Hooray! The two-person team has been formed again. Let's go adventuring!"

Baine jumped up excitedly, while Sai'an happily sighed.

Years ago, on a whim, Sai'an had taught him how to climb trees. He had thought it would be an easy little lesson, never imagining that would be the beginning of his nightmare.

A wave of weakness welled up within him. Little Sai'an rolled his eyes and bent three fingers, roughly counting before arriving at a number that nearly gave him a heart attack.

"These two years... well, probably more than a hundred times by now. I've done everything I could, but why haven't you improved even the tiniest bit?!"

Looking at Baine's excited face, little Sai'an felt that he might be the most unfortunate Tauren in the world.

He scratched his hair and complained miserably, "Earth Mother above, I prayed sincerely during this year's rites. Please tell me what I did wrong. Why must I suffer such punishment?"

Little Baine was already eight, and he was much sturdier than Sai'an, who was the same age.

Yet this guy had nothing but a strong body. He especially loved showing off, only knew how to use brute force when climbing trees, never learned his lesson, and would start screaming in terror at crucial moments. In the end, little Sai'an was always the one who suffered.

Little Sai'an had been forced to experience the weight of an eight-year-old bull countless times. Supporting the butt of a huge fat cow was not only exhausting, but deeply humiliating.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll definitely succeed this time! This is the oath of the great Baine Bloodhoof!"

Baine slapped his chest and laughed heartily, looking utterly carefree. The honor of the Bloodhoof name seemed worth absolutely nothing to him.

"Believe you? My ass! Last time, the time before that, and the time before that, you said exactly the same thing! But when it was time to jump down, you didn't even dare jump! You got me caught by my father!"

Little Sai'an said angrily, "And you call yourself a warrior? Aren't you ashamed? If I were a warrior, I'd have embarrassed myself all the way to Mulgore by now!"

As close friends who knew each other inside out, Sai'an naturally knew where Baine's weakness lay. This guy's skin could be thick enough to reach the sky, but he cared excessively about a warrior's honor. The moment honor was involved, his skin became thinner than paper.

Sure enough, Sai'an had barely provoked him with a few words when Baine sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The little Tauren's face instantly turned red, veins standing out on his forehead as he began arguing his case.

"Climbing... not being able to jump down doesn't count as embarrassing... Can a warrior's endeavors be called embarrassing?"

Then came a string of incomprehensible remarks: things like "hunters are naturally more nimble," "warriors need repeated setbacks to gain experience," and "a great leaping Charge is where the real charm lies." Sai'an burst out laughing, and the grassland filled with cheerful air.

After much pleading and pestering, Sai'an finally agreed to lend a hand once more. Thus, little Baine finally got his wish and climbed to the top of the totem pole.

Of course, that did not mean this climbing lesson had achieved any results.

Just recalling such brutal remarks from the lesson as "Not like that! No! Stop twisting that damned butt of yours! Move your thighs! Move your thighs!" was enough to show that Baine Bloodhoof, this dumb cow, had probably learned absolutely nothing again.

Still, although the climbing process had been quite disastrous, the beautiful sight before them was absolutely worth the temporary instructor's hard work.

"Earth Mother above! This must be a miracle of all creation!"

Baine exclaimed in a booming voice as he gazed at the magnificent sunset.

Little Sai'an happily chewed on a grass stalk as he lay on the ground laughing. He had heard someone's stomach growling.

"Catch!" Sai'an shook his head helplessly and tossed something over.

Baine caught it clumsily. It was a small bundle of somewhat yellowed grass.

He scratched his butt. Seeing his companion chewing with such relish, he could not help feeling tempted too.

So he opened his huge mouth and stuffed the entire handful of grass inside in two great gulps, leaving little Sai'an dumbfounded.

He covered his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and took two big chews. Then...

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!!! This grass is poisonous! Damn it! Are you trying to kill me?"

"You dumb cow! Why would you think of chewing the leaves?!" Sai'an nearly went mad. "And you stuffed in a whole handful at once! I seriously can't believe you! What, do you think you're a cow?!"

"This is your responsibility, okay..." Baine guiltily tried to shift the blame. "You're a terrible teacher..."

Sai'an rolled his eyes. He pulled up a rush, slowly peeled off its outer layer, and lay back down to continue chewing contentedly.

Baine looked left and right, itching with curiosity. He simply rolled over and lay down as well, yanked up a stalk of grass, roughly wiped off the dirt, and tossed it into his mouth.

"It tastes a little sweet, right?"

Sai'an smiled happily. In days of such hardship, even the slightest sweetness was rare. Even roadside weeds could bring unexpected joy to a Tauren if one paid close enough attention.

Happy Tauren, from Bloodhoof Village!

Baine had no time to answer, because he was busy stuffing a pile of grass stems into his mouth. In his haste, he accidentally poked several stalks into his nostrils, making him sneeze nonstop. That foolish sight made Sai'an burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. This is really for you!"

Little Sai'an casually tossed a tiny bag to Baine, who caught it in a fluster.

He nodded, signaling Baine to open it.

The thin grass cord slowly came undone, and an enticing roasted fragrance drifted from the little linen bag. No one could resist freshly baked cookies.

"Try them. My mother just baked these cookies, and she specifically told me to share them with you!"

Sai'an tossed a cookie into his mouth and laughed while chewing. "You'd better thank me properly. I helped make them too!"

Baine hesitated. Though he was hungry, he restrained the urge to wolf them down.

Of course he understood that food was especially precious in such difficult times. Sharing cookies with him meant his good friend and his family might go hungry for their next meal.

"No, I can't accept them..."

Baine hesitated, but before he could finish, a huge cookie was stuffed into his mouth.

Sai'an happily chewed his cookie while stuffing a large piece into Baine's mouth.

"It's only a little wheat bran. Do you really think the cookies themselves are more valuable than the happiness of sharing them together?"

Sai'an's frankness eased Baine's inner discomfort. They began giggling as they shared the tiny bag of cookies, stuffing their mouths full. Both little fellows were very happy.

After a bag of cookies went into their bellies, their empty stomachs stopped growling.

The two little Tauren lay comfortably atop the totem pole, picking their teeth with grass roots as they admired the beautiful sunset.

"Hahaha, may the Earth Mother bless your butt so it doesn't bloom!" Baine snorted heavily. "I remember Uncle Carl saying last time that if he caught you messing with the totem pole again, he'd use the totem pole to flatten you into a beef patty!"

"Your heart is really too big..." Sai'an yawned, narrowed his eyes, and twisted his neck as he muttered, "If we really get caught, I'll expose you first. You won't dare run then anyway, so you might as well be my shield."

"Hmph! You'd never leave me behind!" Baine laughed smugly. "Who was it that ran away last time, then came back and walked right into the trap?"

He grinned wickedly and poked Sai'an's horn. "Admit it. You're definitely not the kind of cow who abandons his companions!"

"Oh, give it a rest!" Sai'an shook his head in disgust and shot him an unhappy glare. "You have the nerve to say that? If you were a little smarter, would I still have to suffer alongside you?"

Baine said unhappily, "Listen to you. Are you saying I'm stupid?"

Sai'an spread his hands. "What do you think, little dumb cow?"

Baine bared his teeth and waved a fist. "You're the little dumb cow! If you dare laugh at me again, I'll tell Uncle Carl you're here and have him come catch you right away!"

"You idiot, you can even come up with a rotten idea that hurts the enemy for a thousand and yourself for eight hundred?" Sai'an's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly raised his fist in warning. "If you dare tattle, don't even think about eating my mother's delicious food again!"

Baine grinned and mocked him, "Are you really that afraid of Uncle Carl? What a coward!"

"That's nonsense! I'm his son, what do I have to fear?" Sai'an explained guiltily. "I'm not afraid of him coming to catch me at all. Besides, even if he does come, so what? I only need to run faster than you. That's the wisdom of the grasslands!"

Baine snorted defiantly. "Hmph! What stupid wisdom. Are you really that confident you can outrun me?"

Sai'an smiled confidently. "Little dumb cow, I'm a hunter. As a hunter, could I possibly run slower than a warrior?"

Baine said indignantly, "I can Charge! How can a mere hunter compare to me?"

"I can make traps too!" Sai'an sneered. "Besides... who exactly are you going to Charge?"

Baine's face reddened. He muttered for a long time before Sai'an finally understood what he had said.

"Grassland marmots?" Sai'an clutched his head and burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha... You're going to disgrace all warriors!"

"Don't say that about me!"

"I will, I will!"

That utterly pointless argument continued for quite some time.

"My mother has hit me with a rolling pin a few times. It hurt so much my butt nearly bloomed... Getting hit by a totem pole would definitely hurt even more."

After they finally quieted down, little Baine lay atop the pole with both bovine ears drooping. He looked somewhat downcast.

"I'm really sorry. I'm just too stupid. I can't even do such a small thing properly, and I always hold everyone back."

"Don't say stupid things. What father would really use a totem pole to smack his own son?"

Sai'an was a little angry. He knocked Baine on the head, then suddenly grinned as though he had remembered something funny.

"Those are just scare tactics. He only wants to put on a show of fatherly authority!"

"And all that stuff about respecting the ancestors is nonsense too... I'll tell you a secret: I've caught him slacking off several times, using the totem pole as a weight to press down the pickle jar. Once, Mother caught him red-handed, and she scolded him for days!"

The little fellow proudly raised his head. "When it comes to disrespecting the ancestors, I can't even rank among the worst!"

"Really? I can't believe Uncle Carl, someone so impressive, can be this absentminded too..."

Though he said that, Baine felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity as he listened.

Tilting his head and thinking about it, he suddenly felt embarrassed. It seemed Father Cairne Bloodhoof had done similarly foolish things whenever his tobacco craving hit, like tearing important pages from Mother's ledger to roll tobacco, only to get an earful from Mother while she tugged his ear.

"What does it matter? It's perfectly normal." The little Tauren laughed carefreely. "If one day they completely shed their auras of authority, I think we'll already be grown up by then."

"Grown up? That feels so far away..." Baine sighed. "What do you think growing up will be like? I should become a real warrior, right?"

"Who knows? Maybe you'll even become the High Chieftain of all Tauren!"

"Really, really? Will I really become High Chieftain?" Baine grinned foolishly. "That would be amazing! After I become High Chieftain, I'll have everyone plant lots and lots of pine trees. Then autumn will bring lots and lots of delicious pine nuts! And we'll have more pine nuts than we can ever eat!"

"Haha, you really know how to dream. Wipe your mouth, you're drooling!" Sai'an laughed. "If you can become the Tauren High Chieftain, maybe I'll become the Tauren's great Druid!"

He rolled over and said mysteriously, "You know Druids, right? Those super amazing people from the legends with horns on their heads who can grow trees!"

As he spoke, Sai'an realized how awkward that sounded and suddenly wanted to take back his terrible description. Horns on their heads and able to grow trees... didn't every Tauren meet those conditions?

"Stories about Druids! I've heard the respected Shamans tell them..." Baine scratched his head in confusion. "But aren't you a hunter? Why do you suddenly want to become a great Druid?"

"Huh? That's right! Why did I suddenly think of Druids?"

Sai'an froze. He tilted his head and thought for a while, then burst into laughter. "Ah! Your pine nut joke must have led me astray! A master hunter it is! I'll become the greatest master hunter in the future too!"

Baine rubbed his nose and laughed along. "Actually, a great Druid would be nice too. With the help of great Druid Sai'an's nature magic, Chieftain Baine leads everyone in planting one forest of pine trees after another..."

"Ah! I'm looking forward to it more and more. Earth Mother, I beseech you in my most sincere voice, please bless me so I can grow up quickly!"

"Then learn from Uncle Cairne first. He's an excellent chieftain role model!"

An excellent... role model? Baine thought of his father rummaging through boxes and cabinets for tobacco leaves, and he was deeply skeptical.

Combined with what Sai'an had said, he seemed to have just discovered a blind spot—could it be that fathers everywhere were like this?

"Uh... are all adults like this? Or is it only fathers?"

Baine yawned, turned over comfortably, and faced the beautiful sunset, leaving his big butt toward Sai'an.

"Tell me, do you think my mother and Aunt Tally also have foolish moments? I can't imagine it no matter how hard I think."

Who would have thought that question would make his companion leap up like a cat with its fur standing on end?

"Shut up! Don't say bad things about my mother!" Sai'an raged.

As a mature bull, he had to defend his mother at all times, because protecting the women in the family was every man's sacred duty.

Sian silently defended himself and pretended not to see Baine struggling not to laugh.

"Eee-yah-yah~ You're one to talk. Who's the little calf that still hasn't grown up?" Baine mocked, pulling a face.

"Hmph! Then you don't get any! Give me back my cookies!"

He had once been an adult, yet after being reincarnated, his way of thinking and behavior had grown less and less like his former self.

Sometimes he wondered whether he had not escaped that bowl of Meng Po Soup after all. Maybe Meng Po had simply mishandled the heat while brewing it, so its effects had been delayed.

That explanation was far too sentimental. Sian preferred to believe that his young body had made compromises to protect his fragile brain and endocrine system.

A mature personality trapped inside a child's mind had already overloaded his brain, leaving it no choice but to slowly erase certain unimportant things from his memories.

So the idea of a high school detective taking poison made by the Black Organization, regressing into an elementary school student, and continuing to thrive on the front lines of detective work was complete nonsense.

Sian often mocked himself. Other people grew up gradually, but his growth had gone completely backward. When he was very young, he had still retained traces of his former self, but now he had become a complete Tauren.

Still, he did not dislike the feeling.

Sian took a deep breath and steadied himself.

Baine smiled and soothed his bristling companion. "Don't be mad! Smile, smile. Although it feels a little unfair to Uncle Carl... a father that amazing probably doesn't need anyone to protect him, right?"

"Sigh, I really wonder whether Uncle Cairne would feel pleased or angry if he heard you say that... But whatever."

Sian shook his head wildly. "Didn't Grandma Sauna say so? Respect for all spirits isn't just about appearances. As long as we hold reverence in our hearts..."

"The ancestors will surely smile upon us!"

The two little Tauren spoke in unison. They looked at each other, then burst into laughter, rolling around atop the pillar until they became two fuzzy balls. The sight was enough to make anyone's heart leap into their throat.

Below the totem stood the village where the Bloodhoof Tribe lived, while far in the distance behind it lay the sacred ground of the Kodo Beasts. Little Sian had deliberately chosen a very tall totem pole; even lying there, he could take in the village's beautiful scenery.

Bloodhoof Village was clean and orderly. Verdant cobblestone paths crisscrossed through it, with tents of varying heights standing everywhere.

Most of those warm tents were covered in thick Kodo Beast hides. Kodo Beasts were the Tauren's good companions, and these massive, powerful, slow-moving creatures possessed surprisingly gentle temperaments.

The Tauren carefully fed them the finest fodder and painted them with Shaman-blessed pigments in patterns representing rivers, eagles, and totems. In return, they tirelessly carried cargo upon their backs.

These noble and intelligent animals had rituals of their own. They seemed able to foresee their own deaths.

When a Kodo Beast's life neared its end, it would usually head toward the sacred ground, whether slowly or quickly, from near or far away. Sometimes they reached their destination; sometimes they did not. Yet at the moment life left them, their enormous heads would usually face the direction of home.

Sometimes Sian thought that, when life ended, those noble souls might be freed from the bodies that bound them, transformed into another great form, and stubbornly fulfill the promises they had yet to keep. The thought filled him with reverence.

Of course, some Kodo Beasts formed especially close bonds with Tauren. They refused to head toward their intended destination, because not even death could separate them from their companions.

One day, their bodies would wither and decay, and their souls would return to the embrace of Earth Mother.

Under the gaze of the Wild Spirits, the Tauren respectfully made all kinds of tools from the remains left behind by the Kodo Beasts. They solemnly swore to the Wilds that the honor and kindness of their lives would be shared with their departed companions.

Just as they were immersed in the beauty of the sunset, a strange sound shattered the tranquility and peace.

"Strange, did you hear something?" Sian was the first to stand, looking around in every direction.

"A sound?" Baine tilted his head and listened for a while. "I can only hear the wind."

"Really? But I definitely heard something. It sounded like someone with a stuffed nose from a cold." Sian shook his huge bovine head, trying to hear more clearly.

"What kind of weird description is that... No, wait, there really is a strange sound!"

Now Baine heard it too. It really did resemble the sound of someone unable to breathe through a blocked nose. Rapid breaths rose and fell from all over Bloodhoof Village. Different sounds gathered together, gradually forming a deep, powerful cry.

Baine knew that dull, powerful roar all too well. It was clearly the roar of Kodo Beasts on the march!

"Kodo Beasts? But why? So many Kodo Beasts... It's like they're trying to say something. Did you hear it?"

Of course, Tauren could not understand the language of Kodo Beasts, but the companion beside him answered without the slightest doubt.

"Danger! They're saying—danger is coming! It's a warning! Something terrifying is about to descend!"

The instant the Voice of Kodos rang out, An'she withdrew her final trace of light and warmth.

Darkness descended. A black tide surged. Dense hoofbeats suddenly erupted, accompanied by desolate horns, bursting abruptly through the silent night.