The tide of animals fleeing the fire continued for a long time before finally stopping. Aside from the initial wave that crashed into the Forward Legion, however, the beasts that followed took the same routes as those ahead of them, deliberately avoiding the human army.
Even though few animals charged into their ranks again, the fleeing tide of creatures and fierce beasts, large and small, still left the Forward Legion's soldiers deeply shaken.
When the stampede was almost over, many soldiers remained crouched on the ground, since an occasional animal still came bounding out.
Only when everything had more or less settled down did they gradually get to their feet.
"So many beasts..."
"Anyone hurt?" "Over here! My leg got trampled and broken..."
"Me too! Ow..."
"Are we getting better food today?"
"Yeah, look at all this game!"
The soldiers soon cheered up. Aside from the animals shot dead, plenty had been killed or crippled by trampling one another.
Under their officers' direction, many soldiers of the Forward Legion went to gather game nearby. At first, they picked up everything they found, but when they realized just how much there was, they discarded the smaller, poorer specimens and chose only the larger ones. Later still, they picked only those with fine pelts and good meat.
All the ordinary soldiers of the Forward Legion were delighted, but the senior officers were in a much less cheerful mood.
If they could not pass through the Lombati Forest, they would have to make another long detour. Victory had been within reach, but now there might be further complications.
Mulan did not immediately order a detour. As long as circumstances allowed, he did not want to spoil the soldiers' fun either, so he simply ordered the legion to fall back a few kilometers and