Everyone from the Bright Family stood outside the camp, just as they had when Lier first arrived at the Red Ochre Tribe.
At their head was Thor. The man had a head of upright black hair and a pair of sharp, bright eyes that seemed to be constantly sizing everyone up.
The moment he spotted Cedric, he waved from far away.
Cedric was clearly quite well-known. Thor wasn't the only one who recognized him; the Bright Family Nomads beside him greeted him too.
When they came closer, Thor said, "About your tribe's situation-"
Cedric waved one of his crutches. "All right, enough of that. I'm here for two things. The first is to see the new chief of the Red Ochre Tribe-Nawei. Come over here."
Nawei walked over and stood beside the two men.
"This is Nawei, a young man who just turned twenty-four. He helped haul goods when we were smuggling before. You might remember him.
"Nawei, this is Thor, chief of the Bright Family and an elder of the Aldecaldos."
Thor clapped a hand on Nawei's shoulder. "Not bad. And who are these people?"
Looking toward Lier and the other two, Cedric scratched his head. "Uh, that's the second thing. Let's talk inside. Dakota said she'd come over."
Thor gave Lier a meaningful glance. "All right. Let's go in and talk."
"Ever since that day, our clan's range of activity has been shrinking. There was hardly any work in the Badlands to begin with, and now we haven't had a job in a long time."
The group followed Thor. It was clear the Bright Family wasn't doing much better. They were all eating Kibble soaked in drinks.
But the people here generally looked to be in good spirits, and there was no gap between the experienced adults and