Wolf Tracks in the Northern Lands

North of the outer perimeter of the Great Boulder Tribe's territory, the distant mountains were barren, like a row of silent giants. The sky was gray, and the sun hid behind the clouds, occasionally peeking out before quickly retreating. Xueya, riding on his black dwarf horse, looked at this somewhat desolate land, and an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

Two months have passed. Since being driven out of the north Valley Tribe of the Big Horse River by the people of the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost, they have been traveling north, stopping and starting, hiding and running, and have finally arrived here. This place is located north of the outer edge of the Great Boulder Tribe's territory, and even further north of the Bear Tribe! The Great Boulder Tribe is about fifteen days away from the Bear Tribe. This place is far enough away from the Valley Tribe and the Fire Tribe that they don't have to worry about being hunted down for the time being.

But a fire burned within him. Two months ago, he and his brothers had finally managed to gain a foothold on the Big Horse River, slaughtering two small tribes and seizing some food and supplies. Just as things were starting to look up, the Valley Tribe arrived. Three hundred cavalrymen, all armed with bronze weapons and finely crafted leather armor, were well-trained. The Wolf Tribe was no match for the Valley Tribe's cavalry, and they could only flee in disarray.

"Leader."

A voice rang out, Xueya turned around to see Yexiao! Behind him were Xueshou and Duzhu.

The three walked over and sat down next to Xueya. Yexiao's expression was somewhat solemn, Xueshou looked anxious, and Duzhu was calm, but there was also anxiety in his eyes.

Yexiao was the first to speak, "Chief, the supplies we looted on the Big Horse River are almost gone. The brothers have been suppressed for so long; if we don't make a move soon, their morale will be ruined."

Xueya remained silent, gazing into the distance. Xueshou, unable to contain himself any longer, cried out urgently, "Brother, we can't wait any longer! Yexiao and I have thoroughly investigated the situation near the Great Boulder Tribe. The Great Boulder Tribe has six thousand people, along with five affiliated tribes, each with over a thousand members. The other smaller tribes are all only a few hundred people each."

He paused, his eyes gleaming, and said, "Apart from the Great Boulder Tribe, which has some bronze weapons, the other tribes don't. These are precisely the tribes our Wolf Tribe will target!"

Yexiao nodded and said, "Chief, our Wolf Tribe has been lying low for so long, and we've roughly figured out the situation here. It's time to move! The large tribes downstream of the Fish River all have bronze weapons, which our Wolf Tribe Wolf Tribe n't handle right now, but those smaller tribes can replenish our supplies."

The Duzhu opened its mouth, its voice high-pitched.

"Two months ago, we were on the Big Horse River. We didn't expect the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost to react so quickly. They sent elite Wolf Tribe suffered a loss. But there aren't any large tribes here, so our Wolf Tribe can develop properly."

Xueya was silent for a while. He recalled the battle two months ago. The Valley Tribe's three hundred cavalrymen all had bronze weapons, and their leather armor was also very good. Although the Wolf Tribe brothers were brave, their weapons and armor were inferior, so they could only fight and retreat. Although they escaped in time, they lost several brothers in that battle.

Now, he has less than a hundred men left. In the past, when the Wolf Tribe was at its peak, it had thousands of warriors and was incredibly powerful. Now, he has less than a hundred men. He took a deep breath and suppressed these thoughts.

"Brothers, you must be getting restless these days, right?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

The three exchanged a glance without speaking. Xueya stood up, looked into the distance, and said, "Tomorrow, I'm taking the brothers out to let loose. You guys go and get ready."

The three men's eyes lit up, and they replied in unison, "Yes!"

Watching their departing figures, Xueya silently thought to himself, "The Wolf Tribe will not perish!" The next morning, before dawn, Xueya led his men on a journey. More than ninety Wolf Tribe warriors, riding ponies, silently crossed the wasteland. Their target was a small tribe on the outskirts of the Great Boulder Tribe — the Mud Tribe.

The Mud Tribe had only about two hundred people, with fewer than forty able-bodied men. To the Wolf Tribe, such a tribe was like meat delivered right to their mouths. At dawn, the Mud Tribe's camp appeared before them. It was a simple camp built on a gentle slope, with dozens of thatched huts and wooden houses scattered among them. There was only a low wooden fence around the perimeter. Smoke was just rising, and some people were cooking.

Xueya, mounted on his horse, looked at the unsuspecting tribe with a cold smile.

"Xueshou, you take your men and go around to the left. Yexiao, you take your men and go to the right. Duzhu, you take your men and stay outside. Don't let them escape."

The three men obeyed and left. Xueya, leading the remaining men, slowly approached from the front. As the first rays of sunlight shone into the Mud Tribe camp, Xueya drew his bone sword and shouted, "Kill!"

More than ninety Wolf Tribe warriors, like demons emerging from the earth, stormed into the Mud Tribe's camp. Many Mud Tribe members were awakened from their sleep; some screamed, some cried, and some grabbed their weapons to fight back. But forty able-bodied men were no match for the more than ninety ferocious Wolf Tribe warriors.

In a single exchange, more than a dozen young men were cut down. The remaining men fled desperately, but after only a few steps, they were intercepted by the Wolf Tribe warriors who had flanked them from both sides. Screams, cries, and pleas for mercy filled the air. Xueya, mounted on his horse, watched all of this with indifference.

In less than half an hour, all the able-bodied men of the Mud Tribe were cut down. The elderly and children were not spared either, falling one after another into pools of blood. The remaining dozens of young women were driven together, trembling. Their fate was even more tragic. The warriors of the Wolf Tribe pounced on them like hungry wolves, tearing at their clothes. Cries, screams, and savage laughter echoed in the morning air.

Soon after, Xueya emerged from the largest wooden house in your tribe, a satisfied smile on his face. The two women from the Mud Tribe had served him well. He had been living a miserable life lately, without even a decent woman. Today, he finally had a good chance to vent his frustrations. He stood at the door of the wooden house, looking at the few Xiaotou lining up outside.

He smiled and said, "You all did a great job today, go inside and relax!"

The Xiaotou' eyes lit up, and their faces flushed with excitement as they said, "Thank you, Chief!"

They rushed in, and soon came the heart-wrenching screams of a woman. Xueya stood at the door, listening to the sounds, his face expressionless. There weren't many young women in the Mud Tribe, not enough for the ninety Wolf Tribe warriors. According to the old rules, they lined up, with those of higher rank and those who had made the most contributions going first, and the others going to the back.

The Wolf Tribe warriors ravaged the Mud Tribe until noon before finally calming down. After eating and drinking their fill and venting their anger, the Wolf Tribe warriors sat around the campfire in twos and threes. The familiar ferocity returned to their faces. Xueya watched all this and felt a surge of pleasure in his heart. The thrill of plundering had returned.

"Leader!"

Xueshou strode over, his face full of excitement, followed by Yexiao and Duzhu, both with smiles on their faces.

Yexiao laughed and said, "Chief, the spirit of our brothers is slowly returning!"

Xueshou nodded repeatedly, saying, "Brother, let the brothers vent their anger a few more times, and our soldiers' morale will be back to normal!"

The Duzhu chimed in, "Although this Mud Tribe isn't large, it's far more well-off than the tribes over at High Pointed Mountain."

Xueya nodded, watching the soldiers organizing supplies, and pondered his next move.

"We did a good job this time, with minimal losses and not a single person escaped!" He paused, a cold glint in his eyes. "The tribes downstream of the Fish River are much wealthier than those on our side. The smallest tribe here has at least a hundred people."

He stood up, walked to the fire, and drew several circles on the ground with a twig.

"Our operation was swift and covert, precisely to quickly boost the morale of our brothers. Now that the Mud Tribe has been captured, the nearby Gray Tree Tribe and Yellow Pear Tribe are our targets."

He looked at the three men, his tone turning fierce, and said, "These two tribes only have about two hundred people each, perfect targets for us to practice and vent our anger on. We'll take down the Gray Tree Tribe tomorrow, the Yellow Pear Tribe the day after, and after dealing with these two, we'll move on to the next step."

Xueshou, Yexiao, and Duzhu responded in unison, "Yes!"

That evening, the Wolf Tribe set off. More than ninety warriors and over a hundred horses carrying supplies silently crossed the wasteland. As darkness fell, they arrived near the Gray Tree Tribe. Xueya ordered his men to rest in seclusion in a grove of trees not far from the Gray Tree Tribe's camp, forbidding them from lighting fires or making any noise. The Wolf Tribe warriors took out their rations and ate them silently with some cold water.

Yexiao approached and asked in a low voice, "Chief, how do we fight tomorrow?"

Xueya gazed at the distant camp and slowly said, "Same as always, we'll make our move at daybreak. Xueshou will lead the men from the left, you lead the men from the right, and I'll lead the men from the front. Duzhu will guard the outside; don't let them escape."

Yexiao Owl nodded and turned to make arrangements. Xueya leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and instead of sleeping, he mentally went over tomorrow's battle again and again. The Gray Tree Tribe, with about two hundred people, less than fifty of whom were able-bodied, was unprepared and lacked decent weapons. To his Wolf Tribe, such a tribe was nothing more than meat on a chopping board.

As dawn broke, Xueya opened his eyes.

"Stand up."

More than ninety warriors, like ghosts emerging from the ground, silently crept towards the Gray Tree Tribe's camp.

"Kill!"

Xueshou and Yexiao led their men in from both sides, while Xueya led his men in a frontal assault. Many members of the Gray Tree Tribe were still asleep when they were slaughtered. In less than half an hour, the battle was over. Except for a few dozen young women, all the other members of the Gray Tree Tribe were wiped out.

The Wolf Tribe warriors vented their anger again and replenished their ranks. Xueya stood in the center of the camp, looking at the women kneeling on the ground with no pity in his eyes. This world was like this: the strong prey on the weak.

When he was weak, he was chased and forced to flee everywhere. Now that he is strong, it is time for others to flee. At dusk, the group set off again. This time, Xueya and his men's target was the Yellow Pear Tribe. The same tactics and the same massacres continued to occur.

When the last able-bodied man of the Yellow Pear Tribe fell in a pool of blood, Xueya rode on his horse, looking at the mountain of corpses, and a surge of pleasure welled up in his heart. Three days, three tribes, five or six hundred lives, his Wolf Tribe had come back to life!