Hearing her mother's blunt and utterly unapologetic words, Valeria froze dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Huh?!” slipped out involuntarily. In a fraction of a second, her jade-white cheeks flared with a brilliant, deep scarlet flush that burned all the way to the base of her single horn.
Furious with acute embarrassment and disbelief, she shouted indignantly, almost forgetting the presence of the ailing elder:
“Mother! You explicitly promised me earlier that you would let me choose my future wife or husband on my own terms! Besides, there is no way in hell I'm taking her as a partner! My other half must be capable of defeating me in direct, hand-to-hand combat or with a blade!”
“And exactly who among your peers across the entire Tribe could ever hope to defeat you, considering you flatten every single young hunter we have?!” Neria instantly adopted a terrifyingly stern, wrathful glare, scolding her daughter with a mix of maternal bitterness and deep regret:
“You are already nineteen years old! You are a fully mature Solaria! If you do not find a strong husband or a suitable wife soon, you will simply become too old, and no one will want you! Other women your age already have healthy three- or four-year-old children running at their heels, not to mention the other Solarias in our tribe who have birthed multiple offspring by your age!”
“I don't care! I don't want to get married or be forced to start a family right now!” Valeria declared stubbornly and fiercely, crossing her arms tightly over her flat chest.
Deep down, she absolutely refused to take some frail, helpless weakling who tripped over his own feet as her rightful spouse. She craved a true warrior of flesh and blood - a proud hunter or fierce huntress who could cleave charging Wild Beasts in the depths of the forest with a single swing of an axe.
Only then would the children born of their union enter the world tough, resilient, and capable of effortlessly awakening the Totem to become elite Totem Warriors.
“Are you truly trying to anger me to death?!”
Neria’s furious eyes widened. The sudden spike in her blood pressure and sheer rage caused the blazing, crimson pattern of her primal totemic tattoo to throb fiercely against her dusky-yellow skin, right above her heart.
“Mother, I made it perfectly clear: I want to choose my life partner myself, without your coercion!” Valeria didn't back down a single millimeter.
Even seeing her mother driven to such extreme fury that her Totemic Mark had spontaneously activated - a clear sign of combat readiness - the horned girl had absolutely no intention of lowering her gaze or bowing her head.
“You ungrateful brat… Marriage to the rightful Sharu of the clan is a sacred honor that many of the strongest in this world can only dream of in the dead of night! Why are you senselessly throwing this chance away?!” Neria roared.
Her underlying scheme was to use her own daughter to permanently bind the talented Elizabeth to their community through the unbreakable bonds of blood and marriage.
Only then would the foreign girl become a true, inseparable piece of the Blood Fire Tribe, and only then could Neria finally sleep soundly without fearing the Sharu might slip away in the night.
“I simply don't want to, and that is the end of the discussion!” Valeria sharply whipped her head to the side, staring ostentatiously at the tent wall and refusing any further negotiation.
“No one is forcing you to marry her tomorrow morning! I am merely telling you, very clearly, to establish a close, natural bond, assist her in all matters, and simply get along with her during your daily duties,” Neria began to rationalize, attempting to shift into a deceptively reasonable, measured tone.
“Mother, stop it. Don't try to play me for a fool; I know exactly how this works,” Valeria pouted heavily, jutting her lip as she recalled all the horror stories and warnings her married friends in the clan had recently shared.
What was that innocent 'establish a bond' supposed to mean coming from her?!
In our tribe, the moment two people interact regularly and spend even a little time alone, both sets of parents immediately take it as tacit consent, force them into marriage, and ruthlessly kick them out of the family shelter to establish their own household and breed!
“You little…” Neria’s eyes twitched erratically as she realized her cunning, maternal ruse had been seen through in a heartbeat and rendered entirely useless.
Seeing that the standoff between the two stubborn women was a hair's breadth away from coming to blows, the old Sharu finally decided to intervene in the bitter mother-daughter feud.
A quiet, raspy, yet warm chuckle rumbled from deep within his aching chest:
“Alright, settle down, both of you. Since she is so adamant, let us simply leave the young to sort out their own affairs at their own pace, without the undue meddling of elders.”
“Hmph!” Neria barely suppressed her boiling rage. The totemic pattern slowly faded from her skin as she turned away without a word, her steps heavy as she lifted the flap and stalked out into the cool night of the camp.
“I thank you with all my heart, wise Sharu,” Valeria smiled with deep, genuine gratitude toward the elder, offering a hasty bow before she too sprang lightly out of the stifling tent, eager to escape her mother's wrathful gaze.
“The future of our bloodline is truly uncertain and full of surprises… Haaa…” The old Sharu shook his white-haired head with a tolerant smile. Settling deeper into the soft furs, his thoughts drifted back to the days of his own turbulent youth, decades ago.
Did my own incredibly proud and fierce wife not look down on me in the exact same manner, writing me off as a useless, scrawny priest before fate ultimately bound us together?
***
At dusk, as the blood-red sun slowly dipped toward the horizon and cast long, somber shadows across the camp, a tremendous shout of wild excitement suddenly erupted from many throats amid the leather shelters:
“The Hunting Party has returned! They’re back from the hunt!”
“They sure know how to run incredibly fast…” Elizabeth muttered under her breath. Hearing the mounting uproar and the thundering of dozens of feet, she pushed aside the rough tent flap and stepped outside, immediately spotting a massive crowd of excited people rushing like madmen toward the distant hills.
At that exact moment, Valeria’s slender silhouette materialized out of nowhere right by her left shoulder.
“How was your rest in my bed?” she asked quietly, her tone perfectly nonchalant.
“…!”
Elizabeth was so startled by the sudden presence that she practically jumped in place like a spooked rabbit, barely choking back a yelp. Realizing it was just the horned girl standing right beside her with an impassive face, she shot back with mild reproach, clutching a hand to her chest:
“Do you not make a single sound when you walk on dirt?!”
“Moving in absolute silence is an essential, foundational skill for any self-respecting Warrior,” Valeria replied coolly, though the corner of her mouth twitched into a barely discernible, proud little smirk.
“So what is everyone rushing out to do?” Elizabeth quickly asked, deftly changing the subject to mask her momentary embarrassment.
“They’re rushing out to welcome the return of the main Hunting Party from the depths of the forest. Care to see for yourself?” Valeria asked.
At the mere mention of the hunt, a distinct shadow of fanaticism and martial passion flared in her predatory eyes.
“Let's go take a look. I wouldn't mind seeing their catch,” Elizabeth nodded calmly, and the two set off at a brisk pace toward the camp's edge.
From a distance, they could already see the dense throng of tribe members clustered along the main beaten path leading into the brush. Shorter individuals and children were standing on their tiptoes or climbing fallen logs just to catch a glimpse over the adults' shoulders.
“They’re here! They’re cresting the ridge!” someone near the front shouted with undisguised joy.
The news that Elizabeth had been officially chosen and consecrated by the old Sharu as the clan’s new Successor and spiritual guide had already spread through the camp like wildfire.
The moment the gathered crowd spotted her long, pale blonde hair catching the wind and her confident stride approaching, they immediately parted respectfully, bowing their heads to carve a wide, unobstructed path straight through the throng.
“…”
Valeria merely raised an eyebrow, surprised by the clan’s unanimous deference to an outsider, before silently falling into step right behind Elizabeth until they both reached the very front of the crowd, right at the forest's edge.
Gazing deep into the darkening woods, Elizabeth clearly saw the massive tree canopies shaking violently, branches snapping with loud cracks as if the entire forest wall were being brutally shoved apart by a herd of gigantic, destructive creatures.
The people around her held their breath, their eyes wide and fists clenched nervously in tense anticipation of the catch.
Mere minutes later, six exceptionally towering, muscular figures emerged from the thick undergrowth, stepping into the full light of the setting sun, their bodies slick with dried blood and sweat.
Each of these inhumanly strong warriors bore hunted beasts across their massive, hunched shoulders - creatures that were twice, if not three times, the size of the hunters themselves. From a distance, it created a surreal, incredible image, resembling diligent ants effortlessly hauling colossal stone boulders.
“Wow! Unbelievable! So impressive! They took down massive monsters again!” the youngest children began cheering loudly, jumping for joy.
“Hurrah! Look at those fangs and that fur! Those are Red Foxes, right?!” the young boys shouted in unbridled awe, dreaming of the day they could join the hunters.
“Wonderful, thank the heavens… At least our little ones won't have to starve and cry with empty bellies for the next few days,” the weary women murmured with profound relief, wiping the sweat from their brows.
“Thank goodness all our hunters returned whole and unharmed, without any casualties.” The clan elders nodded with relief, casting aside the paralyzing anxiety that had gripped them over the expedition's fate.
“…”
Elizabeth stood perfectly still off to the side with her arms crossed, not joining in the general frenzy of celebration. Instead, she closely observed the raw reactions and body language of the people around her.
Listening carefully to the spontaneous chatter, the heavy sighs of relief, and the deeply worried conversations of the clan members, she finally gained a far deeper, stark understanding of just how incredibly dire the Blood Fire Tribe's current food situation was - teetering dangerously on the very edge of starvation.