“Everyone, please calm down.”
Shi Hu gestured for everyone to quiet down and listen to him finish.
“We’ve already discussed this internally, and my mind is made up.”
The crowd fell silent. Seeing that neither Mu Shi nor Yun Lu spoke, they knew that a consensus had indeed been reached internally.
They also knew that their chief was a man of his word, and further words would be futile.
But the tribe’s development couldn’t be without a chief. Where could they find someone as responsible as him?
“We’ve unanimously nominated a new chief.”
Shi Hu’s gaze fell on the Snow Fox family, his eyes filled with sincerity and earnestness:
“Feng Yan, Rong Shan, we hope you can become our new chiefs.”
The crowd gasped slightly, but quickly quieted down.
And the three tiger weasel brothers, hearing that two powerful members of the Snow Fox family were to become their new chiefs, wholeheartedly agreed. With a powerful beastman as their chief, they could hold their heads high when they went out in the world!
The Snow Fox family, suddenly called out, were stunned, with Xue Tuan being the first to react. This was understandable. In this world, a tribe with a strong chief was a symbol of power.
And Father and Mother’s successful hunt of the ferocious beast was the best proof, earning the respect of the tribe.
The worship of the strong was innate, and no one else objected, it was up to Feng Yan and Rong Shan to decide.
Looking at the expectant eyes of the beastmen, Feng Yan remained silent.
He always put his family first, so his concerns were obvious. Feng Yan turned to look at Rong Shan.
The moment their eyes met, they both suddenly smiled. They both recalled a past event:
Back then, they were nearly adult beastmen. One day, Feng Yan asked Rong Shan, “If we encounter a ferocious beast, should I fight alongside the tribe, or simply run away with you?” Feng Yan only wanted to be with Rong Shan forever, he wanted to run away with him.
Rong Shan shook his head:
“I don’t know.”
“But if you’re fighting, you should think that if you win, I’ll survive too.”
At this moment, Rong Shan’s lips curved into a slight smile, a gentle gaze fixed on Feng Yan: “Protecting the tribe is also protecting us.”
Their eyes reflected each other’s image, and they were the ones who understood each other best.
Feng Yan’s resolute face turned to the crowd, and he solemnly said, “Then, thank you all for your trust.”
“However, Shi Hu, you need to take on the role of deputy chief.” Feng Yan continued, “You’ve done a great job maintaining the tribe for so many years.”
It wasn’t uncommon for tribes to have multiple deputy chiefs, and no further explanation was needed. Shi Hu tilted his head back, his eyes wide, and after a moment, he smiled with genuine relief: “Okay!”
A cheer erupted from the crowd. A new tribe, a new chief!
Feng Yan smiled faintly, and embraced his partner tightly. Since leaving their tribe, they hadn’t considered establishing one. Now, things had spiraled out of their control, but they didn’t regret their decision.
“Chief, our new tribe should have a new name too,” An Tu said with a smile.
“I’ve heard that medium and large tribes all have their own names. Although we’ve only just begun… I really want a name too,” said the leopard beastman.
Can’t a small tribe have a name? If traveling beastmen visit in the future, he can loudly proclaim his tribe’s name.
Shi Hu, Yun Lu, and Elder Mu Shi all looked at Feng Yan encouragingly, indicating that it was up to him, the new chief, to decide.
Feng Yan thought for a moment and said, “How about we call it the Mountain and Water Tribe? We hope our tribe will never lack food.”
Xue Tuan was delighted with the name, what a simple and unpretentious name! He liked it!
The last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the distant mountains, leaving only the flickering light of the campfire dancing in the cold wind.
Witnessed by the starlight and the bright moon, the Mountain and Water Tribe completed its chieftainship handover ceremony.
There was no altar, no tokens, and not even a stone brazier.
But everyone believed that in the future, they would all possess these things.
A small bonfire party was held to celebrate their new life. Tomorrow, as the sun rises, they will embark on a busy new chapter.
The warm fire illuminated the small world, and many cubs transformed into their animal forms, running and weaving among the adults. The cubs leaped and tumbled freely on the flat ground, their furry figures appearing adorably hazy in the night.
The cubs longed to rush over and play with the snow fox’s young cub, but were stopped by another little white fox.
To prevent Xue Tuan from being knocked away by the rampaging cubs, Bing Qiu pounced on any cub that charged without slowing down, then waved its paw left and right: “No way!”
Xue Tuan nestled comfortably against the little black lion with plenty of food laid out on a nearby animal skin.
Now that his brother wasn’t around, the little black lion was quickly becoming his other personal furry cushion—warm, comfortable, and easy to pet. Xue Tuan, munching on a crisp, sweet fruit, assumed its brother Bing Qiu was playing with the cubs, and watched the fluffy bunch huddled together with delight.
Chong Yan lay beside Xue Tuan, his eyes occasionally glancing at it casually. He had never known that simply lying down could bring so much joy. The little ball of fur would feed him and even offer to give him a “massage.” Chong Yan wagged its tail, letting out a contented whimper.
The laughter of the beastmen and the playful sounds of the cubs mingled together, creating a uniquely warm and lively atmosphere at the bonfire party.
At dawn, the first rays of sunlight bathed the mountains and forests. The morning dew had not yet dried, but Feng Yan had already led the tribe to work.
Last night, some slept in tents while others squeezed several families into a cave. The beastmen strongly “demanded” that the Snowfox family could have their own small cave, and Feng Yan and the others accepted their kindness without further hesitation.
When the weather is good, living in tents is fine, but it’s not so good in strong winds, rain, or snow.
During this special period, everyone has decided to first carve out several large caves where close families can share one. They also need a few more caves for the beastmen to use for labor. With everyone working together, they’ll be able to finish them quickly.
Feng Yan: “Everyone, work hard these next few days to carve out the caves first, and we’ll take our time with the rest.”
“Yes, Chief!” The beastmen were eager to get started.
Xue Tuan noticed that the beastmen were quite particular. They chose a southeast-facing cave entrance, which would avoid the biting winds of the cold season and allow them to receive morning sunlight. The cave locations were also chosen to be slightly higher than the ground, preventing water accumulation during rain.
With the locations chosen, the entire tribe mobilized, with both beastmen and sub- beastmen using their respective skills.
Two giant snow foxes and a saber-toothed tiger stood at the head of the group before the rock face. They raised their forelimbs, and their sharp claws slashing down fiercely at the hard cliff!
“Boom!” Rock shattered, and debris flew everywhere.
All the beast-like creatures moved at once and began to work!
Xue Tuan stayed with the younger cubs. He directed them as they worked, cleaning the snow to prepare ginger water for the adults to drink while they rested.
Xue Tuan tried to slice the ginger his older brother had dug up with his small bone knife… but he lacked the strength, and the knife was snatched away by Bing Qiu after only a small incision: “Stop, stop, let me do it!”
Bing Qiu panicked when he saw Xue Tuan with the knife and quickly pushed him aside to do it himself.
“Okay~” Xue Tuan responded, his eyes glued to the rock face. So many giant beastmen…
A tall, adult sun bear was digging furiously with its claws, leaving deep cracks in the rock face.
When they encountered particularly hard rock, the toothed mole beastmen would step in. Toothed moles weren’t large, but they possessed teeth as hard as iron, perfectly suited for gnawing on rock.
The toothed mole let out a low growl, opened its mouth wide, and bit into the rock. Instantly, the once-solid stone shattered, making it easier for the sun bears to continue digging.
On the other side, the giant pangolin beastman stood up. He was covered in armor, and his beady eyes shone brightly. The giant pangolin beastman took a few steps back to gather strength, then suddenly charged forward!
“Bang—” His hard head slammed into the rock face like a giant hammer, instantly shattering the rock and spreading cracks. The giant pangolin shook its head, brushing off the sand, and retreated to its original position, preparing to continue its charge.
As the cave carved out by the giant beasts grew deeper, the slender, curled-tailed weasels swiftly darted into the cave. Their agile limbs grabbed the scattered rocks, instantly forming a ball, and they rolled out of the cave at lightning speed.
“Wow.” Xue Tuan hadn’t expected such an adorable way of carrying things. However, their rolling and carrying efficiency was indeed very fast, and much less strenuous than the humanoid way of walking in and out.
The first small pot of ginger water was almost ready. Xue Tuan wanted to invite the cubs to try it first.
“Where’s the little black lion?”
Noticing that one of the furry creatures was missing, Xue Tuan searched for the little black lion, Chong Yan.
“Huh?”
He saw Chong Yan standing in front of another uncarved section of the stone wall.
Author’s Note:
Most of the animals appearing in this story span time and geography, combining fantasy and reality. To facilitate imagination, some animals have names similar to those in reality, there is no intention to offend animal rights activists.
Thank you for the support, everyone! Thanks for reading! [heart]