Chapter 14

As the sun set and twilight descended upon the mountains, Zoan and the others gathered at the prayer hall. The young warriors who were injured in the day's battle lay down, with their families by their sides. Gulkaka, who was tending to a young warrior wrapped in bandages, noticed Garam approaching and went to him.

"He won't see tomorrow's sunrise," Gulkaka reported. Garam didn't know what to say to the elderly Zoan couple who were with the young warrior.

"Of the eighteen young warriors who followed Gajeta, only ten returned, and among them, three, including him..."

Gulkaka's voice trailed off, but Garam understood what he meant. As Garam moved from one injured warrior to another, he saw Gajeta sitting alone by the fire at the far end of the prayer hall. His usual entourage was nowhere to be found.

"Gajeta, if you have any explanation, I'll listen," Garam said. Gajeta bared his fangs and snarled.

"There's no explanation! We fought as brave Zoan warriors to reclaim our village! You, who cower and do nothing to reclaim it, have no right to criticize us!"

"Gajeta...!"

Garam raised his arm to stop Gulkaka, who was about to attack Gajeta in a fit of rage. Gajeta continued to rant.

"If you had supported us then, we could have broken through the fence! Then the human soldiers would have been...!"

"Do you really think we could have broken through the fence if we had supported you?"

Garam's cold words left Gajeta speechless.

"That...!"

"You, a Zoan warrior, must have understood the situation then. How can you convince anyone with words you don't believe yourself?"

Gajeta, unable to counter Garam, spat and looked away. In the next moment, Garam's fist struck Gajeta's cheek, sending him flying.

"Gajeta! We need every warrior we can get. I'll let this slide for now. When this is over, I'll deal with you. Be prepared."

Gajeta's words reached Garam's back as he left with Gulkaka.

"When this is over? By then, everyone will be dead."

Even Garam was speechless.

They had already lost too many warriors. Recovering the village was already difficult, and now it was even more so. Even if they managed to reclaim the village, the next challenge would be the eight hundred soldiers from the fortress.

Garam looked up to the sky, and a warrior ran up to him.

"Chief! The messenger we sent to the Claw Clan has returned!"

"Bring him here immediately!"

Perhaps the gods had not abandoned them. Despite his doubts, Garam couldn't help but hope for the best.

The warrior who had been sent as a messenger had likely pushed himself to return as quickly as possible through the winter mountains. He was visibly exhausted and could barely walk without support from his comrades.

"Chief! I apologize for my tardiness, but I have returned!"

"Good! What did the Claw Clan say?"

The messenger knelt and touched his forehead to the ground.

"I'm sorry!"

Disappointment rippled through the Zoan people.

Garam sighed. The Claw Clan had always been a rival, even when they lived on the plains. They were likely too preoccupied with their own survival to help others.

"Don't worry. I didn't expect them to accept easily. It's not your fault."

But the messenger continued.

"Chief, the Claw Clan said they would accept the elderly and children. They are also willing to send warriors to support us if needed."

"What?!"

This was not the response Garam and the others had expected. They had heard that the current chief of the Claw Clan, Kraga Bigana Zugg, was a brutal man who only valued fighting. However, it seemed he would not abandon his own people when they were on the brink of destruction.

"But, there are conditions," the messenger added.

"Conditions?"

"Accepting the elderly and children, as well as sending warriors, are major decisions for the entire Claw Clan. Therefore, when bringing the elderly and children, the chief must visit the Claw Clan and explain the situation to them personally."

"The chief must come and beg?!"

The warriors who had been listening growled in anger.

"If begging will save our people, I will do it. But..."

Garam was the chief. If sacrificing his pride could save his people, he would do it. However, with the threat of human attack, he couldn't leave. The chief of the Claw Clan must understand this. This was likely a roundabout way of refusing.

Garam was about to give up when the messenger continued.

"There's more..."

"What?"

"If the chief cannot come, the chief's child can come in his place."

This caused an uproar among the Zoan people.

"Are you kidding, Claw Clan?!"

"How dare you suggest a replacement for the chief?!"

"They must be trying to get their hands on the child!"

The Claw Clan's intention was clear. Their true target was Shemul, the child of the Zoan people.

In the past, the Zoan clans had discussed forming a united front against the humans. However, arguments over who would lead always led to the talks breaking down. When Shemul became the child of the Zoan people a few years ago, the idea of a united front was revived. Shemul, recognized by the Zoan's revered animal god, was expected to lead all the Zoan. However, since Shemul was also the daughter of the chief of the Fang Clan, the Claw Clan feared the Fang Clan would dominate the united front and refused to attend the clan meetings, causing the idea to fade.

Recently, Garam had considered sending Shemul as a messenger to the Claw Clan. If the Fang Clan was destroyed but Shemul survived, the united front, which had been abandoned, could be realized. This would ensure the survival of the Zoan people even if the Fang Clan was destroyed.

Thinking of the Zoan people, Garam had made the difficult decision to send Shemul. However, the Claw Clan, seeing the Fang Clan's weakened state, demanded Shemul be sent to them, taking advantage of the situation.

Garam, who had already made the painful decision to send Shemul, felt a surge of anger.

You, Zugg! Can't you see the situation clearly?!

Garam mentally cursed the chief of the Claw Clan.

In the midst of the angry Zoan people, an elderly man stood up.

"I have lived long enough. I do not wish to prolong my life by sacrificing the child."

One by one, the elderly stood up and said the same.

But someone asked, "What about the children?"

The warriors could die. The elderly could die. But what about the children?

A mother holding a young child spoke softly.

"If we sacrifice the child, this child will carry that burden for life."

The Zoan were a proud race. Even if it meant saving everyone, sending the revered child to another clan would make the Fang Clan a laughingstock. The children who survived would carry that burden for life.

Voices rose from the crowd.

"Let's fight alone..."

"That's right. It's better to die with pride than to live without it!"

"Show the pride of the Fang Clan!"

"Show the humans the courage of the Zoan!"

The warriors raised their mountain knives, their spirits high. The elderly raised their fists in solidarity.

In the midst of this, the children, who didn't understand what was happening, were embraced by their mothers, who had tears in their eyes. Their fathers put their arms around them.

In this atmosphere of determination to fight and die, one person opposed it.

"Everyone, don't rush to die!"

It was Shemul.

"Warriors! Is the pride of a warrior just to fight and die? If we only fight, aren't we no different from the 'Raging Fang' Tabanunu?"

Tabanunu, a legendary Zoan warrior from the mythic era, was the strongest Zoan warrior, but he became a mad warrior after killing his friend and lover in a misunderstanding, and disappeared.

"I learned from my father, the former chief, that a warrior fights in place of the weak. A warrior's pride is hurt when they fail to protect those they should protect! That's why, that's why..."

Shemul spoke with a voice that seemed to be spitting blood.

"I will go to the Claw Clan! If they want me to bow, I will bow as much as they want! If they want me to perform, I will dance naked! If it saves even one more of our people, if it saves everyone, I will give up my pride as many times as needed!"

"Child...!"

If it were anyone else, some might have called her shameless. But Shemul was the 'Noble Fang.' Everyone knew her high pride. She was willing to accept such a humiliating demand for the sake of her people, not for herself, but for the weak who couldn't fight.

"Everyone, don't rush to die. If anyone mocks you, I will risk my life to stop them! If we will be criticized, I will stand in front of you!"

Tears streamed down Shemul's face.

"So, please, I beg you. I want everyone to live..."

Shemul's words made everyone bow their heads. The only sounds were sobs and the innocent questions of children who didn't understand the situation.

The eyes of the Zoan people naturally turned to their chief, Garam.

Chief, what should we do?

Chief, show us the way!

Garam pondered, feeling the weight of their silent questions.

What should I do? If I were just a warrior, I would have said to die with pride. But I am the chief. I am responsible for the lives of all the Fang Clan.

My words will decide the fate of everyone here.

Father, former chief, tell me what to do.

Anyone, guide me!

In his anguish, Garam heard a voice that seemed like divine revelation.

"Why don't you try to win?"

It wasn't a loud voice, but it was clear. Everyone turned to the source of the voice.

From the darkness of the mountain, someone approached the firelight.

Who is it? A messenger from the gods? A spirit of an ancestor?

Garam's eyes widened.

"Why don't you try to win?"

The one who stepped into the firelight was Kizaki Sōma, the human child Shemul had been raising.