Chapter 216 - 215, Hope _1
Ji Nuan’s eyes shone instantly. She had had a hunch about the germination of the crispy sweet fruit today, and she never thought it would actually happen.
"How much longer then?" Ji Nuan was a bit excited. Eneru Forest was bare during the winter; everyone just stayed within the tribe. She truly missed the days of gathering during the hot season.
Grandma Shaman laughed and said, "The rainy season will arrive in about two weeks."
Her eyes were filled with longing for the new year’s life and a sigh of relief for surviving another winter.
In roughly two weeks, the cold season would be over.
This news spread like wildfire, reaching every Orc family in an instant.
A lot of orcs who were almost out of food heaved a sigh of relief.
The rainy season, the season of hope.
"Although the end of the cold season is great, it also means more ferocious animals from the depths of Eneru Mountain will come out to hunt for food. Our situation may become more difficult," Clan Leader Ge Xing said, wiping away food crumbs from his mouth.
The joy in Ji Nuan’s heart was doused halfway. Yes, during the transitional period of the rainy season, predators would invade the Orc Tribe even more. In that case, the safety of the tribe would become a major issue.
"The weather is starting to warm up now. Let the orcs go out and deepen and widen the trenches outside the city wall as much as possible to try and stop these predators there."
Although Ji Nuan had never seen a beast tide with her own eyes, the number of orcs killed by annual beast tides had become uncountable. In her years living in Cub Cave, every year after the rainy season, there would be cubs who had lost their fathers or even mothers brought to the cub cave.
Leaving Grandma Shaman’s place, Ji Nuan went around every corner of the tribe holding Xiu Yan’s long hand. She looked at her first home, where she settled and established herself. The cave that had not been inhabited by beasts for a very long time was filled with a damp air, missing the scent of food, and seemed extraordinarily deserted.
Suddenly, Ji Nuan stopped in her tracks and tilted her head to look at the towering orc beside her. "Brother Xiu Yan, if we migrated during the rainy season, would it be possible?"
Xiu Yan lifted his deep eyes and looked at the little female cub’s delicate face. A smile was evident on his lips. "If you wish it, nothing is impossible."
Even though she was pleased, Ji Nuan still pouted slightly. "I’m serious. Would it be dangerous if we migrated during the rainy season?"
Xiu Yan pondered for a while and answered, "If it were before, it would definitely be better not to migrate. However, since there are so many beasts this year, migrating during the rainy season might be safer. At the very least, the beasts with long fur won’t come out during the annoying rainy season, and our pressure would be much less."
Ji Nuan was overjoyed. She thought of the vast prairie she was looking forward to, the endless fields, and the herds of livestock. The smile on her face was like the noontime sun, warm and inviting.
···
The first rain finally arrived on the third day of the two weeks. The heavy rain pouring down from the sky woke Ji Nuan from her sleep. She quickly put on her beast skin clothing and looked out the window.
In the pitch-black night, only the sound of rain could be heard. The rainwater was pouring on the roof, the eaves, and the ground, mixed with the voices of the orcs. The night instantly became lively.
"Huh?" A chubby cub made a puzzled sound from the bed. Ji Nuan walked over, picked him up, wrapped him in a piece of beast skin, and returned to the window. "It’s raining..."