Chapter 883 - 882: Desolate
He was the Clan Leader’s confidant, so he and his family lived in the innermost part of the Tribe, where the cold wind couldn’t reach.
They also received the most food, and the Orc would drink their fill of the snow water they brought back before letting the Orcs in the middle and outer part of the Tribe have some.
Mu Li and another Orc tasked with fetching water carefully moved away the stone blocking the cave entrance, clutching the Beast Skin wrapped around their bodies as they quickly filled their baskets with snow from the entrance.
While Mu Li was filling his basket with snow, the other Orc stood on guard.
Despite the weather discouraging the Orcs from venturing out, wild animals lacking food would attack the Orc Tribe.
Even capturing just one was a rare and delicious feast.
Mu Li hefted his basket now full of snow onto his back and then he stood watch while the other Orc began to fill his basket quickly.
But their luck seemed to have run out, as howls of the Wolf Beast resonated from all around, one after another, not a few in number.
The faces of Mu Li and his companion turned pale in an instant, and he pulled up the Orc who was still crouched down in shock from the Wolf Beasts’ howls, "What are you dazing out for? Get up quickly, we need to get back into the cave."
Upon hearing this, the frozen fingers of the Orc seemed to regain their flexibility, and he swiftly hoisted his half-filled basket of snow onto his back and, back-to-back with Mu Li, they retreated into the cave.
The surrounding Forest Wolves seemed to sense their intentions and closed in quickly.
The two Orcs struggled to move the large stone enough to create a gap just big enough for one Orc to enter, with Mu Li, who carried more snow, retreating in first.
Mu Li’s disappearance, however, seemed to infuriate the Forest Wolves.
Seeing the food that was almost within their grasp disappearing right under their noses, the pack of Forest Wolves stopped waiting and lunged at the Orc who was preparing to retreat into the cave.
The Orc’s face turned instantly pale, and he quickly took off the basket from his back.
With a grip on the backpack straps, he smashed the half-filled basket of snow onto the head of the leading Forest Wolf.
The leading Forest Wolf yelped in pain, was smashed to the side into the snowy ground by the Orc, and lay twitching for a moment before falling still.
The surrounding Forest Wolves simultaneously halted less than ten meters from the Orc, their eyes filled with bloodthirsty longing.
"Awooo~ Awooo~" It was at this moment that a wolf howl, more dominant and deep than the others, resounded.
The surrounding Forest Wolves suddenly seemed to have received some command; they lowered their bodies and, with low growls, started to spread out in a semicircle, enclosing the Orc and the entrance to the cave.
It looked like they had directly surrounded the Orc.
Suddenly, one Forest Wolf moved; its crouched body leapt upward and pounced toward the Orc.
As if a start button had been pressed, the surrounding Forest Wolves launched their attacks on the Orc all at once.
The Orc used the basket in his hands as a weapon, swinging and smashing back several attacks from the Forest Wolves.
But since the beginning of the cold season, the Orc who had not been well-fed was slowly losing strength, his swings becoming slower and less powerful.
The attacks that before could kill a Forest Wolf outright, now could only knock them to the side.
Afterward, the Forest Wolves quickly rolled back on their feet and continued their assault on the Orc.
As his strength rapidly ebbed, the Orc couldn’t help feeling waves of despair. The cold season had just begun, was he going to die already?