Chapter 1238 - 1237: Battle
"Watch out!" Harry, engaged in battle, felt his body being tugged abruptly, followed by a rank stench brushing past his cheek.
Right afterward, the sharp pain on his cheek made his heart momentarily tense. Pressing his back tightly against Norz’s, he muttered, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me, Shaman. Protecting you is something every orc in the tribe should do," Norz replied gravely.
Harry let out a bitter laugh. If Norz hadn’t pulled him at that critical moment, he might already have met Lord Beast God.
Gritting his teeth furiously, Harry swung his sharp claws, charging at the desert wolf beast that had nearly claimed his life.
In the end, all fifty-plus desert wolves became the orcs’ spoils of the battle. Although none of the orcs died during the fight, a few more sustained injuries.
After gathering up all the prey, the orcs returned to the tribe, but it was already well past the evening meal.
Sank was fortunate to have evaded the desert wolf’s attack, though he acquired a deep gash on his leg.
After bringing them back to the tribe, Ji Nuan first tended to Sank’s wound, and then, together with Xiu Yan, carried healing supplies to the old Shaman’s cave.
The closer they approached the old Shaman’s cave, the clearer the stifled cries inside became.
Ji Nuan sighed softly, "As long as there’s hunting, there will be death among the orcs. It’s inevitable, but those left behind will still mourn deeply."
Xiu Yan tightened the embrace around Ji Nuan’s arm. "I’ll become stronger and won’t leave you alone," he said firmly.
Ji Nuan, warmed by his words, nuzzled against his broad chest. "We must always keep each other company."
This time, with so many tribe members injured, Ji Nuan and the others were busy tending to wounds until the early hours of the morning.
In the end, Xiu Yan carried her back to the cave to rest.
Perhaps due to sheer exhaustion, Ji Nuan slept straight into the afternoon.
Outside the cave, an unusual cheerful weather greeted them—the sun had appeared.
Ji Nuan donned her cotton clothing, draped herself in a cloak, and went to the lake with Xiu Yan to fetch water.
The lakefront was bustling today. The orcs had seized the rare fine weather to clean their prey.
As they worked, they chatted and laughed, brimming with joy over their abundant harvest.
It seemed they had left the grief over their lost tribe members behind yesterday.
In this world, where injury and death could occur at any moment, lingering in sorrow served no purpose.
Moreover, the injured orcs, after the shaman’s rituals, would join Lord Beast God. They were merely moving on to a better place.
The remaining orcs, on the other hand, devoted themselves to living in the present with all their might.
"Shaman Ji Nuan," Harry called as he crouched by the lake, rinsing a desert wolf beast.
Ji Nuan and the others had claimed none of yesterday’s prey; the Food Storage Cave was still stocked generously.
"Shaman Harry, why are you working too?" Ji Nuan teased, smiling at the young shaman before her.
Harry responded with a bitter smile, "We’re barely getting by to eat; what’s the point of fussing over this?"
With that, he turned and took a small Firebird out of the pile of prey. "This Firebird is quite small. It won’t last us many meals, so take it back, Shaman Ji Nuan."
Seeing his earnest expression, Ji Nuan didn’t hesitate. As she reached out to take the bird, however, a large, bony hand snatched it first.
The orc looked at her disapprovingly. "Cold," he stated simply.