Chapter 110: The Burden Of Leadership And The Refusal!
After roasting some meat for Neve, who later had no appetite and turned away from it, Cael had to leave for the task he was given.
He and some of the beastmen had finished mapping out where and how they were going to build traps around the village to secure it from potential outcast attacks. The traps would create defensive barriers around the leopard tribe territory. They would slow down any invaders. They would give the tribe time to respond to threats.
Though, everyone knew that the traps would be partially ruined by the snow as winter continued. The ice and the cold would damage some of them. The heavy snowfall would cover others. But still, some of them would still work. Some would remain functional enough to be useful.
One of the beastmen stepped forward with a suggestion.
"We’ll have to split into groups and start with the traps," the man said. "If we work separately, we’ll be able to finish faster. We can cover more ground. We can get everything done before the worst of the winter storms hit."
Cael rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was not a bad idea. The logic made sense. But there was a problem with it.
"What if the first team sets the trap at the west and team B goes there later and gets caught in the trap?" Cael asked, looking around at the gathered beastmen. "We need to work together to know where the traps are. We need to communicate constantly so we don’t accidentally trap each other."
He paused and suddenly realized something.
There were less people gathered than there should have been. About three of them were not here. Beastmen who had been at the previous planning meeting were absent today.
Cael frowned and counted again.
"Three beastmen are not here," Cael folded his hands as he tilted his head. "Is there a problem? Are they sick? Did something happen?"
One of the beastmen stepped forward and answered quietly.
"Ah, one of them lost their last child to the cold," the man said, his voice somber. "The child could not survive the harsh winter. The other one’s house collapsed and ended up hurting his mate. He’s taking care of his injured mate right now."
Cael’s chest tightened hearing this.
"And the third one?" Cael asked.
"He left the leopard tribe," the beastman said. "He went to join another tribe that he thinks has better shelter and better conditions for winter."
Cael sighed deeply.
The problem of housing. Some of the villagers were already dying. Winter had just started and people were already losing their lives to the cold and the snow. Children were freezing to death. Mates were being injured by collapsed shelters. People were abandoning the tribe to look for better places to survive.
He clenched his fist tightly, feeling the weight of all these problems pressing down on him.
He thought about what Neve and his system wanted to do for the village. He thought about the plan they had discussed last night about convincing Soren or using the people to force change if necessary.
"I’m sure Neve would be on his way to Soren right now," Cael muttered to himself. "I hope Soren says yes to helping with the housing project. I hope he understands how urgent this is."
One of the beastmen nearby asked him.
"Did you say something, Cael?"
"No, I didn’t," Cael said quickly, forcing a smile onto his face even though his mind was heavy with worry. "Let’s start with south today. Once we finish setting traps on the south side, we can head back to be with our family. Except for the ones posted to guard today. They’ll have to stay and maintain watch."
"Understood!" they all chorused together and they began heading south, moving in formation through the snow.
.
.
In Soren’s cave, a very different conversation was taking place.
Neve stood in front of the chief, trying to remain calm and respectful despite the anxiety coursing through his veins.
"I’m afraid I can’t accept your help, Neve," Soren said, his voice firm and final.
He was fiddling with one of his chieftaincy beads in his hand, turning it over and over. The bead was intricately carved. It was a symbol of his authority. A physical representation of his power and his position.
Sorin, who had guided Neve to Soren’s cave, immediately frowned at the rejection.
"Why?" Sorin asked, his voice carrying confusion and disappointment. "Neve is offering to help. He wants to build better houses for the village. Why would you refuse that?"
Soren snapped his head up to look directly at Sorin.
"You’re not a member of the leopard tribe, Sorin," Soren said coldly. "You shouldn’t interfere in leopard tribe matters. This is not your concern."
The words were directed at Sorin, but Neve felt like they were being thrown at him as well.
Neve understood what was really being said. Soren was not just objecting to Sorin’s input. Soren was telling Neve that because Neve was not a member of the tribe, his help was not welcome either.
Neve clenched his fist on his lap, trying to keep his emotions under control.
’Of course, he wasn’t a member of the tribe so there was no way Soren would accept his help easily. But that did not make sense. Neve had already proven his loyalty. Neve had already being close with multiple leopard tribe members. Neve was carrying Cael’s cubs.’
Or maybe Soren was really scared of someone threatening his position as chief. He should not say no when someone tries to help his people, right? That was not how a good leader acted. A good leader accepted help from anyone who could provide it.
"How about I help from behind the scenes?" Neve asked, trying a different approach.
Soren raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what Neve meant.
"Behind the scenes?" Soren asked. "You mean, helping from the shadows? Working in secret?"
"Yes," Neve said, nodding. "You can take all the credit if you want. You can tell everyone that it was your idea. You can tell everyone that you were the one who came up with the solution. I don’t care about the credit. I don’t care about the attention."
Neve was being completely honest. He did not care about recognition. He did not care about fame or status. All he wanted was to help them. All he wanted was to complete the system mission so he could level up and get closer to that market in his original world.
"And how do I know you won’t go out telling everyone you’re the real mastermind?" Soren asked, his voice carrying suspicion.
He was clearly worried that Neve would expose the truth later. He was worried that Neve would embarrass him by revealing that Soren had not actually come up with the plan on his own.
"Believe me, I won’t," Neve said, placing a hand on his chest in a gesture of sincerity. "Just say yes. Let me help."
Soren was silent for several long seconds.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully, his eyes studying Neve’s face like he was looking for a flaw. Looking for a reason to say no. Looking for evidence that Neve was lying or trying to manipulate him somehow.
The silence stretched on.
Neve could feel the tension building in the cave. He could feel how much Soren wanted to refuse. How much the chief’s pride wanted to say no to outside help.
Finally, Soren spoke.
"I’ll think about it," Soren said, placing the chieftaincy bead back down in front of him. "I’ll send a messenger later today if my response is yes."
Neve felt a glimmer of hope.
"And if I see no messenger, does it mean you’re rejecting my help?" Neve asked, needing absolute clarity on what no response would mean.
"Yes," Soren said simply. "If there’s no messenger by evening, then my answer is no."
Soren leaned back in his chair, his expression becoming even more serious.
"I’m the chief of this village so I will do everything and anything to help them live better," Soren said, his voice carrying conviction. "So yes, I can be able to do it on my own without anyone’s help. I don’t need outsiders coming in and saving my people."
Neve felt Sorin tense beside him. The eagle beastman was clearly frustrated by Soren’s stubbornness and his refusal to accept help.
But Neve understood what was happening. Soren was carrying the weight of his tribe on his shoulders. He was trying to prove that he was a capable chief. He was trying to show that he could lead without needing help from anyone else. He was trying to prove his worth.
Neve stood up slowly, understanding that the conversation was over.
"Thank you for considering it," Neve said respectfully, bowing his head slightly.
He turned and left Soren’s cave with Sorin following close behind.
As they walked back toward the cave, Neve’s mind was working through everything that had just happened.
’I see. Soren is trying to carry the burden alone and is refusing any help from anyone. But how does he plan on helping them?’
The question lingered in Neve’s mind as he walked through the snow.
Soren was one man. One chief. With limited resources and limited knowledge. How could he possibly solve the housing crisis alone? How could he help all the dying villagers? How could he prevent people from freezing to death or having their houses collapse?
The answer was probably that he could not.
But pride was making him refuse the help he desperately needed.