The tribe members cheered excitedly when they heard the news.
“Really, Chief? There’s really that much space, enough for all of us?”
“The High Priest wouldn’t lie to us.”
Yin Yao, standing to the side, quickly added, “You should thank Ah Guoguo. She was the one who discovered the cave.”
“Ah Guoguo is amazing.”
“Yes, Ah Guoguo actually found such a good place.”
“Ah Guoguo is the smartest female.”
With praise pouring out from every direction, Tang Guo stood beside Yin Yao with a faint smile on her lips, saying nothing, carrying herself with an air of aloofness.
No one found this strange. Ah Guoguo might be smart, but her personality really was prideful. Except for Aoli, she didn’t like playing with the other members of the tribe.
To the beastmen, the reason was simple. Ah Guoguo had lost her parents when she was young, and her solitary personality was a result of that. They didn’t mind.
Because of this good news, the tribe members lit a bonfire that night. By now they were used to cooking meat soup every day and were no longer so afraid of fire. Over the flames, meat from wild beasts roasted, the savory aroma spreading throughout the tribe.
In their excitement, they had already forgotten that Gaien still hadn’t returned.
As night fell, the beastmen of the Lado Tribe stood in a circle around the fire. The female beastmen wore their prettiest animal-skin skirts and their finest bone necklaces. The male beastmen wrapped themselves in the newest and cleanest hides and danced around the fire with loud cheers.
They sang together in a strange, uneven tune. It wasn’t like anything Tang Guo had heard in the modern world, nor like the songs she’d heard in some ancient worlds. These songs sounded simple, yet to sing them correctly actually required some skill. Fortunately, the beastmen seemed to have a natural understanding of such chants. Whether little beastmen or adults, all could hum along.
They celebrated until midnight before returning to their homes to rest. The Chief had said that tomorrow they would go and secure the cave, and the extra food stored in the tribe needed to be moved there as well. With only a little more than a month left until the beast tide, there was no time to waste.
The tribe members who had been worried and gloomy day after day finally entered their dreams that night with smiles on their faces.
Early the next morning, Tang Guo was woken by the noisy sounds outside. She had just opened her eyes when Aoli’s voice came from the entrance of the cave.
“Ah Guoguo.”
“Ah Guoguo, come out and help move things.”
Tang Guo went to the entrance and saw Aoli, face full of happiness, carrying a pile of dried meat. Of course, her attention was caught by the two male beastmen standing beside Aoli.
When she saw them, she was surprised. By modern standards, these two males had outstanding physiques and looks. But in this era, they were exactly the kind least favored by females.
“Ah Guoguo, these are my males. Why are you staring at them?”
Aoli pouted. “If you also want to find two, after we move, I’ll go with you to another tribe to look. But these two are already mine.” She pointed at herself, then at the two tall, handsome males beside her. “Ah Guoguo, don’t think they look thin and weak. I saw with my own eyes that the two of them together killed a wild beast in no time. They’re really strong.”
“The one on the right is called Mier, the one on the left is Mike.”
Aoli introduced them to Tang Guo, then turned to the two and said, “This is Ah Guoguo, my best friend, the smartest female beastman.”
Discover more from Lilly Translations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.