Chief Darius already knew by now that this was the plan of the tree tribe people, they knew they could never win the hippo tribe in a head-on battle so they used underhanded methods, he felt greatly wronged by this, however he needed to escape and find somewhere to hide as he waited for the effects to wear off so he forced his legs to move and ran into the dense foliage of the forest leaving his men behind without a sparing a thought for them, in his mind these beastmen were dead weight, obstacles that would only drag him down to his doom, he needed to leave before the tree tribe people arrived, moreover the smoke was starting to dissipate.
He was barely gone more than a few minutes when the tree tribe beastmen emerged from the tree line. To protect themselves against any lingering residue of the poison, they wore thick, wet beast-skins securely tied across their noses and mouths like primitive masks. As they stepped out and crossed the riverbank, the sight that greeted them was almost surreal. Hundreds of towering, terrifying Hippo Tribe beastmen lay helpless and haplessly scattered across the mud, unable to lift so much as a finger.
Without hesitation, the warriors fanned out, beginning the grim task of eliminating their mortal enemies one by one. Many of the paralysed hippo warriors died with genuine tears streaming down from their eyes as they couldn't even speak to beg for their lives, let alone raise a weapon in defense. Shedding silent, helpless tears was the only thing left to them.
but the Tree tribe beastmen showed no mercy whatsoever, If not for Ava's ingenious idea to use the toxic spiked horn grass to subdue the enemy, would the Hippo Tribe have ever spared them?
Just moments ago, weren't they boasting and talking about how the beastmen who killed the highest number of tree tribe males would be awarded with a female of their choosing as a breeder-mate, females who could have been their sisters, daughters or mates and now they want to shed crocodile tears in hopes of being pitied.
It was infinitely better to slaughter them in the mud than to wait for them to regain their strength and mobility, if that happened then the tree tribe males would be the one to die without having a chance to beg, also If the tables were turned, the tree tribe males would have been butchered without even being granted the dignity of a plea.
In the beast world killing in this manner might be considered dishonourable by some but who cares about that, in the end, the one who survives is the winner. Besides, this wasn't just about individual pride, if it were just their lives on the line it would be a different case, the lives of their sisters, mates and precious cubs were on the line, Even if the enemy spared the females they would definitely not spare the male cubs who would either be ruthlessly killed or sold off into lifelong slavery.
As the last of the paralyzed invaders was dispatched, a quick sweep of the battlefield revealed a glaring omission: Chief Darius was nowhere among the slain.
Amon immediately stepped up to coordinate a systematic search, his sharp wolf senses instantly scanning the perimeter. He issued a stern warning to the eager warriors, reminding them that although Darius was still heavily weakened by the poison, a wounded, cornered apex predator remained lethargically dangerous. "Do not engage him alone in single combat," Amon commanded, his voice carrying over the clearing. "If you locate him, do not fight him head-on. Just let out a sharp howl to signal your position and wait for backup!"
With great enthusiasm, all the warriors scattered, dispersing into disciplined hunting groups to scour the surrounding forest, narrow canyon exits, and every hidden places where a desperate beastman might seek refuge, never in their wildest most fevered dreams had they imagined they could so effortlessly and easily take down those towering hippo tribes men.
A surging wave of profound admiration for Ava washed over every single one of them. She truly was a miraculous messenger sent by the Beast God; how else could any mortal mind transform a catastrophic and hopeless situation into such an overwhelming, bloodless victory?
Only hours before, they had been gripped by a suffocating dread, as they thought today would be the day the tree tribe fell but just like that the situation changed in their favour, All that remained to secure their absolute peace was to take down the hippo chief because as long as he was alive the tree tribe would never truly be safe, A fiercely prideful man like Darius could never swallow the bitter pill of such an humiliating defeat; he would inevitably scheme, gather reinforcements, and try something catastrophic sooner or later.
Meanwhile, back within the safety of the fortified village walls, news of the slaughter of hippo tribe warriors had already reached the people of the tree tribe who were no longer hiding as the lockdown was lifted, and the village square buzzed with a vibrant, nervous energy.
A few of the braver females and energetic cubs had ventured out into the open air. The little ones darted around each other in a game of tag, their innocent laughter piercing the lingering tension while the females were discussing and rejoicing about the tribes victory and how the Great chief Darius even had to flee from the warriors of the tree tribe village for fear of death.
Kael was among the very first to receive the detailed report at the gates. Surprisingly, a faint trace of disappointment flickered across his strikingly handsome features; he was a little bit bummed out that he hadn't even been given the chance to swing a weapon or engage in any real battle before it was already completely over. For a brief moment, he pondered on whether he should leave his post and scour the woods for Darius himself, knowing his tracking instincts would make him far more efficient at hunting the fleeing chief down. But he quickly banished the thought. He refused to take any unnecessary risks that might pull him away from Ava's side. If Darius managed to slip past the outer patrols and sneak into the village while he was out the consequences would be unthinkable. He would rather let chief Darius escape than take any risk that could cause or bring harm to Ava.
As Kael stood meditating on these thoughts, a steady stream of Tree Tribe beastmen began returning through the newly reinforced gates. They were all grinning widely, hauling a massive bounty of bone and stone weapons, thick furs, and various high-value trinkets looted directly from the corpses of the fallen hippo warriors. They looked thoroughly satisfied with their hard-earned spoils.
Upon reaching the gate where Kael stood sentry, they paused to offer respectful, enthusiastic greetings. They excitedly recounted how Amon had organized the search parties and reiterated the protocol: whichever group found the fugitive chief was to let out a piercing howl to summon the rest.
As if on cue, a sharp, distant howl suddenly echoed from the western ridge.
An instant, freezing aura of pure, murderous intent emanated from Kael's body, causing the returning warriors nearby to shudder violently with goosebumps. Without even turning his head to look back at them, Kael issued a low, commanding order: "Secure the perimeter. Guard the tribe, and let no one lower their guard until the absolute confirmation of Chief Darius's death reaches these gates."
The victorious beastmen gulped hard, suddenly struck by a profound wave of pity—not for their own people, but for the doomed Hippo Chief who had somehow managed to draw the absolute ire of the clan's deadliest member.
Deep in the dense thicket of the lower forest, Chief Darius had fully reverted to his massive, lumbering hippo beast form, desperate to tap into his brute physical strength to outrun his pursuers. But to his absolute horror, he found himself suddenly cornered from every conceivable angle. No matter how many tree tribe beastmen he managed to head-butt out of his path or trample beneath his heavy feet, an immediate replacement stepped forward to fill the gap.
With every passing second, more and more warriors—some shifted into their ferocious beast forms, others lunging with agile human speed—were converging upon him from the shadows. They rained a relentless hail of razor-sharp spears down upon his thick hide, while others darted close to claw and bite relentlessly at his ankles and heels whenever an opening presented itself. He was being battered and swarmed from all sides simultaneously.
[If that accursed, poisonous smoke hadn't crippled my stamina and sapped my core energy, none of these insignificant insects would even dare to stand in my presence], Darius roared internally, his lungs burning with acid.
He understood with terrifying clarity that his vital energy was rapidly depleting. If he lingered a moment longer, he would be buried under a mountain of tooth and claw. Gathering every last ounce of his remaining cultivation and primal fury, he unleashed a full-body burst of raw strength, violently shattering the encircling ring of fighters and rocketing out of the trap.
Stumbling forward, Darius forcibly shifted back into his human form, his clothes torn to shreds and his body covered in bleeding gashes. He spun around, leaning against a massive oak tree as he glared back at the approaching pack of enemies with venomous hatred.
"Cowards!" Darius bellowed, his voice cracking with desperate rage. "As soon as I leave this cursed place, I am going to march straight to every single surrounding tribe! I will broadcast the secret of your hidden salt mine to the entire region! Let's see how long your little paradise survives when you face a combined, unholy assault from every ferocious clan within a hundred miles!"
Amon, who had just dropped his wolf form and reverted to human shape a few paces behind the front line, stared at the retreating warlord with cold finality. As expected, Amon thought grimly, [a rabid dog like Chief Darius can never be left alive.]
Raising his arm, Amon roared out the final command: "After him! Do not let him escape into the mountains!"
Darius threw his head back and let out a harsh, barking laugh, reveling in the sudden spike of absolute fury reflected in their eyes. In his frantic mind, his escape plan was already set: as soon as he left here he wont immediately return to his tribe, Instead, he would make a direct pilgrimage to the neighboring clans, and tell them about the salt mine, then invite them to visit his tribe so they would discuss and plan a massive, multi-tribe coalition to wipe this insolent tribe off the continent once and for all.
Filled with this malicious vision of ultimate vengeance, Darius whipped his head back around to face the path ahead, sprinting eagerly toward freedom.
The very last thing his eyes ever registered was the colossal, terrifying head of a giant blue serpent bursting out of the canopy overhead. Its massive maw was split wide open, lined with rows of gleaming, razor-sharp fangs, and he was running directly and helplessly into its wide open mouth head first.
He saw it happening and his brain processed the sudden, lethal ambush but his poisoned, sluggish reflexes were utterly incapable of reacting in time. With a sickening, lightning-fast snap, the serpent closed its massive jaws down over his entire head and neck. A clean, decisive crunch echoed through the trees, severing Darius's head instantly from his muscular body.
Amon, along with the dozens of tribal warriors and elite hunters who had been charging close behind in hot pursuit, slammed to a sudden, dead halt. They stood frozen in absolute, dumbfounded shock. The entire execution had played out in less than a single breathless minute. Not a single one of them had heard, seen, or sensed Kael approaching from the blind spots of the forest.
And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the war was over, and the lingering threat to their tribe was permanently eradicated.
For a heartbeat, the forest was deathly silent. Then, a wild, ecstatic roar of triumph broke out among the warriors, their voices blending into a chorus of victorious howls that echoed across the valley.
Kael, however, didn't bother to join in the celebration or bask in the adulation of his peers. He simply turned his back on the headless corpse of the Hippo Chief, adjusted his posture, and began walking with steady, purposeful strides back toward the heart of the village.
He had missed his Ava terribly through the long hours of tension and battle, and right now, he had only one pressing priority: he needed her warmth, her smile, and her safe embrace.