Even with the limited information, Ethan could tell he was facing a formidable foe. Compared to his opponent, he lacked a lot. Especially, the size of their forces.
The rough estimation of the opposing force was around two hundred to three hundred. This meant that the opposition had ten times the size of theirs.
To top it all, the enemy leader was just as formidable as Kael, if not more.
From this information alone, Ethan knew a head-on war wasn't an option. With them outnumbering them ten to one, a head-on war meant inevitable defeat.
"Isn't there something we can do to lower this handicap?" Ethan mumbled as he tried to think of counter-measures.
It had been quite some time since the scouting team had left for their mission. During this time, the wolf-kin had strengthened their defenses.
The village wall was reinforced, and more watchtowers had been added to strengthen the defense.
The village had also added new buildings, such as a Granary to store their yields, and they had also modified their barracks.
Even with the looming threat of war, the wolf-kin village was flourishing.
**** ****
"Huff! Huff!"
"Don't stop, keep on moving!"
Ragnar, a wolf-kin with an athletic build, shouted as he ordered a bunch of wolf-kin performing what seemed like a drill.
There were both males and females with their waist tied with a rope.
One end of the rope was tied around their waist, while the other end was connected to a log. These people were dragging the log under Ragnar's supervision.
Just then, a young female wolf-kin who looked like a child collapsed on the ground, unable to continue.
Ragnar rushed to her.
"What are you doing? Get up, now!"
He barked at her, his expression fierce.
The young wolf-kin before him was wincing in pain, gasping heavily. However, he didn't even look like he cared.
"I can't…"
The young wolf-kin burst into tears.
"You think the enemy would leave you just because you shed some tears? Come on, get up! Get up and fight if you want to live."
Ragnar didn't reveal a hint of mercy, his tone as commanding as before.
"I can't… sob!" The young wolf-kin had just given up. Her feet were burning with pain, and she couldn't lift even a single muscle, let alone stand and continue the drill.
The exhaustion from running laps around this massive field while dragging a log had worn her down to the core.
Running a single lap was difficult, but she had run three with her teeth gritted and feet bleeding.
Just how much more does she have to suffer?
Endurance training, combat training, coordination training…. You name it, there were all sorts of training.
From morning to noon, she had to train.
Just a few months ago, she was a normal village girl, attending to fields, helping her family members, gathering edible plants and herbs.
But now, after the interrogation, her world had changed upside down.
She had gone from a normal village girl to a full-blown warrior in training.
What was the use of girls being warriors?
She didn't understand them. She hated training. She hated the drills and the insults shot at her. She hated this feeling of getting nagged all the time.
But she couldn't do anything about it.
Just why can't she just choose whatever she likes? Why is she forced to train like this?
Even if she asked, all she was told was that it was for her own good and to protect the village from a looming force in the darkness.
"Is this how you're going to defend your friends and families? Will you continue to shed tears when the enemy attacks your loved ones? Is this how you're going to react? Think about them."
Ragnar kept shouting.
"GET UP! GET UP, NOW!"
"YOU HAVE TO SAVE YOUR LOVED ONES!"
When she heard those words, she couldn't help but imagine the helpless figure of her parents and little brother.
Their frightened expression made her heart waver.
Having experienced a coup during her younger years, she was familiar with the consequences of war. She had seen people burning, mangled corpses, people begging for mercy in the face of death.
She had seen all sorts of things that take place in a battle.
She had survived a battlefield only to be met with another one.
Thinking about their helpless figure gave her strength. She didn't want her loved ones to go through the same sufferings she had once seen.
Slowly, she pulled herself up.
Gritting her teeth, she tried to stand.
The searing pain made it difficult to stand, but she roared through the pain, forcing herself to stand.
Tears continued to roll down her face.
But something had shifted in her gaze. The once dull gaze was now brimming with resolve and determination. It was as if a fire was burning deep within.
"That's right… Stand up for your loved ones! Fight even if you can't!"
Ragnar encouraged as he pushed her.
**** ****
"Poor little girl…" Ethan couldn't help but pity her. "When you should be enjoying your youth, you are forced to train. But it can't be helped. We lack numbers. We have to use whatever we can…"
Ethan felt a pang of guilt in his heart.
To prepare for the war, he had introduced a policy.
This policy included the mandatory participation of anyone ten or older in the warrior training.
This was to prepare the youths and also to fill out the quota for warriors.
Though it sounded cruel to strip young wolf-kin of their youth, Ethan didn't have a choice. He had to do whatever he could for their survival.
The sight of this young wolf-kin struggling to endure the training was harsh. But the village didn't have a choice.
"Isn't there some other measures to overcome this situation?"
The difference in their forces still bugged Ethan. Whenever he thought about the difference in their numbers, he couldn't help but frown.
Just training this young wolf-kin alone wasn't enough.
The number of young wolf-kin wasn't enough to fill the required quota of warriors. Also, what can a few months of training even do?
At most, it'd allow them to put up a resistance.
Hence, he had to come up with a better solution if he wanted to tackle this situation.