Thousands of women, elders, and young children rushed out of their warm longhouses the moment the gates slammed shut.
They surrounded the retreating warriors, their eyes wide as they searched the bloody crowd for familiar faces.
"Where is my father?!" a young boy cried out, grabbing the freezing furs of a tall warrior. "He was right beside you! Where is he?"
"My brothers... where are my brothers?" a young woman pleaded, her voice cracking as she grabbed the shoulders of passing men.
The shivering warriors could barely look their own families in the eye.
"The loud thunder from their metal sticks shattered the center of the lake. They fell in the dark water. We... we couldn't pull them out. The freezing cold was just too fast." one of the veteran warriors whispered.
"You cowards!" an old woman shrieked, falling to her knees in the snow and beating her fists against her chest. "You ran away! You left them to die in the ice! You abandoned our blood to save yourselves!"
