The journey of migration was far easier than the members of the Remnant Bone Tribe had imagined.
This did not mean that the snowstorms had weakened or that the roads had become flat. On the contrary, after leaving the Ice Rift Valley, they entered a much wider snowfield, where the bone-chilling cold wind acted like invisible knives, scraping painfully against their cheeks.
It was easier because their stomachs were no longer empty.
Under Colin's orders, a portion of the three hundred Snow Giant Wolf riders were assigned to take turns looking after the safety and... food of these new subjects. Twice a day, hot meat broth and hard but filling dried meat were distributed to everyone on time.
For the members of the Remnant Bone Tribe, who had been struggling on the edge of starvation for most of the winter, the feeling of being full for three consecutive days was an almost alien, luxurious experience.
It was like a potent anesthetic, temporarily soothing the grief of losing their leader. Their eyes, initially numb and filled with sorrow and indignation, gradually shifted into a complex, submissive gaze mixed with awe and dependence.
They began to subconsciously observe the Blackwood Fortress warriors riding on the backs of the Snow Giant Wolves.
These warriors were taciturn and highly disciplined. When marching, their formation was orderly; when camping, their duties were clearly defined—keeping watch, building fires, feeding their mounts—everything was in perfect order, without a hint of chaos.
This was a world of difference from the loose, casual way of doing things in their own tribe.
Especially for Ulf, the young boy; the misery in his heart had been replaced over these three days by an even greater sense of confusion and shock. He saw a Snow Giant Wolf mount belonging to a Wolf Guard get its leg cut by a sharp icicle while marching, and the Wolf Guard immediately took off his own inner layer of warm fur to carefully bandage the giant wolf's wound, all while soothing it in a rough but gentle tone.
That kind of intimate partnership between human and beast was something he had never seen before.
Before the Remnant Bone Tribe was scattered, they had also tamed wolf-beasts (ordinary wolves), but in their eyes, wolf-beasts were merely tools, food, or things that could be sacrificed at any time.
But here, they were comrades-in-arms.
All of this was silently telling every member of the Remnant Bone Tribe that they were facing a force that was completely different from them, one far more powerful and advanced.
During this journey, Elder Nuo became the busiest person.
He followed almost constantly not far from Colin's mount, slowly extracting all the knowledge about the north from his withered brain and respectfully reporting it to this new leader.
The more he spoke, the deeper his awe for Colin grew. Because the questions Colin asked always precisely hit the mark.
"Your tribe actually had tens of thousands of wolf-people when you were young, and you even had Wolf Cavalry; I want to know the reason for your tribe's destruction..."
"What are the characteristics of the vegetation on the edge of that 'Weeping Swamp' you mentioned? Does it freeze over completely in winter?"
"In what season do human slave-hunting parties usually appear? How many details do you remember about their weapons and equipment?"
These questions far exceeded the scope of interest an ordinary tribal leader would have in a target for raiding. This was a kind of... a grand, strategic vision, like a chess player examining the board.
Nuo vaguely felt that Colin absorbing their Remnant Bone Tribe might truly be just an insignificant beginning. This young Wolf King's gaze had long since crossed this barren snowfield, cast toward the more distant and vast northern lands.
At dusk on the third day, when the members of the Remnant Bone Tribe were already exhausted and could only move their legs mechanically, Colin, who was walking at the very front, reined in his mount.
The column stopped.
"Leader, what is it?" Nuo, who was following nearby, stepped forward and asked.
Colin did not answer, only raised his hand and pointed forward.
Following the direction of his finger, Nuo and all the members of the Remnant Bone Tribe saw a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
At the end of the horizon, under a massive wind-sheltered cliff, dozens of plumes of smoke of varying thickness were rising. They gathered under the leaden-gray sky like a gray forest, stubbornly demonstrating the vitality and life here.
As the column drew closer, the full view of the Wolf God Temple slowly unfolded before their eyes like a painting.
It was situated under the surrounding wind-sheltered cliff, with simple but sturdy wooden fences and watchtowers built at the entrance. Dozens of tents sewn from huge animal hides were arranged in a way that seemed casual but was actually orderly, forming a spectacular sea of tents.
Howeve Spirit, the Remnant Bone Tribe had thoroughly become history.
And a new era belonging to them had just begun.