October came with flames that connected the sky, descending from the smoky heavens onto the Eastern Madre Mountains in the Northern Land. It was the season when vegetation withered, leaves from trees in the mountains fell, and pine needles carpeted the forest floor. Once the terrifying wildfire ignited, it rapidly spread along the mountains, carrying the momentum to devour everything!
The wildfire traveled through the mountain forests unchecked. Ozoma and Masate relentlessly led more than two thousand warriors, fleeing from the Red Monkey camp to the Red Deer camp, and then, taking along the Red Deer Tribe, escaped to the long-established main camp of the Red Dog.
The Red Dog Chieftain, Chichika, had no time to reprimand before flames, towering tens of meters high, rushed towards them. Thousands of Canine Descendants had to abandon their well-fortified main camp, leave behind their disheveled supplies, and continue their frantic escape eastward. Then, the ferocious wildfire engulfed the Red Salamander camp, burning a path of ash twenty miles long before it stopped at the turning mountain range and gradually subsided.
Here, the mountain path extending eastward suddenly turned north, merging into the main vein of the Eastern Madre Mountains. The terrain of the main vein was even steeper and more treacherous, with large areas of brown mountain rock exposed, and the forests became sparser. Further north, fifty miles away, was Pamus Valley, where tens of thousands of Canine Descendants gathered.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.
The terrifying fire finally stopped! All five tribes, thousands of Canine Warriors, collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was grimy and dusty, tormented by a psychological shadow from the fire. Amidst the devastating fire, many ordinary tribes lost morale and scattered in disarray.
Fortunately, the Canine Descendants were always fast runners with not much baggage. Each of the five great tribes gathered their scattered troops and rested in a newly constructed camp at the rear. Although this new camp was located on dangerous terrain and recently built, it was the last line of defense against the southern Allied Forces.
The leader Chichika was weary from travel but settled down in the camp. Then, he immediately took stock of his manpower and called together the chieftains of all tribes to commence the Tribal Army council.
"...So you’re saying, out of the seven thousand warriors in various camps, only five thousand have gathered here at the new camp now?!"
The Red Dog Chieftain clenched his fist, his eyes seemingly ablaze with anger. He had led nearly ten thousand warriors, all high in spirit, on this campaign! Even though the Red Dog, Red Deer, and Red Monkey Tribes had fought successively and lost more than two thousand men, there were still at least seven thousand left. Yet, after the wildfire, only five thousand warriors remained, most with low morale and in disarray as if defeated.
Hearing this, the Red Salamander Chieftain Axolotl coughed softly and lowered his voice to explain to the leader.
"Great Chief, the losses among our elite were minimal. The two thousand warriors who dispersed were mainly from regular tribes recruited for the campaign. When the fierce wildfire hit, discipline among the tribes broke down, and the tribe members were the first to flee. They ran along the mountain path and likely headed straight back to the valley."
Hearing Axolotl’s words, Chieftain Chichika’s face remained expressionless, but he unclenched his fist.
It’s worth mentioning that in the Nava language, Xiulote (Xolotl) represents the black celestial dog, symbolizing fire and thunder, death, and rebirth. However, the meaning of Axolotl refers to an aquatic salamander. These two names are quite similar. Because the salamander can regenerate limbs, it symbolizes the power of death and rebirth, thus it has also been endowed with divinity by the ancestors of Nava.
Among the tribes, the Red Salamander Tribe was the first to submit to Chieftain Chichika, hence they were stationed in the rearmost camp, in charge of logistical matters. Axolotl, who had witnessed the entire rout, was well aware of the circumstances of each tribe and remained calm. He smiled and continued.
"Great Chief, although the fire that struck was fierce, it burned in a straight line, leaving enough room for escape. Very few warriors actually perished in the fire. If you send envoys back to the valley, you can recruit them again! The food reserves in the camps are less than half a month’s stock, and the baggage is minimal; even if it was burned, it’s not a big loss."
"Moreover, this great fire has cut off the entire mountain path, holding back the southern Allied Forces for a good ten days! Perhaps the Cactus Samurai on the other side have already dispersed in the great fire. It’s currently harvest season – by the time they attack again, all tribes will have completed harvesting corn, and there will no longer be concerns about food shortages!..."
Chichika listened for a moment with a dark expression. He first nodded in agreement, then shook his head silently. Next, the Red Dog Chieftain picked up a sturdy cowhide whip and walked towards the disheartened Ozoma.
"Ozoma, do you realize your guilt?"
The Red Dog Chieftain spoke out with a voice as cold as a frigid tide.
Ozoma lifted his head, met Chieftain Chichika’s gaze, and shuddered.
"Chichika, I am not guilty! The forests in the autumn are prone to catching fire, and due to the reliance on the forests for defense, all camps were vulnerable! Although it was I who started the fire this time, causing the army’s dispersion... if the Aztecs had attacked the main camp, setting a fire in the woods, we would all have been doomed!..."
Ozoma cried out repeatedly. He had pondered these reasons for several days, finding excuses. And indeed, the locations of the camps were chosen by Chichika himself.
"Ozoma, do you realize your guilt?!"
Chichika suddenly became furious. His gaze was sharp as a knife, containing lethal intent, and he tightly gripped the leather whip, which creaked.
"I... I am not..."
Masate stealthily extended his foot and kicked Ozoma’s knee. The Red Monkey Chieftain came to his senses. He looked around the tent, saw the Red Salamander and Red Deer Chieftains mocking him without cause, and the other minor chieftains all showing dissatisfaction. Under the collective anger of the tent, if Chichika ordered his execution... Ozoma’s heart jolted, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.