Daylight hurriedly passed by, and suddenly it was deep night again. Campfires were lit along the extending mountain ridge, stretching for miles. More than a dozen tribes, thousands of Canine Descendants, camped openly in the mix of darkness and firelight, sleeping just like the mixed and entangled various campgrounds.
The cool moss was cold, and the evening wind was silent. In the quiet of the night, Aztec suddenly woke. Like an alert mountain cat, she abruptly sat up, looking around vigilantly, a sharp Obsidian Dagger now in her hand.
"Huh?..."
There was nothing around, only the tribes’ red-haired kin sleeping in the grass nests. During the day, the Mexica camp down the hill had conducted a grand ceremony to worship the gods, with mysterious prayers echoing all day. The tribal warriors had been vigilant all day and now were sleeping somewhat deeply. Further away, at the edge of the camp, a few vigilant scouts were scattered about, though it was unclear to which tribe they belonged.
Aztec was somewhat puzzled. She touched her forehead and did not feel sick. The young hunter girl looked around the campground again and paused her gaze.
In the dim night, a man was leaning against a short tree about a dozen steps away, almost merging with the tree. Aztec squinted her eyes and silently reached for the Hunting Bow.
"Aztec, it’s me."
A familiar voice came, and the man lifted his head, revealing a damaged left ear.
"Dad?"
Aztec was relieved. She slung the bow over her back and stood up to approach.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"I felt uneasy and woke up early."
Amoxtli furrowed his brow but kept his eyes on the surrounding mountains, as if trying to peer through the deep darkness. The instinct of a seasoned scout alerted him to the scent of danger, yet he could not pinpoint its source.
"I feel something is not right."
"Oh? Dad, I couldn’t sleep either."
Aztec wrinkled her little nose and sniffed carefully, the wind still carrying the familiar scent of Canine Descendants.
"What’s not right?"
"...I don’t know."
"Is it the spells the Mexica spoke during the day, trying some magic on us?"
"...It doesn’t seem like it. The others are sleeping deeply."
Amoxtli shook his head. Aztec was an outstanding hunter he had personally trained, with an animal-like intuition as well. Both of them sensing something off confirmed it was not mere illusion. The Red Crow Chieftain, somewhat agitated, paced a few steps. Over a hundred tribal red-haired were here, mixed with other ordinary tribes without any organization, unfamiliar with each other. The defensive wall at the back of the camp was only partially built...
Amoxtli glanced again at the flickering campfires at the back of the camp and finally made up his mind.
"Aztec, wake the warriors. I’ll take a few seasoned red-haired scouts and circle outside!"
"Okay, Dad, go and be safe!"
Aztec nodded firmly and immediately got busy.
Amoxtli did not hesitate and, taking six thousand elite red-haired, headed toward the forest at the edge of the mountains. As they passed the campfires, they greeted the dozen or so alert warriors.
"Hard work."
"Ah, where are you going this late?"
"Ate too much raw corn and insects, got a stomach ache. Going out to the woods to relieve it."
"...That many people?"
"Hmm. All feeling uncomfortable."
Amoxtli casually exchanged a few words. The firelight was dim, shadows flickering, the dozen warriors gathered in a group. The Red Crow Chieftain calmly looked over the nighttime warriors and asked,
"Which tribe are you from?"
"Red Rabbit. Our camp is just to the south."
The leader of the red-haired team replied crisply without any hesitation. He looked at Amoxtli and also asked,
"And you?"
"Red Crow."
"Red Crow?"
The firelight flickered, shadows looming. The captain’s gaze flashed and showed some agitation.
Upon hearing the question, Amoxtli explained again,
"We are a tribe that fled from the western valley, just arrived in the east not long ago."
"Oh."
The two conversed no more. As they left, Amoxtli glanced back, vaguely feeling that the captain looked familiar but couldn’t see clearly.
"Quack quack!"
Under a star-sparse moon, short-beaked crows called in the sparse woods, carrying a somewhat ominous tone. Amoxtli had not gone too far. He lay on the ground, observed the traces on the grass for a while, listened to the distant bird calls, and his heart settled slightly.
"No trace of a large group of enemies lurking... did I really fall for a Mexica spell?"
Amoxtli shook his head, reached out to grasp a handful of leaves, and smiled at his elite followers.
"Since everyone is out, let’s resolve this here... and then get a good sleep when we return."
The group, all seasoned, relaxed momentarily before briskly walking back. Soon, the nocturnal squad reappeared before them. Amoxtli habitually looked at them for a moment and then suddenly froze.
"How many were on the night watch just now?"
Amoxtli turned to look at his trusted aide beside him.
"Three palms?"
The trusted aide was unsure.
"Now there are at least five palms!"
Amoxtli narrowed his eyes, somewhat serious. The night had deepened, the darkness before dawn. How could there be so many joining the night shift when the warriors slept so soundly?
"Uh... maybe it’s their rotation time."
The trusted aide scratched his head, feeling the chieftain was being overly suspicious.
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"Everyone, draw your weapons."
Amoxtli waved his hand, took down the stone spear from his back, and concealed it behind him with one hand. The group paused momentarily to take out their weapons and then continued towards the night watch squad.
The Canine Warriors on watch seemed to have been watching them the whole time. Now, led by their chief, they too stood up, left the edge of the camp, and walked towards Amoxtli. In the dim moonlight, both parties walked closer to each other, noticing the weapons in each other’s hands and the hostility in their eyes.
"The new Red Crow Chieftain, Amoxtli?"
Seeing the stone spear in the other’s hands, Miwa grinned, showing his sharp teeth. He was holding a Hunting Bow and wore loose cloth armor with a leather armor underneath. Behind him, nearly thirty elite warriors were closing in from three sides.
"You are indeed vigilant. No wonder you could abandon us with Red Fox and escape first from the valley!"
Hostility laced Miwa’s words.
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Amoxtli warily stopped walking. He looked at his few followers behind him, then at the dim camp not far off, caught in a dilemma. He struggled to recognize the face before him, then suddenly, it clicked. Their last encounter was also just before dawn, jointly ambushing intruding Pamus Samurai.
"You are... Red Frog’s trusted aide, Miwa!"
Amoxtli grasped his stone spear and stepped back, shocked.
"What are you doing here?! Isn’t the Red Frog Tribe already..."
Speaking this, a chill ran down Amoxtli’s spine, his expression growing extremely grave.
"You dare to raid the camp risking your lives for the Cactus Tribe!..."
"Exactly. I love killing smart people."
Teeth gritted, murder glinted across Miwa’s face. He raised his Hunting Bow, ready to act at any moment.
Amoxtli’s mind raced, forcing a smile. He didn’t shout loudly to alert the camp, which might provoke the other side to act, but instead lowered his voice.
"Brother Miwa, we are both tribes of the wilderness, and we’ve both fought in the valley! On the day the Red Frog Tribe was in peril, it was I and Ivican who sacrificed our lives to save the Red Frog camp. We are old acquaintances, bound by some friendship... The Red Crow Tribe was abandoned by Red Fox as well, even losing the old chieftain. We’ve all struggled to this day, just to survive, to continue our tribes... why would you sell your life for the cruel Aztecs?"
Miwa’s expression shifted slightly, softening a bit. Amoxtli continued to persuade.
"Brother Miwa, you are a true warrior! Among the three tribes of the valley, the Red Frog Tribe is the most warlike, even having defeated the Cactus Tribe’s Great General! The Great Chief of Chichika loves warriors; I can also speak some words for you in his presence, to introduce you... if only you would come over to the Great Chief..."
"Damn! Amoxtli, I will never betray the chieftain, nor will I harm him!"
Miwa suddenly erupted in anger, cutting off Amoxtli. Amoxtli felt a chill run down his spine as he heard Miwa shout.
"The God of Death Great Chief has already prayed to the mighty Chief Divine! Divine Power controls the irresistible Thunderbolt and Fire, about to descend from the heavens! The entire Red Dog Alliance will be destroyed by the Chief Divine tonight..."
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Accompanying Miwa’s shout, four terrifying booms suddenly exploded in the valley, like the thunderbolt of doomsday!
"Ah!"
After the God of Thunder, there was a moment of silence between heaven and earth. Then, a sudden scream of terror rose within the camp for miles.
"The deity of the Cactus Tribe has descended!"
"Heavenly fire burns the mountains, the deity annihilates the world!..."
Accompanied by the sudden boiling shouts, a dozen huge fireballs rose from the Mexica camp, rolling toward the frontline camps as if invoked by a deity’s spell! Next, hundreds of Fire Arrows came, like a meteor shower tearing through the night sky. Fire Arrows fell from the sky, carelessly shooting into the vast camp, igniting countless dwellings!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Another four terrifying booms, and the entire Canine Descendants camp plunged into hysterical chaos. Countless warriors scrambled frantically, setting off a camp-wide panic that could no longer be stopped!