Inside the temporary settlement prepared for them, the rabbit tribe finally began to huddle together, trying to shake off the damp cold that had clung to their fur and skin for days.
The tree houses the fox tribe offered them were simple but solid.
Inside one dim tree house, the rabbit tribe leader, Tu Yelang, sat against the wooden wall, his back straight but his eyes heavy with exhaustion he didn't dare show.
He was still a young beastman… merely 19 years old. Far too young to be carrying the weight of an entire tribe.
His hands were still trembling slightly from the cold, but his mind was elsewhere entirely; it was replaying the moment that had changed everything.
His father's last stand.
The rain had just begun then, heavy and merciless, and the ferocious sky bees had swarmed out of their nests in frenzied waves. Their stingers could pierce fur, flesh, and even bone. Their venom could weaken limbs within minutes.
