More than 10 wolves broke through the encirclement and charged straight towards the fence where the group of archers stood. In a dire situation where the archers couldn't shoot arrows because the targets were too close, Minh Vu anticipated this immediately and shouted loudly,
"Archers, use spears!"
Immediately, the group of 11 hunters dropped their bows, grabbed a spear each from their sides, and prepared for the incoming attack. Klu, leading the charge, faced a large, ferocious wolf leaping towards him.
The snow wall was only 2 meters high, but these wolves could jump up to 2.5 meters. However, Klu was not one to be easily intimidated by hungry wolves.
He roared loudly, thrusting his spear without hesitation straight through the wolf's chest. The wolf howled in agony, blood splattering all over Klu.
"Hooah! Hooah!" Klu shouted triumphantly, like a wild beast celebrating victory over its prey.
Klu's fighting spirit ignited the hunters' group, and it had been a long time since they had such a bloody battle. The daily routine of hunting animals had become mundane.
Fighting a large wolf, ending its life with his own hands, gave him a strangely exhilarating feeling. Sensing its life slipping away, the large wolf let out a pitiful howl, its cries filled with agony and despair.
Feeling the loss of its companion, the wolves' demeanor suddenly turned somber. The ferocious aggression from earlier faded away. Instead, they stopped advancing and stared menacingly at the people standing on the tall wall.
On this side, the Klu's group quickly finished off the remaining wolves leaping onto the wall, as well as the injured ones lying on the snow, blood staining the ground, like punctuation marks on the pristine snow.
"Woowwww!" a long howl echoed, and the remaining wolves didn't rush to attack anymore. Instead, they slowly retreated into the darkness, where shadows still loomed, leaving only eyes filled with hatred.
Seeing the wolves retreat, Minh Vu felt a slight sense of loss. Their fur, their meat, their potential as medicine, their weapons...
Though he felt regret, Minh Vu knew that if the wolves weren't scared off and kept sacrificing themselves, launching two more waves of attacks, the tribe would suffer bitter consequences, with injuries, and even deaths from the sharp claws of the wolves.
In contrast to Minh Vu, Klu's group was full of bloodlust. They howled like wild beasts, their roars echoing across the area.
Orc was the first to leap down, intending to bring back the spoils of war. However, Minh Vu immediately stopped him.
The wolves had just left, and there was a possibility that they were lurking in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to attack and slaughter the tribe.
While other species might not pose such a threat, wolves were different. They were extremely intelligent and should not be underestimated, despite their cold-blooded and savage nature. They would seek revenge.
Leaving Luc, Xem, Orc, and Ashi to continue their defensive duties, the rest returned to the stone cave to report safety to everyone.
Back inside the cave, everyone was amazed to see Klu holding a wolf's head in his hand. This predatory beast was the nightmare of the entire Stone Tribe living in this territory.
Another round of howls echoed through the cave. Minh Vu felt a headache with this tribal ritual, but he knew it was a sacred tradition he couldn't interfere with. As long as there were alternative actions in the future, he wouldn't have to endure such headaches.
The spirits of the entire tribe were stirred up. Vu immediately cut off the wolf's head, leaving blood dripping but held it with reverence. He raised the wolf's head towards the central pillar in the highest part of the cave.
Without asking, everyone knew what Vu intended to do. Minh Vu felt a bit disgusted by Vu's ritual, but he understood that spirituality was a matter that couldn't be erased even in modern times. He wouldn't eliminate it, but he would try to eliminate the superstitions and exploit it to connect the tribes.
Like an old lesson, Vu danced tirelessly, an action that made Minh Vu nauseous, but the tribespeople continued to bow their heads as if the spirits were watching them.
Minh Vu couldn't stay any longer. He went outside to assign the remaining hunters to deal with the other pack of wolves.
Orc quickly jumped over the fence, picking up three wolf corpses, and then, along with his comrades, began dissecting the large wolf's head.
According to common practice, the head should be chopped off before skinning, but Minh Vu insisted on skinning the wolf with its head intact.
The Orcs were quite puzzled. What was the point? The head was useless for consumption, and the skin wasn't particularly useful either. However, Minh Vu's word was law, and no one dared to argue.
Thus, the three hunters each worked on a wolf until dawn. By then, the new skin had been perfectly peeled off, leaving a chaotic mess on the snowy ground.
Minh Vu, standing next to them, was extremely tired at this point. However, he thought about the benefits the wolf pack could bring, and suddenly, his sleepiness disappeared.
The dissected wolf was divided into several parts.
The skin was indispensable, and the bones were categorized according to their intended use. For example, the fangs, claws, leg bones, and spine were all separated accordingly.
The wolf meat was divided into two parts. One portion remained as a whole piece, while the other was finely chopped and mixed with a bit of salt, ready for a well-prepared breakfast.
In the midst of exhaustion and joy because the entire tribe had awakened, when he stepped outside and saw a chaotic mess before them – blood, meat, fur, and bones scattered on the ground – everyone quickly got to work according to Minh Vu's instructions. Since it was now daylight, some tribespeople with good physical strength, together with the group of archers and hunters, began collecting the Wolf Fang.
The remaining group began the task of cleaning up the battlefield while reinforcing the snow wall.
Some women, along with Minh Vu, prepared breakfast. Because today there was the rare ingredient of wolf meat, Minh Vu didn't hesitate to reveal the ingredients he had hidden for so long. That was chili.
Dried red chilies, preserved for who knows how long. Minh Vu carefully peeled off each layer of skin, then soaked them in hot water, while keeping the chili seeds and packing them tightly in a leather pouch.
Some tribespeople preparing the food were curious about Minh Vu's actions, not knowing what their leader was doing, only seeing a dull red color in the bowl before them.
After nearly an hour of curiosity, Minh Vu had completely peeled off the skin and separated the chili seeds. The chili water solution was thick and pungent, with a strong spicy scent.
He marinated the wolf meat with chili and salt, turning the bright red meat into a dark red color, which looked extremely appealing.
A dish like this was best grilled, and immediately, there was a burst of excitement from the entire tribe. They were like hungry wolves waiting eagerly for each delicious morsel on that cooking rack.
They ate the grilled meat countless times, but this grilled meat had a very different flavor, one that they longed for. However, the amount of spices was limited, and Minh Vu only cooked enough for 40 people, leaving the rest to simply marinate in salt. Nevertheless, the taste was still excellent.
After finishing all the tasks, Minh Vu began to distribute the spoils of war from the wolf pack.
A total of 26 wolf heads were killed this time, so to boost the morale of everyone, Minh Vu announced that these wolf skins would be crafted into jackets, which would be distributed to the heroes of the tribe, those who had made significant contributions.
As evidenced today, Klu and Ashi, along with Akam and Alan from the pottery team, were honored. So Minh Vu awarded wolf skins to these four individuals, and under Minh Vu's direction, Alam and Akam began sewing the wolf skins into jackets.
Due to specific reasons, only men's wolf jackets had wolf head hoods, while women's did not. This made women look fierce and bloodthirsty, something he didn't like.
Wolf fangs were also distributed, as were claws, but these would become extremely sharp after sharpening, making them the most suitable choice for small-scale weapons. Currently, the tribe's tools were very scarce.
After harvesting all the spoils, Minh Vu also instructed the tribespeople to reinforce the snow wall.
The next day, when he saw the incredible strength of the wolf pack, he realized that his wall was ineffective against such powerful and fast beasts.