This battle didn’t last long. After killing the Firebirds that erged from the burrow, the Orcs no longer continued to dig into the hole, as there weren’t many Firebird Beasts left there—most were just Firebird hatchlings.
And in the desert, it’s forbidden to hunt the young of any prey.
The harvest this ti was plentiful. Firebird Beasts have a habit of gathering together to get through the cold season. Although the burrow was not very large, it had accumulated a great number of Firebirds, likely representing all the Firebirds active in the vicinity.
The Orcs hoisted the Firebird carcasses onto their shoulders. This hunt provided enough food to feed the entire Tribe for a week—if rationed carefully, even two weeks. It was truly a bountiful harvest.
However, beneath this rich yield lay inescapable sorrow. Seven Orcs lost their lives in this hunt, and many others were injured.
The bodies of the fallen Orcs were loaded onto Maomao’s backs by Hasa and the others. With prey in hand and grief in their hearts, they hastened back toward the Tribe.
Thanks to the earlier path cleared by Maomao, the journey ho was much easier. Yet soon, the group discovered sothing that caused unease to spread among them.
Many Desert Wolf Beast paw prints appeared along the snowy path created by Maomao.
The hunting ground was only a little over an hour away from their current location, aning these Desert Wolves hadn’t been far off from them not long ago.
What worried the Orcs even more was the possibility that the Desert Wolves might follow the cleared snowy path back to their Tribe.
"Everyone, pick up the pace and stay alert—there might be Desert Wolves nearby." Hasa’s voice was heavy with gravity.
The Orcs imdiately tensed up, the burden of mourning their fallen kin montarily overshadowed.
Suddenly, a startled cry erupted from Maomao in the middle of the group as it lifted its hind leg and kicked at the snow wall beside it.
"Awooo~" A pitiful wolf howl ca from within the snowbank, shocking Hasa and the other Orcs.
"It’s Desert Wolves!"
The Orcs shouted in alarm.
"Brother Xiu Yan, let’s fly up and take a look! These Desert Wolves are so cunning—they even know to hide under the snow and ambush us."
We only have a few cals left. We can’t let these wolves ruin them—they’re our precious assets!
Xiu Yan nodded, sprouting his wings directly from Maomao’s back and lifting Ji Nuan into the air.
The scene before them instantly caused Ji Nuan’s heart to sink. Hidden across the surrounding snowfields were no fewer than fifty Desert Wolf Beasts.
Moreover, the sudden attack by that single Desert Wolf seed to have been the signal to strike. All the Desert Wolves in the vicinity began lunging toward the Orcs along the snowy path.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! There are over fifty Desert Wolf Beasts around us!" Ji Nuan’s voice echoed urgently over the snowy path.
The Orcs quickly dropped the Firebird carcasses from their shoulders, bracing themselves for combat.
The sound of snow breaking apart was alarmingly crisp, but there were so many Desert Wolves that the noise seed to co from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint.
"Roar!" A foul stench wafted in from behind Hasa as an attack ca from a Desert Wolf attempting to strike from the rear. True to his position as the Sahara Tribal Chief, Hasa crouched swiftly to evade the ambush.
Seizing the mont before the Desert Wolf could attack again, he swung his sharp claws in a counteroffensive.
The surrounding Orcs found themselves thrown into battle at the sa ti.
Xiu Yan and Ji Nuan, anwhile, gathered Maomao and the cals together, creating a defensive circle to protect the injured and the dead from harm.
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