I am a Primitive Man

Chapter 297: The assured leader of the Bone Tribe

In the season when rapeseed flowers were blooming but some were withering, Eldest Senior Brother led the tribe's people towards the Bone Tribe.

The road was more manageable to traverse than when he used to attend the festivities at the Bone Tribe.

Over the past year, the people of the Bone Tribe had been coming to the Green Sparrow Tribe more often, creating paths with their footsteps and bone knives.

Though just a makeshift trail, it was still more convenient than cutting a new path.

As dusk fell, the Eldest Senior Brother led the people to a spacious area, where they made a fire using dry branches collected along the way and cooked some warm food.

According to Han Cheng's calculations, the Green Sparrow Tribe was in a temperate zone, slightly north of the mid-latitude.

In such regions, though there were vast primitive forests, not every place was densely wooded. Finding areas with only grass or low shrubs wasn't too tricky.

Thankfully, being in a temperate zone meant the vegetation grew in distinct seasons throughout the year, preventing rampant overgrowth.

Moreover, the distinct seasons also helped to suppress the growth and reproduction of various bacteria and pathogens.

The flickering flames of the bonfire dispersed the darkness, casting its light far into the distance.

Most people had already fallen asleep, leaving only five on watch to keep the fire burning.

In the distance, wild beasts caught the scent of prey but hesitated upon seeing the firelight before retreating.

The night passed uneventfully, and the following day, after breakfast, they left the place and continued towards the Bone Tribe.

The sun was a generous entity, casting its warm rays impartially. It enveloped the Green Sparrow Tribe with its towering walls and the Bone Tribe living in caves in its morning light.

After finishing his meal, the leader of the Bone Tribe set down his bowl and shook his head a few times.

This was due to the aftermath of being hit by a slingstone thrown by Second Brother at the Green Sparrow Tribe, which had left him with a wound on his head.

The wound on his forehead had long stopped bleeding, forming a thick scab, with the surrounding area appearing slightly swollen.

As he shook his head, he looked at the caves, now missing many people, feeling somewhat distressed.

Among those who returned with him, one person had died yesterday.

By the time of death, the person's body had begun to decompose, with half of it already rotten, crawling with maggots.

He regretted his rash decision to attack the tribe, feeling most intensely regretful in the initial two or three days.

As time passed, the intensity of his regret gradually diminished, replaced by another emotion that grew stronger with each passing day: hatred.

He hated that the people of the wealthy tribe had been so ruthless, leading their tribe to its current plight.

Although he had contemplated seizing their resources, he had never acted on it. How could they be so ruthless?

While he thought this, he dared not act against that tribe again.

Initially, besides regret, there was another strong emotion pervading him and the hearts of many in the Bone Tribe: fear.

They feared that the wealthy and formidable tribe would pursue and attack them. Thus, after returning with heavy losses, the leader of the Bone Tribe had contemplated relocation more than once.

However, in recent days, this idea has gradually been suppressed.

Relocating was not easy for the tribe.

First, there needs to be a suitable place to live, and second, suitable hunting grounds should be nearby.

These two requirements alone make people have to consider things carefully.

Moreover, with the significant loss of adult members in their tribe, relocating and starting a similar life in a new place would be extremely difficult. There might even be more deaths.

Amidst these hesitations, the leader of the Bone Tribe did not proceed with the migration.

In the first few days, like everyone else in the tribe, he lived in constant fear, with many people left to guard the caves daily, fearing an attack from the Green Sparrow Tribe.

Several days passed, but the people from the Green Sparrow Tribe never came. The worries of the Bone Tribe gradually subsided.

By now, the leader of the Bone Tribe was convinced that the Green Sparrow Tribe would not attack them again.

During this time, he had figured out many things.

The main reason their tribe suffered such heavy losses was not the unfamiliar weapons used by the other tribe but rather the tall, detestable walls.

Without those walls, that tribe wasn't that formidable.

Otherwise, why wouldn't they come to attack their tribe?

"%^%$^t"

Contemplating these matters, he saw that everyone in the tribe had finished eating, so he called everyone to follow him for hunting.

All the strong ones went, making twenty-one people, including himself.

The remaining sixteen people were either injured, elderly, weak, or heavily pregnant. These were all adults.

There were fourteen underage individuals capable of working. Their task was to harvest edible wild vegetables and roots near the tribe and to spear fish in the river.

After arranging these tasks, the leader of the Bone Tribe set out with the hunting party.

As instructed by the leader of the Bone Tribe, the remaining people dispersed around the tribe to attend to various tasks. Three elderly, weak individuals stayed in the caves to tend to the fire, along with some crawling babies.

As time passed and the sun moved from directly overhead to the west, people harvesting wild vegetables around the tribe started returning to the caves.

Near the riverbank, a few individuals who had been spearfishing laid out several fish on the grass, the result of their morning's work.

Looking at these few fish, some who had been to the Green Sparrow Tribe couldn't help but imagine the abundance of fish they had seen there.

They couldn't fathom how they managed to catch so many fish.

It would be wonderful if their tribe had so many fish, too.

It would be great if they could live in that tribe.

With such thoughts in mind, they shook their heads, realizing it was impossible. Regardless of whether their tribe conflicted with them, the leader wouldn't take them there.

Taking a short rest, they cast aside these thoughts and focused on the fish in the river with their makeshift fishing spears.

Unaware of it, they didn't notice a group of people quietly approaching their tribe.