Sensing some movement, the members of the tribe gathered together in a place, their faces ashen and horror-stricken.
The members of the tribe couldn't tell if it was Kael and the others or something else.
The loud, destructive noise from before had left the members terrified. Just from that noise alone, they could tell that Kael and the others had encountered something terrible.
Huddled up together, the members of the tribe cast a vigilant gaze in the direction of the sound.
Lira, herself, found it hard to distinguish the sound. Perhaps it was the fear from before that was meddling with her senses.
With her knuckles tight, she stared in the direction from which the sound was coming.
The tribe didn't have a lot of members who could fight. Most of the tribe members consisted of children and villagers who weren't capable of fighting.
The few excellent warriors— Kael, Thran, and Braka had all gone to deal with the immediate danger. This left the tribe vulnerable and difficult to defend.
Their fears intensified as the sound became fervent.
'What should I do, Kael?' Lira panicked as she assumed a defensive stance.
She looked behind her and found the condition of the tribe members even more pitiful. She couldn't abandon these people, but she wasn't confident enough to defend them either.
Even so, she was prepared to sacrifice herself if needed.
Hence, she braced herself.
'I need to strike first. Else, who knows what would happen?'
With that thought in mind, just as she noticed the movement in the bush ahead, she charged forward. The bushes around them were dense and hard to see through.
"Hyap!"
Letting out a scream, she lunged forward just to be stopped by Kael.
Kael grabbed onto her wrist, avoiding her sharp claws while rolling his eyes to look at her with a solemn expression, "Quite the welcome, isn't it?"
Lira, upon seeing Kael's face, felt relieved. Then a wave of embarrassment washed over her. Her face flushed, and she retracted her claws.
"Kael…" She mumbled; her voice tinged with embarrassment.
She lowered her gaze and tried to look away from Kael. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.
Braka, once again, was astonished.
What's with his reaction speed? How did he even sense her?
He couldn't fathom the speed at which Kael reacted.
He had ducked his head, avoided her claws, while at the same time, he caught her wrist, neutralizing her attack.
What more? He managed to perform all those actions in an instant, despite exhausting himself earlier.
Kael was just four winters older than him, but it seemed like he was light-years ahead of him when it came to battle instincts.
The rest of the tribe members also felt relieved upon seeing Kael and the others. Their expressions changed as people began to shout their names.
"Kael, you are back…"
"Is the monster gone?"
"What happened to Thran?"
Questions flew one after the other as the tribe member greeted their leader.
Kael knew about their anxiousness. Hence, despite returning from a fight, he began to help relieve the tribe folk of their worries before resting to cool his composure.
It was as if nothing had happened, even though that was far from the truth.
Braka, being the sole witness of the event that had transpired a moment earlier, couldn't believe his eyes. Just moments ago, Kael was engaged in a life-and-death battle, but now here he was assuring the tribe's folks and restoring the morale of the tribe.
Doesn't this man need rest?
Braka wondered as he looked in Kael's direction in awe and bewilderment.
Lira, who was helping to treat Thran's injuries alongside one of the elders of the tribe, couldn't refrain from asking Braka, "Why do you look so surprised? Just what happened in there?"
Braka was sitting right beside her.
Kael hadn't revealed the information about the Scorchhide Ravager. Hence, apart from Thran and Braka, who had encountered it, none knew about it.
Braka rolled his eyes towards her, but felt hesitant about talking. Though Kael hadn't asked him to keep the confrontation a secret, he couldn't bring himself to reveal it either.
"Nothing, I'm just surprised by Kael's composure," Braka said.
Lira, however, wasn't convinced. She knew Kael was hiding something. Though he said that it was just some forest beast, she knew there was more to it.
The others might have believed his fabricated stories about Thran falling upon getting jump scared, but her senses told her something else.
Though Thran's life wasn't in danger, the damage he sustained didn't look like it was from a fall, either.
Braka's silence also added to her doubt.
In the chamber, Ethan looked a bit disappointed.
"Kael, there's no doubt that you are a good leader, but I can't say the same about an apostle," Ethan frowned as he stared at the screen.
"Just how am I going to gain followers if you don't spread the word of religion?"
From this encounter, Ethan was hoping to gain some followers. If Kael had just revealed that he was able to overcome a difficult situation because of his blessings, he would have gained some followers.
But since Kael kept it a secret, the others weren't made aware of the God.
"I'm still glad, Kael. You made the right decision. The mention of the beast would have stirred panic in the pack, and the journey would have become more difficult." Ethan revealed a slight grin as he analyzed the situation.
Though he was somewhat disappointed, he couldn't help but praise Kael's actions.
The pack rested the night while Lira kept casting a vigilant and curious gaze over Kael. She couldn't help but feel curious about the incident. However, she couldn't bring herself to confront Kael either.
While the pack rested, Kael remained awake to stand guard.
Braka was exhausted, and Thran was injured; as for others, he couldn't bring himself to trust them. Hence, he stood guard, despite the exhaustion.
Well, he was the one who had asked them to head south. So, he believed it was his responsibility to protect the pack.
'Is this really the right path?' Kael wondered as he stared at the night sky filled with stars.