The serving continued until every one of Ningning's 70 portions was gone.
40 pieces had been claimed by the Snake tribe males, while the remaining 30 were designated for their guests.
Ayres stepped up and received two full portions, one for himself and one for Runa before the rest were distributed among the Bear tribe males.
Nala took one last bowl to deliver to Numa, leaving the rest of the crowd to stare at the empty stone pots with lingering hunger.
As the latecomers realized Ningning's hearth was cold, they were forced to shuffle over to Dana's side of the fire.
The atmosphere there was grim.
The males poked at the uncleaned, boiled fish with their fingers, the sandy tubers crunching unpleasantly between their teeth.
"Why is this so bitter?" one male complained loudly, tossing a piece of bone back into the dirt. "Dana, your food smells like the river mud. Why couldn't you make it like Weijie's mate?"
