Two days flew by.
Dragu led the goblins in making over sixty ropes; the thick grass ropes were tightly twisted, and the slipknots were secure. Kurzadh shook one, and it didn't break, which made him very satisfied.
Wreelx took his group to scout the Lumber Yard area. When he returned, he drew a crooked path on the ground, saying that the goats really did pass through the canyon every day and even rubbed against the rocks to scratch themselves, leaving behind a lot of fur.
On the morning of their departure, just as dawn was breaking, Kurzadh gathered everyone—five hobgoblins and over thirty goblins, which was all the available manpower in the tribe.
The hobgoblins had ropes tied around their waists and held sharpened wooden sticks in their hands. The goblins, in pairs, carried long wooden poles with grass rope snares attached to the front.
Their green faces were taut, but their excitement was hard to hide, as they occasionally snuck glances at the roasted mushrooms in Kurzadh's hand—that was breakfast. Kurzadh said if they caught goats, they'd have roasted whole goat for lunch.
"Listen up, all of you!" Kurzadh stood at the valley entrance, slamming his stone spear into the ground. "Once we get there, don't make a fuss! Follow my orders! Anyone who spooks the goats won't get any meat tonight!"
"Waaagh!" The greenskins quickly nodded, swallowed their mushrooms, and thumped their chests, promising not to make a fuss.
Zaggur and Stumpy led the way. The two hobgoblins knew the route well, choosing small paths through the forest and avoiding thorny bushes.
The goblins followed behind, their short legs scrambling quickly, afraid of being left behind. The hobgoblins carried their wooden poles, occasionally looking back and kicking any lagging goblins forward.
After walking for over an hour, Zaggur suddenly stopped, ducked into a nearby bush, and then waved his hand at Kurzadh with a "Damn."
Kurzadh quickly halted the group and crouched down to join him. Pushing aside the leaves, he saw a canyon ahead. It wasn't deep, with low slopes on both sides and a narrow path in the middle, just wide enough for two or three goats to walk abreast.
The path was imprinted with many hoof prints and a few grey hairs, confirming it was a frequently used goat trail.
"This is it," Kurzadh whispered, directing the greenskins to climb the slope.
The slope wasn't steep, but it was grassy, making it difficult for the goblins to climb. They clawed at the grass to move upwards, occasionally tumbling down with a "Gurgle," only to quickly get up and continue climbing without daring to make a sound.
At the top of the slope, Kurzadh instructed the hobgoblins to lay out the tripwires they had brought onto the path. The tripwires were made of long grass ropes, tied at both ends to rocks by the roadside, with the middle loosely dragging on the ground and covered with dry grass, making them almost invisible unless one looked closely.
Over thirty tripwires were laid down, completely covering the path, just waiting for the goats to walk into them.
The goblins, in pairs, squatted in the bushes along the slope, clutching their wooden pole snares, eyes fixed on the entrance to the path, their claws white from gripping.
Kurzadh crouched at the highest point, also holding a snare, feeling a bit uneasy. Although the plan was well-devised, goats were living creatures. If they were startled and four or five hundred charged at once, their small group might not be able to stop them.
"Boss, how long do we have to wait?" Wreelx squatted beside him, muttering softly, "My legs are getting numb."
"Less talk," Kurzadh glared at him. "greenskins need patience! If you can't wait for goats, go chew on grass!"
Wreelx quickly shut his mouth, not daring to grumble anymore.
They waited for two or three hours.
The sun climbed overhead, warming everyone. Some goblins started to yawn, others secretly munched on leftover mushrooms from breakfast, and even the hobgoblins looked listless, leaning against rocks and dozing.
Kurzadh also felt thirsty and was about to ask Stumpy to get some water from the nearby stream when he suddenly heard a distant "thump-thump" sound. It wasn't rolling rocks, but the sound of many hooves hitting the ground, interspersed with "Baa-baa" cries.
"They're here!" Kurzadh's heart leaped. He quickly pressed down on Wreelx, who was trying to peek, and whispered, "Everyone hide well! Don't show your heads!"
The greenskins instantly perked up. Those yawning immediately covered their mouths, and those eating mushrooms quickly swallowed them. They all shrank into the bushes, leaving only their eyes fixed on the path's entrance.
Soon, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, a hazy yellow that obscured the trees.
The dust grew closer, and the "thump-thump" of hooves grew louder, shaking the grass on the slope.
A moment later, the first goat darted into the path—grey-furred, scrawny, running frantically as if for its life.
Following closely were the second, the third... a dense, dark mass, rushing down the path into the canyon, at least one or two hundred of them!
"Oh my, that's a lot!" Dragu lay behind Kurzadh, eyes wide, gasping.
Kurzadh had no time for him, his eyes fixed on the herd.
The goats at the front ran so fast they didn't notice the tripwires on the ground. With a "whoosh," the leading one stepped right into a tripwire. The grass rope instantly tightened, snaring its leg.
That goat let out a "Baa," stumbled forward, and fell to the ground. The goats behind couldn't stop in time, crashing into it with "thump-thump" sounds, and a cluster of them also fell.
In just that short moment, the path became a chaotic mess.
Tripwires were triggered one after another, snaring the legs of a dozen goats, which struggled on the ground. Those not snared panicked too; some crashed into the nearby slope, others spun in place, their "Baa-baa" cries hurting their ears.
"Now!" Kurzadh roared, leaping out of the bushes, raising the snare in his hand and throwing it at the head of the nearest goat.
He had practiced lassoing horses as a child (though he never actually caught one), but lassoing goats was quite handy for him. The grass rope made a circle in the air and landed steadily on a goat's head. With a tug, the slipknot instantly tightened around the goat's neck.
The goat "Baa"-ed, struggling backward. Kurzadh pulled the rope up the slope, shouting, "Quick, lend a hand!"
The greenskins on the slope had been waiting impatiently, and they jumped out with "Waaagh" cries.
The hobgoblins charged into the goat herd with their wooden sticks, specifically targeting goats that weren't tripped. The goblins, in pairs, threw their snares at the goats' heads. Some missed, snaring a goat's horn. Some didn't pull tight enough and were dragged a few steps by the goat. But most of the snares landed steadily on the goats' heads.
"Left! The one on the left is trying to run!" Dragu shouted, holding his snare. With a flick of his arm, the snare landed perfectly on the head of a goat trying to climb the slope.
He pulled the rope and leaned back, yanking the goat hard enough to make it fall to the ground. Two nearby goblins quickly pounced on it, using ropes to tie its legs.
Kurzadh was also busy, dragging the goat he had caught up the slope.
The goat was quite strong, making his arm ache. He simply sat on the ground, bracing his feet against a rock, and pulled hard backward.
As he was pulling, he suddenly heard an angry "Baa!" A goat that hadn't been snared charged at him with red eyes, head lowered, trying to ram him with its horns!
"Watch out!" Zaggur shouted from beside him, jabbing his wooden stick at the goat's leg.
Kurzadh reacted quickly, rolling to the side and dodging the goat's horns.
The goat missed him and crashed headfirst into a rock, with a "thump," and passed out.
Kurzadh got up, kicked the goat's rear, and cursed, "You dare to ram me!"
The greenskins on the slope also encountered many goats that tried to resist.
Some goats, after being snared, turned around and charged at the goblins, scaring them into quickly climbing further up the slope. Fortunately, they were standing higher up, so the goats couldn't reach them and could only "Baa" from below.
One goat was even fiercer; it broke free from its snare and charged up the slope, only to be hit on the head by Wreelx's wooden stick, leaving it dazed and disoriented, before the pouncing goblins tied its legs.
In the chaos, Kurzadh noticed a few goats trying to run towards the other end of the canyon and quickly shouted, "Block the exit! Don't let them escape!"
Stumpy immediately rushed to the other end of the canyon with two hobgoblins, holding their wooden sticks horizontally across the path.
The leading goat couldn't stop in time and crashed into the wooden sticks, falling head over heels. The goats behind also stopped, jostling and turning in confusion on the path.
In just about the time it takes to eat a meal, the commotion gradually subsided.
The path was littered with goats. Some were caught by tripwires, some by snares, and others had their legs tied. All were "Baa"-ing, but none could escape.
The greenskins were also exhausted. The goblins squatted on the ground, panting, and the hobgoblins leaned against rocks, wiping sweat from their faces, but all wore smiles. There were about thirty goats on the ground!
"Boss! We caught them! Over thirty!" Wreelx shouted, holding a rope, his voice hoarse but unable to hide his pride.
Kurzadh also smiled, sitting on the ground and rubbing his aching arms.
Over thirty, that was a lot, enough to feed the tribe for a while.
He looked at the groaning goats on the ground, then at the greenskins ' green faces, and suddenly felt that this trip was well worth it. Even goblins, when they worked together, could accomplish things.
"Don't rest yet!" Kurzadh stood up, patting the dust off his rear. "Tie these goats securely! hobgoblins carry the big ones, goblins carry the small ones in pairs! Drag them back to the tribe!"
"Waaagh!" The greenskins immediately responded, getting up and heading towards the goats.
The hobgoblins found a thick wooden pole, threaded it through the ropes tying the goats' legs, and lifted them in pairs. The goblins, in pairs, dragged the small goats by their ears, slowly pulling them down the slope.
The tied goats were still struggling, "Baa"-ing pitifully, but no one paid attention. In the greenskins ' eyes, these were not pitiful goats, but roasted goat meat for the evening, and meat bones they could chew on every day in the future.
Kurzadh followed behind, watching the greenskins laboriously drag the goats back, feeling very secure.
With these goats, the tribe wouldn't have to worry about meat. Once they fattened up, they might even produce kids, and then the Blackrock Clan could have meat to eat every day.
He looked back at the remaining goats in the canyon. Many had not been caught and were running into the distance, raising a cloud of dust.
Kurzadh grinned. "It doesn't matter," he thought. "If they run, we'll just catch them again. At least we know where they went."
Isn't that how a greenskin's life is? Catching goats, doing some infrastructure work, and beating up unruly fellows. Simple, yet satisfying.
"Hurry up!" Kurzadh kicked a slow-moving Squig beside him. "Get back to the tribe sooner for roasted goat meat!"
Upon hearing "roasted goat meat," the goblins immediately perked up, pulling the goats by their ears and running forward, their short legs scrambling quickly.
The sunlight spilled onto the ground, stretching the shadows of the greenskins and goats long, all heading towards the Blackrock Clan.