The journey home was long, but not arduous.
But for the clanspeople of the Remnant Bone Tribe, this five-day journey felt like a surreal dream.
They no longer needed to scramble for scraps of food, nor did they need to curl up in the freezing wind, waiting for death.
All they had to do was follow this massive procession, which moved like a shifting mountain range, and walk forward mechanically.
Every day, they were given enough food to fill their stomachs and thick clothing to wear.
Every nite, in the temporary camps quickly set up by the Blackwood Fortress warriors, they could gather around warm campfires and receive a tent capable of withstanding the wind and snow.
That feeling, known as "security" and "stability," was a luxury they had never experienced in their lives.
Like a frog being boiled in lukewarm water, it slowly dissolved the last remnants of caution and unease in their hearts, replacing them with a numb, bewildered sense of dependency.
They began to grow accustomed to obeying the gruff commands of the Werewolf Warriors, and accustomed to seeing that silent, iceberg-like figure on the back of the massive Snow Giant Wolf named "Mo."
That figure represented food, warmth, and... unquestionable authority.
Ulf's change was the most significant.
He was no longer like a hedgehog with its quills raised, but instead observed everything in silence.
He observed how the Wolf Cavalry communicated with their mounts, how the Boar-folk warriors skillfully handled the Giant-Horned Oxen, and the astonishing order of the entire procession, which seemed chaotic yet remained busy without being messy.
The more he saw, the deeper the awe in his heart grew.
On the afternoon of the fifth day, as the procession crested a long snowy slope, Colin, who was at the very front, reined in his mount once again.
The entire procession, like a giant dragon under a freezing spell, slowly came to a halt.
"We're home."
Colin's deep voice was carried by the cold wind to every corner of the procession.
Home?
The members of the Remnant Bone Tribe looked up in confusion, following the fervent gazes of all the Blackwood Fortress warriors as they looked ahead.
And then, they saw it.
At the edge of the horizon, above a vast snowy plain, stood a towering barrier.
Outside the city gates, a crowd had already gathered.
Blackwood Fortress sentries had spotted this massive returning procession hours ago, and the news had spread thru the fortress like the wind.
Led by Lena, all the core members of Blackwood Fortress—Linna, Anna, Goff, Berg, Fenrir, Woodhoof... and others—stood before the city gate, leading the populace who had almost entirely poured out, waiting expectantly.
"They're here! I see them! It's Lord Hask's Wolf Cavalry!" a sharp-eyed youth in the crowd shouted excitedly.
Before the words had even faded, the massive herd of living beasts led by Hask appeared in everyone's field of vision, like a flood breaking thru a dam.
When the people saw the boundless black and white "ocean" composed of thousands of Frost-Horned Deer and Giant-Horned Oxen, after a brief silence, the entire Blackwood Fortress erupted into a deafening cheer that was enough to blow the snow away!
"Awoooo—!!"
"The Wolf God is above us!!"
"So many! We won't have to worry for the entire winter!"
Elk, the herdsman in charge of livestock, was so excited that the fur all over his body was practically standing on end.
He looked at the plump and sturdy livestock, the green glint in his eyes brighter than that of a starving wolf in the snow!
Beside him, Woodhoof was even more uncontrollably excited; with so many Giant-Horned Oxen, once domesticated, they would absolutely become the main force for farming.
Following closely behind the herd was the Boar-folk transport team led by Barton.
When the two hundred or so sleds piled high with goods, pulled by Giant-Horned Oxen, appeared in view, the crowd's cheers did not diminish but instead became even more frantic!
"Look! It's meat! So much meat!"
"And animal hides! Enough for everyone to make a new set of winter clothes!"
Berg, the dwarf in charge of forging, did not let his gaze linger on the meat and hides.
He was staring intently at the Giant-Horned Oxen pulling the heavy sleds, an expression of near-obsession appearing on his grease-stained face.
"This strength... this stamina... they're even better than horses!" he muttered to himself, his brain already racing. "If we fit them with iron horseshoes and improve the harnesses, they could pull twice as much as they do now! We could even use them to drag siege rams!"
Unlike these men who were so excited they were practically jumping, Anna and Linna's eyes immediately bypassed the supplies and precisely locked onto the ragged, terrified-looking strangers following at the very back of the procession.
"They're new people," Linna said in a low voice, nudging Anna gently.
"I see them," Anna's eyes gleaming with scrutiny and analysis. "Looksdied.
A brand new future, full of unknowns and hope, was slowly unfolding before their eyes.