Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Hunter's Pride
Ahun spat once on the ground and folded his arms with a sure expression. Before him now was a huge dead pig, seemingly weighing north of 300 kilograms. The Balak champions gathered around Ahun and applauded his accomplishment in unanimous agreement.
"Wow, a piece of meat this size would feed the whole tribe!"
"I only got three rabbits."
"Ahun's pig must be the highlight of the hunt."
The fighters talked, each offering up their catch. Ahun's hog was the largest of the bunch so far. A hunt of this size, with almost every member of the clan participating, was a game and a challenge in itself. And within the village, next to the chief, the highest authority goes to the hunter who brings in the biggest and fiercest catch.
Ahun shrugged. "Even Captain Aiyen wouldn't be able to bring down something bigger than that."
"So you'll be the hunting leader from now on?"
"Hmph. By the rules, I should say."
Ahun gave a wry grin and blushed. But the man he should boast to hadn't returned to town yet. Only Aiyen, the hunting head of the younger Balak, had not returned.
Ahun waved his hand as if there was nothing more to see. "Well, a captain can only hunt so much alone. I don't think he'll be able to find anything bigger than this."
"But the captain didn't go alone, did he take a slave with him, what's his name?"
"You fool, how is that going to help when he couldn't walk on his own!"
Ahun lashed out at his companion. His face fell as he remembered the embarrassment he had endured before the hunt. Ahun pounded his fist on his chest, as if to emphasize his point.
"I'll see you later, you won't catch a single bunny! That slave jerk will beat you to it!"
The young fighters of Balak stood surprised, nodding at Ahun's words. Whether he was right or wrong, it didn't matter. In the end, the one who brought in the big catch had the last word.
---
Meanwhile...
An enormous waterfall cascaded down into a gorge. Below it was a sharp rocky ledge, and far below that was a wide expanse of white sand. The water in the valley was crystal clear. If not for the foam and the water, you wouldn't even know there was water there...
Bam!
Several fat carp swam up the falls. Unable to overcome the swift waters, they plummeted downward, impaling themselves on the jagged rocks below. Aiyen and Vikir hid in the bushes by the waterfall and watched the scene unfold.
"...It's coming."
Aiyen said softly. Sure enough, the huge female oxbear they had first spotted approached the mouth of the waterfall. Thick horns with countless scars, a thick pelt, and muscles bulging. This was no ordinary oxbear. She was the product of a superior bloodline, one that had survived through countless ages. She didn't bother to hunt, simply plucking fish from the sharp rocks and devouring them in a single gulp. She didn't drink, only the fish. The river's waters were brackish, and much of what accumulated on the white shoals was salt, which sometimes didn't suit Oxbear's preference for freshness.
"This is where the river meets the ocean, which is why we have a saltwater river."
Vikir nodded at Aiyen's words. Now that he thought about it, the crawfish that had been crawling in the stream downstream were unusually large. They were lobsters, not freshwater crawfish.
---
Meanwhile...
Even at this moment, the carp continued to struggle up the falls. "They say if a carp succeeds in making it back here, it can grow into a big monster. My grandmother said that."
Aiyen figured out once again. Vikir simply nodded, not particularly curious or questioning. Regardless of whether the legend she told was true or not, the carp, some as big as her forearm, were still slowly moving up the falls, and most of them failed to make the journey and tumbled to the bottom. A few lucky ones, even if they failed to climb the falls, could land on the surface of the water or on land near the water as they fell and make their way back to the water, but most of the unlucky ones just got skewered on the sharp rocks and flopped and died. And Oxbear was clever enough to select only those carp and eat them. Perhaps he didn't need to move his body to hunt. Maybe this was because this place was so famous for hunting? In addition to the female oxbear, several other oxbears began to approach. They watched the main female, then settled down at the mouth of the stream to feast on the carp. There were no stones downstream, so there were no carp stuck to the rocks, so they had to use their bodies to hunt. The giant female oxbear turned her head and peered down at her unfortunate competitors with a disdainful expression. It was a mixture of scorn and dominance. Aiyen scowled at the oxbear with a determined expression. He growled low to warn off other hunters that might approach, but he was exceptionally tolerant of the smallest and youngest members of his species. Some oxbears the size of puppies approached boldly and bit the carp on the head before darting away. The female oxbear glanced at the little ones, whom she didn't recognize, and ignored them. It was Vikir's first time seeing an oxbear cub, and he was somewhat fascinated.
Aiyen quickly realized the object of Vikir's attention and exclaimed, "Is this your first time seeing an Oxbear cub?"
"I have. They're much smaller than I originally thought."
"Baby oxbear cubs are even smaller. They're just mice. They sleep, so there's no way to feed them if they're too big. She carries them for quite some time and finally gives birth to them at that size."
"The mother must be terribly protective of her young."
"Of course. Anyone within a 100-meter radius of the cub will be hunted. Even Balak hunters don't mess with pregnant females with cubs."
Oxbears are ruthless animals who will eat their own kind if they're hungry, but their maternal instincts are brilliant.
---
Then...
A male oxbear approached the female. It was a male oxbear, and he was quite large. He wasn't quite as big as her, but he was well-built for his age. His nostrils flared as he sniffed her scent. Her ears perked up as he drew closer, perhaps due to her advanced age and poor eyesight. Her hearing must be as sharp as her eyesight.
[Growl!]
The female oxbear let out a sudden roar. The large male, who had been slowly approaching her, was startled and took a few steps backward, eventually retreating. He didn't think he could win an all-out fight with a female oxbear.
Bikir said, puzzled. "She keeps refusing to mate?"
Indeed, the number of males she's chased away so far is more than five. Some of them were large and strong, but not a single one seemed to appeal to her.
"How strong are they looking for?"
Vikir muttered, and Aiyen chuckled.
"You're
thinking something wrong."
"...?"
"That female isn't looking for major areas of strength, quite the opposite."
Aiyen was right. Before long, a male oxbear began to approach her. He was a small, young male who was eager to approach the female oxbear and was chased away for being too small. She was about 8 meters tall and weighed around 2 tons, while he was about 4 meters tall and barely over a ton. And the opposite was also true. That's why oxbears preferred mates that were smaller and weaker. That way they wouldn't be preyed upon.
"Of course, we can't use someone with weak mates. Male or female."
Aiyen was right. The female oxbear seemed to like the male oxbear. It was evident by the way she gently allowed him to approach.
Aiyen grinned at the sight. "Balak's fighters share a lot in common with the oxbears."
"On that note, do you have any idea what kind of mate..."
Vikir wasn't particularly curious, but Aiyen stopped him.
"An individual with excellent seed, but young. It's said that if you make a fool, you won't have to worry about having reproductive issues. So, just pull out the seeds."
Vikir was silent for a moment. Assuming that the gleam in Aiyen's eyes was just due to her enthusiasm, he didn't press further.
Just then...
[Grrr...]
A strange sound came from the falls. Aiyen and Vikir immediately turned their heads. The female oxbear was making an odd noise.
The male oxbear stopped eating carp and looked up.
She clamped down on the scruff of his neck, almost affectionately.
With that, the two oxbears left the salted sand and vanished. Aiyen urged Vikir along. "We should go."
Aiyen's gaze, which had been fixed on the female oxbear, now turned back to Vikir with an amused smile.
"That male is going to lose a lot of his strength."
Aiyen grabbed his bow and arrows, and Vikir followed suit.
It would soon be time for hunting.
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