'Damn it all. Who do you think you're looking down on?'
"MMMPH, MMMPH, MMMPH!!!" 'You bastard, let go of me!'
But as it turned out, someone as pathetically weak as her had no say in this group.
Aside from breaking out in a foul sweat, her feeble struggles had no other effect. In the end, she still ended up sprawled on the man's back like a dead dog.
"Yue, stop struggling. Your Father and Amu are gone, and you're so weak. You won't be able to survive in the tribe. In a bit, I'll secretly hide you among our people.
If you stay with the Snow Tiger Tribe, you'll be able to get a share of some wild vegetable patties every day. At the very least, you'll be able to survive."
Although in his eyes, it would be quite difficult for someone in Yue's condition to survive, it was still better than being thrown into the forest by the Clan Leader to fend for herself.
A man's somewhat hoarse voice drifted from in front of her. The man who had carried her this entire time was trying to console her in a low voice.
The winter had just passed, but the ice and snow outside had yet to melt. In the Polar Forest, aside from the Beastman Warriors of the Great Tribes, neither Half-beastmen nor Pure Humans could possibly go out to hunt in such weather.
Yue stopped struggling. She knew that in a primitive society governed by the law of the jungle, no one would want someone like her—born with a weak constitution and unable to contribute to the tribe—even on a gathering team.
Besides, she would be a stranger in any tribe, so the most important thing now was simply surviving in this cruel world.
Many Half-beastmen and Pure Humans bustled about the Snow Tiger Tribe, clearing the piled-up snow by hand and dumping it into a nearby river.
The most eye-catching sight, however, was a pile of fluffy balls sunbathing on a large rock. These were the young cubs of the Snow Tiger Tribe's Beastmen. The largest among them was only half the size of a Beastman's arm, while the smallest was no bigger than a person's palm.
The sight made the disheartened Yue's eyes light up again. 'These fluffy creatures are so adorable! They look so plump and round.'
Her bony fingers twitched. 'I want to pet them...'
But upon a closer look, one could see that beneath the fur parted by the wind, the little cubs' bodies were actually quite frail.
'It made sense. Although Beastmen were physically robust and could eat heartily to store energy before winter, their reserves were mostly depleted after an entire season. That went double for these little cubs.'
It was impossible to go out and hunt during the winter. Although the Beastmen could venture out and risk bringing back some food, in such a harsh and frigid season, even the most powerful among them had to be prepared to lose their lives at any moment.
The Half-beastman led them to the clearing where the cubs were sunbathing. "Wait here. The adults will be here shortly."
With that, he stood to the side with a stern face and fell silent.
His "shortly" turned into a wait that lasted until the afternoon for the people of the small tribe.
Although it wasn't cold in the bright sunlight, after standing for so long, many of the frailer tribe members were beginning to look unsteady on their feet.
The sturdy man licked his chapped lips. "I don't know when the adults are coming. We..." 'We still have a long way to go!'
The Half-beastman shot him a glare. "The adults went out hunting. They should be back soon. Just wait."
With that, he turned his back and said no more.
Only then did the sturdy man remember that with the Cold Season over, the physically powerful Beastman Warriors could now go out hunting.
'No wonder the Half-beastman Warrior looked so sour. I basically just asked a stupid question, didn't I?'