Laughter and Tears

He put back the bow behind his back and sighed

'I think too beautifully' but even though he said this, he did not show much frustration on his face.

Maybe, if he solves this quest later, he would buy an archery ability. But Aeryon is not that worried whether he could capture game or not.

Because from the very beginning all of this is to give him an excuse to bring out a few meats.

So, after about half an hour he returns to the tribe.

His tribe warrior is still hunting but Aeryon returned and bring enough food for ten people. The meat is already cut and Aeryon tossed the meat to the tribe and told them to cook.

If his tribe warriors and Belarion is here, they will ask how did he get so much meat. Aeryon certainly does not have an answer to this.

It is not like there is cattle running around in a forest.

Of course, he could also make nonsensical reason like the meat fall down from the heavens or the gods helping him…. not!

That kind of reason would only work on stupid novels and nonsensical comedy television drama.

In real life, if he said that, in this kind of era, he might even be thought of as crazy or even worse some kind of dark creatures that wanted to tempt them

And nobody would dare eat it because of its unknown origin. The tribe people are trustful but they are not entirely stupid.

Yes, this is a world that has magic but magic has not been seen for thousand of years and only stories of it circulated in the forms of folk stories.

And the only reason that Aeryon knows that this world does have magic is because he reads the book and there is trace of magic, explained in the book.

But for the common people, even for the elite, they treated these stories of magic as unreliable because they have never seen it

It is like telling a person in the Dark Ages that there is a civilization thousand of years ago that created magnificent pyramids that could last thousands of years

They would think of it as a tall story, and while they wonder whether it exist, they also did not fully believe it.

That is how magic is viewed by the people of this world

The complication that will come to him when he tries to explain how he produce enough meat for a thousand people when there is no such output would be more troublesome.

Maybe, if he had a storage room, he could put the meat in the storage room and forge a good enough reason.

But if he came from a small forest with a meat that is enough to feed a thousand people…. that is something that is hard to explain.

At most there are rabbits and sometime sheep if its this close to the Great Steppe

But if it's the tribe members they would not ask so many questions.

They see the meat and Aeryon ordered him to cook, he would cook and not ask any question.

Even though Aeryon brought meat only for ten people this is more than enough. Because the supply that they have is still enough for them to not starve.

And since they are turning back to the Great Steppe, the mood of the tribe also seems to be better.

Of course, some of them are also worried. Because even though they are returning, the old problem did not just vanish.

The problem is still there. But at least in familiar ground, they know the lands, they know the wind and the mountains and the hills.

The grass that sways, the wind that blows, the vast land beneath heaven and earth, this is their land

They are used to it. Not long after, his tribe warrior returns. Some of them get some meat. But it was Belarion that hauled the biggest game

Belarion jump down from his horse and he saw Aeryon.

'Brother!' Aeryon turns his head and saw Belarion from the distance, a large smile on his face

'Look what I found!' he shouted with joy

Aeryon stand up and then the people make way as he walks towards Belarion.

Aeryon then saw behind Belarion horse something that he never expected to see.

Then he chuckles and then he laughed

'Hahaha!' Belarion did not know why his sworn brother laugh so he also laughs

'This is a sign!' Aeryon said and then he said

'Cut the cattle!'

Aeryon only shook his head and hug his sworn brother.

This sworn brother of his is really lucky. He never thought it would be possible but it seems Belarion found a flock of cattle.

In the forest.

As such, Aeryon look at the flock of cattle, look at Belarion and laughed

'Hahaha!'

The tribes people look at their tribe leader, looking at him so happy, look at the flock of cattle, and then they also laughed

Some of them laughed so hard, tears come out. The past few days, everyone was in tense situation, and everyone is thinking of the uncertain future.

At least for tonight, let them laugh. Let them laugh so hard that they will cry.

Aeryon look at the flock of cattle and he shakes his head

'I could only attribute this to luck. And here I am thinking that there are no cattle in a forest. But Belarion found it somehow.'

But he did not forget to also attribute this to good omens.

The people of this era still believe in this kind of thing. And from what Aeryon understand about this world, magic does exist in the far flung past.

And it is always good to reassure the tribe

Aeryon look on as the entire tribe is joyful.

The cattle are quickly slaughtered and meat is shared with each other.

In a small tribe like this, everyone knows each other. Even Aeryon who is a tribe leader is more loved than respected.

This is the reason there is not so much formality between the tribe leader and the tribe's member.

And the tribe of Brolgadhr is a clan tribe.

There is no slave in Aeryon tribe.

Not because his father is progressive for his time but because most of the slave of the tribe was captured by the Xewa and Ghar tribes and his father acquiesce the matter because his father wanted to protect the clan, the family.

Most of the tribe's member of the Brolgadhr has familial relations with each other

The Three Elders are relatives of his father and could be considered Aeryon uncles. The Ashana is a distant cousin of his father mother.

Even the tribes' members have some familial relationship with Aeryon.

When Aeryon thought of this, it is more like Brolgadhr tribe is a clan tribe instead of a tribe like Xewa who absorbs other people tribes and have many other people families in their tribe.

There is cons and pros of this kind of tribes just like there is pros and cons to a tribe like Aeryon.

All the Elders in the tribes and the people of the tribes watch as Aeryon grows up.

So, there is this closeness that is not present in large tribes.

Usually, the leader of the tribe would take all of the spoil and left the leftover to the tribe but Aeryon decided to slaughter the cattle and fed his people

Even if he didn't feed them, no one dares complain. Life in the Great Steppe is very hierarchical.

But it is also based on strength.

To have a tribe like this which is based on love and respect is something very hard. And it is because of that they are also being forced out of the Great Steppe.

Because they are family, they are close. And because they are close, they follow Aeryon and did not dethrone him

It is very rare for a young person to become a tribe leader even if he is the heir of the past tribe leader.

There is no such thing like the son must succeed the father in the matters of the tribe. It is the capable that should get the power.

But in Aeryon tribe, his uncles are his protector and the influential members of his tribe also acquiesces to him and honor the wishes of his father to put him as the tribe leader

And with the support of the Ashana and the Three Elders, Aeryon status as the tribe leader is secured

Aeryon knows this is something he needs to tackle in the future.

'Affection and responsibility, duty and personal feelings…...it is hard to separate these things' he thought to himself.

The cattle meat is now being handed out to the tribe members. Belarion would sometimes shout that he was the one that found the cattle and the tribes would cheer.

Belarion is a simple person. He likes being the center of attention and he likes being cheered on.

'A positive easygoing guy' that is Aeryon impression of Belarion.

As the meat being roasted and made into soup, as more and more meat being consumed the Elders look at this and they got up from their circle and goes toward Aeryon

Aeryon could see the Elders coming to him and he shakes his head.

'What will they complain about now?' Aeryon knows that the elders have his best interest in their mind.

But sometimes they do get a bit annoying.

Some of the Elders quickly come to Aeryon and advise him to not slaughter all the cattle and instead ration it.

The journey would take a few days.

And Aeryon understood the elder concern.

The Elders is worried that there is not enough ration

But Aeryon still has a lot of meat he didn't use so he did not worry about this.

The Elders could only sigh and allow it.

They wanted Aeryon authority to stand on its own and if they force Aeryon, while they could get Aeron to agree with them, it would create a tribe with two competing power and that is not what the Elders wanted to see.

To the Elders, Aeryon is like their child. Your child, my child, in the tribe it is the same.

There is a saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child and this is even more so in the tribes.

Not to mention the Elders really do share the same lineage and blood.

Aeryon take his place around the circle after he pacified the Elders.

When the people of his tribe have large feast like this, they would sit in a circle with close friend and close families

Even his father used to sit among the Circle like this in the past.

There is the warm sheep milk and roasted meat. It lacks spices and salt but Aeryon understood the harsh life of the people of the Steppe during this era.

The other member of the tribe drink using either scoop that they made or using the animal skin fashioned into a bag that could hold water

Aeryon look around and he smiles. He saw a mother feeding his child, a father laughing with his son, the youth looking at some girls while making signals with their eyes.

Laughter could be heard and folk songs fills the silence of the night

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