Brann had fought many battles in his life.

He wasn’t a chieftain who remained in camp and simply barked orders to his subordinates.

His warriors sincerely respected him because he had led through action, especially when the fate of their tribe was concerned.

His blade reaped the life of the first warrior who came within striking range of his sword. Due to their broken momentum, the enemy’s formation was in complete chaos.

At the same time, Astravor’s loud screech also struck fear and intimidation on the warriors and their horses.

He made sure to keep an eye on the brave warriors of the Stormhorn Tribe, who had decided to strike back at their enemies despite the disparity in numbers.

"Die, you Grimfang Tribe scum!" Brann shouted as he hacked the neck of one of the hunting leaders of the Grimfang Tribe who he had recognized.

His warriors also fought like madmen alongside their chieftain, killing those in front of them as if they were possessed.

Now that they know who their enemies were, the Stormhorn Tribe fought like blood-crazed warriors.

If not for Astravor’s presence that made fighting difficult for the warriors of the Grimfang Tribe, who were all mounted on their horses, they might have been able to form a proper defensive line as the Stormhorn Tribe crashed onto them like an unstoppable wave.

Unfortunately for them, Brann had killed their leader. With no orders to follow, panic spread to the rest of their formation.

However, there were still capable warriors among the ranks of the Grimfang Tribe, who immediately sounded the horn to retreat.

They understood that it would be difficult to lead their fellow warriors to battle because everyone was in a state of panic, fear, and confusion.

The only thing they could think of at that moment was to regroup as soon as possible!

"Don’t pursue them!"

*Squeak!*

Brann and the warriors of the Stormhorn Tribe heard the Gryphon’s voice inside their heads, breaking them out of their battle lust.

Blitz also hovered close to them, shooting lightning bolts at the retreating warriors of the Grimfang Tribe.

The Gryphon and the Flying Squirrel’s job was to keep the Stormhorn Tribe alive.

They might have won this initial clash, but the moment their enemies reorganized themselves, they would immediately be at a disadvantage. This miracle wouldn’t happen again, so they didn’t want the Stormhorn Tribe to take any unnecessary risks.

They had already done enough, so pursuing their enemies was a very reckless move that would lead to their deaths.

Astravor and Blitz could escape easily, but the same couldn’t be said for Brann and his people.

Brann understood this as well, so he gave the order for his men to retreat.

The Stormhorn Tribe didn’t come out of this battle unscathed. They had lost five of their warriors during the clash, while dozens more were injured.

Some were only able to hold on to the reins of their horses through sheer willpower, despite the blood that was oozing out of their bodies. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Retreat!" Brann ordered. "Help those who cannot ride anymore. We will regroup with the caravan!"

The warriors obeyed his orders and helped carry their wounded brethren, letting them ride on their own horses.

Brann looked at his five brave warriors who were lying on the ground. They all fought tooth and nail against their enemies, and died like honorable warriors.

He wanted to bring them back so he could at least give them a proper burial. Sadly, time wasn’t on their side.

He looked at the Gryphon that had landed by his side, his lips trembling as he asked it a question.

"Can we take them back with us?" Brann asked.

Astravor gave the chieftain a long and hard look before reluctantly agreeing.

"Fine," Astravor replied before flapping its wings.

The Gryphon grabbed the dead warriors of the Stormhorn Tribe before gathering them together, picking them up once more with its claws.

*Squeak!*

Blitz landed on top of Brann’s horse after that, and pointed in the direction of Grimjaw Mountain.

Brann nodded before leading his horse to regroup with his warriors and their caravan.

The chieftain watched as a flying horse flew past them.

Arion and Otto planned to continue their attacks from the sky. With this, the Grimfang Tribe should hesitate to continue their pursuit of Brann and his people.

Since Astravor had already shown itself, it meant that the Aslan Tribe had come to the Stormhorn Tribe’s aid.

This also meant that more reinforcements might be coming. The idea of it made the Grimfang Tribe hesitate.

In that short clash, over two hundred warriors of the Grimfang Tribe died.

Yet, Brann wished that they could have killed more of them.

’I’ll remember this, Grimfang Tribe,’ Brann vowed in his heart. ’In the future, I’ll make you all pay for this!’

Right now, he didn’t have the strength to challenge them. That was why he chose to escape and sought to merge with the Aslan Tribe.

He thought that since they had left early, their pursuers would give up pursuing them. However, he had been too complacent.

He had underestimated the Grimfang Tribe’s ambition of expanding their forces.

Brann rode until he saw the trail of dust that the caravans were making in their wake.

He understood that until they reached the safety of Grimjaw Mountain, he couldn’t rest easy.

The Grimfang Tribe might still continue to pursue them to avenge their fallen warrior. Frankly, if another clash happened, the Stormhorn Tribe wouldn’t be able to mount another counter-offensive.

All of them were already exhausted from their journey. If anything, their earlier charge was the last thing they could do before their strength gave out.

As Brann neared the caravan, he saw another dust trail in the distance. It was coming from the direction of Grimjaw Mountain, which made his heart tighten up a bit.

He could feel tears threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes, so he gently wiped them.

Brann had been fighting for many years to keep his tribe safe from the other low-ranking tribes, as well as the arrogance of the middle-ranked tribes, who treated them like dirt.

No one had extended them any help in the past, even when they were facing great difficulties. But for the first time, someone did. And it made him a bit emotional.

A warrior like him shouldn’t cry. No. He didn’t allow himself to cry because he believed that it was a sign of weakness.

He was still the Chieftain of the Stormhorn Tribe, so he didn’t want the Aslan Tribe to see him crying in relief that his people were now in good hands.

*Squeak!*

"I’m not crying," Brann replied reflexively. "I just got dust in my eye, that’s all."

Blitz crawled up the chieftain’s body and stood on his shoulder. It then patted the side of Brann’s face as if telling him, "It’s alright to cry, big guy. No one is watching."

Brann had no idea what the flying squirrel was telling him, but the tears in his eyes wouldn’t stop falling.

And so, he stayed for a while to wipe them, making sure that he would look more presentable when he came face to face with the people of the Aslan Tribe.

After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

When he finally regained his composure, he urged his horse to catch up with the caravan while sitting tall and proud like a victor that had returned from battle.

Blitz also stood on his shoulder, its arms crossed on its chest. It raised its chin in arrogance to match Brann’s domineering look.

No one would be able to tell that this proud chieftain had spent a moment to wipe his tears away so that he could welcome the future proudly and become one of the pillars of a kingdom that would stand the test of time.