They waited for a minute or so just in case there was trouble waiting, but there wasn’t. Rhys walked up to the little kernivic and slit its throat.
The others were also getting it done, though it was more hectic for them than for Rhys, Mikok, Vaikor, and Lycan. To get the dead kernivic back, they had to cut each one into pieces first, breaking them in half quickly before predators came around. After that, everyone was handed a sack; even Rhys was involved. Then came the haul back home to the United Village. Rhys had participated in every single part of the kernivic hunt so far.
“I’m tired,” Rhys said.
“We are going to rest, then at night, we eat—all of us together,” Vaikor said.
“That means you need to be here, with us,” Lycan added.
“Okay, I’ll meet you,” Rhys said, walking toward his home. It wasn't a long walk, but the moment he entered the house, Cil bounced on him, holding him tightly.
“Hey, hey there,” Rhys said, hugging her back.
Sely was seated nearby, just watching. “Want to jump on me too?”
“No. But how was it?”
“Not bad. It was fun, and I’m finally learning how to use an arrow,” Rhys replied, walking over to her.
“Thinking about it, I’ve never seen you use an arrow,” Sely said, looking up at him.
“Yes. Do you know how to use one?”
“Yes, I’m far better than you at it.”
“Okay then, you’ll be training me,” Rhys said. “But right now, I need to sleep. Wake me up when the festival is about to start.”
“Fes—”
“The last part of the kernivic hunt,” Rhys said as he walked to the bed, Cil still clinging to him.
With that, they slept, completely out until Sely woke them up.
“Is it time?” Rhys asked.
“No, but you have to bathe, don’t you?” Sely asked.
“Uhhh, yes, okay,” Rhys said, hauling himself up. Cil went straight back to sleep without a second thought after Sely tried to wake her.
When the time finally came, a central fire had been set up, and everyone was holding a piece of metal. It seemed like the entire population of the United Village—a massive crowd of canids—was sitting or standing around the central flame. All this time, Rhys had wondered why that empty space was left in the middle of the village; tonight, he had his answer.
These two are never far from each other, Rhys thought as he walked toward the waving hands.
“Hi,” Rhys said, taking a spot. Sely sat on his left, Lycan on his right, and Vaikor sat to Lycan’s right.
“It’s nice, right?” Lycan said, watching the crowd gather.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Slowly, the open area filled to capacity. Now, the alphas had to give their speech. Lycan got up, followed by Vaikor. The crowd went quiet—so quiet it felt like time had stood still, every pair of eyes fixed on the two leaders.
“The United Village of Canids,” Lycan began with a smile, pacing around the fire.
“What a good time to live. What a good time to get a second life, a second growth,” Vaikor chimed in.
“This... this is what our great-grandparents had. United, a large fire, kernivic meat...”
“...the moon shining down on us...”
“...family...”
“...water...”
“...vegetables...”
“...fruits.”
“What a good time to live. What a good time to be a canid,” Vaikor said.
“To our young ones, we welcome you into the adulthood of canids. Yes, you will receive some changes—growth, strength, speed...”
“...lots of girls...”
“Yes, and children too! But not just now; we still have work to do,” Vaikor replied to a loud shout from the crowd.
“Setil will be joining us—the alpha of the Lost Canids,” Lycan announced.
“We will drink to them, for all their troubles, all our past troubles, our joys, and the future that is to come,” Vaikor added.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, sounding of collective happiness.
“We would also like to introduce you to the alpha of the Flintwood canids. The man who saved the Flintwood canids from the aurochs...”
“...the human who made the Ravari village a place to live in...”
“...the alpha that gave us the most important warning—a warning that saved not just us, but our canids who went to help retrieve the others in the neutral city...”
“...the alpha who took our thoughts and made them come true.”
“What we wanted was a united village—a place where canids could live and grow strong, with water and plenty of food.”
“We tried it before. The gardens... we tried them. If you remember, what happened?”
“Not enough water. Or sometimes so much water that the vegetables were destroyed...”
“Isn’t this the place to be? Water, food...”
“...life. And when we build a wall—a big wall to make sure our canids never worry about being attacked in their homes...”
“...like them or not...”
“...whether you want to fight him...”
“...kill him...”
“...have his children...”
“...know that the happiness we have tonight, and the happiness other canids will feel when they hear about the United Village...”
“...that will be because of us...”
“...and other alphas...”
“...including Rhys,” Vaikor finished.
“So let’s eat the night away!”
“And less drinking for you young ones! Remember what happened last time,” Vaikor warned, drawing a wave of laughter from the crowd.
“So let’s eat away—for our past, and our future!” Lycan shouted, and the quiet broke into a roar of chatting and celebration.
The two walked back to their seats.
“I thought you would howl,” Rhys said.
“Oh, yes. Just waiting for the moon to get higher,” Lycan replied.
“‘The Alpha of Flintwood,’” Rhys repeated dryly.
“What, want to be our alpha?”
“No. Just... I’d like to be like them. Just a commoner,” Rhys replied.
“But you can’t. An important person can’t be a commoner; it’s just how it is,” Lycan said, shaking his head. “Now get the meat and the wine. Today, everyone eats.”
And the feast was on.
“It’s strong,” Rhys said, tasting the wine.
“Yes, that’s why it’s here,” Lycan replied.
The only thing missing was music—a good bar hit to make the night hit harder. Rhys drank, ate, and spent half his energy making sure Cil didn't get her hands on a cup. She was trying constantly, attempting to seduce her way into getting a taste of the drink making Rhys so happy. Luckily, Sely ate more than she drank, so she kept stepping in whenever Rhys was about to give in to Cil.
Then came the howls. Whether Rhys joined in or not, he couldn't remember, but when morning arrived, his head was pounding with a massive hangover.
“I don’t think you should move,” Sely observed.
“Ye... ugh, my head is spi—”
“Wait a little bit...”
“Nope,” Rhys said, forcing himself up. “Coming?”
“Yes, let me wake her up,” Sely said, taking hold of Cil.
It wasn't early morning anymore, so when Rhys stepped outside, it was no surprise to see everyone moving about proactively.
A week passed. The days were spent tending the garden and building more houses. When Rhys asked why, the answer was always the same: “Alpha Setil is coming.”
Everything moved along steadily until Alpha Setil finally arrived. The sudden noise gave it away. Rhys wasn't nearby at first—he was out practicing archery with Cil and Sely, with Mikok acting as their teacher. Hearing the commotion, they lowered their bows and walked toward the noise.