Chapter 58: The end of Winter

Time stops for no one, including the seasons. As such, winter was finally coming to an end, bringing spring into the world as the primary season for the next few months.

The morning sun shone through the windows of Kanan’s hut as he woke up from his slumber. The birds were chirping, his eyes were crusty, and he performed the sacred ritual of every person: the morning yawn coupled with the morning stretch.

Kanan’s sleep wasn’t the greatest. It was only okay at best. Sleeping while preparing for a war would do that to you.

It wasn’t just Kanan who felt this way either; it was all of the Elders, Warriors, Guards, Hunters, and the Chief himself. Still, they had a job to do, so bad sleep was the least of their problems.

After giving the sleeping Glena and Viola a kiss on the cheek, Kanan left the hut and made his way to the Chief’s hut, where planning took place.

A smile crept onto Kanan’s face as he stepped outside. The wall was complete, fully built with four gates and guard towers, perfect for defending against an attack.

It was only through everyone’s collective effort that the wall was completed on time, leaving them with several weeks to spare. That gave them enough time to add weaponry to the towers and along the inside of the wall.

Kanan didn’t know how much the wall would protect them from the Typhon Tribe, but he didn’t doubt the system. He understood that this was essential to their survival. Even if they lost some lives, that was better than losing a vast majority of their people.

Making his way over to the chief’s hut, Kanan greeted the guards who protected the place and entered the place, being greeted by the other council members who were already present.

"You’re late." Elder Nala chuckled

"No, all of you are early." He retorted. "Did you have a sleepover or something? The sun is barely up."

"If you can see the sun, then you’re late."

"Sure, sure."

"Now that we’re all here, let’s go over the plan since everyone is here." Solan laid out a map on the table that showed the whole village, updated to include the wall.

"The Typhon Tribe lives to the west, past the river and over the forest on that side. Most of our defenses have been set up there; warriors, more guards on the western gate, and even hunters prepared to attack if our enemies get past the defensive line."

Kanan looked at the map on the table, then glanced at his system, which had a more detailed version of it. The only downside was that Kanan could see where the Typhon Tribe actually was.

Their general area, even a part of the map marked with their Tribe’s name, was present. But when the battle would start, there would be no enemy markers.

While it wasn’t a big deal, it did bother him somewhat. The system had the exact number of people who lived in the village, as well as the potential future inhabitants, taking into account pregnant women.

So it shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the system to have icons that symbolize a person: ally or enemy.

"Elder Nala, are the Balista up?" ℴ

"Yes, Chief. I double-checked them before I came here. I’ll double-check them again when it’s time for the attack."

Igor and the craftsmen were able to build four ballistae in time for the war. They had to crunch, but due to their hard work, each guard tower now had a ballista to use. It was also thanks to Kanan’s system that they knew when the Typhon Tribe would be attacking, making the work a bit stressful.

Looking down, Kanan saw how much time they had left. One week from today, that’s what the system said.

"Good. What about the traps? Elder Hal?"

"Primed and ready to go. They won’t know what hit them."

"Fantastic. I’m sure the people already know that something dangerous is going to happen soon, but an announcement will be given today to inform everyone about what’s to come." Solan looked around to see if anyone had anything to say before continuing to speak.

"Now, I want all of you to remember that we need to capture or kill the Chief of the Typhon Tribe. Once he or she is taken out, the rest will follow. If what I know of their ability is still practiced to this day, then the chief holds the most power of everyone and can even share his strength."

"Like me?" Kanan asked

"Similar. They draw upon the spirits of the land, and it’s those spirits who choose the next chief. Once empowered by the spirits, the chief is able to use that power to increase the power of their tribesmen, even giving them an element of nature."

"Oh. That’s a very strong ability." Kanan also thought that it wasn’t fair. He couldn’t give out elemental powers or anything like that.

"Yes. So once the chief is subdued, the rest will be easier to pick off. Now, this doesn’t mean that they are weak. None of you must let your guard down after their chief is subdued. We’ll conclude the meeting with this. The next time we meet, it will be for war."

When Kanan left, he went to where the warriors stayed, checking up on them to see their condition. They were fine physically, but mentally, he didn’t know.

Most warriors were seasoned, used to battle and hardship, but there were a lot who were still green.

The warriors from the most recent Blessing Ceremony would not be participating up front in the battle. Instead, they were delegated to support and were only to fight if the situation called for it.

This meant that Kanan shouldn’t be losing any friends next week, but nothing was guaranteed.

"Kanan?" Terin called out.

"Terin, what’s up? You okay?"

"I don’t think so. C-Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, man. Lead the way."