I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 97 – The power of revenge
Eldest Senior Brother would naturally refuse, even if the Leader of the Pig Tribe promised to repay tenfold. For the Green Sparrow Tribe, which currently had abundant food, the allure was not in the provisions but in gaining the Pig Tribe as new members.
After numerous unsuccessful negotiations with the Eldest Senior Brother, the Leader of the Pig Tribe had no choice but to leave with the remaining nine disappointed individuals.
The disappointment of the Pig Tribe people did not stem from the friendly tribe’s refusal to lend food but from their leader’s adamant rejection of the friendly tribe leader’s proposal. They couldn’t understand why the Leader would act this way.
This tribe had more than enough delicious food to enjoy by staying, eliminating any worries about hunger. Such good fortune was rare, but the Leader insisted on returning to their empty cave, enduring hunger and deprivation.
The Leader noticed the sentiments of the people in his tribe, intensifying his internal conflict.
The following dialogue is a translation by the author, proficient in the languages of various primitive tribes, based on the words and gestures of both parties. Please don’t scrutinize too much; it’s all for the sake of storytelling.
“You have no food; people will die,” Eldest Senior Brother said, grabbing the Leader of the Pig Tribe and continuing to convey his goodwill.
“If you settle here, there will be food, and your tribe, including the children and women, can come. Let them eat their fill.”
Hearing the Eldest Senior Brother mention the women and children in the tribe, the Leader of the Pig Tribe became even more silent.
After a moment of silence, he shook his head again.
Thinking that the Leader was again rejecting his proposal, Eldest Senior Brother was about to continue persuading when the Leader spoke up.
He looked somewhat sorrowful. “Gone, all gone. They’re all gone.”
The Leader’s words shocked the Eldest Senior Brother. All the women and children gone—had they starved to death?
Recalling the amount of food he had provided them last time and considering the time it took for them to arrive, Eldest Senior Brother found it highly likely.
At this moment, his heart ached no less than that of the Leader of the Pig Tribe. These deceased individuals were supposed to become members of their Green Sparrow Tribe. How much population had they lost in an instant?
“Why are they gone?” Eldest Senior Brother asked, displaying wisdom. Even though he knew that it was highly likely the Pig Tribe members had starved to death, at this critical moment of bargaining with the Leader using food, he couldn’t explicitly say it.
Eldest Senior Brother hesitated to say it, fearing it might provoke resentment from the Pig Tribe and backfire. They had just lost many people due to starvation, and using food as leverage in negotiations could be easily misinterpreted.
Although the Leader of the Pig Tribe initially didn’t want to delve into these details, considering the inquirer was the Leader of the friendly tribe, he decided to explain.
“The vicious tribe took them away. When we brought back the food, they were all gone—taken away as food,” the Leader of the Pig Tribe spoke with anger, regret, and sorrow, almost shedding tears.
Eldest Senior Brother, upon hearing this unexpected revelation, was shocked. He had not anticipated that the vicious tribe had also attacked the Pig Tribe.
“The vicious tribe—our tribe encountered them too, just the day before you arrived,” the Eldest Senior Brother informed the Leader, specifying that it was the same tribe they encountered during the hunt but with more people this time.
The Leader of the Pig Tribe became visibly agitated. “It’s them. It must be them,” he said with a tone filled with hatred.
However, he soon felt puzzled by Eldest Senior Brother’s account. According to the story, with so many people attacking, the Green Sparrow Tribe should have struggled to defend itself. Even if they managed to repel the vicious tribe, the damage should have been substantial.
But the Leader remembered that when he arrived the next day, there were no signs of an attack on the Green Sparrow Tribe.
His gaze shifted to the peculiar walls of the cave, and he noticed the weapons and people standing behind them. Putting the pieces together, he understood how the Green Sparrow Tribe had achieved this.
Regretting his oversight, the Leader of the Pig Tribe wanted to hit himself on the head. “They leave these,” Eldest Senior Brother explained.
Leading the Pig Tribe Leader outside the walls, Eldest Senior Brother took him to the east side near the forest. In a snowy mound, he revealed the aftermath of burning the Flying Snake Tribe corpses.
The Leader of the Pig Tribe stared at the bones in silence, then suddenly erupted. He fiercely beat the bones in the ashes with the wooden spear in his hand, a mix of exhaustion and anger evident. After a while, he stopped, unsatisfied, and with one more thrust, he sent a Flying Snake Tribe skull flying into the snowy field.
Breathing heavily, red-eyed, and serious, the Leader said to the Eldest Senior Brother, “Our tribe will join you. When you encounter that tribe again, help us defeat them.”
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Eldest Senior Brother had no reason to refuse. “The vicious tribe is our common enemy. By joining us, we become one tribe. We will strike them ruthlessly.”
The Eldest Senior Brother made a promise to the Leader of the Pig Tribe. Then, in a gesture of camaraderie, he embraced the Leader, pressing foreheads against each other.
The Leader of the Pig Tribe reciprocated.
Under the leadership of the Pig Tribe Leader, all members of the Pig Tribe, along with the four primitive women, vigorously beat the remains of the vicious tribe with sticks, then relieved themselves. Finally, they followed Eldest Senior Brother toward the walls of the Green Sparrow Tribe.