Talkar and two representatives arrived at the village of Tipani, located within a small forest, accompanied by Aktar and several elders of Zeswa. They entered the council building at the center of the village and waited for the session that would soon begin. Before long, the representatives of the last major tribe, Kame'Tire, also arrived. Soon, the representatives of the three tribes gathered around a large circular table with an empty center. At first, they exchanged polite greetings and brief conversation, though the tension in the room was still noticeable.
After these short exchanges came to an end, the representatives finally turned to the main matter and gave Aktar and the elders the floor to speak. Aktar and the elders described in detail the sudden attack they had suffered, the burning of their crops, and the people who had been taken from them, speaking at length in a sympathetic tone.
"And so, honored representatives, after such terrible events, we were forced to come all this way to ask for your help."
The three representatives of Kame'Tire and Tipani leaned toward one another and whispered quietly for a while. Then the chief of Kame'Tire spoke.
"We would like to express how sorry we are for what we have heard, Chief Aktar. Could you explain exactly what kind of assistance you are asking from us?"
Aktar stood and spoke in a respectful and steady voice.
"What we ask from you is temporary food support, the necessary materials to establish a new village of our own, and finally, guidance toward lands where we may settle."
He distributed the list he was holding to the representatives of the three tribes seated at the table. It contained the tools and supplies they needed.
As the representatives read the list, their expressions mostly remained neutral, though at times their brows tightened slightly. They then asked Aktar and the Zeswa elders to wait outside for a while so the council could discuss the matter among themselves. And so the people of Zeswa waited outside, anxious for the outcome of the meeting.
At last, after three hours, they were called back to the circular table.
The spokesman of Tipani began to speak.
"My friends, for hours we have discussed everything we could possibly do for you, considering every detail. At the end of these long deliberations, we have reached the following decision: the council already occupies all the lands in this region that are suitable for farming and fruit cultivation. Unfortunately, this means we cannot recommend any nearby territory where your people might settle. However, the council does not intend to abandon you. We have an offer to make. We propose that your people join the tribes of the council. We will try to find suitable work for your people among the three major tribes and the surrounding farms. And together, the three tribes can provide enough housing for everyone in a short time, so that no one is left without shelter."
"My people do not wish to be divided," Aktar said in a firm voice.
"We understand, Aktar. But otherwise, helping you would place the council in a difficult position. Even if we were to assist you in settling distant lands, our own people would not accept giving you the fruits of an entire year's labor."
Aktar and the elders discussed the matter quietly among themselves for some time and evaluated the situation. It had already become clear to them during their days in Sarentu that they did not like the system there. Still, they had very few options left. In the end, however reluctantly, they decided to remain within the council's lands for a time, recover their strength, and later set out again in search of new territory.
The people of Zeswa agreed to follow their plan. With that settled, the conversation shifted toward the conditions of the arrangement and how the process would proceed.
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As the sun blazed overhead at its full strength, Alexander dropped down from the tree branch he had been lying on with a tired motion. The scavenger birds had returned again, circling in hopes of stealing a share of his kill. But before they could even land on the aardvark's remains, Alexander had already reached the carcass. He let out a savage roar toward them. They were stubborn creatures, and they were beginning to irritate him.
The moment the scavengers recognized his threat, they screeched sharply in anger and rose back into the sky.
The gene-queen lowered her head toward the meat on the ground and saw that almost nothing remained. As the scavenger birds circled above him, watching as if out of spite, he bent down and swallowed the last remaining bites. Now there was nothing left but empty hide and scattered bones.
He noticed one of the scavenger birds finally break away and fly off toward the mountains.
"At last, one of them realized there's nothing left here to eat," he thought.
His attention shifted when a series of strange cries rose from nearby—somewhere between growls and squeals. The sight before him surprised him slightly. The eight small hatchlings were imitating their queen and shouting at the birds together.
Alexander wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to this scene, though he found their behavior somewhat amusing. After a while, the little Nuxali returned to wrestling and playing among themselves, and Alexander left them to their games.
He considered what to do next. He didn't feel like lying around any longer. Their biomass reserves were already depleted, and he saw no reason to remain there any further.
His thoughts turned back to the analysis. Before deciding where to go next, he wanted to check its progress.
Progress – 53.4 / 100
"Not bad. The analysis should be finished in about two weeks," he thought.
He looked around for a while. Everything was quiet. He didn't want to return to the river, so he decided to continue exploring instead. He chose the mountains as his direction. If he could reach their peaks, he believed he would be able to observe the surrounding lands more easily and form a mental map of the region.
With that decision made, his mental waves carried his command through the swarm. The group immediately gathered itself and began moving forward in an orderly formation.
The mountains were still far away, but they managed to reach them before nightfall and continued their climb through the night. After a while, Alexander began to feel sleep slowly creeping over him, yet he did not want to rest until he found a relatively safe place. Because of the steep and rugged terrain, the young queen struggled somewhat to chart a clear route, but they continued moving forward, slowly but steadily. In some places, the mountainside was dotted with sparse trees, and it crossed his mind that they could spend the night in one of them.
He was trying to map out a path in his mind toward the areas where the trees grew thicker along the steep slope when a few small stones fell from above and struck his head, scattering his thoughts.
It didn't hurt, but some dust got into his eye. He was having trouble seeing clearly, and Alexander immediately thought of the hatchlings. He pulled his focus away from his own body and the dust in his eye and took control of one of them instead.
Right in front of him, he saw his own body still rubbing its eye with a paw. It felt truly strange. He still wasn't fully used to experiences like this. But he ignored it and looked upward.
What he saw were mountain goats leaping from tiny ledges along the sheer cliffs, running effortlessly across the steep rock faces. He couldn't take his eyes off them. While he and his swarm had struggled for hours and had not even climbed a hundred meters, they moved across the slopes with complete ease.
As his thoughts focused on their incredible agility, his world suddenly flipped upside down.
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