Hello again! Now that all the stress of the exams and the entrance exams have faded away, I finally have enough time to continue this story! I gotta say that I enjoy writing this a lot. I have arrived at one of my favorite points in the story now. (As I already said, I have a whole fanfic in my head so I now where I wanna go.) Also, OH MY GOD, I completely forgot about Ran and Ren in the last chapter! Their father died and here I am forgetting about them, I feel terrible. I made up an excuse in this chapter for their absence, lol.

The chapters seem to be getting longer and longer as I'm moving on with this story. I'm getting a bit over excited, oops.

Reviewer StrayDogHowling028: Thank you very much for your review! I hope you will like this chapter!

Enjoy!

The next morning the tribe was very tense. Ki-A's death was very sudden, and where the tribe was going, now Ma-Ko became the Head, was one big question. Aside from the men's terrible wounds, Na-La looked the worst of all. Ha-Ru had heard Na-La crying when he fell asleep after a long night, and had also heard her cry when he woke up. He saw Ma-Ko, Mi-Ho and Ma-Ko's younger siblings Ran en Ren keep her company. Even thought the twins were asleep the whole night, Na-La probably told them what happened when they woke up from their mother's cries. Ha-Ru watched them as Ran and Ren wrapped their arms around Na-La's neck, trying to console her. Ma-Ko was saying something to her, with his typically kind smile. Only now he looked much sadder than yesterday.

It was until noon Ma-Ko decided to make some plans with the men for the hunt. The men had to drop all of their provisions to keep the hyenas from attacking them, and the men haven't been able to eat so much yesterday. Their provisions from last time were getting scarce so they had to quickly pick up the hunt again. The only problem was that many of the men weren't able to walk anymore, including Rei, who broke a leg. Ha-Ru had hoped that Ma-ko would allow him and Na-Gi to replace them temporary. Or even better, he was too insecure to say it, that he could even permanently stay, since Ma-Ko is a good friend and trusts Ha-Ru. His expectations quickly grew when Ma-Ko ordered Ha-Ru and Na-Gi to join them at the gathering. Na-Gi seemed genuinely surprised about it, since Na-Gi's as carefree as a bird and joining the hunting team probably wasn't such a great concern to him.

….

"This place has been crawling with hyenas the last few days, Head." Rei said, leaning against the cave's entrance. The men were sitting in a circle behind him so he could still follow the conversation. "I assume they came from the Outlands, but how they managed to climb the cliff is one big question."
Rei's right leg has been wrapped in something that looked like leaves from a palm tree, and they we supported by woven strings. He could only think of Elder Mi-Ho's healing techniques. She also taught the majority of the tribe how to stitch heavy wounds. If it wasn't for Mi-Ho, many would have likely bled to death yesterday.

"I suggest we head north." To-Mo said, looking at Ma-Ko. "I spotted a herd of antelope near the hills. I think they fled from the hyenas too. We could encircle them easily if we lead them one of the valleys."

"To-Mo." Go-Ro said smiling."Ma-Ko is Head for not even a day and you're already throwing all your suggestions in the group. Refrain from your plans and inform Ma-Ko about our last meet."

"Go-Ro, it's fine." Ma-Ko said. "I agree with To-Mo. And I think it's best to drop the last plan, since those hyenas are spreading fast. The longer we wait here the more animals will leave. Those beasts kill everything that stands in their way."

Ha-Ru's eyes flicked from To-Mo to Go-Ro, and then to Ma-Ko. Is the gathering usually this tense? Ha-Ru's intuition told him that this was only because of the danger of the hyenas getting nearer. Ha-Ru thought back of the waterfall he almost drowned in eight years ago. According to To-Mo those hyenas came from the Outlands. Even Ha-Ru, with his human hands and good physique, had trouble climbing the cliff back then. So how…? Rin's face flashed before his eyes. No, the Outsiders couldn't have taken them above. They despised the hyenas too. They literally eat everything, Rin had said to him.

"Ha-Ru."Ma-Ko suddenly said with a serious tone. Ha-Ru snapped out of his thoughts and looked Ma-Ko straight in the eye. "Since this is your first time joining the hunt, I want you to stay as close to the group as possible. Na-Gi too." Na-Gi looked up and nodded heavily. "To-Mo, Na-Gi and… Go-Ro will lead the herd in the valley." Go-Ro, who was sitting with his back against the rocky cave, gave one small nod. "Further I will have us split in separate groups. One will back up Ha-Ru, Na-Gi and Go-Ro if a part of the herd would diverge. The other group will join me. We will be waiting there, ready to launch our attack. Are there any questions?"

Ha-Ru, Na-Gi and the rest remained silent. Now Ha-Ru was convinced Ma-Ko had thoroughly prepared his words from the start. Ma-Ko was an insecure stuttering mess most of the time, and seeing Ma-Ko like this must be prove that Ma-Ko has anticipated this gathering. Ha-Ru admired Ma-Ko for focusing hard on his new position as a leader, right after his father's death, but was afraid that the sadness of his father's loss would slowly start eating on him. Ma-Ko tends to suppress his feelings behind a smile, but this time Ha-Ru felt Ma-Ko was using a different method to hide his sadness and it scared him all the more.

Later when the men were on their way to the north, they noticed the herd of antelope has moved a bit further than they anticipated. It was the first time Ha-Ru was in this part of the Pridelands. They usually had their settlements in the flatter area of the lands, so they had a full view of the lands and could spot herds and enemies. Ha-Ru looked at the plain field change into peaceful wavy hills and saw the river meandering into the basin.

"Ugh, this is gonna be tough."Go-Ro huffed, standing next to Ha-Ru. When Ha-Ru turned around he noticed that Go-Ro had gained a very ugly star-shaped scar right above his temple. It has been stitched rather poorly. "It's like they have moved a bit further from our attacking point. I think we need a bit more back-up, Head."

"No. We stick to the plan." Ma-Ko stated. Staring at the herd that was standing just not too close for them to notice the tribesmen. "Encircle them as much as possible, so they stay together. I want to see them all cooking above the campfire tonight."

"Hell yeah!" Na-Gi shouted. Ma-Ko and the rest started laughing but To-Mo quickly hushed them, to warn them about the antelopes.

"Okay, back to track." Ma-Ko finally said, with a faded smile from the laughter. "We will be heading there now. We will take another route, so that the herd doesn't see us. It will be a rather long run, so wait until you see us. Go-Ro, I leave you in charge."

"Got it." Go-Ro replied.

…

While Ha-Ru and the others stood behind the rock keeping close watch on the herd, Go-Ro stood a bit further to check if the other group has reached the hills. Ha-Ru peeked on the side and saw a bunch of small figures heading towards the basin in between the hills, evading the herd pretty well. They were almost there. Just a little tiny bit…
Suddenly Ha-Ru saw the herd surging forward. Towards them. In the opposite way that they wanted to lead them to.

"Go-Ro!" Ha-Ru tried calling him as subtle as he could, but Go-Ro couldn't hear him. "Go-Ro!" Ha-Ru tried again, shouting a bit. This time Go-Ro turned around, but from the look he gave Ha-Ru it seemed like he understood what Ha-Ru was trying to tell him.

"Men! We have to advance now! They're moving in the opposite direction!" All the men lifted their spears at once with a determined look in their eyes. Suddenly Ha-Ru felt the excitement surge through his body, like he was feeling cool water touch his skin after a long and hot day.
He was actually doing this. He was hunting.

The group passed around the rock with their spears pointing towards the herd of antelope. A couple of men started making loud growling noises to stop the herd. Ha-Ru observed the men and tried to imitate them, trying to understand their method. He saw the men disperse, moving to the left and the right, leaping past the frightened antelopes while having their sharp spears directed towards them. Some of the men were dangerously close, but had everything under control. The herd was driven together and were running towards their attacking point, as fast as they could. Ha-Ru couldn't help but find it amazing. They have done this so many times, and it was the first time he could actually see them at work. Hunting really is like a second nature to them. After a moment of observation Ha-Ru leaped forward towards the herd. Running a few meters behind the last antelope now, he watched Na-Gi standing behind Go-Ro, shouting things he could not hear from where he was standing. Ha-Ru felt incredible as he ran. He is part of the tribesmen. He is hunting with them. He is finally worth it. With eyes sparkling in determination he held his spear towards the small antelope in front of him and roared. Not ever thinking of stopping.

…

Laughter filled the settlement when the men returned. The sun was standing high and not a single cloud hung in the sky. When they reached the camp, each of the men were carrying a fat chunk of antelope meat on their backs. When the women and children noticed they couldn't help but stand up and cheer for them. They laughed and danced and flew into the men's arms to hug and kiss them. Mi-Ho quickly went over to Ma-Ko and Go-Ro and gave Ma-Ko one big kiss on the forehead, and Go-Ro, to his surprise, one full on the mouth. Ha-Ru watched Ma-Ko as he was getting tons and tons of praise from the women. He laughed as they draped over him and kissed him all over the place. Ha-Ru smiled. Everyone was so proud of Ma-Ko. He was leader for only a day, still overwhelmed from the shock of losing a great father and he managed to return from one of the most successful hunts from the season. He wouldn't call his hunt successful, since this was his first. But he hopes that he will learn a lot from the men in the future.

He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Let me help you." To-Mo's voice said. Ha-Ru had some injuries after that antelope had run over him. He had been so caught up in the moment that he just let down his guard and had let the antelope attack in him in self-defense. Ever since that moment he had felt a stinging pain in his shoulder and hip. From what he could see he had several blue hoof-shaped spots on his back and chest, but assumed the pain must be internal.
These beasts look stronger than they look.

To-Mo grabbed Ha-Ru's provisions and forced him to sit down. He sat behind him and then softly pushed his palm against his shoulder, causing Ha-Ru to gasp in pain.

"I think it's dislocated." To-Mo said. "I'll call Mi-Ho to fix it."

"Okay."

When Mi-Ho arrived, she smiled at him. "Getting a bit over-confident, I heard?" She said with a giggle. Ha-Ru, who was already ashamed of his actions, blushed a deep red and turned his head, mumbling "Whatever."

"Let me look at that."Mi-Ho ordered and sat behind Ha-Ru. She carefully moved her hands over the sore parts and then gave it a small tap, causing Ha-Ru to flinch again. "You were right, To-Mo. It's dislocated. Okay Ha-Ru, this might hurt a little, but you have to do exactly as I say. Alright?"

"Yes."Ha-Ru said. The red on his face immediately drawing away.

"Okay, keep your back straight. Now bow your elbow in front of you like… this." She took Ha-Ru's forearm and held those up in front of him, so his forearm and upper arm made a 90 degree angle. Ha-Ru hissed in pain, but tried to endure it. "Good, now turn it around. So that your arms are facing away from you." Mi-Ho continued. She held his arm into the right direction so Ha-Ru was executing it properly. Now Ha-Ru was really hurting. "That's it. Now you lift your arms into the air, above your head, than you should feel a click."

Ha-Ru did what she said and moved his arm from the shoulder slowly from his side to above his head. All of the sudden the pain just disappeared. He rotated his arms several times, to check if it worked. It was a wonder. Ha-Ru turned around and saw that Ma-Ko and To-Mo were looking at him with their mouths in a perfectly shaped 'O'.

"You are truly amazing, Mi-Ho." To-Mo then said with a smile.

Later in the afternoon a feast was given to celebrate the great catch. Everyone was laughing and dancing and everyone was eating to the fullest. Everyone was continuously adding new meat on the prod that was rotating above the fire. At some point Ma-Ko had to force everyone to stop, because otherwise they wouldn't have enough meat left for the next day. Right after that announcement Ma-Ko had asked Ha-Ru to see him in the cave. So now he was on his way. He saw Rei and Na-Gi sleeping next to each other next to the cave's entrance. Both of them had a round belly and looked very peaceful and happy. Smiling softly, Ha-Ru headed inside.

"Ha-Ru." Came from the end. It was dark inside and could barely make up Ma-Ko's green eyes in the distance. He could see some tribe members sleeping in the corner and heard them snoring softly. Trying not to wake them, Ha-Ru walked on his toes and sat next to Ma-Ko, who shoved to the side so there was enough space between them.

"Something has kept me busy for a while." Ma-Ko finally whispered, looking down. His lips turned up to a smile, but his eyes were all sadness again. "You know about the tradition… that uh… the leader has to choose-you know- a partner for the rest of his life and... have children."

"Yeah." Ha-Ru said. "All the women like you, Ma-Ko, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ma-Ko's head bucked, so his fluffy hair fell in front of his eyes. "A have chosen a partner," He continued, "but my partner… is not a woman. And he still has to agree."

What escaped Ma-Ko's lips had yet to sink in Ha-Ru's ears. Wait, why not a woman? Does he mean that… Ha-Ru's blue eyes widened and were staring blankly at the ground. Hesitantly, he turned his head to Ma-Ko, who also turned to him, so they were now looking at one another. Ma-Ko's eyes said it all.

"Ha-Ru, please. Be mine."

Oops. Sorry for the cliffhanger!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was all hunting hunting, group feeling stuff, only to leave you with an intimate makoharu moment in the end. But guys, I will leave the makoharu for another chapter, because next chapter we are going to explore the life of the Outsiders! The complete opposite of the Pridelanders. This will be seen from 19/20 yo Rin's perspective!

See you in a couple of days!