"We think the neighboring territory has been taken over. That's why you five will scout out the territory," a mighty hyena transmitted to five small snakes.
"Are you sure-"
BANG!
The talking snake was slapped away by the hyena. "You lower class beasts have no right to your opinion. The only reason why you're still alive is that you look like sea beasts! Now, if you don't want to die, you will go and scout!" the hyena shouted.
The other four snakes looked at their brother with rage and pity. Yet, they weren't angry at him, but at this Tribe.
They had been born into the Hyena Tribe. Their parents had been captured sea snakes, who had been forced to reproduce. Before the snakes even understood anything, their parents had been killed. After that, they had been raised by the hyenas.
The Hyena Tribe, as its name suggested, was a Tribe led by the Hyenas. Over 90% of their population was made out of Hyenas from the same family. Describing it as a Clan was actually more accurate than describing it as a Tribe.
"You either scout or you will die right now!" the Hyena shouted. "You still have a chance to survive as long as you bring us good intelligence. We didn't put so many resources into your growth so that you can do nothing. Learn your place, trash!"
The snakes were angry. All of them were only mid-rank Spirit Beasts. Yet, in a Tribe full of high-rank Spirit Beasts, they couldn't even defend themselves. Every day, they had to endure insults from the hyenas, not being allowed to strike back.
Yet, what were they supposed to do? They were under constant supervision, making it impossible for them to flee into the sea. On top of that, fleeing to another Tribe would force them to go through the fatal Prey Process.
Becoming the Prey of another Tribe was incredibly dangerous. They would need to fight multiple beasts one-on-one, and only if they won all fights would they become part of the Tribe. On top of that, beasts that joined via the Prey Process generally had lower standings.
These five snakes were rather smart. That's why they realized that they could do nothing else but follow the tyrannical hyenas.
"Okay," the same snake from before said in defeat. There was nothing they could do.
The hyena snorted. "Good! Then, go! If you don't come back in five hours, you will receive a severe punishment."
The snakes didn't object and just traveled to the mountain range bordering the River Tribe. A small meerkat, another low-class citizen, had already dug a tunnel to the river separating the two Tribes. Without talking, the snakes entered the tunnel and entered the other territory.
Like this, nearly five hours passed.
Shortly before the five hours were up, one of the snakes returned, incredibly injured. The hyena saw that but didn't react. "Report," it demanded.
The snake had a frustrated and horrified look on its face. "My siblings have betrayed the Tribe," it said with pain.
Yet, the hyena didn't fully buy the story. "And you didn't go with them?" it asked with narrowed eyes.
The small snake shook in fear. "I… I was too afraid of dying. They decided to become Prey, but I don't want to die."
The hyena still didn't fully believe the story. "Why are you injured?" it asked.
The snake looked incredibly angry. "When I told them that I would return, they all decided to attack me."
"Why?" the hyena asked.
"If I returned, I would be forced to tell you the current state of the territory. They said that if no one returned, you wouldn't attack as quickly, giving them a chance to prepare for our invasion," the snake reported.
The hyena snorted again. "And I'm supposed to believe that you managed to escape from all four of your siblings alive?"
The snake narrowed its eyes in bitterness. "They quickly overwhelmed me and bit me. Our venom is devastating, and I played dead, knowing that they wouldn't want to eat their sibling. When they turned around, I quickly ran off."
"How did you survive the venom?" the hyena asked, more convinced now.
"We've never bit each other. Apparently, we're immune to each other's venom. I thought that I would die but quickly realized that I didn't feel as weak as I thought. That's when I realized that their venom didn't work," the snake reported. A bite mark perfectly fitting a snake's bite was visible in the middle of its body.
The hyena nodded. "Okay, and what about the territory?" it asked, not caring about the snake's injuries at all.
The snake took a deep breath to calm down. "Just as you have expected, the Sand Tribe has been annihilated. Only sea beasts are left behind the mountains. Currently, they are searching for new sea beasts in the oceans to bolster their rank. Yet, there are still many sea beasts. I estimate that they are about the double of our numbers."
The hyena thought for a bit. "Did you find out anything about their Lord?" it asked.
The small snake shook a bit. "That was the reason why my siblings didn't want me to return because, if I told you, you would decide to immediately attack."
The hyena's eyes shone. "Is their Lord dead?" it asked.
"Yes. The leader of the Sand Tribe died to the Lord, but the venom of the Sand Tribe's leader also killed the Lord. Right now, the Tribe is being led by an incredibly smart sea snake, who battles as many other beasts as it can. In probably another day or two, it will manage to become a Lord."
The hyena narrowed its eyes. "It's a normal occurrence. A Horde that occupies a valuable territory needs a powerful leader." Then, the hyena turned around. "Go back to your den. You will be rewarded with a corpse equal to your power."
The snake's eyes widened. "With all due respect, but why do you believe me so suddenly?" the snake asked.
The hyena only snorted. "The Tribe is wise and beyond your ability to comprehend. We have never told you anything specific about our neighboring Tribes. The fact that you knew that the Sand Tribe leader had venom showed me that you didn't make this up."
"Also," the hyena said as it looked with disdain at the snake. "No Tribe would accept anyone from another Tribe in under five hours. No rational beast would trust a spy from another Tribe that quickly."
The hyena let out a slight laugh. "Also, we still have your smaller siblings with us. If you betrayed us, you know exactly what would happen to them. You wouldn't dare to do anything."
The snake lowered its head. "Okay," it conceded with a small voice.
Then, the snake left for its den.
Meanwhile, the hyena quickly went to the headquarters of the Hyena Tribe. There was a huge tree in the middle of their Tribe, and all the high-ranking hyenas lived under it. A load of differently sized hyenas walked around the tree, but none of them dared to enter its shadow.
Yet, this hyena entered the shadow directly. After some seconds, it was flanked by two other hyenas that walked alongside it. Every hyena that entered the shadow was forced to meet the Matriarch, but they better had a very good reason. If they didn't, they would be killed.
After walking for a while, the three hyenas stood before a white but relatively small hyena. Nearly every other hyena massively towered over this one. Yet, no one dared to be disrespectful. This was their Matriarch.
"Yes?" she asked with a seemingly lovely smile.
The hyena that came to visit her immediately became fearful as it saw that smile. "Great Matriarch, I come to report that the ocean has annexed the Sand Tribe."
The Matriarch nodded. "Anything else?" she asked.
The hyena grew more nervous. Obviously, the information she brought wasn't enough to satisfy the Matriarch. "The invading Lord managed to kill the Sand Lord but died to his venom after that. Right now, a sea snake is quickly fighting and eating beasts to become the new Lord."
Now, the Matriarch grew interested. "Will you bet your life on that information?" she asked.
The hyena gritted its teeth. "Yes," it said. It had to bet its life. If it didn't, the Matriarch would kill it for bringing unreliable information. It was always risky to talk to the Matriarch, but if one managed to survive an encounter with her, they would receive massive rewards.
The Matriarch hummed for a bit. "Little Treasure, are you interested in that?" the Matriarch asked.
The hyena wasn't sure whom the Matriarch was referring to, but another hyena quickly spoke up. "I'm interested, mother. Ever since I've become a Lord, I thought about having my own territory. Of course, I will only pursue that thought if you allow me to," the hyena said.
This hyena was a bit bigger than the Matriarch. Yet, instead of her white color, this one was blood-red. On top of that, its teeth looked way more imposing than every other hyena.
"It's okay," the Matriarch said, "but let the Tribe practice for a bit before you kill these shrimps all by yourself. Fish is quite delicious."
"Of course, mother," the red hyena answered.
"After the fight, you can rule it in my place, but don't forget…" the Matriarch said as she smiled at her daughter, "I am the real leader. For giving this territory to you, I also demand the corpse of another Lord. You have one year to bring such a corpse to me. If you don't, you know what will happen."
"Of course, mother," the red hyena said.
The Matriarch laughed a bit. "Good, good. Then, go play with the neighbor's kids."
"Of course, mother," the red hyena said deferentially and left.
"And you," the Matriarch said as she looked at the reporting hyena again. "you will be rewarded with two corpses equal to your strength. That is, of course, only if the information was accurate. After all, you bet your life on it."
The hyena shivered a bit. It had taken the risk to report this for exactly such a reward.
"Yes, Great Matriarch. Thank you, Great Matriarch," it said.
"You can leave," the Matriarch said.
The hyena quickly scooted away while still keeping its upper body lowered.
It had survived this encounter. Investing in the small snakes had finally paid off!
