Naqir frowned and said, "Looks like we have a lot to talk about."

Dora frowned as well.

"What do you mean?"

Naqir walked over to the deer, pulled out the arrow and jumped back as blood gushed out from the wound like a fountain.

A look of disgust appeared on Mira's face while others watched it as if it were the most normal thing they had ever seen.

Naqir pulled out a cloth from the pouch hanging by his side and began to clean the arrow. He spoke, "I was made a group leader three years ago."

"I know," Dora responded evenly.

He finished cleaning the arrow, placed it back into the quiver and gave her a faint smile before he continued, "At that time, all group leaders were informed about it, and they came to meet me..."

"What are you trying to say?" Dora questioned, feeling a bad premonition.

"I wasn't informed about this new group leader." His smile faltered, and he added, "Even though most group leaders do not like me, I don't believe they would do such a thing."

Mira and Dora blinked in confusion, and Mira mumbled, "You weren't informed?"

Naqir glanced at her and shook his head.

Dora's expression darkened, and she asked, "Do... do you know about the war?"

Just as those words left her, everyone fell silent, and the air turned heavy.

The wind brushed past them, and Naqir muttered in a voice heavy with confusion, "What did you say...?"

Dora's expression hardened, and she explained, "The ruler of purple has announced a war next year..."

Naqir and his group members froze, and he mumbled with trembling fists, "There is no way they won't inform me about this... even if they hate me... this is just too much."

Hearing his words, Dora's expression darkened even further, and she asked, "Did you receive any orders in the last few days?"

Naqir shook his head and answered, "No, we haven't received any order in the past three weeks."

Dora's eyes widened, dread coiled around her like a serpent, and she mumbled, "It can't be..."

Naqir's frown deepened even further, and he asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

Dora looked into his eyes and stated, "The ruler of purple had announced the war nearly two weeks ago."

Naqir's eyes widened, and he commented, "Are you saying that they are stopping the tribe from telling us?"

"I think so..." she concluded and took a deep breath.

Determination blazed in her eyes, and she declared, "I'll inform the tribe about it."

Seeing her coming to terms with the situation so easily, Naqir's dark eyes also regained their vigour, and he mumbled in his head, 'How is she able to accept it so easily?'

Dora grabbed Mira's hand and stepped forward to leave.

But before she could leave, Naqir asked loudly, "Wait! Why did you come here in the first place?"

Dora stopped in her steps, glanced at him and answered, "I came to invite you to the feast two days from now."

Naqir knit his brows together and muttered, "Your group leader is holding a feast?"

She nodded.

He clenched his fists and spat with eyes blazing in fury, "He is holding a feast while knowing about the war next year? Does he have no shame?"

Dora's eyes lost their sheen and sharpened, turning into bloodthirsty blades.

She let go of Mira's hand and replied in a voice colder than ice, "Do you think a war is won by training endlessly? MY Rion isn't stupid like you. He is holding this feast to increase everyone's morale."

Silence descended throughout the area at her unexpected words.

Naqir's group members turned furious at the blatant disrespect of their group leader, one of his squad leaders, Baek snapped, "You bit—"

"Silence."

Naqir cut him off with a sharp glare.

"...glup," Baek gulped and took a step back while glaring at Dora as if she were his worst enemy.

The air between the two trembled as Dora also stared back at him with eyes that could kill if it were possible.

'He is glaring at me like his group leader didn't disrespect MY Rion first,' she scoffed inwardly, and her eyes shifted at Naqir, who unexpectedly had a calm smile taking hold of his lips.

"I apologise for disrespecting your group leader," Naqir said softly.

She furrowed her brows, smiled and said, "I apologise for disrespecting you."

His smile widened, and he added, "I'll attend the feast with all of my group members."

Her smile widened as well, and she replied, "I hope you do."

However, none of the apologies and smiles were genuine.

Dora grabbed Mira's hand, turned around and left the place.

He watched her leave with an impassive gaze, and Baek commented, "She has some gall to dare talk back to a group leader."

Naqir nodded and commented, "Their group leaders pamper them too much... Guess this feast won't be just about increasing the morale of everyone."

Baek nodded, looked back and shouted, "Go pick up that deer instead of glaring at them!"

"Y-Yes!"

—

Dora and Mira dashed towards the Redwood Den, and Mira said while glancing backwards, "I still can't believe that a group leader apologised to you."

"Mhahaha!" Dora exploded into laughter.

Seeing that, Mira frowned and asked, "Why are you laughing?"

Dora glanced at her and said, "You poor soul, do you truly believe that an almighty group leader would apologise to a lamb like me?"

Clouds of confusion gathered around Mira's head, and she remarked, "Didn't Naqir just apologise to you?"

Dora shook her head and explained, "He simply didn't want to hurt the ones who informed him about the current state of the tribe. If I had said that at some other time, he would have crippled me without a hint of remorse."

Mira's eyes widened, and she stuttered, "T-Then why did you say that?"

A wide grin appeared on her face, and she answered with a chuckle, "Haha! I said it because I knew he wouldn't do shit!"

Mira looked at her in utter disbelief, and a chuckle escaped her.

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