Chapter 277: Refugees (Part 2)

With such an encounter, the wolfmen decided to abandon their patrol and led the group of refugees back to their hidden valley.

Along the way, the young wolfmen couldn’t help but start fawning over the wolfwomen in the group. Seeing how hungry they looked, some even took out their own rations to share. The wolfwomen didn’t hold back either. After a brief word of thanks, they devoured the food like they hadn’t eaten in days.

Their behavior reassured the squad leader, who had initially harbored some suspicion. Nobody who had been well-fed recently would eat with such desperation.

“Where are you all from?” he asked, handing a piece of his own dried provisions to the young wolfwoman with a streak of red in her hair. 

He tried his best to soften his expression into a kind smile.

She took the food cautiously, cramming it into her mouth so quickly that she nearly choked. The leader hurriedly passed her his water flask, watching as she struggled to swallow before finally catching her breath.

“Thank you…” she said shyly, glancing at him before quickly looking down again. 

But the lure of food was too strong. She immediately resumed devouring it with the same fervor.

“Don’t rush, there’s plenty,” the leader said, his expression softening. 

Her demeanor reminded him of what his wife had been like when she was younger, and a wave of tenderness washed over him.

“Sir…” 

The old wolfman who had spoken earlier stared longingly at the pouch of rations in the squad leader’s hand. After a brief hesitation, the leader divided the remaining food among the neglected elders.

“Stop focusing only on the young girls,” he barked, kicking the more starry-eyed wolfmen in the rear. His tone was low but firm.

Their portable rations were quickly depleted. The refugees seemed unsatisfied, but this display of generosity made them more willing to accept the wolfmen’s invitation without hesitation. They immediately followed along, grateful for the offer.

As they walked, the squad leader casually probed for information about the refugees’ background—and especially about the red-haired girl he had taken an interest in. Eventually, he pieced together their story. They came from the wilds at the northwestern edge of Batiz, descendants of a wolfkin tribe driven to the northern wastelands long ago by elven persecution.

“Life there is just too hard,” the old wolfman sighed. “The cold, the drought, you can barely grow anything. And then there are the constant raids by stronger tribes. Three years ago, our tribe had nearly a thousand members. One winter storm wiped out half, and repeated raids from neighboring tribes left us with nothing. We had no choice but to head south and hope for a better chance.”

“Are there many wolfkin scattered across the wastelands?” the leader asked immediately.

“There are plenty, at least hundreds of thousands,” the old wolfman replied. “But they’re scattered far and wide, constantly at war with one another, stealing people and resources. Other than a distant kingdom in the far west that’s said to be ruled by wolfkin, the rest are just fragmented groups.”

Could this be where the Silver Moon Wolf Tribe’s future lies?

The squad leader pondered the possibility for a moment. But as a low-ranking officer, such matters were far beyond his responsibilities, so he quickly shifted his focus back to the red-haired wolf girl. Before long, he learned her name and her story. She had lost her parents and siblings and was now completely alone.

“My name is Bart. Let me take care of you, okay?” he said earnestly. “I promise, I’ll make sure you have a good life.”

The wolfgirl hesitated briefly, her face flushed, before nodding slightly.

“My name is Lo,” she said softly.

As the group approached the hidden valley where the patrol had been stationed, sentries came out to inspect the newcomers. But like the patrol, the sight of a group mostly made up of elderly, women, and children posed no threat to them. Meanwhile, the unclaimed young wolfgirls quickly caught the sentries’ attention and became the focus of their advances.

The group descended into a chaotic flurry of activity as the sentries eagerly vied for attention. Alarmed by the commotion, one of the senior leaders rushed over to investigate. Upon learning what was happening, his face darkened, and he erupted in fury.

“You bunch of idiots! Bart! You were sent out to patrol, not to find wives! Get back out there and finish your mission,” the senior leader roared, his face twisted in fury. “And you lot! I told you to check what was going on, and now you’re chasing girls? Have your brains been completely eaten by lust? Get out of here now.”

His tirade drew protests from the soldiers who had been interacting with the young women.

“Kirk, what do you mean by that?”

“Yeah! What’s wrong if it’s mutual consent?”

“We saved them. What’s wrong with that? Should we have just left them to starve in the mountains?”

“She already accepted my proposal.”

But the leader had the support of the soldiers who had stayed back, watching the situation unfold. To them, the ones who had jumped on this opportunity were taking unfair advantage of their position.

Tensions escalated quickly, and the two sides began to argue heatedly, completely ignoring the refugees in the process.

Eventually, it was the wives of several elders who stepped in, calmly taking the refugees to the empty houses at the back of the camp to give them temporary shelter. Meanwhile, the soldiers who had abandoned their patrol flatly refused to leave the camp, fearing the girls they had set their eyes on might be taken by someone else.

A large group of young, single wolfmen gathered around the refugees’ lodgings, laying out the food they’d painstakingly saved or strutting about in full gear to show off their strength. Before long, arguments broke out over who fancied the same girl, with some disputes nearly escalating into physical fights.

The leader, Kirk, was forced to assert his authority, driving them away and assigning married wolfmen to guard the area. He issued strict orders barring any young wolfman from approaching the refugees.

“Everything will be decided when the elders return,” he shouted. “They’ll make the proper arrangements. Don’t get ahead of yourselves. For all we know, the elders might send us north, where we can bring more wolfkin into our fold.”

This finally managed to settle the crowd down somewhat.

Due to years of war and raiding among the tribes on the plains, the population was typically skewed towards more females than males. In truth, if it hadn’t been for the Sentalus’ policy of total annihilation, Silver Moon’s population would have followed the same trend.

If they did head north, there was a good chance everyone could find a wife. That thought gave the young wolfmen a sliver of hope for their future and the continuation of their lineage.

“Disperse! All of you, get out of here,” Kirk bellowed. “Today is Lady Ram’s wedding day. There’s wine and meat for everyone. Don’t embarrass yourselves here. Go find something better to do.”

The wolfmen finally dispersed, albeit begrudgingly. The two who had nearly come to blows earlier reconciled with a handshake, agreeing instead to settle their differences at the drinking table.

As night fell, the wine and meat sent specially from Orgrimmar for the wedding were brought out. The wolfpeople eagerly gathered around, diving into the feast with unrestrained enthusiasm.

Of course, a few still harbored the belief that this food had been traded for Lady Ram and refused to partake. However, the majority adopted the mindset of “if you don’t eat, it’s a waste—and if you’re angry at them, you should eat even more to spite them.” With this thought, they threw themselves even more fervently into the celebration.

Bart, however, couldn’t stop thinking about the girl named Lo. Earlier, some of the older women had assured everyone that the refugees had already been provided their share of food, so there was no need to worry about them. But Bart couldn’t shake his concern. After hastily downing a few mouthfuls of wine, he grabbed a leg of lamb and quietly made his way toward the refugees’ lodgings.

The building was lit by firelight, but he couldn’t see anyone inside. Strangely, the soldiers who were supposed to be guarding the area were nowhere to be found either. Bart frowned, confusion mounting—until he heard a strange sound coming from within.

His blood ran hot in an instant. He could never mistake that noise—it was unmistakably the sounds of intimacy between a man and a woman.

Stealing from the henhouse, huh? Those damn bastards!