The mighty Tampon River originates from the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range in the central plateau. It connects the Texcoco Lake system to the south, and meanders to the north. After passing through the city of Hilotepec, it rushes down and flows into the land of the Huastec people. Finally, this thousand-mile-long river will surge into the seaside, forming a series of large lakes northeast of Otter City and flowing into the Caribbean Sea.
In the Nahua language, "Tampen" means otter. But at this moment, this place where otters live has welcomed an uninvited guest with red hair.
"Whoosh!"
A bone arrow flew out, as fast as lightning, and shot towards an otter building a burrow in the lake. But in an instant, the otter let out a scream and died on the spot.
Then, the young huntress, with flowing red hair and a strong figure, strode forward. She confidently held her bow behind her back, stretched out her strong and slender fingers, pinched the otter's tail, and lifted it upside down for inspection. She just glanced at it and smiled with satisfaction.
"Oh My God!"
Another young hunter, carrying a spear on his back and holding a light hunting bow, also came from behind. He glanced at the hunting otter and exclaimed.
"Ah! You shot the otter in the eye again! This one is smaller than a kidney bean, and it can move!"
"."
The vigorous huntress turned her head and glanced sideways at the young hunter without saying a word. Then, she looked around and saw no trace of large beasts in this dense network of lakes. The huntress pulled out an exquisite obsidian dagger, squatted by the small lake, and deftly disemboweled the otter and peeled off the fur.
Another young hunter put away his hunting bow, took out his spear, and stood guard on the left and right. He looked to the south and talked to the huntress.
"Ah? Why are you still using this old dagger! It has been so many years and the blade has been replaced many times."
The young hunter pursed his lips, carefully stepped forward, and asked with a shy face.
"Alan, um, where's the dagger I gave you before? Take it out and use it."
".Um?"
Huntress Alan raised her head, her eyes like sharp blades, and gave the young hunter a cold look. Seeing this murderous look, the young hunter shrank his neck, whispered and shouted.
"Sister Alan"
"Um."
Alan's face was expressionless, and he lowered his head again, patiently handling the fur. Her technique was very skillful. In just a quarter of an hour, the otter's skin and flesh were separated and the fur was initially cleaned. After that, for the tanning process, you have to go back to the tribe, soften it with smoke, then rub it with plant ash and stove soil, and beat it with stone slabs and wooden sticks.
"Take it!"
Alan stood up, his figure as slender as a deer and his movements as vigorous as a fox. She put several kilograms of otter meat in her hand heavily into the young hunter's hand and gave instructions in a sister's tone.
"Go back and make soup to replenish your body. Chippawa, you have to train yourself every day! You must be stronger, faster, and more ferocious in order to survive every battle!"
".Uh. Okay!"
Chipawa held the otter meat in his hands and stood dumbfounded, then put it in the bamboo basket behind his back. Otter meat is sweet in taste and warm in nature. Like venison, it can improve physical weakness, nourish the kidneys and nourish qi.
However, from Chippawa's point of view, he did not feel that he needed to make up for it. A few years later, he is no longer a fledgling who has experienced war for the first time, but a warrior who has experienced many battles! The spear in his hand has killed no less than ten enemies, and his melee fighting skills have long been as pure as breathing. It's just his hunting skills.
"Sister Alan, you promised to continue teaching me archery! You are the best hunter in the tribe, and the apprentices you teach must be half as good as you!"
Chipawa came forward again with a shy face. He opened his eyes wide and looked at Sister Alan's bright and sharp eyes and sharp-cut face, and felt a little absent-minded.
"A few years have passed, and Sister Alan has become more and more cold-hearted, and she has become more and more beautiful. She is full of energy and full of energy. She is like a falcon in the wilderness. Ah, such eyes that penetrate people's hearts are very indifferent to everyone except for me."
"Boom!"
Alan stretched out his hand, curled his index and middle fingers, and gave Chippawa a "chestnut" on his head. Then, she frowned and pulled her dyed red hair, feeling a little embarrassed for a moment.
"Chippawa, I don't know how to teach you. Archery. Just see it, aim it, and shoot it. But the first step is seeing. I can see it, but you can't."
"Ah! Sister Alan, who else but you can see the beetles on the tree from three hundred steps away? Are you lying to me?"
"I did not lie to you."
"You have!"
Chipawa angrily covered his head and retorted loudly. Then, he rolled his eyes and said with a smile.
"Otherwise, you stand behind me and teach me step by step! Teach me a few more times, teach me for a few more days, and you will naturally get it!"
"."
Alan stood up and glanced at Chippawa expressionlessly. Suddenly, her pointed ears twitched, she took off the big bow from her back, and held three more arrows in her hands.
"Sister Alan?"
"Shhh! There's someone. Probably a Vastek scout."
Hearing this, the smile on Chipawa's face suddenly dropped. With a stern look on his face, he clenched the spear in his hand and lay prone on the ground, ready to fight at any time.
"This way!"
After a few breaths, Alan's expression turned cold. She drew her hunting bow and aimed at the bush where the sound came from, her eyes as sharp as a hawk before hunting. Then, a hunched figure appeared in front of her, and she quickly locked onto it. And the moment she let go of her right hand, her eyes suddenly changed, and her left hand rose sharply.
"Whoosh!"
A swift bone arrow drew a slightly higher arc, stuck above the figure, and shot into the big tree in the jungle. The figure was stunned, his hair was messed up by the arrow wind, his feet weakened, and he sat down on the ground in fear. She raised her head in horror, revealing a thin face, but it was a Huastec girl of twelve or thirteen years old.
"."
Alan walked up to the girl with a hunting bow and a chipawa holding a spear. She looked at the girl's bare upper body, which was the custom of the Huastec tribe. She then looked at the shell necklace and small straw bag on the girl. She should be the daughter of a middle-level warrior in the tribe. After observing for a moment, Alan asked in a deep voice in skilled Huastec language.
"Where are you from? Are you alone?"
"I, I, am alone."
The girl raised her head and glanced at Alan's striking red hair, with uncontrollable fear in her eyes. She knew that this was the most ferocious and powerful hunter among the ferocious tribes from the north to the south. She was trembling and struggled to organize her words before answering.
"My tribe is in the southwest. Tiger-skinned warriors, spear-wielding warriors, axe-wielding warriors, many warriors, shouted and fought in. Dad died in the battle, and I escaped for two days. Please, don't kill me!"
