As they passed by Tang Yu’s house, they happened to see Kexike sneaking out. Kexike was Tang Yu’s little dragon cub, now three and a half years old and just able to take human form.
The name "Kexike" had been given by Old Taylor. As the firstborn, Tang Yu doted on him endlessly, agonizing over the perfect name for so long that the child went over a year without one. Eventually, Old Taylor couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped in to name him.
Most of the young orcs in the valley disliked Kexike. Despite being only three and a half, he was stronger than any of them. On top of that, he was wildly popular among the valley’s females, especially those with young females in their families, they always tried to push their little females to play with him.
As a result, Kexike had made countless enemies at a young age, and his social standing was abysmal.
When Suno spotted Kexike, he tugged at Lore’s fur, signaling him to slow down. Tilting his head, Suno greeted him.
"Kexike, where are you going?"
Suno was still too young to grasp the distinction between females and orcs. To him, Kexike was just another kid his age, and their mothers were good friends, so he always said hello.
Kexike ignored him, stomping off on short legs. Lately, his mother’s pregnancy had made him temperamental, and he’d finally escaped his clutches, he wasn’t about to waste his freedom.
Eli frowned, irritated by Kexike’s attitude. How dare he brush off Suno? Suno was adorable!
Suno, however, didn’t mind. He pinched Lore’s fur with his small white hand, and Lore resumed walking.
The other kids exchanged glances before following Eli to catch up with Suno. Their job was to protect him, so dealing with Kexike could wait.
Suno wanted to visit Mino’s house. With so many newcomers in the tribe lately, Mino had been busy treating the injured and couldn’t always look after his own little son, Jili. Suno wanted to help, even though he was just a little bun himself, he could at least keep Jili from wandering off.
Jili, not yet two, was an adorable little winged lion like his father.
When they arrived, only Dilson and Jili were home. After Lore brought Suno inside, the other young orcs' mission was accomplished, they left with Eli to play.
By evening, Eli returned to take Suno home. At nearly seven, Eli was already as mature as a ten-year-old by human standards.
Thanks to the valley’s peaceful, well-fed life, the young orcs were all sturdy and robust. By three, they could start learning to hunt with their fathers. Eli, now a skilled little hunter, often joined others in tracking game near the valley. Though they could only take down a single beast together, they never tired of the thrill.
A few days later, Ed arrived with a group of winged panthers. Since their joint effort against the wandering orcs, the Impreza tribe had grown friendly with the valley’s residents. Ed took advantage of this to visit frequently, partly to learn new skills and strengthen ties between their tribes.
Last year, one panther had even chosen to stay in the valley after falling for a local female.
This time, Ed brought five females, his intentions obvious. Among them was one with a delicate constitution, often sickly, so he had never found a suitable mate. Though frail, he was kind and gentle. As the new leader, Ed didn’t want to see him struggle alone, so he brought him here, hoping he would find someone.
The others included a proud beauty who’d never taken a liking to any orc and one with a leg injury whose betrothed had abandoned him. In short, they were all "problem cases."
Not that Ed was deliberately dumping troubles on the valley, he was just testing the waters, especially since many new orcs had recently arrived. If no matches were found, he would take them back.
The moment the Impreza orcs appeared, they drew stares, especially from the young, unattached orcs.
The five females shrank back shyly behind their tribesmen. Before coming, Ed had explained the purpose of this trip. Though nervous, they couldn’t help stealing glances around.
Surprisingly, the proudest female was the first to find someone he liked. Back when he was in the tribe, he had scorned every suitor. Yet here, he zeroed in on one orc immediately. Boldly, he stepped forward and walked straight up to him.
Su Yi, busy with work, wandered over to watch the commotion. To his shock, the beauty had set his sights on an unknown orc - a scar-faced, cold-eyed winged wolf who lived outside the valley after facing opposition from residents.
The female, with peach-blossom eyes and long legs, still had to tilt his head up to meet the wolf’s gaze.
Smiling, he said, "We meet again."
The winged wolf frowned slightly, clearly not recognizing him, then turned away without a word.
Stunned, the female glared after him, torn between irritation and determination as he followed.
An orc from Impreza whispered to Ed, "Is it safe to let him go alone?"
Ed waved a hand. "This place is secure." With that, he turned to chat amiably with the valley’s orcs.
Su Yi raised an eyebrow. Oh-ho, sparks are flying there.
That afternoon, Hunter organized a friendly competition, a chance for orcs to showcase their skills and for young females to scout potential mates. Though in Hunter and Ed’s words, it was simply "bonding through combat."
Unexpectedly, Hunter, Sinoer, and Jells became prime targets for challenges - especially Jells, who ended up fighting five opponents at once.
The kids were even more excited than the adults, cheering for their favorites. Kexike, dragged along by Tang Yu (who feared his careless mother might jostle her unborn child), watched indifferently as his father effortlessly defeated every challenger.
When Sinoer was chosen, he handed little Suno, who blinked in confusion, over to Su Yi.
"Mother, why are they hitting Father?"
"They’re not fighting, they’re competing to see who’s stronger," Su Yi explained, his eyes fixed on Sinoer’s dazzling white-scaled beast form. Even now, it amazed him how effortlessly he’d fallen for this man.
Sensing his gaze, Sinoer glanced over, and the two shared a silent, knowing smile.
After the adults’ matches, the kids clamored for their own tournament, but Hunter vetoed it - those reckless brats would only end up hurting each other.
Five days later, Ed departed, leaving behind four of the five females. The last one, though fond of the valley, couldn’t overcome her aversion to unknown orcs. In exchange, a beautiful winged fox female who was smitten with the still-single Ed, insisted on returning with them, much to his flustered embarrassment.
The four who stayed quickly settled in: the beauty moved in with the scarred winged wolf, while the sickly one fainted from heatstroke while picking fruit and was carried to Mino by Jero. From then on, the two grew close.
The newcomers were warmly welcomed - especially the females.
By the time the outer wall was completed, Tang Yu safely gave birth to a little female - the valley’s first since Suno, drawing everyone’s attention.
With their numbers swelling to nearly a thousand, the tribe convened to choose an official name. Tang Yu, the naming fanatic, threw out suggestions like 'Yanhuang Tribe,' 'Summoner's Canyon,' 'Nuwa Tribe,' and 'Huaxia Tribe,' his grandiose ideas causing Su Yi's eye to twitch in annoyance.
[炎黄 (Yan-Huang): Combines 炎帝 (Yándì, the Flame Emperor) + 黄帝 (Huángdì, the Yellow Emperor), two legendary rulers in Chinese mythology]
[女娲 (Nǚwā): the Chinese goddess who created humans and mended the heavens]
[华夏 (Huáxià) is a poetic name for China, meaning "magnificent summer" or "splendid civilization."]
In the end, they settled on Riggs Tribe, named after a flower symbolizing fortune in the orc world, a declaration that their tribe, even with unknown orcs (believed to bring bad luck), would thrive. Over the years, this name drew countless outcasts, unknown, and wandering orcs seeking refuge.
As the valley cultivated crops, Su Yi secretly enriched them with space-water, subtly enhancing everyone’s health. Riggs’ females grew notably fertile, attracting outside orcs, though courtship meant leaving their tribes to become "live-in sons-in-law."
-End-
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