Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 332: Two Paths

The tribal square was filled with the sound of heartbreak.

Beastman and female who had stood brave against the rainy season were now weeping openly.

Some fell to their knees, their voices cracking as they cried out to the sky.

They looked at their beautiful wooden houses, the sturdy fences they had built, and the smoke rising from their cooking fires. This was their home.

Many of the females were now expecting new life, their bellies just beginning to round. They clutched their stomachs with trembling hands, terrified that their unborn children would never see the light of day or breathe the fresh air of the forest.

"How can the Red Fox lineage end like this?" one hunter shouted, his voice full of agony.

"We have meat! We have salt! We have finally learned how to live well! Beast God, why are you taking it all away?"

Voices began to rise in a chaotic wave, pleading with the Priest. "High Priest, you must have a way! Save us! We cannot die like this!"

Su Qinglan stood in the middle of this storm, her heart heavy. She looked at her four husbands.

While the rest of the tribe was in a panic, Hu Yan, Han Jue, Rong Ye, and Xuan Long were strangely calm. There was a deep tremor of shock in their hearts, but it was directed at their mate.

They realized that Su Qinglan had warned them of this before the Priest had even stepped onto the platform.

To them, she seemed even more formidable and mysterious than the Priest himself.

Their respect and love for her grew even deeper; they realized they weren’t just following a beautiful female, but a being who saw the world’s secrets before anyone else.

The High Priest stood perfectly still. His eyes remained unfocused, staring into the hazy distance as if the crying crowd didn’t exist.

He seemed completely unaffected by the emotions of the people. He was like an old tree that had seen a thousand storms and knew that shouting at the wind changed nothing.

Suddenly, he raised his hand, and his voice boomed once more, cutting through the wails like a heavy hammer.

"SILENT!"

The square went cold. The people froze.

"I have told you," the Priest said, his voice eerily calm and mysterious.

"This is a test from the Beast God. We must prove that the Fox Tribe is worthy of the future. You have two paths. You must either stop the tide or empty this place completely. We still have a little time, but the tide is coming. It is a tide of thousands of ferocious beasts. They are crazed and hungry. If you try to fight them head-on with your current strength, the tribe will be crushed beyond repair. Not a stone will be left standing."

He leaned on his staff, his gaze finally sweeping over the crowd. "Stopping the tide is impossible for a small tribe. Leaving is the only way to keep your blood flowing."

But the people did not want to leave. They looked around at the village they had worked so hard to improve.

Under Su Qinglan’s guidance, they had built beautiful homes filled with items they had learned to craft.

They had massive food stocks that would take weeks to move. Some had even planted flowers and edible herbs just outside their doors, waiting for the first fruits of their labor. To abandon this mountain felt like ripping out their own hearts.

This mountain had been passed down from their ancestors for generations. The spirits of their grandfathers lived in these trees. How could they run away like cowards and leave their history to be trampled by mindless beasts?

The Priest closed his eyes, his face looking like a mask of stone.

"Destiny is a river," he whispered, his words sounding both terrifying and strangely soothing.

"What is written in the stars can rarely be changed. We cannot simply walk a different path because we wish it to be so. The shadows are long, and the forest is hungry. Decide quickly, for the Beast God does not wait for those who hesitate."

He stepped back into the shadows of the platform, leaving the entire tribe in a state of dread.

The choice was impossible: stay and die with their ancestors, or leave and become nameless wanderers with nothing but their lives.

Many felt that their fate was already sealed and that the Fox Tribe was nothing more than a memory waiting to happen.

But just as the darkness of despair was about to swallow everyone, Su Mingxuan stepped forward to the very edge of the high platform.

He did not look like a man who had given up.

He stood tall, his chest out and his shoulders broad, looking every bit like the leader who had guided them through countless winters.

He raised his hands, and though his voice was not a shout, it carried a power that demanded attention.

"Listen to me, my people!" Su Mingxuan’s voice boomed across the crowded square.

"The Priest has seen a vision of a dark future, yes. But he also spoke of an exam. A test! We are children of the Red Fox. We are known for our wit, our speed, and our survival. Are we going to lay down and wait for the beasts to chew on our bones? No!"

He took a deep breath, and his eyes burned with a fierce, protective light.

"I, Su Mingxuan, the Tribe Leader of the Fox Tribe, swear on the spirits of our ancestors and on the future generation of my bloodline! I swear on the blood of the Red Fox that we will survive this! Until I draw my last breath, I will ensure that no lives are lost in vain. No cubs will perish in this calamity while I still stand. We will prove to the entire beast world that the Fox Tribe is capable of leading, growing, and surviving anything thrown our way!"

The change in the crowd was almost instantaneous. It was as if a cold bucket of water had been splashed on their faces to wake them up.

The motivated speech from their leader lifted their spirits like a rising sun. They looked at Su Mingxuan, and the fear that had been squeezing their hearts began to dissipate.

His eyes were calm yet ferocious, giving them the feeling that they had a solid, unbreakable shield standing right in front of them.

They were no longer a hopeless group of victims; they were a tribe with a leader who was ready to fight destiny itself.

"We will not die a worthless death!" a young hunter shouted from the crowd, his voice full of new energy.

"For our cubs!" another beastman said and standing tall.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from every corner of the square. The sound was deafening, a roar of defiance that echoed through the trees.

The hopelessness was gone.

Even if they could not fight the massive beast tide head-on, they realized that the Priest had given them another path.

If they had to empty the tribe to save their children, they would do it with their heads held high.

They would move their food, their tools, and their families to a safe place. The unborn cubs would be born in a healthy, safe environment because their fathers and mothers refused to give up.