After the battle concluded, everyone dropped down on the ground, finally able to relax. Despite the victory, there was no place for joy or celebration. The Trawn woods would bear a scar that could take, months if not years to heal.

The three kings were already discussing how to rearrange the borders of their areas of influence, to prevent future food shortages to affect them too harshly.

Lith, instead, was still pondering on the young bear memories, comparing their lives. It was only because he had been reborn in a good family that he had not ended up obsessing with power, being able to afford taking care of his body.

In its place, with the fierce competition of the wilderness, he may have been tempted of doing the same. All his life up to that point had been all a huge risk/rewards assessment too, Lith had simply been luckier.

It was the second time in a single day that his victory had been hollow. He started to feel depressed, making the adrenaline rush dissolve much faster. Soon exhaustion would have taken its toll, he needed some real sleep.

Before going home, thought, there were still some things he had to do. First, he gave the Shyf a whole boar to eat, then Lith proceeded to heal its atrophied leg.

He couldn’t do it before, because the fatigue from recovering from such a wound, coupled with its already debilitated state from the prolonged battle, would have made the Shyf faint.