The Goblin Nation

Rock and Smoke were busy cleaning the outside of their cottage of snow. Smoke would scrape off snow and pile them on a sleigh. Rock carries that sleigh to the wall where the goblins stationed there would create a wall of snow in front of the existing wall. Sun and Stick made their way down the street to their cottage to meet the two.

The two met Rock on the way; he was pulling the sleigh to the wall. "Sun, you're awake!" Rock yelled. He let go of the reins and hugged Sun. Sun noticed his forearm was covered in bandages. "Is your still not ok?" Sun asked.

"Sadly, no. Even though your mom used a healing spell, it still takes a long for the bones to heal properly. I guess that goat's headbutt was that strong."

"I told you not to wrestle with it. Anyway, where are you going with that snow."

"I'm going to bring it to the wall. The guys working there are using it to make a taller wall of snow. Probably because of the wolves."

"The Timber Wolves are a major problem for the tribe. Olhos' scouts found three of them. No one is allowed to leave because of the risk of getting attacked." Stick said.

"Those same wolves that attacked us. There's three of them now." Sun said as he wondered if his dream had a connection to the number of wolves present in the forest. If it was, it doesn't explain that dog's mechanical appearance. There was also his past life's name, Shuja, and the fact that a goblin from this world had the same name. "How's Shuja and the other goblins that went hunting the same day we did?"

"Most of them are fine. Our group and Lite's group were the only that were outright attacked by those wolves." Stick said.

"I see. Well, we should go and help Smoke clear the snow. I'll see you once you get back Rock."

"I'll get back as fast as possible then." Rock proclaimed.

The brothers went on their separate ways. At the cottage, a bunch of goblins was moving snow around. One of them was Smoke. Sun formed a cone with his hands and yelled out to him. "Hey! Leave some for the rest of us!"

Smoke raised his head to see who was yelling. When he saw Sun, he dropped his wooden shovel and ran to him. The two brothers hugged each other as tight as they could. "You're awake!"

"Hell yeah, I'm awake. Also, can you let go now, this hug is starting to hurt." Smoke let go, and the two brothers share a laugh with one another.

"So, where can I get a pair of shovels for Stick and me?"

"What? You just woke up. I can't just let you plow the snow,"

"It's fine. Rock is working despite his injuries. It will be fine."

"Well," Smoke scratch his head. "Fine. There's a couple of shovels over there by that wagon." He pointed over a small wagon with a pile of shovels on top of it. Sun and Stick fetched their shovels and started to plow the snow off the road. Stick showed Sun the proper way to use the shovel.

"Now, put your right foot on top of the shovel's head and press down," Stick said. "Then push the shovel forward while pressing the handle down. After moving the shovel a few inches forward, you raise it. You can use your knee as support if it's too heavy."

Sun was having a great time working, not because he enjoys plowing but because it was the first he has seen the snow. If it were not for the fact they needed to get to work, he would have fallen on the ground and made those snow angels. None of the dreams of his past life depict snow, only the coarse sand.

Rock came back after an hour and helped with shoveling the snow. The brothers continued to work till sundown. After finishing the work, they returned the shovels and proceeded to walk to the town square. "Where are we going?" Sun asked.

"To the house with the red roof. That's where the rations are being handed out." Smoke said.

"They better give more this time. I'm starting to lose my muscles." Rock complained.

"I doubt that. Even if it stopped snowing, those wolves would stop us from hunting."

The sky was getting darker as they walk. It was time for dinner, and the square was filled with hungry goblins. Sun looked at the large crowd forming a long, compact line. He counted the heads he saw. There were at least a hundred or more goblins in front of him alone. The line moved terribly slow. Most of them huddled together for warmth, the brothers included. Some of the goblins that got their portion would walk pass the ones waiting in line and eat it in front of them. They laughed while the other goblins stared with envy as their belly make rumbling noises. "Fuck those guys," Rock whispered. "They only get to eat first because they're the chief's direct followers. Meanwhile, those with babies to feed have to wait in line. Doesn't the chief know their babies could get sick from the cold."

Sun looked at Rock in astonishment. He would never have thought Rock cared about the well being of other goblins besides his brothers, let alone those with children to care for. He turned to Smoke for an answer. "Rock befriended this mother. That's probably why he has such strong opinions about this." Smoke whispered. Sun quickly recalled the moment Rock was flirting with a goblin woman. His affection for her made him have these outlooks in their goblin society. He felt proud of Rock.

Behind the brothers were another group of goblins gossiping about the wolves and a goblin named Sum. Sun couldn't help but eavesdrop in their conversation. Based on their words, Sum is an expert in killing Timber Wolves.

"If I rememberrrr corrrrectly, he killed nine Timberrrrr Wolves in the paaaaast." One of them said. Sun can hear his teeth chattering.

"I heard he killed four all by himself." One added.

"I heard he and Tama had a contest to see who can kill a Timber Wolf faster with just their bare hands." Another one said.

"Woah!"

Woah, indeed, Sun thought. Those wolves were impressive beasts. If not for those stink bombs they got from Cloud, they would have been all dead by now. If Sum was here, Sun could ask him how he managed to kill those wolves, and what secret technique he used.

Over time, the line got shorter and shorter until Dolce got up on a towering pile of crates and shouted to the line that there was no more food. Goblins yelled at Dolce, and many of them tried to get in the building, but Dolce's followers kept them at bay. The riot got even worse when one of the goblins that got their ration mocked the ones that didn't. A punch was thrown at one of the mocking goblins, and it escalated into a brawl.

Goblin mothers and their children try to escape from the violence engulfing the square. One child got separated from his mother. He was shoved down on the ground by other fleeing goblins. Two fighters were beating each other close to the child. They eventually got so close that one of them almost punch the child. Luckily, Rock was there to block the punch. Rock threw a punch back at the two, and the rest of the brothers stepped in to help.

The riot spilled over to the streets. Windows shattered, doors broken, and walls torn down. Dolce and his followers tried to calm the fire but to no avail. Finally, out from the tall red-roofed building came the chief. The blood veins on Cala's legs popped out, and a bluish mist rose from the ground. Then in a blink of an eye, he charged at the goblins in the middle of the square, thrust his sword through a goblin's skull and to the earth, and roared.

The goblins stood in place, shocked by the sudden appearance of the chief. "What's going on here? Why the hell are you rioting?" He yelled at the crowd.

Dolce ran to him. The rest of the chief's retainers followed. "My great chief. We have no food left. They hungry. What we do?" Dolce was rubbing his hands together while his body was shaking.

Cala pointed at Flute and Salacity. "Both of you bring the slaves to Dolce. We'll butcher and feed them to the rest of the tribe."

Flute and Salacity's eyes widened in surprise. "But chief, slaves taste no good. Good for fucking, not eating!" Salacity yelled.

"Shut up, Salacity!" The chief yelled, but it was too late. The goblins at the square heard Salacity and began to murmur dissatisfaction. "Shut up, all of you! We can't hunt with those wolves out. You'll have to go do with the slaves or starve to death."

"Or get Sum!" A voice in the back yelled out.

"Who said that!" Cala was visibly angry. His head was redder than before, and he lifted his sword, pointing at the crowd. Salacity winked at the rest of the retainers.

"Sum kill wolf! Sum bring wolf!" The goblins started yelling and eventually yelling the phrases in unison.

"Enough!" Cala slams his sword to the ground causing a massive explosion that sent snow flying at the goblins, silencing them. "Sum can't come back! All you can eat now are the slaves we have."

"What if I hunt those wolves and bring them here!" Sun stepped out of the crowd. "And in return, you'll leave the slaves alone."

Cala was dumbfounded. In front of him was one of the halflings that fought Tama and his followers. He survived the hunt that involved Timber Wolves roaming their usual hunting grounds. And now he stands before him, demanding him to spare the slaves in return for killing wolves.

Cloud shuffled closer to the chief. "I think that's good. Tribe gets food to eat, we keep the slaves, and no more wolves to stop us from hunting."

"And no need for Sum!" Salacity quickly reckoned.

Cala calmed down and agreed that letting them hunt those wolves will be the smart choice. And if they failed to come back, they are likely already dead, which saves Cala the eyesore."If you want to hunt those wolves, by all means, go. But if you fail to bring back any wolf meat, might as well not come back at all!"