Under the midday sun, a group of sixty High Mountain Clan wildlings, laden with plundered spoils, were escorting a group of Plainsmen captives.
The captives were tied together with a long rope.
They were currently moving along a small path on the plains.
Among them were members of the Burning Men Tribe and the Stone Crow Tribe.
The wildlings' appearance was strikingly different from the Plainsmen.
They exuded a rugged wildness, devoid of neat attire.
They wore no shining armor, but rather leather armor made from animal hides.
Even their weapons were iron-made, plundered from the Plainsmen.
They walked quickly, their steps disorganized, with no discernible formation.
A young Stone Crow Tribe warrior came panting, frantically running back from the forest ahead, his expression and eyes betraying his unease.
The young Stone Crow Tribe wildling's voice trembled: "There's something strange in the forest! The trees are talking! The trees are watching me!"
A Burning Men Tribe wildling, with severe burn marks on his face, almost half of it charred black, was Del, son of Chick from the Burning Men Tribe.
He was also the leader of the Burning Men Tribe contingent in this group.
A contemptuous, mocking smile appeared on his terribly scarred face, and he spat on the ground, swinging his fist at the young Stone Crow Tribe wildling and cursing:
"You must have been scared senseless by the ghost stories from the High Mountain! Trees talking! And watching you!"
"See if my fist talks to you!"
The young Stone Crow Tribe wildling was knocked down hard, his nose gushing blood.
"How dare you!" An angry roar immediately came from the Stone Crow Tribe side.
The Stone Crow Tribe warriors in the group glared at Del, son of Chick, their hands already on the axes and weapons at their waists.
Although both the Stone Crow Tribe and the Burning Men Tribe belonged to the High Mountain Clan, they often clashed and even fought over plunder or various matters.
This was merely a temporary alliance formed for this large-scale raiding operation.
"Stop!" Just as the conflict was about to escalate into a bloody fight, an old and strong Stone Crow Tribe wildling stepped forward.
He looked at his young clansman lying on the ground, then at the menacing Burning Men Tribe wildlings, who also had their hands on their weapons.
And the forest in front of them.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his clansmen's anger, and his own.
"Del, son of Chick! You continue on your way!" He said in a cold tone, while helping up the fallen Stone Crow Tribe clansman, "We'll follow behind!"
Having said that, he did not spare another glance for the Burning Men Tribe leader, but instead, with his Stone Crow Tribe clansmen, stopped.
"Suit yourselves! Stone Crow Tribe!" Del, son of Chick, retorted roughly.
The surrounding Burning Men Tribe warriors also let out low chuckles, their eyes filled with disdain for the Stone Crow Tribe.
The Burning Men Tribe leader brandished the longsword he had plundered from the Plainsmen, urging the Burning Men Tribe group to continue forward.
The captured Plainsmen captives, under the wildlings' shouts, continued onward with even more desperate expressions.
At the edge of the forest, an experienced old Burning Men Tribe wildling frowned.
He said to Del, son of Chick: "This forest is too quiet; even the birds aren't chirping."
"That's because they fear us, they fear the Burning Men Tribe!" Del, son of Chick, said loudly.
The old wildling shook his head: "The Plainsmen might be ambushing us!"
Del, son of Chick, felt angry: "Plainsmen? They are all by the sea now, resisting the Free Folk from the sea!"
"And they only dare to shout from behind stone walls! Out here, they just run like sheep!"
"Don't talk like a Plainsman! Take your fear and get to the back of the line! Everyone else! Move out!"
The old wildling fell silent. He looked at the stubborn Del, son of Chick, and then at the silent forest.
Finally, he could only sigh helplessly and retreated to the back of the group.
Deep within the forest, where sunlight could not penetrate, it was pitch black.
Arthur watched the wildlings stop outside the forest with uncertainty.
He thought the plan had been exposed; a young wildling had just entered the forest to investigate and then hurriedly ran out.
But what happened next surprised him somewhat.
The wildling group argued, nearly coming to blows, and then surprisingly split into two teams.
Arthur frowned.
Was this some kind of battle plan, dividing a force into two segments, and then entering the trap one after another?
Wouldn't this only make it easier for them to be divided and annihilated?
"Archers, prepare!" He ordered in a low voice.
Hakon, beside him, asked a bit nervously:
"Lord Arthur, there are Riverlands captives among them."
Arthur said somewhat silently: "Casualties are inevitable in war; try to avoid harming them."
Hakon said no more.
Arthur slowly raised his right hand.
All the ambushing soldiers turned their gaze to him, awaiting the signal that would decide life and death.
The air in the forest seemed to solidify.
Arthur's soldiers now craved battle, for battle could bring wealth.
Del, son of Chick, led the Burning Men Tribe group, swaggering along the forest path.
He grew increasingly smug about his earlier judgment.
"See!" He yelled to the wildlings around him, "I told you the Stone Crow Tribe are all cowards! There's not even a ghost in this forest!"
The Burning Men Tribe warriors behind him let out a chorus of echoing chuckles.
Suddenly, a change occurred!
Countless wooden spears were hurled at them, interspersed with arrows.
Suddenly, they shattered the silence of the forest!
This was Arthur's adopted method of cheap ranged attack.
Throwing sharpened wooden spears from a distance.
It was very suitable for their team, which lacked archers.
"Ambush!" The old wildling at the back of the group was the first to react.
He issued a warning to the group.
But it was already too late.
"Ah!"
"Damn it!"
Screams and curses instantly erupted.
Although the Burning Men Tribe wildlings were fierce, their animal hides, which were barely better than nothing,
Provided very little protection and were easily penetrated.
In an instant, seven or eight Burning Men Tribe warriors screamed as they were struck by spears and arrows, falling to the ground.
Blood stained the fallen leaves beneath them.
Del, son of Chick, was also stunned by this sudden attack.
He instinctively raised the longsword in his hand to block, but was still shot in the left arm by an arrow, the arrowhead deeply embedded in his muscle.
The intense pain made him let out a beast-like roar.
"Kill them! Charge through! Charge through for me!"
However, what answered him was a second, even denser volley of wooden spears and arrows.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The sounds of arrows and wooden spears piercing flesh were incessant.
The Burning Men Tribe group completely descended into chaos.
They scurried around like headless flies, trying to find cover.
Some futilely swung their weapons, trying to block the incoming wooden spears and arrows.
The captured Plainsmen captives screamed loudly, and the scene was utter pandemonium.
Arthur calmly watched the chaotic scene before him.
"Lucien! Hakon!" He ordered calmly.
"Here!" Both responded in unison.
"Hakon! Take your team and cut off their retreat! Flank them from the rear!"
"Yes!" Hakon quickly complied, leading his team directly towards the forest entrance where the wildlings had entered.
"Lucien! Take your men! Follow me and charge from the front!"
"Yes!" Lucien drew his longsword with his right hand and held a horn with his left.