A few of the older males came forward and clapped Yan Lie hard on the shoulder. Their voices were hoarse but sincere.
"Yan Lie! Good man! You came back just in time!"
"That's right! If you hadn't rushed back with these powerful friends, the Leopard Clan... we would have been completely finished today!"
Yan Lie shook his head. There was no joy on his face, only a heavy burden. "I was still too late... If only I'd gotten here sooner..."
His voice choked as he looked at the collapsed homes and his dead clansmen.
An older female with bloody scratches on her face cut off his self-recrimination. "Silly cub, how could this be your fault? You didn't cause any of this! Who... Who could have possibly imagined that our own people would suddenly turn on us so lethally..."
Her words silenced all the clansmen who had gathered around. The atmosphere grew incredibly heavy and oppressive.
