Sosora looked at the four walls, door, floor, and ceiling that made up her room. She clenched her fists and held back from putting a hole somewhere. She wasn't sure her home would last much longer, even if she patched it up. The structural integrity had already been compromised by all the other 'accidents' she had repaired.
She sat down on the thin mattress that was her bed and ruffled her scalp out of frustration.
She couldn't believe she was under house arrest.
'Fucking geezers!' No, she could believe it, but it didn't make her any less frustrated.
But she only had herself to blame.
It was her fault for leaving witnesses.
She sighed and leaned her back against the wall that creaked under her weight.
She had just been going around the different tribes, steadily making her way to the Lowat tribe, asking questions and telling her acquaintances and friends about Nick and his neutral intentions. Up until that point, there was nothing wrong with what she did.
To some tribes who didn't like her or Nick, it probably seemed like she was instigating something or trying to gather supporters. It wasn't entirely wrong, but there wasn't that much political thought behind it.
Then, she finally arrived at the Lowat tribe.
She hadn't heard much from their neighbors about what happened with Nuir after Nasam's death. It seemed like he had become extremely reclusive, which was understandable.
But as soon as she asked her questions to members of the Lowat tribe, they clammed up and tried to chase her away.
Nasam being killed by humans was both a great tragedy and a great shame. She was supposed to be their next chief. How could she have died to mere humans?
It wasn't strange that the Lowat tribe didn't want to talk about it or her son being left behind. But the way they acted made Sosora suspicious.
She could have let it go. For the sake of the greater good and the bigger picture and all that fancy stuff, she probably should have let it go.
But she couldn't.
It wasn't even because of Nick's request.
Her gut was telling her that something was wrong. Her gut was telling her to investigate. So, that's what she did.
It wasn't a very subtle investigation, though.
When the Lowat tribe tried to steer her away from one direction, she went in it. She went where they did not want her to go.
It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, but what she hoped she wouldn't find.
She found Nuir.
He was alive and kicking, though it would be more accurate to say that he was being kicked.
Her mind temporarily fogged over when she saw a young boy being beaten to the verge of death. Her body reacted before she could stop herself.
But from what she could piece together afterward, Nuir was being punished. She did not know for what. But no crime or deed committed by a child would warrant such a cruel beating.
In a way, what she did was honorable, just, and a prime example of what a proud warrior of Tiabe should do.
Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with Sosora.
It was not her place to interfere in the Lowat tribe's internal affairs. She had no reason to be there in the first place, much less put several of their younger members in the medicine room for the foreseeable future.
The Lowat tribe wanted her head. Apparently, the new successor's kid had been caught up in the mess and was pretty badly injured.
Although the Aer tribe did not agree with what Sosora had done, they would not just hand her over. She was their tribe's future, regardless of her temperament.
The Lowat tribe wasn't satisfied with just putting Sosora on house arrest. The Aer tribe were not going to entertain the Lowat tribe's wishes.
The Lowat tribe wanted to escalate. The Aer tribe wasn't afraid to respond in kind. If it came to it, they could just release the beast again.
But before it could come to more blows, the other tribes stepped in. It was in part to mediate the dispute between the two tribes. But it was also an opportunity to raise a discussion about a certain topic that had started spreading recently, especially after Sosora's little trip around the forest.
There was no one in the forest who did not know about the Outsider in the center. They had all heard about him. They were all surprised he was still alive.
Were the monster kings not that scary, after all?
That wasn't it.
Several daredevils had tried staying overnight in the center after Nick's first week without trouble.
For some reason, the monster kings that didn't care about him, immediately sniffed them out and chased them if they were lucky. If they were unlucky, they were never seen again.
Clearly, there was something special about the Outsider.
If they could use it, they could claim the center of the forest for themselves. If they couldn't, the Outsider's existence posed a threat to the peaceful lives of all the Thirteen Tribes of Tiabe.
Something had to be done about it.
But it wasn't something that could be solved that easily.
Numerous tribes had different interests. Even within each tribe, the opinions were divided.
It wasn't because of Nick.
The identity of the Outsider was irrelevant.
He was just the spark that lit a fuse of change.
The waters of Tiabe had been stagnant for too long. Too much sludge had accumulated. There was a need for some airing and cleansing.
Some individuals weren't satisfied with the resources of their tribes. Others weren't satisfied with what other tribes had. They wanted it for themselves.
The fact that the Outsider could live in the center of the forest, undisturbed by the monster kings, suddenly added another large slice of pie to the equation. Greed was inevitable.
Nick was the spark to light the fuse.
Sosora defending Nuir was just the fuse catching fire.
Right now, the fuse was burning.