Sosora didn't waste any time. After a quick rest, she challenged the wall again. She had to make the most of what remained of the night before she had to head back.
However, when she managed to climb back up again, Monkey told her to focus on the wall and nothing else. He would handle the trifling matters like her house arrest and the Lowat tribe's insistence of her incarceration.
If he told the Aer and Lowat tribes that he had caught her while she was flying around the forest and was going to keep her secure since the Aer tribe couldn't, there wasn't much the others could do. Since Monkey even stepped forward for such a minor issue himself, the other tribes could only accept it.
The Monkey was one of the three leaders of the Gezercher tribe. While he was the most active one, the other tribes rarely saw him. They had to give him the respect he deserved.
The only time they wouldn't back down was if their own leaders stepped up.
But the Lowat tribe's Chief was old. It would take something more serious than a light scuffle between the youngsters for him to stick his nose in the current situation.
Monkey stepping forward was serious, but not enough to warrant the Lowat chief doing the same.
However, the Lowat tribe and their allied tribes wanted answers from the Gezercher tribe. Monkey entering the discussions was an opportunity for them to demand those answers.
Were the Gezercher tribe siding with the Aer tribe or the Lowat tribe? If they were doing neither, if they were staying neutral, they should hand over Sosora.
Why had they hidden information about the Outsider, such as his friendship with the Ursa? What were the Gezercher tribe's intentions with the Outsider?
The Gezercher tribe was an influential tribe, and several of the other tribes relied on them for information. Maybe they relied on them a little too much, seeing as the Gezercher tribe's silence alone was enough to slow down the conversation regarding the Outsider's fate.
That didn't stop the young Lowat heir from trying to put pressure on Monkey, though. His friends from the other tribes supported him and raised their voices.
Monkey bore that pressure with a smile and with ease. He crossed his arms and let Basla run his mouth.
However, Basla wasn't the only member of the Lowat tribe present at the tribal meeting. Several of the elders from the tribe had accompanied him. He was the heir to the tribe, after all. Currying favor and supporting him was a way to make their lives easier in the future, not to mention that most of them agreed with him.
Sosora had no right to interfere with the internal affairs of their tribe, and the Gezercher tribe couldn't sit on the fence forever while keeping Sosora safe.
But there was a limit to what Basla could say and do to Monkey.
Monkey was older than his appearance would suggest.
That was why the younger generations didn't know much about the time he was young and hot-tempered.
But the elders knew.
The Monkey Face of the Gezercher tribe was a face that represented strength, violence, and brutality. It was the Face of a monkey who swung through the trees, breaking branches as it did so. It howled and roared in dominance. It picked fights with whoever looked at it. Those brave or foolish enough to accept those fights were beaten to bloody pulps.
It was the lesser-known side of the Gezercher tribe that had not seen the light of day in the recent peaceful times. It was hidden beneath the sneaky and mischievous side of the Gezercehr tribe that snuck around and spied on everyone.
It was easy to forget.
Monkey might be a relic of the past, but he was from a past of continuous bloodshed. There were fights between tribes, and Tiabe was under constant threat of invasion from the three nearby kingdoms, who were hungry for resources and slaves.
Monkey was a relic from that warring past and an embodiment of the most violent sides of the Gezercher tribe.
Basla's elders quickly realized that they should stop Basla before he crossed a line when trying to provoke Monkey into action. They pulled him away while leaving behind a string of apologies.
Basla still had a long way to go to compare to his predecessor, his big sister, and an even longer way to go until he deserved to be chief. In a way, the current situation was a test for him to prove himself.
Monkey just chuckled when he saw the young Lowat being hauled away by the scruff of his neck like a hissing kitten. He couldn't take it seriously.
There was some fight and spirit in Basla's eyes. But he was nowhere near as entertaining or promising as Sosora.
After Basla was back in his seat with an elder's firm hand on his shoulder, Monkey stood up and announced to the other tribes, most of whom had only sent a single representative. Some had even left their chairs empty.
"One week." That was all he said before leaving. It was as if he had said that in one week, everything would either be over, or that in one week, things would kick off.
It was impossible to decipher the true intent behind Monkey's words. All the other tribes could do was wait and prepare for the meeting that would happen in one week.
All the while, anticipation continued rising. The electrical tension running through the forest even reached Nick in the center. He could feel that the forest was tense.
It was like a powder keg waiting for the lit fuse to reach it.
It was the exact kind of pervasive atmosphere that Monkey wanted.
The forest had been peaceful for far too long.
Just the way the Bawins had reacted when they discovered two humans in their territory was enough proof.
If it had been a decade ago, those two would have been cut down on the spot.