Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Papa jealous!
Their throats.
Their eyes.
Their mouths.
The scratches hidden beneath fur.
The wounds wrapped beneath hides.
The dark veins beneath skin.
Swanly waited for red warning marks to appear.
None did.
The light faded.
The system blinked twice.
{No active infection detected.}
Swanly frowned.
None?
{None. Several untreated wounds. Severe hunger. Dehydration. Fever caused by exhaustion in four survivors. No rot infection.}
Not even one hidden bite?
{No infection carrying through any detected wound. Reaching Riverbone with this many healthy survivors is unusually fortunate.}
Swanly groaned inside her head.
Now she did not even have an excuse.
The survivors had begun walking away.
A female carried one cub on her back and dragged a wounded male by the arm.
An older beastman lifted a sleeping child who did not appear related to him.
No one knew where they were going.
They simply knew Soren had said they could not remain.
"Stop."
The word left Swanly before she could overthink it.
The entire group froze.
Soren turned his head.
Kael looked down at her.
Swanly studied the survivors again.
Some stared at her with hope.
Others were too frightened to hope.
She faced Soren.
"Please."
His brows drew together.
"Please what?"
"Can we take them in?"
A murmur passed through Riverbone.
Garran’s eyes lifted.
Maela looked stunned.
Arion stared at Swanly with something soft and painful crossing his face.
Soren’s silver gaze remained on her.
"Why, little female?"
"They hurt you."
"I know."
"They insulted your mate."
"I know."
"They wished your cubs dead."
"I know that too."
"Then why?"
Swanly glanced toward the exhausted people.
"Because we need more people."
"No, we do not."
"Yes, we do."
"We have people."
"You have injured hunters, tired guards and elders pretending their knees do not hurt."
One of the former elders straightened quickly.
"My knees are strong."
Nahla smacked the back of his leg with her medicine stick.
He yelped and bent immediately.
Nahla snorted.
"Very strong."
Swanly continued.
"Maybe Riverbone can survive here with its current numbers. But if something changes, if the infected gather again, or if everyone needs to move quickly, you will need hunters, builders, healers and guards."
Soren’s eyes sharpened at the word move.
Swanly kept her face innocent.
She was not ready to announce the migration task in front of the entire tribe.
"Trust me."
Soren stared at her.
He remembered the strange female who had once screamed at fire, then taught an entire family to cook.
The female who had walked into the Rot Nest for one cub.
The female who killed hundreds of infected with a black bow.
The female who could insult him, order him to stop and still ask him to spare the people who had hurt her.
She was reckless.
Loud.
Strange.
Far too soft when children were involved.
Nothing like any female he had known.
That was exactly why he had chosen her.
"Fine," Soren said.
Swanly blinked.
"Fine?"
"But they will be checked again."
"I already checked them."
"With your magic?"
"Yes."
Soren looked toward Riverbone’s guards.
"Check every wound."
Swanly stared at him.
"You do not trust me?"
He looked back at her.
"Do you trust me?"
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Soren’s lips curved slightly.
"That is what I thought."
Swanly rolled her eyes.
"You are irritating."
"And you are alive."
Kael watched them.
His jaw tightened.
Swanly and Soren no longer argued like enemies.
They had become familiar.
The snake knew when she was hiding something.
She knew when he was pretending not to care.
Soren listened when she spoke.
He gave her authority.
Kael had once been the only male Swanly turned toward.
Now another stood close enough to pull her away with his tail and call her his female before an entire tribe.
Kael’s ears lowered.
His gaze dropped.
Swanly noticed immediately.
She passed two cubs to Tilla and kept the smallest against her hip.
Then she walked to Kael and wrapped both hands around his arm.
"Why are you moody?"
"I am not."
"You are."
"Nothing happened."
"You look like someone stole your meat."
Kael turned his face away.
His black tail struck the ground once.
Swanly’s mouth twitched.
She looked at the cubs.
They were gathered around Tilla’s single mink cub, whispering furiously.
Swanly crouched.
"You know your papa always pouts?"
Kael’s head snapped toward her.
"Swanly."
The eldest cub gasped.
"Papa pout?"
"Yes."
The second looked at Kael as though discovering a rare animal.
"Big papa pout?"
"A grown, frightening black panther," Swanly said solemnly. "But when he becomes jealous, he is worse than all three of you."
"Swanly."
She knew he could hear every word.
That was the point.
The cubs abandoned their mink friend and rushed Kael’s legs.
"Papa pout!"
"Papa baby!"
"Papa jealous!"
Kael looked down at them.
"I am not jealous."
The eldest hugged one leg.
"Papa jealous."
The second hugged the other.
"Very jealous."
The smallest wriggled out of Swanly’s arms, ran to Kael and licked his shin.
Swanly’s eyes widened.
"No."
She caught him under his little arms and lifted him.
He kicked his feet in the air.
"Papa taste good."
Kael’s face changed.
Tilla covered her mouth and laughed.
Her mink cub copied her, though he clearly did not understand.
Swanly tapped the smallest cub’s lips lightly.
"Stop licking things."
"Papa not thing."
"That does not help your case."
The cub nodded as if he understood.
Then he leaned forward and licked Swanly’s hand.
She stared at him.
He smiled.
"Mama taste best."
Swanly gently squeezed his soft cheeks until his little mouth puckered.
"No more licking."
The other cubs collapsed against Kael’s legs, giggling.
Kael tried to remain stern.
He failed.
A reluctant smile pulled at his mouth.
Swanly looked up at him.
"There. You are no longer pouting."
"I was never pouting."
Three cubs shouted together.
"Papa pout!"
Kael closed his eyes.
The checks continued.
Nahla examined wounds while Riverbone guards searched beneath hides and fur.
Raku watched the surrendered weapons pile grow.
Thalara crouched beside a wounded survivor and sniffed his bandage.
The male trembled.
"Am I infected?"
...
🙏🫴🧏♀️🎫🥹
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