Surviving Zombies Was Easier Than Raising Beast Cubs

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: My family fed him after his parents disappeared. We gave him shelter. We kept him alive. He owes us

The smallest cub walked over and placed both little hands against Nerin’s shoulder.

"Shift."

Nerin blinked.

Miko pushed harder.

"Shift, shift. Move away. Papa side."

Nerin stared at the tiny cub.

Then at Swanly.

His heart visibly cracked a little.

Still, he dragged himself aside.

Miko squeezed into the new space beside Kael and raised his tiny chin proudly.

The family now stood in a complete wall.

Kael.

Swanly.

Three cubs.

Nerin sat slightly outside it with his injured leg stretched before him.

He looked sad.

But Swanly was safe and smiling faintly at her cub, so he said nothing.

Miko pointed at Selka.

"Bad fox hit deer."

Kairo growled.

"Inside without permission."

Nilo studied Brann and Varek.

"Two males helped."

Brann’s face changed.

Varek swallowed.

Selka threw both hands outward.

"I do not want trouble!"

Raku looked at Nerin’s bleeding mouth.

"You crossed a guarded boundary, ordered two males to break his leg and slapped him five times."

"I did not break his leg."

Nahla pushed through the crowd carrying her medicine bundle.

The old otter healer glanced at Nerin’s leg once.

"You tried."

Selka ignored her.

"I only want him back. My family fed him after his parents disappeared. We gave him shelter. We kept him alive. He owes us."

Swanly stared at her.

"Feeding someone does not turn them into property."

"We saved him."

"So?"

"He would have died without us."

"Then you helped him survive. Congratulations. Do you want a leaf?"

Several Riverbone females snorted.

Selka’s russet ears flattened.

"He belongs to my family."

"No mating mark," Swanly said. "No promise. No agreement. He does not belong to you in any way."

"He has nowhere else!"

Nerin looked up.

"I have Riverbone."

Selka’s mouth fell open.

The survivors murmured.

Swanly looked toward Soren.

He had not spoken.

He watched everything with half-lowered silver eyes that were bored. Yet he was jealous.

His jealousy was nothing like Kael’s.

Kael wrapped himself around Swanly, glared at Nerin and brought all three cubs forward as reinforcements.

Soren barely moved.

But his tail had curled once around the ground beside Swanly’s feet.

A pale boundary.

Quiet.

Possessive.

Selka noticed him looking.

Her expression shifted in a heartbeat.

Her shoulders softened, and she pushed her tangled red hair over one shoulder in that practiced way that used to work on half the males in Sunmane. Then she stepped closer to Soren with a sweet, trembling smile.

"Lord Soren," she said, her voice suddenly honeyed and helpless, "I am only thinking about Riverbone. Nerin is weak. He cannot hunt. He will take food from your strong males and give nothing back. I was trying to remove a burden from your hands."

Soren did not look at her.

His gaze remained on Swanly’s angry face.

Selka leaned closer, batting her lashes as her voice dropped to a breathy whisper.

"A powerful ruler like you should not be troubled by every small disagreement between females. Perhaps I could help you manage these people. I understand frightened survivors."

Swanly slowly turned her head.

This bitch was flirting.

She had slapped Swanly yesterday and was now flirting with Soren like a cheap whore trying to climb the next ladder.

After thirty or more males had once surrounded her in Sunmane.

Most of Selka’s mates had died during the journey.

Some had been killed by infected.

Some had died protecting her while she screamed at them to carry her things.

Yet she still wanted more.

Not love.

Not companionship.

Power.

Selka stepped even closer to Soren.

"If you allowed me to explain privately, I am certain you would understand. I could ease your burdens in private. A ruler needs relief, does he not?"

The entire clearing wanted to vomit.

Swanly’s lip curled in pure disgust.

Soren did not even glance at her.

Selka kept going, undeterred, her voice growing even sweeter.

"I have experience pleasing powerful males. I could be very useful to you."

She looked at Soren and saw Riverbone’s ruler.

Another male to stand beneath her feet.

Another name to place beside her own.

Selka leaned closer.

"Perhaps I could help you manage these people. I understand how frightened survivors think."

Soren finally moved.

He turned his face.

Past Selka.

Toward Raku.

"Bring guards."

Selka’s smile faltered.

"Lord Soren?"

He still did not look at her.

Raku struck the base of his weapon against the ground.

Riverbone guards immediately surrounded Brann, Varek and Selka.

Their faces paled.

Soren’s silver eyes remained on Swanly.

She was furious.

Her ears stood high.

Her huge white tail had puffed behind her.

He disliked people upsetting her.

He disliked it even more when she tried to pretend she did not need anyone to deal with them.

So this punishment would please her.

It would remove Selka from his sight.

And, perhaps, remind the silver deer where Swanly stood in Riverbone.

Soren finally addressed Selka.

"Your punishment is..."

Selka’s face went white.

"My punishment?"

She had expected him to admire her.

Perhaps warn her gently.

Perhaps allow her to stand beside him while he scolded Nerin for causing trouble.

She had not expected punishment.

Soren looked at Brann and Varek first.

"Brann and Varek are stripped of all weapons."

Brann’s tusks showed as his mouth opened.

Varek’s ears flattened.

"Not temporarily," Soren continued. "All weapons."

The camp went still.

"Their claws will be blunted with iron caps until they earn them back through blood service against the infected."

Varek stared at his own hands.

Brann’s skin turned gray.

"Any male who gives them a blade will lose the hand that held it."

No one breathed.

Thalara tilted her head.

"May I grow flowers from the removed hand?"

Raku looked at her.

"No."

"It would already be detached."

"No."

Thalara appeared disappointed.

Soren looked at Selka.

"You are banished from the inner camp for one full moon cycle."

Selka stumbled.

"No."

"You will sleep outside the root walls with the lowest refugees."

Her face twisted.

"I am a high female!"

"You are a boundary-breaking refugee."

A Riverbone guard coughed to hide a laugh.

Soren continued.

"Any food or shelter you receive must be earned by cleaning infected remains or digging waste pits."

Selka’s eyes bulged.

"I will not touch corpses!"

"Then you will not eat."

Vessa pushed through the crowd.

"You cannot make my daughter dig filth!"

Soren’s tail struck the ground.

Vessa stopped so fast that her feet slid.

"If Selka enters the inner camp before the moon turns," Soren said, "she will be dragged to the outer line and left as bait for the next horde."

Selka’s knees nearly gave way.

Brann caught her automatically.

His hands trembled.

Varek stared at Soren with naked horror.

Soren’s attention moved to Nerin.

"Nerin is under Riverbone’s full protection."

Nerin looked up.

"Anyone, male, female or cub, who drags him back to Selka or harms him will lose the hand that touched him."

Miko looked at his own tiny hands "Oh no" and quickly placed them behind his back.

Swanly glanced down and almost smiled.

"You are not in trouble."

He looked at his mama and immediately gave her a big smile once he realized she was there to keep him safe.

Soren’s voice turned colder.

"The hand will be nailed to Riverbone’s outer gate and remain there until it rots away."

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