Surviving Zombies Was Easier Than Raising Beast Cubs

Chapter 91: Chapter 92: At least Willowbank exists nearby. Ironwood Basin comes from your mysterious magic, which no one can inspect

"You are taking control."

"I am organizing."

"You struck an elder, selected a new settlement, and told half the tribe to follow you."

"Organizing."

He stepped closer.

Swanly held her ground.

"You want authority without the title," he murmured.

"I want my family alive without listening to people complain that my breathing threatens their power."

His silver eyes darkened.

"You do not need their permission."

"I know."

"Good."

He turned toward the gathering area.

"Then stand beside me while I tell them."

⸻

The tribe gathered again before sunset.

Swanly remained beside Kael with the cubs close to her legs.

Soren stood in front.

He explained Willowbank Hollow first.

The reaction was immediate.

"Two days?"

"That is close."

"The injured can survive that."

"We should go there."

One of the former elders raised both hands.

"Willowbank is clearly the wiser choice. A tribe carrying cubs, wounded males, and recovering females cannot survive a journey of ten days."

Several frightened survivors nodded.

The elder looked toward Swanly.

"Unless someone wishes to prove her courage using everyone else’s lives."

Kael growled.

Swanly caught his arm.

"Let him finish exposing himself."

The elder stiffened.

Soren continued.

"The second destination is Ironwood Basin."

He explained the resources.

The defensible ridge.

The freshwater spring.

The building timber, clay, stone, medicinal plants, fruit trees, and game.

Then he described the narrow ravine, unstable forest, infected concentration, and territorial beasts.

The gathering erupted.

"That road is too dangerous!"

"Willowbank is closer!"

"Why risk the cubs?"

A former elder stepped forward triumphantly.

"There is no choice. Willowbank is safer."

Nerin spoke from the side.

"Only for a short time."

The elder glared at him.

Nerin swallowed but continued.

"If the same underground water reaches Willowbank, then the infection may follow. We would build everything again only to abandon it later."

"Or perhaps it will never reach us."

Swanly finally spoke.

"Perhaps?"

The elder turned.

She pointed toward the sealed tunnel.

"You want to move more than one hundred people into another settlement based on ’perhaps’?"

"The longer journey may kill them now."

"And Willowbank may kill them later."

The elder smiled coldly.

"At least Willowbank exists nearby. Ironwood Basin comes from your mysterious magic, which no one can inspect."

Swanly took one step forward.

Soren’s tail shifted across the ground.

Not stopping her.

Ready.

She smiled.

"You may choose Willowbank."

The elder blinked.

Swanly looked around the gathering.

"Anyone who wants Willowbank may go there."

Whispers spread.

"I am going to Ironwood Basin."

Kael moved beside her.

"So am I."

Raku lifted his weapon.

"Ironwood."

Nahla snorted.

"I prefer building once."

Tilla hugged Tavi.

"We follow Swanly."

Nerin raised his head.

"I will go to Ironwood."

One family joined them.

Then another.

The former elder’s confidence cracked again with the way people slowly kept choosing the fox female’s side.

Soren watched every face.

The people who argued from fear looked toward their cubs.

The ones who wanted power looked toward one another.

One former elder glanced at Garran before speaking.

Another shifted closer to Swanly after hearing about the freshwater spring.

A third remained silent, waiting to see which side would win.

Soren remembered all of them.

The frightened could be reassured.

The selfish could be managed.

The ones who changed loyalty with the wind would betray whoever stood closest when danger came.

Finally, he spoke.

"Riverbone will migrate to Ironwood Basin."

The former elder’s face changed.

"You already decided?"

"Yes."

"Then why present Willowbank?"

Soren’s gaze chilled.

"To see who valued immediate comfort over long-term survival."

The elder paled.

"And," Soren continued, "to see who used frightened families as weapons against Swanly."

No one spoke.

His claws lengthened.

"I have seen enough."

⸻

Every person received a job.

Soren remained publicly in command.

Swanly organized almost everything beneath him.

Whenever someone asked her for a final order, she pointed toward Soren.

"Ask your leader."

Then she quietly told Soren what needed to happen before they reached him.

He noticed.

He allowed it.

Kael led the hunting groups.

Raku organized the guards and decided who protected the front, center, and rear of the migrating tribe.

Nahla prepared medicine, clean cloth, herbs, splints, and burn treatments.

Tilla counted cub families, pregnant females, recovering survivors, and anyone who needed assistance walking.

Nerin studied the ground outside Riverbone.

His antlers trembled faintly as he sensed underground water, unstable soil, and hollow sections beneath the path.

He marked every dangerous place with stacked stones.

Swanly watched him work.

"You can sense all that?"

Nerin nodded.

"Not perfectly. But I can tell where the ground sounds empty."

"That will help us avoid another tunnel."

A shy warmth entered his green eyes.

"I want to be useful to you."

Kael appeared directly behind Swanly.

"You are useful to the tribe."

Nerin’s warmth vanished.

"Yes."

Swanly looked over her shoulder.

"Were you standing there the entire time?"

Kael’s tail wrapped around her waist.

"No."

He was lying.

Nerin quietly returned to the ground.

From the fur mat nearby, Miko pointed.

"Papa jealous."

Kael’s ears twitched.

Kairo covered Miko’s mouth.

"Do not help."

⸻

Beyond the inner boundary, Selka’s punishment had already begun.

She had been ordered to clean the refuse pits and drag infected remains toward the burn area.

She lasted less than half an hour.

The smell hit her.

Selka bent over and vomited.

A guard pushed another filthy wooden scraper toward her.

"Continue."

"I cannot."

"You were strong enough to order males to beat Nerin."

She vomited again.

By the third time, her face had turned gray.

She stared toward the center of Riverbone.

Swanly stood there assigning food groups while hunters, healers, and mothers listened to her.

Even Soren accepted her decisions.

Selka’s nails dug into the dirt.

She had once possessed more than thirty males.

Females envied her.

Males fought for her attention.

Now she stood beside a waste pit while Swanly controlled an entire migration.

But the migration also meant her punishment might end early.

Riverbone could not leave her behind if everyone was moving.

Unless Swanly ordered it.

Fear and rage twisted together inside Selka.

She looked toward the frightened survivors near the outer camp.

Then she began whispering.

"Riverbone was never like this before Swanly arrived."