Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands

Chapter 476: Chapter -476

The rabbit stirred immediately, clearly not as deeply asleep as she’d thought. His blue eyes blinked open, reflecting the faint light.

"Already?" he mumbled.

"Yeah. Nothing happened. No movement. Just watch the approach, wake us if you see or hear anything unusual."

Cutie crawled forward, taking her position at the entrance. He looked small and vulnerable in the darkness, but his eyes were alert, scanning the forest.

Kaya moved deeper into the shelter, settling into the space Cutie had vacated. The moss bedding was still warm from his body heat.

She lay down, her knife within easy reach, and closed her eyes.

Sleep should have come easily. She was exhausted, physically and mentally drained.

But her mind wouldn’t shut off.

The drake’s words kept echoing.

’You are here for a purpose.’

’The world will force you to choose what you are willing to fight for.’

What ’was’ she willing to fight for?

Survival. Obviously. That was instinctive, non-negotiable.

But beyond that?

Veer and Cutie. She’d already proven she’d fight for them, even if she didn’t want to admit why.

Getting home. Finding a way back to her world, even if that world had nothing left for her.

And... what else?

Kaya’s thoughts grew fuzzy, exhaustion finally overwhelming the racing of her mind.

Just before sleep claimed her, one last thought surfaced:

’What if the drake was right? What if I can’t go back? What then?’

But she was too tired to answer.

Too tired to face that possibility.

So she let sleep take her, diving into unconsciousness like a drowning person gulping air.

And hoped that tomorrow would bring answers instead of more questions.

Kaya woke to the sound of birds.

Not the alarm calls or warning cries she’d been bracing for. Just normal birdsong. The cheerful, mundane sound of a forest waking up.

She opened her eyes to find weak sunlight filtering through the root system above them, creating patterns of light and shadow across the shelter.

Cutie was still at the entrance, though his head was nodding forward, clearly struggling to stay awake.

Veer was sitting up, his back against the fallen log, his expression distant.

"Morning," Kaya said, her voice rough with sleep.

Both of them turned to look at her.

"Morning," Veer replied. "You snore, by the way."

"I do not."

"You absolutely do. Like a congested bear."

"I’ll remember that next time you need medical attention."

Despite herself, Kaya felt a small smile tug at her lips. The familiar banter was comforting, normal.

She crawled to the entrance, gently nudging Cutie aside. "Go sleep. You look dead on your feet."

"I’m fine—" Cutie started, but his words were interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn.

"Sleep," Kaya ordered.

He didn’t argue further, crawling back to the moss bedding and collapsing almost immediately.

Kaya looked out at the forest in the early morning light.

The world looked different now. Less threatening. More... manageable.

"How’s the shoulder?" she asked Veer without looking at him.

"Better. The bitter-leaf is working. The inflammation is down."

"Good."

"Kaya?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk about what comes next. Where we go from here."

Kaya took a deep breath, still staring out at the awakening forest.

"I know," she said quietly. "But first, let’s focus on surviving today. Food. Water. Making sure your shoulder keeps healing."

"And then?"

"And then," Kaya said, finally turning to meet his amber eyes, "we figure out who the hell wants me dead. And why."

"Not running anymore?"

Kaya’s expression hardened. "We’ll run when we need to. But I’m tired of being prey. I’m tired of not knowing. I’m tired of—" She cut herself off, jaw clenching.

"Of what?" Veer prompted gently.

"Of feeling helpless," she admitted. "I’ve been reacting since I got here. Surviving by the skin of my teeth. Making decisions with incomplete information. I hate it."

"So what’s the alternative?"

"We get information. We figure out the game. And then—" Kaya’s hand tightened on her knife. "—we decide whether to keep running or start fighting back."

Veer smiled, that sharp predator smile. "Now you sound like the soldier you claim you used to be."

"Yeah, well." Kaya looked back out at the forest. "Apparently this world has other ideas about what I am."

The drake’s words echoed one more time in her mind, but this time, she didn’t push them away.

This time, she let them settle.

Let them sink in.

Because maybe—just maybe—the ancient creature had been right.

Maybe it was time to stop running from what she was and start deciding what she wanted to be.

But first: food, water, survival.

One day at a time.

One choice at a time.

That was all she could manage.

And for now, it would have to be enough.

The creek was alive with activity in the early morning light.

Kaya crouched on a flat rock at the water’s edge, watching the fish dart between stones. They were small—palm-sized at most—with silvery scales that flashed when they caught the light. Not much meat on them individually, but there were dozens visible in this stretch alone.

The question was how to catch them.

She had no fishing line, no hooks, no net. Her knife was too slow—by the time she struck, the fish would be gone. Her gun was still useless, not that shooting fish would be practical anyway.

"We could try a fish trap," Cutie suggested from behind her. He’d woken about twenty minutes ago, looking slightly more alive after his short sleep. "My tribe used to make them. Weave branches together, create a funnel. Fish swim in, can’t swim out."

"How long does that take?"

"A few hours. Maybe more if the branches aren’t flexible enough."

Kaya shook her head. "Too long. We need food now, not this afternoon."

"Then we do it the old way," Veer said.

Kaya turned to find him standing at the edge of the creek, barefoot, having removed his boots and rolled up his pants. His injured shoulder was still bound with strips torn from his already-ruined shirt, the bitter-leaf poultice visible beneath.

"The old way?" Kaya asked.

"We hunt like beastmen." He grinned, that sharp predatory expression. "Watch."

Before Kaya could respond, Veer waded into the creek. The water came up to his calves, cold enough that she could see him tense slightly. But he moved slowly, carefully, not disturbing the water more than necessary.

He stood perfectly still for a long moment, watching the fish dart around his legs.

Then, with a speed that shouldn’t have been possible for someone with an injured shoulder, he plunged both hands into the water and came up with a fish, thrashing and struggling in his grip.

"Like that," he said triumphantly, tossing the fish onto the bank where it flopped helplessly.

Kaya blinked. "How—"

"Beastmen reflexes. Even in human form, we’re faster than regular humans." He positioned himself again, waiting. "You have to be patient. Let them get comfortable around you. Then strike fast."

He demonstrated again, catching another fish with the same impossible speed.

"Your turn," he said, looking at Kaya.

"I’m not a beastman."

"No, but you’re a soldier. Soldiers adapt." He gestured to the water. "Come on. You can’t be worse at this than you were at climbing trees."

"I climbed that tree fine—"