Chapter 106: Episode 105: Building Plan
Theron’s round face turned bright red.
He wiggled in Rue’s arms, looking a bit miserable. A small, distressed whine escaped his lips. He kicked his chubby legs hard against her stomach. He scratched frantically at his thick cloth diaper.
Rue dropped to her knees on the smooth wooden floor and laid him down gently on a soft woven rug right near the stone hearth.
He kept kicking and crying. He acted as if the fabric were actually burning his sensitive skin. He couldn’t get comfortable.
Rue pulled the thick cloth away quickly. She tossed the diaper aside to give him some relief.
Theron stopped crying the second the fabric left his skin. His tiny legs pressed tightly together. The pale peach skin rippled. It looked exactly like water shivering in the wind. The normal skin vanished. Beautiful, shimmering silver scales erupted right over his tiny body. They spread rapidly down his calves and right over his toes.
His legs merged into one thick, powerful tail.
He blinked his bright eyes. His round golden irises narrowed instantly into sharp, vertical slits. His fluffy white hair suddenly grew past his tiny shoulders, pooling softly on the wooden floor.
Rue gasped loudly. She covered her mouth with both hands.
She didn’t feel scared at all. She just felt overwhelmed with pure joy. Her heart swelled right up in her chest. She couldn’t believe how beautiful he looked.
She scooped him right back up into her arms. She squeezed him tight.
"My little one has grown up!" Rue squealed happily. She kissed his chubby cheeks over and over again. "You’re so beautiful. You’re so big now!"
Theron giggled brightly. His new silver tail wrapped securely around her arm. It felt cool and strong. He liked his new body. He didn’t feel trapped anymore.
Caius stood frozen near the wooden dining table. The Serpent Alpha looked tense. His large hands gripped the edge of the wood so hard his knuckles turned totally white. He didn’t move a single muscle.
"You aren’t angry?" Caius asked quietly. His voice shook just a tiny bit.
Rue looked up at him. She frowned in total confusion.
"Why would I be angry?" Rue asked.
Caius swallowed hard. He looked down at the silver tail wrapped around her waist. "He’s a snake. I thought you wanted a rabbit. I thought the sharp scales would frighten you."
Rue walked right up to Caius. She held their baby up so he could see perfectly. She ran her soft hand smoothly down the thick silver scales. They felt like polished gems.
"He’s absolutely perfect," Rue said softly. She looked right into Caius’s nervous golden eyes. "I love him exactly the way he is. He’s ours. I couldn’t be happier."
Caius let out a very breath. The deep fear left his face, and a proud smile broke across his pale lips. He reached out and gently touched his son’s new tail. He was relieved she accepted his snake bloodline.
Then.
A loud noise interrupted the sweet family moment.
Theron’s stomach growled. It sounded exactly like a tiny thunderclap inside the quiet cabin.
The baby boy complained loudly. He patted his own round tummy with his chubby hands. He was absolutely starving.
"Okay, Mom’s on it," Rue laughed.
She walked over to the small kitchen area in the corner of the room. The cabin was perfect for them. It sat in a very nice, neutral neighbourhood right between the Convergence and the swamps. They had trees outside and friendly Beastworld neighbours who minded their own business. It felt like a real home.
She grabbed a wooden bowl from the shelf. She mashed up some sweet yellow fruits and soft vegetables. It was his absolute favourite meal. She stirred it until it was perfectly smooth.
She walked back to the table and sat down. She scooped a large spoonful of the sweet mash and held it right up to his mouth.
Theron took one single sniff.
His tiny nose scrunched up in total disgust. He swatted the wooden spoon away. The yellow mush splattered right onto the clean wooden floor.
"Hey," Rue scolded gently. "You love this stuff."
Theron shook his head stubbornly. He refused to open his mouth. His slit eyes darted rapidly across the table.
Knox sat right across from them. The giant panther had a plate sitting perfectly in front of him. It was piled high with thick, juicy cuts of roasted pork. The meat smelled absolutely incredible. Dark, rich juices pooled at the bottom of the wooden plate. Steam rose into the warm cabin air.
Theron stared directly at the meat. He drooled immediately.
Rue looked at the messy fruit on the floor. She looked at the steaming pork. She looked down at her baby’s brand new snake tail.
She immediately realised the problem. He wasn’t a squishy human toddler anymore. He was a growing Beastworld predator. He hit his first age transformation. Predators definitely didn’t eat mashed fruit. They needed solid meat to survive.
Rue stood up. She walked quickly around the table and dropped Theron directly into Knox’s lap.
"Feed him," Rue said simply.
Knox blinked his golden eyes. He looked down at the baby sitting on his thick thighs.
Theron didn’t wait for any permission. The baby boy reached out with both chubby hands and grabbed a giant piece of roasted pork right off the plate. He shoved the hot meat straight into his mouth. His tiny sharp teeth tore right through the thick muscle.
Knox watched in total shock. Theron ate fast. The baby boy finished the first piece and immediately grabbed another one. He ate with terrible table manners. He made happy, loud grunting noises the entire time. He rubbed greasy pork juice all over Knox’s clean shirt.
Within five minutes, the plate was empty.
Theron licked his greasy fingers cleanly. He patted his perfectly round belly and burped very loudly. He was totally satisfied.
Knox stared blankly at his empty plate. The giant panther looked sad. He didn’t even get to take a single bite of his own dinner. He sat there looking defeated by a small toddler.
"That was my dinner," Knox whispered sadly. He looked up at Rue with wide, betrayed eyes.
Rue felt a sharp pang of guilt hit her chest. She patted Knox’s shoulder gently to comfort him.
"I’m so sorry," Rue said. She rubbed his arm warmly. "He’s growing so fast. I didn’t know he could eat that much meat in one sitting. Stay right here. I’ll go make another plate just for you."
Knox nodded slowly. He wrapped one large arm around Theron so the baby didn’t fall off his lap. He looked pitiful for a terrifying warlord.
Rue spent the next hour cooking more meat over the hot hearth. The cabin smelled strongly like rich smoke and spices. She fed Knox until he was full. She made sure Theron was totally happy. She even poured little Mochi a small wooden bowl of fresh milk.
Later that evening.
The cabin went totally quiet. The neighbourhood outside settled down for the night.
Rue finally got the babies to sleep. Theron curled up tightly on a soft pile of blankets near the warm hearth. His long silver tail wrapped securely around Mochi. The tiny snow leopard purred loudly, content with her shiny snake friend. They looked absolutely adorable together.
Rue walked back to the wooden table. She felt exhausted but very happy. Her family was safe. They were well fed. They were together.
She sat down right across from Caius and Knox.
The two giant men looked at her instantly. They gave her their absolute full attention. They always made sure they were listening whenever she wanted to talk.
Rue tapped her small fingers softly on the wooden table. She looked around the main room of the cabin.
The space was perfectly fine when it was just a few people. But the inside was getting small. It was crowded.
"We’ve got a problem," Rue started. She kept her voice very low so the babies didn’t wake up.
Knox sat up straight. His shoulders tensed immediately. His golden eyes narrowed sharply. "Who do I need to fight?"
"Nobody," Rue sighed happily. She smiled warmly at his instant need to protect her. "It isn’t a fight. It’s a space issue."
She pointed a finger toward the corner where the kids were sleeping.
"Theron’s got a tail now. Mochi’s going to grow into a snow leopard very soon. We’ve got a giant panther and a giant snake living in one single room."
She rested her hands over her flat stomach. She looked down at her lap.
"And we’re going to have another baby very soon. This cabin’s just too small for all of us."
Caius looked around the wooden walls. He nodded slowly. He understood her logic perfectly. They couldn’t raise a family in a single room.
"We’ve got plenty of land in our slot," Rue explained. She traced a small, invisible square on the table with her finger. "We can expand the house. We can build more rooms. I want Theron to have his own space. I want a bigger kitchen. We need to do it before the new baby comes. We need to add a new wing to the cabin."
She looked at them nervously. She didn’t want to sound ungrateful or demanding. She knew building a house took a certain amount of hard physical work. They just got settled here.
Knox cracked his knuckles. An excited grin spread across his scarred face.
"I can knock down the back wall tomorrow morning," Knox said confidently. "We can haul fresh logs from the Convergence border. I’ll build it twice as big."
Caius didn’t hesitate for a single second. He reached directly across the wide table. He placed his cool, smooth hand right over hers.
"Whatever it is you want, we’ll build it," Caius said softly. His golden eyes were full of absolute, undeniable devotion. "We’ll add as many rooms as you need. You just have to tell us exactly where to put the walls."
Rue stared at his handsome face. She felt a huge lump form in her throat.
She was overwhelmed by how much they loved her. They didn’t argue. They didn’t complain about the labour. They didn’t tell her to just deal with the small space. They just instantly agreed to build her a bigger home because she asked for one.
Her pink eyes filled with warm, happy tears. She sniffled softly.
"Oh, Caius...."