Chapter 110: Mixed threat detected
{Host completed several tasks without manually claiming the rewards.}
Why did you not tell me?
{System did. Host shouted, "Not now, people are dying."}
That sounded like her.
She opened the list.
Four rewards waited.
Three contained points.
The tasks were already complete, and Swanly was far too tired to study which desperate moment had earned each one.
She claimed them.
{Pending point rewards claimed.}
{Six hundred points added.}
{Current balance: One thousand and ninety-four points.}
Swanly nearly smiled.
Rich.
Temporarily.
The final reward glowed differently.
{First survival task completed.}
{Requirement: Keep all three cubs alive through the initial survival period and reach a stable tribal settlement.}
Swanly’s heart stopped.
That had been her first task in this world.
Before Riverbone.
Before Soren.
Before Thalara.
Back when she had stared at three strange cubs and insisted she was not their mother.
She had never claimed the reward.
{Reward designed for protected cubs.}
{Three Juvenile Rot-Guard Collars available.}
{Would host like to assign the collars to Kairo, Nilo, and Miko?}
What do they do?
The system brightened.
{Young cubs are significantly more vulnerable to rot infection. Their immature cores allow contamination to spread up to ten times faster than in healthy adults.}
Swanly’s blood turned cold.
{Each collar will filter low-level rot contamination, neutralize minor exposure, and slow the spread of a serious infection long enough for treatment.}
{Warning: Collars do not provide complete immunity. Severe bites, deep infected wounds, or overwhelming exposure may exceed protection limits.}
Swanly stared at the three small shapes moving beneath the fur.
They had nearly drowned in rot water.
They followed danger as if death personally carried snacks.
One bite.
One scratch.
One second too late.
Her eyes filled before she could stop them.
Kael noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
"Nothing bad."
His arm tightened around her.
"Swanly."
She quickly accepted the reward.
Three small bands appeared inside her lap.
They looked almost like thin black-hide collars, soft and flexible, with one pale golden bead resting at the center.
Kairo pulled the fur from his head.
"What that?"
Nilo leaned closer.
Miko crawled directly into Swanly’s lap.
"For Miko?"
Swanly lowered her voice.
"They came from my magic."
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
"What do they do?"
"They protect cubs from small amounts of infection. If rot gets on them or enters a tiny wound, the collars can remove some of it."
Kael stared at the bands.
"And large wounds?"
"They can slow the infection. Not stop everything."
His expression hardened.
Swanly touched his hand.
"This does not mean they are safe from bites. It does not mean they can touch rot or crawl into holes."
All three cubs lowered their ears.
She pointed at them.
"You will wear these every day. You will never take them off. Not for playing. Not for washing. Not because Miko decides his neck feels strange."
Miko touched his neck.
"Already strange."
"You are not even wearing it."
"Future strange."
Swanly caught him.
"You especially."
She fastened the first collar around Kairo’s neck.
The pale golden bead gave one soft pulse.
Kairo touched it carefully.
"Mama give."
"Yes."
His serious face broke into a tiny smile.
He immediately straightened again, pretending it had not happened.
Swanly kissed his forehead.
"You are still a baby."
"No."
"You are."
"Guard."
"Baby guard."
His cheeks turned pink.
She fastened Nilo’s next.
The quiet cub touched the golden bead and stared at it with wide golden eyes.
"It knows Nilo?"
"My magic assigned it to you."
He leaned into Swanly’s chest.
"Thank you, Mama."
Her heart melted into a useless puddle.
Then she turned toward Miko.
He threw both arms wide.
"Miko ready!"
She fastened the last collar.
Miko jumped up.
Golden bead bouncing.
"Look! Miko powerful!"
Kairo frowned.
"Collar protect. Not power."
"Protection power."
Nilo nodded thoughtfully.
"He right little."
Miko ran toward Kael.
"Papa see!"
Kael caught him with one arm.
"I see."
"Miko cannot infection now."
Swanly grabbed his ankle before he could escape.
"No. That is not what I said."
Miko hung upside down from Kael’s arm.
"Cannot little infection."
"Still no touching."
"Cannot medium?"
"No."
"Cannot big?"
"Absolutely not."
Miko’s face fell.
"What collar do?"
"It gives Mama more time to save you."
He stopped moving.
Then he reached toward her.
Swanly took him from Kael.
Miko wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Mama always save."
Her throat closed.
"I will always try."
Behind them, something moved beneath the leaves.
Nilo’s head turned.
The adults continued speaking.
Kairo was showing Tavi his collar.
Miko was attempting to make his golden bead glow by shaking his entire body.
Nilo stared toward the edge of the camp.
The fallen leaves rose.
Barely.
Then lowered.
His ears tilted forward.
Across the dark gorge, an Ashclaw male crawled beneath the shadow of a stone shelf.
His skin and hair had been rubbed with cold ash to hide his scent.
A sharp stone blade rested between his teeth.
He reached Riverbone’s nearest supply bundle.
Cut the first rope.
Then the second.
Farther along the camp, another hidden hunter sliced through the straps holding medicine and water bundles together.
Soren did not notice.
His damaged core flooded his senses with blood, pain, and too many heartbeats.
Ashclaw had planned for that.
Dagan stood near his dark fire pit and watched.
He knew what lived beneath the leaves.
The crawlers came almost every night.
They hunted in darkness.
Fire resin drove them onto their backs and open flames kept many from approaching the center.
Dagan had lied.
He wanted Riverbone’s guards exhausted.
He wanted their supplies scattered.
He wanted their strongest males wounded or dead.
Then Ashclaw would take the weapons.
The food.
The females.
He and his males had already looked over Riverbone’s women and decided which ones they wanted.
Dagan’s gaze settled on Swanly.
He smiled.
Nilo stood.
"Mama."
Swanly heard the change in his voice.
She turned.
Nilo pointed toward the leaves.
"Moving."
The ground erupted.
Bone-backed crawlers burst from beneath the fallen leaves.
One slammed into an Ashclaw supply pile.
Another charged directly toward Riverbone’s sleeping groups.
Miko screamed.
It was magnificent.
High.
Piercing.
Powerful enough to shake dust from the gorge walls.
"BAD THING!"
Every guard turned.
The first crawler crashed into them.
Its pale claws tore through one male’s thigh and opened him to the bone.
Chaos exploded.
"Attack!"
"Get the cubs!"
"Where are the weapons?"
"The supply ropes are cut!"
Bundles spilled across the ground.
Medicine rolled beneath feet.
Water skins slid into cracks.
Riverbone’s hunters scrambled for weapons while Ashclaw’s males conveniently withdrew behind their stone shelters.
Dagan did not look surprised.
He looked pleased.
Swanly saw him.
Her fury turned cold.
He knew.
Kairo grabbed the travel rope immediately.
"Cubs here!"
Several younger cubs cried and scattered.
Kairo ran after them.
He pulled Lumi beneath a low stone shelf, then shoved the rope into her hands.
"Hold."
The little rabbit beastgirl sobbed.
"Mama!"
"Your mama coming. Hold rope."
Nilo grabbed two more cubs and pushed them beneath the shelf.
Miko attempted to run toward Swanly.
Kairo caught the back of his clothing.
"No!"
"Mama fighting!"
"Papa with Mama."
"Miko scream help."
"You screamed already."
"Can scream more!"
Tilla arrived carrying Tavi.
"Every cub beneath the stone! Now!"
Mora shifted into her young bear form and stood in front of the opening.
Kairo moved along the cub line.
"Hold rope. Nobody let go."
His tiny hands shook.
His voice shook too.
Still, he counted.
"Nilo?"
"Here."
"Miko?"
"Here."
"Tavi?"
"Here."
"Lumi?"
The rabbit cub cried, "Here."
Kairo swallowed his fear.
"All stay."
The second crawler charged.
Raku shifted halfway into his crocodile form.
His heavy tail swept across the ground and struck the creature from the side.
The bone shell slammed against stone.
The crawler rolled.
Soft gray flesh showed beneath it.
"Underneath!" Thalara shouted.
Black roots burst from a crack and wrapped around its legs.
Raku lifted his weapon.
"Now!"
Three guards drove stone spears into its exposed belly.
The crawler shrieked.
Its claws tore through one guard’s throat before Raku crushed its head.
Black blood sprayed across his chest.
"Do not bite them!" Swanly shouted.
Raku looked offended.
"I know!"
"Good!"
The system flashed inside her vision.
{Mixed threat detected.}