Chapter 134: FOOD!
Few Days Later
Swanly woke up hungry.
Not normal hungry.
Not I should eat something hungry.
She woke with the horrifying certainty that if food did not enter her mouth within the next three breaths, somebody in Ironwood Basin was going to die.
Her eyes snapped open.
"Food."
Kael, who had been sleeping beside her, immediately sat up.
"What?"
"Food."
"You ate before sleeping."
"That was yesterday."
"It was four hours ago."
Swanly slowly turned her head.
Kael saw her expression.
He stood.
"I will find food."
"Good decision."
From the cave entrance came a quiet hiss of amusement.
Soren leaned against the stone wall.
Kael’s face darkened instantly.
"Why are you here?"
Soren ignored him.
His silver eyes remained on Swanly.
Then his forked tongue flicked once.
Swanly narrowed her eyes.
"Do not."
Soren did it again.
Her ears flattened.
"Stop smelling me!"
"Your scent changed."
Kael froze.
His golden eyes immediately moved toward her stomach.
Swanly pulled the hide blanket higher.
"Yes, thank you, both of you. I am aware that I smell pregnant."
Soren looked far too pleased.
Kael looked like he wanted to throw him off the nearest cliff.
Swanly pointed between them.
"I am hungry, tired, carrying babies, and absolutely not emotionally available for whatever male nonsense is about to happen."
Soren straightened.
"I will hunt."
Kael’s head snapped around.
"No."
Soren looked at him.
"No?"
"I hunt for my female."
"Our female."
Kael’s eye twitched.
Swanly closed hers.
Here we go.
"You have hunters," she muttered.
Neither listened.
Soren shifted.
His massive white snake form slid out of the cave.
Kael stared after him.
Then turned toward Swanly.
"I am going too."
Swanly sat upright.
"No."
"He thinks bringing you food will impress you."
"I am already impressed by food."
Kael looked betrayed.
"That is exactly the problem."
"Kael."
"I will return."
"You do not need to!"
He was already leaving.
"KAEL!"
His black tail vanished around the cave entrance.
Swanly stared after him.
Then dropped backward.
"I hate men."
The system appeared beside her head.
{You have two.}
"Disappear."
{Host technically has two confirmed mates and several males displaying potential courtship behavior.}
Swanly sat up.
"Disappear faster."
The system vanished.
Outside, Selka had heard everything.
She sat beneath the shade of a stone shelter with a guard several steps away.
One hand rested over her own stomach.
Pregnant.
She had been announcing it loudly enough that even the trees probably knew.
But now Swanly was pregnant too.
Selka watched Swanly emerge from the cave, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Her gaze dropped.
The fox’s stomach barely showed yet.
But the scent was there.
Snake.
Pregnancy.
Soren’s young.
Selka smiled when Swanly looked over.
"You look tired."
Swanly stopped.
There was too much sweetness in that voice.
"I am."
Selka rubbed her stomach.
"Pregnancy is difficult."
"You discovered that yesterday."
"It still is day difficult."
Swanly stared at her.
Selka smiled wider.
"It must be worse for you. Two sets of cubs already depending on you."
"Three panther cubs are not a set of furniture."
"I only meant..."
"I know exactly what you meant."
Selka’s eyes hardened for one second.
Then softened again.
"You should rest. Females can lose cubs if they strain themselves too much."
Swanly’s expression went cold.
Selka lifted both hands.
"I am concerned."
"Your concern has tried to kill me before."
The guard coughed into his fist.
Selka’s smile became painfully innocent.
"You always think the worst of me."
"Experience."
Swanly walked away.
Selka watched her go.
Her smile vanished.
Why should Swanly carry Soren’s children?
Why should Swanly have Kael, Soren, cubs, power, food, protection, and everyone’s attention?
Selka’s fingers dug into her skirt.
Pregnancies were fragile.
Accidents happened.
Females fell.
Food spoiled.
Fear caused mistakes.
If Swanly lost those cubs, no one would have to know why.
Selka slowly smiled again.
But this time, there was no one near enough to see it.
...
Soren returned first.
Of course he did.
Half the settlement heard the crash before they saw him.
A massive horned beast dropped beside the cooking area.
Dust exploded.
Miko came running.
"FOOD!"
Kairo followed.
"Do not touch!"
Miko climbed onto the carcass.
Kairo grabbed his leg.
"Miko!"
"Big meat!"
"It still warm!"
"Good!"
Nilo walked around the animal, sniffed once, then looked toward Swanly.
"Dead."
"Thank you for confirming," Swanly said.
Miko slapped the carcass proudly.
"Snake Papa bring!"
Silence.
Kael arrived at that exact moment.
He carried two smaller prey animals over one shoulder.
His face became completely blank.
Miko looked at him.
Then at Soren’s enormous kill.
Then at Kael’s.
His tiny brows pulled together.
"Papa meat... little."
Kael nearly died.
Swanly covered her mouth.
Soren’s silver eyes gleamed.
Kael dropped the prey.
"It is enough."
Miko nodded solemnly.
"Little enough."
"Kairo," Kael said.
Kairo immediately covered Miko’s mouth.
"Stop talking."
Miko continued talking through his hand.
Soren stepped beside Swanly.
"Mine will feed everyone."
Kael turned.
"No one asked."
"You were out hunting too."
"For her."
"So was I."
Swanly looked at the mountain of meat.
Then at the two males preparing to begin another territorial war beside breakfast.
"No."
Both looked at her.
She pointed at the carcass.
"This is more than enough food for the settlement."
Kael opened his mouth.
She pointed at him.
"No."
Then Soren.
"And you."
Soren closed his mouth.
"Sit down."
Kael stared.
Soren stared.
Swanly’s eyes narrowed.
Both males sat.
Raku, carrying a bundle of wood, stopped walking.
He looked at them.
Then at Swanly.
Then back at the two terrifying males sitting like badly behaved cubs.
He quietly continued walking.
Smart crocodile.
...
Ironwood was changing quickly.
It was no longer just survivors scattered between caves.
It had rules.
Hunting parties rotated.
Nobody hunted alone.
Water carriers used separate paths from waste disposal.
New meat was inspected before it reached the cooking area.
Anyone bitten or scratched by an unknown creature reported immediately.
Children were not allowed past the marked stones without an adult.
Miko had already violated that rule twice.
Swanly added another rule specifically for him.
"No investigating mysterious holes."
Miko protested.
"What if friend inside?"
"Especially then."
The planting rows stretched beside the spring.
Potatoes had been among the first crops Swanly planted, and the rich Ironwood soil had produced their first usable batch surprisingly fast.
That afternoon, Swanly sat beside the cooking stones peeling them.
Her stomach growled.
Loudly.
Miko’s head snapped around.
"Mama monster?"
"My stomach."
"Very loud."
"I am aware."
Kairo carried cleaned potatoes toward her one at a time.
Nilo washed them carefully.
Lumi and Tavi sat nearby pulling leaves from herbs.
Swanly cut the potatoes into rough chunks and dropped them into a stone pot with meat, herbs, water, and salt.
Simple.
Heavy.
Filling.
Exactly what her pregnant body demanded.
Then another wave of nausea rolled through her.
Swanly stopped.
Her hand went to her stomach.
Miko immediately noticed.
"Mama hurt?"
"Just uncomfortable."
Kairo came closer.
"Baby kick?"
"Not yet."
Nilo stared seriously at her belly.
"Sick?"
"No."
Miko’s face fell.
Swanly forced a smile.
"I am fine."
The cubs returned to their work.
For approximately twenty seconds.
Then Miko grabbed both brothers and dragged them behind a basket.
"We need cure."
Kairo frowned.
"Mama say fine."
"Mama face not fine."
Nilo thought.
"Pregnancy not sickness."
"Still hurt."
"We cannot cure baby."
Miko gasped.
"Not cure baby! Cure Mama."
Kairo crossed his tiny arms.
"No going forest."
Miko blinked innocently.
"I not say forest."
"You thinking forest."
"I thinking cure."
"Same thing."
Nilo nodded.
"No cure found."
Kairo leaned closer.
"And we not get trouble again."
All three looked toward Swanly.
She was too busy stirring the pot to notice.
Kairo held out one tiny hand.
"No trouble."
Nilo placed his hand over it.
"No trouble."
Miko stared.
Slowly, he added his hand.
"No trouble."
Kairo narrowed his eyes.
"Promise."
"Promise."
They returned to the cooking area.
Miko sat down.
His golden eyes remained on Swanly.
Mama hurt.
Licking tears worked.
Licking stomach probably would not.
So obviously, logically, he needed medicine.
His tiny face became very serious.
Unfortunately, nobody in Ironwood could hear them.
...
Elsewhere, Tovan had discovered heaven.