Chapter 131: My female is carrying my young
Miko buried one seed.
Then stared at the dirt.
Five seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
He leaned closer.
Still nothing.
His tiny brows slowly pulled together.
Then he dug it back up.
Kairo gasped so loudly Swanly turned from three planting rows away.
"You killed it!"
Miko held up the muddy seed between two fingers.
"It not grow."
"You just put it!"
"Too slow."
"It been little time!"
"How little?"
Kairo froze.
His mouth opened.
Closed.
Miko stared at him.
Kairo’s face became red.
"That not matter! Put back!"
Nilo quietly walked over, took the seed from Miko’s fingers, dropped it back into the hole, and covered it.
Then he patted the soil twice.
"Leave."
Miko squatted beside it.
Nilo stared.
"Leave."
Miko shuffled backward.
One hour later, Swanly heard Kairo scream.
"STOP CHECKING!"
She turned.
Miko was crouched over the same hole again.
The seed was back in his hand.
"How know growing?" Miko demanded.
"You wait!"
"How long?"
Kairo stopped.
His little face went blank.
Then he slowly turned toward Swanly.
"Mama?"
Swanly was kneeling beside a row of newly planted roots, dirt covering her fingers.
"Days."
All four cubs looked at her.
Miko’s mouth fell open.
"DAYS?"
"Yes."
His entire body sagged.
"That forever."
"It is not forever."
"Almost."
Nilo took the seed again.
He looked tired in a way no baby should have known how to look.
He replanted it for the third time.
Lumi crouched proudly beside Kairo’s little row.
"Mine grow first."
Kairo’s head snapped toward her.
"No."
"Yes."
"Kairo plant better."
Lumi pointed at his dirt.
"You put seed upside down."
Kairo stared.
Then stared harder.
"Seeds have upside?"
Lumi nodded very seriously.
She had absolutely no idea.
Miko immediately crawled over.
"Mine upside?"
"No."
"How know?"
Lumi hesitated.
Nilo closed his eyes.
Then quietly fixed both planting rows while the other three continued arguing.
Ena sat beneath a nearby tree twisting long vines into rope.
She laughed so softly that her rabbit ears shook.
The children had become impossible to separate.
Kairo and Lumi argued about everything.
Who was faster.
Who was older.
Who could fight.
Who was supposed to protect whom.
Kairo constantly ordered Lumi behind him whenever anything suspicious moved.
Lumi constantly shoved him aside and announced she could protect herself.
Nilo silently repaired whatever the two destroyed.
Miko shared food with Lumi, waited until she took a bite, then suddenly decided he wanted it back.
Yesterday, they had fought over half a berry for almost ten minutes.
Then Miko had given her the whole thing.
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
And painfully cute.
Swanly smiled as she watched them.
For once, Ironwood Basin sounded less like a place surviving the apocalypse and more like a home.
People worked between stone shelters.
Smoke drifted from cooking pits.
Druun sat farther away moving an enormous fallen log because Tovan had discovered having a giant nearby was apparently every builder’s greatest dream.
For almost a week, nothing had attacked them.
Swanly still did not trust that.
But she allowed herself to enjoy it.
At least until the stone blade in her hand slipped.
"Ow."
A thin red line opened across her palm.
Swanly frowned.
"That was stupid."
She barely had time to inspect it.
"Swanly."
Nerin appeared beside her so quietly she nearly jumped. Then she saw him looking at her finger and she immediately understood.
"It is tiny."
He was already kneeling.
His gentle green eyes fixed on the blood.
"Give me your hand."
Swanly blinked.
Nerin rarely ordered anyone.
Ever.
Normally, he asked permission to breathe too loudly.
She held out her hand.
He took it carefully.
His fingers were warm.
Slim.
Still marked with faint scars from old injuries.
Nerin poured clean water across the cut, then crushed a medicinal leaf between his fingers.
Swanly watched his face.
His silver-brown hair fell across his forehead. Sunlight caught the broken edge of one antler.
"You know I have medicine," she said.
"Yes."
"And this is barely a scratch."
"Yes."
"You are still treating it."
"Yes."
Swanly’s lips twitched.
Nerin pressed the leaf gently over her palm.
"You always notice everyone else bleeding," he murmured.
His voice became softer.
"Someone should notice yours."
Swanly stopped smiling.
Her chest warmed instead.
"Nerin."
He immediately lowered his eyes as though he regretted saying too much.
He wrapped her palm with soft bark fiber.
His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist once.
Then he released her quickly.
"Done."
"Thank you."
Pink spread across his cheeks.
"You should go back before Kael sees me holding your hand."
Swanly laughed.
"You make him sound insane."
Nerin slowly looked across the settlement.
Swanly followed his gaze.
Kael stood beside one of the stone walls.
Completely still.
Watching them.
His golden eyes dropped toward Swanly’s wrapped hand.
Then toward Nerin.
Nerin swallowed.
"I should go."
"Nerin."
He was already leaving.
Swanly laughed harder.
"Coward!"
"I prefer alive!"
That made her laugh again.
Then a white tail slid across the ground beside her.
Soren walked past.
Stopped.
Turned.
And stared directly at her stomach.
Swanly’s laughter faded.
"What?"
Soren did not answer.
His silver eyes remained there.
Swanly looked down at herself.
There was barely anything to see yet.
"What are you staring at?"
His pupils narrowed.
Then something changed in his face.
Recognition.
His scent sharpened.
Swanly immediately knew.
"Oh no."
Soren’s tail wrapped around her waist.
"Soren."
He pulled her against him.
Swanly squeaked and grabbed his shoulders.
"What are you doing?"
His hand settled low against her back.
Then, loud enough for half the settlement to hear, he said:
"My female is carrying my young."
Silence.
Swanly stopped breathing.
Then her entire face caught fire.
"SOREN!"
Raku stopped carrying wood.
Tilla’s mouth dropped open.
Tovan completely forgot the beam in his hands.
Even Druun slowly looked over.
Swanly wanted to crawl inside Soren’s hair and disappear.
"Are you insane?"
"It is true."
"That was my thing to announce!"
"It is also my young."
"You could have whispered!"
"I did not want to."
"Clearly!"
His tail tightened slightly around her waist.
Not painful.
Possessive.
Far too intimate with everyone staring.
Swanly’s heart started beating faster.
Soren lowered his head, his mouth close to her ear.
"I wondered why your scent changed."
Her face somehow became hotter.
"Stop smelling me!"
"No."
"Soren!"
He looked completely unashamed.
Across the settlement, Kael had gone still.
His expression did not change.
But his hand tightened around the wood he was holding until it cracked.
Swanly saw it.
Her smile vanished.
Then three tiny voices exploded.
"NO!"
Kairo, Nilo, and Miko abandoned Druun and charged.
They attacked Soren’s tail.
"Release Mama!"
"Let go!"
"Mama belongs family!"
Miko bit down.
Soren slowly looked at him.
"Did you just bite me?"
Miko released his tail.
"No."
Wet little teeth marks remained on the white scales.
Soren stared.
Miko stared back.
Kairo shoved at the tail.
It did not move.
Nilo pushed too.
Still nothing.
Lumi arrived and added both hands.
Four babies now fought one snake tail.
Soren looked at Swanly.
"Are they always like this?"
"Yes."
Finally, with a long suffering hiss, he released her.
Miko immediately launched himself into Swanly’s arms.
She caught him.
His little hands grabbed her clothing.
His face suddenly crumpled.
The comedy disappeared so quickly Swanly’s heart dropped.
"Mama..."
"What is it?"
His golden eyes became wet.
"When new babies come..."
His voice turned tiny.
"Mama no love Miko?"
Swanly froze.
...
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