Chapter 236: Take In
Sunnie and Little Black sat in a corner as they watched the people being fed. The remnants happily accepted the meals offered to them, sharing amongst themselves and devouring it without any hesitation. They ate like people who hadn’t eaten in ages—which they hadn’t.
As they ate, Sunnie and Little Black watched them while watching Zukka, the beast husbands, and the others share the food.
"They look so pitiful. I feel bad for them..." Little Black said. "They had probably lost everything native to them. Must feel terrible." He expressed.
Sunnie smiled. "Of course it does." She sighed. "Sooner or later we’ll leave. I wonder what’s going to happen to them."
Little Black sighed as he stared at the people sitting there and enjoying the food given to them. "They don’t have anything left here. Do you think they’re going to keep staying here, or they’re going to find a way out?"
Little Black hesitated as he said, "They had previously said they have nowhere to be... so they might end up staying here and waiting till the end."
He sighed as he stared at them for a while. "How long do you think they’re going to last? The meal certainly won’t last them forever. They’ve lost all the resources that could have helped them rebuild themselves... They don’t have anything else. And with the weak amount of people here... they might as well end up dead if they’re left here."
Sunnie sighed as she nodded. "That’s probably going to be the case." She said as she stared at the chaotic scene ahead.
Soon, Zukka and her beast husbands came to stand beside them while they watched the other minor beastmen help serve the remaining meals to others, watching them in pity and empathy.
A quick look through would make it clear that there were over thirty remnants there or so, and they didn’t seem like they’d last long with what they currently had now. They were too sick and tired and even demotivated to build themselves up.
"Why don’t we take them back with us?" Little Black requested as he turned to Sunnie, hopeful. "I know you might not agree because you don’t know them too well and all... but please, let’s take them. I suddenly feel like I have the responsibility of taking care of them... so please..." He stared at her. "And I have a feeling that August would also like that."
He stared hopefully at Sunnie, who casually smiled at him. "And since when was accepting people a matter of who I know best?" She smiled as she stared at the people ahead.
"I was waiting for you to make the call. And I guess you finally did. So of course I’m going to take them along with us." She smiled at him. "They’re your family... they’re dear to you and they remind you of all that you’ve lost. So at least keeping them at your side is the best you could do. At least for August, your parents, and yourself. They’d want that."
Little Black’s eyes grew watery as he slowly stared at the people around while he nodded. "Thanks a lot."
Eris smiled while he stood behind Little Black. He patted him gently on his hair and ears while they all watched him sob.
"Don’t worry, it’s okay. You can cry all you want. It’ll be fine." They assured as Little Black let himself cry in the meantime.
In that moment, he couldn’t help but recall his parents, August, and the times he had spent there while still a kid. The environment which once felt familiar and warm to him was no more. And the place he had forced himself to forget and move on from had become the place he had ultimately come back to in tears.
While he sobbed, Sunnie smiled warmly as she pulled him closer to herself and wrapped her arms around him with a smile, hugging him firmly.
"It’s okay," she assured. "You can cry all you want." And so she let him cry until his eyes were red from tears and they were ready to go.
---
Afterwards, they made the offer to the remnants of the tribe and requested that they come with them. At first, these remnants didn’t know how to feel or how to accept. It seemed too good to be true for them. But Sunnie assured them.
"In the evil forest... are you sure it’s safe?" one of them asked.
Sunnie smiled. "How are we surviving, then?" She raised an eyebrow, and that was pretty much enough to answer all their questions.
The men who had gone to fight with them—who were the majority of the population—went down on their knees and appreciated Sunnie and the rest. They sobbed in appreciation while showing their gratitude.
Sunnie smiled as she said, "No problem. No problem at all. Get up and get ready. Let’s begin heading out. There’s not much time left for us anyway. It’s already getting dark."
She expressed while they all began making preparations to leave. The remnants packed up their little belongings along with the men while they followed Sunnie and her squad up the evil mountain.
They didn’t complain and didn’t hesitate at all. Rather, they were happy and excited about it, knowing that they were at least being redeemed. They followed in appreciation while they made their way up to the evil mountain where Sunnie and the rest lived.
It was a journey that took them a while before they arrived at the tribe. When they got there, it was already night.
The women had come out to welcome them and were surprised to see more people who had returned with them. But they didn’t even bother asking questions at all.
The women simply accepted them with a smile as Elza said, "Oh, we have a lot of people coming here. I guess I knew we’d have a lot of people and had cooked a lot." She laughed as she said, "Well, come in, come and enjoy."