Chapter 60: Meal
They stood confused, staring at each other and then staring at Sunnie.
She smiled as she explained, "I’m also like you all. Unfairly cast away to die. But we won’t give them the satisfaction they need, will we? Rather, we’ll survive and live happily. Don’t you agree?"
The women slowly nodded in agreement.
Sunnie said, "So don’t ask too many questions and let’s head home already. It’ll be late soon."
The women hesitated and then asked, "But... is that okay? Can we really intrude into your space? Isn’t it your territory, though?"
Sunnie smiled. "Don’t worry about that."
The women nodded with a smile as they thanked her.
The beastman said, "Thanks for accepting us. We’ll make sure we remember your goodness forever."
Zuna smiled proudly at the scene.
But Karl seemed to have an issue. He folded his arms as he approached Sunnie. "We don’t even have a decent place to rest our heads. Not a decent living experience or even enough space... how do you plan on making this charity possible?"
But Sunnie cast him a cold glare. "I’m in charge here, so I make the calls." She smiled as she stared at the mice. "So don’t worry. I have everything under control." She really didn’t, but she’d have to think fast to make it all possible.
The mice smiled happily while appreciating her.
Karl raised an eyebrow, staring at her. But she ignored him anyway.
"It’s getting late, so let’s get going," Sunnie said as they got ready to leave. The evil forest was a lonely place, so she guessed the more the merrier.
She turned to the woman with her cub and said softly, "Let’s go. The little one will definitely feel cold here when night comes. And it might not have eaten for a while now. Let’s go home."
The woman didn’t say anything. She slowly got up to her feet, cautiously carrying her little one as her tail wagged.
She looked all haggard and unkempt. Sunnie could tell she was coming directly from the jail where they locked her up before banishing her. And from her face, Sunnie could read endless trauma from the treatment she received there. So she couldn’t blame her.
Sunnie led the way, and they all followed behind with the gifts they had, all heading to the cave where they were before.
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It took some minutes of walking before they finally arrived at the destination. The cave was still the way it was before they left.
The mess that was made when the boar was chasing them was still there. Things scattered in different spots.
"Was there a war here or something?" Karl casually asked as they arrived.
"It seems like it," Eris nodded.
They kept the gifts at a spot as Sunnie urged the mice to all go inside. "Little Black will lead you in and tell you where to stay for the night. You should take a break. I’ll prepare your meal and serve it to you."
Little Black led them to the space which was meant for Sunnie’s husbands—they’d be occupying it for the night. Little Black also helped start a fire for some warmth and light for them in the room. They appreciated it.
Soon, Little Black walked out to meet the others. Sunnie was already making preparations to start cooking. Her beast husbands were all sitting down on a rock at the side, watching as she went through the gifts to figure out what they’d make that night.
Karl sighed. "I can’t believe she gave away our spots. Where are we supposed to stay for the night?"
Sunnie rolled her eyes, going through the gifts. "It’s not that serious. We can all stay in the outer cave room for the meantime."
"And how long will that be, though?" Karl inquired.
"I don’t know. We’ll have to see," she shrugged.
"But they need it more, so I think she made the right decision," Azure explained, clearly defending Sunnie.
The four beast husbands all stared at him as though he was a ghost.
"What?" Azure asked, staring at them.
"Ever since you returned from that water, you’ve been taking her side a bit too much," Karl observed. "Did she use a spell on you or something?"
"Maybe she gave him some magical fruits," Eris insisted.
"I’m just saying the truth, though. And I always speak the logical truth. So there’s nothing wrong with what I’m saying," he insisted as they kept their suspicious eyes on him.
Sunnie smiled as she listened to them speculate. Her and Zuna had soon picked out what they’d prepare that evening.
Meat and soup. Sunnie had an idea of the perfect blend she’d use to add a pinch of modern taste to the meal.
She had specifically gone for the meat because it was prone to going bad quickly, especially since they didn’t have any standard storage systems in this era. So it was best to eat it up now.
Zuna helped her bring out all the meat they had—enough for them all and to take them through tomorrow as well.
"That boar ruined everything we had, so I wonder how we’re supposed to now make enough food for everyone. We don’t seem to have the equipment anymore..." Little Black pointed out.
Zuna sighed. "That could be an issue..."
Sunnie hesitated as she thought about what they said. She considered it while recalling that she had actually won some rewards in her system.
She smiled. "I don’t think we have to worry about that. We have even better ones."
Little Black blinked at her. "We do?" he inquired.
Sunnie had gotten out the meat and available ingredients she’d use for the meal. She’d need more, so she headed to what the system had installed for her.
The system had led her to where it was kept—at the side of the cave, there was a little hut made of wood and leaves.
Sunnie slowly pushed the wooden door to the side as the presence of the system reward braced her.