Chapter 257: Training
MONTHS had gone by in the twinkle of an eye, and the tribe had grown into a bustling chaos of little ones running from one scene to another.
The beastmen from Little Black’s tribe had given birth to some cubs, enough to make the atmosphere rather lively alongside the cubs Sunnie already had.
Sunnie and the women sat at the corner preparing breakfast while they watched the little ones in the distance playing. They shook their heads with smiles as they watched Luna happily lead the other cubs into a game of running around trees and tagging each other.
"She’s always happy and bustling with such games," one of the women shook her head as they watched.
"I’d like to say just like her father, but I don’t even know," another woman said as they all shook their heads with smiles.
"She’s certainly like me. Reminds me of my younger self," Sunnie expressed with a warm smile. She could remember how chaotic she was as a kid.
"Is that so? Then I’m even more curious about your scandalous tales as a cub!" Elza expressed as everyone nodded curiously.
But Sunnie casually shook her head. "That’s probably another tale for another day." She brushed off as everyone around laughed.
"I guess she’s too shy to tell us the details," Elza teased.
While they discussed and laughed, they looked ahead to see Eris arrive. He was now running after the cubs as though he wanted to catch them. But Luna had already led the way as the cubs kept running as if they were running for their dear lives.
Soon, Lune casually came and sat down beside Sunnie while he watched Eris run after the cubs. He quietly sat there with both hands crossed on his lap while he stared.
Sunnie smiled as she stared at Lune, who was growing faster than she thought. Her twins had grown up in the twinkle of an eye that she couldn’t help but feel emotional.
"Why aren’t you playing along with them?" She casually asked while she rubbed her hand against his hair.
He frowned as he casually said, "I’m tired."
Sunnie smiled, shaking her head. That was always his excuse while he’d rather spend his hours staring at a tree and watching birds sing than playing with the others.
"Is that so?" Sunnie smiled. "Okay then." She looked ahead. "And what’s Papa doing now? Why is he chasing them?"
Lune slightly pouted as he said, "Papa wants them to go to training again. I don’t want to go."
Sunnie smiled, shaking her head.
Recently, with the cubs growing up fast, Eris and Luka had initiated the idea of training all the kids they had. They were given some basic training so they could protect themselves in combat and all. Eris was giving them tailored training for their ages. And Sunnie guessed it was a good idea for teaching them to learn to protect themselves at a young age.
So everyday, Eris and Luka would take the kids off to a corner and commence with their training.
She smiled as she brushed her hand against his hair. "Is that so? Why don’t you want to go to practice?"
Lune pouted. "I’m so tired. I don’t want to practice. It’s hard," he complained.
Sunnie shook her head. "Did Papa make you do hard stuff?"
"He made us run around and then carry some rocks. My whole body is tired after that," he explained, crossing his hands against his legs.
Sunnie and the women couldn’t help but laugh in admiration at how adorable the little one was while expressing himself.
He wasn’t the little baby he was months ago. He was already properly grown. But they all couldn’t help but adore him as the youngest of them all. He was still so adorable.
"Poor Lune," one of the women shook her head. "It must have been so exhausting."
Lune nodded profusely.
Sunnie smiled as she said, "Okay, I understand. But then again, I think you should go and work hard and train yourself. Because it will help you become stronger in the future so you can at least protect yourself and your sister in danger."
Lune pouted as he listened.
"Papa only wants to help you to the fullest. Okay?"
Lune sighed as he said, "But Luna said she’ll train for me and protect me in the future. So can I rest?"
The women all shook their heads, smiling.
"No. You can’t rest. Okay? You also have to train so you can protect Luna too. Okay?" Sunnie smiled, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "Don’t you want to be able to protect me in the future?"
"I want to protect you, Mama," Lune expressed.
"Good boy. Then go and work hard." She smiled. "And if you train hard, I promise to give you the biggest meat tonight! It’s our little secret, don’t tell anyone. Shh."
Lune’s expression slowly lit into a smile as he nodded profusely, placing both hands against his lips as well. "Okay! I’ll work hard. It’s our secret!" He smiled happily.
Just then, Luna rushed to the scene. "Lune, let’s go and practice."
Lune smiled at his twin as he stretched out his hand. Luna held him by the hand and helped him up. "Let’s go."
The two smiled as they stared at Sunnie.
Lune said, "Mama promised to give us a lot of meat if we practiced hard!"
"Really?" Luna smiled. "Papa also promised to give us meat! Let’s go!"
The two rushed off with the other kids to practice.
"...."
Sunnie and the women watched them leave with smiles on their faces. They shook their heads as they smiled.
"I guess the little one isn’t too good at keeping secrets yet," one said.
"Especially with his dear twin sister," another smiled as they shook their heads and continued working.
While the women worked, Sunnie looked up into the sky with a sigh. "The weather is so nice. I guess it won’t be raining anytime soon now."
Elza agreed. "Yes. The rain these past few days has been something else. I couldn’t even go out properly or conclude other works I had. We’ve been trapped in for some time now."
They shook their heads as Sunnie smiled. "Our harvest should be ready soon. So I think by tomorrow or next we should begin making preparations to go and begin working for it."
"Already?" One of the women asked. Most of them seemed impressed, especially the new women from Little Black’s tribe. "Didn’t we just work on the farm like a few months ago? It hasn’t been so long."
Sunnie smiled as she nodded. "Yes. It hasn’t been long, but it’s already ready for harvest."
While they stared at each other, surprised, Elza smiled as she explained, "Don’t you know that our dear tribe leader here found a magical spot for us in this tribe and now we don’t even have to wait too long for our harvest? While others do, we just plant ours and wait for some time and then get it."
Another woman nodded with a smile. "Indeed. Life has been so happy and magical with that. Now we don’t even worry too much about lacking food or anything," she expressed.
The women shook their heads with smiles. "I guess the rumors were true at the end of the day. We thought they were only myth. But it’s true—the female turned the evil forest into a highly resourceful land to be in!" One expressed.
Another shook her head. "I just keep getting impressed daily. I can’t believe everyone looked down on you previously for being a jinx? Their loss indeed. Because I’m living in heaven being here."
They couldn’t help but praise Sunnie more and more even though they had already praised her a thousand times already. Ever since they came here, they had only been living comfortably that they felt guilty of having all these good things.
It felt like a comfortable home they never knew they could find again after all that happened to them. Sunnie had helped them recover from illness and injuries acquired from the disaster that struck them.
She had also helped them recover from the trauma. And now they were slowly healing and happy here.
Sunnie shook her head. "Don’t mention it much at all. It’s nothing. I’m happy if I’m able to be of help to you." She smiled as she stared at Elza. "And why call me tribe leader? That’s too much of a reach."
"It’s true!" Elza smiled. "Who else has helped the tribe this much? You found the tribe and developed it this far. So if you’re not the tribe leader, who else?"
Sunnie smiled. It wasn’t because she was being humble or so, but she hadn’t given the idea of being the tribe leader much thought.
She only saw it as a way of helping others while they worked together and grew together and survived.
But she guessed others already saw her as their tribe leader given the way other women nodded in agreement to Elza’s statements.
She shook her head with a smile. "Whatever, then. Let’s continue work. We have to make preparations for the harvest." She explained as they smiled and continued working.