Surviving Zombies Was Easier Than Raising Beast Cubs

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: No one touches Mama’s thunder magic. Ever.

Do not hesitate when they are already coming.

The first shot cracked through the forest.

The birds exploded from the trees.

The first infected dropped.

The second shot hit the deer-headed beastman in the head.

It fell sideways into the mud.

The third lunged.

Kael roared.

Swanly fired again.

The third infected hit the ground and stopped moving.

The forest went silent.

Smoke rose from the gun.

Swanly stood there with her heart beating hard, her hands steady from old habit and shaking from new fear.

Then, because she had always wanted to do this and the apocalypse had never given her a good audience, she blew lightly over the gun.

It probably did nothing.

It felt cool.

Kael stared at her.

The cubs stared at her.

Even the insects seemed to stare at her.

The smallest whispered, ”Mama thunder.”

The second whispered, ”Magic loud.”

The eldest’s eyes shone like Swanly had just become the greatest warrior in the world.

Kael’s voice was low and careful. ”What is that?”

Swanly looked at the gun.

Then at him.

Then at the cubs.

She placed it back into her space.

”Magic.”

Kael’s face said he did not believe her even a little.

The cubs believed her completely.

”Mama magic fight!” the smallest cried.

”Mama strongest!” the eldest shouted.

The second looked at her with quiet worship.

Swanly lifted one finger. ”No one touches Mama’s thunder magic. Ever.”

All three cubs nodded quickly.

Kael kept staring at her.

Swanly stared back.

”What?”

His eyes moved to where the gun had disappeared.

Then to her face.

”You are more dangerous than before.”

Swanly smiled thinly. ”Good.”

Kael did not answer.

But when he shifted back into panther form and lowered himself for her and the cubs to climb on, Swanly saw it.

He was not scared of her.

He was proud.

That made her feel strange.

They traveled until the sun began to lower.

The forest changed as they moved. The trees grew wider. The air grew wetter. The sound of running water became louder. Soon, the smell of river mud came through the leaves, strong and thick. The ground sloped down, and the trees opened enough for Swanly to see smoke rising in the distance.

Kael slowed.

Swanly sat straighter on his back.

The cubs looked forward.

There, near a wide brown river, stood Riverbone Tribe.

It was bigger than Swanly expected.

Huge roots wrapped around the edge like walls. Bone fences stood between trees, tied with vines and strips of hide. Mud platforms rose above wet ground. Animal-hide shelters leaned against giant trunks. Thorn barriers formed rough paths. Smoke pits burned low near the entrance. Tall watch posts made from branches stood above everything, with beastmen watching from them.

But what made Swanly’s stomach drop was the line outside.

So many people.

Females holding cubs.

Old beastmen leaning on sticks.

Males with bite wounds wrapped in leaves.

Children crying.

Females with red eyes because their mates were missing or dead.

Beastmen arguing at the gate while guards sniffed every person who tried to enter.

One male shouted that his brother was not infected.

A guard shoved him back.

A female screamed when another guard pulled her mate’s arm forward and exposed black veins under the skin.

The whole line broke into panic.

Swanly’s hands tightened around the cubs.

This was not just a tribe.

This was a place trying not to fall apart.

Her old world flashed before her eyes.

Barricades.

Lines.

People begging to enter.

People hiding bites.

People crying outside closed gates.

Swanly’s throat tightened.

”No,” she whispered. ”Not again.”

Kael stopped at the edge of the trees.

He shifted into human form and lifted the cubs down. Swanly slid from his back, holding the smallest because he had started shaking again.

The smallest licked her chin.

This time, she did not scold him.

Kael stepped close to her side. ”Stay near me.”

Swanly nodded.

For once, she did not argue.

They walked toward the gate.

People turned to look.

Some stared at Kael.

Some stared at the cubs.

Some stared at Swanly’s white fox ears and fluffy tail.

Then the crowd began to quiet.

Not because of them.

Because someone was coming.

The guards at the gate moved aside at once.

A male walked out from inside Riverbone Tribe.

Swanly saw him from a distance, and her whole body went still.

He was tall and strikingly handsome in a cold, almost inhuman way — pale skin like fresh snow under moonlight, sharp aristocratic features, and long white hair that fell in smooth, heavy waves over his shoulders like frozen river silk.

His eyes were narrow and silver, cold and piercing, the kind that seemed to see straight through flesh and bone without any warmth.

White snake scales, fine and gleaming like polished pearl, traced along the sides of his neck and disappeared beneath the edge of his dark hide clothing. His movements were slow, fluid, and utterly unhurried, like a predator that had never needed to rush in its life.

No one spoke.

No one looked directly at him for too long.

Even the guards lowered their heads.

Kael’s body went hard beside Swanly.

”That is Soren,” he said quietly. ”The white snake who rules Riverbone now.”

Swanly held the smallest cub tighter.

Soren walked past the line without looking at most of them.

Then he stopped.

His head turned.

His silver eyes landed directly on Swanly.

The air seemed to grow colder.

Swanly did not move.

Soren looked at her face.

Then at her white ears.

Then at the three black panther cubs.

Then at Kael.

Then his gaze returned to Swanly. His lips curved into a thin, beautiful, and deeply unsettling smile — the kind that never reached his eyes.

Soren spoke, and his voice was soft, smooth, and cold enough to raise goosebumps on everyone who heard it.

”Bring the snow fox female to me.”

Kael stepped in front of Swanly at once.

A low growl left his throat.

The guards around the gate reached for their weapons.

The cubs pressed against Swanly’s legs.

Soren’s silver eyes did not move from her.

Then he said the words that made Swanly’s blood run cold.

”She smells like the dead world.”