Surviving Zombies Was Easier Than Raising Beast Cubs

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: You. No looking, no slithering, no appearing behind rocks like a pale curse

Swanly stared at it. ”Funny how civilization always begins with me doing labor.”

The system blinked. {Host has hands.}

”I also have anger.”

The system floated backward slightly.

Kael and the cubs watched the empty air where Swanly was arguing with nothing. They were used to it now. Soren was not.

His eyes sharpened.

Swanly noticed and immediately stopped.

”No one heard that.”

Soren’s gaze stayed on her face. ”I heard enough.”

”Then forget it.”

”I do not forget useful things.”

”Tragic.”

Soren’s tail shifted across the stone. ”I will take you to the stream.”

Kael stepped forward immediately.

”No. I will take her.”

Swanly turned to him. ”You are injured.”

”I can walk.”

”You say that about everything.”

Kael’s eyes stayed on Soren. ”You will ride on my back.”

Swanly knew what he was doing.

He was not offering because walking was hard for her. He was offering because he did not want her on Soren’s tail, near Soren’s body, under Soren’s control.

And honestly?

She agreed.

”I can walk,” she said gently. ”But if I have to choose between being carried by you and dragged by him, I choose you.”

Kael’s eyes warmed.

Soren’s went colder.

The air tightened.

Swanly groaned. ”No. Do not start.”

Too late.

Soren moved first.

His tail shot forward and wrapped around Swanly’s waist, lifting her off the ground so fast she did not even scream until she was already against him.

”Hey!”

Kael snarled and lunged.

Soren’s tail slid out in front of him like a white wall, stopping just before Kael’s chest.

The warning was clear.

One more step, and Soren would throw him across the cave.

Kael froze, shaking with rage.

The cubs screamed.

The eldest bit Soren’s tail again.

Still useless.

The second cried, ”Mama down!”

The smallest tried to climb up the tail and immediately slid back down.

Swanly grabbed Soren’s shoulder because she had no choice and glared into his cold face.

”Must you two fight every time I need basic hygiene?”

Neither male answered.

That answered enough.

At the stream, Swanly made them stay back.

Far back.

She pointed at Kael.

”You. No peeking.”

Kael turned his face away at once, though his ears stayed painfully alert.

She pointed at Soren.

”You. No looking, no slithering, no appearing behind rocks like a pale curse.

Soren looked bored. ”Wash faster.”

”I will wash slower out of hatred.”

The cubs had to be washed too.

They hated that.

Not water itself, exactly. They could lick paws and shake fur like little animals, but Swanly insisted on actually cleaning them. She scrubbed mud from their paws, wiped their faces, cleaned behind their ears, and nearly lost the smallest three times because he thought splashing was better than washing.

The eldest tried to stand still like a warrior.

He slipped on a wet stone.

The second stayed close to Swanly’s knee.

The smallest shook water everywhere, then looked proud.

By the time Swanly finished washing herself behind the rocks and changed into a cleaner hide dress from her space, she felt almost human again.

Almost.

When they returned to Riverbone, people stared.

Not like last night.

This was different.

There was still fear, yes. Swanly could smell it under everything. But now there was curiosity too. Admiration. Hope.

The snow fox female had shared meat.

The snow fox female had given medicine.

The snow fox female had cooked food that made the whole tribe suffer from the smell alone.

A few cubs peeked from behind their mothers.

An old male lowered his head slightly when she passed.

Swanly did not know what to do with that, so she pretended not to see.

Then Tilla hurried toward her.

The young mother’s eyes were red, but this time from relief.

”Swanly.”

Swanly stopped.

The young female was holding her cub close to her chest, but this time the little cub’s eyes were open. He still looked weak, and his small body still rested heavily against his mother, but he was chewing a tiny piece of meat.

Swanly stopped at once.

”He ate?”

Tilla nodded quickly, and tears filled her eyes before she could stop them. ”He ate. He woke up in the night and asked for water. He is not healed yet, but he is better. He is really better.”

Then she stepped forward and hugged Swanly.

Swanly froze.

For one second, her hands stayed awkwardly in the air because she did not know what to do. She was still not used to people touching her with so much trust. In her old world, people touched you to drag you, bite you, rob you, or die on you. But Tilla was only crying against her shoulder because her cub had eaten.

Swanly’s chest softened.

She slowly patted Tilla’s back. ”It is okay. Just keep feeding him little by little. Do not give him too much at once.”

Tilla nodded against her shoulder. ”I will. I will do everything you say.”

Behind Swanly, Kael’s eyes stayed on the people around them. He did not like Swanly standing too far from him, especially not in a tribe that already watched her like she was strange meat thrown into a hungry den.

”Do not go far,” he said.

Swanly looked back at him. His ribs were better, but not healed, and he was still standing like he would fight the entire tribe if someone breathed wrong near her.

”I will be fine,” she said. ”We are inside the tribe.”

Kael did not look convinced.

That made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Tilla wiped her face and quickly began talking, telling Swanly how the meat helped, how the medicine made the fever lower, how her cub had slept without crying for the first time in days.

Swanly listened, and the more Tilla spoke, the more Swanly realized how hungry these people had been. Not just hungry for food. Hungry for help. Hungry for one thing to go right.

Then a sharp old voice cut in.

”This female is trouble.”