Surviving Zombies Was Easier Than Raising Beast Cubs

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Do not mess with her, or she will kill you and eat you

Kael’s jaw was hard.

”You could hurt the tribe.”

”I will not.”

”Words are soft.”

Thalara nodded.

”Yes. But I can make them harder.”

She lifted one hand and pressed her black claws against her own chest. Purple light moved under her skin like a slow pulse.

”I swear by root, blood and old bloom. I will not harm your cubs, your females, your sleeping ones or your wounded ones. I will not feed on Riverbone. I will not open its paths to rot. If I break this oath, may the living roots refuse my feet.”

The ground under them stirred.

Tiny root tips rose, touched her ankles, then sank back into the soil.

Soren opened his eyes.

His expression sharpened for the first time since the Rot Nest.

”That is an old oath.”

Thalara looked at him.

”I am old.”

Swanly rubbed her forehead.

She was too tired for ancient oaths, cursed root contracts, jealous panthers and dying snakes.

”Fine,” she said.

Kael’s head snapped toward her.

”Swanly.”

”I did not say she can sleep beside us.” Swanly pointed at Thalara. ”You stay where people can see you. No creeping. No smiling like that at children. No appearing in trees behind me unless you want to get shot.”

Thalara blinked.

”Shot?”

Swanly lifted her brows.

”The loud death stick.”

Raku coughed again.

Thalara nodded solemnly.

”I will not invite the loud death stick.”

”Good.”

Soren turned away.

”Then move.”

They continued.

Riverbone came into view from the side path.

The tribe had gathered near the inner stone wall because news traveled faster than feet. Guards turned first. Then women carrying water. Then wounded males leaning against roots. Their faces changed when they saw Soren, Raku, Kael, Swanly and the sleeping cub alive.

A wave of sound rose.

”They returned.”

”The lord returned.”

”The female came back.”

”The cub. Is the cub alive?”

Then they saw Thalara.

The sound died.

All at once.

It was so sudden even Swanly felt it.

The crowd froze.

Thalara stood behind them, pale, naked, horned, black-clawed and smiling politely at everyone with one glowing purple eye.

Someone gasped.

A child cried.

An old male stumbled back.

A woman clutched her baby and turned sideways as if her body alone could become a wall.

Thalara’s smile widened because she was clearly trying to be friendly.

That made it worse.

Swanly turned her head slowly.

”Stop doing that.”

Thalara’s mouth closed at once.

”Oh.”

”Your smile is not helping.”

”I meant warmth.”

”It looks like you are deciding who to eat first.”

Thalara looked concerned.

”I am not.”

”I know. They do not.”

Thalara looked at the crowd again and carefully stopped smiling.

That somehow made her look even creepier.

Swanly sighed.

Kael looked at Raku.

Raku looked at Soren.

Soren looked at Swanly.

Swanly stared back.

”Oh please,” she said. ”They are your people. Talk to them.”

Soren looked at the crowd.

The crowd looked at him.

His face was pale, his lips were stained black, his hand still held half of the Cleanbirth Seed, and he looked one breath away from collapsing into a decorative corpse.

He still had enough coldness left to silence everyone with one stare.

”This is Thalara,” he said.

That was all.

Swanly waited.

Nothing else came.

Everyone: ”...”

She leaned closer and whispered, ”You need more words.”

Soren’s mouth tightened.

”She helped us leave the Rot Nest. She has taken an oath not to harm Riverbone. She will stay.”

The crowd exploded.

Not loudly at first.

It was a rippling fear.

Whispers.

Sharp breaths.

People pulling children back.

A few elders pushed forward, their faces sour with the kind of authority that had not accepted it was dead yet.

One of the old males lifted his walking stick.

”What is the meaning of this? We have kept silent while strange things happen in our tribe, but now you bring a creature from the Rot Nest and call it a new member?”

Another elder female hissed, ”That thing is not beastman. It is not infected. It is worse.”

Thalara looked down at herself.

Swanly almost felt bad again.

Almost.

The old male continued, gaining courage from his own voice.

”Riverbone cannot be ruled by fear and strange females. You left with our lord and returned with this demon. Are we expected to bow to anything that follows you home?”

Soren’s head turned slowly.

The old male stopped speaking.

Too late.

Soren’s eyes were flat silver.

”If you speak again,” he said softly, ”I will rip your tongue out.”

The entire tribe fell silent.

Soren lifted the half Seed slightly.

”This is a new member. Simple and short.”

No one breathed.

Then Soren turned and slithered toward his cave as if the conversation had ended because he said so.

Honestly, maybe it had.

Swanly watched him go and felt very strongly that he was going to fall down soon.

Unfortunately, everyone was still staring at her.

She gave an awkward wave with blood-stained fingers.

”Okay. I will be on my way now. Do not mess with her, or she will kill you and eat you.”

A woman made a strangled sound.

Swanly paused.

”I am joking. She will not.”

She turned to Thalara.

”You will not, right?”

Thalara placed a hand on her chest.

”I would never.”

Swanly faced the tribe again.

”She said she would never.”

That did not help.

Before the silence could become worse, two small bodies shot through the crowd.

”Mama!”

Swanly barely had time to turn.

The eldest cub slammed into her legs.

The smallest launched himself at her stomach with the blind faith of a child who believed his mother could catch him even after fighting death itself.

Swanly bent down with a tired sound and grabbed both of them.

”My babies.”

The smallest clung to her neck.

The eldest pressed his face into her shoulder, his whole little body shaking.

They were dirty, teary, furious and warm.

Swanly closed her eyes.

For the first time since the Rot Nest, something inside her loosened.

Then the smallest lifted his face and opened his mouth.

Swanly slapped one hand gently over it.

”Do not even think about licking me.”

His eyes widened.

”Why?”

”I do not know what is on my body.”

The smallest looked deeply wounded.

”Oh.”

The eldest pulled back and stared at her face with wet eyes.

”Mama gone.”

”I came back.”

”Papa gone.”

”Papa came back too.”

”Brother gone.”

Swanly’s arms tightened around him.

Kael stepped closer with the sleeping second cub still against his shoulder.

”He came back.”

Both cubs turned.

Their faces changed.

...

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