Chapter 136: Contuines

Rylan chuckled beside them.

"Bring enough for everyone," he told Kai.

Kai gave him an offended look. "Do you think I’m selfish?"

"Would you like an honest answer?"

"No."

He walked away before Rylan could respond.

Anaria laughed, then looked down when Ana began reaching towards the food.

"No, little one. This isn’t for you yet."

Ana made a small sound of protest.

"I know you’re hungry, but you’ll have to wait a little."

Rylan leaned closer and touched the baby’s cheek.

"She’s becoming more demanding."

"She’s a baby," Anaria reminded him.

"That doesn’t make her less demanding."

Anaria smiled as Ana grabbed one of his fingers.

"You’re both impossible."

Once everyone had received their food, the gathering became livelier.

The villagers ate together, exchanging stories about their work and teasing one another over the dishes they had prepared. Some of the hunters argued about who had brought back the largest catch, while the women discussed how they had managed to prepare so much food in the available time.

Kai returned carrying enough food for himself and a few others.

Anaria stared at the portion he placed beside her.

"Who is supposed to eat all this?"

"I brought some for you and Rylan."

"And yourself?"

Kai pointed to the other container in his hand.

Anaria looked from one container to the other.

"You collected two portions?"

"Three, actually."

She covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

Rylan accepted his share without comment, while Kenai, who had just joined them, looked at the amount of food Kai had brought.

"Are you planning to feed the entire settlement?"

"No. Just my family."

"Then why do you have enough food for five people?"

Kai pulled the container closer to himself. "Because I know how much everyone eats."

Kenai shook his head and sat down beside them.

Anaria offered him some of the food she had received, but he glanced at his own portion.

"I have enough."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Eat yours."

She didn’t insist.

For a while, they ate together, occasionally commenting on the food or listening to the conversations around them. Ana remained on Anaria’s lap, distracted by the people moving nearby and the sounds coming from every direction.

Whenever someone approached, the little girl watched them with wide eyes. Kai occasionally made faces at her, earning excited babbles in return.

At one point, a young child ran past their seats and nearly bumped into Kai.

He caught the child by the arm before he could fall.

"Careful there."

The boy apologized and hurried back towards his mother.

Kai watched him go, then turned to Anaria.

"That play area was a good idea."

She looked at him with interest. "What made you think of that?"

"Look at them." He gestured towards the children. "They’re running everywhere. At least now they have somewhere to play without getting in everyone’s way."

"That’s one reason we built it."

"And it means the adults can eat without having to chase them every two minutes."

Kenai snorted. "You sound like an old man."

Kai pointed his food at him. "You’ll understand when you have to watch Ana running around on her own."

"She’s barely learning to crawl," Kenai replied.

"Exactly. And she’s already keeping us busy."

Anaria laughed, adjusting Ana when she began shifting on her lap.

"He’s not entirely wrong."

Rylan glanced at their daughter. "At this rate, she’ll be walking before we’re ready."

"Then we’ll have to keep a closer eye on her," Kenai said.

Kai nodded solemnly. "And make sure she doesn’t learn any bad habits."

All three looked at him.

He paused.

"What?"

Anaria burst out laughing.

"You’re the last person who should be giving advice about bad habits."

Kai looked offended, but the grin on his face ruined the effect.

"Fine. I’ll teach her the good ones."

"Let’s hope you remember what those are," Rylan remarked.

Their conversation continued as the feast went on, with Kai defending himself against the others’ teasing and Anaria occasionally joining in.

Kenai was quieter than Kai, but he seemed comfortable sitting with them. When Anaria asked him about the hunters’ contribution, he explained how they had divided the meat to ensure the settlement would still have enough supplies after the celebration.

She listened, asking a few questions before thanking him for helping organize everything.

Kenai shrugged.

"It wasn’t difficult. Everyone did their part."

"Still, you helped make sure there would be enough."

He gave her a small smile before returning to his food.

Anaria didn’t push the conversation any further. She was glad they could sit together without the awkwardness that had marked their interactions before, even if there were still things they hadn’t discussed.

She knew those conversations would come when Kenai was ready.

For now, she was content to let the evening continue without forcing anything.

As the feast went on, more villagers joined the conversations, and some of the children gathered near the open space to play. The elders remained seated together, occasionally calling someone over to share a story or settle a disagreement about the food.

Anaria finished her meal and shifted Ana into a more comfortable position.

The baby was beginning to grow sleepy, her earlier excitement fading as she rested against her mother.

"Looks like someone’s had enough excitement for today," Rylan said.

Anaria nodded. "I’ll take her back soon."

Kai leaned over to kiss Ana’s cheek.

"Goodnight, little one."

Ana responded by grabbing his finger.

Kai smiled and gently freed himself.

"All right. You can keep me a little longer."

Anaria shook her head at him, but she was smiling.

The feast wasn’t over yet, and the villagers showed no sign of leaving anytime soon. With the food still being shared and conversations continuing around them, Anaria decided she could stay a little longer.

After all, she had spent the past several days moving from one task to another.

Tonight, she could simply sit with her family and enjoy herself.

And judging by how much food Kai had collected, he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.