Chapter 123: The Silver Grey Bloodmark

Kael and Nuan made their way back to the other side of the river. Nuan trotted over to the large boulder where her clothes and the thick, furry Muskoxen hides had been baking in the midday heat.

Finding them bone-dry, she gave a satisfied nod and swiped them right into her system inventory slots.

By the time they walked back into the main camp, the sun was sitting heavy in the sky. Mid-noon had arrived, bringing a thick, drowsy heat with it.

Nuan looked up at the blazing sun, then turned her eyes to the central fire pit.

Hmm, perfect timing, she thought, checking the temperature of the ash bed. The fire has completely died down, which means the thermal shock risk is zero. Time to see if my kitchenware survived.

Nuan sat down right in the dirt by the ash pile. Using a flat piece of wood, she carefully cleared away the gray debris, her heart doing a nervous little flutter until her fingers brushed against hard, baked earthenware.

One by one, she carefully pulled out her clay bowls.

She blew a thick cloud of white ash off the surfaces, setting them gently on the grass one after the other.

They were perfectly intact, solid, and beautifully fired.

"Finally!!!" Nuan sobbed dramatically, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "It’s done! It’s finally, actually done!" She held a bowl up like a trophy. "Actual clay bowls! Look at you, you beautiful pieces of Art!"

She picked up the whole set and placed them safely on a nearby flat rock under the direct sunlight, letting them cool completely before giving them a proper scrub.

I’ll give them a proper scrub down in the river tomorrow morning, she noted mentally.

While the rest of the camp began to doze off in the suffocating noon heat—including Kael, who sat down right beside her, his heavy eyelids drooping as his head nodded off—Nuan parked herself on a shaded rock and pulled out the 180 absorbent leaves she had just harvested.

Blue buddy, activate the ’Craftsmanship Hands’ skill with the sewing ability!

Ding!

[ Activating Skill: Craftsmanship Hands (Sewing Ability) ]

[ Time Remaining: 01:59:57 ]

Instantly, a weirdly precise, fluid sensation took over Nuan’s fingers. She lined up six of the broad leaves, stacking them perfectly one upon the other to create a thick, protective layer.

Picking up a sharp, sturdy jungle thorn, she began poking tiny, evenly spaced holes all along the outer edges. With practiced speed, she threaded the thin, strong vines through the holes, pulling them taut and tying them off securely.

For the next two hours, her hands worked like a high-speed assembly line under the scorching noon sun, turning raw jungle foliage into a neat, stacked pile of custom-made period pads.

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(Evening)

The evening air began to cool the bustling campsite, carrying the rich, smoky aroma of roasting elk meat from the surrounding fire pits.

But tonight, the pack’s excitement wasn’t just about the food. The sky was deepening into a rich, velvety indigo, and everyone could feel the heavy, magical pull of the approaching full moon.

Inside the quiet safety of the Selka’s den, Selka gently patted Nuan’s shoulder. "Finally, the time has come for you to bear our clan’s bloodmark!"

Nuan nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. "Yes. And I’m really sorry that when you tried to give it to me earlier than the full moon, I stopped you."

"No, it is alright, Furless, since you were right," Selka replied with a warm, maternal smile. "I only thought giving it to you earlier would secure your position here in the pack against the doubts. But you weren’t wrong about letting our previous lie feel weightless by doing it the traditional way. And of course, you wanted to earn your place in their hearts and thank them yourself without a mark forcing them to accept you. I deeply respect your decision."

Nuan gave a soft nod, her heart warming. "Thank you so much for understanding, Miss Selka."

"Well then, the night is almost upon us..." Selka said, her amber eyes reflecting the rising twilight. "Are you ready to receive our bloodmark?"

"Yess!!! Super duper ready!" Nuan chirped, practically vibrating with excitement. "I’m so excited to finally get a cool tattoo!"

"Tattoo!?" Selka tilted her head, her wolf ears twitching in confusion at the modern word.

"Oh, yeah! I mean the bloodmark," Nuan corrected quickly with a sheepish grin.

The two of them stepped out of the den, looking up at the darkening sky.

The moment they crossed the threshold, Kael—who had been standing guard like a massive, loyal statue at the mouth of the cave—instantly fell into step right beside Nuan, his shoulder lightly brushing hers in silent support.

Selka led Nuan toward the center of the clearing.

The entire pack had already gathered, circling the roaring central fire pits while chatting and laughing.

But as Selka guided Nuan up onto a slightly elevated, flat boulder, she clapped her paw-like hands together twice.

"Everyone!" Selka announced, her voice echoing with the authority of the pack’s revered healer.

In an instant, all the chatter, laughing, and meat-chewing ground to halt.

Every single pair of eyes shifted directly onto Nuan and Selka. Kael immediately sat down right at Nuan’s feet.

"Tonight is the night of the full moon!" Selka declared, gesturing toward the horizon. "And as we are all aware, we were meant to give the witch our clan’s bloodmark during the last full moon... yet, certain misfortunes delayed it."

Down in the crowd, Lyra and Tala shuddered slightly, a flash of guilt crossing their faces.

"...But tonight," Selka continued, her voice rising with pride, "this generation will witness the honor of the good witch Aestra receiving the Silver Grey clan’s bloodmark!"

Instantly, the clearing erupted into a wave of hushed, excited murmurs.

"The witch is finally getting our clan’s bloodmark!"

"She will be a permanent part of the Silver Grey clan for generations to come."

"Witch!! Is it going to feel like getting a bite mark?!" Koda chirped from the front row, his eyes wide.

"No, dummy, it’s obviously more like getting paw prints pressed into you!" Kiro argued, shoving his brother’s shoulder.

"I’m talking about the pain, you idiot!" Koda hissed back.

Haha, these kids... Nuan chuckled internally, her brain highly amused by the wolf pups’ bickering.

Lyra and Tala looked up at Nuan from the crowd, gently wiping away a few stray tears that were forming in their eyes.

They gave her a brilliant, incredibly grateful smile, and Nuan beamed right back at them. Man, why is everyone acting like this is a giant, high-stakes award show? she thought, a nervous flutter hitting her stomach.

Anyway, let’s hurry this up! I’m so excited to get this thing. I intentionally didn’t ask Miss Selka to spoil the ritual for me because I wanted to experience at least one cool thing first-hand in this fantasy world!