Chapter 158: The giant just courted your female

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: The giant just courted your female

His expression sharpened instantly.

Kael looked over too.

She explained.

The land.

The claim.

Permission.

The blood ritual.

By the time she finished, Soren was silent.

Then:

"You should perform it."

Swanly stared.

"No."

Soren blinked.

"No?"

"You’re the leader."

"You discovered it."

"That does not make me ruler."

"You are my female."

"That definitely does not make me ruler."

His tail moved.

"I trust you."

The simple words made her pause.

Soren looked toward the walls.

"If something happens to me, I would rather the boundary obey you than someone I do not trust."

Swanly’s expression softened.

Then hardened again.

"No."

His brows lowered.

"I don’t want that power."

"Swanly."

"No. You lead these people. I’m not collecting authority every time I discover something useful."

Kael’s lips twitched.

Soren stared at her for several breaths.

Then:

"Fine."

She blinked.

That was suspiciously easy.

"You will perform the ritual."

"Yes."

"And?"

"And we decide together who enters."

Swanly stared.

"That is not how gate-holder works."

"I hold the seal."

He looked directly at her.

"You help decide how I use it."

Something annoyingly warm touched her chest.

He continued:

"What affects my people affects you."

His eyes dropped briefly toward her stomach.

"What affects my life already affects yours."

Swanly rolled her eyes before he could see that the words had actually landed.

"You’re very dramatic for a snake."

"And you argue too much for someone who just ordered me through an entire blood ritual."

Swanly’s mouth fell open.

"I was helping you!"

Kael looked between them.

"That was helping?"

"Yes."

"It sounded like fighting."

Soren actually smiled.

...

They performed the ritual before midday.

No ceremony.

No gathered crowd.

Soren cut his palm.

Blood touched a boundary stone.

Swanly poured spring water over it while reading the last instructions.

Soren repeated the claim.

The blood vanished into the stone.

For one heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then a faint pulse moved through Ironwood.

The soil beneath Swanly’s feet warmed.

Gone.

Done.

Soren flexed his healed hand.

"That is all?"

"That is all."

"You made it sound far more complicated."

Swanly looked offended.

"I was being careful."

His mouth twitched.

"Of course."

...

Later, Swanly walked through Ironwood alone.

Not completely alone.

Nobody here was ever completely alone anymore.

People were everywhere.

Planting.

Building.

Cooking.

Children running between shelters.

Warriors training near the wall.

As she passed, beastmen greeted her.

Some bowed their heads.

Others smiled.

"Swanly."

"Morning."

"The new tomatoes are growing."

She immediately turned.

"Where?"

A female laughed and pointed.

Swanly hurried over.

Bright red tomatoes hung among green leaves.

Her mouth watered.

"Oh, these are beautiful."

Pregnancy had apparently turned food into religion.

She touched one carefully.

Something sweet.

Maybe roasted tomatoes with herbs.

Or mashed potato cakes with chopped tomato and meat.

The cubs would destroy those.

Her tail began swaying.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

She did not notice.

Several other people did.

Kael, standing near the meat racks, noticed.

His golden eyes followed that ridiculous fluffy tail.

Soren noticed from beside Raku.

His gaze remained there suspiciously long.

Nerin, watering the little fruit garden farther away, noticed too.

Then realized Kael had noticed him noticing.

Nerin immediately stared at his plants.

Swanly knew none of this.

She was examining her claws.

Three peaceful months had given her time to discover things about this body she had never properly explored.

Her claws slid out.

Sharp.

White.

Then disappeared again.

Out.

In.

Out.

In.

Cool.

She had even finally learned how to fully shift into her fox form and return.

Once.

Exactly once.

Because nobody had properly warned her that returning to humanoid form meant returning without clothing.

She had spent several horrifying seconds naked behind a bush while threatening death upon anyone who looked in her direction.

Never again.

Unless necessary.

If something tried to kill her?

Fine.

Fox.

Otherwise?

Absolutely not.

She had dignity.

Somewhere.

Her tail swished again.

Then a shadow covered her.

Swanly looked up.

Druun.

"Hi."

The giant stared down.

He had been watching her differently for several moments.

Swanly tilted her head.

"What?"

Druun crouched.

His eyes moved over her.

Face.

Chest.

Stomach.

Back to stomach.

Swanly immediately narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Druun’s nostrils flared.

Then his expression changed.

The world around Swanly always felt alive to him.

That was what had confused him.

Plants responded to her presence.

Cubs gathered around her.

New life seemed to cling to her scent.

He had noticed it before.

But now...

Now there were other heartbeats.

Small.

Hidden.

Inside her.

Druun’s enormous eyes widened.

He leaned closer.

Swanly took one step back.

"Druun?"

His head tilted.

Then one massive finger pointed toward her stomach.

"Young?"

Swanly blinked.

"Oh."

Her hand instinctively covered the curve.

"You noticed?"

Druun went completely still.

Confirmation.

His eyes became enormous.

"Yes. Babies."

Druun stared.

Swanly smiled.

"More tiny trouble coming."

Druun’s expression changed.

Not amusement.

Something profound.

Alarm.

Urgency.

Determination.

He stood.

Swanly frowned.

"What?"

Druun turned.

"Druun?"

He started walking.

"Where are you going?"

Faster.

"Druun!"

He broke into enormous strides.

The earth shook.

Then he disappeared toward the inner forest.

Swanly stared after him.

"What the fuck?"

She scratched behind one fox ear.

"Well..."

Maybe giants had pregnancy panic too.

She returned to inspecting tomatoes.

...

The hunters had begun leaving Ironwood again weeks ago.

Carefully.

Always in groups.

Never beyond agreed routes.

The Veskari had not attacked them.

They had seen signs that the strange people still moved through distant areas, but nobody approached Ironwood.

Infected still wandered farther outside.

Some hunters had fought them.

None had reached the inner basin.

So life continued.

Carefully.

That afternoon, Swanly was discussing sweet fruit with one of the females when the ground began shaking.

THOOM.

THOOM.

THOOM.

Everyone stopped.

Raku’s head snapped up.

Warriors reached for weapons.

Kael appeared beside Swanly almost instantly.

Soren turned from the wall.

Nerin stood.

Tovan shouted:

"Something is coming!"

Swanly’s ears rose.

Then she saw him.

Druun emerged between the trees.

Carrying...

Swanly blinked.

No.

Surely not.

An entire tree.

Not branches.

A tree.

Roots and all.

It was covered in heavy golden-red fruit.

Druun carried it over one shoulder.

In his other hand?

A dead animal.

Huge was not enough.

The thing was enormous.

Its horned head dragged against the ground behind him.

Enough meat to feed Ironwood for days.

Everyone stared.

Druun dropped the animal.

BOOM.

Dust exploded.

Miko screamed somewhere:

"BIG MEAT!"

Swanly’s mouth hung open.

Then Druun turned.

He disappeared briefly behind the trees.

Came back.

Carrying a boulder.

Tovan stared.

"What is he doing?"

Druun dropped it near Swanly.

CRACK.

The stone split.

White crystals gleamed inside.

Silence.

Raku’s eyes widened.

"Salt."

Someone gasped.

Another beastman rushed closer.

"That’s salt!"

Salt.

A fucking boulder full of salt.

Hard to find.

Precious.

Necessary.

Swanly looked at the fruit tree.

The monstrous carcass.

The salt.

Then at Druun.

Druun looked pleased.

Very pleased.

He pointed toward Swanly.

Then toward her stomach.

"Young."

Swanly went still.

Slowly, every person around them understood.

The tree.

The meat.

The salt.

All of it.

For her.

Because she was carrying young.

Raku’s mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

Kael stared at the pile.

Then at Druun.

Even Kael looked personally defeated.

Soren came forward.

His silver eyes moved over the dead animal.

The tree.

The salt boulder.

Then Druun.

His face became completely blank.

Swanly had never seen that expression before.

Jealousy.

Real jealousy.

Not because Druun touched her.

Not because Druun flirted.

Druun had not even realized he was doing anything remotely resembling courtship.

He had simply discovered that the tiny female he liked was carrying young and apparently decided she required half a mountain’s resources immediately.

Soren looked toward the salt.

Then the fruit tree.

Then the animal.

His jaw tightened.

Raku slowly turned toward him.

"My lord..."

"Do not."

Raku’s mouth twitched.

Soren’s eyes narrowed.

"Do not say it."

Raku looked toward Druun.

Then Swanly.

Then the mountain of food.

"I was only going to ask..."

"No."

"...whether the giant just courted your female."

Soren’s tail slammed into the ground.