Chapter 173: Why is Swanly alone?

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Why is Swanly alone?

Its neck was bent wrong.

No.

The creature slowly pushed itself upward.

Its false skin shifted.

Bones crawled beneath its face.

It looked toward the babies.

Hungry.

Swanly’s exhaustion vanished.

"You have got to be kidding me."

The creature crawled toward the basket.

Nahla was still turned away.

Swanly reached beside the bedding.

Before the system upgrade, she had taken weapons out.

One compact handgun lay beneath the folded hide beside her.

Her fingers closed around it.

The Veilkin lunged.

Swanly raised the gun.

BANG!

The shot exploded inside the stone shelter.

Nahla screamed and spun.

The bullet struck the creature high in the chest.

It staggered.

Still moved.

Swanly’s face became vicious.

"No."

BANG!

The second round blew through its shoulder.

The creature twisted.

Swanly aimed straight at its head.

"I almost died giving birth to those."

BANG!

The shot punched through its skull.

The impact threw it backward through the thin wooden partition beside the cave wall.

CRASH!

Wood exploded outward.

The creature disappeared into the next chamber.

Silence.

Smoke curled from Swanly’s weapon.

Nahla stared.

Swanly lowered the gun.

"No one is taking them from me."

Then she fell back against the bedding.

Breathing.

Nahla looked at the hole.

Then Swanly.

Then the gun.

"What happened?"

"I handled it."

"You just gave birth."

"Yes."

"You are bleeding."

"Yes."

"You shot something through a wall."

"Yes."

Nahla stared.

Swanly closed her eyes.

"I’m having a complicated evening."

...

It was worse outside.

They were losing people.

Not everyone.

But enough.

A Riverbone hunter fell with his throat opened before Raku could reach him.

A Sunmane male screamed as a Veilkin tore through his stomach.

Two females dragged him away while another warrior covered them.

A young wolf beastman lost three fingers.

Sari took a claw across the back.

Arion had blood running from his temple.

Raku’s scales were split along one side.

Thalara had torn roots lying dead around her feet.

Even Druun bled from a deep slash across his forearm.

And still the creatures kept coming.

Then Nahla appeared carrying weapons.

Soren’s head snapped toward her.

"Why are you here?"

"Swanly sent me."

His face changed.

"Why is Swanly alone?"

Nahla shoved a loaded weapon toward Raku.

"Because your female is impossible."

That explained nothing and everything.

"She gave birth?"

"Yes."

Soren stopped.

"Both?"

"Both alive."

Something broke across his face.

Relief.

Then a Veilkin charged him.

Soren turned and tore its throat open so viciously the emotion disappeared beneath blood.

Nahla shouted:

"She took these from her strange magic before it closed!"

Raku recognized the weapons.

Swanly had shown a handful of them basic use during emergency training. And he had used a particular one called a gun while at the Rot Nest.

And he liked that one so much.

Point.

Brace.

Do not put your fingers near the wrong place.

Do not aim at your own people.

Simple.

Arion caught one.

Soren took another.

Nahla moved toward the next group.

A Veilkin hit her from behind.

She flew.

Her herbs scattered.

Her weapon slid across the ground.

"Nahla!"

The creature raised its claws.

Nahla rolled.

Grabbed the weapon.

Pointed.

Her old hands shook.

"You picked..."

BANG!

The shot struck its leg.

"...the wrong..."

BANG!

Chest.

"...healer!"

The creature fell.

Nahla stared at it.

Then at the weapon.

Her gray otter ears rose.

"Hm."

Raku killed another beside her.

"Do not start enjoying it."

Nahla picked up her herbs.

"I am considering it."

The new weapons changed the fight.

Not instantly.

Not magically.

But enough.

Veilkin that had shrugged off arrows suddenly started falling.

Their underground rush lost momentum.

Ironwood’s warriors pushed them back.

Druun sealed one broken tunnel by lifting an entire slab of stone and smashing it down over the opening.

BOOM!

Tovan stared.

"You could have done that the entire time?!"

Druun looked at him.

"Big."

"Yes, I can see that!"

...

Selka heard the battle.

She did not know what was happening.

Only that people were screaming.

Something kept hitting the outer caves.

Her guard had left the entrance once.

Then returned.

Then screamed.

Then stopped screaming.

Selka slowly stood.

"Brann?"

Nothing.

She approached the wooden bars.

The guard lay outside.

Dead.

His chest had been torn open.

Selka froze.

For one stupid second, hope came.

They came.

The outsiders.

They had finally come for her.

Her hands grabbed the bars.

"Here!"

Movement appeared.

Two figures came around the bend.

Selka smiled.

Then stopped.

Those were not beastmen.

Not truly.

One had deer antlers.

But one antler was melting into something smooth and black.

Another had wolf ears.

Too many teeth pushed through its mouth.

Selka’s face drained.

"What are you?"

The creatures looked at her.

Then her stomach.

Their eyes changed.

Hungry.

Selka backed away.

"No."

One approached.

"No!"

It reached through the bars.

Selka stumbled.

A roar sounded outside.

Both Veilkin turned.

Someone attacked nearby.

The creatures rushed toward the sound.

Selka pressed against the cave wall.

Breathing hard.

Then pain crushed through her lower body.

She screamed.

Covered her mouth.

No.

Not now.

Warm liquid ran down her legs.

Selka stared.

Her water.

"No..."

Another contraction.

She folded.

Nobody came.

No healer.

No female.

No servant.

No crowd of males desperate to please her.

Nobody.

For the first time in her life, Selka was truly alone.

She bit down on her hand to stop herself screaming.

Hours blurred.

Pain.

Blood.

Sweat.

Fear.

She delivered the first cub into her own shaking hands.

Its cry nearly made her sob.

"Quiet."

She held the newborn against her chest.

"Please."

Another contraction came.

She screamed into her arm.

By the second birth she was exhausted.

"I can’t."

Then footsteps.

Selka grabbed a broken piece of wood.

"Stay back!"

Brann appeared.

Covered in blood.

One tusk chipped.

A deep cut across his shoulder.

He saw her.

Saw the newborn.

Saw the blood.

His entire face changed.

"Selka."

She stared.

"Go away."

Another contraction took her.

She folded.

Brann was inside before she could stop him.

"How long?"

"Don’t touch me."

"How long?"

"I said..."

She screamed.

Brann caught her before she fell sideways.

His hands shook.

"I’m helping."

"I don’t need you."

"You’re giving birth alone."

"I hate you."

His face flinched.

"I know."

That hurt her somehow.

He stayed.

He helped deliver the second cub.

Then the third.

He cleaned them with shaking hands.