Chapter 191: hide-and-feed-the-postpartum-fox

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: hide-and-feed-the-postpartum-fox

For the next several days, Swanly discovered something strange.

Her fruit kept multiplying.

She would wake up and find two ripe moonberries beside her sleeping hide.

By midday, there would somehow be another little pile of sweet red fruit beside the place where she sat to feed Eira and Sira.

Her water bowl?

Always full.

Her postpartum herbs?

Washed.

Sorted.

Fresh.

Even the shade above the small garden outside her shelter had mysteriously been repaired after one side loosened during the attack.

Swanly stood beneath it one morning, hands on her hips.

Her white fox ears twitched.

"This is suspicious."

Kael, sharpening a bone knife nearby, did not look up.

"Nerin."

Swanly slowly turned.

"You knew?"

"Yes."

"And you didn’t tell me?"

"You didn’t ask."

She stared at him.

Kael finally looked up.

"What?"

"You males are irritating."

His black ears flicked once.

"Which males?"

"All."

Kael nodded as if that sounded reasonable and went back to sharpening his knife.

Swanly narrowed her eyes.

Fine.

If the deer wanted to play hide-and-feed-the-postpartum-fox, she would catch him herself.

It did not take long.

That afternoon, Swanly sat outside with Sira asleep against her chest and Eira lying quietly in a hide-lined basket beside her.

Eira was awake.

Of course.

She was always awake.

Watching.

Judging.

Possibly planning the downfall of Ironwood.

Swanly looked down at her.

"You’re two tiny handfuls old. Stop looking at me like that."

Eira blinked.

Slowly.

Swanly gasped.

"Attitude."

A faint rustle came from behind the shelter.

Her ears turned.

There.

Swanly pretended she heard nothing.

A silver deer ear appeared around the corner.

Then disappeared.

A hand emerged.

Placed three ripe fruits beside her water bowl.

Retreated.

Swanly waited.

One step.

Two.

Three.

"Nerin."

The footsteps stopped.

Completely.

Swanly bit the inside of her cheek.

"Nerin."

Very slowly, the silver deer beastman reappeared.

Only half of him.

His gray-brown hair had fallen over one green eye. His small antlers rose from his head, the broken one still shorter near its base.

His ears were already red.

He looked exactly like someone caught stealing instead of someone caught leaving gifts.

"Yes?"

Swanly stared.

He stared.

She looked down at the fruit.

Nerin looked down at the fruit.

Then immediately looked somewhere else.

"Did those grow legs?"

His ears reddened further.

"No."

"Did the fruit walk here?"

"No."

"Did Kael suddenly become a fruit farmer?"

A tiny smile almost escaped him.

"No."

Swanly pointed.

"Come here."

Nerin hesitated.

That erased her teasing.

"Nerin."

He approached.

Slowly.

But he stopped much farther away than he usually would have.

Swanly frowned.

For days now.

Always helping.

Never staying.

Always leaving something behind.

Never sitting with her.

Even when she spoke to him, he found some reason to suddenly remember a plant urgently needed his attention.

Swanly adjusted Sira against her chest.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Nerin’s tail moved once behind him.

"I’m not."

"You just hid behind my shelter."

"I was..."

He looked toward the garden.

"...checking the wall."

"The wall is on the other side."

Nerin closed his eyes.

Caught.

Swanly almost smiled.

Instead, she softened.

"Is this because of Selka?"

His whole body changed.

His shoulders pulled inward.

His ears dropped.

There it was.

Swanly sighed.

"Nerin."

"I didn’t want to bother you."

"You never bother me."

His green eyes flicked toward her.

Then away.

"You should rest."

"That is not an answer."

Silence.

Swanly waited.

Finally Nerin whispered:

"I don’t want you looking at me and remembering it."

Her face softened.

"That night?"

He nodded.

His fingers twisted together.

"I know you said you believed me."

"I do."

"But..."

He swallowed.

"I still carried it."

Swanly opened her mouth.

Nerin rushed on, as though if he stopped he would lose his courage.

"I know I didn’t know what Selka put inside. I know she lied to me. But sometimes I think..."

His eyes started shining.

"...if I had been smarter..."

Swanly’s heart squeezed.

"If I had asked more questions."

"Nerin."

"If I hadn’t wanted you to like me so badly..."

"Nerin."

He finally looked at her.

Swanly held his gaze.

"When I look at you, I see you."

He froze.

"Not what Selka did through you."

His lips parted.

Swanly continued quietly:

"I see the male who grows fruit because he remembers what I like."

Nerin’s ears started turning pink.

"The male who somehow fills my water before I notice it’s empty."

Redder.

"The male who repaired my shade and then apparently thought hiding behind my house would make him invisible."

His whole face was red now.

Swanly smiled.

"Nerin, you are almost six feet tall and you have antlers."

He looked miserable.

"I know."

"You are terrible at hiding."

"I know."

"And you are not allowed to punish yourself forever for trusting the wrong person."

His throat moved.

Swanly reached out.

"Come here."

Nerin stared at her hand.

Then stepped close enough for Swanly to touch his wrist.

Just that.

His pulse immediately jumped beneath her fingers.

Good grief.

She had barely touched him.

"Nerin."

"Yes?"

"You can stop running away from me."

He nodded.

Too quickly.

"Yes."

"You’re doing it again."

His eyes widened.

"I’m standing here."

"You look ready to escape."

"I’m not."

His silver ears were practically burning.

Swanly laughed.

Then a voice shouted from behind them.

"MAMA!"

Nerin jumped so badly one antler nearly caught the shade.

Three black-haired cubs came running.

Kairo first.

Nilo directly behind him.

Miko last because he was chewing something.

Swanly pointed immediately.

"What is in your mouth?"

Miko stopped.

Everyone stared.

He chewed once.

Slowly.

"Nothing."

"That was suspicious."

"It is meat."

"Then say meat!"

Miko swallowed.

"Meat."

The cubs reached them.

Kairo noticed Nerin first.

Then noticed his face.

His brows lifted.

"Why is Nerin red?"

Nerin nearly died.

Nilo studied him carefully.

"His ears too."

Miko pushed between both brothers.

His eyes widened.

Then an enormous smile spread across his face.

"Ooooo..."

Swanly’s fox ear twitched.

She knew that sound.

Nothing good followed that sound.

Miko pointed at Nerin.

"Deer Papa!"

Silence.

Nerin stopped breathing.

Swanly slowly turned toward Miko.

"What did you say?"

Miko looked delighted.

"Deer Papa."

Nerin looked at Swanly in absolute horror.

"I did not tell him that."

"I know!"

Kairo tilted his head.

"Why Deer Papa?"

Miko looked at him as though the answer was obvious.

"Snake Papa."