Chapter 193: DEER PAPA! DON’T LOTH MY TOOF!

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: DEER PAPA! DON’T LOTH MY TOOF!

Nilo’s ears lowered.

"Mine moves too."

Three brothers stared at one another.

Miko with his tiny tooth sitting in his palm.

Kairo holding his loose tooth in place with one finger.

Nilo touching his carefully with the tip of his tongue.

For one long second, nobody spoke.

Then all three panicked at once.

"MAAAAAAMAAAA!"

Swanly threw both hands up.

"You are not dying!"

"My tooth is going to fall!"

"That’s normal!"

"What if I lose all of them?" Kairo demanded.

"You won’t!"

Nilo looked genuinely worried.

"How do you know?"

"Because that is how teeth work!"

Miko grabbed her knee.

"Mine already escaped!"

"It did not escape!"

"It left me!"

Swanly looked helplessly toward Nerin.

Big mistake.

Nerin had turned his face away.

His deer ears were bright red.

His shoulders shook.

Swanly narrowed her eyes.

"You."

He cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"Do not laugh."

"I’m not."

Miko immediately pointed at him.

"Deer Papa ith laughing!"

Nerin froze.

Swanly froze.

Kairo stopped touching his tooth.

Nilo slowly looked at Nerin.

Nerin’s entire face went scarlet.

"Miko..."

Miko marched over and shoved the tiny white tooth into Nerin’s palm.

"Fix it, Deer Papa."

Nerin stared down at the tooth.

Then at Miko.

Then at Swanly.

His expression said very clearly:

Please save me.

Swanly folded her arms.

Absolutely not.

This was his life now.

Nerin crouched.

"I... cannot put it back."

Miko’s little face fell.

"You are a deer."

"Yes."

"You have teef."

"Yes."

"Then you should know."

Nerin looked completely defeated.

"That is not how being a deer works."

Miko considered that.

Then reached up and touched one of Nerin’s small antlers.

Nerin went rigid.

"Then what are thethe for?"

Swanly made a choking noise.

Kairo laughed again.

Nilo finally smiled.

Nerin stared at Miko for a long moment.

Then he broke.

A laugh escaped him.

Soft at first.

Then another.

Warm, helpless laughter.

His green eyes curved.

His red ears lowered.

Swanly stopped laughing for half a second.

He looked different like this.

Lighter.

Cute.

Far too cute.

Miko stared at him suspiciously.

"You’re laughing at my mouf."

"No."

"You are."

"I’m not."

Miko pointed accusingly at his face.

"You have happy eye."

Nerin’s laugh became worse.

Swanly immediately turned away before anyone caught her smiling at him.

No.

Absolutely not.

Too many males.

Too many babies.

Too many problems.

Behind her, Kairo suddenly announced:

"I’m not pulling mine out."

Nilo nodded quickly.

"Me neither."

Miko looked at both brothers.

Then at the tooth in Nerin’s palm.

A wicked little grin slowly spread across his gap-toothed face.

"I can help."

Kairo’s face changed.

"No."

Miko stepped toward him.

"I know how."

"No!"

"You just pull!"

"STAY AWAY FROM MY TOOTH!"

Kairo ran.

Miko chased him.

"COME BACK!"

Nilo immediately fled in the opposite direction.

"DON’T TOUCH MINE EITHER!"

Miko changed targets.

"YOUR ONE ITH LOOTHER!"

"NOOOO!"

Swanly stared as three tiny black panther cubs tore around the shelter.

One protecting his mouth.

One protecting his mouth harder.

One running after both with a missing tooth and the confidence of a healer who had never attended a single day of training.

Swanly slowly picked up a rolled hide.

"Miko."

He stopped.

"Yes, Mama?"

She raised it.

His eyes widened.

"Mama..."

"Leave your brothers’ teeth alone."

"But I can help."

"You cannot."

"I already lotht mine."

"Exactly!"

Miko immediately ran.

The rolled hide flew after him.

"AAAAAA!"

Kairo and Nilo screamed with laughter and followed.

Nerin stood beside Swanly, still holding one tiny tooth in his palm.

He looked at it.

Then at the three cubs disappearing down the path.

Then at Swanly.

"What do I do with this?"

Swanly stared at him.

"I don’t know."

"You gave me children calling me Deer Papa. You figure it out."

His face went bright red all over again.

Swanly smiled sweetly and walked away.

Behind her, Nerin stood holding Miko’s baby tooth like it was the most important treasure in Ironwood.

And from somewhere down the path came Miko’s new gap-toothed scream:

"DEER PAPA! DON’T LOTH MY TOOF!"

Miko’s new gap-toothed scream carried halfway across Ironwood.

Kael stopped walking.

His black ears rose.

He had been returning from the meat-drying area with a bundle over one shoulder when three little figures came flying around the corner.

Kairo was first.

"Mama!"

Nilo followed.

"Mama, he’s trying to pull mine!"

And Miko came after both of them with his arms stretched forward.

"COME BACK! I CAN HELP!"

Kael’s golden eyes narrowed.

"What happened?"

Three cubs stopped.

Kairo’s entire face changed.

"Papa!"

He immediately abandoned Swanly and ran toward Kael.

Kael barely had time to lower the bundle before his eldest slammed into his legs.

"Papa, look!"

Kael looked down.

Kairo pointed into his mouth.

"Look!"

Kael crouched.

"At what?"

"My tooth!"

Kairo opened his mouth so wide that his eyes squeezed shut.

Kael stared into it.

Then at Swanly.

Then back into Kairo’s mouth.

Kairo poked his loose tooth.

It moved.

His golden eyes became enormous with pride.

"Did you see?!"

Kael’s expression softened immediately.

"I saw."

"It moves."

"Yes."

"I’m losing it."

"Yes."

Kairo puffed his little chest.

"I’m growing."

That did something to Kael.

For a second, he only looked at him.

His eldest.

The tiny cub who used to puff himself up in front of danger while barely reaching Kael’s knee.

The one who always tried to stand between his brothers and anything frightening.

The one who now spoke in full little sentences and apparently had teeth falling out of his head.

Kael reached out and gently ruffled his black hair.

"You are."

Kairo’s tail shot straight up.

Swanly saw it.

Her heart melted.

Kairo tried very hard to look mature.

"Soon I will have big teeth."

Kael nodded solemnly.

"Very big."

"Like yours?"

"Maybe."

Kairo’s entire face lit up.

Miko immediately shoved between them.

"Mine already fell out!"

Kael looked at him.

Miko grinned.

There it was.

The tiny gap.

Kael stared.

Miko smiled wider.

Kael’s mouth twitched.

Miko’s eyes narrowed.

"Don’t laugh."

"I didn’t."

"You want to."

Kael looked toward Swanly.

Swanly folded her arms.

"Do not encourage him. He already thinks he’s the first cub in history to lose a tooth."

"I am!"

"You are not."

"I am in our family."

Kairo immediately pointed at his own mouth.

"Mine is next."

Miko gasped.