Chapter 264: Talkative cubs

Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Talkative cubs

The morning after Ironwood nearly fell apart, five little beast children made a very important decision.

They were still angry with their mother.

Very angry.

"Mama is mean," Miko declared.

Kairo nodded.

"Very mean."

Nilo, who was sitting cross-legged on a raised wooden platform, considered this carefully.

"She isn’t always mean."

Miko turned toward him.

"She went into the ground!"

"I know."

"Without us!"

"I know."

"And then everybody cried!"

Nilo sighed.

"I was there, Miko."

"Then why are you defending her?"

"Because she came back."

Miko opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Then crossed his little arms.

"That doesn’t make her not mean."

Kairo nodded again.

The eldest triplet had become rather serious since the attack. A clean bandage covered his injured arm, and he had taken to checking on his brothers every few minutes.

Even when neither of them needed checking.

Especially then.

He looked toward the family shelter.

"Mama is sleeping."

"Good," Miko answered. "She should sleep and think about what she did."

Nilo stared at him.

"You want Mama to sleep as punishment?"

"Yes."

"But she needs to sleep because she’s hurt."

Miko frowned.

Then thought about it.

"Fine. She can do both."

A tiny giggle came from beside them.

All three boys turned.

Sira was sitting on a folded hide, her pale snake tail curled around a wooden cup.

She had apparently found Miko very entertaining.

"Hehe."

Beside her, Eira was carefully examining a polished stone.

The elder twin looked up.

"Mean Mama."

Kairo gasped.

"No, Eira."

Eira blinked.

"You said it," Nilo pointed out.

"That’s different."

"How?"

"I’m older."

Miko rolled his eyes.

"Older by nothing."

Kairo’s black ears shot upright.

"I was born first!"

"So?"

"So I’m the eldest!"

"And?"

Kairo stared at him.

Miko smiled.

Nilo covered his face.

It was going to be a very long morning.

Fortunately, their mother was not there to witness any of it.

Swanly was still asleep inside the family shelter.

After everything that had happened underground, Nahla had ordered her to remain in bed.

Swanly had complained.

Nahla had raised her walking stick.

Swanly had immediately decided that resting sounded wonderful.

So the children had agreed to play outside.

Not outside Ironwood.

Absolutely not.

Their fathers had been very clear about that.

They weren’t even allowed to leave the supervised section near the repaired western walkway.

Tilla had personally inspected the area, and two guards remained posted beside the entrance.

Kael was only a short distance away, helping Tovan strengthen one of the raised wooden paths.

The adults could see the children at all times.

That was the agreement.

And for once, the triplets intended to keep it.

Mostly.

"Don’t go near the broken railing," Kairo ordered.

Miko looked offended.

"I know."

"And don’t climb anything."

"I know!"

"And don’t..."

"Kairo!"

"What?"

Miko pointed at him.

"You sound like Papa."

Kairo immediately straightened.

"Good."

Nilo groaned.

Sira clapped.

"Papa!"

Eira lifted her stone.

"Ka."

The girls were growing frighteningly fast.

Their little legs had become stronger, and although crawling was still much easier for them, both could now pull themselves upright.

Their words were improving too.

Not enough to win an argument against their brothers.

But more than enough to start one.

Especially Eira.

The little snake girl lifted her stone toward Miko.

"Mine."

Miko glanced at it.

"I don’t want your stone."

Eira pulled it against her chest.

"Mine!"

"I SAID I DON’T WANT IT!"

Sira laughed so hard she fell sideways onto her hide.

From the nearby walkway, Kael lifted his head.

"Miko."

The youngest cub immediately straightened.

"I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING!"

Kael stared.

Miko lowered his voice.

"...Anymore."

Tovan made a choking sound beside the wooden supports.

Kael glanced at him.

The beaver male quickly returned to his work.

"I didn’t laugh."

"You did."

"Only a little."

Kael sighed.

His tail moved slowly behind him as he tightened another support.

The platform had been damaged during the attack, and he refused to leave it unstable while the children were nearby.

A little farther down, Nerin sat beneath a wooden awning.

The silver deer beastman had a thick bandage around his broken antler.

His other injuries were healing, but the healer had forbidden him from using his underground sensing ability until his head stopped hurting.

So he had found something else to do.

He was carving small wooden markers.

One for every safe pathway.

A green mark for repaired platforms.

A red mark for dangerous ground.

Tovan had asked for ten.

Nerin had already made twenty-three.

"Nerin!"

The deer lifted his head.

Miko came running.

Then stopped several steps away when he remembered that Nerin was injured.

His expression changed.

"Oh."

Nerin smiled softly.

"Hello, Miko."

"Does your head still hurt?"

"A little."

Miko studied the bandage.

"Did someone bite your antler?"

Nerin: "..."

Nerin blinked.

"No."

"Did it fall off?"

"No."

"Can it grow back?"

"Maybe."

Miko thought about that.

Then nodded.

"If it doesn’t, you can borrow mine when I grow some."

Nerin stared at him.

Nilo, who had followed with the girls, sighed.

"We’re panthers, Miko."

"So?"

"We don’t grow antlers."

Miko’s mouth fell open.

He looked genuinely disappointed.

Nerin tried very hard not to laugh.

"That is very kind of you."

Miko nodded seriously.

"I know."

Kairo arrived carrying Eira.

Nilo was helping Sira walk, holding both her tiny hands while she wobbled forward.

Sira spotted Nerin.

"Deer Pa!"

Nerin’s green eyes softened immediately.

"Little Sira."

She smiled.

Then promptly sat down.

Nilo sighed.

"You were doing so well."

"No walk," Sira announced.

Miko pointed.

"Lazy."

Sira looked at him.

Then stuck out her little tongue.

Nerin laughed.

For a little while, everything felt almost normal.

Children bickering.

Wooden tools knocking against beams.

People calling to one another across the walkways.

But beyond the repaired sections, Ironwood still carried the wounds of the previous night.

Several shelters remained empty.

Some of the damaged paths were blocked.

And whenever the children looked toward the treatment area, they saw adults with bandaged arms or bloodstained clothing.

Kairo noticed more than his brothers.

He had been noticing many things lately.

Like how Tilla smiled at them but cried when she thought nobody was looking.

Or how Papa Kael kept glancing toward the family shelter.

Or how Deer Papa’s hands sometimes shook when he thought the children weren’t watching.

Kairo looked at Nerin.

"Deer Papa?"

"Yes?"

"Were you scared?"

Nerin’s carving knife stopped.

He looked at the little black panther.

"During the attack?"

Kairo nodded.