Chapter 284: You should teach your children respect

Chapter 284: Chapter 284: You should teach your children respect

Kairo instinctively stepped in front of Lumi, who had been standing near Ena.

Nilo drew Miko a little farther behind the safe line.

But Miko was still glaring.

Vaedric looked at him.

"A noisy little beast."

Miko’s nose wrinkled.

"You again."

Kael’s golden eyes sharpened.

Soren’s tail slowly curled around the base of the training platform.

Vaedric looked toward Veyra.

"Has this child been insulting you?"

Veyra immediately bowed her head.

"Your Highness, he..."

"Yes!" Miko shouted.

Everyone froze.

Miko lifted his chin.

"I was!"

Kael closed his eyes.

Ancestors, give me strength.

Vaedric looked amused.

"And why would you do that?"

"Because she’s bad!"

"Careful, little one."

Miko stared at him.

Then frowned.

This dark-winged male was protecting the same female who had hurt their home. Miko remembered the broken shelters, the crying beastmen, and how frightened everyone had been when Mama disappeared.

Everybody knew she was bad!

So why was this grown male defending her?

Miko studied Vaedric’s face suspiciously.

Maybe he couldn’t see properly.

Or maybe he was just as stupid as she was.

His little nose wrinkled.

"Don’t tell me you’re foolish too."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Azren’s smile vanished in disbelief.

Kairo grabbed Miko’s shoulder.

Nilo whispered, "Miko!"

But the youngest panther wasn’t finished.

He pointed toward Veyra.

"She’s right there!"

Then toward Vaedric.

"You’re looking at her!"

His little face twisted with genuine confusion.

"Are you foolish AND blind?"

Somewhere behind the guards, a beastman made a strangled noise.

Azren turned away.

His shoulders shook.

Vaedric’s expression went cold.

"What did you say?"

Miko immediately stood taller.

"I said..."

Kael’s tail wrapped around his youngest son’s waist and lifted him off the platform.

"That is enough."

"PAPA!"

Kairo hurried toward them.

Nilo followed.

Eira pointed toward Vaedric.

"Bad!"

Sira nodded furiously.

"Bad! Bad!"

Miko twisted in Kael’s tail.

"SEE?! MY SISTERS KNOW!"

And that was when Swanly arrived.

She had heard the commotion from the family shelter and, against her better judgment, come to investigate.

The first thing she saw was her youngest son dangling from Kael’s tail.

The second was Vaedric’s furious face.

The third was Azren turning purple trying not to laugh.

Swanly blinked.

"What happened?"

Miko immediately shouted:

"MAMA! HE’S BLIND!"

Swanly stared.

"Who?"

"THAT ONE!"

He pointed directly at Vaedric.

Swanly looked across the boundary.

Vaedric stared back.

For one terrible second, she understood.

Then laughter escaped her.

She slapped a hand over her mouth.

Too late.

Kael looked at her.

Soren slowly turned.

Azren finally gave up and laughed openly.

Vaedric’s eyes narrowed.

Swanly cleared her throat.

"Miko."

Her son looked at her.

"Yes, Mama?"

"We don’t call people foolish or blind."

"But..."

"No."

Miko pouted.

Swanly approached and gently took him from Kael.

She settled him against her hip.

"Sweetheart, I know you’re angry. But insulting someone isn’t going to fix what happened."

Miko looked toward Veyra.

His ears lowered.

"She hurt our home."

Swanly’s expression softened.

"I know."

"She made everybody cry."

"I know, baby."

He wrapped his little arms around her neck.

"I don’t like her."

Swanly kissed his forehead.

"You don’t have to like her."

Then she looked toward Vaedric.

Her smile disappeared.

"But you’ll leave the grown-up problems to us."

Miko nodded reluctantly.

From Soren’s arms, Eira lifted one finger.

"Bad wing."

Swanly sighed.

"Yes, sweetheart. We’ve heard."

Sira leaned forward.

"Shoo!"

Azren burst into laughter again.

Vaedric’s wings spread sharply.

A wave of cold pressure rolled across the boundary.

The nearest guards stiffened.

Soren moved.

His tail lifted around Swanly and the children, drawing them farther from the territorial line.

Kael stepped forward.

His golden eyes were no longer amused.

Vaedric stared at the little cub.

Then at Swanly.

"You should teach your children respect."

Swanly adjusted Miko against her hip.

"And you should keep dangerous females away from our boundary."

Vaedric’s smile vanished.

Soren’s silver eyes narrowed.

"Enough. Take your attendant and leave the western gate."

For a moment, Vaedric seemed tempted to argue.

Then his gaze dropped toward the glowing boundary.

His jaw tightened.

He turned away.

Veyra followed, throwing one last hateful glance toward Swanly.

Miko noticed.

He immediately stuck out his tongue.

Swanly caught him.

"Miko!"

He turned back.

"What?"

She stared.

He smiled sweetly.

"Love you, Mama."

Swanly closed her eyes.

"I’m going to age fifty years raising you."

Kael took Miko from her.

"I’ll take them back to training."

Swanly looked at him.

"Training?"

Kael nodded.

Soren adjusted the twins.

"We aren’t finished."

She stared at both males.

Then at her five little monsters.

Then toward her peaceful bedroom.

A beautiful thought occurred to her.

"Wonderful."

She kissed Kael’s cheek.

Then Soren’s.

Then all five children.

"Have fun."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"You’re going back to sleep?"

Swanly was already walking.

"Yes."

Soren looked amused.

"Are you certain?"

She turned.

Her beautiful blue-gray eyes narrowed.

"If either of you brings those screaming children near my bedroom before lunch, I’m making you sleep outside."

Kael laughed.

Soren smiled.

Miko shouted:

"PAPA! CAN WE FIGHT THE TREE MONSTER AGAIN?"

Swanly hurried inside.

She did not want to know.

Raku discovered the first sign before sunrise the following morning.

The red warning marker Nerin had reported was lying beneath an old support beam.

That much he already knew.

What he hadn’t expected was the knot.

He crouched beside the wooden post, his heavy crocodile tail resting across the repaired walkway.

A rope had been secured around the base.

Neatly.

Tightly.

Using the same knot Ironwood’s patrol guards used when marking cleared routes.

Raku touched it.

Then looked toward the sealed passage.

"Someone knew exactly what they were doing."

Beside him, Mora crossed her muscular arms.

The brown bear female had come to help inspect the damaged supports.

She leaned forward.

"That knot wasn’t made by a child."

"No."

"Or somebody who got lost."

"No."

Mora frowned.

"Do you know how to say anything besides no?"

Raku looked at her.

"Yes."

She stared.

Then snorted.

"You’re impossible."

Raku ignored her and examined the post.