The morning sun was a cruel reminder that ti doesn’t stop for heartaches. It bled across the horizon, pale and indifferent, signaling the end of our sanctuary.
Damar helped dress in silence, his fingers lingering on my skin as if he were trying to morize my warmth through his fingertips. The scent of him clung to my hair and skin, a protective shroud against the days ahead.
"It’ll be fine, Ari," he whispered to , and I took a shuddering breath before releasing it, my eyes burning with an intense fla.
With a heavy heart and a firm resolve to not take nonsense from any old beastman in that council, I stord into the eting room with my chest puffed and my eyes as sharp as a blade.
The gathering hall, which only yesterday had been filled with the chaotic hope of playing children, was now a tomb of tradition.
Seven elders sat in a semi-circle on raised stone benches, their faces mapped with deep wrinkles and scars from hunts that had happened before I was even a thought in this world. Well, none of my business. My business, however, was why the air slled like old fur and dried herbs. Gosh, do they not bathe?
Noah was already there, standing tall near the center. He had traded his dirt-stained builder’s look for his heavy fur coat, the one made of sheep wool. His dark eyes were unreadable. But when I walked in, his gaze flicked to , taking in my disheveled hair and the fierce set of my jaw.
He knew I was on a warpath.
"The Queen joins us," the eldest, a wolf-beastman nad Hagar whose ears were ragged with age, rasped out. He didn’t stand. He sat still, and I plan to assu he’s broken his waist and spine with age, so I won’t argue. "We were told there was an urgent matter. Sothing about... bringing prey into our heartland?"
I didn’t wait for Noah to introduce the idea once again. I stepped into the center of the circle, the slap of my bare feet on the stone sounding like a challenge.
"It’s not ’prey,’ Hagar," I said, my voice echoing off the roof.
I didn’t use the soft tone I used for the pups. This was the voice of a woman who had spent the night crying and was now looking for soone to bla for her husband’s departure, even though it was my idea to begin with. Ugh, I’ll only feel better once I take it out on soone, so who’s the unfortunate beast soul?
"It’s a foundation. We are building this kingdom into much more, not a temporary camp. And a kingdom needs to eat more than just at. It needs to thrive on more than just hunts too. We need the Rabbits. We need their seeds, their grain, and their knowledge of the things that grow on the earth."
A low growl rippled through the line of elders.
"The West Way is a land of claws, little tiger," a female elder with a blind eye countered. "We do not shelter those who cannot fight."
"Say that to the hardworking beavers who work as builders. They are resourceful, and you know it. But do they have claws to hunt? No." I snapped at them. "And just look at the sheep tribe that Garrot was trying to enslave with the thought that the strong should rule over the weak and prey. Garrot was just jealous of the wool on their backs. And with that wool, we can make soft clothes and nice bedding for the beasts of West Way, all in a fair trade. Do they have claws to hunt? No."
I’m sure by now they already see my point.
"I understand what you an," Another wolf elder spoke up, "but to bring more than a hundred rabbit beastn here is to invite every predator in the plains to our doorstep. We would be guarding a larder, not a village."
"Then we guard it!" I snapped, taking a step toward her. "Besides, I doubt they won’t think twice before they attack the West Way when it is at its full might," I fed their egos a bit and then whipped them. "Would you rather spend your winters shivering and chewing on dry leather because the herds moved south? Or would you rather have stores of rice and roots to keep our warriors strong? at isn’t always the answer."
"But we’ve only ever had at,"
"Well, get rid of that habit, dammit." I cursed, infuriated. "Eat vegetables and not just at."
They were stunned at my outburst but could not make a coback. Even Noah knew not to say a word because of the ’mood’ I was in. It was scary, and he knew it. I took in a deep breath and let it out.
"You all saw the nursery yesterday. You saw the pups. Do you want them to grow up in a world where a single bad hunting season ans they starve?"
I turned to Noah, my eyes burning. "Tell them, Noah. Tell them what happens to a pack that refuses to grow."
Noah stepped forward, his presence filling the room. He didn’t look at the elders; he looked at , a silent nod of support passing between us.
"The Queen speaks the truth," Noah rumbled, his voice vibrating in the floorboards. "The world is changing. The droughts are getting longer, and the forests are thinning. We cannot survive on the old ways alone. I have authorized a party to retrieve the Rabbit tribe. They will be housed near Oakhaven, under our protection, as citizens of the West Way."
"Authorized?" Hagar stood up, his voice trembling with indignation. "Without a vote? Without the consent of the ancestors?"
"The ancestors didn’t have forty children to feed," I cut in, my eyes narrowing. "And the ancestors aren’t the ones who will have to watch the pups die of hunger if we have a frost that lasts too long. I am the Queen, and Noah is the King. We are not asking for your permission; we are informing you of the decision we have made, and you know, our words are law."
They know what law ans, right? Well, they know authorised so they should know law as well, since it’s like rules.
The silence that followed was subtle. The elders looked at each other, their pride flickering into nothingness in front of , as they saw the united front. They saw a King who had spent his day in the dirt for his children, and a Queen who looked ready to tear the throat out of anyone who crossed any of her husband’s paths.
"And who leads this party?" Hagar asked, his tone shifting to a wary curiosity as he stood up. Oh, so his spine is working fine after all. "Who is foolish enough to lead a march of rabbits through the Shadow-Step pass?"
"I am," Damar said, stepping out from the shadows near the entrance.
He looked magnificent—calm, cold, and utterly certain. He had his traveling gear on, his spear strapped to his back. He didn’t look at the elders at all. He only looked at .
"The Serpent?" the blind elder whispered. "You would leave your mate and your child for two months of dust and rabbit-yips?"
"I go to secure their future," Damar said, his voice like a silken blade. "And I go today."
My heart did a painful flip. Today. I knew it was coming, but the word felt like a blow.
The elders grumbled, realizing they had been outplayed. With Damar leading the party, there was no one left to argue with. He was a snake beastman, which ant he was the most capable navigator we had. No one can navigate the terrains better than a snake.
"Fine," Hagar spat, sitting back down. "But if the rabbits bring the plague or the leopards to our gates, it is your heads that will answer for it."
"We’ll be sure to keep that in mind while we’re eating our harvest," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm that made Noah cough to hide a smile. "Oh, and while we’re at it, we can invite the leopards to stay as well. The more the rrier."
"What?!" he exclaid, but I stuck my tongue out and ignored him afterwards.
Since I had convinced them, there was nothing left to do here.
We left the hall, the tension finally breaking as we hit the fresh air.
But the relief was short-lived.
In the center of the village, a party of ten elite wolf-beastn already fully morphed in their beast form, their sizes a bit smaller compared to Noah’s large fra, but they weren’t inferior regardless.
They were already waiting, their packs loaded for the journey.
Damar stopped by the large oak tree near the gate.
This was it. The mont I’d been dreading since the sun went down.
Ti to say goodbye. It stung bitterly in my mind and heart. I hated that word.
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