Kaya, on the other hand, stood frozen, utterly stunned. Not many had ever fallen for her—but those who did had always kept it quiet. This... this was the first ti she’d seen that look on a man like him—a brute of a man, no less. It unsettled her in ways she couldn’t explain.
Her thoughts flickered to how ruthlessly he had treated others. She sighed, turning away from him, and began walking toward the people she had protected. But the mont her eyes t theirs—those worn, wary faces, gazing at her with a mix of fear and fragile hope—she stopped in her tracks. Her chest tightened, and oddly, the pain she had been carrying didn’t feel quite as heavy anymore.
She took a steady breath, eyes softening.
"Let’s go," she said simply.
The words hung in the air. For a second, the silence was so complete it was almost deafening. The people exchanged uncertain glances—like they still couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Then, slowly, the first child she had shielded stood up. Supporting an injured child beside him, he began to walk, step by careful step, behind Kaya.
And one by one, the others followed.
Then the twelve n—rough, scarred, yet silent—fell into line behind her.
When Kaya stepped out of the crowd, leading them all, murmurs broke out. The street quieted in stunned disbelief. People stared, trying to process what they’d just seen.
By the ti they reached Rean’s shop, the sun was lower in the sky.
The warm orange light caught the dust still clinging to her clothes, highlighting every bruise, every mark.
Rean was bent over, tying up a cloth bundle near the counter.
When he looked up, he expected to see Kaya alone.
Instead—
He saw twelve battered, unfamiliar faces trailing behind her in silence.
He blinked.
"What the—"
His words caught mid-air as he took them all in—the torn clothes, the blood, the hollow but flickering eyes.
Rean rushed forward as soon as the group arrived, his face flickering between shock and concern. Without wasting ti, he began directing the wounded beastn toward the cave entrance tucked behind his shop.
He had only rented the cave for four days—just enough space to store his extra goods and restock—but who could’ve guessed it would turn into a makeshift shelter overnight?
Now, with twelve battered bodies finding corners to collapse into, the cave suddenly felt suffocating. Cramped. Heavy with heat and the sll of old blood.
Cutie followed behind, imdiately kneeling beside one of the more badly injured n. His hands glowed faintly as he began healing.
He glanced over at Kaya, seated just outside the cave entrance, back against a rock, arms limp at her sides.
"Kaya," he said, "let treat your injuries too."
She didn’t even glance at him.
"I’m fine," she muttered, her voice tired. "I just finished healing them. I’ll be okay."
What she didn’t say was that she’d already used her ability past its limit. Her body could heal itself—sure—but not without a cost.
Her foot throbbed where she had slamd it down earlier, and it felt like the muscles in her back had been replaced with rope.
She was exhausted.
And now, here they were.
Twelve mouths to feed.
Not enough food to go around. Not enough strength in her bones.
What the hell had she done?
She rubbed her temples. She hadn’t even had proper sleep for days, and now she’d taken in the equivalent of an entire broken household.
Suddenly, Rean appeared beside her, arms crossed, eyebrows arched in disbelief.
"I still can’t believe it," he said. "When people ca running, yelling that so idiotic woman was fighting bulls in the marketplace, I honestly thought it was just so mad drunk trying to make a scene. But then—" he shook his head, "then I found out it was you. You. Of all people. And for them?"
He gestured toward the cave with a small jerk of his chin.
"For... those Nikala beastn?"
Kaya turned her head toward him, frowning faintly. "Nikala?" she asked, the word unfamiliar on her tongue.
Rean gave her a bewildered look. "Wait—you seriously don’t know?"
She shook her head.
He exhaled heavily, like he had too many thoughts to say and not enough patience to explain them all.
"Nikala are... outcasts," he said finally. "Beastn who aren’t accepted by any tribe. Born with mutations, differences—physical traits that make them look like one clan, but their bodies transform differently. It scares people. Makes them think they’re cursed, or monsters."
He pointed toward the cave entrance, where one of the rescued n sat hunched, silent.
"Look at him. Not his ears—look at his teeth."
Kaya leaned forward, squinting slightly. It wasn’t obvious at first... but then she saw it.
Two teeth, long and sharp, poking out slightly when he parted his lips to breathe. Almost like tiny tusks.
Rean continued, quieter now. "That one looks like he belongs to the tiger clan. But when he transforms... he’s sothing else. Sothing in-between. A tiger with fangs like a wild boar. No one wants to deal with that. Not the tribes. Not the leaders. So they throw them away."
Kaya’s gaze softened, the pain in her body temporarily forgotten.
She glanced toward the boy she had saved—the one who had hugged the injured teen with trembling arms.
His tail twitched faintly. His ears drooped low.
Thrown away...
Kaya murmured quietly, "Isn’t there just Cybertooth... the ancestor of tigers?"
Rean blinked. "Huh?"
She waved it off, shaking her head. "Nothing."
She didn’t feel like explaining her thoughts—not now.
Instead, her mind wandered to the growing list of problems. This cave was already full, the n barely had enough space to lie down, and now—now if what Rean said was true—these Nikala beast-n could handle hard labor? That opened up possibilities. If they’re strong enough... maybe they could help with construction. That’d speed things up.
It could even be profitable.
But then ca the other half of that thought: Would she have to build houses for them too?
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