Slowly, the day began to darken outside, though neither of them noticed. They were so absorbed in the lesson that ti seed to stretch and bend around them.
The healer only realized how long they had been talking when he glanced toward the doorway. The sky had shifted to deep orange and purple, and shadows stretched long across the stone floor. He blinked in surprise. "Night’s almost here... we’ve been talking for hours," he murmured, astonished at how completely he had lost track of ti with Kaya.
Hearing that, Kaya turned to glance outside and then stood up. "Yeah, looks like it," she murmured, stretching her arms and massaging her shoulders, which had stiffened from sitting in the sa position for so long. For her, it wasn’t a big deal—she felt refreshed, alert, and ready to move.
Then she looked at the healer, who was still staring at her with a stunned expression. Kaya simply smiled faintly. "Okay, then. I’m going. Bye."
And with that, she turned and left.
Kaya was leaving the tribe tomorrow. Even though she wanted to learn more about poisons and herbs, she had no intention of staying long. There was literally no one here worth anchoring herself to. If it weren’t for the sparrow incident, she would have left two days ago.
The healer watched her retreating figure, still in disbelief. He knew many people could learn quickly, but he had never seen anyone like Kaya. Her mind was sharp, precise, and unrelenting. She rembered everything she saw, every detail he demonstrated. If she had stayed even a few more days, he was certain she would have mastered all his healer skills. She already knew most of the common poisons and had impressed him with questions about their interactions—what could harm, what could heal, and the subtle effects of mixing one with another.
He had heard they would be leaving tomorrow, which brought him a slight sense of relief—but also unease. If this wasn’t so kind of beastman, then what was she? Her intelligence, her instincts, her audacity—it was on a level he had rarely seen in anyone, in any tribe.
He shook his head slowly, muttering to himself, "Who... or what... is this girl?"
As Kaya stepped out, she couldn’t help but think: whoever said the night sky in the forest is beautiful—well, they weren’t wrong. The stars were scattered across the dark sky like spilled diamonds. But what they forgot to ntion was that the mosquitoes and insects were just as impressive.
She slapped her hand instinctively, cursing softly as a mosquito bite it. Scratching the itch, she felt a flicker of annoyance. Seriously—she hadn’t even been outside for long, yet she was already a buffet for half the forest’s insect population.
Shoving her frustration aside, Kaya made her way to the hut where she was staying. As she opened the door, she froze. Cutie and Veer were in the middle of a heated scuffle, each grabbing the other by the collar. The mont the door creaked open, they both turned toward her.
And then... sothing odd happened. Cutie’s face flipped entirely—gone was the cold, sharp glare she had seen before. Now he looked almost pitiful, his hand trembling slightly as he still held Veer’s collar. Veer, anwhile, had a firm grip on Cutie’s tunic, but his expression softened too.
Kaya blinked, confused. For a split second, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks. She had entered expecting the usual cold glare from Cutie, but instead... this warmth, this sudden vulnerability? How could soone shift their expression so drastically, so quickly?
She shook her head, silently noting that the forest wasn’t the only place full of surprises tonight.
Kaya crossed her arms, glaring at them. "What the hell is going on?"
Cutie’s lip trembled, and he lowered his head, looking like the most pitiful, wronged creature she had ever seen. Honestly, anyone’s heart would squeeze at the sight—he looked more like a disgruntled bear than a rabbit. Big, muscular body... soft bunny ears... a tiny tail that sohow made him ridiculously adorable.
Kaya’s mind went rogue for half a second. If he wore a tiny rabbit costu... no, stop it, Kaya! She slapped her forehead hard. Focus. Be serious. You are the responsible one here.
She turned to Veer, her arms still crossed. "And you? What the hell is happening?"
Veer looked at her, then at Cutie, and tilted his head with the most exaggeratedly wronged expression. "Sweetheart," he said in a soft, pitiful tone, "this is all this bastard’s fault."
Kaya blinked. Okay, Cutie acting cute... fine. Acceptable. But Veer... He was deliberately performing this over-the-top, heart-wrenching act, and she shuddered involuntarily. "Say it in a normal tone, you idiot," she muttered, exasperated.
Veer froze. He released Cutie’s collar, looked straight at Kaya with an unreadable expression, then spoke slowly, deliberately pointing at each of them. "Sweetheart... him," he jabbed at Cutie, "and ." He leaned closer. "Do you really think it’s fine for him to act cute, but if I even speak softly, it’s cringe? Why are you shuddering?"
Kaya turned her face away, cheeks heating, her brain screaming a million inappropriate thoughts she couldn’t let out loud. This is so ridiculous. He’d look perfect as a classic bad-boy type, cigarette dangling... not like this... not like this!
Cutie whimpered softly, his ears twitching, while Veer pouted in the most exaggerated way possible. Kaya rubbed her temple, silently wondering how she had gotten stuck in the middle of this absurdity.
Kaya pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply. "Okay... seriously. What the hell is going on? Why are you two grabbing each other by the collar like children?"
Veer, looking completely innocent but still slightly pouty, pointed at Cutie with exaggerated drama. "This bastard. Look at him."
Kaya’s eyes dropped to the ground—and she froze. Food. Just... food. Raw berries, scattered fruits, and... at. Her brows knitted together. "Wait... that’s... food, right?"
Veer took a step forward, wagging a finger like a teacher correcting a student. "at. Cooked."
Kaya leaned in, squinting at the tiny roasted bird lying there. Her eyes darted between Veer and Cutie. "So... this is cooked at?"
"That’s it," Veer said simply. "Whole cooked at."
Kaya’s mind clicked. Wait a minute... Veer couldn’t eat cooked at. He liked it raw. Her eyes shot to Cutie, confusion written all over her face. What the hell did he do?
It was the monkey tribe territory, for crying out loud. Most of them were strict vegetarians—though deadly serious about protecting their patch of forest. Finding at here was practically a death wish. Veer had spent hours hunting a tiny bird, avoiding the tribe, then built a makeshift soil stove just to cook half of it for Kaya while keeping the other half raw for himself.
Kaya stared at the ridiculous setup, flabbergasted. So let get this straight... he goes through all this effort just to... cook at for ... and leave the raw stuff for himself? And then....
Kaya looked at Cutie and the roasted bird on the ground, her brows furrowed. "Why is the whole at cooked?"
Cutie lowered his head, his voice small and pitiful. "Um... I... I thought the food might spoil. And... I saw you looked weak, and... well, I thought we could all eat. So... I cooked it."
Kaya blinked at him, incredulous. "But you don’t eat at. The sparrow—he could eat, but he was sick. He can only drink soup now, right?" She shook her head with a twinge of sadness. "So... literally, you cooked the at he left?"
Cutie nodded, still looking like a wronged child.
Kaya’s gaze shifted to Veer. "And you... grabbed him by the collar because he cooked the at?"
Veer pouted dramatically. "But... sweetheart, he cooked the whole at! What am I supposed to eat?"
Kaya raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You eat what others eat. Simple."
Veer’s eyes widened. "What?"
Kaya pointed at the smaller basket beside her bed. "There’s so boar at you brought last ti. I think it’s still good. You can take it out. I put so salt in it when you dried it—it’s still fine. You can eat that."
Veer stared at her in confusion, slightly shocked. He had brought that at two nights ago, and though vultures could survive on it, he hadn’t expected it to stay edible.
He rushed to the basket and opened it. Inside, a ceramic bucket sat filled with damp sand, and in the middle was a small jar capped with wet soil. He touched the jar—it was cold. Slowly, carefully, he pried the lid open with his nails.
His eyes widened in surprise. The at hadn’t spoiled. It had softened slightly, but it still slled fresh, perfectly marinated with salt and so spices. Veer’s lips parted, and he tentatively took a bite.
It was... exactly as good as he rembered.
Veer looked at the at, then at Kaya, and instinctively spread his arms, ready to pull her into a hug. "Kaya—"
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