Free Web NovelChapter 22: Roaring Crossroads, Here We Come
(Next Morning)
Nuan woke up to the sound of excited chatter outside the cave.
Peeking out, she saw the young wolves of the pack running around, stretching their limbs, getting ready to head out for the morning hunt.
She turned around and spotted Kael sitting on a nearby rock inside the den, quietly watching them. Balancing on her good leg, she slowly hopped over to him.
"You’re not going with them for the hunt?" she asked.
"No," he murmured, his ears twitching.
"Why? What kind of Alpha are you? Go hunt! Lead your pack!" Nuan said, waving her hands around.
Before she could hop backward, Kael reached out, grabbed her waist, and pulled her right down onto his lap.
He leaned his heavy head forward, snuggling contentedly against her chest. "Mother said to let the younger ones explore on their own. They need to learn. Soon, it will be time for their dispersal."
Kael hesitated, his jaw tightening.
"I agreed... but I don’t like it," he admitted under his breath. "Too many of them are still reckless."
His eyes briefly shifted toward the forest path the hunters took.
"If they mess up today... I may have to step in later," he said quietly.
"Ah, I see... logistical training before they get kicked out," Nuan murmured, her hands instinctively resting on his broad shoulders.
"And..." Kael continued, his voice echoing against her chest.
"And?" Nuan repeated.
"I will be heading for the Roaring Crossroads soon," he said, tilting his face up to look at her.
"Hm? What’s that? Some kind of battleground?"
"It is a neutral place," Kael explained. "A place where beastmen from every clan and every territory meet up to exchange stuff." freёwebnovel.com
"Ehhh!!!?? You are going to a market!!!?" Nuan practically screamed, wobbling around on his lap in pure excitement. "There is such a thing as a market in this beastworld?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!"
Kael let out a low, mischievous growl, his focus instantly shifting from her words to the way she was shifting and moving around on his lap. "Market? What is that word?"
"It’s a place where you exchange goods, you big dummy! That’s literally a market!"
"You mean Roaring Crossroads is a... market?" Kael blinked, trying out the new word.
"It is, idiot! What else could it be?!" Nuan grinned, her brain already buzzing with the survival possibilities of a trading hub. "What are you going there for anyway? What are you buying? Can I come?!"
Kael’s expression darkened slightly.
"Crossroads is not safe for outsiders like you. Even inside neutral ground... claws are still sharp. Just hidden better."
He paused. His jaw tightened once. fгeewebnovёl.com
"And I don’t like not being able to tell which ones are pointing at me... or at you."
"But i really wanted to come." Nuan murmurs in disappointed look.
"You want to come?"
"Yes! Why? Is it really that unsafe for me?" She huffed, crossing her arms.
It’s better to explore this world as much as I can before my leg heals. Besides, trading meat in their market for warm clothes is way better than dealing with a System that demanded three mating sessions and five foreplay sessions!
Kael opened his mouth to refuse immediately... then stopped.
His claws flexed once against his knee.
"...If you come," he said slowly, "stay close. I mean closer than usual."
She offered a mock salute. "Aye, aye, Captain!"
Kael’s stares at her injured leg and lets out frustrated growl. "But your leg is injured. I was going to get something warm for you to put on."
"Eh? Ehh?? For me??" Nuan pointed a finger at her own chest, totally caught off guard.
Kael nodded, looking a little smug. "You complained last night that the cliff rocks were cold, and that I stank and left too much fur on you. So, I will go to the crossroads and trade for some premium, warm fur blankets for you."
"Aww!!! You cute, little... well, way too big thing!" Nuan cooed, her heart melting just a tiny bit.
She gave his fluffy ears a quick, playful pat. "Sorry I said you stank, by the way. It’s just that my human hygiene logistics can’t help it. But wait... you’re going to buy me clothes and blankets?! Oh, I am absolutely coming with you! I need to choose them myself. Don’t worry about my leg, I’ll manage!"
"But I have to carry the meat. I can’t support you properly to walk if my hands are full," Kael said, shaking his head.
"Oh, is that the problem? That is totally not a problem. Let me show you how real survival logistics are done," Nuan said with a smug grin. "What exactly are we carrying there?"
"One elk leg and one boar shoulder," Kael said.
"That’s it? Give it to me!" Nuan commanded, waving her hand impatiently.
Kael lifted her gently off his lap and set her down on the rock. He walked behind a large boulder in the den and hauled out one massive, heavy elk leg and a thick boar shoulder, placing them right on the dirt floor before her.
Nuan touched both of them with her fingertips and thought mentally, Get in my inventory.
With a soft hum, the heavy chunks of meat vanished into a flurry of blue pixels.
"Witchcraft," Kael murmured, his golden eyes widening in shock as he stared at the empty floor.
"Yes! Magic! Now let’s go, I can’t wait to finally get some decent clothes," Nuan said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She pointed a finger toward the cave exit. "Stand outside the den. I’m changing out of this tiny loincloth skirt!"
"You change, I watch," Kael said instantly, crossing his broad arms and staying right where he was.
"You watch, and I will make you disappear into blue dust forever!" Nuan narrowed her eyes, giving him a deeply threatening glare.
Kael gulped, his ears flattening slightly, and quickly stepped outside the den to give her privacy.
Nuan let out a satisfied snort. Working quickly, she pulled on her trusty cargo pants and her shirt, making sure to tuck her hunting knife securely behind her pants’ waistband.
Once she was fully dressed in her human gear, she hopped toward the exit. "Let’s go!" she called out, stepping into the morning sunlight.
With a soft, fluid puff of smoke, Kael’s body shifted into his massive, majestic silver wolf form.
Hop on. Hold tight, meek savior, his voice echoed directly in her mind through their telepathic link.
Nuan nodded, carefully climbing onto his broad, furry back. She grabbed a handful of his thick silver fur, digging her fingers in securely. "Alright, let’s go!!"
Kael let out a low, playful growl. He dug his front two paws into the dirt, dusting the ground before launching himself like a silver rocket straight through the thick woods.
"Yeyy!!" Nuan cheered, the wind whipping through her hair. Having survived her terrifying first ride before the tiger ambush, she was completely used to this insane speed now.
As they blurred through the dense jungle, Kael suddenly took a sharp, high-speed turn. In a split second, his massive jaws snapped shut, biting a fat wild rabbit right by its neck. With a swift flick of his head, he tossed the dead rabbit backward through the air right at Nuan.
Keep it for snacks, his voice rumbled in her mind.
"Ack!!" Nuan squealed, catching the fuzzy animal mid-air. The moment her fingers brushed the fur, she thought Inventory! and the rabbit immediately dissolved into blue light, vanishing into her system storage.
