Free Web NovelChapter 28: The Tiger Claw Bravery Medal
Nuan and Kael were officially done with their retail therapy. The moment the raccoon vendor handed over the items, Nuan touched them, and the five skin skirts and two wool crop tops dissolved into blue light, packing away into her system inventory.
"Let’s go back now," Kael rumbled, shifting his weight.
"Huh?! No, wait! Since we’re already here, I want to check out the rest of the market!" Nuan said, completely ignoring his rush as she started wandering ahead, her eyes darting greedily toward all the different tent stalls.
As she walked, she noticed a massive commotion over in one corner. Two large tents were completely surrounded by a noisy crowd of bird beastmen, all squawking and pushing each other. "Kael, what’s going on over there?"
Kael, marching closely behind her like a giant silver bodyguard, glanced over the crowd. "Bowerbird and Jackdaws. Those two flocks always bring shiny stones to trade. The Ravens and Magpies fight the most to get the shiniest ones."
"Ah, I see... standard corvid and avian behavioral patterns," Nuan murmured, her inner survival show host nodding at the accurate animal trait distribution.
Just then, a tiny pressure nudged against Nuan’s hand. She looked down and saw a small Jackal beastman kid looking up at her with wide, nervous eyes.
Kael instantly raised his massive hand, ready to smack the kid away from her. But Nuan moved faster, grabbing Kael’s wrist. "Whaa!! Bad puppy! Don’t be an aggressive Alpha on a literal child, Kael! Look, you terrified him!"
The poor jackal kid’s ears were pinned flat against his head, his tail tightly wrapped around his body from back to front as he clutched himself in fear.
"Whoa, sorry about him, kiddo!" Nuan cooed gently, leaning down to pat his fluffy head until his tail finally relaxed. "Are you lost or something?"
The boy shook his head quickly. Reaching into his small pouch, he pulled out a locket made from braided tree vines. Hanging from the center of it was a single, long, wickedly sharp feline claw.
"Eh? Are you selling this?" Nuan asked, tilting her head.
The kid nodded eagerly. "Tiger claw... the one the Alpha killed that day... it’s his claw."
Nuan’s eyebrows shot up. Oh... right! Jackals are famous for kleptoparasitism in the wild. The ultimate scavengers and thieves! They must have sneaked onto them after to harvest the remains.
She turned a beaming smile over to Kael. "Kael, look at this! It’s your bravery medal! I’m buying it for you as a return gift for the blankets and clothes!"
Turning back to the little entrepreneur, Nuan asked, "How much for it, kid?"
"High-risk steal!" the jackal boy squeaked, puffing out his tiny chest. "Two ears of a hare and one leg!"
"Oh yeah, I bet it was," Nuan chuckled. She pulled the single hare she had hunted out of her inventory.
Taking out her hunting knife, she cleanly sliced off the ears and one thick leg.
The surrounding beastmen in the market stared at her in absolute awe as she casually materialized the meat out of thin air.
Nuan handed the pieces over to the boy and took the locket. The jackal kid snatched the meat, his eyes gleaming, and bolted back toward his family’s tent at a full sprint.
Nuan turned to the giant wolf-man. "Lean down, Alpha!" she commanded.
Kael looked confused but obediently tilted his upper body down toward her. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Nuan carefully slipped the vine locket over his head, letting the sharp tiger claw rest perfectly against his broad chest. She gave his head a final, affectionate pat.
As he straightened back up, Kael looked down, touching the white claw against his skin.
"Ah, perfect! Isn’t it?" Nuan smiled warmly. "Your official proof of bravery."
Kael’s chest puffed out so far it looked like it might pop. His silver tail started wiggling behind him with absolute, pure pride. "I am the Alpha of the Silver Grey Clan!"
"Yes, yes, you are a very brave boy," Nuan clapped her hands, thoroughly amused. "Now, are we taking these two hares back with us? Do you want to buy anything else?"
"No! We go back now, or it will get dark. Everyone is waiting for the hunt results!"
"Right, let’s go!" Nuan agreed, tossing her mutilated hare back into her inventory alongside Kael’s remaining ones. She took one last look around the noisy clearing. "Wait, I wonder if Eryx is done with his shopping yet?"
Kael let out a sharp, jealous huff, his ears twisting back. "Why you care for that snake guy? Let’s go!"
With a swift, dominant snap of his jaw, a soft puff of smoke engulfed him, and he transformed right back into his massive silver wolf form, waiting impatiently for his passenger.
"Oh, wait!" Nuan blurted out, tapping Kael’s furry shoulder before she could mount. "I completely forgot. I need something to drink water out of... like a leather canteen, a flask, or something. But I didn’t see anything like that in the tents."
"Will this be enough?"
Eryx’s smooth, whispering voice materialized from the shadows behind them. He glided forward, casually holding up a hollowed-out, sturdy bamboo bottle with a carved wooden stopper.
"Eh? A bamboo bottle!" Nuan’s eyes lit up. "Oh, that absolutely works! Wait, are you selling miscellaneous goods now too?"
Before Eryx could answer, Kael aggressively stepped in front of Nuan, wrapping his massive silver wolf body around her in a protective, heavily possessive circle to keep the python away.
"No..." Eryx murmured, entirely unfazed by the wolf’s bristling fur. He extended his pale arm, letting the bamboo bottle dangle from his fingers. "I just happened to use it to carry venom earlier. The venom is gone now, so it is of no use to me. You can have it... provided you wash it, of course."
"Ohh, that would be great! Thank you! I mean, if it’s useless to you anyway, it’s perfect survival gear for me," Nuan said, her resource-driven mind completely overriding any fear.
There was venom inside it! Kael’s frantic, angry voice practically shouted directly inside her head through the telepathic link. Do not touch it, meek savior, or you will die!
Relax, it’s fine—venom doesn’t work like that unless it enters blood. And don’t worry, I’m going to wash it with boiling hot water properly first! Nuan thought back.
Ignoring Kael’s stubborn tail-twitching, Nuan stepped forward out of his protective loop and took the bamboo bottle from Eryx’s hand.
"Well then, bye-bye for real this time!" Nuan chirped, stashing the bottle securely into her system inventory.
She turned and hopped nimbly onto Kael’s broad, silver back, digging her fingers into his thick neck fur. The moment she was secure, Kael didn’t waste another second.
He turned on his paws and forcefully marched away, kicking up a small cloud of dust to deliberately blind the snake.
Standing at the edge of the market, Eryx watched the massive wolf and the strange, furless female disappear into the dense jungle line. A sharp, incredibly pleased smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Another borrowed transaction..." he murmured softly to himself, his sloped pupils gleaming with amusement. "Let us see what you pay me with next time, beautiful Nuan."
