Free Web NovelChapter 18: Chapter 18: You can protect us when you are big enough not to get stolen by a bird
Kael stopped at once.
His head lifted, ears sharp.
Swanly pointed at a small patch of plants near a fallen tree. "Is that safe?"
Kael turned his head.
The plants had small red fruits hanging from thin green stems. Beside them were sharp-smelling leaves and several round yellow fruits growing low near the roots. Swanly stared at the red ones.
They looked like peppers.
Real peppers.
Maybe not the same, but close enough that her heart jumped.
If she could collect seeds, she might grow them later. If she could grow food in this world, that would be huge. Her space had supplies, yes, but supplies could end. Plants could multiply.
Kael sniffed the air.
"Bitter-fire fruit," he said. "It burns the mouth. Beast cubs do not eat it."
Swanly’s eyes brightened. "Perfect."
Kael looked at her like she had just said something deeply stupid.
She slid down from his back carefully. "Stay here. I want to pick some."
Kael shifted into human form and caught the cubs before they could tumble. He tied his hide around his waist, then stood beside her, watching the trees.
The cubs immediately began sniffing everything.
Swanly pointed at them. "Do not put anything in your mouth."
The smallest froze with his mouth already open near a leaf.
Swanly narrowed her eyes.
He closed his mouth.
She picked the red bitter-fire fruits and some of the yellow fruit too after Kael said it was safe. She also found a root that smelled like ginger and a green fruit that smelled sweet when she broke it open.
Everything went into her space.
Kael watched each fruit disappear.
The cubs watched too.
The smallest gasped every time.
"Mama magic eat fruit."
"No, Mama magic stores fruit."
"Stores?"
"Keeps."
The second cub nodded. "Magic belly."
Swanly decided not to explain.
Then the smallest saw a glowing bug.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
It crawled over a leaf with a soft green light in its body, blinking like a tiny star. Its wings were clear. Its back had gold dots. It looked like a piece of candy made by a fairy with dangerous taste.
The smallest cub stared.
His eyes widened.
His mouth opened.
Swanly turned just in time.
"NO."
The smallest froze with the glowing bug half an inch from his tongue.
Kael moved.
Swanly moved faster because panic gave her wings.
She grabbed the smallest cub and pulled him back against her chest.
The glowing bug opened its wings and hissed.
Yes.
Hissed.
The leaf under it turned black at the edge.
Swanly’s face went cold.
The smallest blinked.
"Pretty," he said softly.
Swanly stared at him.
"Pretty? Pretty? You were about to lick a glowing poison bug."
The smallest’s ears drooped. "It shiny."
"It can be shiny and deadly. Many things are shiny and deadly. Do not eat light."
The second cub nodded with serious fear.
The eldest puffed up. "I protect from bug."
The glowing bug lifted its wings again.
The eldest immediately stepped behind Kael’s leg.
Swanly pointed at him. "Yes. Very brave. Stay there."
Kael picked up a stick and flicked the glowing bug far away.
It hit a wet leaf and vanished into the bush.
Swanly held the smallest cub close and felt her heart beat too fast.
The system task flashed in her mind.
Keep all three cubs alive until sunset.
Swanly looked at the smallest cub.
He looked back with innocent eyes.
She whispered, "You are going to make me fail a baby-sitting task given by a flying criminal."
The smallest licked her chin.
Swanly closed her eyes.
They continued.
The forest became thicker after that.
Kael shifted back and carried them again for speed. He avoided low wet ground, crossed fallen logs, and moved around a place where the air smelled rotten. Swanly did not ask. She could already guess. Something had died there, and not cleanly.
Then a shadow passed over them.
The eldest cub looked up.
A huge forest bird circled above.
It was not like any bird Swanly had seen before. Its wings were wide. Its beak curved down like a hook. Long feathers trailed behind it, dark blue and brown, and its claws looked strong enough to grab a child.
The eldest puffed up at once.
His tiny fur rose.
He stood on Kael’s back and gave a small growl.
Swanly looked down at him.
"No."
The bird circled lower.
The eldest growled louder.
"No. No. No. Sit down."
The eldest did not sit.
He took one brave step forward on Kael’s back, lifted his tiny head, and tried to roar.
What came out was a baby squeak.
The bird dived.
Swanly screamed.
Kael twisted his body, but the bird’s claws caught the eldest cub’s back fur and lifted him half off Kael’s body.
The eldest let out a shocked cry.
Swanly grabbed his back legs with both hands.
"NO, YOU DON’T!"
The bird beat its wings hard.
For one terrible second, Swanly was pulling one way and the bird was pulling the other. The eldest cub was between them, eyes wide, paws flailing, his earlier bravery completely gone.
Kael snarled so loudly the leaves shook.
He leapt sideways and slammed one paw against a tree trunk, shaking the branches above. The bird lost balance. Swanly yanked the eldest cub down and hugged him to her chest.
The bird flew away with angry cries.
Swanly dropped to the ground with the eldest cub in her arms.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did it scratch you? Turn around. Let me see. Oh my God, why would you challenge a flying monster? You are smaller than its foot."
The eldest cried into her chest.
He was not hurt badly. Some fur had been pulled, and there was a small scratch, but he was more scared than injured.
"Mama," he sobbed. "I protect."
Swanly’s anger collapsed.
She hugged him tight.
"You can protect us when you are big enough not to get stolen by a bird."
The smallest and second cub pressed against her side, trembling.
Kael stood over them, still in panther form, growling toward the sky.
Swanly looked up at him.
"Your son tried to fight the sky."
Kael’s panther ears flattened.
Swanly could not even laugh yet.
Her heart was still punching her ribs.
They rested under a giant root after that.
Swanly checked the eldest three times. Then she checked the smallest because he was licking leaves again. Then she checked the second.
The second was gone.
Swanly froze.
"Where is your brother?"
The smallest looked around.
The eldest sniffled and looked too.
Kael’s head snapped up.
Swanly’s blood went cold.
"No."
She stood so fast the smallest rolled onto his bottom.
"No, no, no. Where is he?"
Kael sniffed the air.
Swanly spun around. "Baby? Where are you? Come out. Right now."
No answer.
The forest was too full of sound. Insects. Leaves. Water. Wings. Distant animal calls. Her fox ears twitched painfully, trying to catch one small breath among everything else.
Swanly’s eyes burned.
She had just caught one cub from a bird. She had just stopped another from eating poison light. Now the quiet one was missing.
The system task flashed again in her mind.
Failure: Your cubs will remember your incompetence forever.
Swanly wanted to strangle the system.
"Baby," she called again, softer now. "Mama is not angry. Please come out."
A tiny sniff came from behind a thick root.
Kael moved toward it.
Swanly lifted her hand quickly. "Wait."
She crouched and crawled close.
Behind the root, the second cub was pressed into a small hollow, shaking with his paws over his face. He had hidden when the bird attacked and had been too scared to come out.
Swanly’s heart broke.
"There you are."
The second cub looked up with wet eyes. "Mama leave?"
Swanly almost cried.
"No. Never. I was looking for you."
He crawled into her arms at once, shaking so hard that his little claws caught in her dress.
Swanly held him and closed her eyes.
This was too much.
Too much love.
Too much fear.
Too much responsibility.
She had been a mother for one day, and these cubs were already trying to end her.
She looked at Kael.
He looked worried too, but calmer.
Of course he was calmer.
This was his world. Cubs climbed. Cubs hid. Cubs almost fought birds. Cubs tried to eat everything.
To Swanly, it felt like a full war.
"I am not giving birth to more," she muttered.
Kael’s ears flicked.
The smallest looked up. "More?"
"No."
The eldest sniffled. "More brothers?"
"No."
The second whispered, "More Mama?"
"There is only one Mama, and she is already suffering."
They moved again.
Swanly held the cubs tighter this time.
Too tight, maybe, because the smallest started licking her hand to comfort her.
At first, she ignored it. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Then he froze.
His tongue touched something dark on the side of her finger.
He pulled back at once.
His face changed.
He spat.
Then he started crying.
Swanly’s whole body locked.
"What? What is it?"
The smallest cried harder and stuck his tongue out.
Kael stopped at once.
Swanly looked at her finger.
There was a smear of black on it.
Not mud.
Not fruit.
Black.
Thick.
Ugly.
Her stomach dropped.
She must have touched it when she moved the strange leaves near the root. Maybe something infected had brushed that place. Maybe something had died there. Maybe the bird’s claws had carried it. She did not know.
But the smallest had licked it.
