Chapter 95: ...Everyone, Stay Calm!
By evening time, the hunter pack was finally back from the woods, their noses twitching as they caught the fresh scent of their witch’s sweat lingering in the clearing.
Every single wolf in the camp was burning with curiosity to see her with their own eyes.
Fire pits were lit up merrily across the dirt, and the fresh meat was carefully wrapped in thick green leaves so the smell of blood and meat wouldn’t bother the two massive giants resting near the trees.
Everyone stood in a quiet, expectant circle, their eyes locked on the tripod tent, waiting for Nuan to finally step out.
Inside the shadow of the blanket, a long, raspy sound broke the silence. Nuan’s body stretched violently under the covers. "Mmmmmphhhh."
Her jaws opened wide, letting out a deeply satisfying, bone-popping yawn. As she finally cracked her eyes open, the world was a blur of shadows, taking her a few long seconds to adjust to the dim evening light.
"Nuan!" Kael’s voice instantly erupted right beside her head, his golden eyes wide as his long tail began to wiggle excitedly against the dirt floor.
"Morning, Kael..." Nuan murmured, her throat feeling like it was packed with dry sand.
"It’s evening, Nuan!" Kael practically cheered. Before she could even process the movement, his large hand cupped her face, and he began to rapidly pepper her cheek with a dozen wet, enthusiastic kisses.
"Mphhh! What are you doing?!" Nuan mumbled, her stiff arms flailing as she forcefully shoved his chest away.
She aggressively wiped her face with the back of her hand. "How many times did you assault my cheeks while I was unconscious?!"
"Very few!" Kael said, completely unbothered by the shove, his face stretched into a radiant, happy grin just because her hands were touching him again.
Ding!
[ Mate Kael is lying, Host! He literally kissed your face every few minutes while you were out. ]
What?! Nuan screamed internally.
[ On the cheeks, strictly. ]
Pheww... still, absolutely no good! The boundary issues with this wolf are getting out of hand.
"Kael, bad manners!" Nuan scolded, groaning as she tried to force her heavy torso into a sitting position.
Seeing her struggle, Selka quickly crawled inside the cramped, shaded tripod tent to support her back, helping her sit up. "Oh, Miss Selka!" Nuan breathed, leaning into the older wolf’s firm grip.
Nuan blinked, her eyes suddenly adjusting as she stared intently at Selka’s face. "Eh?"
"What happened?" Selka asked, blinking back.
"Is it just me, or are you looking a bit... much better conditioned?" Nuan questioned, squinting as she inspected the older woman. "Like, your arm muscles genuinely look way more firm than before."
"Oh, that’s just the effect of the Red Root. Don’t mind me, look at yourself! Look at your ankle!" Selka pushed, her face full of excitement.
Nuan slowly lowered her gaze to her left leg. Her ankle wasn’t swollen, it wasn’t purple, and there wasn’t a single scratch left from the cougar’s brutal claws.
She gingerly shook and rotated her foot in a circle, finding absolutely zero resistance or pain. Her entire body felt completely intact.
"What the hell...!" Nuan whispered, her brain short-circuiting. "I got violently mauled by a giant cougar! And then... well, I genuinely thought I died! How am I completely healed?!"
Suddenly, a wave of pure panic hit her, and her eyes welled with tears. Gulp. "Don’t tell me... don’t tell me I spent three months sleeping like Sleeping Beauty while the world passed me by?!" Nuan sobbed out.
"No, no," Selka chuckled warmly, patting her shoulder. "You only slept for a few days."
"Thank God," Nuan muttered, wiping her nose. She then looked up at the crude branches and blanket covering her head.
"Who built this thing? Was I sleepwalking and doing architecture in my sleep?"
"Haha, no. Tala and Lyra built it for you," Selka explained, her voice softening. "Now, stop asking a hundred questions and try to stand up. The entire pack is waiting outside to see you."
Kael didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly scrambled out of the tent, throwing his good shoulder back as he barked to the camp, "Remove the tent! Nuan wants to get up!"
Koda immediately leaped forward to grab the sticks, but Lyra and Tala were faster.
They rushed to the structure, carefully pulling the heavy blanket away, instantly revealing a fully conscious, sitting Nuan to the fifty eight wolves waiting in the clearing.
With Selka supporting her under her armpits, Nuan tried to shift her weight. "Ow, my waist aches! Ugh, everything hurts," she complained as Tala and Lyra quickly untied the vines, pulling the three long sticks cleanly out of the dirt to give her room.
Nuan slowly, carefully, took all of Selka’s weight, trying to support her own weight for the first time in days. The moment she stood completely upright, gravity took its revenge. All the blood that had been pooling in her chest suddenly rushed downward, making her head spin in a wild, dizzy loop.
"Wow... wobble, wobble, what a fun thing," Nuan murmured, her eyelids fluttering as she tightly gripped Selka’s shoulders like a lifeline.
She clamped her eyes shut, taking a deep breath for about half a minute while the entire pack stood in absolute, dead silence, watching her every move.
When the dizziness finally passed, Nuan opened her eyes and looked straight ahead.
The very first thing her vision focused on were two colossal, eight-foot-tall, grey elephants staring straight back at her.
Fuck!!! Spear! Nuan screamed internally, her survival instincts instantly slamming the panic button. System, manifest the spear right now!
[ Inventory is completely empty, Host! And even if it wasn’t, your spear was left outside after the last boar hunt. You have no weapons equipped. ]
Ugh, why the hell is my inventory empty?! No, never mind that!
"Whoa, whoa, everyone, no running! Stay completely calm!" Nuan blurted out to the pack, freezing in place as she tried to keep her voice level so the two massive tanks wouldn’t stomp her into a pancake.