Chapter 110: Accidental Politician
[Following the successful completion of both major tasks, Host’s role within the Dow Clan has been formally assessed and recognised]
[Based on leadership contributions, influence metrics, and willing clan consensus...]
[The Dow Clan has officially recognised Host as their leader]
[Achievement: Accidental Politician!]
[ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ]
Tera stared at the screen.
’What the actual fuck?’
[Host is now the leader of the Dow Clan]
[Loading clan stats...]
[...]
[Dow Clan]
[Clan Leader: Tera]
[Species: Fox beast (shiftless)]
[Total Population: 46]
[Adults: 30 (11 Females, 19 Males)]
[Cubs: 16 (12 Newborns, 4 Juveniles)]
[Clan Morale: Very High]
[Food Security: Unsteady]
[Shelter Status: Established]
[Water Access: Reliable]
[Defence Rating: Low]
[(◕‿◕✿)]
[Congratulations, Clan Leader Tera!]
Tera’s mouth hung open.
But Xavi was the leader! He had always been the leader! She was just... the one who built things and yelled at people!
’Hold on. But Xavi is their leader!’
[Host surpassed Xavi’s leadership metrics approximately three months ago]
[The formal designation was delayed due to Host’s recovery period and pending task completion]
[But the clan’s consensus has been clear for some time]
[(ᵕ—ᴗ—)]
[Most of them already consider Host the true leader]
[They simply never said it out loud because they assumed Host already knew]
Tera did NOT know.
She had been running around organising construction projects, delegating tasks, teaching farming, managing food supplies, resolving conflicts, negotiating punishments, and restructuring the entire social order of the clan while pregnant, and she had somehow not noticed that she had quietly become the person in charge.
’Does Xavi know about this?!’
[(≖⩊≖)]
[Xavi was the first to defer this title to Host]
Tera’s brain was short-circuiting.
Ideally, this should have made her happy, but being a leader came with responsibilities she did not care for!
’Hold on a sec. I’ve basically been running things already for a long time now.’
Tera was processing this new revelation when Althea detached from her breast and made a small, satisfied sound.
Then she noticed her mother wasn’t looking at her.
Althea’s tiny pink ears flattened.
She cooed.
Tera didn’t respond. Her eyes were still fixed on the empty space where the system screen floated, her expression frozen in stunned disbelief.
Althea cooed again, louder.
Nothing.
The baby’s face scrunched into a frown that was so eerily similar to Ermin’s default expression that it would have made Tera laugh on any other day.
Althea was not accustomed to being ignored, and she had apparently inherited her father’s intense need for attention that he would never openly admit to.
Her tiny fingers found Tera’s exposed nipple, the one she had just been feeding from, still sensitive and slightly swollen.
She grabbed it and yanked like she was trying to pull a cork out of a bottle.
"OW—WHAT THE—"
Tera’s whole body jerked. Her head snapped down, and she found Althea looking up at her with the most satisfied expression a baby could produce.
The panther cub’s tiny fingers were wrapped around her mother’s nipple with a grip strength that defied her size, and she was tugging it sideways like it was a piece of stretchy dough she intended to reshape.
"ALTHEA! LET GO!"
Althea giggled, devoid of any remorse as she tugged again.
’Oh my God, her claws—’
[Althea has discovered that nipples are interactive]
[(≖⩊≖)]
[This system is documenting this milestone]
’THIS IS NOT A MILESTONE!’
[This system disagrees]
’HELP ME!’
[This system does not have hands]
[(ᵕ—ᴗ—)]
Tera tried to wrestle her daughter’s grip off her nipple while Nadia continued sucking peacefully with her eyes closed, completely unbothered by the violence occurring inches away from her face.
The contrast was staggering. One twin was nursing in perfect, blissful serenity. The other was treating her mother’s body like a chew toy at a puppy playdate.
Althea was oblivious to her mother’s struggle, her ears perking up at the fascinating sounds her mother was making.
Tera finally pried her fingers off and cupped her breast protectively. She quickly placed Althea beside her and stuffed her mouth with a pacifier to placate the stubborn cub.
Althea sucked it greedily while making sure to touch Tera’s lap.
Tera groaned, carefully adjusting her hold on Nadia while massaging the breast Althea had just assaulted. The nipple was red and tender, and she was fairly certain she could see tiny claw marks.
- ※ - ※ - ※ -
In the days that followed, the clan had gathered around Tera with so much warmth as they thanked her profusely, announcing their declaration of her being their clan leader now.
Tera had still been hesitant about the new title, but Xavi insisted, with Ermin having full support of this decision too. Seeing the pride in her mates’ faces alongside the genuine respect of the clan members she had built a home for left her so touched she could barely speak.
She found herself repeatedly admiring the water channels whenever she passed them, still stunned by her own handiwork. They were easily the most advanced thing in the entire settlement, and watching the water flow steadily through the stone-lined trenches into the basins never got old.
A few more months passed in quiet peace, and Tera relished every task-free day like a gift she didn’t trust to last. Meat grew scarce again, and the clan shifted to eating mostly fruits and tubers from the farm.
The smoked meat reserves dwindled slowly and eventually ran out, which left Tera worried about the clan’s protein intake, but the animal pen was growing, and they could manage.
She had used the last of her stored clay to create a proper pot, which she had left to thoroughly dry and bake.
Most importantly, her body had fully recovered. Including her libido, which was making its presence known again in ways that made sitting near either of her mates increasingly distracting.
The twins were growing beautifully, and the days blurred together in a comfortable rhythm of feeding, exercising, and watching her settlement thrive.
Then one afternoon, the hunting team returned carrying a modest haul of fresh meat and something far more interesting.
A small wolf cub.