Chapter 60: Kids, Snowmen, And A Chaotic Spring!
Neve stayed at the festival until the sky started to lighten.
The energy had shifted hours ago from the formal presentations into something looser. Music was still playing from somewhere. Adults were drinking and talking in groups. But the children had found him.
He was not sure when it started. One kid appeared near the edge of the leopard tribe section and asked if he wanted to watch them play. Then another came. Then more. By the time the moon was halfway down the sky, there were five of them sitting around him, and he was stroking the hair of one who had fallen asleep against his shoulder.
He watched the others play something with rocks and snow that he did not understand the rules for. They laughed when someone lost. They cheered when someone won. It was simple and pure in a way that made something in his chest tighten.
He thought about the kids at the zoo.
The ones who had been there when he fell into the lion enclosure. The ones who had screamed. He wondered if they remembered him. He wondered if they had nightmares about it. He hoped they didn’t blame themselves for what happened. He hoped they would move on and forget about the zookeeper who had made one mistake and paid for it with his life.
He tilted his head away from those thoughts and focused on the child sleeping against him.
His fingers moved gently through the child’s hair. Soft. Young. Probably only five or six years old.
One of the other children yawned and wandered back over. He sat down close to Neve and looked up at him with tired eyes.
"Do you have cubs?" the child asked.
Neve blinked. "Cubs?"
"Yes," another child said, sitting up on Neve’s other side. "Cubs. Do you have any?"
Neve had thought they were asleep.
One by one, they were sitting up now, watching him, waiting for his answer with the focused attention children have when they want information.
"Well, I don’t," Neve said carefully.
One of the older ones fumbled with his nails, looking down. "How do you take care of us so well then? Most older males and females would have told us to go away by now."
Neve remembered what Sorin had told him.
About his mother and about her having more than ten mates. About being focused on mating and crystals instead of her own children or even caring for any of them.
He looked at the children around him.
"What tribe are you from?" he asked.
"Leopard," one said.
"Tiger," another answered.
"Eagle," the third one said.
"Fox," came the fourth response.
One more child raised their hand slightly. "Wolf."
There was one left. The nervous one who had been quiet most of the time. He rubbed his hand, and Neve could tell immediately which tribe he was from just by the hesitation. The way his sister had moved around Aldric—the specific quality of their interaction.
"Bear?" Neve said gently.
The boy nodded.
Neve patted his head and turned back to the other children. He did not know what to say to them. Sorry? That would not fix anything. He could not go to their parents and demand they treat their children better. That was not how this world worked.
He just told them to grow up.
To become better versions of their parents. To remember how they felt right now and make sure their own children never feel this way.
The children nodded seriously at this, as they had just received important instructions.
Then the oldest one asked, "Are you going to be good to your own female and cubs?"
Neve did not know how to explain that he was the female.
He did not want to accept that title. It felt wrong in all the ways that felt wrong. So he just nodded, and the children snuggled closer around him, satisfied with the answer.
.
.
They built a snowman as the sky started to change colour.
The children had never seen what Neve looked like in his beast form. They only knew him as human. So when they asked what to build, Neve thought of his other body and suggested a bear.
The children thought it was a great idea.
They worked together. Packing snow. Rolling it into shapes. Stacking it. Other children from different tribes saw what they were doing and joined in. By the time the sun was starting to actually rise, they had built a massive bear snowman in the middle of the festival grounds with all the children standing around it looking proud.
The chiefs started gathering.
Soren stood at the gate and watched as the first tribes began to leave. Warriors carrying bundles. Children being herded away from their new friends. The chaos of a large gathering breaking apart into smaller pieces again.
The kids who had played with Neve all night ran back to him one last time.
"See you next year with your cubs and female!" they screamed.
They were loud enough that every adult in the immediate area could hear them clearly.
Neve’s face went completely red.
The children waved as their parents collected them and started moving toward the paths that led back to their territories. The village suddenly seemed much quieter and emptier.
Soren was laughing from where he stood at the gate.
Neve shook his head and turned to look at the village. It was a mess. Bits of fabric scattered. Empty wine containers. Stalls knocked over from the dancing. A few tiger tribe members had already started organising things, cleaning up the aftermath.
Soren came to stand beside him.
"They had a lot to say," Soren said.
Neve folded his arms and inhaled deeply. "They’ll all be fine. As long as it doesn’t concern me."
He waited for Soren to argue with him. To tell him that the children’s comments were important or that he should care what they thought.
Soren said nothing.
Neve looked at him. "Did they talk about me? The chiefs?"
Soren was quiet for a moment. "They want you to visit each tribe before the next festival. They want to build bonds with you so the dragon king won’t burn them." He paused. "They think the leopard tribe won’t be able to keep you safe."
"Okay," Neve said slowly. "What did you say?"
"I disagreed. I told them your home is here." Soren looked at the village. "But after much argument, they agreed to send representatives to the leopard tribe. Each tribe will send someone. They’ll arrive after winter."
Neve lowered his head.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
He felt something cold settle in his stomach. Something like dread.
"It’s going to be a chaotic spring," Soren said quietly. "Neve. Prepare yourself."
Neve stood very still.
He thought about what he had believed when he arrived in this world.
That he would be safe here. That he could build something real. That he could have time to figure things out and make plans.
He thought about the system mission.
Ten mates. Two hundred litters. Five years.
Neve lowered his head and clenched his fist.
"I thought I’d be safe in this world," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone. "What the hell is this?"