Chapter 104: Missions And Premonitions! 1
Everyone returned to the cave and immediately started treating Neve like he was made of glass.
They placed him carefully on the bed like he might break at any moment. They adjusted his blankets multiple times, tucking them around him, making sure he was warm. They covered him up completely and started asking questions from every direction.
"Are you hungry?"
"Are you cold?"
"Does your head hurt?"
"Does your feet hurt?"
"Do you need water?"
"Should we get you something to eat?"
The questions came so fast that Neve could barely process one before another was asked.
Neve immediately sat up from the bed, his eyes narrowing as he glared at all of them.
"I’m not going to allow you all to treat me like a child," he said firmly, frowning at them. "I’m pregnant, not disabled. I’m not helpless."
They all exchanged glances with each other, clearly uncertain about how to respond.
"But you’re pregnant," Cael said, leaning forward to touch Neve’s stomach gently. His hand was warm and protective. "With our cubs. You need to take care of yourself."
Neve looked at Cael’s hand on his stomach and felt something soften inside him. But he forced himself to stay firm.
"Right, I know," Neve said. "But I can’t just stay here in bed throughout the entire pregnancy. I have to do work and I have to keep moving. Besides, I have to complete the system missions."
They all exchanged glances again.
"Why don’t we help with the missions?" Ryker asked. "Can we help? Or is it not allowed? Can only you do them alone?"
Neve wanted to say no immediately. But as he thought about it, he realized there was no way he could handle all the burden alone. The missions were too big. The tasks were too much for one person. And the system had never specifically said he had to do everything himself.
He looked back at them and smiled.
"Of course, you all can help me," Neve said. "The system never said I had to do this alone."
"What are the missions?" Popi asked eagerly.
"The first mission is for me to strengthen the bond I have with my mates," Neve said. "We need to deepen our connection. That’s what bonding means in this context."
Kelly’s eyes widened immediately.
"Bond?" he asked, his voice going high with excitement. "You mean, you’re going to mark us? Finally?"
Neve wished Kelly was close enough for him to smack his head. The wolf was clearly thinking about something completely different than what Neve meant.
"Just to strengthen the relationship," Neve said quickly, trying to clarify before things got too complicated. "That’s what I mean by bonding. Emotional connection. Trust. Understanding. That kind of thing."
But looking at their faces, he could tell they were all thinking about the same thing Kelly had been thinking about.
"Oh!" all of them chorused together.
Neve shook his head and stretched out his second finger, moving on to the next topic before things got too heated.
"The second mission is for me to ensure the survival of all of the tribe members throughout winter," Neve announced.
The cave went completely silent.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Neve with shocked expressions on their faces.
"What? Is there something wrong?" Neve asked, staring at their shocked faces, not understanding why this would be such a big deal. "What’s wrong with that mission?"
"Who is the system to ask you to care for us?" Ryker asked, his voice soft but filled with emotion.
"Safety? Winter has just begun," Kelly said, stepping forward. "The worse is yet to come. Most of the tribesmen will lose their lives if their houses are not built well. The cold will kill them. The snow will bury them. The ice will freeze them solid."
He paused, his expression becoming more serious.
"That’s why the tiger tribe always merges with the leopard tribe to help and protect each other during winter," Ryker continued. "Our land is weak for this kind of weather. The temperature drops too low. The storms come too hard. However, no one cared enough since they all see it as a natural thing that happens every year. Just accept the losses. Accept that some people will die."
Cael took Neve’s hand gently.
"But you," Cael said, his voice carrying emotion. "And your system. You both care about us. About everyone. You’re not just thinking about yourself. You’re thinking about the survival of the entire tribe."
Neve felt his chest tighten at the words.
"Uh," he stuttered, unsure of what to say. Should he say thank you? Should he acknowledge their gratitude? He was completely confused about how to respond to such genuine emotion.
He just scratched his head and lifted his shoulder in a small shrug.
"Well, it’s the mission," he said simply. "I just have to do it."
Popi suddenly spoke up, her voice cutting through the moment.
"Don’t you think Neve should be chief?" she asked, and everyone turned to look at her, including Neve.
The question caught Neve completely off guard.
"What? No, absolutely not," Neve said, shaking his head firmly. "Trust me, I want to be the last person to even think of becoming chief. I don’t want that responsibility."
He remembered that he had his own tribe to create. He had cubs on the way. He had system missions to complete. He did not need to be chief on top of all that. He did not need the additional burden of leading an entire tribe.
"If you don’t wish to be chief, then let Cael be chief," Popi suggested, turning to the leopard prince.
"I don’t want to be chief, either," Cael said immediately, looking away from Popi like the very suggestion made him uncomfortable. He stood up properly, straightening his clothes.
"Speaking of chief, I’ll have to see my brother," Cael said. "I should have gone earlier when he summoned me, but Neve needed to come home. Now that he’s here and resting, I should go apologize to Soren for not following his order immediately."
Neve looked up at Cael with concern.
"I’m sure he’ll be angry because you didn’t follow his order," Neve said quietly. "Just try to reason with him. Explain why you couldn’t come."
Cael waved his hand dismissively.
"I don’t need to apologize or explain myself," he said with confidence. "He owes you a lot. After all, you saved his life. He should have been the one to reason with us. He should have understood that you needed me more than he needed me in that moment."
He walked over to Neve and planted a kiss on his forehead, his lips lingering against Neve’s skin.
"I’ll be back," he said, pulling away from Neve. "I won’t be long."
He turned to Kelly who was standing nearby.
Kelly immediately understood the message. The message to take care of Neve while Cael was gone. The message that Neve was his responsibility now.
Kelly nodded once, accepting the duty without hesitation.
Neve watched Cael leave the cave, his tall form disappearing outside.
He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily.
But something felt wrong.
For some reason, he felt something bad was going to happen soon. The feeling was vague but it was there. A sense of wrongness. A premonition of danger.
But he couldn’t tell when it would happen. He couldn’t tell how it would happen. He couldn’t tell what exactly was going to happen. And most importantly, he couldn’t tell to who the danger would come.
Was it Cael? Was it Soren? Was it someone else?
Neve closed his eyes, trying to push the feeling away, but it lingered like a shadow that would not disappear.
Something was coming.
Something bad.
And Neve had no way of knowing what it was or how to prepare for it.