Caspian landed near the mouth of the cave with a heavy, deliberate thud, ignoring Raiden’s screeching entirely. He carefully set Hana on her feet, his tail sweeping behind him to claim the space as his own.

Raiden caught up a second later, his nine tails puffed out in fury. "You did that on purpose, you big lizard!" He began to rant again. "I’ve been guarding this loot like a god, managing these smelly pigs, and you can’t even give me a decent landing?"

But he suddenly stopped mid-rant, his green eyes darting to Hana, then to the sky where Kulu was just touching down.

Raiden’s nose twitched. The air was thick with the scent of roasted fish, herbs, and something else—the sharp, unmistakable musk of a fresh, primal bond.

He was sharp and definitely knew whose bond it was.

"Oh," Raiden said, his voice dropping as his eyes slowly rolled down to Hana’s thigh, where the scent was the strongest.

Then, he looked at Kulu, who was still wearing a dazed, dreamy smile, and then back at the fuming Caspian. Putting two and two together, he already knew what was going on.

"I see." He purred. "While I was playing general to the swine, the bird finally got its wings clipped."

"Shut up, fox," Caspian growled, his voice dripping with annoyance, though he didn’t move to attack. The sheer exhaustion of the day and the weight of the haul were finally catching up to him.

Hana didn’t wait for the banter to escalate. She stepped into the center of the sorting area, her eyes immediately scanning the rows of Boars. Taga was at the front, looking exhausted but standing tall under Raiden’s supervision.’ 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"At ease," Hana commanded. The Boars visibly slumped, a collective sigh of relief echoing off the stone walls. "Taga, you and your men did well today. You moved an entire bunker across a mountain ridge without breaking a single piece of glass. That is more than I expected."

Taga looked relieved and happy at the praise. The last thing he wanted was to make a mistake that would make her glare at him or order the Fire king to roast their tusks.

"Raiden," Hana called. "...hand out the extra rations. Everyone gets a double portion of dried meat," she ordered.

The Boars’ eyes widened. In the beast world, a leader who shared surplus was a rarity; a leader who did it after a hard day’s work was a godsend.

And not to talk of when that leader was a female. It was almost never heard of.

"Thank you, Great Female!" the Boars grunted in unison, their heads bowing.

"Yes, but it’s not for free. You have to work harder in the future. Today you were useful, and so you are rewarded. My nest is a place of order. Work hard, and you will never go hungry. But—" she paused, her eyes narrowing with deadly sparks as she scanned the group, "—if anyone thinks to steal, to slack, or to stab me in the back, I will make that Falcon warrior’s broken wings look like a mercy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Great Mother!" they grunted, the terror and respect in their voices perfectly balanced.

"Good." She said and turned around. "Now take your food and go. But be back here first thing in the morning—we have more work to do, and I don’t want to see a single one of you dragging your feet."

The Boars didn’t need to be told twice. They scrambled to grab their extra meat, bowing one last time before shuffling out into the cool night air.

The tension in the den seemed to leave with them, replaced by the heavy, silent presence of the three males watching Hana.

She turned toward the interior of the cave. The space was a mess of silver Aegis crates, dark solar panels leaning against the walls, and a heap of industrial supplies that made the once-open den feel small. But that wasn’t all. Right inside the cave, right next to the furs they had slept on, were four new additions.

Four thick, grey bundles of vacuum-sealed fabric sat in a neat row.

Raiden was already over there, poking the nearest one with his mirror-holding hand.

"Hana, what are these? Did you bring back giant, flat rocks from the metal cave? They don’t look very shiny."

"It’s for sleeping, not for vanity, Raiden," Hana retorted, though she felt a slight tug of amusement as she walked over. She knelt down and broke the seal on the first one.

Hiss.

The air rushed in, and the memory foam expanded with a soft, sighing sound, inflating into a plush, thick mattress.

Raiden jumped back, his nine tails puffing out like a giant pink dandelion.

"It’s alive!" he yelped. "The grey rock is growing!"

"It’s called a mattress," Hana muttered, reaching out to pat the soft, synthetic fabric. It felt like heaven compared to the dusty hides. "It’s what humans used for beds. It supports your weight so you don’t wake up feeling like someone kicked you in the ribs."

Caspian stepped closer, sniffing the clean, factory-fresh scent of the material. He reached out a massive, clawed finger and pressed down. Thankfully, his claws did not dig through the fiber and instead sank into the foam, and the material slowly molded around his touch.

"It’s... soft," he rumbled, his voice low with surprise.

​Then, he paused, a sudden thought flickering in his golden eyes. They darted from the mattress to Hana, settling pointedly on her chest. A deep crimson flush crept up his scaled neck, and he let out a sharp, unexpected gulp.

​Hana narrowed her eyes immediately. "Look away, you big lizard," she snapped.

​Caspian quickly turned his face away, the flush deepening on his cheeks. "Yes, it is soft but..." Under his breath, he added, "Not as soft as them."

​Hana shook her head in sheer exasperation. "Well, it’s meant to be soft for comfort, so get used to it. And stop staring at my breasts, or I’ll ban you from touching them."

​Raiden let out a loud snicker, already lounging on his own mattress with his mirror. "Oh, the lizard is such a pervert! Imagine being that desperate. How utterly primitive!"

​Hana rolled her eyes at the fox. As if he were any better, that narcissist, she thought. The only reason he wasn’t being as perverted as the dragon was because he wanted to use that time to admire his reflection.

​While they were bickering, Kulu stood a few paces back, his amber eyes wide as he looked at the four identical beds. He looked at the rough furs they had been using, then at the clean, organized line of grey mattresses.

​"Four?" Kulu asked softly, his voice trembling. "There is... one for me, too?"

​Hana looked up at him, her annoyance with Caspian softening for a second. "I don’t leave my people on the floor, Kulu. There’s one for each of us. You’re one of us now, so you’re going to sleep well."

Kulu felt his heart thud, not painfully but with a warmth that he could not fully explain with words. A feeling of belonging... It was great.

​"You did good today, Kulu," Hana continued, pulling the small, blood-stained teddy bear from her waistband and setting it on the small crate next to her new bed. "Consider this bed your first reward."