The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 324: I’m thinking about the rabbits

I looked back at the nursery. Noah was currently crouched down, looking completely overwhelmed as three toddlers—all with his dark, intense eyes—attempted to climb his back simultaneously. He looked exhausted, but for the first time, he didn’t look like he wanted to run. Good for him.

I knew I shouldn’t interrupt this. This was his penance and his healing all wrapped into one. But the vision of a kingdom that didn’t just survive, but thrived, was burning too bright to keep quiet.

It was spring, and the best time to farm. By the end of summer, a harvest was imminent.

But yeah, I shouldn’t interrupt this. And so, I waited until the sun began to dip, casting long, honey-colored shadows across the playground.

The mothers were starting to gather their pups, the air filled with the tired, happy whimpers of children who had played themselves into a stupor.

I walked over to Noah, stepping around a discarded wooden block. He looked up, his face smudged with dust, a tiny wolf-pup fast asleep against his thigh.

"They’re a lot," he admitted with a low murmur. "I never knew... I never knew how much noise forty children could make."

"It’s the sound of a future, Noah," I said, sitting down on the grass beside him. I didn’t touch him—I was still holding onto that week-long promise, but I let my presence settle near his. "But a future needs to be fed. And not just with meat."

Noah shifted, careful not to wake the sleeping pup. "What are you thinking, little tiger? I know that look. It usually means more work for me."

"I’m thinking about the Rabbits," I said. "You don’t know them since you weren’t with us back then, but they were the ones who led us to trade grain with the Mouselings."

"Ah, you mean the rice." I could see him salivating, and I chuckled.

He wasn’t there during the acquisition process, but he did reap the fruits.

"They have seeds, carrots, all sorts of vegetables... but they’re living out there in the open, exposed to every predator that passes by. If we bring them here—if we give them a plot next to Oakhaven and the West Way’s protection—we could have so many more resources. We could have an abundance of grain. We could build stores to keep the resources for the winter."

Noah’s dark eyes sharpened, his Kingly presence returning to the surface.

"I understand what you mean, but will they really agree to leave their home?" Yeah, that was a question. "The rabbits are a timid folk, Arinya. To move an entire tribe across the vast plains towards the West Way... it is a month’s journey, maybe more. And the predators between here and there are not as ’civilized’ as we are. The rabbits may not want to be exposed to the dangers out there."

"That’s why we sent an escort party," I said. "A collection of strong beastmen who would like to see the planes outside West Way. And if we promise to keep them close to the Sheep Tribe at Oakhaven, I am sure they will consent even if they are not comfortable with the surroundings. It shall be prey protecting prey, under our roof. We shall turn the West Way into a kingdom of every species, not just those with the sharpest teeth."

Noah went silent, his gaze drifting to the vast, empty fields. I could see the gears turning—the logistics, the risks, the sheer audacity of it.

"Will they really agree to go to a strange land?"

"If they hear the instructions come from me, their savior, they will surely move." Well, after a few back and forths with some who were dissatisfied with me back then.

Noah thought about it a moment and then nodded, but he still held an uncertain gaze.

"The elder council will roar," he muttered. "They think anyone without a claw is a guest, not a citizen."

"Then let them roar," I countered, grinning as I stood my ground. "I’ll be right there to roar back." If it’s just a bunch of old beasts, I know just how to deal with them. "But then again, Noah..." My brows furrowed as I realised just having strong beasts for the journey wasn’t all. "We need someone who knows the way."

"You’re right," Noah said, his voice dropping into a low, calculating rumble. "It’s not just about the fighting. The plains beyond our borders are a labyrinth of tall grass, hills, and shifting winds. A standard patrol would get turned around before it even reached the first river. They’d need a navigator who can read the scents of the deep earth and the old trails that the rain hasn’t washed away yet."

I nodded, feeling a sudden, cold weight settle in my stomach. "Someone who was there. Someone who remembers the path we took when we were fleeing the drought."

Noah’s gaze drifted past me, toward the flickering communal fires where the hunters were beginning to gather. "Fenric has the speed, and he knows the forest, but I feel he can track a beating heart better than trails on land. And I..." He sighed, looking down at the pup asleep on his leg. "I do not know the way. Even if I did, I am bound to the throne, especially now that you’ve made me the ’Master of the Nursery Palace.’"

He said it with a dry smirk, but we both knew the truth. We were talking about a very short list of people.

"I could go," I suggested tentatively, though even as the words left my mouth, I hated them. "I know the landmarks. I remember the red cliffs and even have the map, which is probably still in the troller we left at the border, but then again, I could get it and lead the—"

"No." The word came from behind us, sharp and cool as a mountain spring.

We both turned our heads and found Damar was standing a few paces away, his shadow long and elegant in the twilight. He was leaning against a weathered cedar post, his arms crossed over his chest. His dark scales seemed to absorb the fading orange light, making him look like a part of the night itself.

"You are currently the heart of this Kingdom, Ari," Damar said, his slitted pupils fixed on mine. "The sheep trust you. The bear-craftsmen follow your drawings. And now, these wolf-mothers look to you for the future of their pups. If you leave for two months, the ’roar’ of the elders will turn into a bite. You stay."