The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 261: Gossip... Always the wildfire

I took the bowl, the heat from the ceramic seeping into my frozen fingers. The broth was rich with spice and meat, but that was it. There were no wild onions or extra ingredients, but I didn’t complain.

After passing through such a cold night, I needed something this hot to feel better again.

As the first sip hit my stomach, I felt like I was being brought back to life from the inside out.

"And the cubs?" I asked, nodding toward the three little lumps of fur still snoozing near the fire. "Did she... touch them?"

"She washed the mud off Phina," Damar said, his voice regaining its usual melodic calm as he sat beside me, his thigh pressing against mine for warmth. "She was surprisingly gentle."

"Tita has a way with young ones, even if she treats adults like prey," Noah added, but I don’t think that last part was necessary to be said.

I looked at Phina. Her fur was indeed clean and fluffy again. She must’ve gotten some mud on her after our arrival. Beside her, Raiden let out a soft, contented snore, his belly full of whatever Tita had managed to get him to eat.

"She fed them?" I asked, surprised.

I don’t feel like I got milk extracted from me though. I looked at my breast. They were swollen with breastmilk under my bra top, confirming my suspicion.

"Goat milk," Noah said. "She’s a wolf. She knows how to raise a pack, even if her flirtations are... aggressive."

I sighed, blowing steam off my broth. "Fine. I won’t punch your cousin... For now. But if she blows on my ear again, I’m letting Fenric’s sister deal with her. They can frustrate each other to death."

Fenric let out a bark of laughter, the sound finally breaking the last of the heavy atmosphere in the room. He moved to the fire, poking the wood to keep the flames dancing.

"I’d pay to see that. Solin would finally meet her match."

We sat in silence for a while, the only sounds being the crackle of the fire and the sound of our heartbeats.

This hut was small, carved into the very side of the watchtower’s upper level, filled with dried herbs, animal skins, and the lingering scent of Tita’s musky scent. It was a far cry from our cave, but it was something.

"How long are we staying here?" I asked, looking at Noah.

"Just until we’re in the clear," Noah said. "The rain has let up, but it could start any moment given the storm clouds in the sky, and then after that, we’ll have to wait until the mud on the Plains dries," he added, his expression turning serious. "Once we leave this tower, we aren’t just travelers anymore. Even now, some beastfolks recognize me. It would be much worse once we get deeper in,"

"How is that worse?"

"Every beast that sees me, walking alongside you and the cubs, will definitely talk, and their talk will spread faster than our own legs can move."

Gossip... Always the wildfire.

"If so, then we might have to face a few confrontations from beasts who don’t like me... Or..." He looked at me and then the cubs. "Beasts who don’t like you."

He looked at Fenric and Damar. The reality of our situation was settling in.

In the outside world, we were just a family on an adventure. Here, at the edge of ’civilization,’ we were a scandal, a political anomaly, and a target for all.

Phew. I twisted my lips.

Well, I did tell myself I would have to meet one palace drama or the other since Noah was a king, so I’m not afraid. As long as I have my husbands by my side, I doubt I have anything to worry about.

"Are you ready for that, little tiger?" Noah asked softly, his eyes landing on me again. "Once we cross the border, there’s no hiding what we are to each other."

I looked away from him and looked at Damar’s emerald eyes, and Fenric’s steady, ruby gaze. Then I looked at my three beautiful, mixed-blood miracles sleeping by the fire.

"Heh!" I scoffed, a spark of my old tiger-fire returning to my eyes. "Do you think a few gossips and glaring eyes are enough to put me down?" I asked and then folded my arms. "I’m not that weak to begin with, so if someone attacks me, I’ll attack back." I clenched my fist but let my thumb out, pointing it back at myself with a proud smirk on my lips. "I survived winter while being pregnant, a rainstorm while riding the back of a beast, and even a double bear attack. I did all that without the aid of anyone else but my husbands," I said, "If your people have a problem with my family, they can take it up with my claws. I’m not hiding anything."

Noah looked at me, stunned; Fenric looked at me, excited; and Damar looked at me, proud.

Then, Noah let out a curt laugh.

"Yes, that’s right. You’re not a bossy beast for no reason. There’s no way you’d let any beast walk all over you." He said and drew closer. "I’m looking forward to seeing you put them in their place. And trust me, there are a ’lot’ of them."

"Hmph!" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, the more the better. I’ll use one of them to make an example so the rest can rest. If they still don’t learn their lesson," I unfolded my arms and then punched my fist, cracking my knuckle as my wild spirit kicked in. "Then I’ll just teach them one at a time."

They laughed at my tough stance and then I felt a hand stroke my head.

It was Damar.

"You don’t have to do it by yourself, Ari." He said, looking all sweet and innocent. "If you want a beast dead, just let me know. I’ll swallow them and leave no trace."

I shuddered.

How could he say something so terrifying with a smiling innocent face?

Gosh, Damar could be so terrifying.

I laughed and then pinched his cheeks.

"Alright, alright. I know you can do it but let’s not stand out too much, okay?"

I dragged the corners of his mouth up, forcing him to have a big smile, and I smiled too.

But there was one thought that lingered on my mind, something completely abstract from what was going on.

’What I would give to soak in a hot tub.’