Chapter 121: New wears

Anaria picked up the needle.

She held it for a moment. She had not done this in a long time.

She looked at the cloth. It was soft. Clean. New. She measured it with the tape. She marked it with chalk. She cut it slowly.

The women watched her. They did not speak. They just watched.

Mira leaned closer. "Your hands are steady."

"I have done this before."

"When?"

"Before. A long time ago."

She did not say more. She threaded the needle. She pushed it through the cloth. She pulled the thread. She made a stitch. Then another. Then another.

The bear girl sat nearby. She was waiting. She watched Anaria’s hands. Her small face was curious.

"What are you making?"

"A dress. For you."

The girl’s eyes went wide. "For me?"

"Yes."

The girl did not speak again. She just watched.

Anaria sewed. The dress began to take shape. Small sleeves. A small collar. Soft. Warm.

Lira leaned closer. She watched Anaria’s stitches.

"Yours are small."

"Small is better. It holds longer."

Lira nodded. She looked at her own stitches. They were big. She frowned.

Anaria finished the dress. She held it up.

The women stared.

Mira spoke first. "That is beautiful."

Sena nodded. "I have never seen anything like it."

Lira did not speak. She just reached out and touched the cloth. She felt it. Soft. She looked at Anaria. Her eyes were wide.

Anaria handed the dress to the bear girl. "Try it on."

The girl took it. She held it. She looked at it. Then she pulled it over her head.

It fit perfectly.

She looked down at herself. Then she looked up at Anaria. She was smiling.

She ran to her mother. "Look! Look!"

Her mother picked her up. She was crying. She was happy.

The other women looked at Anaria. Then they picked up their needles. They began to copy what she taught them. Slowly. Carefully.

Mira pricked her finger. "Evil thing."

Sena laughed. "You said that already."

"It is still true."

Lira did not laugh. She just kept sewing. Her stitches were smaller now. Like Anaria’s.

At the construction site, the men were working. One of them, a big bear beastman, stopped. He looked at his mate. She was sewing. She was learning.

He smiled.

Another man nudged him. "Look at her. She is sewing."

The first one nodded. "Mine too."

Kenai was carrying wood. He stopped. He looked at Anaria. She was teaching Mira how to hold the needle. He did not smile. But his eyes were soft.

Kai was holding Ana. He walked closer. He stood near the shelter and watched.

"She is good at this," he said.

Rylan walked over. He stood beside Kai. He did not speak. He just watched.

Ana reached for Anaria. She made a small sound.

Kai held her tighter. "Not now. Mama is working."

Anaria looked up. She saw them watching. She felt proud.

The system chimed quietly.

[Task progress: Good. Continue.]

She dismissed the message.

The women became better. Mira finished a shirt. It was not perfect. But it was good.

Sena finished a pair of pants. She held them up. "Small. For a small cub."

Lira finished a dress. She held it up. She did not speak. But she smiled.

They called the cubs over. The cubs came running.

"Look! New clothes!"

They tried them on. They laughed. They ran around.

The settlement became lively. The children were wearing new clothes. Their parents were happy.

The system chimed.

[Task Complete.]

[Reward: 150 spirit fangs, 1× Skill Enhancement Token.]

Anaria dismissed the message.

Mira spoke. "Can we keep the materials?"

Anaria looked at her. "Yes. But keep them away from the cubs. The needles are sharp."

Mira nodded. "We will."

The women gathered the materials. They put them away.

Anaria stood. She limped back to the shelter. Kenai walked over and helped her. She leaned on him.

"You did good," he said.

"It was just clothes."

"It was more than clothes."

She did not answer. But she smiled.

She went inside and sat down on the bedding. She looked at the pile of cloth she had set aside.

Clothes for Kenai. Clothes for Kai. Clothes for Rylan. Clothes for Ana.

She had made them while the women sewed. She had not told anyone.

She put them aside. She would give them later.

For now, she rested.

The sun was setting.

The children were still playing, wearing their new clothes as they ran between the shelters. They laughed while their mothers watched them with smiles.

Anaria sat outside her shelter with her leg propped up. The stool was hard, and her back ached, but she did not move. She simply watched.

The construction was still going on. The men were working on the elders’ shelter. The frame was up, and the walls were almost done. They would finish tomorrow, maybe the day after, but it was happening.

Kenai walked over. He was dirty, his hands rough from carrying wood all day.

"You should go inside."

She looked at him. "I am fine."

"Your leg."

"It is fine."

He did not argue. He simply sat down beside her.

Kai came over with Ana. The baby was asleep. He sat down on Anaria’s other side without speaking and held Ana.

Rylan came last. He stood near the entrance and looked at the settlement, then at Anaria.

"The elders will have a new shelter soon."

She nodded. "That is good."

"The water source is next. Then the play area."

She nodded again.

He looked at her. "You are tired."

"I am always tired."

He did not smile, but his eyes were soft.

Anaria looked at her hands. They were stained and dirty. She saw the scars on her arms, small ones from the branches and from the fall. Then she looked at the ones on her leg. They were bigger and angrier.

She did not like them.

She called on the system.

"Are you there?"

[Yes.]

"Is there something I can use? For the scars?"

The system was quiet for a moment.

[Yes. Scar Tube. Cost: 50 spirit fangs.]