Chapter 133 The days after

A few peaceful days had passed since the play area was completed, and Anaria was finally able to walk without her splint.

The settlement had also made considerable progress. The elders had moved into their new shelter, the water supply was clean, and the children now had a designated place to play. The women had started gathering in their shelter to sew clothes and blankets, while the men continued improving the settlement.

Anaria was pleased with how things were going. There was still plenty of work to do, but at least the villagers no longer had to struggle with some of the problems that had plagued them when she first arrived.

"System"

The system chimmed immediately

[Yes host]

Ananria smiled at it "Can I get the task update"

[Yes, loading....]

The familiar panel appeared before her.

[Task update]

[Main Task: Complete.]

[Host has successfully completed the well-being task]

[Rewards loading....]

[Rewards: 1,000 Spirit Fangs, 50× Healing Boost, 20× Beauty Enhancement Kits, and a Supply of Baby Kits.]

[Additional Rewards for Exceeding Expectations: 500 Spirit Fangs and 1× Skill Enhancement Token.]

Anaria’s eyes widened."Wait. What does exceeding expectations mean?"

[You have improved the settlement beyond the required objectives. The inhabitants are healthier, happier, and more secure]

[Additional rewards have therefore been granted.]

Anaria grinned.

She hadn’t expected the extra rewards, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain. The Spirit Fangs would come in handy, and she was particularly interested in the Skill Enhancement Token.

She dismissed the panel and continued toward the elders’ shelter, where she spotted her mates.

Rylan was speaking with one of the elders, while Kenai repaired a section of the wooden fence nearby. Kai, on the other hand, was sitting on a blanket with Ana.

Anaria slowed down when she noticed what they were doing.

Ana was trying to crawl.

The little girl pushed herself up with both hands, managing to lift her stomach off the blanket before dropping back down.

"Come on, Ana!" Kai encouraged. "You can do it!"

Ana babbled and tried again.

This time, she managed to move one knee forward before losing her balance.

Kai laughed. "Almost! Try again, little one."

Anaria smiled as she approached them"How long has she been doing that?"

Kai looked up at her. "Since I sat down. I think she’s determined to crawl today."

"Really?" Ananria’s eyes lit up with curiosity

"Yes, and I’m not leaving until she does it."

"Don’t you have work to do?" Ananria jokely asked him

"I finished my work."

Anaria raised an eyebrow "All of it?"

Kai paused "Most of it."

She laughed. "I thought so."

Kenai, who had noticed her arrival, put down the piece of wood he was holding and walked over.

"Your leg is better."

Anaria turned toward him. "Much better."

He glanced down at her leg, then back at her face.

"You’re not limping anymore."

"Yeah, probably it’s all healed, Kenai."

He nodded, looking satisfied "Good."

Anaria smiled at him. Their relationship had been less awkward over the past few days, although they still hadn’t properly discussed what had happened between her and Rylan. She knew Kenai was still processing it, so she hadn’t pushed him to talk.

At least he was no longer avoiding her, Kai’s sudden outburst disrupted her thoughts.

Kai suddenly looked up from the blanket "Look who’s finally back on her feet! Does this mean you’ll start helping us carry wood again?"

Anaria gave him a flat look "Would you like me to find you more work?"

"No, thank you. I’m perfectly fine with the amount I already have."

"Then stop talking."

Kai laughed, and Kenai shook his head as he returned to the fence.

Rylan finished speaking with the elder and joined them shortly afterward. His gaze settled on Anaria, and he looked her over briefly "How is your leg?"

"All healed up, I think."

He nodded. "That’s good."

Before she could say anything else, Ana let out an excited squeal.

They all turned toward her.

The little girl was on her hands and knees again, rocking forward as she tried to move. Kai leaned closer, encouraging her.

"Come on, Ana. Just one more try."

Ana pushed herself forward.

One knee moved, then the other. She wobbled slightly but managed to crawl a short distance across the blanket.

For a moment, everyone stared.

Then Kai practically shouted, "SHE DID IT!"

Ana startled at his voice and sat back down, looking at him with wide eyes.

Anaria burst out laughing "Kai! You’ll scare her!"

"I’m celebrating!"

"You’re shouting!"

"Because she crawled!"

Rylan chuckled while Kenai shook his head at Kai’s excitement.

Ana, apparently deciding that everyone was making too much noise, began babbling loudly herself.

Anaria knelt beside the blanket and held out her arms.

"Come here, baby. Come to Mama."

Ana looked at her, then began crawling toward her again. Her movements were still clumsy, and she stopped twice to regain her balance, but she eventually reached Anaria.

Anaria picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Well done, my girl."

Ana grabbed a handful of her mother’s hair.

"Ouch! Ana!"

Kai laughed so hard that he had to look away.

"She’s already giving you trouble."

Anaria carefully freed her hair from the baby’s grip. "And whose fault is that? You’ve been encouraging her to grab everything she sees."

"I have done no such thing."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

Ana reached toward Kai, seemingly determined to settle the argument herself. He immediately held out his arms, and Anaria handed her over.

"There. Take responsibility for your student."

Kai grinned as he settled Ana against his chest.

"Come to Papa Kai."

Anaria gave him a look. "Papa Kai?"

"What? She has four parents. I deserve a title."

Rylan glanced at him. "You can start by teaching her not to pull people’s hair."

"That’s an advanced lesson. We haven’t reached that stage yet."

Kenai laughed quietly as he returned from checking the fence.

Ana seemed pleased with all the attention. She reached for Kai’s face, grabbed his nose, and squealed when he pretended to be offended.

Anaria watched them with a smile before turning toward Rylan.

"Have the elders finished discussing the shelter?"

"Yes. They wanted to thank us for the improvements."

"That’s nice."

"They also asked whether we could help them build another storage area before the next rainy season."

Anaria considered that. "We should. It would be better to prepare early than wait until the rain starts."

"I thought you’d say that."

She glanced at Kenai, who had returned to stand beside them.

"What do you think?"

Kenai shrugged. "We can build it. We’ll need more wood, though."

"And somewhere to keep the supplies dry," Rylan added.

Anaria nodded. "We can discuss the details tomorrow. There’s no need to start another project today."

Kai immediately raised his free hand.

"I support this decision. Everyone should rest."

Anaria looked at the wood still lying beside him.

"Didn’t you say you finished your work?"

"I did."

"Then why is that wood still there?"

Kai followed her gaze.

A brief silence passed.

Kenai burst out laughing.

Rylan shook his head, while Anaria folded her arms and waited for an answer.

Kai cleared his throat.

"I was saving that for tomorrow."

"Of course you were."

Kai grinned and quickly changed the subject by holding Ana up for everyone to see.

"Look at her! She’s getting bigger every day."

Anaria reached out to straighten the baby’s clothing. "She’ll be walking before we know it."

"Then we’ll have to watch her even more closely," Kenai remarked.

"Especially if she starts copying her third papa, Kia" Rylan added while looking at Kai

Kai looked offended. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Kenai replied.

Anaria laughed as Kai began defending himself.

After a while, Kai announced that he was hungry, earning an unimpressed look from Anaria.

"You just ate."

"That was hours ago."

"It was barely an hour ago," Kenai corrected.

Kai ignored him and looked at Rylan. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Anaria?"

"No."

Kai stared at all three of them. "Living with you people is difficult."

Anaria laughed as he picked Ana up and carried her towards their shelter, muttering about finding food for himself.

For the rest of the afternoon, they stayed together near the elders’ shelter. Rylan discussed the upcoming storage project with Kenai, while Kai continued entertaining Ana until the baby grew sleepy.

When Ana began rubbing her eyes, Anaria took her back and settled her against her chest.

"Someone is tired."

Ana yawned, curling closer to her mother.

Anaria smiled and adjusted her hold.

She still had plenty of plans for the settlement, and the System would undoubtedly give her more tasks soon. But for now, there was nothing urgent that needed her attention.

Her leg had healed, the settlement was improving, and Ana was growing stronger every day.

For once, Anaria could sit with her family without worrying about what needed to be done next.

And she intended to enjoy it.