Chapter 50: The Great Beast-Skin Bribery Operation

Clare and Zainabu spent every day hauling heavy stone pots across the savannah until their arms felt ready to fall off. If they could get lightweight clay pots like Sora’s, life would be a whole lot easier.

Sora blinked in surprise.

She hadn’t expected anyone to notice.

She’d been making pottery for quite a while now, yet these two were the first women to ask about it. She’d actually planned to teach everyone eventually, but during the salt-refining demonstration, the tribe had been far more interested in the shiny white salt than in the humble clay pots sitting beside it.

No one had asked.

And she wasn’t about to stand in the middle of the village yelling,

"Attention everyone! Free pottery lessons! Clay included!"

Besides, her own kitchen still needed more supplies. The first batch had been rushed, and she’d only made the essentials.

She smiled and nodded.

"Sure. But the clay pit is quite far from the village, so bring your beast husbands along. They’ll be carrying most of the load."

Clare and Zainabu’s faces lit up.

"Really?"

"We’ll definitely come!"

The two had expected to be turned away. After all, Sora’s reputation hadn’t exactly been sparkling before.

Instead, she agreed without hesitation.

She really wasn’t as scary as everyone claimed.

And after seeing her bright, organized kitchen, complete with neat shelves, clay cookware, and an actual cooking station instead of three random rocks around a fire...

...they wanted one too.

After Clare and Zainabu left, Sora returned to sketching clothing designs onto a flat stone using charcoal.

When she finished, she stretched and checked the time.

It was probably time to change her homemade sanitary pad.

With a fresh one tucked under her arm, she quietly slipped into a secluded patch of woodland.

She had barely untied her beast-skin skirt—

"Kaelira... what exactly are you doing?"

A calm male voice drifted from behind her.

Sora froze.

"...Seriously?"

Why.

Why did the universe insist on scheduling every embarrassing moment around Ryan?

Salt refining?

Ryan.

Hot spring?

Ryan.

Changing her pad in the bushes?

Ryan again.

Did this man secretly have GPS?

She nearly screamed into the nearest baobab tree.

Without looking back, she hurriedly yanked her skirt back into place while trying to preserve what little dignity she had left.

Ryan had only intended to pass through.

From where he stood, all he saw was tall grass swaying suspiciously.

He frowned.

Couldn’t she find a more private bush?

Deciding whatever she was doing wasn’t his business, he turned to leave.

A moment later, Sora emerged from the grass carrying a narrow strip of folded beast hide wrapped carefully around something.

Ryan politely chose not to investigate.

Some mysteries of the savannah were better left unsolved.

Sora cleared her throat.

"Did you need something?"

Ryan remembered why he’d come.

"I heard you’re making pottery in a few days."

"I want to come."

That caught her off guard.

"You... want pottery?"

"I want to learn how you make it."

Of course.

That sounded exactly like Ryan.

While everyone else saw bowls...

...Ryan saw engineering.

While everyone admired food...

...Ryan admired manufacturing techniques.

The man probably looked at mud and thought,

"Fascinating structural potential."

Sora couldn’t help smiling.

She’d already noticed he was the tribe’s resident scholar—the kind of person who got excited over filtration systems instead of hunting trophies.

Teaching him might actually be fun.

"Tomorrow morning," she said. "Meet me here."

Ryan gave a simple nod before disappearing back into the trees.

Only after he was gone did Sora collapse against a rock and sigh dramatically.

"One day..."

"...one glorious day..."

"...someone will invent disposable pads."

After washing and hanging her reusable pad to dry on a nearby branch, Sora headed deeper into the forest.

A few days earlier she’d spotted a patch of bright red wild hawthorn berries.

Today’s snack had officially been decided.

She filled a basket with glossy red hawthorn and a handful of sweet golden wild fruits the tribe often gathered.

After washing everything thoroughly, she soaked the fruit in lightly salted water before preparing thin wooden skewers from fresh branches.

She removed the pits, threaded the fruit onto the skewers, and set them aside.

Next came the fun part.

Into a clay pot went crystallized wild honey and a splash of water.

She stirred patiently over a gentle fire until the honey melted into a smooth amber syrup.

The moment tiny bubbles appeared—

"Perfect."

Working quickly, she rolled each fruit skewer through the syrup before standing them upright in a bundle of dry grass to cool.

Soon, an entire bouquet of sparkling candied fruit stood before her.

They looked like edible jewels catching the afternoon sunlight.

The first person back from hunting was Xavier.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"...What... is that?"

Rows of shiny red fruit glittered in front of Sora like ornaments growing on tiny trees.

His ears twitched.

Snack.

His instincts recognized it immediately.

A few moments later, Ace and Lucas returned carrying fresh hides.

The rich scent of warm honey drifted through the air.

All three hunters froze at exactly the same time.

Lucas swallowed loudly.

"...Tell me those are for us."

Ace folded his arms, trying—and failing—to look indifferent.

His eyes had already locked onto the candied fruit.

Sora looked up with an amused smile.

"You’re back."

The three nodded in perfect synchronization.

Like hungry lion cubs pretending they weren’t drooling.

Lucas stepped forward first, grinning shamelessly.

"So..."

"...about those victory snacks you promised?"

Three pairs of eyes stared at the glittering candied hawthorn.

The hunting competition had officially transformed into a snack competition.

The first to recover from the scent of honey was Ace.

His eyes practically sparkled.

"That looks incredible!" he declared, already reaching toward the glossy fruit. "I’m definitely getting a snack."

With the confidence of a hunter expecting first prize, he dramatically dumped his day’s haul onto the ground.

"My hides."

Sora crouched to inspect them.

Fox.

Rabbit.

White sheep.

Every hide was spotless, thick, and snowy white.

Beautiful...

...if she planned to spend the hottest season of the African savannah dressed as a walking winter blanket.

She rubbed her chin.

"Elegant... but I’d melt alive."

Before she could comment, Lucas swaggered over with an even bigger grin.

"Hmph. Look at mine."

He proudly emptied his bundle beside Ace’s.

"They’re obviously better."

Ace folded his arms.

"In your dreams."

Sora looked down.

"..."

"...Wow."

Lucas hadn’t brought hides.

He’d brought feathers.

Blue peacock feathers.

White peacock feathers.

Emerald green ones.

Kingfisher feathers that shimmered in the sunlight.

Even a magnificent black-and-gold pheasant tail feather that looked worthy of a tribal chief’s ceremonial crown.

They were gorgeous.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Unfortunately...

They also looked like the beginning of a very confused chicken.

"Fashion? Maybe."

"Accidentally becoming the Queen of Birds?"

"Also possible."

She wisely kept those thoughts to herself.

Not wanting to lose, Xavier quietly stepped forward and laid out his own collection.

Compared to the first two, his choices were far more practical.

Leopard hide.

Silver marten fur.

Zebra hide.

A few other sturdy pelts.

Sora nodded slowly.

"These are... useful."

Then she noticed the patterns.

Leopard spots.

Zebra stripes.

Silver fur.

Brown fur.

Everything together looked less like clothing...

...and more like someone had challenged a hyena to design formal wear.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Why is everyone in this tribe determined to make me look like wildlife itself?"

After studying the mountain of hides, Sora couldn’t help reaching one conclusion.

Each hunter had chosen prey that reflected his own personality.

Ace, the tiger, naturally preferred luxurious fur.

Lucas, who loved anything flashy, had raided practically every colorful bird on the savannah.

And Xavier...

She glanced at his pile again.

"...You just hunted anything that looked durable, didn’t you?"

Xavier shrugged.

"If it survives thorn bushes, it’ll survive you."

"...Fair point."

"Anything else?" Sora asked.

The three exchanged wary glances.

Then, almost in perfect synchronization...

...they started pulling out even more hides.

Sora blinked.

"Wait..."

"How many animals did you hunt?"

Nobody answered.

Apparently, while she had been making candy, these three had quietly turned the afternoon into an unofficial hunting tournament.

No one wanted to lose.

By the time they finished unpacking, nearly ten animals’ worth of hides covered the ground.

Sora stared.

"...Were you hunting..."

"...or trying to bankrupt the entire savannah?"

Satisfied that she now had enough material for several outfits, Sora clapped her hands.

"Alright."

She pointed toward the little forest of candied fruit standing nearby.

"Leave thirty skewers for me."

"The rest..."

"You each get twenty."

The sentence hadn’t even finished before—

WHOOSH!

Three grown beastmen disappeared toward the candied fruit with the speed of starving cheetahs.

Sora stared after them.

"...They’re supposed to be apex predators."

"They’re acting like children who heard the ice-cream cart."

Ace was the first to grab a candied hawthorn.

Crunch.

His golden eyes widened instantly.

The brittle honey shell shattered with a satisfying crack before the sweet syrup blended perfectly with the tart fruit inside.

"Crispy..."

"Sweet..."

"Sour..."

His tail nearly wagged.

"This is amazing!"

Lucas immediately snatched two skewers.

"No fair!"

Crunch.

A second later, his eyes lit up just as brightly.

"Oh..."

"...I understand now."

Without another word, he quietly claimed a third skewer before anyone noticed.

Xavier remained the calmest.

He took one bite.

Paused.

Took another.

Then silently moved his entire share behind his back.

Just in case the other two suddenly became "generous."

Sora folded her arms, unable to suppress a laugh.

Moments ago they’d been competing over hunting trophies.

Now...

...three of the strongest warriors in the tribe were silently guarding candied fruit like jealous baboons protecting stolen mangoes.