Chapter 212: The Boar and The Questions

Neve stared at the massive boar lying on the cave floor, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

He had thought it would be difficult for Roan to hunt because of the heavy snow. That was why he had not put much hope in Roan bringing in any catch. The winter weather was harsh and unpredictable.

But here Roan was, covered in blood, with a huge boar. About two times bigger than anything Neve had ever seen brought back before.

"Where did you even get this?" Neve asked, walking closer to inspect the animal.

"A little bit past the leopard tribe border," Roan replied, still looking at Neve with his golden eyes. His tail was wagging behind him, moving back and forth like a dog.

For some reason, Neve could tell exactly why he was wagging his tail. He was proud. He wanted Neve to be impressed and that was why he proved himself.

Neve snickered softly and walked toward Roan, putting a hand on his arm. The lion beastman’s muscle was warm and solid under his palm.

"Thank you, Roan," Neve said genuinely. "With this, you have fed the entire village."

Roan’s expression shifted. His pride seemed to fade slightly and he lowered his head.

"Village? I brought it for you," he said, his voice sounding disappointed. "I hunted this for you, Neve. Not for the village."

Neve felt a pang in his chest. Even knowing that Roan was not real, that all of this was programming, the beastman’s words still affected him deeply.

He pushed the dark thoughts aside and tried to focus on the present moment.

"I know, Roan," Neve said gently and continued speaking. "But if you wish to roam freely and be fully accepted by the people here, you have to win their hearts. And food is the way to a person’s heart. Sharing this with them will make them see you as part of the tribe."

"Huh? Food?" Roan tilted his head in confusion, not understanding the concept.

Neve realized that Roan did not understand modern human sayings or cultural references. He had forgotten that these creatures lived by different rules and customs.

He just smiled and waved his hand dismissively as he turned to Popi to ask for her help.

Even Popi still could not believe what she was seeing. Her jaw had literally dropped to the floor.

"Popi?" Neve called out loudly and she immediately snapped back to reality, closing her mouth and blinking hard several times.

"I can not believe it is possible to find a boar this big during winter," she said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Roan, you are truly a skilled hunter."

"Well, Roan made it possible," Neve smiled and turned directly to Popi. "We need to call the others so they could help with this. We cannot process all of this meat by ourselves. Where is Varek? Can he help us?"

"He only came to check on me," Popi said, looking a bit embarrassed. "The snow is not still good for him since he is a snake. The cold affects him badly. He went back to find somewhere warmer to stay for now."

Neve nodded in understanding. That made sense. Cold-blooded creatures would struggle in winter conditions.

"I will go find the others then," Neve said and started to move toward the cave entrance.

Popi immediately frowned and stepped directly in front of him, blocking his path with her body.

"You are crazy!" Popi yelled, her voice sharp with concern. "What makes you think I will let you go out there alone in the snow to look for that bunch of males? Especially in your condition with the cubs inside you?"

She placed her hands on her hips, her expression stubborn.

"I can handle it all," she added, turning to look at Roan. "The name is Roan, right?"

Roan nodded his head obediently.

"I can also handle cutting and processing the meat all by myself," Roan said confidently. "So you do not have to worry about anything, Neve. You stay here and rest. I will do the work."

Neve looked between Popi and Roan, and suddenly he felt a strange sense of something. Almost like affection. Almost like love.

But he knew better now. It was all programming. All code.

Neve would have believed if someone told him these two were siblings. They seemed to care for him in similar ways and for him in ways that felt genuine. But it was all artificial.

"Fine," Neve said, folding his hands across his chest. "Cut the meat into pieces that can be shared house by house throughout the village. And for the meat we will eat here in the cave, I am going to prepare it myself. You are not going to say no to that, are you?"

Popi and Roan exchanged glances with each other and Popi nodded.

"Fine. As long as you do not leave the cave," she said firmly. "Stay warm and rest. We will handle this."

They began cutting up the boar outside in the deep snow where the blood would be buried by the white powder. Neve stood by the entrance and watched them work, amazed by Roan’s skill.

The lion beastman was using his bare hands to skin and rip the meat apart with precision. His claws helped him separate the meat from the bone cleanly. Blood stained his arms and chest, but he kept working.

Popi was busy separating the different cuts of meat, wrapping them carefully in large leaf papers that Sif had gathered from somewhere outside the cave. She organized each package neatly, making sure each piece was secure.

"Oh! This is a good part. Let us keep this one for ourselves," Popi said happily, setting aside one large piece of boneless meat as she continued sharing the rest among packages.

By the time they had processed about half of the boar, the others finally arrived back at the cave.

Kael came in first, his wolf form still slightly visible around his edges, like he had just shifted from his animal shape moments before.

Behind him came Cael, his leopard markings visible on his skin. He was followed by Sorin, whose eagle wings were still partially visible on his back before they faded.

Ryker came in last, his leopard form evident in his massive size and strength. All of them had clearly been out training their abilities.

"Is there a party happening?" Kael asked, stepping closer to the entrance and seeing the blood and the massive boar being processed. "Why is there so much meat here?"

"Does it look like a party, dummy?" Cael asked sharply, stepping closer to Neve. He wrapped his arm around Neve’s shoulder, pulling him close against his chest. His warmth was comforting even though Neve knew it meant nothing.

Cael leaned closer to Neve’s ear, his eyes scanning the scene outside.

"Tell me Neve, what’s happening here?"