A sharp, rhythmic thudding at the door startled Lin Wan from her exhaustion. She sat up on the silver-fox furs, pushing her tangled hair back. Before she could even call out, the door creaked open just a crack. It was Bax.

"The Chief sent me," Bax grunted, his eyes carefully avoiding the red patches on her face, though his curiosity was plain to the eyes

"Tomorrow night, when the moon is high, there will be a bonfire party in the central plaza. It is a celebration for the Sanctuary, and a welcome for you. Every male in the Orycto and the guest tribes will be there, and you are invited."

Lin Wan felt a cold spike of anxiety. "A party? Bax, look at me. I’m exhausted, I’m covered in rashes, and I just lost my..." She trailed off, her voice cracking. "I can’t. I just want to stay indoor."

Bax stepped into the room, his massive Rhino-beast frame making the sturdy cottage feel like a birdcage. "You do not understand, little bird. This is not a request. The party is being held ’for’ you. To show the tribes that the flood did not break our spirit. If you do not show, it insults the Chief’s hospitality." He paused, his voice softening slightly. "It is better to be seen as a guest than a prisoner. Think on it."

He didn’t wait for her to argue. He stepped back out and pulled the heavy door shut, the latch clicking with finality.

The silence that followed was broken only by a loud, treacherous growl from Lin Wan’s stomach. The sound echoed in the small room, making her face heat up.

’I’m so hungry I could eat a whole forest’ she thought miserably.

Suddenly, a wave of grief hit her so hard she had to sit back down. If she were back at the cave, Wang would have already brought her the softest, charred meat, and Qin Mo would be draped nearby, watching her with that silent, protective intensity. They had spoiled her. They had taken care of her to the point where she felt like a child lost in a supermarket.

"Stop it," she whispered to the empty room, wiping a stray tear with the back of her hand. "Stop crying. You have a backbone, Lin Wan. Use it. You aren’t just a female anymore; you’re a mother. You have to survive this Southland madness for the baby."

She touched her belly, her fingers trembling. As if in response, her stomach growled again, louder this time.

Knock!. Knock!.

She hurried to the door, pulling her mask back up. When she opened it, she found the second of the three males, a leaner, younger beastman. He was holding a heavy bundle of raw, red meat and a stack of cured hides.

"For the female," he mumbled. He looked up, catching her eyes for a split second before blushing a deep, earthy red and looking at his feet. "I... I helped hunt this. It is the best cut. I hope it pleases you."

He practically tripped over his own feet as he turned to leave, scurrying away like she was the one made of fire. Lin Wan stood there, holding the cold meat, and felt a familiar ’ding" of alarm in her head.

"Oh no," she muttered, closing the door. "Is this another Tila? Is every male in this world a magnet for trouble?"

She looked at the raw meat and then at the cold, empty hearth. The thought of trying to start a primitive fire and roasting meat on a stick made her want to scream.

"Weiwei," she called out mentally. "I need help. I need a gas stove, a cylinder, and actual cooking utensils. I can’t live like a cavewoman today. I need real food."

[Request Denied,] Weiwei’s voice popped up, sounding like a bored librarian.

[Host, providing modern technology like a gas range is a direct violation of the ’Primitive Immersion’ protocol. It doesn’t fit the timeline. You have a hearth. Use it.]

"I’ll hide it, I promise!" Lin argued, pacing the stone floor. "I’ll cook, and then you can store it back in the system space before anyone opens the door! No one will ever know."

[Still a violation. The system space is for storage, not for hiding an illegal kitchen.]

Lin Wan felt the frustration boil over. She sat down on the furs and let her shoulders slump. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced a sob, her voice turning into a high-pitched, pathetic wail.

"Fine!" she cried, her voice echoing. "I’m all alone in a world that wants to eat me! I lost my husband, I’m covered in poison, I’m pregnant, and now I’m going to starve because my own System wants me to rub sticks together! It’s okay... the baby doesn’t need nutrients. We’ll just wither away in this house while you go into retirement..."

[...Stop it,] Weiwei groaned.

[That is the most transparent fake-crying I have ever logged in my database. It’s embarrassing, Host.]

"I’m hungry, Weiwei!" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

[Why don’t you just ask a male for help?] Weiwei countered. [The males outside would be delighted to fetch you firewood, water, and even cook for you. It’s what they are built for.]

"And what if one of them is a psycho?" Lin countered instantly. "What if they see me as a weak target while I’m distracted by the fire? I need to be in control of my own space."

The silence in her head lasted for ten long seconds. Finally, with a digital sound that resembled a frustrated sigh, a series of items began to materialize on the stone floor.

A compact, single-burner gas stove. A small, blue cylinder. A stainless steel pot. A bag of long-grain white rice. Spices. A bottle of oil.

Lin Wan’s eyes lit up, her tears vanishing instantly. "I knew you loved me, Weiwei!"

She moved with a burst of energy she hadn’t felt all day. She washed the rice using the water from the stone basin, the grains clicking against the metal pot, a sound of civilization that made her feel like a person again. She sliced the fresh meat into thin, seasoned strips and seared them in the pan. The aroma began to fill the room, the nutty scent of steaming rice mixed with the savory, peppery smell of sizzling meat. It wasn’t just food; it was a memory of home.

While Lin Wan was hovering over her secret stove, the rest of the Orycto settlement was in a state of absolute chaos.

In the side of the Rhino tribe, the elders stood before a crowd of restless, muscular males. "Listen well!" the eldest Rhino roared, slamming his staff against the earth. "The new female is alone. Her males are dead, claimed by the Great Flood. Tomorrow night is the bonfire. It does not matter if her face is marked by the vine,those marks will fade, but her womb is a treasure. The male who catches her eye tomorrow becomes the First Male of her new harem! Do not let the Rabbits or the Falcons take what should be ours!"

Similar speeches were happening in every corner of the town. In the burrows of the Rabbit-kin, the younger males were frantically grooming their silver fur, their hearts pounding at the thought of a female with no protectors. The lack of a beasthusband made Lin Wan the most valuable prize in the settlement and beyond, she was a "blank slate," a chance for any male to climb the social ladder.

However, not everyone was celebrating.

Near the central well, a group of the Sanctuary’s other females had gathered. They were draped in fine furs and polished bone jewelry, their expressions sour as they listened to the distant roars of the excited males.

At the center of the group sat ’Su Mei’. She was undeniably striking, with snowy-white bunny ears that twitched with every sound.

She looked like a delicate doll, but the ferocious, twisted expression on her face marred her beauty. Her two "crew" members, ’Mei-Ling’ and ’Sia’, nodded eagerly at her every word, looking like a pair of yapping foxes behind their leader.

"You all act as if a goddess has fallen from the sky," Su Mei snapped, her pink lips curling into a sneer. "She is a bedraggled thing from the mud. I saw the guards carrying her, she’s hideous. Red spots all over her face, smelling of stagnant water. The males are only excited because they haven’t had a new toy in years. Once they see how truly ugly this ’new female’ is tomorrow night, they’ll realize they’ve been wasting their breath. An ugly female is no threat to us."

Mei-Ling giggled, fanning herself with a feather. "Exactly! Why would anyone want a female with a face full of poison? She’ll be lucky if the Chief doesn’t throw her out with the trash by morning."

"I heard she was crying like a weakling," Sia added, tossing her head. "No backbone at all."

"Oh, give it a rest, Su Mei," a sharp voice cut through the air.

Four females were leaning against the stone wall of the well, watching the scene with clear disdain. At their head was ’Jia ’, a tall woman with short-cropped, chocolate brown hair and a sturdy build that suggested she was more comfortable in the wild than in a silk-lined nest.

Beside her stood Lilly, who had tawny hair braided with leather; ’Zhuzhu’, a quiet girl with deep, sympathetic eyes; and ’Ember’, whose fiery-orange hair matched her sharp tongue.

"You’re just terrified because for the first time, the males aren’t falling over themselves to bring ’you’ the best cuts of meat," Jia continued, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The new female survived the Great Flood alone. Can you even walk across a puddle without crying for an escort?"

Su Mei’s bunny ears pinned back against her head, her face turning a blotchy red. "How dare you! She is a diseased wreck! Look at the attention she’s getting, it’s an insult to all of us!"

"An insult?" Ember laughed, her voice ringing like a bell. "No, it’s just a reality check. You’re jealous, Su Mei. Pure and simple. You’re mad that even with a ’hideous’ face, she managed to catch the eye of Bax and the Chief. Maybe she has something you don’t, like a good personality."

"She’s a kindred spirit," Zhuzhu added softly, her voice carrying a weight that silenced the bickering. "She lost her home and her males to the water. To attack her before she even has the chance to heal... that’s the truly ugly thing here."

Su Mei stood up, her chest heaving with rage, her "cute" features completely vanished behind a mask of malice. "We’ll see how ’kindred’ you feel when she’s stealing your resources. Mark my words, tomorrow night, that mask will fall, and the males will see her for the monster she is."

"And we’ll see if the males care about a few spots when she’s clearly stronger than a bunch of hothouse flowers like you," Lily shot back.

The four women turned and walked away, leaving Su Mei and her crew fuming by the well. The lines were drawn. The Sanctuary wasn’t just a haven anymore; it was a battlefield.