Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 144: Episode : Visitors From the East

5 months later.

It was finally spring.

The snow had finally retreated, surrendering its grip on the Iron-Wood forest to the insistent warmth of spring.

The valley was no longer a monochrome landscape of white and grey; it was a riot of color. Wildflowers burst through the thawing earth in purples and yellows, the trees were thick with new green buds, and the air smelled of wet soil and life.

The farms had produced good fruits for living.

But for Roxy, spring meant only one thing: Sweat.

"I feel like a fucking planet," Roxy groaned, letting her head flop back onto the plush cushions of the outdoor daybed Kaelen had built for her on the porch. "If I shift, it’s like I am moving a planet along."

She was eight months along now. The child inside her is growing fast and strong. Her belly was massive, a high, tight dome that seemed to stretch her skin to its absolute limit. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Torian, who was currently sitting by her feet peeling grapes with meticulous care, looked up with adoration in his blue eyes.

"You are so beautiful," the Tiger King purred, popping a juicy, skinless grape into her mouth. "You are the Sun. Radiant. Golden. Full of life."

"I’m full of fluid," Roxy mumbled around the grape, chewing angrily. "My ankles have disappeared, Rian. I have cankles. And look at my arms! I’m squishy everywhere. I used to be cute. Now I’m just... a blob."

She poked her own arm. It was softer, yes, but healthy. The months of rich food and pampering had filled out her previously malnourished frame.

To her mates, she looked like the epitome of fertility and health. To Roxy, she looked like a marshmallow.

"You are beautiful," Syris said from his chair, where he was reading a scroll on crop rotation, finally learned how to read. He looked over his spectacles at her. "You are perfect. Your skin glows..."

"Syris..." Roxy sighed, though she let him adjust the pillow behind her back.

"I think you look delicious," Kaelen grunted from behind the daybed. He was massaging her shoulders, his large, rough hands working the tension out of her neck with practiced ease. "Soft. Warm. Good to hold."

"You’re all biased," Roxy huffed, but she accepted another grape. "Is there any more of that roasted chicken? I’m starving."

"You ate a whole chicken an hour ago," Zarek pointed out from the railing, where he was watching the sky.

"The baby wants another one!" Roxy snapped. "Are you going to deny your heir protein, Dragon?"

Zarek turned, a smirk playing on his lips. "Never. I will hunt a flock if you wish."

Just then, a shadow fell over the porch...

Drax landed on the railing next to Zarek.

The Dragon boy looked like a human nine-year-old. His growth spurt had been terrifyingly fast. He stood tall, his black hair swept back, his golden eyes sharp and intelligent.

"Mother," Drax greeted her with a calm nod, mimicking Zarek’s stoic demeanor perfectly. "I have returned from patrol."

"Did you stay within the perimeter?" Roxy asked, squinting at him. "No flying over the Volcano?"

"I stayed close," Drax promised. "The wind is good today."

On the grass.

The triplets, Axel, Onyx, and Iris, were running circles around a very patient Reika (Mara’s wolf daughter).

Though they were biologically only about ten months old, the hybrid genes meant they looked and acted like four-year-old humans.

"Get the tail!" Axel shouted, diving for Reika.

"No bite!" Iris commanded, smacking her brother on the head. "Be gentle!"

"I found a bug!" Onyx announced, holding up a beetle. "Can I eat?"

"No eating bugs!" Roxy shouted from the porch. "Onyx, put the beetle down. Axel, leave the dog alone. Iris, stop hitting your brother."

"They are spirited," Torian chuckled, watching Axel try to wrestle a wolf pup. "Good warriors."

Roxy leaned back, closing her eyes as Kaelen’s thumbs dug into a knot in her shoulder.

It had been a whirlwind five months. The "Coin-Exchange" wasn’t just a local success; it was a revolution.

The coin system had spread like a virus, a good virus. First, the Wolves adopted it. Then the Tigers, incentivized by the gold buy-back program. Then the Bears, realizing they could buy honey without getting stung if they just sold timber.

Even the prey tribes, the Rabbits and the Deer, had started sneaking into the market. They found that money gave them power. A Rabbit with a pouch of gold coins could buy protection or better food. They didn’t have to be victims anymore; they could be customers.

Roxy opened her System interface in her mind.

[Balance: 48,250,000]

She was so close. Just two million more points. The Manor, the massive home that would fit her growing family, was within reach. She could almost see it.

"Just a little longer," she whispered to herself, rubbing her belly. "Then we get indoor plumbing that doesn’t rely on Zarek heating a bucket."

I can’t wait for it!!

The sun began to dip below the tree line, painting the sky in shades of bruised purple and fiery orange. The air grew cooler, but the heat radiating from Zarek and the furs around her kept Roxy toasty.

It was peaceful. The sound of the children playing, the rhythmic thump-thump of Kaelen’s massage, the smell of pine and roasting meat from the village... it was perfect.

Until a smell in the air alerted them. Kaelen stopped massaging. His hands went rigid on her shoulders.

Torian dropped the grape he was holding. His ears flattened against his skull, and a low, vibrating growl started in his chest.

Zarek, who had been leaning casually against the post, straightened up instantly. His golden eyes narrowed into vertical slits, and they all heard that oppressive pheromones again.

"What?" Roxy asked, looking around for any enemies. "What is it?"

"Foxes," Torian spat the word like a curse. "An entire caravan of them."

"Drax," Zarek commanded without looking away from the forest edge. "Take your siblings inside. Now."

Drax didn’t argue. He jumped down from the railing. "Axel! Onyx! Iris! Inside! Alpha order!"

The triplets, sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, didn’t whine. They scrambled up the stairs and ran into the cabin, Drax herding them like they were sheep before slamming the heavy door shut.

Roxy sat up, struggling against her weight. "Foxes? Is it an attack?"

Zarek shook his head. "They don’t smell of hostility. But..."

"Let’s hear what he has to say."