Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 81: Episode : Going to the Burrows..

Later that afternoon, Roxy had gone to take her usual nap. Usually, at night times the beasts were always active.

None of her husbands dared to wake her up at this hour, giving her the long sleep she needed.

Kaelen and Drax had to stepped out of the cabin to go hunting.

"Quiet paws," Kaelen whispered, crouching low in the underbrush.

Beside him, Drax mimicked the pose, though his chubby toddler legs wobbled. The little dragon was vibrating with excitement, his golden eyes wide.

This was the kind of game he loved to play.

"Quiet paws," Drax repeated in a loud whisper that scared away three birds.

Kaelen sighed patiently. Teaching a dragon to hunt like a wolf was proving difficult. Drax’s instinct wasn’t to stalk; it was to incinerate.

"We are hunting rabbits, little spark," Kaelen explained, pointing to a game trail. "Rabbits have big ears. If you stomp, they run. We must be shadows."

Drax nodded solemnly. He took two agonizingly slow steps, then got distracted by a shiny black beetle crawling on a leaf.

"Bug!" Drax yelled, lunging.

He didn’t catch it with his hands. He opened his mouth and let out a tiny puff of fire, the beetle rolled off, stunned. Drax pounced, trapping it under his chubby hand.

"Got it!" Drax cheered, holding up the slightly smoked beetle.

Kaelen looked at the pathetic catch. A wolf pup would have already snagged a squirrel by this age. But Drax looked so proud, his little chest puffed out.

Kaelen smiled, tongue tied.

He ruffled the boy’s dark hair. "A mighty hunter," Kaelen praised, his voice full of genuine warmth. "The beetle never saw you coming. Good job, son."

Drax beamed, pocketing the beetle for later snacking. Kaelen hoisted him onto his shoulders. Maybe they wouldn’t catch dinner today, but the boy was learning patience. Slowly.

Back in the cabin, the atmosphere was significantly heavier.

Zarek sat on the wooden bench near the window, the morning sun heating his black scales. Syris sat on the floor nearby, wrapped in his blanket, absorbing the heat radiating from the Dragon.

The triplets were asleep in their crib.

It was the first time the Dragon and the Serpent had been left truly alone, without Roxy as a buffer or Kaelen as a distraction.

Zarek, bored with the silence, decided to assert dominance the only way he knew how: boasting.

"Dragons do not chase mates," Zarek announced suddenly, his deep voice startling Syris. "We attract them. We build hoards of shiny stones. The females come to us. The strongest female claims the richest pile."

Syris blinked slowly. "Efficient. You lure them with resources. Like baiting a trap."

He didn’t know why the dragon king was telling him this but he would be damned if he didn’t listen.

"It is not a trap," Zarek huffed, offended. "It is a display of power. But my mate... Roxy... she is different. She did not care for the shiny stones."

He leaned back, a smug, arrogant grin spreading across his handsome face.

"She was feral for me. She could not resist the heat."

Syris raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued despite himself. "Oh? I was under the impression you forced the bond."

"Bah," Zarek waved a hand dismissively. "Details. The truth is, her body craved mine. Do you know how our mating was finalized, worm?"

Syris shook his head slightly.

Zarek leaned in, his golden eyes glowing with pride. "I was in a deep sleep. She snuck into the nest. She climbed on top of me. She mounted me while I dreamed and rode me until I woke up inside her."

He laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that shook the floorboards. "She claimed me. A female of unknown origin, taking a Dragon King while he slept. That is power. That is why she is the Mother."

Syris stared at him. He processed this information, and was a little confused but awed.

Can she do that to me too? He thought.

"Remarkable," Syris murmured, genuine respect creeping into his tone. "She recognized you as a threat and calmed you down before you could burn her. It was a brilliant tactical strike. She conquered the conqueror from a position of perceived weakness."

Zarek blinked. He hadn’t thought about it like that. He just thought it was hot. But the snake made it sound... strategic.

"Exactly," Zarek nodded firmly, deciding this interpretation suited him. "She is a tactical genius. You see things clearly, Snake. For a cold-blood, you are not entirely stupid."

"High praise, coming from a walking bonfire," Syris replied dryly, but a tentative truce settled over them. They understood each other now. They were both powerful males who had been outmaneuvered by the same small, soft creature.

On the other hand, Roxy needed air. The cabin was suffocating with testosterone and baby fumes.

She escaped to the village center, a large clearing where the females gathered to work during the day.

As soon as she stepped into the light, she was swarmed.

"Roxy!"

"The Mother is here!"

A dozen wolf women, their hands busy with weaving baskets and scraping hides, surrounded her. They weren’t hostile anymore. Their eyes held gratitude, and respect.

"Look at you," an older female smiled, touching Roxy’s arm. "You look well. The pups are strong?"

"They are loud," Roxy laughed, feeling the tension leave her shoulders. "But strong."

The crowd parted, and Mara waddled forward.

Roxy gasped. Mara was huge. Her belly distended sharply beneath her stretched tunic. In the Beast World, pregnancies were shorter, but the growth was intense.

"Mara," Roxy smiled warmly. "You look ready to pop."

Mara grunted, rubbing her lower back. Her sharp features had softened slightly with impending motherhood. "Any day now. He is restless. Like his father."

She looked at Roxy with clear green eyes. "We missed you at the circle. The winter was hard, but your ideas... the smoked meat, the sealed windows... no pups died this winter. Not one. We owe you."

A murmur of agreement went through the circle. Roxy felt a lump in her throat. She wasn’t just a breeder to them anymore. She was part of the pack.

"I’m glad," Roxy whispered. "Truly."

Mara winced as her baby kicked. She held up a piece of stiff, cured deer hide she had been trying to soften.

"But we have a problem," Mara complained. "This leather. It is too rough for a newborn. It will chafe their skin raw. We need something soft. Like the tunic you wear."

Roxy touched her soft cotton dress, an item from the System. "I... I don’t know how to make this fabric."

"We do not make it," another female piped up. "We trade for it. At the Burrows."

Roxy frowned. "The Burrows?"

"Underground," Mara explained, pointing toward a dense part of the forest. "The Moles, the Badgers, and the Rabbits. They live deep in the earth. They are weak fighters, but they weave ’Soft-Grass’ cloth. It is like clouds."

Mara sighed heavily. "But the trek is long for me now. And the males hate going there. It is too tight for them."

Roxy looked at Mara’s uncomfortable belly. She looked at the rough leather. Then, a spark lit in her eyes.

A shopping trip. A girls’ trip. No snarling husbands. No arrogant snakes. Just soft fabric and gossip.

"How far?" Roxy asked.

"Half a day by wagon," Mara said.

Roxy grinned, grabbing her empty basket.

"Get the wagon," Roxy commanded, feeling a surge of adventurous energy. "We’re going to the Burrows."