CHAPTER 265: 265: NEST ON ARROWHEAD

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Ahead of them the wind whispered cold promises across the high cliffs of Arrowhead Mountain.

The sun had long since fallen, slipping behind the horizon like a wounded soldier retreating into sleep. The stars glittered above with unusual clarity. The moon shone brighter. No clouds veiled the moon, and the jagged tip of Arrowhead mountain jutted so high into the sky that it seemed to pierce the constellations themselves.

The terrain here was sharp, narrow, and shaped like a broken spear jammed into the planet. But Alka had found a natural flat ledge just beneath the main peak. It stretched wide enough to support them all, with a wall of rock shielding one side and a slope descending into pine forests on the other. Sparse tufts of moss and mountain grass swayed along the edges.

Alka circled the mountain top once, her wings spread like blades of blackened moonlight, then descended in a steady spiral. She landed with a soft thud and shook her feathers with the elegance of a performer ending her act. The girls disembarked one by one, stretching their legs and cracking their backs after hours in the sky.

Kai did not move.

He remained slumped against the saddle, his body finally succumbing to full exhaustion. It wasn’t only from the fighting. It was from the last two days of physical labour, yes your guess is right. It was from making Love with the girls.

He had been fighting on bed and battled enemies non stop without getting any rest. He didn’t get the chance to fully recover his aura in the past few days. Now he only has three percent aura left.

His armor was dulled with dried frog blood. His eyes twitched once, then went still. His breathing was slow and steady.

Vel crouched beside him and checked his pulse. "He is fine. Aura recovery is working slowly. His star core is probably rebuilding his insides with aura sap and angry aura glue."

Naaro sat beside him and tucked a blanket over his chest. "He will be okay. But let him sleep. He used every last drop of strength earlier. I think we girls are the reason..."

Sha dropped her gear and rolled her shoulders. She murmured to herself, "If he snores, I am stuffing my lips in his mouth. It will be romantic, I think."

Azhara had already wandered to the edge of the ledge and was peering into the forest below with a theatrical sigh.

"This place is beautiful. I hope there are no mountain goats. I hate being stared at by the wild beasts with rectangular pupils. It is unnatural."

Akayoroi remained silent as she inspected the surrounding rock formations. Her eyes narrowed as she noted the slope’s weaknesses and the wind’s flow. After a few minutes of careful examination, she spoke.

"We will camp here. Wind protection is strong. Elevation is good. We can cook and sleep in that hollow place."

She pointed toward a small depression near the wall, where the stone dipped just enough to form a natural pit.

"Good," Vel said. "I will collect some firewood and herbs. Sha, help me find dry moss. The rest of you check the egg pods. They will need warmth and a fresh aura check."

Alka let out a low, irritated squawk and ruffled her feathers.

Sha paused and tilted her head. "She is annoyed. I think she wants us off her back faster."

"She just dropped us in the middle of the cold and refused to help unload the eggs," One of the twins said, placing her claws on her hips. "She has got some serious diva energy."

Naaro nodded solemnly. "She only listens to Sir Kai and no one else. I tried talking to her once. She pretended not to hear me. Then she pooped mid-flight."

Vel snorted. "She is majestic, deadly, and probably hates everyone but Kai. I respect that."

Akayoroi walked beside Alka and gave her a single nod.

Alka stared back, unmoving.

After a long moment of eye contact, Alka turned with a flick of her tail feathers and launched into the sky with a gust that knocked several packs off the ground.

She vanished into the dark like a phantom bird of storm and judgment.

Sha stood with her arms crossed. "Attitude confirmed."

Vel dusted off a satchel. "She will be back. Kai is her bonded master. But do not expect her to carry your groceries."

The girls got to work.

Sha and Vel returned with dried moss, twisted pine roots, and a few sharp smelling leaves that emitted warmth when burned. Azhara discovered a patch of luminous mushrooms that tasted like garlic when roasted. Naaro brought water from a nearby stream, using a carved frog helmet as a bucket.

You might ask, did she wash it? The answer is yes. Of course, she washed it over twenty times.

Akayoroi prepared the egg pods.

Nestled safely in a cluster of satchels wrapped with silk and lined with aura infused fibers, the eggs glowed faintly under her touch. Each was about the size of a half fist, their shells translucent and pulsing with faint aura veins. The heat from their stored energy remained steady. She ran her hand across them, whispering words in the old tongue of her carpenter Ants hive.

"These are the legacy of the fallen Queen, our mother," she said softly. "They are our future. Our hope."

Naaro kneeled beside her and reached out to one of the eggs. She paused before touching it. "Will they be like us?"

"Not exactly," Akayoroi replied. "Each Queen’s lineage shifts depending on the aura around them. We need Kai’s help to hatch them. These eggs will carry the essence of Kai’s command. Their roles may change."

Sha leaned in on the other side. "I want one that can juggle fireballs."

Azhara sat behind them, blowing air into a mushroom like a flute. "I want a baby that can dance. Or tell riddles. We could make a good hive with them."

Vel ignored them all and stirred the pot over the flame. The twins were helping her. The four injured sisters stay in a resting position.

They, Vel and the twins Xxx and Xxx had combined dried moss broth, some meat jerky, chopped mushrooms, and crushed fire leaf into something that vaguely resembled stew. It bubbled aggressively.

"I call it a great surprise," she said.

"What is the surprise?" Azhara asked.

Vel deadpanned. "The fact that it has not tried to escape the pot."

Naaro pulled out a set of carved wooden bowls and began scooping. They sat together near the fire pit, the stars above them were watching in silence.

Kai remained asleep just beyond the light, his body wrapped in cloth, his breathing even.

Akayoroi kept one eye on him while the others ate.

Sha slurped loudly. "Not bad. I would prefer some more crispy meat, but this tastes like... effort."

Azhara took a bite and frowned. "I think mine blinked at me."

Naaro closed her eyes and smiled. "It is warm. That is enough."

They ate in comfortable chaos. Stories followed.

Sha recounted her battle with a giant leech monster two years ago that turned out to be a worm balloon. Azhara swore she once dated a snake that could write poetry. Naaro talked about her dreams, and Vel kept correcting everyone’s grammar until she was pelted with a moss loaf.

Eventually, their laughter faded into the quiet night.

The wind carried scents of pine and stone. The fire dimmed to glowing coals.

Akayoroi wrapped the eggs again and tucked them beneath a makeshift blanket of fiber netting.

Naaro adjusted Kai’s blanket one more time.

Azhara doodled a sleepy face on a rock.

Sha sighed. "I forgot what it was like to feel safe for a night."

Vel nodded. "Enjoy it. Because when we reach Monarch Mountain, I hope everything is peaceful."

Akayoroi stood and looked toward the sky. "No matter what awaits, we will face it together."

The others murmured agreement. The stars blinked overhead. Arrowhead Mountain stood tall and silent.

And high above, unseen, Alka circled once more, her eyes fixed on the sleeping form of her bonded ant. Then she vanished into the night again.

Morning arrived slowly on Arrowhead Mountain.

A pale mist clung to the sharp ridges like ghostly fingers, curling between stones and dancing above the fire pit’s dying embers. The sky was soft with gray and gold. The sun had not yet risen fully above the far peaks, but light touched the edges of the world, as if the mountain had earned a kiss for surviving the night.

Kai stirred. His hands twitched first, adjusting to the air.

Then one eye opened, squinting at the pale sky above. His body still ached. The bones in his legs felt like hollow sticks held together with frog glue and sarcasm. But he could move. That was something.

He sat up slowly, groaning. The blanket slipped from his chest.

Naaro, who had been sitting beside him with her eyes closed, snapped alert so fast she nearly bit her tongue.