The time it took was longer than expected, but they finally arrived.
“Had some stuff to do,” Lycan said.
“Yes, I heard something about it,” Rhys replied. “Please, come closer. Considering we have work to do, let me give you the summary.”
The two alphas drew near and paid close attention, offering suggestions and trying to improvise where they could, given that Rhys was unfamiliar with the local geography. They went back and forth for nearly an hour.
“But the stream is far away, and getting water from there might take too long, especially if we’re talking about a drainage system,” Vaikor pointed out. “How about we dig the wells first? After that, we can tackle the drainage if it’s still needed.”
“The drainage might be a bit harder,” Rhys started. “For the Ravari, their village was not just close, but it was also the only one near the stream. And according to you guys, the minotaurs use that water too—you even see each other there.”
“So it’s just about the wells for now, then?”
“Yes. The garden and everything else will depend on the wells,” Rhys added.
“Let us leave then,” Vaikor said. “We will tell every man with us; they will all be digging.”
“Just make sure to start far from the houses. We wouldn’t want the young ones jumping in,” Rhys advised.
With their plan set, the alphas departed.
'My head still hurts…'
“Are you fine?” Sely asked.
“Oh, yes. Just need some rest,” Rhys replied before tucking himself in.
He drifted off almost instantly—it might have been the fastest he had ever fallen asleep. Cil soon gave in to the temptation and joined him, leaving Sely as the only one awake.
Rhys woke up hours later, feeling noticeably better than before.
'Now I’m hungry, he thought, sitting upright.'
“Awake?” Sely asked.
“Oh, sorry…”
“Still not liking the apologizing thing,” Sely quickly replied as she stood up. “They brought some food.”
“Did you eat?” Rhys asked.
“Me? No. Still have the collar, remember?”
“You don’t have to keep it. I mean, I told you...”
“Just a joke,” Sely interrupted. “And like I told you, it’s one of the few things keeping me alive. Wherever I go, if I remove this…”
“Just for tonight. How about that?” Rhys pressed.
“And she needs one too,” Sely said, bringing the food over and gesturing toward Cil. “If she doesn’t have one, she can easily be seen as an opportunity.”
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“Same as me. Maybe that’s why the alphas put this thing on me,” Rhys said, touching his own collar. “Though a slave having other slaves…”
'Surprising.'
“You’re less of a slave,” Sely noted. “They brought rice and meat. Want the meat?”
“No,” Rhys replied.
“But...”
“You can give it to Cil or eat it yourself.”
“What about the soup?”
“Huh…”
*Why not the meat, Rhys?*
“Can’t give me a moment’s peace,” Rhys muttered.
*You seem composed. Why? Is it because someone else betrayed you?*
“Define betrayal. My own classmates left me behind as precious cargo,” Rhys retorted silently to the knight lingering in the far corner of the house.
Then take revenge. Or maybe try getting yourself killed.
“You know you’re a bitch, right?”
*Me? No, never. But you’re changing the subject. Why not the meat? It’s just meat, after all,* the knight taunted, seeming to stare right at him.
“I’m a vegetarian,” Rhys stated as his hands slowly began to move.
*No need for that. I just came to check on you. I’ll be gone,* the knight said, resting its head on its knee. *But… lying…*
“Rhys…”
“Oh…”
“No meat. Here,” Sely said, gently holding his right hand away from his left.
“Oh. Was I speaking out loud?”
“Yes. What’s happening? Do you want to.....”
“Do not worry about me. I’m just fine,” Rhys cut in, pushing his spoon into the food. “Joining me?”
“No, I told you, I already ate,” Sely replied.
“Come on, just a little,” Rhys coaxed. Sely, realizing there was no arguing out of it, yielded.
Since it was still dark outside, Rhys went back to bed after finishing his meal. This time, Sely was the first to fall asleep.
When he woke up again, it was late.
'Midday,' Rhys thought, squinting at the position of the sun. Sely and Cil were resting nearby; they avoided walking too much during the heat of the day, so it made sense for them to still be resting.
The remainder of the day was unremarkable. Rhys played a few old games with Cil, but otherwise, time passed quickly.
By the next morning, Rhys could finally walk a decent distance without his body protesting at every step. He decided to head outside, with Sely and Cil following closely behind.
“Which side should we take?” Rhys asked.
Around the shelters, the female canids and children watched him, their gazes heavy and distrustful. The ground was sparsely covered with grass—expected, given that the rainy season was just around the corner.
Sely walked at Rhys’s right, while Cil stayed close to her, still hesitant to trust someone she had mostly seen sleeping.
“The houses all look about the same,” Rhys observed, adding silently, They mostly look skinny, too. Lack of sufficient food.
“I think waiting would have been better,” Sely offered.
“Waiting for what?” Rhys asked before looking back at the girl. “The weather is nice, isn’t it, Cil?”
Cil offered a faint smile in response.
Hearing the sounds of activity in the distance, Rhys followed the noise.
“It doesn’t have a strong wall, though,” Sely remarked.
“All of that can be solved much easier once they have water nearby,” Rhys replied.
“Mikok,” Sely pointed out as the male approached them.
“I could have taken my shirt off too, but I don’t have the muscles for it,” Rhys joked as he drew closer.
Mikok greeted him with a nod. “All you need to do is train.”
“Working on the wells?”
“Yes, though we started far out.”
“Oh, that’s good. I’ve heard of plenty of situations where children end up falling in.”
“In the Ravari village?”
“No… uh, it’s a long story,” Rhys brushed off. “Have you found water yet?”
“Yes. How many do you think we’ll need?” Mikok asked.
“Well, it’s your village, so the alphas will make that call. But you’ll definitely need a wall and space set aside for the garden,” Rhys said as they walked together toward the work site. “The last time I saw this done, it took almost ten days just to get one well working—and that was a smaller group on what might have been better land.”
As they ventured further, they found themselves in the middle of the working canids. The crowd went quiet for a moment, every eye shifting to Rhys as he became the center of attention.
“Rhys, over here!” Vaikor called out from further down.
“A human amidst almost fifty canids,” Rhys noted quietly.
“An alpha,” Vaikor countered as Rhys sat down near him. “And because of that, the people of the Ravari will always be welcome in the united village of the canids.”
“I think the people of the Ravari are doing fine,” Rhys replied evenly. “And currently under a different alpha.”