Chapter 207: An elder used to say...

The morning moved quite quickly. The smell of roasting deer soon filled the air, mingling with the last of our precious rice. We ate in a strange, concentrated silence. It was like a quiet before the storm.I watched the three of them; Fenric eating with enthusiasm, Damar with elegant precision, and Noah with a raw hunger that seemed to never be quite satisfied.

As the meal ended and the sun climbed higher, the chill in the air became more apparent. The sky was a crisp, biting blue, and the wind carried the scent of distant ice.

Winter... How tragic.

"Time to go," Fenric said, standing up and stretching his body to free his limbs. He looked at Damar, then at Noah, before his gaze settled on me. "We’ll bring back the animals you need, Arinya. You just stay safe."

"I have Noah to guard me, and though not certified, I think he’ll do for now." I teased, though I reached out and squeezed Fenric’s hand.

Damar leaned in and pressed a cold, lingering kiss to my forehead. "We won’t be long."

I watched them disappear into the thick brush, leaving me alone with Noah. The silence of the woods rushed in to fill the space they left behind.

Noah turned to me, his hands on his hips. "So, ’Wife.’ Where do we start the ’planning’? Or did you just want to get me alone to finish that conversation about who you are or what I’m doing here in the middle of nowhere?"

I looked at him for a while, silently, and then turned.

"No, let’s keep that aside for now," I said.

I was curious, but I could let it slide. Knowing what he was doing here won’t help our current situation anyway.

"Okay, if you say so." He said, shrugging like he didn’t believe me. "Then, shall we get going?"

"Hold on."

I picked up a leather patch and a piece of coal.

"Do you know how to write?" I asked him and he nodded. "Are you sure? You didn’t run away from classes that make you write, did you?"

His face heated up in embarrassment.

"What do you take me for?" He asked, his voice spiking as he rushed to defend himself and I chuckled.

"You look like a slacker," I said and he dropped his hand on his forehead, gritting his teeth in shame. "Anyway, I’m ready. Let’s go."

"Then, hold on to me tight." He said as he suddenly flung me over his shoulder, without warning, and leaped up into the nearest tree.

"Wait, you’re..."

"Don’t worry, I’m not crushing your cubs." He said, and I became conscious, looking at my belly, but he was right. He wasn’t pressing on my lower abdomen.

"Then where are we going?"

"An elder used to say, if you want to take a good look at the paths and map them out, you need to get to higher ground. So, that’s where we’re going." He pointed at a tall tree shooting miles into the air. "We’re going there."

"Well, that elder was surely wise," I said and he cackled.

"Right? And I’m smart for remembering his words."

I rolled my eyes. Was he really trying to give himself credit right now?

If it were that easy by just getting to higher ground, he should’ve made a map already.

Noah kept leaping up from one tree to another, and I kept my eyes on the site we were leaving. I have to be able to mark our current location so as to map out the route accordingly.

The wind blew past me in heavy whooshes, blowing my hair sideways, the crisp air biting on my skin and the sight of us far from the ground made my heart thump.

The height reminded me of how I went climbing on a cliff, only to fall and end up in this world.

Luckily, I’m not traumatized, so the height doesn’t scare me.

Noah finally got to the top of the tree, landing on a stable and thick branch.

There, he gazed at the horizon and whistled.

"Gotta love the view." He said. "So, how is it? Are you getting lost in the view and forgetting what you were planning to do?"

"How can I be lost in a view I can’t see?" I asked, and then he noticed I was facing backwards since I was still over his shoulder.

"Ah, right." But he didn’t put me down right away.

His lips curved into a smug grin, and he licked his lips as he looked at my ass.

"Well, I’m getting lost in it." He said and little did I know he was talking about the view of my ass so close to his face.

Before I knew it, he spanked me, causing a shiver to run all over me.

My toes curled, my teeth clenched, and my pussy reacted just the way he wanted it to. It clenched.

"You... Asshole!" I growled.

"What? Where? The only asshole I see is this one." He smoothened my skirt, secretly feeling my ass and I got annoyed.

"Stop messing around," I said. "And put me down."

Noah laughed, loving every bit of it and my reaction but he placed me down. My legs still felt wobbly so he held me to his body, but my face was red in rage and embarrassment.

How could he suddenly spank my ass?

He’s a Pervert!

Pervert! Pervert!! Pervert!!!

"I won’t forgive you for this." I bared my fangs at him.

"Oh please don’t," he said and leaned in to whisper. "You can take it out on me when we mate later."

My face burned even more. How did I get stuck with this pervert?

Ah, that’s right. I chose to be stuck with him cause he’s the most knowledgeable amongst my husbands. And he’s the most perverted too.

Noah laughed.

"Okay, okay, sorry, don’t be mad." He said, apologizing in between.

"How can I not be mad? If you weren’t my husband, I’d have pushed you off this tree." I growled.

"Ouch, that’s harsh." He said.

"That’s why you should be thankful that you’re my husband." I felt my blood boil.

"Hmmm, how to make it up to you?" he thought for a while and then snapped his fingers. "I got it. Take a look at the view." He said and I grudgingly turned my head, wondering how great this view was for him to be so confident that I wouldn’t be mad after seeing it.

I turned and viewed the world from a perspective, I didn’t know I would.