Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands

Chapter 474 --474

The creek ran through a small depression in the land, creating a natural bowl surrounded by dense undergrowth and ancient trees. There was a large fallen log on one side, its trunk easily six feet in diameter, covered in moss and fungi. Behind it, the roots had torn up from the earth, creating a natural overhang."There," she said, pointing to the overhang. "We can use that for shelter. It’ll keep us out of sight, block the wind if it picks up."

Veer followed her gaze and nodded. "It’s defensible. Only one real approach angle. Hard to surround."

"Exactly."

They made their way over to the fallen log. The space beneath the root system was larger than it had looked from a distance—almost like a small cave, with the massive roots creating a latticed roof overhead. The ground was relatively dry, protected from rain by the thick canopy of roots and earth.

Kaya crawled inside, testing the space. It was cramped, but all three of them could fit if they squeezed together. More importantly, from inside, they had a clear view of the approach while remaining mostly hidden.

"This works," she said, backing out. "Cutie, can you find something we can use for bedding? Moss, dry leaves, anything soft."

"On it," Cutie said, already moving toward a nearby tree covered in thick moss.

Kaya turned to Veer. "Let me look at that shoulder."

"It’s fine—"

"Sit down and let me look at it," she interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Veer sighed but complied, lowering himself to the ground and carefully pulling aside the torn fabric of his shirt.

The wound looked bad. The gashes had stopped bleeding, but the edges were inflamed and angry-looking. The surrounding skin was hot to the touch—not quite infected yet, but heading that direction.

"Damn it," Kaya muttered. She looked around, trying to remember if she’d seen anything useful. Her knowledge of wilderness medicine was limited to what she’d learned in basic survival training, which wasn’t much. And that training had been for *her* world, not this one.

"There’s a plant," Veer said quietly, watching her expression. "Bitter-leaf. It grows near water. Small, with dark green leaves that have white veins. If you crush it and apply it to wounds, it helps prevent infection."

"Can you identify it if you see it?"

"Yes."

"Cutie!" Kaya called out.

The sparrow’s head popped up from behind a large tree. "Yeah?"

"Come here. Veer’s going to describe a plant. You and I are going to find it."

---

## The Search

It took them nearly half an hour of searching along the creek bank before Cutie spotted it.

"There!" He pointed to a small cluster of plants growing between two rocks, their dark leaves exactly as Veer had described.

Kaya gathered several handfuls, crushing the leaves between her palms the way Veer had instructed. They released a sharp, medicinal smell—bitter and astringent.

When they returned to the makeshift camp, Veer had already settled into the shelter, his back against the trunk of the fallen tree. He looked exhausted, his face pale and drawn.

Kaya knelt beside him and applied the crushed leaves to his shoulder, pressing them gently into the wounds. Veer hissed through his teeth but didn’t pull away.

"This is going to need proper treatment," Kaya said as she worked. "Real medicine, real bandages."

"I know. But this will hold for now."

"How long until you can fly properly again?"

Veer was quiet for a moment. "Three days. Maybe four. If it doesn’t get infected."

"And if it does?"

"Then longer. Or never."

Kaya’s hands stilled. "Never?"

"Damaged wing joints don’t always heal correctly. If the infection spreads, if scar tissue forms wrong..." He shrugged with his good shoulder. "I’ve seen beastmen lose their ability to transform. It happens."

The casual way he said it didn’t match the weight of the words.

Losing the ability to transform, for a beastman, meant losing half of who they were. Their identity. Their power. Their connection to their beast nature.

"That’s not going to happen," Kaya said firmly.

"You can’t promise that."

"Watch me."

Veer looked at her, something complicated in his amber eyes. "Why do you care so much? You said it yourself—you want to leave this world. We’re just... temporary traveling companions."

Kaya’s jaw tightened. She finished applying the crushed leaves and sat back. "Because you saved my life. Multiple times. Because Cutie—" She glanced at the sparrow, who was arranging moss bedding in the shelter, pretending not to listen. "—both of you have risked yourselves for me. And I don’t abandon people who do that."

"Even if they’re not your people? Even if this isn’t your world?"

"*Especially* then," Kaya said quietly. "Because in my world, we had a saying: you don’t leave anyone behind. Ever. No matter what."

Veer studied her for a long moment. Then, slowly, he smiled—that sharp, dangerous smile that made him look more predator than man.

"You’re a terrible liar, you know that?"

"Excuse me?"

"You keep saying you don’t care about this world. That you’re just trying to survive until you can leave. But everything you *do* says otherwise." He gestured to his shoulder. "You didn’t have to help me. Not the first time we met, not now. You could have left us both behind at any point. But you didn’t."

"That’s just basic—"

"It’s not," Veer interrupted. "Most people in this world? They’d have left me to die. They’d have taken what they could carry and run. Self-preservation is survival here. But you?" He shook his head. "You keep choosing the harder path. The one that keeps us alive but puts you at more risk."

Kaya had no response to that.

Because he was right.

And she hated that he was right.

---

## The Night Falls

Cutie finished arranging the bedding and crawled into the shelter, looking pleased with his work. "It’s not much, but it should be comfortable enough."

"It’s perfect," Kaya said, grateful for the interruption. "Good work."

They settled in as darkness began to fall, the three of them squeezed into the small space beneath the root system. It was cramped and uncomfortable, but it was dry and relatively safe.

Kaya positioned herself at the opening, where she could watch the approach. Veer was in the middle, his injured shoulder protected. Cutie was at the back, already curling into a small ball.

"We should take watches," Kaya said. "I’ll take first. Cutie, you take second. Veer, you rest all night—you need to heal."

"I can—"

"You can shut up and sleep," Kaya said without looking at him. "That’s an order."

"You’re not my commanding officer."

"Tonight I am."

Veer huffed a quiet laugh but didn’t argue further.

Silence fell over the camp. The sounds of the forest filled the space—crickets chirping, frogs croaking by the creek, the rustle of small animals moving through undergrowth.

Kaya’s stomach growled loudly, reminding her they hadn’t eaten in... she’d lost track. Too long.

"Tomorrow," she said quietly, "we hunt. Or forage. Whatever we can manage."

"There are fish in the creek," Cutie murmured sleepily. "I saw them when we were looking for the plant."

"Fish. Good. We can work with that."

"And there are berry bushes about a quarter mile downstream," Veer added. "I smelled them earlier."

"Even better."