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Chapter 25: Melting a Frozen Heart
The explanation was long, but in any case, Milk listened to Ella's instructions and picked up a piece of devilbear leather cut roughly before him.
Despite its tough appearance, it felt surprisingly soft and elastic, and when pulled, it was incredibly stretchy and resilient.
Ella continued her explanation.
"It may look rough, but this is the best our smithing skills allow us to cut. As for those needles used to make holes for stitching, we get them through trade with humans."
[Needles are cheap. In contrast, scissors and tanning knives, which use a lot of metal, are expensive and must be replaced when dull, so Holstaurus rarely use them. Instead, they hammer the roughly cut leather to flatten it, then fold and hammer it repeatedly to increase its strength. The finished leather is sewn with needles, and finally, it's finished with Holstaurus milk for a glossy, durable surface.]
'Thanks for the explanation~'
Ru filled in the details that Ella didn't mention, and Milk absorbed both their instructions.
"First, take the hammer and flatten the leather."
"Yes!"
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Unlike hammering iron in the forge, Ella struck the leather at regular intervals, like a machine.
Watching her, Milk tried to imitate her movements and began hammering the leather.
But nothing goes perfectly at first. Concentrating too much on one spot, he damaged the leather, leaving dents from the hammer.
Seeing this, Ella put down her hammer and swatted Milk's back.
Smack!!!
"Ow!!!"
The sudden smack made Milk cry out in pain, but none of the others in the workshop paid him any mind not even Buren, who cared for him, as she focused on her own work.
As Milk clutched his stinging back, Ella scolded him.
"Can't you focus? Even if this is just practice, do you realize how serious it is to ruin such precious leather? Our warrior women risk their lives hunting devilbears for this! Don't waste even a single piece focus, and focus again. Try again!"
She tossed the ruined leather in a basket and handed him a new piece.
[Milk, are you okay?]
'I'm fine. It was my fault...'
"Sorry, great mother. I'll focus."
"Good."
Milk started again, this time being extra careful not to damage the leather.
He worked more slowly, realizing his mistake had been trying to match Ella's speed from the start.
A beginner should take it slow and thorough don't try to keep up with a master.
Through careful work, he managed to flatten the leather. It looked like a rolled-out piece of dough, and he couldn't help but smile at the resemblance.
Ella silently moved his finished leather aside and handed him another.
"Try this one, too."
"Yes!"
Though she said nothing, giving him another piece meant his work wasn't hopeless. Milk hammered this one even more carefully.
Without a word, he hammered four pieces of leather, gradually picking up speed and keeping the force steady as his skill improved.
Ru had allocated some enhancement points to Milk's dexterity, helping him learn manual skills faster than his peers (though not instantly).
By the fifth piece, Milk had mastered flattening the leather. Ella smiled briefly as she checked his work.
She reached out, and Milk flinched, fearing another smack, but she only stroked his cheek and took the hammer from his hand.
"Take this."
She handed him a needle. As he accepted it, Ella brought over some thin leather thread.
"This is foot rabbit leather. It's not very strong, but it can be made into thread. We'll use it to sew the devilbear leather."
[Foot rabbit leather is cheap and not very good, but it's easy to make into thread. When finished with a glossy coating, it becomes strong and durable.]
'Ah, so that's what they use to sew devilbear leather.'
Following Ella's instructions, Milk folded the leather, pierced it with the big needle, threaded it, folded and pierced again, gradually shaping the handle.
"Stop."
"Yes?"
"The end is a little messy. This can't be used as a gift. We'll finish it and send it to the forge."
"Ah..."
"Don't be discouraged. Next time, do better. I'll give you as much leather as you need. Just put your whole heart into it, imagining the happy face of the person you're making it for. That will bring good results."
"Yes! Yes! Great mother!"
Pleased with his spirit, Ella handed him another piece of leather. Milk started again, hammering it flat.
This time, he'd mastered the technique, and the leather was perfectly flattened. Without waiting for instructions, he picked up the needle.
Ella watched silently, deciding to let him work on his own.
[Good luck.]
Thankful for Ru's encouragement, Milk focused completely, sewing the leather with slow, careful stitches.
Sweating with concentration, he produced a handle as finely crafted as Ella's own.
When he finished, Milk collapsed, breathless, dropping the needle.
"Well done."
Ella patted his back and took his finished handle to a jar filled with milk (as seen in the forge), brushing it gently over the leather.
The leather absorbed the milk but didn't lose its shape. She brushed on another layer, then placed it by a window to dry.
"If we continue this glossy treatment for two days, it'll be finished on the third day. Plain handles can be dried and used right away, but since this is a gift, I'll make it the best. Good job."
"Ah..."
"Aren't you going to thank me?"
With a rare smile, Ella joked. Milk smiled back and replied,
"Thank you, great mother!"
At that moment
Growl!
"Ah!"
Suddenly, hunger hit Milk, his stomach growling loudly.
Embarrassed, he clutched his belly and blushed. Buren, finishing her work, approached.
"Are you hungry? Auntie will feed "
But Ella stepped in, blocking Buren and addressing the other women so all could hear.
"Go eat. It's lunchtime."
"But what about Milk...?"
Ella replied matter-of-factly,
"I'll feed him."
"Gasp!"
Buren and the others were shocked Ella, who had resented Milk since the day her son Orca died, was now offering to feed him.
Ella turned to the other women, her voice cold.
"Aren't you going? Not hungry? Then get back to work."
"We're going!"
"Going, sis!"
"See you after lunch!"
The women rushed out. Milk turned to Ella.
"Come here."
Today, Ella's rare red hair seemed even more striking. Milk quietly approached and hugged her.
Ella picked him up and carried him to a small, cozy space in the workshop her and Orca's special room.
When she worked, Orca would watch her, nurse, or play in this room.
There were toy horses, a small bed, and a box of fruit.
Though Orca was gone, Ella kept the space and brought fruit daily to eat there.
She sat Milk on the bed, grabbed a handful of blueberries (Orca's favorite), and ate some.
Then she sat beside him, unwrapped her chest, and offered her breast.
"G-great mother."
"Seeing you blush makes me embarrassed too... But we're family."
"Family..."
"I'm sorry... Eat as much as you want, my son."
He wasn't her biological child, but he was still a child of the tribe and of her beloved Honkale. She finally opened her heart to him.
Enchanted, Milk latched onto her large nipple and began to nurse vigorously.
"Mmm!"
He knew this wasn't Orca. The face, the personality, and above all, the health were different.
Orca had always been weak, needing support to nurse and never able to eat much.
Compared to him, Milk was strong and healthy yet, for some reason, Ella felt fulfilled.
As she closed her eyes, she savored the joy and satisfaction of nursing Milk.
'I'm glad... that I could give him my milk while he still needs it.'
Soon, Milk would be weaned, and she'd no longer be able to nurse him, at least not in the same way.
There's a special feeling only Holstaurus women know a deep sense of fulfillment.
Milk nursed from her right breast, then switched to the left for balance.
"Hn!"
Ella let out a soft sound. Milk looked up at her, then closed his eyes again.
He saw tears running down her cheeks. After finishing, he kissed her forehead.
[Ella's favorability has reached 80.]
'Thanks for letting me know.'
Thus, Milk and Ella, once at odds, reconciled and opened their hearts to each other. Milk stayed and comforted Ella as she wept in that room for a while.
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