Kaira didn't waste time mourning the loss of the first fish.
The moment both she and the white lion cub finished devouring it... bones picked clean with shocking efficiency... she reached for the second one.
The cub watched her closely as she skewered the second fish on the sharpened branch.
Very closely.
Its eyes followed every movement - how she adjusted the firewood, how she rotated the fish to prevent burning, how she leaned just far enough to keep the heat even without scorching her hands. If the cub could take notes, it would have. Its ears twitched with every sizzle.
"You know," She said casually, glancing at it from the corner of her eye, "if you stare any harder, this fish might get stage fright."
The cub didn't blink.
The fish crackled as fat dripped into the fire, sending sparks upward. The cub flinched at the sudden flare of flames but didn't retreat this time... just shifted slightly farther away, clearly calculating the safest possible distance between fire and food provider.
Kaira smirked.
By the time the fish was golden and crisp, the cub had shuffled closer, settling beside her on the rock with the cautious confidence of someone who'd decided she wasn't a threat... but was absolutely a resource worth guarding.
Side by side, they ate.
Kaira tore off chunks of the fish, blowing on them before biting, while the cub accepted its portions with far more enthusiasm and far less concern for temperature. It chomped, chewed, and swallowed like it had a personal vendetta against hunger.
Within minutes, the second fish met the same fate as the first.
Kaira leaned back with a long sigh, patting her stomach. "There. See? Properly cooked food. None of that raw-meat business."
The cub licked its paws.
She scooped water from the stream with both hands, drinking deeply. The cold water soothed her throat and washed away the lingering smokiness from the fish. She drank again. And again.
For the first time since waking up in this absurd, dangerous, wildly unhygienic Beastworld, her body wasn't screaming at her.
She was clean.
She was fed.
She was… exhausted.
"Well," she muttered, standing up slowly and immediately regretting every life choice that had led to her current body composition. "Guess it's bedtime."
The fire had burned down to a manageable flicker, casting soft shadows across the clearing.
She spread her towel on a patch of flattened grass near the fire.
Lowering herself onto it was an event.
It involved strategic bending, calculated breathing, and a moment where she genuinely considered rolling instead of sitting. By the time she finally lay down, she felt like she had completed an endurance trial.
She stared up at the sky.
"This body is a nightmare," she murmured.
The cub didn't leave.
Instead of wandering off now that there was no more fish to enjoy, it sat where it was, watching her with mild curiosity. When she shifted, it tilted its head. When she sighed, its ears flicked.
"…Why are you still here?" Kaira asked.
She waved her hand weakly. "Go on. Shoo."
The cub stood.
Took one step closer.
Then sat again.
Closer.
Kaira stared at it. "That was the opposite of what I asked."
The cub blinked slowly, then curled its tail around its paws, settling into a comfortable position... carefully angled so the fire was no longer frightening but still warm.
It wasn't leaving.
Kaira considered arguing. Then reconsidered. She was too tired to debate a lion cub who had already demonstrated food-motivated persistence.
"Fine," she sighed. "But if you bite me, I'm haunting you in my next life."
The cub yawned, showing tiny, sharp teeth.
Reassuring.
She turned her attention inward. "System."
[Yes, Host?]
"Wake me up before dawn. I don't want to be found sleeping out here by anyone from the tribe."
[Request acknowledged. Alarm scheduled.]
Kaira closed her eyes.
The forest seemed to exhale around her.
And just like that, the night passed.
* * *
The darkness thinned.
Shadows retreated as pale light crept through the trees, painting the landscape in muted gray and blue. The insects fell silent, and birds began their cautious testing of the morning air.
[Host, it is time to wake up.]
Kaira groaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. Her body protested the movement like it had personally been wronged by sleep.
She pushed herself up with a grunt.
Once again, standing up proved to be an athletic event.
The cub rose too, stretching its small body, then stood facing her as if ready for whatever came next.
She grabbed the bundle of clothes - if they could be called that - she had prepared the previous night and pointed firmly at the cub. "Turn around."
The cub stared.
"Turn. Around."
To her mild surprise, it did exactly that... pivoting on its paws and facing the opposite direction with an air of exaggerated obedience.
Kaira paused.
"…Huh."
She quickly changed into the knitted vine top and leafy skirt she'd worked so hard to make. They scratched slightly against her skin, but it was better than nothing... and infinitely better than wearing the original owner's hide that was still wet and needed some sun.
Once dressed, she wrapped the towel neatly and stored it back in the System's inventory where the rest of her luxury bath kit was placed.
"Okay," she said, exhaling. "It's officially day two."
The cub turned back around the moment she finished, its eyes bright and alert.
The sun still hadn't risen, but dawn had claimed the forest. Visibility was good enough to move without tripping over roots every two steps.
Instead of heading back toward the cave, Kaira turned toward the woods.
The cub followed.
She took a few steps.
It padded along behind her.
She stopped.
It stopped.
She sighed. "I suppose you are coming with me now."
The cub flicked its tail.
Kaira sighed. "Great. I have adopted a lion."
Only if she knew...!