Chapter 146

A blush quickly covered the kids face, embarrassed at the sound that came from within. They moved their face deep into the nook between Shannon's head and shoulder in an attempt to hide. What they had not expected was Shannon reaching up and patting on her back, whispering gently in their ear. "It's alright, there is nothing wrong with being hungry, especially with the food being cooked right here."

Slowly, the kid looked up, a blush still covering their face. They first looked upon Shannon's face, and saw that there was nothing save a gentle smile there, that easily went up to her eyes and beyond. There was no mockery or loathing to be found. Not like the people that the kid had been around before. Because of how small and frail they were, they never got more than scraps while the adults always took more. They were violent, unkind, and selfish, not wanting to share food or supplies with anyone. They apparently needed it more so they could fight for their survival. Whole lot of good that did them. Orc party in the middle of the night took each and every one of those greedy bastards out. Being small had paid off, allowing them to slip out unseen by the horrendous monsters.

But right now was totally different. The smell of food wafted through the air, and the gentle carrying of Shannon had reminded them of a happier time. Of home, of laughter, and of love. The warmth was so nice, that the kid immediately broke down crying, wondering why they had to go through so much pain and suffering when there was so much warmth to be given. There was a good few minutes crying, with Shannon repeatedly patting the kids back while whispering, "There, there, it's alright now. Let it all out, we are here for you."

When the kid finally stopped crying, they looked around their makeshift camp. First, they turned to the direction of the delicious smell. There, they saw a nice warm fire with a metal sheet over top. A couple large pots sat there, macaroni being cooked inside of them. In the open beside them, hot dogs slowly grilled on the sheet of metal, sizzling delightfully. Where all of this came from, the kid had no idea. When they had first been encountered by the pair, they had been carrying any bags. The only thing they had was the one fire axe, but that was nowhere in sight. What was in plain view was a group of bodies all stretching and working out.

Yoga was the action tonight, as flexibility would help them hopefully do more. That in itself the kid would have found weird, as everything had gone to shit, but people were doing yoga. No, more than that was the forms of the people doing yoga were what the kid could not help but stare at. They moved like people, but looked like dogs. Big, fluffy, and strong looking, they all seemed to dedicate themselves to the motions along with the other person that had been seen earlier. The one who had scary eyes that seemed as if she would eat you. While the kid was staring at the scene with an open mouth, the clanging of dishes could be heard behind her. "Dinner's ready!" Shannon called out.

As the kid turned back around, their confusion only skyrocketed. Gone was the sheet of metal, as well as all of the pots that were being used. While the kid had been staring at the canine's evening workout, Shannon had cut the hot dogs into the macaroni, mixed it all into a giant serving bowl and duplicated it what she hoped was enough times. All the kid saw was the prep table now covered in a dozen serving bowls filled to the brims with macaroni. All throughout the confusion, Shannon set the kid down on a chair, and started making up a decently sized bowl, before handing it to the kid.

Slowly, everyone got their portions pulled aside, though they did need to pull out another six serving bowls worth of macaroni just to serve everyone. Shannon had gotten so used to the old numbers that she had forgotten to account for all of the pups that were now joining them, as well as the kid. Once they had their meals, everyone sat together and dug in, talking about what had gone wrong and right that day, trying to find more ways to improve. Shannon sat beside the kid, with Nat beside her. In between bites, Shannon introduced herself and her partner, "My name is Shannon, and this is my wife Nat. Can I ask for your name?"

The question shocked the kid into motion, devouring the food in front of them. It wasn't until the bowl was cleaned out that the kid responded. "My name is Sophie, and I'm nine." She started licking the bowl, before looking slightly guilty. She looked up at Shannon and asked, "Is there, uh... More food?" Red Deer had gone to shit after the event, as people fought one another so that they could have food. She was just a kid, but she knew that food was a rarity these days. Just the day before she managed to find some slightly moldy buns, and those had been the first food she had in a few days. This right now felt luxurious to her.

A look of pity crossed Shannon's face, making Sophie think that there was no more. At least, until Scout came over with a fresh bowl in hand, loaded up with more pasta and wieners. Not wanting to miss out on that at all, Sophie dug right into it with gusto, and another two bowls after that. She never even had to ask for another, as one of the canines always had one ready just as she finished the last one. She had to actually turn one away because she started to feel too full. As she sat back in the chair, enjoying a full stomach for the first time in over a month, Natalie asked her a question that she had not expected. "If you want, you can come with us."

Huge thanks to my Elder Wolves Viktor, Saganatsu, Eeleater, John, Hades, Onean, Neal, Sebastian, Ethan, Sir Hellington, Adam, and Kevin for supporting me and my writing! Remember that I keep Patreon ten chapters ahead at all times. Our next goal on Patreon will be getting up to 50 patrons, which I will then spend more time each month writing some side stories and shorts that show other perspectives throughout my stories!

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