Chapter 84 — Our little swamp

Chapter 84 — Our little swamp

The girls kept walking forward, barely making any stops. Their heavy breathing filled the air as they struggled to put one foot ahead of the other in this endless, damp forest. The sun from earlier had long hidden behind dark clouds once more, leaving them with gloomy shadows all around once more.

Nivalis's muscles ached from exhaustion from carrying Aster for so long in her arms. Silvia stumbled beside her, holding onto her forearm. Her small feet dragged through the muddy, mushy ground, and a loud, ragged pant came after each step. Mud caked on their skin, clothes, and hair.

"I-I'm okay..." Silvia whispered in response, but it didn't sound convincing at all. The girl was trembling from cold and exhaustion, her tiny frame barely able to hold herself upright anymore. She had clearly already pushed herself beyond any limits her petite body could handle. Ever since she awakened her affinity many years ago, she hadn't grown even a little, and now more than ever, it showed. Usually, it's not a problem, but in this dire situation, where they have to cover long distances through terrain like this... It was a huge issue.

Wiping her forehead on her dirty sleeve, Silvia reluctantly nodded in response to her words. She climbed weakly onto her mother's back and wrapped her skinny arms around the soft neck, putting her legs over the woman's forearms so they dangled limply. "T-thank you," she whispered before letting out a sigh of relief as all tension left her muscles. Her body instantly slumped against Nivalis's as exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave, and her eyelids grew heavy.

With a grunt of effort, Nivalis rose again, Silvia hanging off her back, and Aster cradled in her arms. It was a lot to carry — two backpacks that the girl carried, her own being the heaviest, and two kids: son in her arms, daughter clung to her back. 'Just a bit more...' she thought, feeling her legs tremble with each step. 'Just a little bit further...'

But what a mother wouldn't do for her children? Nivalis was ready to carry them both for the entire day if that's what it takes.

Nivalis didn't know how long she walked like that. Silvia fell asleep almost instantly when Nivalis picked her up. The poor child couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. The girl's soft, rhythmic breathing warmed the back of her neck as the elven woman kept walking.

Aster's moans grew louder and more frequent with each passing hour, his body burning with fever. 'How long will he last like this?' was a question that haunted Nivalis every minute, reminding her why she kept moving forward no matter how much her whole body hurt or how tired she felt. She clung to hope that it was not an infection that caused his fewer but just the overuse of his fire magic. However, after each glance at his palms, she found herself doubting.

After some time more, the faint light of sunset greeted Nivalis' exhausted face. The pinky-orange sky above, which felt like she hadn't seen for years now, made tears of relief well in her blue eyes. "It's over," she whispered, barely believing what she saw before her. The wind lovingly caressed her dirty cheeks as she stood there, staring at the vast, unobstructed horizon ahead of them, watching the sun slowly dip below the distant hills. It was a sight that left her breathless, the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen.

"Ugh," Silvia moaned behind her back, her soft hands tightening around her mother's neck as she stirred, still half asleep, the warm sunlight caressed her pale, youthful face. It took her a moment for her brain to register the change, but when it did, her golden eyes snapped open and blinked rapidly before widening. "Woah..." The girl whispered, resting her chin on her mother's shoulder, her golden irises reflecting the warm rays of sunshine. "Mom... are we..."

"How long do we need to boil it?" Silvia asked quietly while lowering a hot stone into the green mush, which immediately started bubbling. With each new stone added, the mush became thicker and more intense in smell.

Putting her now dirty again tunic aside, Nivalis took her little boy's tiny penis in between her thumb and forefinger as gently as she could. His soft skin felt delicate to the touch. As carefully as possible, she started cleaning him with her fingers. She pulled down his foreskin that was attached to the tip, revealing a pink head no bigger than a pea underneath, a sight so cute that it almost made Nivalis chuckle.

But it wasn't just that. What made Nivalis even more nervous was when Aster started to... grow... right between her fingers. 'Great... Just great...' Nivalis thought, feeling how this tiny thing twitched while his heavy breathing became louder and faster. It felt so incredibly awkward. And her daughter's gaze didn't help either.

Nivalis almost jumped at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Yes. Please put it aside to cool down..." she mumbled in response, letting go of Aster's sack and moving onto his butt. She lifted his legs gently and spread him open with one hand while cleaning him with the other using her tunic.

He looked much better once fully cleaned, although his face still twisted uncomfortably with pain. Or were those moans from her touch? It was damn hard to tell now. And Nivalis didn't want to know either, not really. "Alright... that should be enough..." Nivalis said softly, gently lowering his legs again. His tiny penis stood proudly for them both to witness, twitching every few seconds as if begging to be touched.

"Let's go wash ourselves real quick while the paste cools off," Nivalis sighed, covering his shame with her dirty tunic and getting up with another tired groan.

"O-okay..." Silvia mumbled in response, slowly getting up and following her mother to the pond nearby. At the shore, Nivalis removed the few pieces of clothing she had left on her body before helping Silvia do the same. She then took her small hand into hers, and the girls stepped into the cold, murky water. It was filled with mud, small plants, and all kinds of things that tickled their feet, but they were willing to tolerate it if only for a chance to get clean again after so long.

Nivalis started from her face, working down her neck, shoulders, chest, and stomach before moving onto her butt, legs, and feet. Silvia remained quiet during this time, only shivering a little from the coldness of the water while occasionally gasping softly at her mother's tender touch upon her delicate skin.

Once they had cleaned each other, they rinsed their long silver hair until no more dirt could be seen. Their bodies trembled from the cold when it was finally over. "L-let's get b-back to the fire..." Nivalis stuttered out through chattering teeth before quickly getting out of the water, holding her small daughter's hand tightly in hers; their bare feet squished loudly against the muddy ground beneath them with each step back towards their campfire.

Once there, Nivalis sat on the ground next to her son and the fire a soft thud of her perfectly-shaped butt against the ground. She then softly patted her thighs, signaling the girl to sit on her lap instead, and Silvia did so without any hesitation. Her little butt pressed against one of her mother's thighs as she wrapped both arms around Nivalis' waist tightly for warmth, resting her head upon the softness of her breasts.