After days of unbroken rain, when dark clouds had smothered the sky and thunder rolled endlessly, the storm at last began to fade. The clouds thinned, letting streaks of sunlight spill over the land. Puddles shimmered like scattered mirrors, their surfaces rippling under the touch of a gentle breeze, and the air carried the fresh, earthy scent of rain-washed soil. The air grew warm once more.
"Ah, finally!" Rayna exclaimed, stretching her arms. "I want to go out."
Ezra, drying the last plate, glanced at her. "Yeah, let's go. Is your back okay now? You've been sleeping a lot these days."
Rayna shot him a look. "Hm, and who's to blame for that?"
Ezra smirked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, well—"
Soren cut in before he could finish. "Let's go out. You've been cooped up all through the wet season, Rayna, and I could see how much you wanted to go out. Let's enjoy ourselves. We can go to the riverside."
Rayna tilted her head. "But after so much rain, won't the river be overflowing?"
Soren shook his head. "No, it's never happened before. Sure, the flow is stronger, but it's never flooded our area."
Rayna's eyes lit up. "Ooo, then let's go!"
Ezra nodded. "Alright, let me grab some fruits to eat."
Soren swept Rayna into his arms and launched into the air, his powerful wings carrying them swiftly toward the river. The wind rushed past her face, carrying the fresh scent of rain-washed earth.
When they arrived, the river was indeed higher than before, its current moving with a restless energy. Yet the water glimmered a clear, dazzling blue beneath the sunlight, as if the storm had polished it to perfection.
Rayna's eyes sparkled as she took in the riverside view. "Hey, let's do a barbecue here!" she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Soren blinked. "A... bar-what?"
Ezra appeared from behind them, carrying a small basket of fruits. "What's going on?"
Rayna turned toward them, grinning. "It's called a barbecue. You cook meat over an open fire, and it tastes amazing. Since the weather's so nice, it's the perfect time to try it."
Ezra's ears perked. "Cooking outside, huh? I like the sound of that."
Soren gave a thoughtful hum, still rolling the strange word on his tongue. "Barbecue..."
"It's usually enjoyed with a lot of people," Rayna added thoughtfully. Then her eyes lit up. "Hey, let's call Yunxi too!"
Both Soren and Ezra turned to stare at her, their expressions saying the same thing: Why?
"We can enjoy ourselves just fine," Soren remarked flatly, while Ezra gave a skeptical tilt of his head.
Rayna clasped her hands together. "Come on, it's been a while since we saw him. And you know Yunxi—he loves to eat. Let's invite him, please?"
The two exchanged a glance, then sighed in unison. "Fine," they muttered.
While Soren went to fetch Yunxi, Rayna and Ezra set to work on the barbecue. Since there was no metal grill like in her old world, they improvised with what the riverside offered.
Ezra gathered smooth, flat river stones and arranged them in a wide circle on a patch of dry ground. In the center, they built a fire pit, stacking dry twigs and branches into a cone shape.
Once the flames caught, Ezra carefully banked them down, covering the fire with a layer of glowing embers. Over the stones, they laid thick green branches, stripped of their leaves and bark, to serve as a makeshift grate. The fresh wood wouldn't catch fire easily, and it would add a faint, smoky flavor to everything cooked.
Rayna unpacked their ingredients—a mix to balance the heaviness of the meat. Fresh fish glistened on broad leaves, caught by Ezra earlier. Bundles of wild mushrooms, foraged from the damp forest after the rains, sat beside colorful vegetables—plump red peppers, some wild radish, shallots, and tender green shoots.
Using a flat stone as a prep table, Rayna mixed Yunxi's herbs with salt and crushed wild berries for a tangy seasoning, coating the meat, fish, and vegetables. Ezra skewered mushrooms and peppers onto sharpened sticks, while Rayna arranged the fish directly on the green-wood grate, its skin sizzling as the juices met the hot embers.
The scent of roasting food rose into the air, mingling with the gentle sound of the river flowing nearby.
Rayna noticed a faint residue of juices of the wild berries clinging to her fingertips. "Ah, I need to wash my hands," she murmured.
Before she could go towards the river, Ezra caught her wrist. "No need," he said with a sly curve of his lips. Pulling her closer, wrapping one of his arms around her waist, and the other holding her hand, he brought her fingers to his mouth and slowly drew them past his lips.
Rayna's heartbeat stumbled, her breath catching as the warmth of his tongue—slightly rough, like velvet brushed the wrong way—traced over each finger, sweeping away every speck of seasoning. His gaze stayed locked on hers the entire time.
When he finally let her hand go, he grinned, a teasing glint in his eyes. "See? Perfectly clean, my sunshine."
He pressed a slow, lingering kiss to the back of her hand before releasing it.
Rayna blushed.
"Sneaky fox." Rayna said flustered.
Just then she spotted Soren and Yunxi making their way through the fresh green landscape. It looked like they were discussing something. Yunxi was no longer in his beast form, which made Rayna's heart lift—she could finally see his warm, human smile again.
"Soren! Yunxi!" she called, waving. "The food's almost ready!"
Soren glanced up, a warm smile tugging at his lips, while Yunxi's expression brightened into pure joy. He lifted a hand high in greeting. "Hey, Rayna!" he called back, his voice carrying easily over the sound of the river.
They reached the riverside, the scent of roasting meat and sizzling fish drifting through the air.
"Mmm, smells amazing," Yunxi said, his mouth watering. "If I'd known you were making a feast like this, I would've run here to reach quickly."
Rayna laughed, handing Yunxi a skewer piled with mushrooms, meat and vegetables. "Here, try this."
Yunxi grinned, taking a big bite. "Its so delicious!"
Ezra and Soren joined in, each taking a skewer from the rack.
Ezra's eyes lit up after the first bite. "Mhm, Rayna... you seriously cook so well. You keep cooking foods I've never tasted before—it's incredible."
Soren nodded in agreement, his tone firm but warm. "Our mate is amazing."
Rayna chuckled, cheeks warming at their praise. "Thank you, guys." She poked at the fire with a stick, pretending to focus on the embers, but the smile tugging at her lips wouldn't fade.
Yunxi leaned forward with a curious smile. "I've not seen females cook like this before. Did you learn it from your tribe, Rayna?"
Rayna hesitated for the briefest moment before answering, "Well... yes."
Ezra nodded as if that explained everything. Soren's gaze lingered on her a little longer, his expression unreadable, but he gave a slow nod too. He knew that dragons carried the memories of their ancestors—but what neither he nor Ezra realized was that Rayna's knowledge came from a life she had lived before this one.
Rayna bit into the skewer, savoring the smoky flavor. "Mm... this turned out well," she murmured in satisfaction. One by one, they all ate until they were completely full, leaning back with content sighs, their bellies pleasantly heavy from the barbeque.
Suddenly, Rayna tilted her head. "So, Soren, Yunxi—what were you two talking about earlier while you were coming here?"
Yunxi opened his mouth to answer, but Soren spoke first. "When I went to call Yunxi, he was busy grinding a large batch of herbs. When I asked what for, he told me it's a numbing herb—something that helps dull pain when applied. The wet season is also the time the females go into heat, so many females will be expecting cubs. So, during delivery, if the pain becomes too much, this herb can help. A lot of beastmen buy it for their mates."
Yunxi nodded in agreement.
So females had their heat during the wet season... yet for her, it didn't seem to follow that pattern. "It has its own timing, I guess." Rayna thought.
One of the things Rayna was truly grateful for since becoming a beastwoman—and a dragon—was that she no longer had to deal with periods every month.
It felt like a blessing, honestly. Just once a year, and that was it. No more cramps twisting her insides, no sudden cranky moods, no feeling like everything and everyone was getting on her nerves every few weeks. Life was so much better this way.
Then her thoughts went to childbirth. She thought about the human world, where childbirth had never been an easy thing either.
"So you'll be busy in the following days, won't you Yunxi?" Ezra asked.
"Yeah, the healer warned me about it, around this time it can get a bit hectic. Like this herb is traded by a lot of beastmen so I need to prepare a lot of it. But I really like doing this, making something to alleviate pain, even if it is just a little, I feel happy if it truly helps." Yunxi smiled.
Rayna found herself quietly admiring him. That was an admirable thought. Yunxi was a genuinely kind person—cute, a little insecure about himself, yes—but he thought of others before himself, working without complaint. That altruistic attitude was rare, and in her eyes, truly commendable.
Afterwards, Yunxi rushed to leave he was needed at the healer's hut. He waved all of them good-bye.
In the afternoon, the three of them lounged in Soren's tree hut, but Rayna's mind drifted. Childbirth... It wasn't something she had ever truly considered in her old world, not seriously. But here, in the Beastworld—with Soren and Ezra by her side—it didn't feel that bad of an idea. To have cubs. Still... she knew it would hurt, maybe more than she could imagine.
She let out a small sigh and shook the thought away.
No... not now.
For now, she wanted to hold on to this moment—this silly, imperfect, precious time. The ridiculous moments, the way Soren and Ezra bickered over the smallest things, the taste of good food they'd made together, the laughter that had filled the air. These were the memories she wanted to savor before anything else.
She wanted this relaxed time to last a bit longer.
But somewhere beyond the quiet rustle of leaves, far past the golden sunlight on the river, trouble had already begun to stir. And soon... it would find its way to her.