Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband

Chapter 226: The Bunny, The Wolf, and the Art of the Deal

The business world of the beast-kin Empire was ruthless, highly competitive, and required an iron will.

Clover, currently standing at an imposing height of three-foot-four in her yellow sundress and pristine white apron, possessed all of these traits.

"Inventory check," Clover announced, tapping her charcoal pencil against her small leather ledger.

Standing right beside her, practically vibrating with excitement, was Vali. The silver wolf-cub had a massive woven basket strapped to his back. It was completely overflowing with thick woolen blankets, three bags of premium roasted seeds from Primrose’s pantry, and a small mountain of colorful wooden blocks that Orion had donated to the cause.

"The cargo is secure!" Vali barked softly, puffing out his chest and trying to look like a hardened mercenary. Unfortunately, his fluffy tail was wagging so fast it was creating a minor wind current behind him. "I am carrying sixty pounds of trade goods! I am a beast of burden!"

"You are an essential logistical partner," Clover corrected primly, making a neat little checkmark in her book. She looked up at the lower gardens.

The Duck-kin refugee camp was peaceful this morning. The canvas pavilions were glowing in the early sunlight, and several of the elders were sitting on woven mats near the new bathing pool, preening their feathers. Scattered all across the manicured grass were dozens of loose, shimmering silver-tipped flight feathers that had naturally fallen out overnight.

To the avian beast-kins, it was just molted dander. To Clover, it was a gold mine.

"Alright, Vali. Remember the training," Clover whispered, adjusting her tiny sun hat. "We are representatives of the Warlord estate. We must be firm, polite, and mutually beneficial. Do not growl at the clients."

"Wolves do not growl at clients," Vali promised solemnly, crossing his heart with a paw-like hand. "I will only growl if they try to underpay you. Then I will bite their ankles."

"No biting!" Clover gasped, swatting his arm lightly with her ledger.

"Understood! No biting the clients!"

Satisfied that her muscle was under control, Clover took a deep breath, smoothed down her apron, and began the march toward the pavilions. Vali flanked her perfectly, matching her pace step for step, keeping his golden eyes scanning the grass for "threats."

They approached the largest mat, where Auntie Mae and two other Duck-kin elders were sitting.

The elders stopped talking as the two beast-cubs walked up. They looked at the tiny bunny-kin holding a book, and then at the fierce little wolf-cub carrying a basket nearly the same size as he was.

Vali immediately stepped forward to announce their presence. He tried to let out a deep, intimidating Rurik-style roar to show they meant business.

"Awooooo-cough-cough!" Vali’s voice cracked horribly, squeaking right in the middle of his howl. He immediately clamped his hands over his mouth, his fuzzy ears burning a bright, embarrassing red.

Clover sighed, stepping smoothly in front of him to salvage the diplomatic mission.

"Good morning, esteemed elders of the sky-flock," Clover greeted, dipping into a perfect, polite curtsy. "I am Clover, the Chief Financial Officer of the Cub Treasury. And this is Vali, my Head of Security."

Auntie Mae blinked, exchanging an incredibly amused look with the other elders. The older woman smiled warmly, her graying feathers puffing out slightly. "Good morning, little ones. Did the Sovereign send you to collect the breakfast plates?"

"No, ma’am," Clover said seriously. She opened her ledger, flipping to a heavily charted page. "We are here to negotiate a trade agreement."

The elders looked confused. "A trade agreement? Sweetheart, we lost everything in the hurricane and the poacher attacks. We don’t have any coin or gems to trade with you."

"I do not want coin," Clover stated, tapping her pencil on the paper. She pointed a small finger at the grass around the pavilion. "You are shedding high-quality, ethically sourced silver-tipped flight feathers. The merchants in the Capital use these to make expensive winter hats for the nobles. They are currently just littering our lawn."

Auntie Mae looked down at the loose feathers in the grass. To an avian beast-kin, dropped feathers were completely useless. They were just dead weight that needed to be swept away to keep the nest clean.

"You want our molted feathers?" another elder asked, completely baffled.

"Yes," Clover nodded firmly. "However, the Sovereign has strict rules about fair compensation. I cannot just take your discarded resources. Therefore, I propose an exchange."

Clover snapped her fingers.

Vali instantly dropped to one knee, dramatic and proud, swinging the massive basket off his back and setting it gently in front of the elders. He pulled back the canvas cover.

The elders gasped.

Inside the basket were six of the thickest, warmest, most luxurious wool blankets they had ever seen, dyed in beautiful, deep colors. Beside the blankets were bags of premium, high-calorie seeds that would normally cost a fortune in the market. And tucked neatly at the bottom were beautifully carved wooden toys for the refugee ducklings who had lost everything.

Auntie Mae reached out with a trembling hand, touching the soft wool of a blanket. The winter winds on the coast were brutal, and the camp had been worried about how they would keep the children warm in the thin canvas tents.

"You brought these for us?" Auntie Mae whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "For some loose feathers?"

"It is a calculated exchange rate," Clover insisted, though her bunny nose twitched happily at seeing how much they liked the blankets. She tried very hard to maintain her strict merchant persona. "My terms are three silver-tipped feathers per woolen blanket, and one feather per bag of seeds. Do we have a deal?"

It was the worst trade deal in the history of the Empire. The Warlord cubs were practically giving away a small fortune in survival gear in exchange for lawn trimmings.

Auntie Mae looked at the tiny bunny-kin trying so hard to be a ruthless businesswoman, and the wolf-cub who was puffing out his chest to protect her. The elder let out a soft, watery laugh, wiping her eyes.

"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Clover," Auntie Mae smiled softly. "We accept your terms. In fact, we will sweep the entire eastern garden for you right now."

"Excellent doing business with you," Clover beamed, holding out her small hand.

Auntie Mae gently shook it.

For the next twenty minutes, the elders happily gathered every single loose silver feather they could find, placing them carefully into Vali’s empty basket. In return, Vali proudly handed out the heavy blankets and bags of seeds, entirely pleased with his role as the great provider.

When the transaction was complete, Vali hoisted the feather-filled basket onto his back. It weighed absolutely nothing compared to the blankets, but he grunted slightly anyway to make it look like hard work.

"The inventory is secured!" Vali announced.

"Thank you, elders," Clover curtsied one last time. "We will return next week if you require further supplies."

As the two beast-cubs walked away from the pavilions, heading back up the stone path toward the manor, Vali couldn’t contain his excitement anymore. His tail was wagging so hard his entire back half was shaking.

"Did you see me, Clover?" Vali asked eagerly, walking slightly sideways so he could look at her. "I didn’t bite anyone! And I carried the heavy cargo perfectly! The clients were very intimidated by my professionalism!"

Clover stopped walking. She looked at the basket of feathers, and then she looked up at the fierce little wolf-cub who was trying so hard to impress her.

She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small, perfectly wrapped honey-candy she had saved from breakfast. She held it out to him.

"You did a very good job, Vali," Clover said softly, a genuine, warm smile completely breaking her strict merchant facade. "You are the best Head of Security a girl could ask for."

Vali took the candy like it was a holy relic. His pink eyes went wide, and his wolf ears pinned back against his head in pure, unadulterated joy. He felt like he could run up the side of the cliff and howl at the sun.

"I will secure all your perimeters forever!" Vali promised fiercely, clutching the candy to his chest.

Clover just laughed, shaking her head as she turned to keep walking up the path. "Come on, Alpha. Let’s go put the inventory in the safe."

Vali practically floated the rest of the way home. The Warlords could have their epic, bloody romances and their dramatic vows. Vali had a piece of honey-candy and a successful business venture. Life was perfect.