The Villainess Will Live a Good Life

27. Win-Win

Training was an enlightening and freeing experience to Nana... not. They started the next day and Nana was already hurting. Both Zen and Troy vetoed her suggestion to spar and instead made her get into shape first. Nana did like running, but not like this.

Zen and Troy did not actually push her hard, that was all Nana. Even if she knew this was a goal that would take her a long time to accomplish, Nana wanted to get there as soon as possible. To distract herself from the disservice of busting her behind in training, Nana went after any of her mates in games of tag that always ended up with her as the loser. It was still better than aimlessly running around and being mistaken for a rabid female by her neighbors. They even called a healer on her once. That was fun for her to explain.

Days passed with Nana sleeping, eating, training, and caring for her cubs. The shop was put on standby, so less crafts had to be made. Nana was sore all the time now. She hoped this would all pay off one day.

Weeks passed in a similar fashion. Nana refused to go anywhere near the inner parts of the city and kept on doing what she was doing. Since Nana's training hadn't progressed to actual sparring, Zen and Troy really weren't all that busy.

Troy got excited watching Nana diligently train. And since he had few things better to do, he gathered up the family's males and started sparring with them. Karan was his preferred choice, but the snake male wasn't as keen on mock battling as he was. Troy often settled for fighting the other three. If nothing else, he would help them get better at combat. Doing that would increase their strength and help them serve his mate better. He'd get to scratch his figurative itch too. It was a win-win for all involved.

Now that he didn't have to make crafts, Zen was far more active between working with Nana and sparring with Troy. While he had nothing against increasing their kon and quality of life in general, Zen preferred this for now. He wanted to be better equipped for future situations.

Karan built a kiln finally. It took him awhile to get it right, but now he was satisfied with it. Watching Nana work herself so hard had frayed his nerves and made him anxious. His mate shouldn't have to do anything of the sort, yet she felt the need to. He couldn't help but feel like a failure of a male. Since she could not be dissuaded, Karan had to busy himself elsewhere to keep a healthier frame of mind.

Dakotah was uncomfortable with the idea at first, but he was the quickest to accept it after Zen and Troy. If Nana wanted to do something, then she should. He would make sure the den was stocked with all kinds of goodies and treats ready for the tired Nana to eat. He bet she'd even praise him for it.

Amil watched the daydreaming Dakotah and felt almost jealous. He too wished he could adapt that quickly and support Nana with all his heart. He did, but worry still wormed its way into his mind on occasion. Amil was, however, genuinely happy to be sparring with Troy. He had a drive to get stronger and felt he needed to sooner than later.

The cubs watched their busy family members with interest. They may not understand a lot yet, but they could feel a buzz in the air. It got them excited. Their games of tag were held more often. The two also began their own sparring sessions. They hunted any bugs or critters that got close to the den too. One day, they were going to show off their progress, receive praise from their father, and get more pets from their mother.

Kaito dropped by from time to time over the season of colors. He frowned at Nana's new curriculum, but held his tongue. His odd cub still did the most unusual things. He had little to do lately and had not yearned to find another female, so he ended up joining the sparring matches frequently.

Nana was glad her father was still around. He seemed tired, but Nana worried it may be a permanent look now. He did appear more lively when sparring with her family members, so she actively encouraged him to come around more. Kaito even managed to coax Karan into participating in a few matches that Kaito enjoyed both spectating and joining.