She turned off the fire and let the porridge cool a little. Her arms ached, her shoulders burned, and she smelled like smoke, but at least she'd managed to cook something she could eat.
After a moment's rest, she scooped a small amount into the bowl and carried it deeper into the cave. The baby was awake now, blinking slowly, his tiny fists flexing. Lavayla sat beside him and tested the porridge with her fingertip. Warm, not hot.
"System… if I'm not wrong, this baby should be more than seven months, right?"
'Host, I'm not sure, but it seems so…'
"Then does that mean I can feed him this porridge?"
'You want to feed him that? It might be edible and not harmful for you, but for a baby… I'm not so sure, host. I will advise you to feed him baby food.'
Lavayla narrowed her eyes.
"You just want me to buy it, don't you?"
Then she sighed.
"Fine. You're right. I don't want him getting hurt."
'Sure, host~! Would you like to buy the Standard Baby Food Pack—'
"No." Lavayla cut it off instantly. "That sounds overpriced already."
'Then perhaps… baby milk? Baby formula? There are several options suitable for an infant of his presumed age. You may scan through them, host~'
A transparent menu slid open in front of her. Rows of items flickered across the screen—soft powders, tiny ready-made sachets, nutrient-balanced blends, even something called Elemental Growth Formula that she didn't even bother clicking because the price tag looked like a personal attack.
Lavayla scrolled, squinting.
"Too expensive… too weird… definitely too expensive… why does that one glow?"
'Host, focus~! Look for something simple, safe, and nutritious.'
She flicked through another page and saw it: Gentle-Grow Infant Formula, the description short and to the point—easy to digest, mild, suitable for babies 6–12 months.
Price: 150 points.
She winced.
"Ouch. That's basically robbery."
'But the safest choice, host!'
Lavayla exhaled sharply.
"Fine. Purchase it."
'Purchase confirmed!'
The baby had already noticed her voice and was waving his tiny hands in her direction, his eyes bright. When Lavayla leaned close, he stretched both arms toward her, small fingers opening and closing insistently.
Her irritation melted clean off her face.
"Aww… you little attention grabber," she whispered.
She scooped him up gently. He immediately reached out, brushing her cheek with the back of his small hand. His fingers patted, curious and soft. Lavayla held his hand with her free one, her smile stretching helplessly.
"You're really something, aren't you?" she murmured.
The baby babbled in response—tiny, musical sounds that bounced around the cave.
A small box materialized in her other hand. The formula.
Lavayla glanced at it, then at the baby.
"Alright, sweetheart. Let's get you fed."
She tore the packet open and poured the mix into the small bottle that appeared with it. A quick shake, a test on her wrist—warm, not too hot.
She lifted it toward his mouth, "Okay, open up. Aah—"
She tapped the bottle lightly against his lips, coaxing him.
The moment the formula touched his tongue, he released her face—then latched onto the bottle with both small hands, gripping it like a treasure as he sucked eagerly.
Lavayla stared for a second, stunned, then laughed under her breath.
"You were this hungry? No wonder you were looking at me like that."
The baby ignored her completely, entirely focused on draining the bottle as if his life depended on it.
Lavayla shook her head, still smiling. He drank noisily, completely absorbed, and she kept her arm steady, watching him.
After the baby finished eating and burped, Lavayla finally grabbed her own bowl, scooping up a mouthful of porridge.
The first bite tasted better than she expected — warm, a little bland, but comforting after everything she'd done. She ate quickly, barely pausing between spoonfuls. By the time she reached the bottom of the bowl, her stomach still felt hollow.
She stood, went back to the pot, and served herself a second bowl. That one disappeared just as fast. Only after scraping the last bit from the bottom did she realize how drained she was. Her whole body felt heavy, her limbs sore.
She reached for her water container and drank deeply until her throat stopped feeling dry. When she finally set it down, her breath steadied.
She pushed herself up, walked to the cave entrance where her makeshift kitchen lay scattered, and started cleaning. The bowl, the pot, the spoon — everything needed to go back into the space-vault before dust found them. She scrubbed them thoroughly using a bit of water then returned each item to its proper slot inside the vault, showing on the panel. Only the fire pit and stone slab stayed outside.
She grabbed her dagger-like knife and the water container and headed back to where the baby lay.
The moment she stepped close, she stopped.
"…What is that smell?"
Her eyes slid slowly toward the baby. Then lower.
Right between his tiny legs, the floor was wet.
Lavayla's face twisted in a grimace, "Seriously? I totally forgot babies would pee and poop on themselves."
She picked him up. The baby giggled happily and reached for her hair like nothing was wrong. Lavayla shot him the flattest look imaginable.
"Oh, so you think this is funny, huh?" She sighed heavily. "Ah, seriously, what do I do now?"
The system chimed in, far too pleased.
'Host, you should be happy he only peed and not pooped. If he had, well… you would be having a very fun time~'
"Shut up."
She looked down at the baby again, who blinked innocently at her, and then at the two fur pelts now wet. With a resigned groan, she gathered them up and walked toward the cave entrance.
She placed the baby on one of the large leaves she hadn't used earlier. He sat there wobbling slightly but managing on his own — until he discovered the leaf was fun to hit, and started slapping both hands against it.
Lavayla hovered for a moment, ready to dive in if he tipped over.
'Host, the baby is already old enough to sit… though not for long. So, you just have to hurry.'
"Okay. No problem."
She snatched up the water gallon, carried it outside, and stopped beside a patch of grass. Opening the container, she poured water over the stained parts of the fur pelts and scrubbed them down. Then she rinsed both and wrung them out.
She scanned the area and found a long, sturdy tree branch near the cave entrance — perfect height. She draped both pelts across it to dry.
She clapped her hands once, satisfied, then carried the gallon back inside.
Next, she returned to the baby, cleaned his little bottom with a little water, and picked him up again. She carried both him and the gallon back into the cave.
Lavayla placed him down and pointed a stern finger right at him, "Do not pee or poop, okay? If you do that, I'm going to smack you. Did you hear me?"
The baby definitely did not hear her.
Instead, he babbled cheerfully, grabbed her pointed finger, and tried to stuff it into his mouth.
Lavayla stared at him, defeated.
"…You know what? Fine."
She shook her head but couldn't stop the smile tugging at her lips. She set him down, lay beside him, and then noticed — again — that he was still naked.
She sighed loud enough to echo off the cave walls.
"Yeah… this won't work." He might be a beast baby but he was still a baby that should not be naked for long.
She poked the system mentally.
'System, how much for your baby clothes? And I'm not talking about ordinary baby clothes. I mean something he can wear here that will give full coverage and not easily stain.'