The Villainess Will Live a Good Life

37. What Occurred

Nana was finally able to get a good look at her den and cried a little. The amount of work it needed was substantial. Troy immediately got to work with Dakotah. They focused on fixing up foundational issues. Zen played bodyguard and Kaito hesitated to leave.

Nana sent him off to continue his hunt for a den while Nana reined in the cubs.

"Fight me," Awa demanded of Nana almost immediately.

Nana's facial muscles twitched. "That isn't a good idea Awa."

Awa pouted. "Are you afraid? Mama says foxes are cowards."

Now, Nana wasn't about to be taunted by a child. "What's in it for me?" Nana was a practical sort and she wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by.

"What?" Awa asked.

"What's in it for me?" Nana repeated the question. "You want me to fight, but I don't feel like it. You wouldn't think I'd go out of my way to receive nothing in return, right?" Maybe Nana was talking high over the child's head, but it was how she felt.

"Uhh." Awa hadn't expected that kind of response and was at a loss. She thought about what the fox female was telling her. She wanted something, right? "The males. Yeah, you can pick a male."

Nana sighed. "Males aren't objects, Awa..." She noticed her mistake too late. Those words were too much like a main character's. They were ones that the males would love to hear. Nana sensed many sparkles forming behind her and knew she had done it now.

"How about this?" Nana sweated from both the heat and the situation. "I fight you like you want. After we are done, you have to promise me that you will speak exactly and precisely of what has happened these past days to your parents."

Awa experienced confusion. Wasn't the female in front of her asking her to do what she was already supposed to do? "Okay," Awa agreed anyway.

Before Nana could go inside to shift, Awa lunged at her. "Let me—!" Nana had to jump backwards to avoid a swipe. Nana could either ruin her clothes or fight as is. Nana decided to try the latter option first.

Nana attempted to pin Awa down several times, but the jaguar kept trying to swipe her with claws. Nana couldn't get hurt or things would turn ugly. Troy came over to watch the show. Dakotah followed and found himself biting on his claws. Zen and Paulo watched closely. They were planning to intervene if necessary.

Three City of Rain males that accompanied Awa observed the show calmly. Watching females fight was not a new or unusual experience for them. That wasn't to say that they did not find it entertaining because they did.

Nana stopped trying to end it without pain. She took a step back and sent a solid roundhouse kick into the lunging Awa's jaw. The jaguar stumbled and tried to shake the pain away. Since the hit wasn't enough to discourage Awa, Nana shifted. Clothes tore and Nana whined. Paulo was concerned that she was somehow hurt, but Nana's males knew why she was upset.

Nana managed to pin Awa down a moment later. She brandished her claws briefly enough to let Awa know the battle was over. The little female wasn't ready to accept defeat and kept going. Nana resigned herself to an annoyingly tedious battle and worked on wearing Awa down.

Once over, Awa huffed and puffed. The young female then proceeded to pout. Nana let someone else comfort the sore loser. Her doing it would probably make things worse for the proud Awa. Since the fight ended with no injuries, everyone went back to doing their jobs. Paulo collected the disheartened Awa and offered a silent thank you to Nana. He left with his charge to see how far along the building of Awa's temporary residence had come along.