Maya blinked at Sage like he’d lost his mind.
“Wait, didn’t you say we’d hunt when we reach the safe zone tonight?”
Sage went quiet for a moment.
His amber eyes filled with suspicion.
Was she really this clueless, or just pretending?
He took a deep breath, his tone mocking.
“Hunting at night on this planet isn’t easy. Most creatures that come out after dark are high-level Aberrant beasts. Whether we catch anything is pure luck. If we don’t, you won’t just go hungry tonight—you’ll have nothing for breakfast or lunch tomorrow either.”
Maya knew that in this world, males would give females first priority with resources.
But surely they wouldn’t starve themselves just to make sure she had enough food for several days.
Besides, she had her own hidden food stash in her storage space.
She wasn’t worried about going hungry.
Maya couldn’t help but say, “You just said you might not catch anything tonight. So if I don’t share this food, you’re planning to travel on empty stomachs?”
The beastmen heard her words and couldn’t hide their shock.
What’s her angle here?
Why would she risk starving just to share her food with us?
Maya saw them still frozen and felt her patience snap.
“If you don’t eat, you’ll slow us down!
I need to reach my father as fast as possible.
Every day we waste means more danger.
So eat the food and stop being stubborn!”
She paused, looking at their tense faces, then added, “Even if you catch nothing tonight, it’s fine.
I can eat berries and plants.
I won’t starve.”
Complete silence fell over the streamside.
The beastmen looked at each other with pure amazement.
So she wanted to share supplies just to keep their travel speed up?
Caleb leaned against a tree trunk.
His dark red eyes studied Maya’s face like he was looking for signs of a trick.
But she looked completely serious.
She even seemed anxious, like she was about to lose her patience.
No games at all.
Hunter’s ice blue eyes showed confusion.
He touched his stomach without thinking.
The wild fruits from morning were long gone, and he was really hungry.
He worried this was Maya’s new game.
After they ate her food, she’d pull out her whip and say “you ate my food, now you deserve punishment.”
Finn stood nearby, emotions swirling in his eyes.
“Enough hesitation. If you won’t eat, I will.” Jasper finally broke the standoff.
He grabbed an emergency ration and started eating.
With Jasper leading, the other beastmen came over and split up all the food.
When they started eating, they kept glancing at Maya.
When they saw she had no special expression, they began quietly consuming the supplies.
Maya watched them finally start eating and felt relieved.
Caleb picked up a salted emergency ration first.
His dark red eyes swept over Maya, his voice still cold.
“Eat up. Let’s get moving after this.”
With his words, the other beastmen started eating hungrily.
Hunter ate with the most enthusiasm, stuffing a big protein chunk in his mouth and chewing with obvious satisfaction.
Sage ate more politely but just as quickly.
After all, traveling on an empty stomach had left him starving.
Jasper ate while sprinkling salt on the remaining food, like he planned to grab another piece after finishing what he had.
Finn sat in the water container, taking small bites of his ration.
The salty flavor made the bland emergency food taste much better.
He looked up and glanced at Maya again.
Maya watched them eat with such appetite.
She almost said “heating the food would make it taste less awful,” but swallowed the words.
Heating takes time, and traveling is the priority right now.
Can’t waste time on small things like that.
Besides, males on space missions are used to eating cold emergency supplies.
They probably don’t even notice how bland it tastes.
She tore her gaze away from the guys and focused on the little river babbling nearby.
The water looked like something straight out of a nature documentary.
Crystal clear, with sunlight doing this gorgeous dance across the surface in tiny golden flecks.
This godforsaken planet might be trying to kill them, but damn if it wasn’t beautiful.
Zero pollution, pristine wilderness everywhere you looked.
But staring at all that clean water made Maya suddenly aware of how gross she felt.
Between the nonstop bouncing on alien terrain and stress sweating through every crisis, she was basically marinating in her own funk.
The animal hide outfit clung to her skin like plastic wrap, itchy and suffocating.
One look at that inviting river and she was ready to dive in clothes and all.
She snuck a glance at Sage, who was closest to her.
Maya chewed her lip for a second, then went for it.
“Sage? Would it be okay if I washed up in the river?”
Five pairs of eyes locked onto her like she’d just announced she was running for president.
Maya blinked at their deer in headlights expressions.
Seriously, what was their deal?
Every time she opened her mouth, they acted like she was speaking ancient Greek.
What she didn’t realize was that she’d just blown their minds into tiny pieces.
Maya asking permission?
That was like spotting a unicorn riding a flying pig.
The previous Maya issued commands like a drill sergeant.
She never asked for input, never requested anything politely.
Especially when it came to bathing.
Her usual approach was more “get lost while I do what I want.”
Even more shocking was that she chose to ask Sage—she used to hate it most when Sage gave her any suggestions.
Sage almost dropped his ration.
He looked up, his amber eyes full of disbelief.
“You want to bathe in the river? And you’re asking my opinion?”
Maya nodded and pointed at the water.
“Yeah, I feel too sticky. A wash would be more comfortable and won’t slow us down. It’ll be quick.”
Caleb put down his food, his dark red eyes focused on the river with a wary tone.
“The river might be dangerous. I’ll come with you.”
This wasn’t about his hatred for Maya.
The bonding mark on their bodies wouldn’t allow her to face danger.
But Maya waved her hand.
“Finish eating first. I’ll wash after you’re done.”
The beastmen exchanged glances and quickly finished the food in their hands.
Space-traveling males really could eat a lot.
They’d cleaned out the entire pack of emergency supplies that fast.
Maya saw they’d all finished and stood up, then walked toward the riverbank.
But with five pairs of eyes staring straight at her, her face couldn’t help but turn red.
“Could you maybe… turn around? I need some privacy.”