Survival Queen of the Frozen Wastes novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Bear’s Work

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“This is way too much.” Riley’s lips pressed into a thin line. No matter how tough she was, this kind of straight–up manual labor–digging holes by hand–was brutal on her palms.

She was just about to call it quits and head back to the workshop to try making some kind of digging tool, when Neeko came trotting over.

Watching Riley struggle, Neeko tilted her head, seeming to figure out what she was trying to do.

That familiar soft glow shimmered around her again.

A moment later, the huge grizzly bear was back.

It lumbered over to the spot Riley had been working on, then lifted those massive shovel–like paws.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!”

Both front paws went to work, claws tearing into the earth, sending dirt flying back in steady arcs. It was unreal how fast it dug.

In a few minutes, right in front of Riley, there was a neat, rectangular patch of freshly turned soil–loose, deep, and ready for planting.

Riley just stared, completely thrown.

“Is… this really how you’re supposed to use Neeko?”

As Neeko shifted back into her human guise and stood by the newly dug hole, she wore an obvious look of quiet pride, as if waiting for Riley to be impressed. Riley could only gulp faintly.

She was way too handy.

If I get my hands on some seeds later, maybe I could have her turn into a plow horse or something-

Riley quickly shut down that whole exploitative train of thought.

“Neeko, good job!” She gave a genuine thumbs–up.

Neeko’s eyes lit up, happy. She mimicked the gesture, sticking up her own thumb and announcing brightly, “Very good job!”

As night settled in properly, inside the stone enclosure, the warm campfire made their shadows dance against the walls.

The soil Neeko had dug up with those bear paws was even softer and finer than Riley had hoped.

Riley scattered the entire, not–very–big bag of wheat seeds over the patch, then lightly raked a thin layer of dirt back over them with her hands. Done, she dusted her palms off and looked at this little plot of land that held all their future hopes. A mix of excitement and nervousness settled in her chest.

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20:20 Mon, May 4

Chapter 36 Bear’s Work

In this frozen apocalypse, who knew how many of these ordinary seeds would actually make it.

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Neeko, back in human form, crouched curiously by the plot. She reached out a pale finger and gently poked the dark soil, as if trying to sense what might be hidden beneath.

“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Riley murmured to herself.

She did have a little bit of fertilizer left in her inventory from before, but not much. Until she knew whether the wheat would even sprout, she didn’t want to waste the precious resource. Better to save it for when it really counted. She’d wait until she saw green shoots breaking through, then hit them with the fertilizer all at once.

With the planting done, Riley sank onto a nearby stool to rest.

Her eyes landed on Neeko, who was still curiously examining everything around them, and that earlier question about her transformations resurfaced.

Riley decided to try another round of charades with Neeko.

First, she shaped her hands like a cat, then mimicked a bear’s growl, followed by a rolling motion for the rock. Finally, she pointed at Neeko with a questioning lift of her eyebrows.

“What else can you turn into, besides these?”

Neeko watched Riley’s slightly silly gestures and let out a light, bubbly laugh.

She seemed to understand, but she didn’t transform immediately. Instead, she hesitated for a second, then carefully edged closer to Riley. She held out her pale hand, stopping it just in front of Riley’s face. Her big green eyes held a look that was both unsure and hopeful.

Riley paused, looking at the small hand suspended in the air between them.

“You want… to touch me?”

Neeko nodded earnestly, her gaze clear and open.

Riley almost chuckled. It was no big deal.

“Sure, go ahead.” Her voice was soft, and she even leaned forward a little.

With permission given, Neeko’s expression relaxed. She reached out and gently laid her palm against Riley’s arm.

The moment they made contact, a soft, pale green light glowed from Neeko’s palm. It traveled swiftly up Riley’s arm in a brief flash, then vanished.

Then Neeko took a step back and closed her eyes.

Riley watched, curious, not sure what was coming next.

A second later, Neeko’s body became wrapped in a dense, vibrant green light. Within its shimmer, her

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