Chapter 15. Still in Crisis, But Hot :p
Tigris POV
It has been two days, and I cannot catch even a single glimpse of my mate.
Moonlight Goddess, is it truly selfish to wish to keep my female close to me alone? Lily, I swear this to you.
I will not stand in your way if you wish to take other partners. I will grow stronger each passing day, and I will lay the entire world at your feet.
Please come back to me.
Please stay safe.
"Do you not find this strange? Lola returned bearing fresh wounds, and now Josh and Lily have vanished without a trace."
"You speak the truth. I caught no scent of wild rampaging beasts upon her injuries. Any feral creature would leave a thick, foul stench behind."
"Shhh, lower your voice. If Lola hears us talking, she will persuade the chief to cast us out of the tribe."
A cluster of young unmated beastman whispered among themselves.
They were young and untrained, far too weak to sense my lingering presence.
As a four stripe Tiger beastman, masking my aura and footsteps is child's play.
"Why should I fear that? I never planned to dwell here forever. This tribe is filled with cruel females. All the kind hearted ones already have enough mates to tend to. The rest are either far too old, or poor stock like the chief's own daughter."
"If I was forced to pair with that ruthless girl, I would turn feral within a week. Look at Josh, he is gone now. He likely lured Lily away on Lola's orders. Everyone knows she hates Lily because of me."
"I have seen it too. Those two clashed more than once, until the tiger and fox females stepped in to calm the unrest. I watched her many times, staring with cunning glint in her eyes. She must be plotting something."
"Must be what?"
I could no longer hold back my rage.
I lunged forward and seized one of the young beastman in my grasp.
"Tigris!" The creature in my hands thrashed wildly, his face twisting with terror. The others stumbled backward, scrambling to put distance between us.
"Tell me everything you know." I tightened my grip around his collar.
His skin drained of color, shifting from pale color to a sickly blue.
"I will talk, I will talk. Please let me go."
I released him, and he crumpled to the rocky ground with a heavy thud.
"There are few unmated females left within the tribe. Most have already taken their fill of partners. That is why we all grew eager to win your favor when you brought Lily here. Your imposing aura always kept us watching from afar, too afraid to draw near."
"Lola picked fights with Lily from the very first day. She would stir up trouble whenever you stepped away from the tribe to hunt. These past days you rarely left Lily's side, and every beast here could smell that you had finally marked your mate."
"After that, Lola flew into a bitter rage. She took all her frustration out on her own partner. We saw her lingering in the shadows time and again, her gaze filled with pure malice. Not long after, Lily and Josh disappeared together. Lola's injuries are no doubt tied to their vanishing."
I listened to every word, and a heavy regret settled deep in my chest.
I had known Lola would target Lily sooner or later.
I had even planned to leave this tribe once we bore one or two cubs together.
What a fool I am.
For two endless days, I fought without rest, without a single bite to eat.
I chased Lily's fading scent across every woodland path, tearing apart the dens of rampaging beasts den hidden deep within the forests.
I wasted precious hours chasing false leads.
What a fool I am.
Regret burned hot and sharp in my chest.
That vile wench.
I will find her.
I will hunt her down, and I will crush her skull with my own paws if that is what it takes.
Tigris POV ends
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Jormungandr POV
I have roused from a slumber that stretched across countless ages.
The wind that brushes my scales now carries a scent entirely foreign to the world I once knew.
The tribes that once bowed to me as a deity, that laid sacrifices at my feet each passing year, have long turned to dust and memory.
A thick tang of blood roused me from my endless sleep.
Alongside the metallic scent of prey, drifted the faint warmth of a female.
The clans dwelling at this mountain's foot have always sent offerings to my lair. Sinners, the unwanted, the sick and the plain of face.
No matter how gently I stirred near them, every female would collapse, breath their last the moment they laid eyes with terror upon my true form.
None endured long enough to speak a single word.
Yet this one is different.
She fell into my crater wounded and weary, but she drew breath still.
She even stood against her own wounds, facing me in fear.
Yet she is not breathing her last.
A promising soul indeed.
Shall I let her live? My power has long transcended the chains of mortality.
Even if this one should abandon me after we are bound, I shall never descend into feral madness.
Ancient memories stir within my blood, passed down from my ancestors.
Only when the fated bond between two souls grows unbreakable does the rage of rampage take hold.
If this female is truly the one destined for me, my colossal strength could unravel the very lands, and drown the living in endless chaos.
I tasted a drop of her blood upon my tongue, curious of her essence.
Then I drew close, curling my cold form around her soft, delicate body. I moved with utmost care, mindful not to harm her fragile frame.
For all the tales etched into my ancestral memories, this is the first time I have held a living female in my embrace.
The darkness of my lair hides the hue of her skin and the details of her features, yet her form is graceful beyond measure.
Slender, light, fragile like a budding bloom.
And yet, I felt the faint trace of prey's blood upon her palms.
She stumbled into my arms, and brought breakfast to my hungry jaws.
Surely this maiden is the bride the Moonlight Goddess has sent for me.
For I have guarded these mountains and upheld peace for a thousand long years.
Jormungandr POV ends
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Lily POV
Jor has been nothing but kind since he pulled me from the crater's depths.
I had thought travel would be slow, seeing his lower half is a great serpent bound to slither across the ground.
To my surprise, he moves with startling speed.
Riding in his arms feels just like soaring along on a wild rollercoaster.
His scaled limbs wrap around me in a cool embrace, the chill of his reptilian body seeping into my clothes.
Cold blood runs through his veins, and his heartbeat is slow beyond belief.
I swear his chest pulses only once every seven or eight seconds.
The wind rushes past my cheeks as we race across the terrain.
My mind races too, tangled in worry.
"Jor, there is a river, let's rest here, i want to clean up all these blood from my clothes."
As he put me down, a particle in the air seems tremble, his long black hair shining like in commercial ads covering his face.
He make a move to open the black curtain covering his face, like in cheap drama, a flash of light shone upon his face, he is dazzling.
And suddenly, the rest of his tail dissapear and turn into human leg, of course, naked.
And a my eyes just freeze, this make medusa from shampoo ads probably cast some curse on me as i i turn into a stone, or my brain just comperhend how he has extra organ down there.
I might see wrong but but my statue like body has been shaken softly by the naked male medusa.
I mean Jor, he cast a look, "what is wrong Lily? You said you want to clean your self?"
In 2 meters tall body he look down on me with mature care in his eyes, surrprisingly, even though his actual body could probably over 150 meters long, but human in front of me look slender except that he is definitly taller than any man i ever met.
Even though his skin as cold as a dead body, i can't understand how every part he lightly touch turn hot. i turn my face forcefully that my hair slap him.
"Nothing, where is your clothes, dont be naked when you in that form, i don't like naked male walking around outside."
I dip my feet in the chill and fresh running water. "I see. So if we were inside, you will have me naked?"
He suddenly look at me from my shoulder and it almost make me jump to the river, In my heart, then he walk in the river, probably ecause his leg is very long.
The top half including the extra body part is dangling above the water.
I have to keep my mind calm, Tigris also have it different, another beast with one or two rod must not be strange after all.
"There is no need to sneak glance Lily, you can look however you want, I gave you my heart, i can give this for you too."
GIVE ME WHAT!? YOUR CHILD AND YOUR WHOLE GRANDSON?
He is getting closer and pull my hand, "You can touch it if you are that curious,"
Sir my brain is melting, if it in my country, i will sue you for harassement!
"NO! Nothing, im fine thank you," I'm losing my mind, i fasten my pace and splash the water all over the part where it got red blood.
"It's been a long time since i have a really nice bath, come sit here Lily,"
He is not pulling me hard, but my weak conscience pull me harder, maybe.
But instead of enjoying the river water, im submerge in it, its not that deep, but i can not sit in it either, as im too short.
Then Jor pull me closer and make me sit on his thigh, they were firm and if not because of something was banging my butt due to the current of water, i might be able to enjoy dipping my self in the water.
But this lewd position is unbearable, i force my self to stand up "No, i don't like it, its like you were putting a child," he let me go but again want to pull me, "wait Lily, be careful it slip..."
I slip my foot and fell to his lap, even closer to him now. "Told you it's slippery."
After few minutes of pushing and pulling, we somehow made it to the ground, clean and better. and Jor pulled out a black long cloth, which turn out it was his own shed. And skillfully he cut it with his own claw and made fabric put on for his skirt.
Doesn't look that bad for stone age beast man.
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