Chapter 6
Wayne's constant refusals finally pushed Euphoria past her limit. Was he trying to keep her a prisoner of this tribe forever?
Sensing the shift in her mood, Wayne realized he had been too blunt. He softened his tone, trying to coax her. "I'll go hunt first. When I get back, I'll roast the best cuts just for you."
Euphoria was still annoyed, but she knew his overprotectiveness came from a place of genuine concern. She didn't press the issue and simply waved him away.
Once he was gone, her restlessness only grew. Unable to sit still in the quiet stone house, she decided to wander through the village.
The tribe was expansive, yet the demographic was staggering—everywhere she looked there were male beastmen, with almost no females in sight.
Her aimless walk was interrupted when four fluffy tiger cubs suddenly tumbled out from the brush, tripping over her feet. They began whimpering and purring, nuzzling against her legs.
They're adorable!
Her irritation evaporated instantly at the sight of them. She crouched down and scooped one up; the cub immediately began rubbing its head against her hand with trustful affection. Euphoria stared at the tiny creature, her heart softening. Is this what a young beastman looks like? "Who are you?"
A soft, melodic voice came from behind. Euphoria turned to find a woman standing there. She wasn't a conventional beauty, but she had a gentle, warm aura that made her very pleasant to look at. The other three cubs immediately abandoned Euphoria to scramble all over the newcomer.
"I'm Euphoria," she said, offering a small smile.
The woman smiled back. "I'm Ferna." She picked up one of the more rambunctious cubs and tapped its nose. "Always wandering off, aren't you?"
The cub let out a soft yip in response. The cub in Euphoria's arms began to squirm, so she set it down. It immediately dashed to Ferna's side, confirming Euphoria's suspicion—these were Ferna's children.
Ferna looked Euphoria over curiously. "You don't have a mate yet? Who brought you into the tribe?"
Euphoria was becoming impressed by the orcs' ability to sniff out someone's relationship status as easily as catching a scent on the wind. "Wayne brought me. He's out hunting right now."
Ferna's smile widened. "Another female for the tribe. That's wonderful news."
Euphoria's lip twitched, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling roar shattered the peace. In the distance, a tiger, a wolf, and a lion were locked in a violent tangle. Another wolf was sprinting across the clearing, headed straight for them.
Ferna turned pale, horror written on her face. "Ghost beasts! Run!" she screamed, ushering her cubs toward the center of the village.
Euphoria glanced at the chaotic fight and followed Ferna's lead, but the wolf was gaining ground with terrifying speed. Every time Euphoria glanced back, it had closed the gap.
We aren't going to make it.
As she ran, her tactical training kicked in. She scanned the ground and spotted several heavy fallen branches. She slowed her pace, calculating the distance. Just as the wolf lunged, she whirled around, grabbed a thick piece of wood, and swung with everything she had.
The collision was violent. The heavy branch connected squarely with the wolf's skull. The beast let out a pained howl and crumpled to the ground, seemingly dazed.
Euphoria stood over it, chest heaving, gripping the makeshift club. It was thicker than her arm. She raised it to deliver a finishing blow, but the beast was faster than it looked.
The wolf-beast lunged from the ground, its jaws snapping shut on the wood. With a powerful jerk of its head, it sent the branch flying and knocked Euphoria flat on her back.
Before she could recover, the wolf grabbed the back of her animal-hide bodice with its teeth and took off toward the village gates at a dead run.
The jarring motion felt like it was rattling her internal organs loose. Euphoria gritted her teeth against the pain, her mind racing for an escape plan.
Ferna watched in frozen terror as the wolf disappeared with Euphoria. She finally found her voice and screamed for the tribal warriors. Nearly a dozen ghost beasts had breached the walls; they were feral and savage, requiring the combined effort of the tribal males to hold back.
The wolf carrying Euphoria didn't stop to fight. It tore through the chaos and burst out into the forest, letting out a low, guttural growl of victory.
This beast was massive, far larger and more enduring than any wolf Euphoria had ever seen. It ran for miles until the sounds of pursuit faded into silence.
Sensing the wolf's guard was finally down, Euphoria seized her moment. She reached back and punched the beast squarely in the eye with a focused strike.
The wolf shrieked in pain, releasing its grip. Euphoria hit the ground running. She cursed herself for leaving her backpack behind; her dagger and lighters would have been invaluable right now.
The punch had been a good one, but it wasn't enough to blind the beast. After a moment of thrashing in agony, the wolf exhaled a plume of hot, angry breath. It squinted its one good eye and caught her scent, launching into a vengeful chase.
The hair on Euphoria's neck stood up as the predator closed in. She saw it pounce and immediately shifted her strategy. She stopped, planted her feet, and dropped into a low crouch, waiting.
The wolf's eyes burned with bloodlust. As it leaped for her throat, Euphoria executed a perfect tactical roll to the side.
The wolf's eyes went wide. In its blind rage, it hadn't noticed the massive oak tree directly behind her. At that speed, there was no stopping.
CRASH.
The wolf slammed into the trunk with a sickening thud. It slumped to the roots, blood leaking from its head and pooling in its eyes.
Is it dead?
Burned by her previous attempt, Euphoria didn't get close. She turned and kept running, but a moment later, a feral howl echoed behind her. God, these things are tough!
She was reaching the end of her stamina. The emergency dodge and the sprint had drained her. She knew if the wolf caught her again, it wouldn't be looking for a captive—it would be looking for a kill.
She stopped, picking up a jagged stone. She watched as the wolf approached, moving slowly now, its eyes gleaming with a sadistic, excited light. It circled her like a shark, then lunged.
Euphoria dodged, but as the beast passed, she leaped onto its back. She clamped one hand onto its ear for leverage and began hammering the stone into its skull.
"Awooo!"
The beast thrashed, trying to dislodge her. Euphoria held on with grim determination, knowing that if she let go, she was finished. Blood from the wolf's head wounds began to coat its fur and her hands.
In a fit of desperation, the wolf charged toward a tree, intending to crush her against it. Euphoria saw the move coming and jumped clear, landing hard in the grass.
The wolf skidded to a halt. Sensing she was no longer on its back, it turned to finish her. Euphoria tried to stand, but a white-hot flash of pain shot through her left ankle. She had twisted it during the jump.
Damn it!
She gripped her stone, preparing for a final, suicidal stand.
Suddenly, a blur of white light streaked through the air. There was a deafening thud as the wolf was slammed into a tree with such force that Euphoria heard the distinct snap of bones.
The wolf didn't get up again.
Euphoria looked up to see a strikingly handsome face watching her from the branches above. Startled, she tried to step back, only to wince as her ankle buckled.
Seeing her pain, the half-man, half-snake figure in the tree felt a flicker of concern in his red eyes. He swept his powerful tail down and coiled it gently around her waist.
Euphoria tensed, but she realized this was Luce, the man who had saved her. She allowed him to lift her into the canopy. He placed her on a sturdy branch and slid his serpentine lower half closer to her.
"Does it hurt?" His voice was low. He reached out a long, slender hand but stopped short of touching her injured leg.
Euphoria wasn't one for whining. She forced a smile. "I'll live. Thank you."
Luce's expression remained stoic, but his eyes betrayed his worry. He scooped her up in his arms and nimbly descended the tree.
"I'm taking you to a healer."
He moved with incredible speed, his lower half gliding over the terrain with a stability that kept her ankle from jarring. "I'm okay, really," she said, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck to stay secure.
Luce's body stiffened at the contact, but he didn't slow down or speak.
He didn't take her back to Wayne's smaller village. Instead, he brought her to a much larger, more established tribe. Upon arriving, Euphoria's thoughts immediately went to Wayne. He would be out of his mind with worry when he found her missing.
The doctor Luce brought her to was an older man who retained a refined, handsome look despite his years. He conducted an incredibly thorough—and painstakingly slow—examination. It took nearly half an hour before he finally finished assessing her injury.