New Beast Guardian

Amber sighed in relief. She was still shy and new to this world. It was hard for her to accept more males, but if they didn't force her, she could wait and see if she wanted to mate with them. She thought of it as dating, or a trial run to see if they were a good fit.

She had already made up her mind to ask all of them except Larry if they wanted to be her beast guardians. She could use the extra protection and help to get ready for the cold season.

Speaking of the arrogant lion, Larry showed up in the doorway and witnessed Amber accepting Ray as a beast guardian. He was starting to worry a little. Ray was a three-striped prince of the Beast City.

If she only accepted him as a beast guardian, what did that mean for Larry? He would not accept being a beast guardian even for such a beautiful female. He needed a mate!

Amber looked up when she felt eyes on her from the doorway. She smiled and waved at him to be polite. Larry came into the room and offered his gift of a stone knife. He noticed that Amber did not like his gift yesterday and the other suitors brought food. He wanted to give her something useful that would last longer than a day.

Amber took the stone knife and appreciated it. She thanked him and asked him the same question as she asked Ray, "Would you be willing to be one of my beast guardians? I already have 2 mates and am pregnant. I don't want to rush anything else."

She thought he might be useful as a hunter if she could help him work on his attitude. Larry scoffed at her words and gave a side glance towards Ray. He told her, "I am not going to be anyone's beast guardian. I am already a guard for the Lion Castle. I want a mate."

Amber understood his situation and replied, "I hope you find a mate soon, but I am not looking for any more mates right now." Larry shook his head and walked away angrily. Ray was ready to defend Amber if Larry tried anything.

Nick had been away hunting food with Tom. Oliver stayed with Amber and was observing the beast men that came to court his mate. He thought Ray was a good protector for his mate.

He also appreciated the way that Amber asked the same question to both males and handled the situation gracefully. She was fit to be a queen! He was so happy to be her mate.

He came up behind her and hugged her waist. His hand gently rested on her stomach. He told her, "You handled that well! It is the female's choice to decide who she accepts as a mate, not the males."

Ray hummed his agreement with Oliver's statement. He thought this monkey beast man was wise. He was very happy to be accepted into this family.

Amber thanked Oliver and placed her hand on top of his hand. She asked, "How should we prepare the meat that Ray brought us? Can we add it to the saved meat?"

Oliver replied, "It might spoil by the cold season if we save it now." Amber thought about it, and she had an idea. She told him, "Why don't we turn it into jerky?"

Oliver and Ray looked at her inquisitively and asked in unison, "What is jerky?" Amber laughed at their jinx but didn't say it out loud. She responded, "Jerky is dried meat. It lasts a long time without going bad. You can cut the meat into thin slices and place it on a clean rock in the sun for it to dry out. Add a little salt or other herbs to make it taste better."

The males looked at each other in surprise. If this works, they will have more food for the cold season and a better chance of surviving. The only downside was the salt. Salt was rare in the beast world and beast men could only get it by trading with the mermen. They only went on one trade trip a year.

The salt trade trip was usually in the springtime after the cold season. They had to ration the salt throughout the year, so they did not run out. It was usually only saved for females.

Beast men usually smoked the meat to save it for themselves and females. They would add salt to the female's meat when they ate it. Smoked meats didn't usually last all cold season, so many beast men would starve to make sure the female had enough to eat.

If this new method works, they will not need to starve! They were willing to try it. Amber used the stone knife and helped them to cut the meat. She showed them how thin to cut the strips of meat. She also showed them how much seasoning and salt to add.

Ray took over after she showed them a little. Oliver had carved a flat rock for the meat to dry on. He brought the strips up to the top of the Lion Castle to dry.

He passed Larry on the way up. Larry asked him, "What are you doing with that meat?" Oliver responded, "We are trying a new way to store meat longer."

Larry nodded and let him pass. He was interested in this new method. If it works, he will ask them to share the secret with the whole Lion Castle. Storing meat for the cold season was a problem they all faced.

Oliver waited with the meat. He didn't want anything to happen to it while drying. Amber was safe with Ray. Ray was stronger than him and he could tell Ray was a good beast man.

Amber was left alone with Ray and decided to get to know him. She asked him, "You told me yesterday that your father is the Wolf king. Does he have his castle?"

Ray nodded and responded, "Yes, my father lives in the Wolf castle on the East side of the city. My mother has 7 other mates that live there as well. I have 2 brothers. They are both mated already."

Ray thought about his brothers' mates and was glad he was accepted by Amber. His brothers' mates were horrible females. They had bad attitudes and poor hygiene. He could not stand a female like that.

He knew that his mother would love Amber, so he told her, "My mother is very kind and would love to meet you."

Amber thought it was too soon to meet the parents. They just started dating a few hours ago! She smiled and responded, "That would be nice to meet them later. I'm a little tired now." Ray started to wag his tail and told her, "You can sleep, I will keep you safe and warm."

Amber nodded and yawned. She laid down on the new bear rug. It was like laying on a giant teddy bear! She loved it! Ray laid down behind her and hugged her. He was a little hesitant to hold her because she was so delicate.

She was pregnant and he was scared he might use too much strength and accidentally hurt her. He gently placed his arm over her stomach and hugged her to warm her up.

Amber placed her hand on top of his arm and hugged him to sleep. This was the sight that Nick saw when he came back to the room with his new kill. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Ray.

Ray gently moved his hand away from Amber and made a quiet motion to Nick. He whispered, "She is sleeping. She accepted me as a beast guardian. Oliver is drying meat that she showed us how to prepare for the cold season."

Nick was surprised to learn that he had gained an additional family member and maybe a way to keep more food during the cold season. He nodded and let Amber sleep.

He went to find Oliver. Ray pointed up towards the top of the castle when he mentioned Oliver. Nick felt like he could trust this new member of the family. He had met him before when he came to the Beast City. He knew the Wolf king and queen.

He was surprised that the Wolf prince was willing to be a beast guardian. Nick felt glad that Amber had accepted him as her mate. Now that he was a Beast king, he needed to start to make the Cheetah castle.

He reached Oliver and asked him, "What are you doing with the meat?" Oliver nodded a greeting to him and replied, "Amber told us about jerky which is meat that is dried with salt and herbs to keep from spoiling."

Nick nodded and asked, "Do we have enough salt? I can always make an extra trip to the sea before the cold season." Oliver thought about it. They only had a small amount of salt and if they are going to use it on all the meat, they will need more salt.