Goodbyes-29

Two days of traveling came and went as they now we're traveling across a beautiful green valley.

Maria was piggyback riding on Will's back after she tripped and fell, she knew she was fine but Will was a worry wart and practically shoved her onto his back.

Though the woman couldn't lie she was getting tired of all this walking, she had lost a bit of weight from the constant travel. It wasn't so much that it'd hurt her after all she was a slightly more chubby woman around her hips. But her body was sore not used to the exercise of the constant walking.

She didn't want to complain and be a big baby after all she knew she was strong enough to handle it, but who's going to stop her from enjoying not walking while her lovely spouse carries her?

She had her head in the crook of his neck as her arms wrapped around his neck, Seb walked in front as his tail flicked about as he listened.

"The weather's getting cooler pretty soon winter will be upon us." Seb casual mentioned as he walked Will nodded and adjusted his hold on Maria's thighs as he carried her, Seb was carrying the bag Will normally carried.

"Yes, I hope this year it isn't so bad. Last year the Bear Tribe suffered due to lack of prey in the woods. We lost some cubs and a older male." Will said sighing as Seb's eyes grew sad.

"Death of cubs, is a shame. The next generation cannot prosper without the new life." Seb said softly as Maria perked up.

"You sound wise like a old man today, Seb." she said teasingly as she wanted to be included in the conversation.

"Hey! I'm only 23, but I've got a great mind on me." Seb said smirking as he looked back at the two playfully, Will just heaved a sigh.

"I don't know... Most smart Beastmen actually remembered people's names." Will said as a quick retort which made Maria gasp and look back to Seb to see what he'd say.

"Good thing that I know the females name is Maria huh?" Seb chuckled as he kept walking looking over the plains of grass barely any trees in sight.

"Yes, but what is my name?" Will said arching a eyebrow at Seb which was a little sarcastic.

"Willy." Seb saying this in confidence as his black and orange tail swished in the long grass, Maria chuckled and shrugged.

"I mean he was rather close."

"Yeah, but it wasn't right." Will said sighing as the three bickered amongst themselves.

Soon enough after another three full days of traveling they arrived to the mix tribe that Seb was planning to stay.

It was dark and slightly windy as they walked into the Tribe, the houses were built out of what seemed to be clay and straw rooves.

Managing to scavenge up a small house the three stayed and got ready for bed, Maria however couldn't sleep that night as she thought about traveling further south.

Will had explained that they wouldn't be heading for the Deer Tribe which was fine with Maria since she wasnt from there anyway.

She planned on following Will wherever he planned to go, she got up from her nest where will slept peacefully and she snuck outside for fresh air.

She wouldn't stray but about a foot outside the door just incase Roy somehow found her, or some other beast or Beastman. The wind swayed her black hair softly as the crispness of it made her nose cold.

She just stayed silent looking at the moon when someone cleared their throat from behind her making her jump about out of her skin.

"Relax, just me." Seb's clear voice said as she looked back at him standing in the door way with a curious expression on his features.

"You scared me." She said bluntly as she pursed her lips, Seb chuckled and dramatically sighed.

"I suppose I should have been more gentle with clearing my throat." He teased as he came up and wrapped a thick pelt around her shoulders, shocked by his action she looked up at his honey colored eyes.

But he wasn't looking at her, he was looking up into the sky silently as his ears pricked forward.

"What are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold." Seb grunted as he looked over at her from the distance he was standing from her.

Her icy blue eyes and his honey brown meet as a small silence hung into the air.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, I just needed some fresh air." She said sighing as she took the pelt and brought it tighter around her shoulders, since they traveled the grass got thinner but the plains where also more bare of trees and littered with a few shrubs here of there.

"What about you? What are you doing up?" Maria said softly as she casted the taller male a glance, he crossed his arms as he stretched his back slightly.

"There are nights I can't sleep, not much I can do but loiter around. Figured why not see what your up too?" Seb said shrugging as there was a laid back expression on his face yet, a tired one.

Maria understood how those nights were, as she had them at times herself. She sighed as she thought about the future.

"I understand how that can be unfortunately." Maria said chuckling as she sighed softly, the wind slightly ruffled Sebs black hair it ruffled around the small bits of orange here and there as it did so.

"So... why did you want to come to this Tribe." She said catching herself before she said 'village', Seb gave a charming smile as he glanced at her.

"To make tokens."

"Tokens?" She questioned, assuming it was the currency of this world. Though she wasnt quite sure she had heard Will use the term a few times and just assume they were talking money.

"Yeah, I'm not really good at anything but fighting. But fortunately I found a hobby I'm fairly okay at thay doesn't evolve getting hurt and I can get tokens out of it." The man said as it picked up Maria's interest, as she looked over at him.

"What hobby would that be?" She said in curiosity, as the crickets chirped around in the dead of night.

Seb looked over at her and smiled warmly the moonlight illuminated his face.

"Don't laugh at me now." He said chuckling as he rubbed his neck softly, Maria tilted her head and smiled.

"Come on, it can't be that bad." Maria said nudging him softly as he looked at her a bit surprised but laughed.

"Well... I like to make clothes, I've figured out how to dye pelts. It's quite popular among females, so... I make a lot of tokens." Seb said uncharacteristically shy as Maria's face lit up as she clasped her hands together as she looked up at him.

"That's amazing! I wish I knew how to make clothes, you know back whe-" She caught herself before she spoke of the world she originated from, her face was slightly startled but then fell into a solemn expression.

"When?" Seb tilted his head curiously as Maria's heart pounded nervously, she shifted her weight on her feet as she looked up at him.

"I... that is.... um..." The woman couldn't believe the situation she dug herself into as she adverted her gaze.

"Don't worry, yourself to much. If it's a touchy subject change topics I don't mind." Seb said softly as he rubbed the back of his neck and put a hand on his hip.

"I... Thank you." She said sighing in relief she didn't know Seb very well, and he saved her the time from making up a lie.

"No problem, we all have a past. Some we aren't so proud of." The male said as his tail flicked brushing over the cold ground as they talked. His own mind was thinking as he looked at the female.

There was a obvious distrust in his heart regarding her, yet he couldn't help himself but be drawn to the woman.

Will decided they would stay in the Mixed Tribe for five days before they moved on into the Savannah.

They currently were on day two of staying, Will was helping some of the Tribal members with setting up the elderly chiefs home, it had been damaged by what they called 'Big wind' which by their description sounded like a tornado to Maria.

Maria however went to a near by creek to wash the pelts, they had been muddy and dirty from the countless nights outside.

Seb followed along, as his honey colored eyes roamed over the flat land. The weather was cool and nice out, not too hot not to cold. Making Maria feel energetic, she stuck the pelts into the water as the dirt from the pelts clouded the water as it was washed away down stream.

"I thought you'd be making clothes already?" Maria commented as Seb was in the shade of a lone oak tree. His eyebrows raised as he crossed his arms and leaned on the tree.

"Well, someone may or may not have a crazed lion male stalking her. So I supposed I ought to not leave you alone." Seb retorted as a smirk crossed his face, his ears flicked towards a bird who shook a branch of the oak tree but all was calm.

"I mean, were close to the tribe I'm sure he wouldnt try anything so close to people?" Maria said as the woman kind of felt bad since she knew Seb had other things to do than baby sitting.

"'So close to people.'" Seb repeated as he gave a curt grin.

"Maria, you'd be surprised what lengths a stupid Lion would go."

Marias eyes widened as she looked back to Seb, as she wrung out the pelts the cold water running down her fingers and arms.

"I..." She had forgotten the world she was in now, she had forgotten the danger she was in.

"Sorry, I just thought... I just felt bad." She said with a sigh as she took the damp pelts and wrung out the last bit of water.

This made Seb confused slightly as his head tilted, his tail flicked quietly.

"Bad? About what?"

Maria looked down as she thought for a minute before putting the damp pelts into the bag she had brought them over in.

"I mean, I'm constantly needing someone to stay with me... Really I just feel like I'm wasting yours and Will's time." She turned towards the taller male as she said this, she could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"Your quite weird." Seb said bluntly as he chuckled and ran his hand through his unkept hair.

Maria's face went shocked, and then embarrassed as Seb walked over.

"You..."

"It's not a bad thing, actually I find you amusing." Seb said as he chuckled and gently took the bag.

Maria pursed her lips and let him take the bag as she looked up with him with her icy blue gaze.

"How's being 'weird' not a bad thing." She retorted as Seb slung the bag over his shoulder. Maria was a bit hurt, she couldn't lie. She had tried hard to act the normal this world expected of her yet it seemed it was in vain.

Seb just gave a low laugh as he ruffled Maria's black locks, before turning to leave.

"I like your weird, so don't get so bent up and out of shape about it." Leaving her to think on his words he started walking off, to which Maria stood there thinking.

Before jogging to catch up with him.

"Well! I think your the weird one." She said as her face was tinged pink, Seb looked over and arched a eyebrow as he slowed down to her pace the best he could.

"Ohhhh really? How so?" Seb Said as he smirked over at her his eyes crinkled in amusement as he looked at her.

The two bickered back and forth as they made their way back to the house.

The tiger went inside as Maria hung up the pelts in the windows to dry, a heavy sigh came from her chest as the warmth of the sun melted into her back.

She thought back on her previous life, thinking about the person who had took her life. She couldn't believe she had spent all her life searching for a place that she felt she belonged. But only found it after being thrown into this mess of a world.

From where she stood outside she could see the bustling tribe many species of random animals talked amongst themselves. This world made Maria curious and she felt alive as she lived here, Will and all the other people she had meet in her time here gave her a taste of adventure and fantasy.

She spotted Will walking down the road as she hung up the last pelt.

The woman smiled brightly as Will also took notice of her being outside the house and he started to jog up to her.

"Will! How did things go?" Maria said as he slowed down to a walk when he got close enough too, Will's face softly smiled as he nodded.

"It went well, I'd say only a day or so until the chef and his family can move back in." Will said as Maria noticed some dirt smeared onto the males face.

"That's good! I'm glad that it got resolved soon, he had newborn cubs right?" Maria said as she brought her hand to his face to try and wipe the dirt off.

The males face flushed a bit as she did so, but he let her try and rub off the dirt.

"Y-yes, leopard cubs. Only around a week or so old." He said, Maria smiled softly imagining the tiny cubs as she remembered that in this world they didn't have human looking offspring.

"They must be cute." She said softly as she finally got some of the dirt off but not all of dirt, in defeat she sighed.

Meanwhile Will's mind raced at her comment, maybe she would want cubs of her own one day? He couldn't lie to himself, he wouldn't mind having offspring with the woman infact he would love it if they had their own family one day. He really wanted to ask her right then and there but he felt overwhelmingly shy all of a sudden so he just nodded in agreement.

Maria retracted her hand as Will looked at her.

"S-so how was y-your day?" He asked as she smiled at his reddened face.

"It was good, me and Seb went down to the creek and washed pelts... Though I missed you." She said in a teasing tone as she was amused at his reactions, along with a flushed face will had a genuine happy smile.

"I...Missed you t-to." Will said softly as he wanted to take her into his arms, but he held himself back fearing that she would reject his advance.

The day drew near for them to leave the Mixed Tribe and Seb behind as they now we're on the 4th night. Not much had taken place, during the days sometimes Seb or Will would help in the tribe. Maria even helped the chefs spouse with her cubs, or Seb was working on clothes.

It was the last night her and her spouse would be here, the last night they would see Seb for at least right now.

Maria was eating at the fire as Seb and Will talked about things that had occured during the week.

She listened to their voices as she silently wished for the peaceful atmosphere to never end... never turn to choas, but the woman knew it would have to end eventually down the line.

"I get what your saying, but it's better if they put up walls." Seb said as he crossed his arms and leaned back onto the wall behind him, it was their normal bickering that was happening between Seb and Will.

Will was usually quiet and respectful, but when it came to Seb he always seemed to find himself in a debate.

"Yes but with walls you can't really see out, to notice a attack."

"That's why you make the walls thick enough someone can stand and be a look out, Bear." Seb said in a.matter of fact tone, as Will thought for a moment before retorting.

"But with the size of the village you would need at least fifteen males to be on look out."

"William there is like forty Tribe members."

"But most of them are hunting, taking care of spouses, or cubs, or even repairing stuff during the day."

"They can spare fifteen males."

Maria sighed with a gentle smile as she finished up her meal, she couldn't say she enjoyed listening to them argue but it could be the last time they argue.

The woman felt a little sad at the thought of leaving Seb behind, he had grown on her quite a bit. Even though he could be annoying with his teasing, he was a good male.

The night wore on and soon the night melted away as the sun rose into the sky.

Will and Maria bidded their goodbyes to Seb and he stood at the door way.

"Goodbye, Seb thank you so much for helping us while we traveled your generosity was greatly appreciated." Maria said as she lowered her gaze sadly, Will nodded in agreement as She had a gentle smile on his face.

"I suppose it wasn't nothing, try not to look so down little doe." Seb teased as Maria looked up wanting to bicker back but she was unable to.

"Really... Thank you Seb." She said softly as she stood beside Will, her arm was hooked in his as she spoke to him.

Seb's eyes slightly widened as he stared at her a bit, he akwardly rubbed his neck as he adverted his eyes.

"Gah, I'm not good with all this seriousness..." He muttered as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Give me a minute." He said curtly as he retreated into the house leaving a curious Will and Maria.

. He was only gone a second and when he came out he threw something at Will, Will caught it and opened his palm.

It was a necklace, the string was made of leather and it went down into a small carved Deer, it was gently painted with green that resembled vines that wrapped around the small things body.

Will looked up in confusion, as Seb adverted his gaze.

"It's for Maria." Seb muttered as he huffed a huge sigh.

"Take it as a token, whenever you need help remember I'm willing to help." Seb said chuckling as he then looked at Will.

"And your present Willy, is a hug come ere'." Seb said in a teasing tone as Wills face turned into a grimace.

"Uh, I'll pass." He said as he looked at Seb, before gently handing the necklace to Maria.