64 - Surprise Present (3.3k words)

╔═══ Author's note ════╗Extra long chapter. You've been warned. 😈╚═════════════════╝3rd Person POVTwo weeks later...It was getting warmer. The snow was patchy in spots, showing bits of dark earth waiting for spring to wake up.A small group decided to take a breather in the forest's clearing, sprawling out like a pack of lazy wolves.Bart's eyes were closed. Four wolf cubs were napping on his belly after eating a huge chunk of raw dino. The pups' bellies were so big they looked like little fat teddy bears.Bart had a bad feeling about Skaris. He was not a normal wolf beastman, especially after seeing his reaction when his female told him to get a few clear crystals from the nearby colossals.Skaris got excited. That was the only word Bart could use to describe his state. The white wolf handed him a basket with cubs, told him to keep watch on his Dear, and disappeared into the forest!Bart opened his eyes and stared at the female resting on a tree's thick branch. Skaris. Left. His. Female. With. A. Four. Stripped. Rootless! He has tried to gain their trust for the past few days, but what kind of beastman leaves his female with a rootless?!Bart stood up carefully, the cubs rolling down and landing on a soft moss. Three of the cups were heavy sleepers, but one woke up. It yawned and stretched its limbs, its tiny tail wagging. It looked around before it crawled over to its siblings and fell asleep again.Rosa was demanding, but she never made him feel so much pain as the female on the tree did. Currently, it was only the two of them. If he wanted to harm her, he would have to be fast.'She is too cruel. She deserves to feel some pain too!'Bart's chest started heaving, his breathing turning faster, and his eyes turned bloodshot.'Rip her open, and tear out her insides,' his inner voice said, 'Make her pay for everything she has done to you.''No,' he shook his head.'Yes. Kill her. She tricked you! Make her pay!'Bart's breathing had turned into panting. His hands were shaking, and his vision was turning red.'No, no, no!''Kill her. She deserves it. She needs to be punished!''She took away your future, your happiness.''She ruined your life.''She doesn't deserve to be happy.''No...it wasn't her....it was...''She is not a good female!''Stop it.''She needs to die.''Shut up.''Rip her to pieces.''SHUT UP!''KILL HER, KILL HER, KILL HER!'Bart snapped, his claws out. He was startled by his own inner voice, and when he looked down, he saw his claws had already cut the skin of his palms."You're bleeding," the female stated the obvious.Bart looked up at the tree and saw the female sitting upright, her legs crossed.'See? She's looking down at you with disdain. Rip her. Kill her. You have no other choice,' his voice kept saying, but the words died in Bart's ears, replaced by the female's voice."Your eyes look funny," she said, her voice cold, "I guess you're finally losing it."Bart's hands went to his chest, and his claws scratched his skin. He could no longer bear the pain. He couldn't breathe, his lungs felt like they were full of water. He dropped to his knees. He wanted to die, to end this torture. He couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't.The female's footsteps came closer, "Some rootless can infiltrate a village without being noticed. They know how to blend in well with other beastmen without raising suspicion. I've seen a villager with two stripes handing a female to a group of scorpions when it was under attack. I don't know how he could suppress his emotions so well, but..."She continued, "I need you to control yourself, your emotions, and your anger. I need you to blend in, to pretend that you're a normal beastman," she said, "The fate of all rootless depends on your success. You're their only hope, Bart. You are their future."Bart didn't move for a long time. He didn't know how much time had passed, but his inner voice was no longer urging him to kill the female. He could hear his heartbeat slowing down and his breath returning to normal.The female was still there, waiting.Bart lifted his head and looked at her."Your eyes have turned back to normal," she said, "Shall we come up with a sign for when you start losing it again? Like a kick to your ass?"Bart stared at her for a long moment before saying, "Okay.""Good," she said. "There's a certain white tiger called Carl." She handed Bart an animal skirt that Muir had given her this morning. "He is a big part of the reason why you and Skaris are here today. Try to track him down."Bart sniffed the cloth, memorizing the scent.She then walked toward the sleeping cubs, "Did you teach these cuties how to track their prey yet?" she asked while watching the cubs sleep peacefully, her hands clutched as if resisting the urge to poke their little chubby bellies."Not yet," Bart answered, "They're still too young. I can only teach them how to track down the scent of the prey we eat every day.""Hm..." the female hummed, "That's better than nothing."They waited until the cubs woke up. One by one, the little fluffballs stretched their limbs and yawned, showing off their tiny canines.Like on time, Skaris returned with six clear crystals in his palm, his hair and clothes neat. There was not a speck of dirt or blood on him."What did I miss?" Skaris asked the female, "Did he cause any trouble?""None whatsoever. I told him about Carl."The little furballs noticed Skaris's presence and jumped onto his body. He let them climb on him and sniff him all over, their tails wagging."I see." Skaris checked on the cubs as she stacked the crystals inside her bag."We will stay the night here," the female announced."As you wish, Dear," Skaris replied and sat down, letting the cubs crawl on him."You're very good with kids," she commented, playing with one of the cubs that escaped and jumped into her lap, "Their behavior is much better than before."Skaris chuckled, his tone light, "You think so? They're fun to play with, but it's not easy to clean them. And they're not house trained yet, so I had to do a lot of cleanup."Skaris used to take care of cubs all the time, but he was never alone since there were other males to help him. The same probably held true for Bart, too.Bart watched another male play with his cubs, but the sight didn't annoy him as much as before. It was not in a wolf's nature to act like a chihuahua. Wolves conserved their energy to protect their territory, mates, and cubs. They did not waste their energy on trivial things. If he picked a fight with Skaris, it would only result in him getting hurt.He didn't know how many stripes Skaris had, but Muir wasn't afraid to leave him alone with his female, so he didn't dare to underestimate him."Are you having fun, Dear?" Skaris asked, his head tilting."I'm having a blast," she replied, her tone dry as the cub rolled out of her lap and ran towards its siblings.Skaris smiled, his white fangs poking out, "That's good, I can't have you getting bored. Do you want to come here and rest?" he patted his lap, "It's pretty soft, you'll like it.""You wish," she said."I do," Skaris admitted, "But I won't push my luck."The female snorted, "Wise choice," she said, "Very wise."Bart watched the two interact. Skaris acted polite and respectful, but his voice had no trace of subservience or fear. In fact, he seemed provocative, as if he was teasing the female.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·Bart went to look for dry wood to start a fire, but most were damp from the melting snow. This job was usually reserved for the weakest males. He never had to do it before, but now, it was his responsibility.By the time he returned with a small stack of wood, there was already a pile of logs on the ground, much larger than his. He didn't need to wonder how the logs ended here because he already knew: Skaris."I was afraid the fire would die," Skaris explained, "So I made sure we would have enough logs to burn for the entire night."Bart's eyes narrowed at the male's face. It was hard to tell if Skaris was mocking him or not. He dropped the logs. His lips pressed together.Skaris's ears twitched, his tail swaying as if trying to contain his amusement.Bart felt that the male was mocking him. He was doing this on purpose, wasn't he?! He suddenly stumbled to the front, his body tensed as he covered his rear.When he looked back at her, the female's leg was still in the air, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened."It's getting dark," she said, "Time to set up the tent and go to bed."Bart and Skaris nodded and started setting up the tent. The work was harder than it looked. The tent was made from colossal skin and bones; putting it together was a two-person job.The cubs didn't make it any easier. They kept running between them and messing with the poles. Both males growled at them to keep them from interfering, which worked perfectly. The cubs were so scared they ran off to hide behind the female.She led the cubs away from the tent and played with them. She threw a colossal bone and watched the little balls of fluff run after it.While the two males finished setting up the tent, the female had taught the cubs how to bring the bone back.They've been traveling all the way down to the tiger tribe, so the cubs had the opportunity to learn many things."We're done," Skaris said, his chest rising and falling, "You can go inside, Dear. I'll fetch you some water."Skaris poured scalding water into a wooden bucket by the campfire, mixing it with cold water."Alright," she stood up and walked to the tent, Skaris following her."Keep a watch on the cubs," Skaris said to Bart before entering the tent."Right," Bart responded.He stood and watched the cubs play. His hearing was good, and even though the tent was closed, he could hear the two. The sounds of them kissing were faint, but loud enough for Bart's sensitive ears to pick them up.His heart skipped a beat, and he felt an indescribable pain in his chest. He tried to block out the sound, but the more he tried, the clearer the sounds became.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·After a few minutes, Skaris emerged from the tent. He was smiling and licking his lips as he sat near the fire.Both sat silently, listening to the female remove her clothes and clean her body. The sounds of splashing water filled the quiet air, and their chests began to heave.Bart heard Skaris swallow and took a deep breath. He thought back to his time with Rosa, and remembered how often they did it when she was in heat.This female didn't bring forth the same lustful desires to breed, but hearing her wash herself made his mind race with curiosity, imagining what she might look like naked. Most females wore revealing clothes, so it was easy for the males to see what they had. This female was not. Her clothes hid everything except her hands, so his imagination had no limits."Do you miss Rosa?" Skaris asked, switching the male's attention from his Dear to Bart's ex.Bart was shocked at the question. "Of course I do," he stuttered. "I was her favorite male," he boasted, his tone defensive. "She treated me much better than she did other males. We would talk before bed, and sometimes, she would hug me to sleep. Everyone said I was lucky to be her head male. They said it was the greatest honor and a dream come true.""Is that so?""Of course," Bart said, "Who wouldn't want to be Rosa's head male?""You?"Bart glared at Skaris, "How dare you make such a joke? I was her head male. No other male could take my place. I was the only one that had the honor.""I was taught that a male will never leave his female, no matter what. They will protect her with their life. Even if the female is wrong, the male will never say anything about her," said Skaris with a sarcastic undertone, "Instead, he will do his best to make her happy. Yet, you left Rosa.""I did it to protect her!" Bart defended himself, his heart racing.Skaris removed his blindfold, showing his missing eye, "You recognize me, don't you?"Bart gulped, "What do you mean?" He knew exactly who the white wolf was.Skaris's voice was low, "Do you hate my female because she turned you into a rootless or because she didn't accept you as she accepted me?"Bart's breathing quickened, and his body sweated profusely. His eyes darted left and right, afraid of the female listening to their conversation, and his heart pounded.Skaris put on his blindfold again, hiding his damaged eye, "What did Rosa do to you to deserve such a betrayal?""I would never betray Rosa! You're wrong. I did everything for her." Bart's chest tightened, and he couldn't breathe, "I...I....," his lips trembled. He couldn't find the words to express his emotions and clutched his head. Streams of memories flooded his mind, making him feel nauseous.'Remember, Bart, you are a male, so you must always strive to be the best! You must hunt more than the other males and train harder than anyone else. Only then will your female choose you and give you cubs.''Look at Parker! He is so young and already has a second stripe. At this rate, he will gain his fourth stripe sooner than Winston! And what about you? You are not even half as good!''Even your younger brother, Shuu, has caught up with you. You have fallen behind!''Rosa has been complaining about you to her father. Go there and apologize to her and her father! And don't forget to beg their forgiveness. You can't afford to make them angry with your measly amount of stripes!''Other females would have already turned you into a rootless! Do you know how lucky you are to be mated to Rosa? It's normal for beautiful females to be a bit more demanding. Why can't you understand that? Just listen to her, do as she tells you, and she will give you cubs. Don't tell me you are not happy with her. What kind of a beastman are you, Bart?''You finally gained your third stripe, huh? A beautiful female like me deserves the best males, the strongest, and the fastest! Now, you can finally eliminate the tripple-stripped beastman I told you about. How dare he mate with someone else without pursuing me first?!''If you are a real male, you will fight for me. You will make Parker regret his words and humiliate him in front of the whole Beast City. If you do this, I will forgive you.''Haven't I been good to you, Bart? All I asked was for you to show off your power and dominance to those low lives. Is it so difficult to do something so small for me? How can you call yourself a future king when you can't even please your future queen? I hate you. Get out of my sight! I can't stand your pathetic self anymore!'"SHE DIDN'T CHANGE! No matter what I did, she didn't change!" Bart's anguish echoed in a primal howl, his voice cracking with pain, "I tried to reason with her, but she never listened! She said I was the problem, not her! When I try to restrain her, she says I'm acting like a feral and runs to the four Kings for protection, and then I get punished!"The cubs ran to hide behind the female, whimpering. They didn't like the loud noise."What are you doing here, Yaya?" A hissing voice called from the distance, interrupting Bart's outburst."Shhh...," The female hushed the cubs, her ears turning towards the newcomer, "I should ask you the same question. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hibernating?"From the shadows of the night, a figure emerged. It was the red snake beastman. Bart's eyes widened. The four stripes around his neck were no longer there. Instead, his frame had transformed, his shoulders became broadened, and his muscles were more sculpted.Curtis slithered closer, dragging a massive bag behind him. How could he hibernate while knowing Yaya's father could take her away from him at any time? He was staying inside the underworld city beneath the desert this whole time. The temperature was constant there, so he didn't have to worry about the sudden changes in weather.Muir landed beside Yaya with a graceful swoop. "I made sure nobody followed him," he whispered. Curtis had a knack for attracting trouble, so he had to make sure the snake didn't lead the enemy here.It was not easy to hide a secret from their Yaya. She might have not asked them any questions, but her decision to visit the Tiger tribe, which was very close to the desert, couldn't be a coincidence. She might have had an ability to know their whereabouts just like they knew hers. What nobody expected to happen was Bart!Curtis smiled gently at Yaya, his forked tongue flicking out, "Come, Yaya. I have something very special for you─a present─something that will make you happy.""What are you talking about?" she asked as he picked her up into his embrace."Open the bag," Curtis said, throwing the bag in Skaris's direction.Skaris opened the bag, and the stench of blood hit them like a punch to the gut. Inside, a scorpion lay, not dead, but knocked out cold, its battered body bruised and swollen."It's a scorpion beastman," confirmed Skaris, closing and tying the bag back casually."I brought him for you, Yaya," Curtis kissed YaYa's cheek through the veil, "The other beasts referred to him as the Flame City's King, or the Scorpion King. He said he was called Mickey or something, I don't remember," he said, kissing her again.Muir cleared his throat, stepping into the conversation to fill in the blanks. "Remember how we talked about finding a punching bag for you? Vick came up with this idea," he interjected casually. "Now you don't have to think about visiting the Flame City ever again. Mickey should have all the answers to your questions, and even if he doesn't, we can use him to find the answers.""Surprise, Dear," Skaris said, smiling at his female, his tail wagging."Y-You really kidnapped a leader of the Flame City?" Bart couldn't believe his ears, nor could he believe what his eyes were seeing. It made him forget about his problems for a moment. He felt like his soul was slowly fading away instead. This family's dynamics were beyond his imagination!"His people kidnap females all the time," Muir's smirk twisted into something darker as he replied, a far cry from the usual noble demeanor of an eagle, "It's only fair we return the favor, don't you think so?"╔═══ Author's note ════╗Trouble seems to be piling up on top of YY's shoulders. 🦂😈In the novel, Carl was a beastman, who became rootless after he forced himself on Molly. He was able to infiltrate the Tiger tribe without anyone noticing.Thank you for all the active support guys! I'm so used to having silent readers with no comments and stars whatsoever, so receiving them in every chapter is a very new experience to me. 😭╚═════════════════╝