The Beast Tide (1)

The room is shrouded in gloom while Sibal's serious baritone voice is lingering in the air as he is narrating his experiences. Xagrien is as silent as a still lake. Feeling the atmosphere. Feeling the presence of the bearer beside him. He more or less knows the story behind this friend of his so what he concerns himself about is the reaction of the moon elf lord on his right.

Luis on the other hand, didn't dare to take it lightly. The moon elf lord was far from his usual playfulness and put on his business-as-usual look. He sat upright with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes reflecting the orc who is holding back his tears with an emotionless facade. He is in all ears with Sibal's narrative. Taking in all information that he can get.

"Orcs are a race whose appearance is close to that of a human. We are beings that have superior physical strength and can shapeshift based on the imprints of the beasts or animals in our blood, in our case we have the last blood of the mythical azure storm wolves in our bloodline. Mana is the energy that we utilize to shapeshift and momentarily enhance their strength," Sibal explained since it looks like it was the first time for the moon elf lord to meet an orc. 

"We are living collectively as tribes. Because of our human-like appearance, orcs can easily integrate and trade with humans from different kingdoms or countries."

"Our Azure Wolf Truibe is an example of this." The handsome man said. "The Azure Wolf Tribe is residing in the boundary of the Immortal's Glade. While we still go out hunting for our sustenance and as training, we also domesticate poultry and cattle for food and grow their crops. Such as fruits and leafy vegetables. We learned these as we trade with the humans."

"That is a great dealcision." Luis complemented.

"Thank you, our flexibility to change has always been our best suit and we are proud of it." Sibal sounded a bit happy though his gaze is as gloomy as earlier.

"Well, you should be," the moon elf lord smiled. Luis cannot help but stare at Sibal with appreciation. He did his best not to urgently extend his hand to ask the orc to join him.

Won't this mean that he will gain a skilled professional if he takes these guys in?

Agriculture and animal husbandry has always been on the back of his mind. It is essential to secure their own food resources no matter the time and place. So having some one that could assist him in achieving that goal makes the moon elf lord feel ecstatic with this thought. 

Luis may be a bit knowledgeable about planting but he is currently in an unfamiliar world. Just based on his present discovery, some of the plants that he knows have a different look in this world. It would be a great help if he has someone who has the experience and piece of available knowledge in horticulture and poultry.

The moon elf lord has set it in stone, 'he must bring the orcs with him no matter what!'.

Luis does not know the effects of this decision. For better or for worse, this will change the course of events in the future and all of these will unveil when the right time comes.

Sibal then continued.

"It was a year ago when the beast tide happened. It was a normal summer morning, we were working, doing what we usually do." Sibal said expressionlessly. He paused and closed his eyes, looking irises reflecting a silent storm as he is remembering the past. 

"I was out hunting with my group when we suddenly felt tremors on the ground. We initially thought that it was just an earthquake since that is a frequent phenomenon around the vicinity near the Thilbi. However, we still decided to go back to the tribe when we realized that the movements are continuous. And there-," Sibal voice buckled and the sides of his eyes turned redder. However, he held himself back, he swallowed his grief and continued with a firmer tone. Luis can infer that this orc is used to hiding his feeling.

This man is the typical prideful guy but that doesn't mean that Sibal is a jerk. Actually, he can say that Sibal is a good man based on the care and concern that he is showing towards his little brother, Nine.

Luis noticed the surging emotion on the orc's face. Black, red and blue. All kinds of extreme feeling are reflected in every inch of his young and handsome face.

He was about to stop Sibal from continuing any further when he felt a huge hand squeezing his lap. The big brown hand is almost covering half of his thigh. Luis nearly yelled in surprise upon realizing the owner of this olive-brown hand. 

'What the f*ck?!' Luis literally bit his tongue to stop himself from blurting that out.

He looked at the male moon elf beside him. 

Xagrien on the other hand, gave him a blank face and just stared at Sibal. 

Xagrien the innocent, didn't realize the ambiguity of his action.

All he wanted was to give his friend a chance to let it all out. He knows that there are a lot of things weighing on Sibal's mind that are left unsaid.

He wants Sibal to let go of his excess baggage and start anew. But this is not just the reason.

Call him calculating or shrewd, he also wanted to emotionally appeal to the moon elf lord.

The purpose is great and profound but the action is suggestive!

The moon elf lord blushed out of instinct. No one has ever touched his lap in two of his lifetimes! He is a virgin who is willing to be tainted. But this situation is not ideal for anything but serious. Especially if there is a third person around and on the verge of crying!

He used every ounce of his self-restraint and resumed looking at the emotional orc. Luis felt his conscience flipping at him.

He guiltily swatted the invasive hand.

The reincarnated moon elf lord fought hard enough to regain his focus. If he wasn't considered a saint after this, he will beat a certain someone into a pulp.

The poor Sibal who is still immersed in his past wounds didn't notice anything. He didn't know that in between his sorrowful and emotionally repressed narration, a low-key and ambiguous flirtation happened between his two listeners.

Good thing he is in the gray or else it will cause an emotional scar to Sibal. Bless his heart.

Sibal carried on.

"We saw that our tribe's territory is besieged by thousands and thousands of beasts. We tried our best to break through and rescue our tribesmen. We did in the end but it came with a great cost. Our tribe head and most of our warriors are slaughtered by the beasts. Only about a hundred is left from the two-thousand population of the Azure Wolf Tribe."

"In an instant, our tribe is gone. It all happened fast that most of us didn't bother to ask and investigate the reason for the beast tide. They just moved on with their lives and looked for another place to live." Sibal didn't delve deeper or else another wound will be opened raw. It is not related to beast tide so he just glossed over it.

Luis noticed it but said nothing.

Sibal continued with a more stable temperament. His eyes shone with profoundness.

"However, I realized something when we were running for our lives. Those beasts came from the direction I least expected."

"Where is it?" Luis inquired, finally regaining his focus.

"It's from the northwest. The Forsaken Forest."

Luis confusedly looked back at Sibal. Trying to remember anything from his inherited memory. But he can't seem to find any information about the said forest.

Xagrien stepped in to provide a little information that he knew.

"The Forsaken Forest is another stretch of forestry near the Immortal's Glade. Nothing much was known about this territory since no one has ever passed through the poisonous fog that secludes the forest from anything outside."

Sibal then continued, "The presence of the poisonous fog not only protects the forest from outsiders but it also traps the living beasts inside. Never for hundreds of years did an incident of beast tide happen because of this. So far, the beast tide that we experienced all came from the Immortal's Glade, not from the Forsaken Forest." Sibal expressed his insights. The ideas that he repressed for a long time. It's been a long time since the last time he thought of the beast tide.

Running and hiding for a long time made him too busy to think about this misfortune. 

Sibal also admits that he willingly buried the memory of his tribe for various reasons and the sake of his brother, Nine.

Now that the lid has been opened, his thoughts flowed as free as the water.

"If ever a Beast Tide happens it should be around the time after winter or famine when most beasts are starving and the food resources are meager, definitely not summer when life is abundant and preys are all over the land."

"Maybe something happened inside the Forsaken Forest?" 

"That is what I thought too!" Sibal exclaimed.

The moon elf lord nodded in appreciation.

Luis can understand what Sibal is implying. 

The poisonous fog vanished, letting the beasts from the Forsaken Forest run free. However, this doesn't justify the cause of this phenomenon. 

Something must have changed in the ecosystem of Forsaken Forest. 

Every massive change in the surroundings is often accompanied by massive and extensive migration. This is the case before the extinction of dinosaurs happened or even the eras before and after that.

This has always been a cycle. 

Luis himself experienced this arduous migration during the apocalypse. From Gangnam to Busan. 

Luis shivered after coldness crept to his spine. He has a bad premonition about this.

Luis took note of this before remembering something.

"Wait, did you notice anything else with those beasts?" Luis asked the orc.

However, the one who answered him wasn't Sibal but the small orc who was sent back to his room.

Nine was peeking through the small opening of the door with his cute and his tiny white wolf ears are twitching.

"They are running from something frightening. I can feel their fear. They need to run or they will die." Nine stated with his milky voice. There is something about this kid that makes him feel endearing.

However, Luis was surprised when Sibal's thunderous voice reverberated in the room.

"This is adult's talk, Nine. Go back to your room!"