Beastman Village

I step out from our little hut and have to blink first due to the sudden sun. When my eyes began to accustom to the light, I check the place around me.

Around us are 20 to 25 easy to build wooden huts with big leaves or twigs as a rooftop.

Between the huts is every so often a thick and healthy tree or dense bushes, and knee high gras is all over the place.

Our small community of roughly 45 Beastmen settled down in this part of the Forest on the South-Western side of the continent two and a half years ago, shortly before I was born.

When I came out with my mother to talk to some of the residents here, she told me:

" We sadly can't clear out this whole place and build better houses. This would consume far too much time and while our Hunters are out hunting and on patrol only the youngest kids and mothers can do this. Don't think we moms are weak, ok! I'm still stronger than a normal human soldier. But we are far to few and the noise we would produce could alarm nearby stronger Monsters or Humans. If it would be just some Monsters, we still could try to create a stable spot here, but when Humans know we are here, then we have a big problem!

They would come with far too many man to either kill our Hunters and enslave our men as labourer or front line soldier, the woman as toys or prostitutes and our childrin for... I don't even want to think about it."

With a worried look and concern in her eyes my Mother looked at me and continued:

"So we always are in danger. Every day we can lose our home and our family. So be careful when you are in the vicinity of other races, spacially Humans.

But do not be too scared, there is not only hate against us. Once your father met with a group of adventurers, people who make a living by killing Monsters and fulfilling quest given out by their organisation.

Despite the direct confrontation between Arthur and the group, there was no blood shed. They even gave us some Information about a forming soldier patrol, that was looking for our old camp.

they may have saved us." She said with a light smile on her lips, while kindly holding the hand of Jäger.

While I was now looking around our home, my father already walked to the north for 20 meters and begins to talk to Hanna, a woman who looks like a mix between a salamander, a cheetah and a raven, with the raven part only black feathers tightly covering her back.

I am really curious what my father wants from Hanna, because most of the time Dad is either out hunting or together with us.

With rapid paces I go to the side of my father, his shadow totally covering me with his over 2 meters.

"Hey Hanna, why do you look so sad, did something happen?"

With an unusual calm tone for his normal joking personality he asks her, worry apparent from his voice.

With the question asked, Hanna begins to shacke violently and her scaled hands are now covering her eyes. A loud sob is coming from her and with a shacking voice she answered:

"My...my son should have come...*sob* come back from his first hunt with...*sob* his father, but...,"

there her voice is cut off and her sobbing only gets louder and more frequent.

"he was killed...*sob*, he was found by John on his hunt... and... and... ."

Now Arthur shows a shocked apperance, after all her son was 2 1/2 years old, just old enough for his first hunt. It is important to say that the Beastmen age at the beginning faster than humans, and with 2 - 3 years they are old enough, physical and mental, to undergo their first fighting scenario.

But who was Bobby? He is, or was, the only other young child in this village next to Jäger, and so his friend. He learned by playing with him basic fighting like a beast, much like kittens play with their parents.

To hear that his only playmate was killed shocked Jäger deeply.

Arthur tries to remain calm and collected and asked:

" Okay hanna, you don't have to talk about this anymore. Can you say me where your husband, Winston, is?"

"He... he... when he heard the news from John he went to the river, saying that he needs some time alone... I never saw him that angry and depressed, not even when... when these slavers cut his tail off. I hope he won't do something out off impuls... ."

By the though of her husband going out there alone to avenge their son Bobby or to relieve his anger, her dark eyes became big and her mouth was slightly open, with her trembeling lower lip still covered by her hands.

"I will go look out for him now, so he don't try anything stupid. Worry not, he will come back in a minute."

After comforting Hanna, Arthur takes a glance in Jägers direction and says:

"Can you go to John? He should be home at this moment, i go down to the river and talk with Winston. I need about 20 minutes."

Without awaiting a answer, Arthur goes with fast steps in the direction of the river, which is about a 5 minute walk away from the settlement.

Jäger, now alone next to the still silently sobbing Hanna, takes a look at her and gives her a tight hug.

As a child, he doesn't have a lot of knowledge about this thema, even in his past life he wasn't in contact with dead of close relatives.

After the hug, Hanna seemed to calm somewhat down and went back in her hut, but not after showing little Jäger a warm smile and a whispered "thank you".

Then Jäger went in the directon of Johns house, which was bout a minute walk, and shortly after he arrived at his destination.

He knockes the door, but get no response.

°Maybe he fell asleep afer coming back. Should i wait outside?°

While pondering what to do, he hears heavy footsteps behind him, and when he turned around, he just sees a muscular, furry chest.

"Hi Jäger, Ya get bigger every time I see ya. What are ya doing here, where's Arthur? And how is your mother, wanted to pay ya all a visit after a quick nap, but seems like ya beat me."

Before Jäger stood a tall and strong looking tiger like person, with two horns comming from his skull.The only thing he wears are green self made pants.

°His stature is always a surprise for me. Damn, I want horns like this too.°

After his small monologe Jäger says to John with a clear voice:

"Father said I shoul wait here for him, because he wants to talk with neighbour Winston."

When John heard Jäger mentioning Winston, his smile from a few seconds before vanished and was replaced with a knowing gaze.

"Okay, then come in, we wait here for Arthur."

He the pushed open the door, and after taking a few steps in he turns around and says to me:

"I will go in the room next door, and make something to eat for us. Feel like at home."

Then John goes into the other room with the fire pit, and left Jäger alone in the main room.

°Is that a sword I see there in the corner? cool, even my dad does not have one.°

Not even trying to supress the urge to hold the weapon, he takes a quick glanze of John direction and after confirming he doesn't look, he jumpes to the sword and looks at it with a spark in his eye.