Beauty Among The Beasts

In the dark night on a high cliff, two people stood face to face: a male and a female, one look miserable and the other one looked shocked.

"Honestly! A beast is better than a human like you!" the fair blue-haired lady with crystal blue eyes shouted, tears streaming down her face as if it were raining. Her beauty was overshadowed by the heavy tears she shed.

"Lily... is it really you?" a young man questioned, his expression filled with shock.

"Surprised?" Lily laughed mockingly. "You know, I am so stupid for having believed you with all my heart. I blame myself for not listening to my mother. I wish you were dead!" she shouted in agony.

The man remained in disbelief. "Lily... how... how come? I... I'm sorry, it's not my fault! If... if I had known that you were so beautiful, I wouldn't have listened to them... I swear to you that this won't happen again. I will cherish you for the rest of my life!"

Lily laughed derisively. "You will cherish me for the rest of your life, huh? You really think so, Lu Chen? After all this mess, after witnessing the relationship between you and my best friend, do you really think I'm blind?"

"This... you're also at fault! Why did you disguise your beauty, huh? Why did you pretend? You lied to me as well!"

"I lied to you?" Lily laughed again. "You only care about appearances. You never loved me." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "I don't even want any explanation, we are done," she declared.

"How is that possible? We are not done, and we can never be! It's impossible!" Lu Chen exclaimed, grabbing Lily's hand.

"Let go!" Lily struggled to break free.

"Listen to me, Lily! Don't even think about breaking our relationship. It's not over! We can never be separated!" Lu Chen shouted, his grip tightening.

"Let go! You are hurting me!" Tears streamed more freely from Lily's eyes as she resisted.

"You tell me! We are not breaking up, right?"

"That's impossible! We can never be together, never again. I will go out there and look for a better man!"

"You... very well, since you refuse to be with me then…"

"What... what are you trying to do?" An alarm bell rang in Lily's head, and her heart started racing.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Lu Chen smiled evilly and suddenly released Lily's hand, pushing her off the high cliff. "Since I can't have you, then no one can!" he shouted.

"Ahhhhh!"

Lily plummeted toward the abyss, her mind reeling in horror. Time slowed as she stared into the darkness below, her thoughts consumed by a single, despairing notion: "Is this the end? Heartbreak is killing me now, and death is welcoming me at the same time. This abyss is said to be full of evil spirits; no one has ever jumped down here and made it out alive! I'm done! I'm really done this time. The prediction of my misfortune has finally come to pass. Father… Mother… Lilly will miss you." Tears escaped her eyes as she closed them, her body relaxing in acceptance of the inevitable, as the blackness enveloped her.

Just as she was about to succumb to her fate, she felt herself suddenly swallowed by a black hole, and then everything went dark.

…

"Am I… not dead?" Lily slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at a wet roof. "Where am I now?" she murmured.

"You are awake!" a hoarse male voice sounded next to her ear, startling her.

"Ah..." Lily gasped, her breath hitching as she looked toward the source of the voice, and she was left dumbfounded.

Staring back at her was an extremely handsome man, so breathtaking that one could easily get a nosebleed at first glance. His hair was smooth and straight, silver in color, and perched atop his head were a pair of cat ears that made him even more tempting and cute.

"Wow! Am I definitely in hell now to see such a handsome man!" Lily screamed inwardly and gulped.

"Beauty!" the man called, gently caressing her face and drawing her back to reality.

"Huh!" Lily was dumbfounded. "Don't tell me this is real!" She leaned closer to the man and poked at his cat ear, which felt so real and soft that her heart raced immediately.

The man's ears twitched, and his face flushed red instantly. "You touched my ear! Does that mean you agree to be my mate?" Excitement was evident in his voice.

"Wha… what!" Lily gasped, taken aback as she pulled her hand away immediately. "What do you mean?" she questioned in shock

The young, handsome man blinked innocently. "I saved you, and in return, I want you to be my mate."

"This... What the hell is going on? Are the art classes shooting again?" Lily wondered, looking around only to find her surroundings were very strange and resembled a forest. She stood up, and only then did she get a full picture of the handsome man.

Incredibly, the handsome man had three fox tails behind him, and his lower body was covered oddly with leaves.

Lily's eyes widened in shock as she took another step back in fear. "Are... are you guys acting? This... this is looking real. Please don't scare me," she stammered, her voice trembling.

The fox man appeared slightly shocked, thinking that Lily was afraid of her surroundings. He hugged her gently. "Don't be afraid, okay? I will protect you," he comforted.

Lily's eyes widened even more. "This looks real! There's no camera around… this man is a beast!" she screamed inwardly, struggling free from his embrace. Without waiting for any further words, she fled immediately.

"Beauty!" the fox man called after her, giving chase right away.

Lily kept running and noticed that no matter how fast she moved, she didn't seem to find an exit. "Where on earth am I?" she cried, racing until she stumbled upon a huge river. In the middle of the river stood an extremely handsome man who was bathing silently, his eyes closed. The water only reached his abdomen, revealing his extraordinarily well-built body. The lower half of his body was hidden from view beneath the river, making it difficult to see if he even had legs.

Lily was entranced, staring for a long time before the fox man's voice brought her back to reality.

"Beauty! Don't go there! It's dangerous!"

Ignoring the fox man's warning, Lily ran forward. "He seems to be a normal man; I should ask for his help," she thought, and without stopping, she jumped into the river right into his arms. "Please... please help!" she murmured, already drenched from head to toe.

"Beauty!" the fox man shouted as he raced closer, panic lacing his voice.

The handsome man in the river frowned slightly before opening his eyes slowly. His crimson, piercing gaze shocked Lily, causing her heart to race with fear. "How... how can a man's eyes be so terrifying?" she thought nervously, daring not to look at him directly.

The crimson-eyed man studied Lily carefully before asking, "What tribe do you belong to?"

"Huh?" Lily stammered, bewildered, as she couldn't understand a word he said.

"Let go of her; she belongs to me!" the fox man shouted, his voice filled with urgency and panic.

The crimson-eyed man turned his gaze to the fox man, a deadly smirk spreading across his lips. "To barge into my territory, you must not be afraid of death," he replied, his eyes growing an even deeper crimson.

Lily felt a stirring unease settle in her stomach.

"Um... I'm sorry for intruding. I promise you anything you want if you just return her to me," the fox man declared, desperation seeping into his tone.

"Oh?" The crimson-eyed man's smile widened as he looked at Lily, then abruptly, he leaned in and kissed her.

Lily's eyes widened, her heart racing as the kiss took her by surprise. She momentarily forgot her fear. "Was it an illusion, or does his tongue actually feel... slim?" she thought, overwhelmed, as the crimson-eyed man broke the kiss.

"You... I said!... she is mine!" the fox man yelled, his voice bursting with jealousy and rage. In a flash, he transformed into a three-tailed silver fox and pounced toward the crimson-eyed man.

"This isn't real!" Lily gasped in shock; he truly transformed into a fox! "How can this be happening?" she screamed inwardly.

The crimson-eyed man appeared unfazed, remaining still and composed in his position.

"Is he truly unafraid of death?" Lily pondered, the worry evident on her beautiful face.

The crimson-eyed man glanced at Lily, offering her a charming smile, which did little to alleviate her unease.

"He remains calm," she noted, feeling increasingly unsettled. Just then, she noticed something rising ominously from the water. Shocked, she could only stare as a massive python tail emerged from the depths. It was so long that before the fox man could reach him, it sent him flying clear across the clearing, crashing into the trees.

"You... you…" Lily stammered, paralyzed by terror.

The crimson-eyed man looked at Lily and flashed her a sweet smile. "Remember, Angus is my name; I will come back to fetch you." He kissed her once again, and suddenly the water rose up high. By the time it settled down, Angus was nowhere to be found.

Lily stood there, rooted in one spot, her mind blank as she struggled to process what had just happened.

"Beauty... did he do anything to you?" The fox man, with blood-stained lips, approached her immediately and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face. "I was scared to death just now; I thought he would take you away. I was so frightened, am sorry I didn't keep my promise, please punish me anyhow you want." He said with choked voice.

Lily looked at the fox man with dull eyes, she seems to not have heard his words. "I met two men in a completely unfamiliar place, yet they are both not normal—none of them is human. Where exactly am I?" she thought, feeling weak already. Her vision grew blurry, and she gradually lost consciousness.

"Beauty!... Beauty!... Beauty!"

Lily heard the faint sounds as if from a distance. "Is this a dream? Is this some hellish illusion? Will everything return to normal when I wake up again? Or am I not meant to wake up at all?" she pondered before surrendering to darkness.

---

Lily opened her eyes, looking around the now-familiar hut made of grass and leaves. "Why am I back here again?" she murmured.

"Beauty! Are you feeling well now?" the fox man inquired, concern etched on his face.

Lily was startled once again. She looked at the fox man, whose eyes now gleamed like embers. "Why... why are you like this?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The fox man smiled and held her hand gently. "It's not a huge task; I stayed up for three full moons to protect my mate," he confessed.

"Three full moons—wasn't that three months?" Lily thought, astonished. "I actually slept for that long, and he stay up to protect me! What type of man is this?." Abruptly, she found herself embraced by the fox man.

"I will promise you everything you need—even if you want my life or the whole world, even the moon...but please don't abandon me. I don't want to lose you," he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion.

Lily was taken aback, her mouth slightly agape as her heart raced while digesting the sincerity of his words. "I..."

The fox man held Lily tightly. "If you reject me, I will definitely take my own life right in front of you," he declared, looking deeply into her eyes.

Lily's heart raced even faster as she gazed into those sincere, pleading eyes. She couldn't help but believe that he wasn't just talking and she recall how he had boldly pounced on the crimson-eyed man, despite clearly being terrified of him. "This fox..." she thought, feeling her heart gradually calm down. "Give... give me some time," she finally replied.

The fox man's expression lit up with joy. "Thank you! And my name is Liam," he exclaimed, boldly kissing her fair cheek.

Lily felt her heart race faster. He looked so cute. She wasn't aware when a little smile crept onto her face, and, feeling a mix of discomfort and warmth, she touched his ear again, causing another blush to wash over him. "What am I doing?" Lily regained her senses and quickly pulled away. "I don't know where I am. First, I should familiarize myself with this place and, and second, I should find a way out of here," she thought, but her train of thought was interrupted by the loud growl of her stomach.

"Beauty... you must be hungry! I've prepared some food for you. Let me fetch it," Liam smiled, eager to help.

"How thoughtful," Lily murmured, touched by his kindness.

Soon, Liam returned, carrying a bloody boar in his hands, placing it on the ground in front of Lily with a bright smile.

"What… what is this?" she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"A living boar," Liam replied cheerfully.

"You mean I will eat it raw?" Lily said with a disgusted expression, backing away from the gruesome sight.

"That's right," Liam responded, his brow furrowing as he contemplated her reaction. "You don't like it raw... Does that mean you are from the Peacock Tribe?"