Raven Tribe- 24

The three walked into the dirt trails of the Raven Tribe. The smell of thick woods and uprooted dirt was in the air, which caused Maria to scrunch her nose slightly.

The woman looked around nervously most of the residents were chattering amongst eachother, above in branches as a few women noticed them.

Though there weren't any houses in sight Maria could see that there was hollowed out holes in a giant red wood, it caught her attention.

Will looked up curiously as Maria came to his side and grasped his arm softly with her slim fingers. Making him slightly stiffen and looked at her curiously.

"M-Maria? what is it?" Will said as Seb looked over his shoulder curiously.

Maria's blue eyes looked at him as she adverted her gaze.

"Are we going to have to climb?" Maria voiced as Seb chuckled and winked.

"Just a bit, I'm good friends with the chief here so I can get a hold lower down the Redwood trunk." Sebs clear voice said as his tail flicked in amusement, clearly Maria wasn't the biggest fan of heights as she looked up at the faint tree nervously.

A few big ravens flew down and shifted into men as they looked them up and down, Even though Maria had been in the world for a while now it always caught her off gaurd.

The older Beastman crossed his arms and smiled at the Tiger male.

"Well, if it isn't Seb how have you been? You left unnanouced a couple a days ago, I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back."

The older man said he was dressed in puffy feathers of dark green and black and he also wore a feather headdress which reached down his back. His eyes were a unnatural yellow, and his skin was dark and pigmented.

"Ah, Chief Bell. I was expecting your curiousity to take over and you come down sooner or later." Seb teased as he propped a hand on his hip resulting in a laugh from the older male.

"You know me well Tiger I'll admit. I see you brought a Bear and... a weird looking female." Chief Bell said as he walked around the three eyeing Maria curiously. She didn't know whether to fell angry he called her weird looking or nervous.

The woman sighed as Seb just chuckled.

"I found these two lost in the woods, don't give it too much thought they won't be staying here long just a couple of days if you allow." Seb said arching a eyebrow at the male as the chief stopped, Maria looked at Will who was looking at the Chief with a cold expression.

"They can stay however long, as long as they don't cause any violence." The Chief said laughing as he rustled Wills dark brown hair, which caught the bear by surprise.

"Uh..." Will's eyes were wide as the chiefs hand left his head and the chief went back to talking to Seb.

"We only have one opened hole at the moment, so you would have to share. Which I don't think you'll complain Seb." The Chief said as he casted a glance to Maria then Will.

Seb sighed and shrugged his tan skin hit a bit of sunlight that came from the canopy of trees above.

"I don't mind, but how far is it down the Great Red?" Seb said as the Chief now labeled 'Crazy man' in Maria's head walked off towards the giant tree. Seb followed him and so did Will and Maria, not really knowing what to take of the situation.

"He's... a little strange." Maria said in a whisper hoping that the guy didn't have super hearing of what not, Will's ears flicked forward as he nodded.

Will's cheeks tinted slightly red as he felt Maria's hand on his arm tighten it's grip.

"Y-yeah, I'll have to agree with you on that... He's um... very unique." Will said in a whisper back as they stopped infront of the large redwood. It was easy to tell this tree had been there well over a thousand years, it's branches we're wider than a whale and it was as tall as the eye could see.

Numerous holes lined all the way up as Beastmen could be seen from in there house, some Ravens perched on the edge of their homes looking over the forest.

"Oh it's just around twenty feet up." The Chief said shrugging as Maria's blue eyes widened a slight breeze swayed her black hair gently.

"T-twenty feet?" She stuttered out slightly, she could already tell she was most likely not going to like it here at all.

Seb sighed and nodded as he told the chief they would take it.

Seb turned to Maria and Will as the Chief walked off towards two female which came out of the woods with baskets. Their clothes was decorated beautifully with black feather.

"Well I suppose we should get settled in, how well can you climb Will?" Seb said as he looked up at the huge tree, he knew the one the chief talked about.

"Not well I'll a-admit." Will said as he rubbed the back of his neck, sebs honey brown gaze went to the wound on Wills chest before he looked at Wills eyes.

"Here, carry these bags I'll carry Maria if that's fine with her?" Seb said looking at the woman who flinched, as the Tiger handed the Bear the bags he carried. Will nodded and took them softly.

She was quiet for a bit which made Seb chuckling slightly.

"I promise I won't drop you on purpose." Seb joked which made Will chuckle slightly.

"That... doesn't make me feel any better." Marria said nervously as she narrowed her blue eyes.

Seb laughed and rolled his eyes as he shrugged.

"Fine." Maria finally agreed as Seb morphed into the large mostly black tiger only a few tiny stripes of orange.

"Do I just, get on his back?" Maria asked as she let go of Wills arm.

"Yeah, and hold on tightly Maria." Will said in concerned voice as Maria awkwardly went over to the tiger. Seb gave a low rumbly purr as the large tiger brushed against her waist before bending down.

The woman slung her leg over and got onto his back, wrapping her legs around his stomach and grabbing onto his thick coat.

"I'll try not... to fall." Maria said nervously as Seb nodded and flicked his tail.

She looked back at Will as will shifted into a bear, all of a sudden Seb lerched forward and jumped onto the bark of the tree his claws going into the tree.

Maria's blue eyes widened as she clung onto his neck for dear life as he began to scale up the tree.

"I-I'm starting to have second thoughts about this!" The woman said as she closed her eyes tightly holding onto the male.

Seb grunted almost as if he was chuckling as he ungracefully scaled the bark. Her hands shook as she held on.

After about three minutes he jumped into one of the holes into the tree, Maria thought they were honestly falling as she squeaked when he jumped.

He flicked his tail and sat down as he shifted into human form Maria still clinging to his back with her eyes closed.

Seb chuckled as he flicked his tail softly.

"As much as I enjoy you clinging onto me, your kinda choking me Little doe." Seb said in a teasing and confident tone as Maria came to reality and imediatly slid off his back.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Maria said as her face flushed as Will climbed into the hole.

He sunk to the floor breathing heavily as he shifted back into human form he laid sprawled out on the floor.

"Why... was that so difficult!" Will said between breaths as Seb just laughed and looked around the hole.

"Well I'm not the brightest but your still healing from the fight with that lion Im not surprised your body is exhausted at the moment." Seb said as he walked further into the room, Maria went to Will in concern as she peered at him with worried eyes.

"I didn't like it either." She said crouching down as she looked at him, she put her hand on his chest where his laceration was.

The golden bracelet warmed up at the contact as Will's dark brown eyes peered at her curiously from where he laid.

"I know it hurts Will, I wish you'd take it easy." Maria said in a gentle voice as Seb went into a different room exploring the place.

"Maria, males heal a lot faster than females... I assure you I'm fine really." He said as a gentle red flushed his cheeks as the woman sighed and he sat up.

"You say that but you wince everytime you make a sudden move." The woman said softly as she tucked a loose strand of black hair behind her ear and stood up.

Will smiled up at her as he admired her worried face.

"I-... well you got me bet there...." Will said chuckling nervously as he stood to his feet.

"Can I at least reapplied ointment?" Maria said as she looked up at him, he was slightly taller than her and more muscular than Seb.

Will paused before nodding and took the bag off his shoulder.

"Yeah I don't mind if you do." He said softly as he rummaged through the bag pulling out what he called 'blackened wound ointment'.

He handed her the leaf that held it as she leaf them to the corner, Will sat down against the wall.

"..." Maria unwrapped the leaf as she thought about what Seb had mentioned about Roy. She wondered if she should tell Will or not.

She knew she would be stuck will Will since she had already given up on returning home.

She heaved a loud sigh as she put the leaf down and started unwrapping the males chest.

"Will?" She said softly as she looked at him softly.

"Y-yeah?" He said as he tilted his head as she got on her knees as she removed the leaf covering the wound.

She was surprised to she it was a lot smaller and scabbed over nicely, she spoke as she picked the leaf with the charcoal paste in it.

"Seb told me, Roy murdered a female in a tribe not to long ago..." Will's eyes widened into round saucers as he looked at the woman.

"I... are you serious?" Will asked as she gently rubbed the mixture into the wound. It was still large and unsightly but Maria didn't mind it none.

"Yeah... I didn't have even a clue, Will I trusted him so blindly..." She said as she felt a little guilty for what had happened to Will, if she hadn't just gone along with Roy maybe things would have been different.

"H-Hey, Maria don't blame yourself. Y-you trusted him because he put on a kind face, a-anyone would have fell for it." Will said as he got a little more confident and grabbed the woman's chin so she would look him in the eye.

Her icy blue eyes meet his brown gaze as they both went quiet, her heart quicked as his hand shakily caressed her cheek. She couldn't explain this feeling in her chest as she looked into his gaze.

Their silence was strangely comfortable as Will's face was flushed as he leaned towards her his breath fell onto her lips as she went to close her eyes.

She closed her eyes and waited with batted breath expecting his kiss, and accepted it.

Will paused as he put one of his hands behind her head.

He looked at her lips then her face as he breathed out shakily he was nervous but a good nervous as he thought a bit.

"M-M-Maria can I?" Will asked in a whisper as he rubbed his finger over her cheek.

Maria just nodded softly as Will brought up the courage and finally swept down their lips pressed together warmly as she put the leaf down and cupped his cheek.