Ari (Child of the Beastman Goddess)

It’s been a week since we arrived in the North Continent and everyone was baffled. I don’t know what my spouses were hiding, but they looked restless.

I asked if Tora had any idea about the secret of the males, but she said she didn’t know what it was. I felt uneasy, but decided to just observe until I could figure out a way to lure one of them to speak up. The weather on the north was colder than the Mid Continent so everyone was wearing a coat. I had some assumptions on what they were hiding so I just have to get one of them to know the truth.

The easiest target was the most passive of them, Lowell. However, there was a more important concern I need to address first-Tora just gave birth and it will be crucial for her to travel.

“Brother, stay with Tora. We can’t let her travel with us in her condition, she might get sick,” I suggested.

“Right. Tora needs at least a month to recover,” Lowell said.

“No! I don’t want to stay here! I won’t eat if you leave me here!” Tora threatened us.

“What are you saying?!” my brother grunted.

She whimpered and cried hysterically, “I don’t want to be left behind! I want to see Ari until she ascends to Nirvana. I won’t eat anything if you leave me here.”

My brother looked frustrated and felt guilty for some reason.

“Are you crazy?! You still haven’t changed! You’ll just cause trouble to Ahri. Please! Just listen to us,” Macan nagged.

“NO!!!” she screamed, walking in their room and locked the door.

“TORA!!!” Macan shouted, banging the door in irritation.

“Mac, don’t yell at her. She’s still in her postpartum period, you can’t stress her out,” I said as I pulled Mac away from the door.

“Tora? Let me in. Let’s talk for a bit,” I said while knocking on the door.

The door opened lightly and I saw Tora crying and trembling. I wiped her tears and said, “Let’s talk. Okay?”

She nodded and pulled me in before shutting and locking the door. We sat on her bed while looking at the egg, which we placed in a big basket with a feather made cushion and fabric on the side.

“You already have an egg. You should focus more on your child than me. It’s your flesh and blood,” I nagged at Tora.

“Hic! Ari… Please… Let me go with you… I’m not sure when we are going to meet again. I can’t stand a day worrying what happened to you. I was so worried when the Sirens took you away. I wasn’t even aware of what happened. I was shocked when I woke up and they all looked distraught. It felt terrible!” she whimpered.

Tory had a separation issue, making her so attached to people she loves and people she trusts. She couldn’t even go to the funeral of a close friend because of that. She hated the feeling of being left alone.

“Okay. I’ll just stay beside you so you won’t get sick, but you have to listen to everything that Lowell and Macan says,” I compromised remembering it might be the last time we’ll see one another.

I had an argument with the others because of Tora’s will.

“Arie, are you out of your mind?!” Dylan grunted.

“I’ll take care of her until we arrive at the Horned Owl Tribe. We can’t let her stress out at times like this,” I said.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“But you’ll be the one who’s going to suffer!” Dillon grunted.

“Dylan can use my oath to help me recover and Lowell can make us medicine and supplements,” I said.

“You’re both too stubborn,” Macan sighed.

They couldn’t win the argument and ended up agreeing with Tora’s will, so we prepared everything we needed. We had to ensure Tora and the egg’s safety.

We headed out of the tribe and had to travel non-stop. My brother and Dillon made a carriage for Tora and the egg.

The carriage was drawn by a tamed boar. I was trembling while remembering my brothers, but I didn’t utter a word. They tried to persuade me to ride it at first, but I rejected them saying I could fly ahead if they still insisted that I ride in the carriage.

However, I had no say when they took their turns to lift me in their arms.

“Seriously! I insisted not to ride the carriage, but all of you take your turn on lifting me up like baggage!” I complained.

“What would you prefer? Spend another night with us or let us have our turns to hold you?” Dillon asked while smirking.

I jolted and remained quiet in fright.

Macan laughed and grinned, “I like the first one though.”

“Shut up Mac!” I grunted and looked away, hiding in Dillons embrace.

I was flushed and my heart was beating fast just remembering that night. It’s not that I disliked it. I was just too embarrassed.

I was planning to lure Lowell away from the others and I couldn’t find an excuse. I tried to ask him to help me find a certain herb, but Macan always tagged along. I tried asking him to help me find something I lost on the way, but Dillon always found it first in just a few seconds. I tried to ask him to talk in private, but he always refused, saying he needed to make some medicine for Tora.

One night while we were out camping in the woods, Lowell and Dillon were assigned to take turns in guarding our camp.

Lowell guarded at dawn and I happened to wake up and saw him at a distance near the Lake. I stood up and approached him.

“It’s still too early. Why are you awake already?” he asked as he held my hand and pulled me beside him.

I was actually still sleepy but I wanted to know their secret. I sat beside him, leaned on his shoulder, and then looked at the lake.

“The lake is painted in orange like the color of autumn near the Forest Lion Tribe. It’s so nostalgic, but terrifying at the same time,” I mumbled.

“Right. It is. The color of the leaves when we first met,” he responded.

“Is it deep?” I asked, pointing to the lake.

“No, but the water is cold,” he answered.

I removed my coat, went down to the lake and dipped my feet in the water, trying to test how cold it was before diving in.

“Ari!” Lowell called as I plunged into the water.

I stood up and the water was just up to my waist. I walked further to see if the other side was deeper and it was. I suddenly slipped on a slope under the lake, then I heard a splash and felt like I was suddenly pulled out of the water.

“What are you doing?!” Lowell growled as he pulled me out of the water.