Capítulo 78: 78 - Farewell (2.5k words)
Mitchell's POV
Muir said he had some business in the Tiger tribe, which was why I insisted on coming along. I doubt he would have gone out of his way to bring me to meet the Tiger Queen just because I asked him to.
On our way, he decided to make a detour to the Lion tribe.
The Lion tribe was situated near the sandy hills, behind which grassland stretched out. The climate here was dry and hot most of the year, with many trees to shade from the sun.
The tribe was fortified with high walls, and many big bearded lion beastmen patrolled the area. A wide river ran around their territory, serving as a defensive barrier against attacks. We usually dug underground to attack tribes and villages, but this river forced us to dig deeper, which took more time and effort and increased our risk of being found out.
Muir suddenly shook me off his back, letting me slide off his wings before landing on the tree branch.
"Hey!" I landed, crouching to steady my body, and glared at the tree and Muir. "..." Then at the foul female, whose body was concealed from my view. I could only see her hands holding onto the back of Muir's neck and head. The sound of them kissing echoed in the quiet air, making me grimace.
"Did you come to say farewell to us personally?" someone asked with a chuckle, making me turn my head in their direction.
I spotted two familiar figures floating in the shallow waters. Vick's and Curtis's heads turned up to look at me.
I shouldn't have been surprised when Skaris and Muir told me they planned to leave the Flame City in a moon. Gold has finished building a nursery for Bart and the cubs, so they would be leaving even earlier. I was expecting it, but it still felt unreal. We've been together for more than four moons, so not seeing them anymore will be weird.
"It seems like it," I walked over and sat on the stone, "And also to pay the Tiger Queen a visit."
"Oh, I see, I see." Vick hummed, stepping out of the water, "Not a bad decision. The Tiger Queen will make you a better beastman, without a doubt. You will be in good hands," he smirked with a hint of sarcasm as he put on his pants.
Curtis also got out of the water and put on a pair of matching pants and a vest. I noticed the large scar he tried to cover. It started on his neck, stretching all the way down his sides, ending near his belly. It was very noticeable due to his pale skin. I'm sure it wasn't there when we left the island.
Who could have caused that much damage to Curtis? I wanted to ask about it, but Curtis was not someone I could ask personal questions, or any of her males for that matter. I didn't have the right. I was not part of their inner circle, no matter how close we'd gotten.
Everything was just a business. We were simply using each other for our own gains, and it was fine by me. There was no need to use useless emotions to complicate the relationship between us.
"Are you also visiting the Tiger tribe?" I asked.
"Nope," Vick said, laughing, "The Tiger Queen is the last person I want to see, let alone visit her."
I was slightly taken aback by his words. He was the first beastman who dared to speak of the Tiger Queen so negatively. "Why? She is the most desired female lately."
Vick chuckled, "Whenever I see her, I want to rip her head off. So, if we ever cross paths again and you've become her male by then, be ready to endure my rambling about your shitty tastes, just like you're doing to us now. Wait, no. Actually, I hope our paths will never cross again. I don't mind you insulting my Precious, but if you try comparing her with that wench? Now, that's a line that should not be crossed," he ended.
That's actually what I was planning on doing, and he just had to ruin it for me. It was a side of Vick I didn't expect to see, and the fact that I didn't dare to oppose him made me realize how serious his words were.
"That's a very interesting way to say goodbye," I said, chuckling sarcastically. I think my words have just put a large distance between us.
I knew their female wasn't the worst, but I didn't want to take back the words meant to insult her. It would be a sign of defeat. Also, it wasn't like they didn't pick on me either.
I stood, jumped off the boulder, and landed in front of Vick. I met his gaze with the same intensity, "It was fun spending time with you, and I will miss the little moments we shared. You know where to find me if she ever decides to toss you away again."
Vick grinned, patting my back, "I wish you the best of luck, Mitchell. It was nice knowing you."
"Likewise," I said, looking up at the tree. Muir was hugging her tightly in his arms, his eyes closed as he rested from his flight. So far, she had not said a single word and simply rested her head against his chest.
It's good she was so ugly. Finding a more beautiful female should be easy enough. Lia was more beautiful than her, and I knew I wouldn't have trouble making her like me, but I didn't have a desire to pursue anyone for real.
I watched Curtis pick up the luggage Muir had dropped on the ground when he shifted to his human form and went to wash the clothes inside the river.
Vick put a few items in wrapped leaves inside Muir's luggage, along with a large bag of water. He must have noticed me staring because he threw one wrapped leaf at me. I caught the leaf. "Want some?" he asked.
"Sure," I said, unwrapping the leaves and taking a bite. It was some kind of dried meat with nuts and berries. It was not the best meal, but it was packed with energy, which Muir had to expend to fly.
Eagles couldn't fly in the desert because the scorching sun would burn their wings, so Muir preferred to fly in the evening and at night. As a stripless beastman, he would have probably withheld the heat, but it would have caused his body to dehydrate very fast, which was not something we could afford in the desert.
Curtis finished washing Muir's clothes and wrung out the water, putting them aside to dry. Once the clothes were dry, he morphed into a half-beastman, and I noticed that his pants snapped into two pieces without tearing.
Curtis caught the pants before they could drop on the ground and flung them over his shoulders. He slithered up the tree, snatched the foul female off Muir's arms, and used his tail to flick Muir off the tree.
Muir snarled at Curtis, his eyes narrowed into a glare as he flapped his wings and rose back up to attack him. The two brawled in the air.
Curtis smirked like a maniac as he swung his tail and hit Muir's wing. Muir was trying to scratch him with his talons, but Curtis was faster, dodging the talons easily.
The foul female's legs dangled in the air as Muir tried to steal her from Curtis. They were playing like a pair of cubs, fighting over a toy.
"Muir got a lot faster and stronger," Vick commented as Curtis struggled to keep his grip on the foul female.
Muir grabbed Curtis's tail with his talons, pulling it back and throwing him in the air. Curtis shifted back into a full human, letting go of the foul female.
Muir snatched her up, flapping his wings and gaining altitude.
Curtis shifted again and used his tail to hold onto the tree branch, looking up at the flying pair. His expression was neutral, not a hint of anger or annoyance as if assessing Muir's powers.
I glanced at Vick. I wondered how strong he was to hold his ground as the head male, so I challenged him, "Want to test your strength against mine?"
"I've been waiting for you to ask," Vick grinned, cracking his knuckles.
The next moment, I was on the ground, throwing up blood as I coughed, trying to get air in my lungs. Vick's fist was a blur, and I didn't even feel the pain until I was already on the ground, struggling to get up.
He was a complete monster. Not even a hundred Mitchells could defeat him. I would have never thought there were others, who were as strong as my father. No, Vick was definitely stronger than him.
I couldn't move. Every time I tried, my body would get paralyzed, and it would make me want to throw up. My eyesight was becoming blurry, making it harder to stay awake.
"You broke him," I heard her say.
"He challenged me. He wanted it," Vick responded.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I was complimenting you," she said, destroying whatever illusions I had just conjured.
Did I look that weak in her eyes?
Was that why I was not worth her attention?
My consciousness drifted away, my senses fading, and darkness enveloped me.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Vick's POV
I crouched before the unconscious scorpion. I have breathed battle since birth and have fed on emeralds like candies. Precious didn't call me Kraken for nothing. Others used to call me Vicerion, the legendary sea monster.
I noticed that the emeralds began to lose their effect before I even had a chance to mate with my Precious. I felt I was reaching my end, so what more did I have to lose? My body was falling apart, and my life span was coming to an end.
I didn't know for how long could Precious's blood keep me alive and how long my body would hold out. My mind was clear, and my body was stronger than ever, but the dread of death never truly left me.
"Are we leaving yet?" she asked as Curtis seated her on the chair platform on my back.
"Just a second, Precious," I said, tossing Mitchell's body over Muir's back.
She rubbed Muir's beak with her palm. "Say hi to Nivi and Bai. And also to the little ones. Draw a picture of them for me. From all angles, okay?"
Muir nodded and spread his wings, flapping them as he ascended. I looked up, watching them disappear in the night sky.
Curtis walked back to the tribe and returned with six camels. He loaded the luggage and climbed on one of their backs.
Precious found these guys when she went scouting with the peacocks. They were faster, stronger, and could store water longer than the peacocks. The only downside was the danger hiding under the sand, but that was the least of our worries.
I filled a large batch of small bubbles with water and put them inside the many pockets under my robe. I attached a large umbrella to Precious's chair platform. It was made out of the giant leaves of the cactus trees, which were very durable and didn't fall apart easily. It was very flexible and resistant to high and low temperatures.
I climbed on the camel's back and led the herd out of the Lion tribe's territory, into the open desert.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Mitchell's POV
"He is waking up," a male said.
"Really?" I heard an excited female's voice, then a sigh of relief. "That's good."
I opened my eyes, blinking several times as my vision adjusted to the light. I saw a female leaning over me, her mesmerizing honey-glazed eyes and long curly lashes. My eyes traced down where the top part of her robes was open. I could see the shape of her breasts, which were barely covered. Her hand reached out, gently stroking my cheek.
"Are you feeling okay, Mitchell?" she asked. She was beautiful, her scent was intoxicating. Her aura was warm and welcoming. The way she looked at me was filled with care and concern.
"Be careful!!" a group of males warned her as one of them took her away.
I felt several beast pressures pointing at me as their owners approached the mattress I was lying on. I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain as I looked at the beastmen around me.
There were six of them standing in a circle. A stripless snake feral, who was holding onto the female - a four striped white tiger - a four striped hawk - a four striped black panther - a triple striped wolf - and lastly, a single striped leopard.
They all stared at me as if they were waiting for me to do something, and it took me a few seconds to register that it was the Tiger Queen who was talking to me.
"What are you staring at? Never seen an excited scorpion before?" I asked with a taunting grin and immediately felt their beast pressures increasing.
I glanced at the female again and saw her eyes widening when they landed in between my legs. She immediately looked away, her face reddening as she squirmed. I looked down, realizing that her beauty and scent had aroused me.
"Oh," I chuckled, not ashamed in the least. "How rude of me," I said, and a few seconds later, my erection disappeared. I stood from the mattress, stretching my body and feeling every muscle and bone screaming, "Now you may look."
Everyone glared at me, their beast pressure intensifying, making the air hard to breathe.
"If this is how you are greeting your guests, then you are doing it wrong," I commented, unable to move under the pressure.
The Tiger Queen soothed down her males, and their beast pressure eased a bit, allowing me to breathe normally again. I laughed, finding the situation amusing, "Now that's how you greet your guest. Very nice," I praised, and everyone's beast pressures flared again.
"I heard you wanted to see me?" the Tiger Queen asked, her voice gentle but demanding respect, "You are a guest here, and I will treat you accordingly, but you have to understand that this is not your territory. You can't come here and threaten our peace. You can't come here and disrespect me and my mates. If you want my attention, there are other ways of earning it."
"Your attention?" I crooked a smile, looking at her from head to toe. I took a step forward, and another one, until their beast pressures forced me back. I fell on my butt, laughing in self-mockery, "I would love to get your affection instead, but I can't do it if I am dead, now can I?"
"Then don't push your luck, or else you will be dead," the snake hissed.
"I would have been dead already, but your female didn't let you kill me, did she?" I smiled, my lips curling up in a teasing, almost taunting manner.
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