Whispers of the Beast Realm

Snake skin

Ace:

As we approached the city, I couldn't help but feel irritated. The gathered beastmen showed open hostility, and a few wolves returning from the mountain top only added to my frustration. Even with 3 stripes, it seemed like they didn't try hard enough to track Shira, emphasizing the typical indifference of the beastworld to those who weren't their mates. If it weren't for my regular escorting and friendship with Shira, the city might have sold her off within weeks in exchange for rice.

I have to think of a way to make the city accept Shira and her feral now, considering the inherent biases of the beastmen.

Shira :

As we entered the city, the hostile growls from some of the beastmen filled the air. The bear king cautiously approached, expressing relief at my return but couldn't hide the wariness in his eyes.

"It seems you've finally found yourself a mate," he said, voicing the sentiment that hung in the air.

"Yeah, he's Allmer. It's due to him that I survived," I replied tentatively.

Ace transformed into a human and stepped forward. "It was a grave mistake on the city guard's part to allow a female out of borders, especially when it's well known that she doesn't have a mate. I feel keeping females safe is the responsibility of all the beastmen, irrespective if we are her mates or not." Ace spoke in a heavy disappointed voice.

The guards seemed to shrink under Ace's scrutiny, and a few looked guilty. Yeah if there's one thing the beastmen hate, it's not being able to protect females. He continued, "In view of this, I as one of the beastmen of the wolf tribe with 4 stripes ask for everyone's understanding in allowing the Feral snakemen Allmer, who even has no stripes, into our village on pretext that he already is mated to Shira and hence poses no threat" Ace declared.

The beastmen looked at one another. It wasn't unheard of, Ferals living in village with their females but wasn't done in this village in the past. But there was no reason to go against it plus the snakemen was too weak from the looks of it, with no mark.

The wolf and bear kings eventually relented, on the condition that Allmer would leave if ever seen as a threat to the city. Allmer, indifferent to their demands, slithered into the city with me. Ace followed, and as he informed us about our new home in the wolf territory, Allmer kept moving.

"Hold on," Ace said, but Allmer continued toward the river. "Allmer?" I questioned. He finally looked down, explaining, "Gotta get you cleaned up before you catch any infection, little one." Ohh.

As we approached the river banks, Allmer unceremoniously dropped me into the water. "Hey! Be careful at least!" I shouted, the sudden drop causing a shock. Ace growled, emphasizing the need for Allmer to treat me with care. Allmer dismissed Ace, saying, "I'm pretty sure only mates can see their female bathing. Now get the hell out of here, pup."

Annoyed, Ace left. I looked up at Allmer, who seemed mildly bored. "I'll keep guard, so make sure to wash well. Get all the dirt and grime off. And here," he handed me a plant, "use this as soap. It'll give good lather." With that, he turned around, exposing his back and tail, leaving me to bathe in privacy.

My clothes were in bad shape, so I washed them first, laying them near the banks to dry while I washed myself. The process took over an hour, involving hair washing and untangling. Finally done, I was about to get out when Allmer turned all of a sudden.

"Hey!" I dipped back into the water, covering myself. At least he was just looking at my face. "Here, wear this," he offered, holding out white clothes.

I crept near to examine them. Pure white and shiny, the material felt soft and flexible. "What's this material, and how did you get it?" I asked, curious yet cautious.

"Well, it's my snakeskin," he replied casually.

I drew my hand back instantly, the revelation catching me off guard.