The Tree Tribe buzzed with farewells as merchants packed their caravans, their carts laden with traded goods and dwindling supplies. Ava stood at the edge of the market square, her breath visible in the crisp dawn air, watching Zessar and his crew prepare to depart. His emerald-and-black scales glinted under the rising sun as he coiled beside his wagon, barking orders to his apprentices. Ava raised a hand in farewell, her heart light with the promise of their salt deal. "Safe travels, Zessar," she called, her voice steady. He nodded, his yellow eyes gleaming with mutual understanding, and with a flick of his tail, his caravan slithered into the forest, vanishing into the dense green.
No sooner had the dust settled than chaos erupted. A guttural roar shattered the morning calm, followed by the thunder of hooves and snarls. Stray beastmen—wild, unkempt figures with matted fur and feral eyes—burst from the trees, their claws slashing as they descended on the tribe. Screams pierced the air, and the market square became a battlefield. Tree Tribe beastmen roared back, transforming into their animal forms—wolves, bears, serpents—clashing with the invaders. Males shouted to their mates and cubs, herding them toward safety as stalls toppled and goods scattered.
George and Kael sprang into action, their instincts honed. George's jaguar form rippled with muscle as he scooped Ava onto his back, while Kael's serpentine eyes scanned the fray. "To the hidden den!" Kael hissed, but the path was blocked by stray beastmen swarmed, their numbers overwhelming. Kael shoved Ava toward George. "Run! Get her to safety!" he bellowed, transforming into a magnificent blue serpent, his scales shimmering like sapphires. He lunged, coiling around a bear-like stray, his fangs sinking deep as he crushed another with his powerful coils.
George didn't hesitate. With Ava clinging to his back, he sprinted through the chaos, his jaguar paws pounding the earth, he ran so fast Ava had to lean forward and very Close to George's Jaguar form, and close her eyes because of the debris. Soon they were on the far side of the tribe, because of the ambush, Ava was not able to follow the other tribe's people to hide, in a hidden den made for the females and cubs to hide in times of trouble.
George skidded to a halt in a secluded clearing, his chest heaving. Ava slid off, her legs shaky but her mind sharp. "What now?" she asked, scanning the dense foliage for threats. "We can't reach the den." George had already transformed back but before George could answer, a rustle of leaves broke the silence behind them. He spun, shielding Ava with his body, his claws extending. From the dense foliage emerged a familiar figure, it was none other than the boar merchant, his round belly swaying, His beady eyes which gleamed with malice, locked onto Ava and then a smug grin spreading across his face.
George's voice was a low growl. "You. Did you bring these strays? Are you behind this attack?"
The boar laughed, a guttural sound that echoed in the clearing. "Me? No, no, jaguar. Just bad luck for your tribe. I was simply waiting for an opportunity to teach this female a lesson for meddling and ruining my sales." His gaze shifted to Ava, dripping with venom. "and the opportunity has presented itself."
Soon, a level 3 beastman appeared behind the boar, this Beastman was a hired beastman who was probably supposed to protect the merchant but now it's clear that the merchant wanted to use him to attack George and Ava. The level 3 beastman Leopard pounced on George, a fierce fight ensued between the two..
Without warning, the leopard pounced, claws slashing at George. A fierce fight erupted, the clearing alive with snarls and the thud of bodies. The leopard was lightning-fast, landing a blow across George's flank before darting back, evading the jaguar's counterstrikes. George roared, his powerful jaws snapping, but the leopard's speed outmatched him, retreating before each blow could land. Again and again, the leopard struck, its claws slicing George's shoulder, then his side, while George struggled to keep up.
The leopard seemingly about to win as the jaguar could not match its speed, it would land a hit on the jaguar but before the jaguar could land a hit on the leopard, the leopard would have already retreated. This went on and on, as Ava could only stand and look at the duo fight. She looked and saw the boar looking at her with a smug expression, in his eyes the winner was already decided, Ava fists clenched in anger. But in that moment, as their eyes locked, a deafening roar shattered the tension. Ava and the boar beastman whipped their heads toward the fight, the Jaguar was already biting down on the Leopard's neck.
The Boar merchant was shocked, he immediately knew that leopard had lost and would soon die, in a flash the boar beastman jumped over to Ava and knocked Ava out, pain exploded in her head, and darkness claimed Ava as the boar merchant hefted her unconscious form over his shoulder and ran like his life depended on it because it actually did.
George, bloodied but unwilling, had seized his chance. The leopard, overconfident, had lingered a fraction too long after a strike. George's jaguar form surged, jaws clamping onto the leopard's neck with bone-crushing force. The leopard's body went limp, a final gurgle escaping as George's bite ended the fight.
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The merchant carried Ava over to his caravan and dumped her on the ground immediately rummaging through his goods with reckless abandon. He was looking for "that thing" ; he knew if he didn't find it, his death would be inevitable. "I shouldn't have come back for revenge", he thought, panic clawed at him but it was too late for regrets.
He found a small box and opened it, inside was a pingu mother worm and the eggs. Without hesitation he swallowed the pingu mother worm and was about to force Ava to swallow the eggs when a blow to his sides sent him flying. The Boar Merchant spat out blood from his mouth. It seems his plan had failed as George was already standing before him, George was transformed to his human form and he picked up the boat Merchant.
The boar merchant pleaded, "Have mercy on me, please spare me" but his mouth was met with a blow.
George just kept on hitting and hitting him, he hit him to a bloody pulp, how couldn't he? He recognized what the boar merchant wanted to give Ava, it was a banned pingu worm. A life connecting worm that some unsatisfied or despicable males used to control females, they would swallow the mother worm and get the female to swallow the eggs of the pingu mother worm and since the mother worm has complete control over the eggs that hatch as the eggs that hatch are connected to the pingu mother worm. If the person who bears the mother worm dies, the offspring will die, triggering the death of the person they are inhabiting as well.
Most males, especially males that forcefully mate with a female or kidnap a female, in order to avoid being maltreated in the family or even killed when the female breaks the mate bond, would use this pingu worm to control the female into treating them well because the female knows that if the male dies she will also die.
What was this Boar man doing with such a Taboo insect, was he planning to sell this to other beastmen, No reputable Merchant would be caught dead selling something like this as it will stain their reputation, Moreover in the beast world anyone found in possession of this pingu worm was to be killed without mercy. Back in the Ancient days, it is said that the beast god, angered by these despicable and insidious methods, cursed the beastmen who used these vile methods and thus the stray beastmen came to be and whatever cubs they had were also stray beastmen. Soon later beastmen all over the continent went into the jungle hunting, tracking down and eliminating as much pingu worm as possible but not completely eradicating these worms and since then, the pingu worm became rare and hard to find.
Just thinking about how his dear Ava, then Kael and himself would be connected to this disgusting boar, and probably be forced to protect him too because his dying would also cause Ava to die, made George mad with rage.
Despicable!
Despicable!
The Boar merchants' eyes were instantly filled with horror and dread. He saw George transform his hand into a clawed paw, the glinted claws swooshing down on him, it seems that the boar merchant was so scared that he even forgot to dodge.
Pssh..
The claw shredded the Boar merchant's face, administering instant death unto him. The boar's dying face was one of horror, in his last moment he wished he could go back in time and avoid provoking these people but alas, there was no such thing as medicine after death.
George took Ava back to the tribe, not wanting Ava to wake up to see a shredded and gutted pig. Of course he didn't forget to kill the pingu worm and its eggs before heading back.
On the way back, George ran into Kael who was already looking for them, and he narrated the whole thing that just happened to Kael.
Kael furrowed his eyes "it seems like very soon I will have to help you train, so you can reach level 4, this incident that happened today can't repeat itself again.". Kael couldn't help but wonder if getting an extra male would be better to ensure Ava's safety, as it seemed like him and George alone wasn't enough. The beast world was a dangerous place and who's to say more dangerous situations like this won't arise again, especially if the salt mine is revealed or when the cold season approaches and food becomes scarce.
To summarize in one sentence: there were more perilous days ahead and if adequate preparation weren't made, indeed the future would not be looking good for their family. Just thinking about all these gave him a slight headache, it's better to leave these thoughts for another day. He was just glad that nothing serious happened to Ava.
As they reached the tribe, the males were already carting away the dead bodies of the slayed beastmen and stray beastmen who died in the attack, females were emerging from their hiding place, you could hear some females crying and mourning the loss of their mates or sons, even Oma had lost a mate, by this time, Ava was already awake and in Kael's arms, she witnessed Oma who was shedding tears , she was being consoled by her other mates.
Ava slipped from Kael's embrace, her heart aching. She approached Oma, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
Oma clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder. "It's okay, Ava. The Beastworld's cruel—males put themselves in harm's way, and no one knows when death will come." Her voice broke. "I cherish them all, but it hurts… he didn't even say goodbye. I'll never see him again, never hear his laugh." She buried her face deeper, her body shaking. "You're lucky, Ava. Your males are strong—Kael, George. It's unlikely you'll lose them."
Ava managed a faint smile, her heart heavy. "I hope so, Oma." She held her friend tighter, the weight of the day pressing down. But strength isn't enough in this world, she thought
The tribe leader and shaman, Morris and Lazur, addressed the crowd, their voices firm. "Females and cubs, return to your homes and stay indoors for a few days. We were lucky, no females were taken. Let's keep it that way." Security tightened, patrols doubling as the tribe fortified its defenses, the air thick with vigilance.
Ava headed home, her mind a storm of relief and dread. The black cat greeted her, purring softly as it rubbed against her leg, a small comfort. She sank onto her pallet, the furs soft beneath her, and stared at the fire, at least the salt mine wasn't discovered.
For days on, security in the tribe became even tighter and more vigilant than before.