Every Beast Needs a Beauty

A sharp kick from her abdomen made her freeze. Wenshi was abruptly awakened.

As she adjusted to the harsh light that greeted her eyes, she winced and almost immediately, the young woman reached out to soothe her belly.

"Child, why are you so restless? Mama's meditation was interrupted because of your kicking," she murmured softly, even as her gaze darkened. Feeling another kick, her pale face twisted in pain, and beads of cold sweat covered her forehead.

"You're acting so unruly, sweetheart," she uttered, strained and barely keeping up with the searing ache jolting her from her stomach. Even then, she tried to endure and still thought of soothing the little guy first, "There, there. Stop now. No one's going to fight you. Be good. If you keep on kicking up a fuss, you're only hurting Mama."

She sighed when she sensed it calmed down. Her child rarely acted up.

The last time he did was when Nuru tried to snuggle up to her, resting his head on her stomach to listen to the cub's heartbeat. But the little one responded by kicking him squarely in the face with a surprising force that sent the unprepared tiger flying.

She knew her cub was strong but not that strong. Well, it's great to be strong but the little kid also had a huge temper. Even his own father was not spared.

And now, Wenshi wondered, what was making this little child so agitated? It was as if he wanted to come out and beat someone to a pulp.

"Nonsense, how could there be such a thing?" Wenshi thought and dismissed. She frowned, as though scolding the cub. "No. For whatever reason it is, you cannot come out yet. Not until your father imparts his essence to you. We must wait for the branding ceremony."

In their world, females (Zulna) were tasked with most of the incubation, nurturing the young within them, while the males (Satyr) had the critical role of providing sustenance and protection. They collect energy and transfer it directly to their mates to support them during a period when they choose to not consume food.

The branding ceremony was an essential tradition before the birth of a cub. It not only blessed the cub, ensuring its strength and survival, but it also marked the bond between father and child. Without that bond, a male cub would be treated as a threat by its own father—an intruder to the territory and a clone ready to oust him who carries the same genetics—and its existence could jeopardize the safety of the female who was doused with maternal instinct. For killing the cub, she carried and sheltered for a long time, a fight to the death would be inevitable.

Wenshi glanced around the cave, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of the withered animal bones scattered across the ground. The remnants of those creatures seemed to have been drained of their life force ages ago. In her eyes, it served only as a reminder of the neglect they had suffered.

A cold, cutting glint crossed her sharp eagle embers.

"Where on Earth is your father?" she muttered under her breath raw with frustration bubbling to the surface.

She had not seen Nuru for a long time. He should have been guarding her, ensuring her safety while she focused on nurturing their child. But something felt wrong. Something was missing.

"Has he gone hunting? But it's been far too long." Did he die?

Wenshi held her throbbing temples and let go of that idea.

"That big cat isn't a wimp. He can't be dead. So, what is he doing?"

Suddenly, she began to feel the weakness in her limbs, the faint dizziness that had been creeping up on her due to the long period without getting food and beast essence. Her hands, once steady, trembled slightly as she adjusted herself.

"I need to consume something..." Her slitted eyes narrowed and scanned her surroundings and after some time, the only thing she saw were some underground critters that didn't look near appetizing. 

Gulp.

Little cub: "..."

---

Crack!

The sharp sound of bone snapping echoed as the wriggling, two-foot-long glowing red centipede, stilled in her transformed hands.

"It's not much, but it should be enough for us not to pass out until I find your 'good' father and get you a proper meal," Wenshi coaxed her grumbling stomach. Apparently, the baby inside was sulking for eating a bug.

The cub was strangely sensitive and intelligent. It hasn't been born but it already knows what it wants and doesn't. Wenshi thought it was quite a hurdle. But even if he comes out as a big cat, his mother is a bird.

He can't be choosy inside her! 

"You don't have a choice so stop being picky! Or else, would you prefer Mama to lose consciousness due to hunger? Stop thinking it's from bug, when it all comes down to it, it's still an energy we need to survive," she firmly added as she drained every last drop of energy from the creature. 

Once it was completely drained, she retracted her talons and casually tossed the lifeless husk aside, where it joined a growing pile of withered bugs—once thriving, now reduced to a small mound of decay. As live off consuming the fire vein directly it made them better than regular critters. After devouring about fifty or so, Wenshi was able to regain a third of her peak strength.

"Staying here will only waste us time. Let's find your father and give him an earful." Wenshi smiled while thinking of reuniting with her husband and giving him a little flick on the tail.

She dusted off her hands and stood up ready to leave the place she spent over two years nestling her baby.

Following a path decorated with glowing pearls to light up her way and walked out of the underground nest. Before long, her gaze fell on the familiar entrance to their lair. She could sense her husband's scent. That means he was here all along.

Wenshi's face twitched and her expression became a fiery mess.

"So, you were at home, but you didn't even check on me and your unborn son?!"