The Beauty's Hidden Beast

The female in Parker's arms gently intervened, her voice soft, "Parker, please, stop," she implored, her eyes teary, "Let's not blame anyone. I didn't watch where I was stepping...ugh!" Her voice trembled in pain. In that moment, she seemed smaller, her shoulders slumped as if carrying a weight far too heavy for her.
Parker continued to hold her gently, "I'm so sorry, QingQing. Does it hurt a lot?" Concern knitting his brows, he then turned to look for me, "Leave now! And take that wild feral with you! You've both caused enough pain and damage the last time you were here! Don't make me summon my father's army to chase you out with force!"
Glancing around, my eyes caught sight of an axe used for chopping wood by my right. Seizing it, I flipped it around with a bit of flair, "Keep the complaints coming. If I'm going to be blamed for someone's pain, I'd much rather it be yours," I said before I flung the axe in Parker's direction.
Parker reacted instantly, his reflexes as sharp as the snarl that followed. He dodged the axe just in time, leaping back with a growl. However, his abrupt movement caused the female in his arms to let out a sharp yelp of pain.
I couldn't resist the opportunity for a cutting retort, "Wow, look at that ─ your quick dodge just made things worse for your female. Guess if you hadn't been so keen on saving your skin...or kept quiet...she might have been spared some pain."
"You─" Parker was too stunned to retort, "You ugly─" Again, too shocked to argue back, "Roar!"
Vick gave Curtis a sidelong glance as he restrained me once more. "What happened 'the last time'?" he inquired, his tone calm as though he hadn't just seen me throw that axe towards Parker, hinting he would have done the same had I not.
"A few villagers wouldn't stop harassing Harvey and Nivi," Curtis said, nodding toward Parker with a wild smirk, "Yaya delivered them to me for dinner, and that's exactly how I treated them before we left the village. He must have witnessed it."
"That explains a lot of things," said Vick as he glanced down at me, "You've never taken me out for dinner, yet this snake waltzes in and gets treated to a feast? What does one have to do to gain such a privilege?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess you should start with practicing your slither, Vick."
I caught a slight twitch of his mouth, a hint of a helpless smile fighting to break through his feigned annoyance.
Meanwhile, among the leopards who had been following me with an intent to become my mate, confusion reigned. "Did I just see a female fling an axe at Parker?" one of them asked, disbelief coloring his tone.
The scene had unfolded so quickly, and the act was so unexpected it left them questioning what they had witnessed.
"I doubt it; must have been one of her males," another suggested, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Definitely," another quickly agreed, his eyes darting around nervously, "Those two are no joke. Did you catch how fast they moved to guard her? They're protecting her like she's the crown jewel of the jungle."
A third leopard chimed in, his voice tinged with fear and resignation, "I thought I could handle living with a feral after witnessing another mate by her side, but this is way out of my league. I'm out."
One by one, they began to back away, their steps quickening as they retreated.
A smile crept across my face, seeing the leopards dash away in disarray. Mission "Scare off the overly ambitious leopard suitors and thwart Vick's and Curtis's attempts to find me a new mate" was officially accomplished and with flying colors at that.
"Yaya!"
Glancing upward, I caught sight of Nivi soaring on Muir's back, her voice reaching out to me from the skies. Below, Harvey, in his leopard form, raced with astonishing speed. Trailing him were a wolf and a blue snake, both straining to keep pace with him.
Parker wasted no time in seeking Harvey's assistance, "Harvey! My female is in pain!"
Harvey glanced over at me and my companions, offering a swift nod of acknowledgment. Then, turning to Parker and his companion, he said, "Come on in, let's get her looked at," as he gestured towards his clinic.
"Yaya! I missed you so much!" Nivi dismounted from Muir and sprinted towards me, her arms open as if she were about to envelop me in a hug. Then, catching sight of the imposing Vick and Curtis standing by, she halted awkwardly in front of us.
I greeted Nivi with a warm smile and open arms. "Hey, Nivi," I said, as she jumped into my arms, her curiosity quickly turning towards Vick.
"If someone had told me that you'd come back with an extra male in tow, I'd have burst out laughing right in their face. So, who's this unlucky fellow?" she teased, giving Vick a curious look.
I turned to Vick, "This is Vick. He's, well, he's Vick." I said, keeping it light. "No idea about his beastman status or anything, but he seems to think he's got a shot at being my mate."
Vick flashed me a wicked smile, "Well, considering the competition, I'd say my odds are looking pretty good."
His response was smooth, laced with a confident wit that caught Nivi off guard, "I see."
I wasn't keen on spilling the beans about Vick being my fiancé just yet. After all, having a fiancé who was both a looker and had that powerful slash dangerous vibe? That's straight out of one of Nivi's favorite romance novels. She'd probably end up accusing me of living out her dream plot.
I eyed the beasts behind Nivi, "Looks like you've picked up some new company too."
Nivi was quick to lead us into their house, "You already know Harvey. This is Shuu, who we bumped into during our visit to the Beast City, and Sei, he's the one who saved the day when we got into a bit of trouble collecting herbs."
Shuu emerged from the novel as an adorable wolfman, characterized by two unique marks just below his eyes.
Contrasting him was Sei, the ultimate heartthrob with four eye-catching stripes under his cheeks, complemented by smooth blue hair and captivating blue eyes. Nivi went on to call him the least toxic feral anyone could ever meet.
Sei was a gentleman who treated Nivi like his goddess. His nature was deeply rooted in his ancestry, where one of his ancestors bonded with a human like Nivi. Throughout his life, Sei has nurtured a quiet hope, patiently waiting for someone who mirrored the human from his family's past to appear.
"What about Muir?" Nivi asked, gesturing toward the silent Muir at the back, who looked nervous about how I would introduce him, "He went searching for us when he realized we weren't at home, just to inform us that you are back. He insisted I take a flight with him to reach you as soon as possible."
"Muir is still without a mate, from what I know. Based on his heartfelt monologues, you seem to align more with his ideal type than I ever could," I declared, my tone firm yet laced with sarcasm, as I shot Muir a glare that could only be described as less than fond.
Nivi coughed awkwardly. Changing the topic, she pointed at Parker and QingQing as we passed by the clinic along the way, "Those two are regulars here. They are harmless as long as you ignore the rubbish that comes out of their mouths."
I think it's a bit too late for that, Nivi.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
The moment we reached the garden, gone was the bare expanse I remembered; in its place stood a homely setup complete with furniture, a bustling chicken coop, and the beginnings of herbs and vegetable patches that promised future harvests.
As we took in the charming transformation of the garden, Nivi turned to me with a beaming smile. "By the way, we can't thank you enough for pointing out that water source in the underground with that forked rod. When we dug there, we actually found water!" Her eyes sparkled with gratitude. "This garden," she gestured around, "it's thriving because of the water well we built afterward. And, you know, it's been a real game-changer for Harvey, too. He doesn't have to fetch water for me and his patients daily."
"I'm glad it's serving you well," I said, both of us treating our males as a third wheel while strolling around the vast garden, "a water well for the village could be a game-changer, too. The villager's living conditions aren't exactly the cleanest from what I've observed."
Nivi nodded enthusiastically, seizing on the idea. "Exactly! I've been trying to spread the word about better hygiene practices among the females so Harvey doesn't get overwhelmed at the clinic. It's amazing how a simple thing like regular hand washing can cut down on the visits. A communal water well in the village would make it so much easier to keep everyone healthy and reduce Harvey's workload."
I nodded in agreement, "I saw Harvey had gained his first stripe. Good job."
Nivi's eyes sparkled mischievously as she studied my features, a playful giggle escaping her lips. "You wouldn't believe it, but on our way here, I've actually seen some females resort to beating up their males just to erase the memory of you from their heads. Even though their slaps probably felt like mere tickles to the males, the guys still looked utterly pitiful," she confessed, her laughter bubbling up.
"Well, didn't you mention you wanted the females to show a bit more gratitude toward their males? A touch of insecurity might just work its magic," I replied with a grin. "Who knows, maybe it'll even inspire them to improve their hygiene habits."
"You are always so biased..." Nivi sighed helplessly, "But whatever. Did I mention that I missed you?" she squealed affectionately as she hugged me again.
"Mm," I patted her back, "I missed you too."
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
It turns out Parker had his reasons for treating Yaya the way he did. 😆
Yaya has never been innocent, not then and not now. 😮‍💨
Imagine the jealousy seeping through Vick and Curtis as they witness Yaya's treatment toward Nivi. No wonder Vick never liked her, right? 🤣
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