The Beauty's Hidden Beast

The Ape King seemed to have too much spare time to plot petty schemes against his law-abiding citizens and fellow allies, didn't he? Perhaps he could channel some of his divine energy into a more productive hobby.
When we appeared in this world, Nivi reminded me of a volcano and a poisoned tree, two important elements of the story. Given the distinct layout of the land, the volcano's location was easy to identify.
Whenever someone neared the Beast City, they'd see a scene, like from a children's book, carved on the city walls: two huge things that looked like mountains, with their mouths full of fire, ready to swallow everything around them.
Thanks to a river and some other clear markers, it wasn't hard to spot the location of those monsters ─ they were inside the two peaks at Camel Hump Valley.
All kinds of beastmen ─ different species ─ looked scared and confused. But amidst all the fear, one figure stood out strong: the Ape King. He was the tallest, with a spear and shield in hand, looking like he was ready to protect and lead the beastmen and females toward safety.
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"Just admit it," I said, arms crossed in irritation while we stood outside the city walls, "You don't want to share me with a new male. I bet you don't even want me to think about getting one."
The trio's beast aura flared up like a bonfire at yet another suitor, causing the poor tiger to run away with his tail tugged in between his legs.
Curtis narrowed his eyes in a deadly glare at the running beastman, his voice dripping with disdain, "He moved through the forest like a newborn deer on ice."
Muir added coldly, "I think he would faint at the sight of a scorpion."
Vick delivered the final blow, "We need someone who sees danger and laughs, not someone who sees danger and faints."
"Wow, and I thought that I was the male hater in this group," I snorted. Whether the new guy was as sharp as a bowling ball didn't matter to me. I'd have simply slapped an eye candy label on his forehead and called it a day.
The trio, however, put every remotely acceptable guy through a series of rigorous tests.
Strolling through the forest with a potential new addition to our group, the trio's faces were a mix of reluctance and dismay, as if we were about to adopt a cat into a no-cat household.
They had all met and bonded with me around the same time, so I get why it was tough for them to welcome some random Joe into our inner circle.
It wasn't just about adding another plate to the dinner table. It was about finding someone who could stomach the whirlwind of absurdity that came with being part of our ragtag group.
And possibly someone who wouldn't be scared off at the first sight of their beast auras or faint at the mention of a colossal.
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As we stepped out of the forest's cover, a shocking scene froze us in our tracks.
Right in front of us, a dark gray wolf was getting assaulted by a group of city-beasts while a crowd watched on. The sky above might as well have been made of stone, offering no comfort to the wolf as claws shredded through his flesh, one savage strike after another. His futile attempt to defend himself was accompanied by sounds of screams, jeers, and laughter.
The wolf beastman was being tortured. That much was obvious, but for some reason, he was being kept alive.
The wolf howled until his throat was raw. It was as if he was being made to suffer. His howls cut through the air, gut-wrenching, echoing through the area.
"What's going on?" I had to ask. One-on-one skirmishes were normal to see, but a full-blown gang assault was anything but ordinary.
"It appears he's being cast out, yet he resists leaving." Muir, with a look that said he'd seen it all before, replied, "He probably committed a crime or had been abandoned by his female. This is his punishment."
"So, why don't they kill him and be done with it?"
"They probably want to make an example of him."
The instant the cry of him being a rootless reached my ears, I stepped forward, my voice slicing through the tension, "Deliver that wolf to me, or I'll personally ensure I'll get him myself." Arms folded, an unyielding aura enveloped me. "You have five seconds to take action."
Before Muir and Curtis could realize what I wanted from them, Vick leaped into action. He pushed the crowd apart and, without missing a beat, hoisted the half-dead beastman in our direction.
Muir and Curtis were quick to catch on. Muir quickly morphed into his eagle form and caught the falling beastman with his claws while Curtis joined Vick, forcing back the beastmen, who had begun to circle around Vick.
The crowd, seeing what had just transpired, were not pleased, "What do you think you are doing?!", "His female just left him to fend for himself! He's a rootless now, a danger to us all!", "We need to end him before he escapes to the Flame City and brings trouble to our doorstep!"
"To our infirmary," I said as Muir brushed past me, heading into the forest while I set off towards the city gates.
Drawing in a deep breath to steel myself, I broke into a sprint the moment I was out of the main square and probing eyes, pushing my legs as fast as they could.
The sound of flapping wings soon followed close behind.
"Why are we helping him? He's a rootless."
"A fresh rootless," I corrected Muir, "It's such a rare occurrence to witness one, I couldn't help myself. I always thought they would run away to avoid clashes with the other beastmen, not the other way around."
"Their best shot at survival is to run away and get stronger. This one must have been exceptionally unlucky to get caught," Muir took off and landed inside the mansion's infirmary. He set the beastman down on the ground and I knelt by his side, checking his pulse.
He was alive, barely, his body covered in wounds and bruises. He had a lot of broken bones, and a few of his organs were in bad shape. It was a wonder that he was still alive.
I rummaged through my sash, retrieving a handful of crystals, I stuffed them into his mouth. Removing my cloak, I went to wash my hands and boil some water.
"What now?" Muir asked, watching how the wolf suddenly stirred as he changed into his human form.
"We wait." I ripped up whatever clothes I could find to make makeshift bandages, pressing them firmly on the deepest cuts to slow down the bleeding.
"For what?"
"He'll wake up soon."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then we dissect him." I grinned, causing Muir to sigh at me with a helpless smile, "He will be good study material."
I used boiled salt water to clean his nasty wounds, followed by a good slather of honey to keep the infection at bay. Once that was done, I wrapped up the wounds with the torn-up clothes, tying them off snugly.
"Precious, I can't believe you are using up all the crystals you've collected yourself on someone like him," Vick wondered as I stuffed more crystals into the other male's mouth.
"How did you get back here so quickly?" Muir asked.
Vick jerked a thumb toward Curtis. "Told them Curtis wants to make him his next meal."
Curtis rolled his eyes, "I devoured him in one big gulp," he said, playing along with the joke.
The beastman groaned, conscious, his breathing rapid. He was trembling all over.
"What was your crime?" I asked.
His response came as a silent, piercing gaze from his remaining right eye, the only part of him that seemed alive and moving at that moment. Blood trickled down, clouding his vision, likely obscuring his view of me.
"What did you do to your female?" I asked again, my curiosity growing by the second.
His remaining eye widened, the question hitting a nerve. His body twitched instinctively, but he didn't groan as if he could no longer feel his pain. His mouth fell open. The words were coming out slowly and haltingly. "My ... My female ..." he started. "My female ..."
I waited, expecting more. The man stopped moving. His body was still. And his expression was not of despair. No, it was hatred. His expression was of pure hatred.
"Go on." I encouraged him after pressing another crystal inside his mouth. Using Curtis's scale to open his chest, I examined his lungs, and then, his beating heart behind the broken ribcage. The guy didn't even flinch from my actions.
The man gasped, the effort to breathe making his face turn white, "I had failed my female," he said, the words barely a whisper, "I failed as her bait. The colossal ... it chose to kill her favorite male instead of me."
"Muir, can you find out if what he says is the truth?" I asked, looking up at the eagle beastman.
Muir, standing by my side, looked down at me, meeting my eyes, "It's not necessary. His female has around eighty males; he wouldn't be able to hurt her even if he wanted to. I've seen him being used as bait for the collosals a few times. It's risky and takes lots of skill and nerve to pull off. You need to keep the collosals' focus and aggression on yourself while others attack it."
My attention shifted to Vick, "You said we need someone who sees danger and laughs, not someone who sees danger and faints. I think he fits your requirements perfectly."
"Wait, what? Precious, you cannot be serious about taking him as your male. Do you? A rootless beast can't put his spousal mark on you."
"I know, but aren't you curious about the curse that follows once the bond is broken? He is almost dead, anyway." I looked at the beastman, his eye glazing over, the last of his life force draining away, "Might as well do something useful with his body."
The man stared up at me, the anger returning, and he opened his mouth to snarl in my direction. He wanted to live. His will was strong. He didn't fear death, but he didn't want to die, either.
I examined his beating heart, "I want to have a proper look at your heart. Wouldn't it be a relief if you could be free from your female's influence?"
His screams shattered the silence when I lifted his heart slightly from behind his broken ribcage. I pressed my left arm against his mouth, his fangs involuntarily sinking deep into my flesh.
"Are you crazy?!" All three voices yelled in unison.
"Just sit tight and wait," I sighed as I carefully tilted the heart for a closer examination. Borrowing Muir's eagle vision, I noticed a dark spot slowly growing in size. "Are you willing to forget your past female and accept me as your new one? If yes, claim me. Let our new bond destroy this curse inside your heart."
The beast-man's pain was unmistakable, with tears cutting through the grime on his face, he writhed, unable to break free. Despite his efforts, his muscles just wouldn't cooperate, leaving him trapped in his agony.
Leaning close, I whispered into his ear, "Under the watchful eyes of the Beast God, I vow never to sever our bond, for as long as I live. I may not be an upgrade from what you've lost, but what more do you have to lose?"
His suffering pierced through, so severe that his dark hair bleached to white, each strand a visual echo of his screaming despair. His transformation was not subtle; it was a harrowing display of pain so intense that it robbed him of color, leaving each hair to stand as a stark, silent witness to his agony.
I gently nudged the tip of my nose against the pulse on his neck, "Embrace your darkness, and let it lead you to a fresh start ─ a start where you control your own fate."
His nails and fingertips blackened, contrasting with his now ghostly pale skin. It was like all that pain he was feeling inside just burst out, leaving its mark all over him.
Vick quickly stuffed a crystal into his mouth, "He doesn't seem to be faring any better."
I sighed, removing my left arm from the beastman's mouth. His jaw, no longer locked around my flesh, went slack, the light from his eyes fading to darkness, his body falling limp. "He's dead," I announced, disappointed, looking at the no longer beating heart withing his chest.
"Good riddance," Vick stuffed another crystal into my mouth, "Let's burn his body and be done with it."
"Wait," I announced.
"What now," Curtis snapped, wanting to take me away before I did something stupid again, but I parried his attack.
"Heh," I glanced at my right arm, "Looks like he's left his stamp on me, that sneaky bastard." A chuckle escaped me as I traced the faint, barely noticeable mark on my upper arm. "How cute."
Upon closer inspection, the tattoo was captivating ─ a ghostly white silhouette of a wolf's head. The hollow eyes, devoid of any detail, were voids, empty yet shaped unmistakably like a predator's. The impact of that sharp gaze lingered, haunting, dangerous. Even when you looked away, the predatory glare would bore into your very soul, leaving a feeling that was hard to shake off.
"Finally," I wiped the blood off my hands and rinsed them within the water basin. "I've delivered my side of the bargain. I've got you a new male, complete with two," I rubbed away the blood from the man's arms, "no three whole stripes. And check it out ─ he's even got fancy white fur like Winston now."
Muir's frown deepened as he towered over the beastman, "He earned a stripe in the skirmish with the city beastmen earlier, and now he's got another. This isn't normal. Even the strongest warriors don't gain two stripes this quickly."
Vick's lips twitched with amused frustration as he inspected the beastman alongside Muir, nonchalantly sliding his own crystals into the guy's mouth. "Well, if he turns out to be more trouble than he's worth, we can always kill him later," he said, skepticism lacing his words. "That's assuming he even makes it. I don't want to waste an emerald on him, but gods, do I have a ton of questions."
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Heheh, the trio's harsh demands for a male came bitting right back at them.
Yaya, you didn't even bother to ask for wolfie's name before letting him leave his spousal mark on you. Seriously. 😭
Sooo? What do you think about YY's fourth male? I was so nervous writing him, worried about your reactions. But no matter what, I wanted to write him exactly as he was mean to be. 🫣
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