"We’re discussing the school plans," Kyra said, showing him another blueprint from the stack of papers beside her. "I think we’ve got everything covered."
Lucas looked over the plans and nodded. "It looks great, Ky-ky. We’ll get started on it right after the houses are done."
The three of them resud their work, focusing intently on the tasks at hand.
The new group of males arrived from the castle, including Lan and Jimmy.
When they saw Lucas, they jumped happily, their faces lighting up with excitent. Lucas, holding so supplies in his arms, put them down, his face sweaty but adorned with a huge smile.
He ran toward them so fast he almost stumbled, his joy evident in every step. With wide smiles, Lan and Jimmy held out their arms, and Lucas leaped into their embrace, the three friends hugging tightly.
"I missed you both soooooo much!" Lucas exclaid as he broke the hug, beaming at them. Lan and Jimmy looked at him, emotions swirling in their eyes.
"Don’t get too emotional," Lucas said, a playful grin on his face. "Because I have good news: I’m staying in the Snake tribe from now on."
Jimmy and Lan’s eyes widened in surprise and joy.
"Oh my god! Wolf, that’s amazing! We can be together! The trio forever." Lan said happily, and Jimmy also looked thrilled.
Vincent, who had overheard the entire conversation, snorted, his hand clenching into a fist. He thought to himself ’I don’t care what he does.’
Jealousy twisted inside Vincent as he watched Lucas so joyfully reunited with others.
It was a feeling he hated to admit, especially regarding Lucas.
Over ti, Vincent had grown more comfortable around Lucas and no longer disliked him as he once did.
But seeing Lucas so happily engaged with others made Vincent’s eyes turn cold. Unable to bear the sight, he turned and left, a storm of unacknowledged feelings brewing within him.
***
At lunchti, when Lucas approached Vincent, he saw that Vincent had partially shifted into his snake form. His upper body leaned against a tree, his dark scales glistening in the sunlight. Vincent didn’t like the sun, so he was also seeking shade to cool down.
Back when he was a cub, Vincent’s mother had abandoned him, leaving him to survive on his own.
He used to love resting under a sandalwood tree.
The fragrance of the tree and the coolness it provided brought back nostalgic mories.
He was even thinking about planting sandalwood trees in the tribe, hoping to recreate that comforting environnt.
However, Vincent hadn’t been powerful back then.
The more dominant snakes, who also liked cool places, had kicked him out.
The hot days were particularly harsh for him.
The heat was unbearable, making his skin itchy, and during that ti, the forest beca dry, and the rivers thinned.
The extre heat drove him to spend most of his ti in the ocean, where the water provided relief..
"Vincent" Lucas called, but Vincent didn’t look at him.
"Snakey" Lucas tried again, but Vincent continued to ignore him. Lucas tilted his head in confusion.
He walked over to Vincent, noticing his large snake tail glistening in the sunlight. Gently, he touched the scales. "Vincent, are you sleeping?" he asked, looking at the back of Vincent’s head.
"Stay away from ." Vincent said coldly, not turning around.
"What happened to you?" Lucas asked, concern in his voice.
"Get out! Go to your forever friends. Don’t bother with ," Vincent said, his voice turning even colder.
Suddenly, Lucas understood sothing. A smirk appeared on his face. "Are you jealous?" he asked with a smug tone.
"Who the f**k is jealous? Leave alone, Wolf." Vincent retorted coldly.
"No! I will not leave until you tell m.," Lucas said, defiantly hugging Vincent’s snake body.
Vincent stiffened, surprised by the embrace. "Lucas, let go," he said, his voice softer but still strained.
Lucas tightened his hold slightly. "You don’t have to be jealous, Vincent. You’re important to too."
Vincent finally turned his head slightly, looking at Lucas from the corner of his eye. The coldness in his gaze began to lt. "I’m not jealous," he muttered, though it lacked conviction.
Lucas grinned, sensing a small victory. "Sure, you’re not. But seriously, we’re all friends here. You don’t have to feel left out."
Vincent didn’t say anything. Instead, he slowly shifted into his human form as Lucas hugged him. His scales disappeared, replaced by skin, and his tail transford back into legs. Now fully human, Vincent stood there, letting Lucas hold him.
Vincent let out a slow breath, the last of his resistance fading away. "Alright, alright. Just... don’t hug so tight."
Lucas laughed, releasing his grip slightly but still holding on. "Deal."
"Oh my god! Kyra’s males really get along with each other, unlike what I’ve seen with males fighting for female attention." one of the male remarked, noticing the interaction between Lucas and Vincent.
" too, so jealous. Although the boss didn’t like Wolf in the beginning, they later got along really well."
"It’s like a dream family. You don’t have to fight for attention." another male Said, sighing wistfully.
"But Kyra has only two mates. Do you think she’ll accept more? I haven’t seen her showing interest in anyone else." soone else wondered aloud.
"Haha! I tried to get close to Kyra once," one of them admitted, laughing. "Oh my god! I stood so close to her, and she was even more beautiful up close. And her fragrance, too—amazing."
"Haha! You’re being a pervert. If the boss finds out, he’ll kick you." one of the males laughed.
"The boss would definitely kick if he knew my thoughts! Let’s get back to work. I can’t wait to see the result and finally live in our new house."
" too! Kyra said we’re going to make houses that can withstand floods and disasters. I’m so excited." another male said, his enthusiasm contagious.
They all looked at each other with renewed energy and started working again, their earlier conversation fueling their motivation. The thought of sturdy, safe hos and the camaraderie they shared made the hard work feel a little lighter.
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