Perla’s Perspective
Then, my mind wandered to my beloved Oliver. What if I were to have so adorable little chipmunk daughters soday? The re thought sends a chill through —wouldn’t they be at risk? It’s terrifying to think that there are even beastkin out there who might see female chipmunks as a al! How utterly horrifying!
We strolled in a quiet contemplation for a bit, each lost in our own thoughts. It was clear she had her own worries, just like I did, but the quiet between us felt warm and reassuring rather than awkward. There was a sense of comfort in knowing we were together, both seeking solace in the presence of soone who ant no harm.
Having navigated this world for only a short ti and already faced so much, I could relate to that feeling. My mind drifted to Elara; I truly hope she’s doing okay. Ira insists his brother is reliable, so she should be in better hands than I am at the mont. But why, of all creatures, did he have to be a spider? Ugh, spiders are my absolute least favorite!
Tanya clung to my shirt, and I didn’t mind at all; it was clear she needed that connection, even if we weren’t close enough for her to hold my hand. I found myself wondering about her age and where her family was, especially her parents. Growing up in this modern world must shape my perspective quite differently from the locals. And let’s not forget, I’m technically sixty-eight by their standards!
"Does your tribe celebrate birthdays?" I said.
"Yes, as most tribes do," she said.
The thought of having a bunch of eggs to care for crossed my mind, and surprisingly, it didn’t sound too dreadful—provided they weren’t spider eggs, and I didn’t have to morph into a chicken or bust out the chicken dance.
"By the way, how does your tribe celebrate birthdays?"
"After a litter becos an adult, they co to their mother once every four seasons on their hatch day and bring a present to their mother as a thank you for birthing them."
"I see! We have sothing quite similar back ho, but we refer to it as Mother’s Day. It’s celebrated on the sa date, unlike birthdays, which are all about honoring the individual who was born."
"Your people are strange, I thought everyone celebrated hatch day the sa way. Why would they celebrate hatching, it’s much more difficult to be pregnant, lay eggs, and care for the eggs to get them to hatch than it is just to hatch."
I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess I don’t know. It’s just what I grew up doing. Maybe to say that we’re happy that they exist?"
"That actually sounds kind of nice," she said with a small smile. It sounds that your tribe is both strange and kind of nice in its own way."
"It certainly can be. I believe that many of the...beastkin in my tribe are simply yearning for a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, they often experience pain before reaching that sense of connection, which leads them to inflict more hurt on others. It creates a relentless cycle. I suppose I understand that better now, as for the first ti in my life, I feel like I might actually belong sowhere—though, admittedly, it’s definitely not in this cave."
"Belonging sowhere... it sounds so lovely, doesn’t it? I have my tribe, but it often feels like everyone is just looking out for themselves. When I awakened, my parents pushed away, and now I watch my mom with her new little ones from afar. It’s hard to see her so nurturing with them while I feel so alone. I have a little sister who just hatched, and my mom is so caring towards her. But since I’ve already gone through my awakening, I’m not allowed back in her ho. She used to show that sa love, and now I can’t help but wonder if it was all just a façade. Will my sweet little sister discover that love was never ant for once she has her awakening? Or will our mother keep showering her with affection while I’m left feeling unworthy of love?"
After what felt like an endless loop of wandering, thanks to the paths twisting in ways that defied logic, we finally caught sight of a faint glimr of light ahead.
Stepping into the sunlight, a warm breeze kissed my face, and I relished the sensation of basking in the sun once more. But that blissful mont was fleeting, just long enough for my eyes to adjust. In the blink of an eye, the reason for the spider beastkin’s confidence in our capture beca painfully clear.
The cave entrance and the surrounding trees were ensnared in a massive do of spiderwebs. We both gasped in unison. Then, a spark of hope ignited in my mind—I had a rock that could slice through webs and a squirrel beastkin who might just be able to burrow beneath them. Unless, of course, I was completely off base about squirrels in this world and their digging abilities.
I approached the web do, brandishing the sharp blue rock I had used to free Tonya, and took a swing at the web. To my dismay, it was utterly ineffective, gliding over the strands without leaving a mark. A closer inspection revealed a silvery, glowing sheen to the webbing. It dawned on that the beastkin had infused his webs with mana, creating an incredibly strong barrier that only he could cut—unless soone stronger than him ca along, which clearly wasn’t us. What kind of aura did he possess? It had to be at least blue. He must be able to cultivate it so high because he feasts on beastkin, who naturally have high mana concentrations. Typically, beastkin prefer gems and mana pools for cultivation, not each other. I recalled the lizard’s ominous words about eating ; it seed wandering beastkin had no qualms about devouring their own kind. No wonder most beastkin were terrified of them!
"Can you dig?"
She looked at like there was sothing wrong with . "Have you ever heard about a squirrel who couldn’t dig unless they were injured or too young? I can’t transform into my squirrel form right now because of the poison the nasty spider gave but I can still dig."
She raised her hands, and sturdy little claws sprang forth from her fingertips. How I wish I had sothing like that—though maybe I do, just waiting for to figure it out? Unfortunately, my magic has been on a little vacation since he bit , leaving unable to tap into it. I can sense its presence, but accessing it? That’s a different story.
Standing there, feeling a bit like a bystander while she took charge, I couldn’t shake the feeling of uselessness. But then I rembered that without my unique ability, we might still be lost in the maze. That thought lifted my spirits a tad.
"Looks like your beast is lacking in the claw departnt?" she remarked, a hint of breathlessness in her voice as she dug away.
"I can’t transform at all or even feel my magic. That bite of his injected with so venom that’s really ssing with ." But hey, it seems I can still use my diminished perks...
She paused her digging and darted out of the tunnel she had been working on. "He actually bit you?!"
I peeled back the edge of the bandage, revealing the wound, and her reaction was imdiate—a sharp gasp of disbelief. The thought of that spider beastkin sinking its teeth into made my stomach churn, so I quickly covered the injury again.
"Is it really that serious?"
Her complexion turned a ghostly shade with a hint of green, and before I knew it, she doubled over and lost her lunch.
"Is it really that serious?! What on earth did you see? Is it grueso or sothing?"
"No, it’s just that you’ve been marked. The spider beastkin has left his mark on you."
Elara’s Perspective
Eventually, I reached the entrance of house seven and slipped inside. I stayed alert for any potential intruders and kept my face covered to avoid any lingering traces of poison or drugs in the air. I headed to the spot where I last saw Beck, finding him sprawled on the floor, unconscious. What had they done to him?
I checked to make sure he was still breathing, then dashed into the bedroom I’d been crashing in. The sight of the charred walls and wrecked bed hit hard; it was a total bumr that my magic had gone haywire and ssed everything up. I sprinted to the bed where I had stashed the extra healing potions he’d given and yanked them out from their hiding spot. With the potions clutched in my hand, I hurried back to Beck, who was tied up, and gently cradled his head in my lap. I carefully poured the first healing potion into his mouth, then followed it up with a second and a third. By the ti he finished the third, he coughed and seed to be waking up. What kind of nasty poison had they used on him to knock him out so completely that he needed three celestial healing potions just to co to?
He coughed again, groaning softly, so I trickled in a fourth potion. I really hoped he had more potions stashed away for Skye, but right now, I couldn’t hold back. Getting Beck back on his feet was the priority; he needed to be ready to help rescue Skye.
He coughed again, trying to sit up but ended up stumbling back, hacking once more. "We’ve got to get out of here. I finally figured out where I’ve seen that beastkin before. We need to move, tell Skye to grab a bag, and you two need to get ready to bounce right now. I’ll splash so cold water on my face while you girls pack up."
"We can’t leave," I said, feeling queasy at the look on his face. Who was this guy he recognized? What was it that had such a tough dude looking so panicked?
"What do you an we can’t leave? We have to go right now."
"Skye, he took Skye."
Coming Next Ti: The Inner Court
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