"Can I talk to you in private?" he asked. "There is something I need to tell you regarding Lindie." I asked Dillon to leave and bring Gurion after eating so my brother and I could talk in private. He agreed, so after I fed Gurion and Dillon finished his food, he left the room with Gurion to give me and my brother some privacy. "I'm sorry, Ari. I failed you as your older brother. I know Lindie was too harsh on you. I knew it all. However, I couldn't do anything." he said as he held my hand, trembling as he tried to control his emotion. "I really did try my best to convince her and to stop her from bullying you, but her jealousy had the best of her since she was spoiled too much," he explained. It was true. Lindie had been the center of attention for most of the tribesmen since she was young because she was favored by everyone. Her beauty was unparalleled, even when she was just a hatchling. I, on the other hand, hid from the eyes of the masses to prevent any unnecessary circumstances
The dinner was served to us by the elders of the Forest Wolf Tribe, as instructed by Lowell. They served us some fish dishes and vegetables.Lowell went in with Gurion after the dinner was served.Gurion and Lowell entered the room. Pointing at the fish dishes served on the table, he screamed excitedly, "Mommy! Fish! Guyon's Fish!""Gurion and I caught the fish that was served tonight," Lowell said as he sat on the table with us while lifting Gurion on his lap. "We hope you'll enjoy the dinner."My brother was quite suspicious at Lowell. He kept glaring at him the whole dinner."What's your relationship with my sister?" he asked sternly. "I remember that you never showed up before when we visited your tribe.""I didn't know that Lev's daughter was the male cub I was looking for," he explained. "I didn't know she really was a female, and she was always masking her scent, so I didn't recognize her.""But why were you looking for the male cub you were talking about?" my brother asked in c
Dillon's haircut went so well that even if I don't wear my mask, it would be hard for others to know my gender. "I never knew I'd look handsome if I were a male," I said as I looked at the mirror. "You are too beautiful, Ari; even if you were a real male, I would still fall for your beauty, because I really did," Dillon mumbled in a low voice, making me unable to hear the last words he said. "What did you say?" I ask in confusion. "Never mind," he said briefly, refusing to answer. Gurion asked, "Iz it weawy mommy [Is it really mommy]?" as if he couldn't recognize me after the haircut. "Done with the haircut?" my brother asked as he approached us while carrying Gurion in his arms. "Gurion was looking for you this whole time, and he was throwing tantrums already with the elders, so I brought him here to calm him down." "Yes—does it look convincing?" I asked while transforming into my passive-aggressive form. "Hmmm, I'm not sure; you still look like a female to me," he answered fr
The forest was astonishing during daylight and nostalgic when the sun sets or arises. We walked through the vast forest during the day and stopped at night while each of the males took their turn doing the night watch. It was kind of hard for me to get used to that setup. There were bugs and insects everywhere. It was muddy when it rained. The summer was almost here, so it was hot during the middle of the day. Luckily, there are many trees that shade us from the scorching sun. I never did mountain climbing, hiking, or even camping during my previous life. I never even imagined myself doing so. I did love nature, but I was never the type who would go on an adventure like this. It was the first time I traveled a very long distance by foot, so it was kind of exhausting and nerve-racking. "I'm hangwy [hungry]," Gurion whined as he sat on Dillon's back, who was in his beast form. "We can stop here and set up some temporary shelter just in case it rains again tonight," Brother Orson sugge
The night was cold, so brother Orson snuggled up with me and Gurion while he was in his beast form to keep us warm as Dillon lay down in front of us. The warmth of their bodies calmed my distressed heart as I slipped into my dream and closed my eyes. I felt as if I didn't dream, but I was sure I slept early. I saw Dillon and Lowell swap places as Lowell took his turn to rest for the rest of the night. They didn't notice me, and my head felt like it was floating. I tried to speak but couldn't. I was confused. It felt the same as when I was younger in my previous life. I always had realistic nightmares wherein I couldn't move or speak. The anxiety was overwhelming me, but I couldn't move or scream to get the attention of others. It must be just a dream, though it feels terrifyingly realistic. I can feel a cold mist of cloud-like shadow slowly crawling from my foot and going up to my legs. I felt disgusted and terrified at the same time. "I finally found you; we can finally be one,"
I told them about my past life and the world I used to live in. I even told them why I was afraid of males and how I died. I cried as I trembled while sharing my past life and the hardships I went through. They all looked shocked and felt sorry for me. "Shh, I will never let anyone hurt you again as long as I am alive; I will never let anyone hurt my precious little sister," my brother whispered as he hugged me tightly to console me. It was already the break of day when we finally finished our conversation. They urged me to go back to sleep since I looked pale and exhausted. My brother cuddled me to sleep while Lowell slept beside Gurion, and Dillon stayed awake to guard us and treat his wounds. When I woke up, Dillon took a nap for a little bit, and my brother took Gurion to teach him how to hunt small animals. Lowell prepared my breakfast and some tonics. "Is this a calming tonic?" I asked curiously. "Yes," he answered casually. "Thanks for the tonic; I really needed it," I m
I was so stunned after Lowell explained to me what happened that night that it gave me chills down my spine. I felt guilty towards him, and I felt like it was my fault that he was harassed by a powerful goddess because of me. Even so, I don't know how to lift my guilt from something I didn't do. He seemed a little traumatized due to the incident. He obtained a few cuts on his back that were deeper than Dillon's. "I'll help you treat the wound on your back—I'm sure you can't reach that, so you still haven't treated it," I suggested while finishing up my food in a hurry. "Ok, thanks... but you don't need to hurry up—it doesn't hurt anyway, so it can wait until you finish eating your food," he mumbled as he covered his blushing face, trying not to laugh too loud. "Geez, your wounds needed urgent treatment; what's so funny about it?" I muttered while scolding him for laughing at me. "You know it might get infected if you don't treat it as soon as possible!" "Yes... I won't laugh anymo
I remembered my pet snake that I used to take care of for a short time in my previous life. The brother of a friend of mine was a veterinarian, and he gave me a baby red-bellied black snake as a pet when he learned that I loved studying snakes despite being a business major.I was so fascinated with its jet-black scales and red belly. The unique light yellow to reddish orange highlight from its mouth to its eyes had me totally captivated. It was so gorgeous that I couldn't turn down the giver.When my mother learned that I was raising a snake in my own apartment, she scolded me and told me to return it to the giver. I had no other choice, so I gave it back as my mother instructed. I felt sad because of it."I clearly pulled in a young female earlier—what are you?" A male voice asked with a confused tone. "You also have the scent of a female; however, you have a lion's tail, ears, and wings."I suddenly felt a sudden urge of anxiety when I heard the male voice."What... will you do if I