Chapter 53 - Dark Thoughts

Chapter 53: 53 - Dark Thoughts

(Moyu’s POV)

A few days ago...

My mood was as gloomy as the clouds above when I followed the faint path leading away from the two cold-blooded ones and the female. I refused to look back.

Only a worthy mate deserved my devotion. I wouldn’t waste my feathers on a female who couldn’t even respect others’ sacrifices. I was done being a fool.

It was for the best. I couldn’t afford to lose everything I worked for. Not for a female who would not hesitate to kill me if I got in her way. Like she did to all those innocent beastmen in her fit of rage.

We put her to sleep, but it was for her sake. We had to force her to rest. If not for her health, then for her safety.

The forest greeted me with its usual sounds and smells, but they didn’t calm me like they used to. My wings felt heavy as I flew, and my mind was restless with memories I wanted to forget.

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I stopped by a bear village, where familiar faces greeted me. They lived in cave structures carved into the mountains, decorated with hanging fur and bone. They were fierce but honorable kin, and I had done ground missions with them before.

"It’s an elite patrol!" One of the bear beastmen clamored, recognizing my uniform. "What brings you here?"

Twenty males lumbered forward, their thick arms crossed over broad chests, eyes hungry for news from the capital. Three females also emerged from their hiding spots. I scanned the crowd, trying to match the mementos¹ to the females, preparing to deliver the news.

I pulled out the braids from my space. "There had been an incident in the forest. Some of your males lost their lives in a fight with the primal beasts."

A bear beastwoman stomped forward and snatched the mementos from my hand. Round, furry ears twitched atop her head while a thick tail swished behind her.

Females with animal traits had lower social status in the Beast Kingdom because they had lower fertility rates with other species. Though they ranked higher in their own tribes and could give birth to more of their kind than a traitless female.

"What about my primal cores?" she snarled, flinging the braids into the faces of three nearby males. They scrambled for them like starving wolves, clutching the mementos to their chests.

She invaded my space, her voice dripping with anger. "They promised me a bag of them. I want my cores! Did they collect them?"

"They didn’t get a chance," I said, trying to ignore her indifferent reaction to her dead mates.

"How will I prolong my life now?!" Her shriek echoed off the mountain walls. "How am I supposed to survive without the cores? Do you think I can hunt them myself? I’m a female! I can’t go out there and fight primals!"

The bear males tried to interfere, but she shoved them aside, knocking one over and making another stumble back. "You useless patrol!" she spat. "You couldn’t even do your job properly! You let my mates die! Give me my cores, or I’ll report you for incompetence!"

I frowned, keeping my tone neutral. "You sent your mates to collect primal cores for you. Death was a risk they took. You should be grateful they were brave enough to try to provide for you."

"Are you trying to put the blame on me?!" She bared her teeth at me. "If they die, that’s on them! They are useless males who can’t even provide for me! Now I have to wait another season to find new mates, strong enough to hunt primals! Do you have any idea how long that will take?!"

Her face twisted with rage, and she turned to the three males still clutching her mementos. "You! You go out there and get me primal cores! Now! And don’t come back until you have enough for me! Or else I will find other males who can provide for me! Understand?!"

The males nodded nervously, then hurried away to prepare for their hunt.

"They are not strong enough," I assessed them. "They won’t survive."

The bear female huffed and turned towards me. "You are an elite patrol, right? Help them get me those cores. Or I will report you to the capital for incompetence. You are supposed to protect us, and you failed. Do you hear me? You failed! What do we pay contribution fees for? Huh? For you to let us die?"

Her words drew the other two females’ attention, and they began to gather around me.

"Our males too! Assist them as well," one female demanded, joining the first one in glaring at me. "They are busy taking care of the younglings, and they can’t go hunting. You have to do something!"

"Yes! You have to help us! You owe us! We lost so many males because of you!" another female added, her voice rising in pitch. "You patrollers are supposed to prevent this! Why didn’t you?!"

"We can’t survive without the primal cores! You have to get them for us! It’s your duty!"

They all yelled at me at once, each trying to outdo the others with their demands. It made me want to have the coldblooded attack the village. Just so the females could feel the pain of losing their protectors, and realize how ungrateful they were. How would they like it if they were kidnapped by coldblooded and forced to be their breeders?

The males stood silently behind them, watching me with sympathetic eyes, but none dared to speak up against their females. They were too scared to lose their chance at being chosen as mates.

I even noticed how a few cheered secretly at the death of some males, as it meant less competition for them. A few wore the memento of the dead males, having already claimed their share of the females.

"Why are you just standing there?" the first female snapped. "Are you deaf? I told you to get me the cores!"

"I’m not your mate, and I’m not obliged to do anything for you," I said, shaking away my dark thoughts. "The Jurast forest right now is not safe for anyone. You should stay here and wait for the situation to improve. A group of cold-blooded have been sighted there. They might attack your males if they venture too deep."

The mention of cold-blooded made the females falter for a moment, so I pushed my advantage. "One of them is a royal-rank snake. Even I can’t fight him alone. You would only be sending your males to their deaths."

"But...but...what about the cores?" One of the females asked, "I... I need them. They’ve already failed me once. They have to make up for it."

"Can’t you just give us some cores from your stash?" another female suggested. "You must have plenty of them, right? You are an elite patrol, after all."

"Right. Just give us a few."

"Or we can trade your cores for something." A few males joined as well. "We have some good furs and skins you might like."

At the mention of skins and fur, my mind went back to the coldblooded and the female. Their collection was missing winter cloaks and other necessities. I could trade some cores for those items...

No! I shook my head. I had already made my decision. I wasn’t going back there. I was done with her.

"How about I bear your offspring in exchange?" the first female offered. "I’m not in heat yet, but if you give me enough cores, I will let you breed me."