Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter One Hundred and Two

*I bit of a fluff chapter so here's some floofs taking turns in the bath.

Harvey and Olly woke early to make rounds in case anyone had become ill from yesterday's trials. I saw them off with a promise to stay in my nest. Then, I sat on the edge of the wide road-like branch and watched as the sun rose high above the horizon and the last wisps of the rainclouds cleared, leaving behind only an azure blue sky. From my vantage point, I could make out the far mountains with the black scorch marks of yesterday's fire. The scar stretched from the foothills to the valley floor and I wondered about the best way to revive the land. Would it be better to steer clear and let it revive on its own? Or could we use the clearing the fire made and build the beginnings of a village there? Or what if we used the ash and soot as fertilizer and created a stretch of farmland?

"It's incredibly ugly isn't it? Our view is ruined now thanks to that fire." Said an arrogant voice.

I didn't bother looking up at the male who with a consistently vain personality only thought about looks, "Good morning, Alva. Did you know that for some trees and plants, fire is the best way to begin a new generation? In a few short years, if we simply left the land to heal on its own, a healthier, stronger forest will grow. But we could also use the land that has been cleared for various things. Yesterday's devastation will become tomorrow's innovation."

"Are you really planning on staying then? You don't need to make a new village and crowd the valley. You could always just take me as a mate and stay here in this village." He flipped his silky mint green locks over his shoulder playfully.

His comment about crowding did stir something within me. I didn't want to see the entire valley filled with so many beasts that dens would stretch from the mountains to the plains and possibly even to the sea cliffs. No. If we did settle here, I would want it to stay sparsely populated and the only way to do that was to allocate large plots of land to each family. But that might not even be necessary as this lush land has stayed fairly empty except for flying beasts.

"Alva? Why do only flying beasts live here?"

A little put out that I, yet again, ignored his attempt at courting. "That's probably because of the earthquakes."

I looked up at him. I had thought the earthquakes were something Muir told Bai to make her feel less afraid when the volcano erupted. I didn't think the perpetual liar was telling the truth. "Do earthquakes happen often?"

"Once every other year or so." He shrugged, "Flying beastmen aren't really affected by it. The merfolk also don't have any issues unless it causes large waves.

It all made sense now. Beasts without wings who tended to make dens from stone and caves and tunnels would all struggle with living where the earth tore down their dwelling every other year. But if you built your dwelling from wood, like the sprawling homes I remember seeing in Japan or if you used stucco like homes in Greece, then the earthquakes may not cause as much of an issue. We'd have to build where the risk of landslides and rockfall was low.

"How bad do the earthquakes get? Do they make it hard to stand up? Do they last a long time?"

He had to take a minute to remember. "They wouldn't last long, but sometimes there would be multiple in one week. Females might fall down but males shouldn't have a problem staying upright. Why? Are you scared? You don't need to be. I can always take you to the safety of the sky if an earthquake happens. You can rely on me." He puffed out his muscular chest.

If that was the type of earthquakes they dealt with here, then there shouldn't be any issue with the architecture styles I was thinking of. But earlier he had mentioned the quakes causing waves. "Has an earthquake ever caused the valley to flood?"

He sighed again at my lack of response. I think he might be getting used to me ignoring his bravado. I hoped that was the case, because when he finally stopped being such a cock, I would finally get to know who 'Alva' was. "No. The merfolk has some males with four stripes. They have control over the waves and prevent them from getting too close to the shore."

That was new information to me, but it made sense considering Qin had been missing for years but the tribe had never relocated. If they could quell tsunamis, then there would be no need to. The fact that they had such power was a littler disconcerting.

A plan for my village was starting to form in my mind. The peacock's tree was located about a full day's journey to the beach, mere hours if one was flying. The lake where we had taken refuge was another half a day inland, nestled between two mountain ranges. Harvey and Oliver had to run for three, four hours straight to get to the tree that only took Alva an hour to get to. If I looked off to the east, I could see where one mountain range ended and miles of grassy plains, like the lawn of Castillo San Felipe del Morro times twenty, led the way to tall cliffs bordering the sea.

The fact that I could see so much was an indication as to how massive the peacock's tree was. I smiled a little. Humans would think it was Yggdrasil. Yes. I liked this area very much. It had a little bit of everything and as long as I could make nice with the locals, I may have just found the haven I'd always dreamed of.

I placed a hand over my swelling belly and thought of the family I could bring up in relative safety in the cradle of the continent. I didn't have to look up to know that Alva was looking at me like he'd give anything for me to have and care for his own clutch in the same way. All males would in such picturesque surroundings.

Then the flap of wings interrupted my urban planning. Muir's dark black feathers that resembled his mood, brought Bai to my doorstep. He landed softly and Bai quickly dismounted, making a bee line towards me with a woven bark basket on her arm.

"Bailey! Good morning! I brought breakfast. I was hoping we could spend some time together. You know? Just us females. What do you think?" Her expression begged me to say yes.

"Good morning Qingqing. You know I could never resist the chance to eat your cooking. Come on in. I'm sure we have loads to talk about." The last was said with a reassuring nod towards Muir. I would not oust him. Not this morning anyway.

Muir frowned as much as an eagle could and Alva pouted at the obvious dismissal. I led Bai inside my temporary nest without a backwards glance at the males that would prefer their mates to be marionettes tied to their talons.