Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter One Hundred and Five

Getting to the razed part of the valley forest took two and a half hours. Parker and Harvey did their best to make the trip as swiftly and comfortably as possible. Olly had a limp but was abel to keep up. Due to Bai's weak constitution and my cubs on my bladder, we had to take short but frequent breaks. We arrived just after dusk with the three moons rising high into the night sky. Despite the moonlight, Bai and I had a difficult time seeing things but the males had no issues.

At some point the soft layers of pine needles and leaves beneath our paws turned into ashy mud. Harvey, Parker and Olly's legs were covered in it. It clung like baking flower to their fur. The rain had killed the active flames, but at times a dragging foot would reveal dying red embers beneath charcoal logs.

We reached a small overhang of stone and Parker set Bai down before shifting and covering himself.

"This is horrible." Bai whispered as if to avoid rousing the embers from their sleep. Is this really where you sensed Curtis last?" She looked down at the mark on her leg, probably remembering the burning sensation that must have been transmitted through it.

With his nose in the air, Parker replied, "It's faint but his smell is still here."

"Who could-?" She paused to think through all of the hints and signs. "Parker, was it Muir that kept you from finding me this whole time?"

Parker placed both hands behind the back of his head and his ears flicked at any nearby sounds, "That eagle really was meddlesome. In a one on one fight, there's no way I could lose. He just kept using underhanded tactics. But don't worry, he won't be bothering you any longer." His expression held absolute confidence.

Bai looked crestfallen and moved a hand to support herself against the rocks. "He did this, didn't he? What a selfish-" Then her face turned red with rage, "He should've been the one who burned!"

I didn't say anything as I watched Bai put all the pieces together. Nor did I say anything when her anger became too much to contain. The soundwaves of her outburst traveled far in the barren space and I was sure that somewhere, an eagle was regretting every decision he had made for the past month.

Parker comforted his mate, rubbing her upper arms affectionately. "If Curtis is alive, he'll find his way to you."

Bai brightened up a bit at that and nodded. "Let's search for him around here. He could be nearby and needing our help right now."

We all agreed to split up and look for the snake. I didn't ask Harvey or Olly to put in much effort. We simply walked around the space a bit. Bai needed to learn to use her mark and if reality was following the novel, Curtis was in the ocean. I simply needed to wait for Bai to 'feel' that he wasn't there, and then we could go our separate ways.

"Bailey!" Her anxious and excited voice called for me twenty minutes later. "I found him!"

My mates and I all shared a look. What the hell? "Let's go see." I said to Harvey and we headed off in the direction of Bai's voice.

We got to the side of a towering boulder but couldn't see where she'd gone. "Qinging?" I called out.

"Over here!" Her voice came from behind a scraggly tree. When we looked around it, a narrow crack in the boulder was visible. It was just large enough for someone Parker's size to squeeze through. Harvey and Olly had to change into their beastman form before they could fit. We made our way in and found it to be hollow inside, resembling a cave more than the boulder it had appeared to be from the outside. Moonlight from the three moons softly lit the space between cracks through the top.

Bathed in the soft glow, Bai stood in front of a gleaming wall of amber. In disbelief I stared at the red snake coiled inside. Even incased in stone he looked threatening. How was this possible? It took me a minute to think through what I could have possibly forgotten, then I remembered. The earthquake that had dislodged Curtis from this space and sent him tumbling into the river hadn't happened yet. The timeline was two months too early.

"I-is he dead?" Asked a teary Bai.

Parker held her close and I almost missed the look of disappointment that flashed across his face before he rushed to reassure her. "No. You still have his mark. He isn't dead."

"Wont he suffocate? How can we get him out?" Bai's voice trembled.

Parker extended a clawed hand and tried to scratch to stone but it barely left a mark.

I dismounted Harvey so my healer could take a closer look. He tapped on the stone and placed one soft ear against it, listening intently for life signs. When he finished, he turned to address Bai, "He has slowed his heartrate and breathing like he would during the winter. As a four marked beast, he will likely break out from the stone when he feels it is safe to wake. If your mark starts to feel strange, we should try to find a way to get him out, but for now, I think we just need to wait."

Impressed with my leopard's skills, I gave him a grateful smile. I knew that Curtis would wake eventually as a penta-marked male and though I hadn't told my mates all the details, they knew that Curtis would not die even after Bai left this world.

Bai breathed a sigh of relief and placed a gentle hand against the stone. "Then I will wait here until he wakes."

I nodded. That was fine with me, but I wasn't going to wait there with her. I was going home. "Olly, give Parker some of the fever reducer and herbs. Qingqing, don't neglect your health. I will be at the lake with my mates and the others who followed us this far."

Bai had furs and medicine. Parker would just need to provide food as the current location was decent enough for shelter. I wasn't worried for her. She was reunited with her mates. She would be fine.

"Thank you." She said to me quietly.

I nodded once again and turned to Harvey and Olly. After they dispensed what Bai needed, we left the shelter and its inhabitants.

"Harvey." I whispered. "There is someone else that needs our help out here. You know where he is don't you?"

Both Harvey and Olly nodded. I was sure they had heard or smelled the beast on our way here. And though not everything had gone according to the novel, I had a strong feeling this had. We walked for a little while around the curve of one steep incline until we reached the edge of the burned area. Lying in pool of his own blood that had turned the ground to mud was Muir. The eagle was unconscious and barely breathing. His wing was rotated at a very odd angle and thought the bone hadn't pierced through the skin, the break was severe.

Harvey and Olly moved to do first aid right away. A peacock I had forgotten about flew down and shifted.

Alva walked over and nudged the eagle with his toe, "Why are you helping him? Wasn't he the one who did all this like the dark-haired female said?"

Alva must have been watching and listening this whole time. It wasn't a bad question. And I wasn't sure how to answer it. It was true this male had caused a difficult time for my mates and his stupidity had injured and killed others. It would be normal to leave him to die just as it was normal for him to try and kill his rivals. Killing was just too normal and maybe that was why I wanted to help. I didn't want to be normal.

"Shut up and help, or leave." I didn't owe this bird an explanation. He hadn't shown me any genuineness so why should I?

He pouted but did not push his luck by arguing. The males made a kind of hammock from pelts that Olly and Alva could use to carry the eagle between them. The I mounted Harvey and we headed back to the lake. Back to my mates.

*Having a bit of writers block. I have ideas but not sure in what order they should go. I appreciate your patience as I get an outline going.