Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-four

It was the first time Qin had experienced a village like this one. It was extremely organized and well thought out. Everyone had a designated place to be, whether it was for rest or for work. She had expected the males to follow her around like moths to a flame, but they took the words of their Kings seriously and while their eyes followed her, their bodies stayed on task. Only the eagles who had brought her here and the females who felt threatened by her stayed with her as Carl introduced each unique structure and area of the village.

When the sky turned from brilliant blue to a rusty orange the stoic tiger finally led her back to the courthouse. Inside the only stone structure of the village, a room on the second floor filled with lavish gifts of all kinds and carefully cooked dishes awaited her. The building that was dark and intimidating on the outside was far from cozy, but it was well sheltered against the elements and in the late summer temperatures, remained pleasantly cool. For the first time in weeks, Qin was able to close herself off from the world and relax in the comfortable silence of solitude.

Finally alone with her thoughts, Qin munched at the various delicacies she'd been provided and lounged on a soft nest of feathers and furs while going over everything she had experienced. While she had enjoyed learning new things, meeting new people, and exploring new places, it was extremely draining. The longer she was surrounded by others, the more exhausted she became. She didn't think she would ever get used to being around so many beasts at once, but the newness of it all had been exhilarating and she dreaded the day her mates would tear her away from it. 

They would be coming for her within the week. She was sure. Maybe she could convince them to let her stay just a little bit longer. She thought back on all the males she had seen. Not one of the single males would be strong enough to compete with King and therefore she would have no one to help support her decision to stay. She would either have to convince the stubborn golden mer or gain the support of the village kings. Qin bit her nails nervously. The only way to convince the kings was to convince the fox female. That in itself may not be difficult as the fox had been more amicable than she'd expected. She had thought the fox would be more dominating and try to force her will on her. But instead, she willing to answer her questions and hadn't shown a defensive attitude like so many other females did when Qin was around. The fox was also incredibly intelligent. Maybe too intelligent. There was no way she would help Qin unless there was some sort of benefit in doing so.

Qin wracked her brain over ways to remain in the village as long as possible, but thinking was not her strong suit and she soon succumbed to her exhaustion.

***

In the middle of the night, on the other side of the lake, fourteen other females were contemplating the near future. Within the reinforced tunnels beneath a humble cabin, the fox clan had created a sanctuary. In a room lit by oil lanterns and sitting in a circle on floor pillows, all of the females from village had gathered as their mates waited patiently outside. Laura was leading them in tonight's discussion just as she had many nights before.

Making eye contact with each of the females, Laura started the meeting, "The Beast Queen and the Tiger King's cubs are doing well. She came to visit me this morning and was full of energy."

A collective relieved sigh went around the room.

"For those of you who weren't there today, a new female has come to our village. From what I could gather, she is the Ape King's and Mer King's mate."

Many of the women tensed at the mention of the Ape King. They feared his retribution for having abandoned the City to follow the Beast Queen.

"Did the Ape King come with her?" the leopard Eudora asked.