George's eyes fluttered open, his memory hazy. He recalled lurking behind a tree while Ava bathed, a soft rustle of leaves teasing his senses. Then, without warning, a forceful blow sent him hurtling through the woods. As he tumbled, his gaze caught sight of an enormous blue Snake. His eyes widened as panic surged within him. Hastily rising to his feet, George dashed towards the nearby stream, heart pounding with dread. But Ava was nowhere to be seen. "Damn it! I knew it," he muttered, his mind racing with dire possibilities.
Snake beastmen were solitary creatures and were hated for their well known habits of snatching and monopolizing females, which usually leads to the death of the snatched females, when their mates or tribe people starts fighting to rescue the females, snake beastmen were also known for forcefully mating, they were also too impatient and easily excited. He had to rescue Ava before it was too late.
George frantically combed the riverbank, desperate to pick up her trail. Yet, despite his efforts, her scent eluded him. With resolve hardening in his heart, he contemplated seeking aid from his tribe, his feet pounding the forest floor as he sped towards the Tribe.
In an hour, beastmen of different types had already formed various search groups and spread out across the forest. It didn't take long for George to receive news of a burning fire somewhere across the river. Remembering that Ava couldn't eat raw meat and preferred it roasted over a fire, his hopes soared as he directed the beastmen to lead the way. Transforming into his Jaguar beast form, George, along with a few young tribesmen, raced through the forest and across the river, the skies darkening with each passing moment.
Soon, George caught the scent of burning wood and roasted meat, confirming his suspicions. "There's no doubt about it, it's definitely Ava," he thought joyfully. Slowing his pace, he signaled to the other beastmen to approach stealthily. As they neared the small glowing area illuminated by the fire, George could see Ava in the company of the snake beastman, enjoying her meal without a care in the world. Despite his relief at finding her unharmed, George felt a pang of hurt. For the past two days, he hadn't slept a wink, frantically searching for her. Did she even miss him or wonder what happened to him? Nevertheless, what mattered most was that she was safe and seemingly well-treated by the snake beastman.
Ava happily munched on her Mansu-soaked meat, relishing the sweet flavor that mingled with meaty goodness. Suddenly, Kael stood up, appearing alert and on guard as he swiftly morphed into his snake beastman form, coiling around Ava protectively. Startled, Ava could no longer eat, her meaty meal forgotten.
Worriedly, Ava looked at Kael, the meat slipping from her hands to the ground. "Kael, what's going on? Are we in danger?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Kael flicked his forked tongue as he scanned the surroundings. "Stop hiding and come out. I can already smell all of you," he hissed.
Ava watched as abnormally large beasts emerged from the foliage, among them a familiar figure. "My goodness, George, you're okay. I'm so glad, I thought..." Ava's voice trailed off as Kael's hold on her tightened.
George, relieved to see Ava unharmed, transformed back into his human form. "Cunning beastman, you stole my female, and I'm here to reclaim her. Hand her over, or don't blame us for not being fair," he said, glaring at Kael.
Kael sneered in response. "I'm afraid you're too late. Beautiful Ava has already accepted me as her mate. Right now, you and your clansmen are the ones trying to be cunning, attempting to overwhelm me with numbers," he taunted.
Dumbstruck, Ava could only mutter, "I said I might accept him. I didn't make any guarantees. What's wrong with this beastman?" before she was interrupted.
"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that you snatched her first against her will. I'm sure you forced her into agreeing," George snarled back.
Looking over at Ava with a soft gaze, George asked, "Ava, did he force you?"
Feeling a bit guilty, Ava responded, "No, he didn't, but I haven't fully accepted him yet. I'm still not ready to find a mate."
Deciding to be bold as he should have from the very moment he met Ava, George addressed Ava directly. "Ava, I like you, and I want to be your mate. I'm willing to wait until you're ready," he declared.
Furious, Kael refused to back down, this cat dared to woo his female before his very face, there's no way he would stand for it. "You know the rules of the beast world. You have to fight me. If you can't defeat me, you don't have the right to pursue her," he declared.
"Humph. This rule would apply if you were her mate, but you're not yet hers," George retorted, his resolve firm.
"You're obviously a coward. It's best you leave Ava to me, since you don't have what it takes to protect her," Kael taunted George, attempting to provoke him. His plan was to mistakenly kill George during the fight.
The other beastmen, still in their beast forms, were all angry. How could this unruly snake beastman claim that their fellow tribesman was a coward? George was the strongest male in their tribe, and they believed that he had to fight for his honor and for his female. In the beast world, being known as cowardly was the worst stain a beastman could ever have on his name.
George stepped forward with determination in his eyes. "I will fight, and if I win, you have no right to go back on your word," he declared. George decided to fight not out of honor, but because winning would give him a reason to stay close to Ava, even if she wasn't ready to choose a mate yet. As long as he remained around her, she might grow fond of him.
"Wait a minute, I don't agree. Don't decide things for me," Ava rebelled.
"Be good, Ava. This is how we beastmen settle things. If we don't do this now, there will never be peace between us," Kael loosened his hold over Ava. "Now stay here and don't go anywhere."
Ava, now standing on the ground, looked at the two determined beastmen. She sighed, "Since you two are determined to fight, you guys cannot hurt each other."
"A fight between two beastmen, there's no guarantee we won't come out without wounds," George looked at Ava with a smile. This little female was caring indeed.
Kael scoffed, knowing what he had in store for George. If only George knew, he wouldn't have made that statement.
George morphed back into a jaguar, while Kael completely transformed into a giant snake, and the fight between them ensued. The jaguar attempted to pounce on the snake, but the large serpent struck the jaguar aside with a sweep of its powerful scaly tail. The snake immediately lunged forward towards the jaguar, its mouth wide open with venomous fangs protruding, but the jaguar, alert and unfazed, jumped backward, avoiding the attack.
The beastmen had already morphed back into their human forms and were cheering for George, entirely naked. Ava, witnessing this scene, felt her cheeks flush red. These beastmen had no shame. But wait, what was wrong with her? Two beastmen were here fighting because of her. She closed her eyes in an attempt to focus, but for some strange reason, the image that came to her mind was of George standing before her moments ago, completely naked. Her cheeks flushed even redder than a tomato. She had been talking to him without even realizing he was naked.
When Ava returned from her reverie, she noticed that the beastmen were no longer cheering. Opening her eyes, she saw George tightly coiled by Kael. It was evident that George had lost, but why was Kael still squeezing so hard?
Realization dawned on Ava, and she widened her eyes. "Kael, stop it. It's over," she shouted as she ran towards him. However, Kael shoved Ava backward with his tail, showing no intention of stopping.
With tears in her eyes, Ava yelled, "Kael, you better stop this right now. If you kill him, I will never accept you as my mate, even if it kills me."
Kael immediately froze, turning his snake head to look at Ava. Despite her swollen eyes and tear-streaked face, she looked dead serious. It didn't feel like she was joking.
Kael immediately unwound his hold on George and transformed back into his full human form. He briskly walked towards Ava, intending to hug her.
Ava moved away from Kael, turning her back on him. "Don't touch me, you heartless killer."
Looking towards George, Ava could see the other tribe's beastmen gathered around him with pitiful expressions, shaking their heads. "George was done for," they said.
Kale was feeling extremely bad and anxious. He had never felt like this before. He reached out his hand to hold Ava's hand as he called, "Ava."
Ava turned and gave him a stink eye, which made Kale lose his nerve to touch her. Then Ava rushed towards the crowd of beastmen to check up on George.
Finally pressing through to the front, Ava gazed upon George's condition. He passed out, his hind legs broken, with trickles of blood running down the side of his mouth, and his front limbs twitching occasionally from the pain.
Ava deeply felt sorry for George. It seemed she had brought another misfortune upon him…