63 - The Peacock Tribe (2.59k words)

YaYa's POVBecause of me, another merman tribe was about to get slaughtered. Did I feel guilty? No, not really. That's how you get a hand on a mermaid. You just have to have enough guts to kidnap her and be prepared to defend her from all the hungry merfolks.According to Bluepool, their tribe's size was reduced to a fraction of its former glory because of the constant attacks from nearby tribes. Nobody would be satisfied with just one mermaid when they could get a hand on another one, right? Weaker tribes get devoured, and only the strongest remain.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·A few hours later, we reached the peacock tribe, built on a huge banyan tree. The tree had a very tall and huge trunk with many branches connected to each other through wooden bridges. On the branches, there were some wooden huts that resembled birdhouses.Alva, the tribe's patriarch's son, was expecting our arrival and led us to the village. He was a strikingly handsome peacock beastman. His long green hair sparkled like emeralds, and two green stripes under his monolid eyes made him look intense yet graceful.The peacocks were curious, and around a hundred of them flocked to me, hoping to catch a glimpse of my face, but the presence of the two males prevented them from getting too close.Bart hid his tail and kept his face hidden. He didn't speak and chose to remain silent, yet he still received odd looks from some males, a bit hostile, might I add.The cloak he wore carried my scent, but the way he carried himself and the aura around him was quite... suspicious. Everyone assumed he was my male, and he didn't have the heart to tell them the truth.We decided to assemble in the hut of the tribe's patriarch for a little chat."We keep our females in their houses to protect them. It's safer this way. Our females are considered very beautiful, and some tribes attack us just to get a hand on them.""So... how many females do you have here?""Four," The Patriarch answered, his expression filled with worry.I sat down to listen to the villager's stories. Most were about the weather, their families, and the problems with their neighbors. Muir distributed some salt, and everyone was so pleased, they offered us food and drinks in exchange."Are there any single males here, who would be interested in a slightly problematic female? She's quite beautiful if you ask me. I'm willing to contribute to your community with salt if you help me keep her grounded with your combined effort.""If that's the case, I'd gladly volunteer," one male said."I'm interested too," another chimed in."I wonder if she is more beautiful than our tribe's most beautiful female, Bella," a male asked, and all the males disagreed."The female I'm talking about used to be among the most beautiful in the Beast City. All her males are dead, and now, she's all alone. No, she didn't kill them," I said, "They all died trying to protect her from the people she picked a fight with. So as long as you keep her away from trouble, I'm sure you can be happy with her.""I'd love to take care of her; please bring her here!" someone from the crowd called out."What is your connection with her?" The Patriarch asked."One of her males was a friend of my male," I said, "He asked for my help before he died, and I'm here to fulfill his dying wish."Bart's body shook as he broke down, growling and struggling to breathe. I stroked his back while checking on his condition."Is your male okay?" A few males asked, probably misunderstanding the situation, thinking Bart was grieving after the dead friend."Excuse me," I said, standing up. "He isn't feeling well. May we come back tomorrow to discuss the details? I apologize for not being able to introduce her to you now, but I want her to stabilize her emotions first before letting her meet new people.""Of course, we will wait until she is ready," the Patriarch said.The villagers gave me food, fur, and other supplies. They were grateful and wanted to pay me back for the salt.After we said our farewells, Muir flew us out of the village and landed us in a clearing in the forest.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·"You lied to me," Bart whispered, "Rosa is still alive.""Happy?" I asked, "It's nice not having to deal with Rosa alone, right?"He nodded, a relieved sigh escaping his still trembling lips.I chewed on the jerky I received as an exchange gift from the peacock tribe and handed another piece to Bart and Muir."I can hunt on my own," Bart refused at first, but his stomach won in the end. "Where are we going next?" he asked, his eyes fixated on the ground.I didn't answer and continued to chew on the jerky, letting Muir do the talking."To the eagle tribe. I need to pass on a message," said Muir coolly. His mouth opened when I brought the food closer. He liked it when I handfed him. Actually, all my males loved it when I fed them like dogs."Open," I said to Bart, his hands full with the gifts."...""I said, open," I repeated, and he opened his mouth a bit wider than necessary.I threw the jerky in.Bart closed his mouth, chewing and swallowing the snack, "...""I will give you a chance to prove your love again, but it won't be easy," I said, my eyes fixed on his face, "Remember, the last thing I want from you is your death. The price for helping Rosa find a new spouse and a secure home already costs you your spousal bond with her. Are you ready to pay even more to sustain her new life? Or will you leave her to fate?"Bart gulped, hesitating for a moment. My offer was like a deal with the devil. It seemed tempting for a man in love, but it was not what he really wanted it seemed. "I want to become a normal male again," he said quietly, knowing it was impossible, but he still asked, "How much will it cost me?"I took a step forward, and he took a step back. His body stiffened. I took another step, and he backed off, his back hitting a tree."What do you want from me?" Bart asked, his claws appearing in defense.I lifted my veil enough to show the tip of my chin and grinned, "Everything."Bart's breath was stuck in his throat, and I could almost see his soul leaving his body.He probably thought I would show myself to him, but no. I dropped the veil and turned toward the eagle tribe, leaving him to stand against the tree.Muir walked next to me, "If you're going to take everything, what will be left of him?""As long as he is alive, he can earn, and if he cannot earn, he can borrow," I replied, "The rootless, who their females had abandoned, don't seem to be interested in other females beside their own at the beginning," I glanced at Bart, "It makes me wonder...Is it a matter of time, or is there another trigger?"Muir had no answer to this question, but it was interesting to know.Bart finally stopped leaning on the tree and followed me. "What if someone finds out I'm a rootless?" he asked, gripping the cloak I gave him. It probably dawned on him that his identity as a rootless was what I truly cared about."You'll live and work with us, and in return, we will protect you. I plan to build a second house out of the Beast City, so even if everyone chases us out, we will still have a place to live," I said, "But considering my connection with the leopard and tiger kingdom, I wanna see who is brave enough to make an enemy out of me.""Don't forget the eagle tribe," Muir reminded.I smiled, "And the eagle tribe.""And the mers," Muir added."Yes, them too," I confirmed with a chuckle.Bart shuddered at the mention of mermen, "Are you a mermaid?" he asked.The peacock asked me the same question because of the burka I was wearing around my head, maybe because their tribe was so close to the sea, and I had so much salt to give out for free. My connection with the mermen was a little bit too strong for a land female."Yes," I lied, but it didn't feel wrong, so I repeated, "Yes, I am a mermaid with five eyes, two mouths, and five nostrils."Bart looked like he was about to puke, and I was amused. I could only imagine the turmoil in his head.I hadn't seen a mermaid yet, but Nivi told me I was more beautiful than the blue-haired one inside the Ape King castle.There was an upside to being pumped full of drugs: I could hit the streets without a mask. Sure, I turned heads, but at least no one was hunting me for my blood.The reason why father always asked about my face was to make sure that I still looked like his daughter and not a complete stranger. The drugs have already changed the structure and pigment of my skin and the color of my eyes. According to him, any more changes, and I would need a DNA test to prove that we were related. In my opinion, I still looked like his shitty clone.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·Later that night, I called Skaris while Muir hunted with Bart outside of his nest.'Dear?''Mn... Do you remember the beastman who clawed out your eye?' I ventured, 'I wondered if you had any plans with him.''I don't think you want to know, Dear.''I think I do,' I said, my voice growing firmer.Before opening up, Skaris paused, his memories hanging in the air, 'At that moment, I wanted to claw out his spousal imprint from his female's skin,' he admitted, 'It's not something a sane beastman should have wanted. But at the time, the thought was comforting. But then, you came, and it became the last thing on my mind.''A wolf beastman. Light, silver-blue hair. Three blue stripes: one on his forehead and one on his cheeks. He has a pair of blue eyes, and his face is kind of angular and sharp. Is this him?''...You remember...''Yes,' I nodded, my gaze shifting towards the entrance of Muir's nest. 'Bart just turned into a rootless today.''...I can't say that I feel bad for him, Dear,' Skaris' voice was quiet as he spoke, 'But it's not like I'm happy either. Will you give him the same treatment as me?''Do you want me?''No,' Skaris replied swiftly. 'I'm good.'I smiled, adding, 'He has four stripes now.''...' Skaris was silent, but I could tell his breathing had quickened, and a low growl slipped from his lips.I chuckled before speaking, 'Get ready for a trip to the ocean tomorrow. The canal is only a day and a half worth of travel from the Beast City, use it once you reach it. I'll send a few mermen to pick you up.' Pausing, I added, 'Don't forget to take your new baby wolf pack with you as well.'I heard Skaris's happy howl, and could only imagine the wolfish grin on his face. He might act like a domesticated dog, but he was not. I would prefer to have him keep his wolfish behavior rather than have him turn into a human male with a package of human male issues.We didn't keep the connection for long, and after bidding our goodnights, I ended the call.Parker might struggle to care for Bai and her cubs on his own, but with few external threats remaining in Beast City, I could safely assume they would survive.Whether or not this was the right decision was debatable, but I wanted to see how they would do.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·3rd person POVThree days later...Bluepool frowned as he popped his bubble and showed Rosa onto the shore, "Finally," he huffed, "I hope I will never meet such a terrible female like you again. Not only are you ugly, but you also have the personality of a sea urchin.""..." Rosa stammered, unable to get a word out, "Just wait and see, I'll make you regret saying that! Once my four stripped spouse comes to fetch me, you'll see, I'll─""Yeah, yeah, whatever," Bluepool rolled his eyes, "What will he be able to do against me? I have Yaya on my side. Not only does she have four stripped mates, she also has friends with four stripped beastmen as well, hmpf!" he said before swimming away."W-Wait!" Rosa screamed, but it was no use, Bluepool was gone. She wasn't pained by the loss of her males, but because of the loss of her face.The fact that the triple-stripped mermaid found her ugly bothered her more than the death of her mates. He even claimed that her males didn't rank up because they had to fear being killed by her decisions all day.When Rosa thought about the females with the four stripped beastmen (Nivi, Queen Memi, Yaya) and then the most promising youth, Parker, who now belonged to Bai, she felt her blood boil. They all had one thing in common: They treated their males with care.(A/N: YY's PDA during the bonfire.)"I've found a female!" A flying peacock beastman pointed at Rosa, "She is all alone!""What should we do with her?" one male asked."Let's bring her back to our village," another said."Female, are you alright?" A peacock beastman flew towards the female and knelt beside her, "What are you doing here all alone?"Rosa glanced up and down at the males. They were not her type. They had no stripes, but their presence was better than none. She had to do something. "I-I," she stuttered, "My males, they are all dead. K-Killed. We got ambushed, and they died trying to protect me.""What? All of them?" the beastman gasped. His awe was not sparked by her words but by her striking beauty. Yet, they had made a vow to the veiled woman: to praise only her actions, not her appearance, so they tried to devise another way to flatter her, "You are so brave. Not many females could stay calm in such a situation."Rosa nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line."Don't worry, you are safe now."The peacock males took Rosa under their wings and escorted her into their village.The veiled female said she would check on Rosa's progress from time to time. Depending on the progress, she might not only contemplate contributing to their village with salt but new females as well!Meanwhile...Alva watched the scene with Rosa from afar, "Could her cub be even more beautiful than this female ?" he wondered as he flapped his wings, marching in the Beast's city direction, "I won't believe it until I see it."╔═══ Author's note ════╗I have no idea how many females are in the peacock tribe. If someone knows, please do tell me. 🤣Considering the small size of the tribe and how many eggs the females could lay in a year, I assumed there weren't many of them.I'll fill our Beastpedia with info about the Peacock and Tiger tribe by the end of this week. 🤗╚═════════════════╝