What was Ethan doing with these cursed souls? Isabelle crouched lower, her dappled fur blending with the underbrush, as a fallen beastman emerged from the cave, his movements very unnatural. In his grasp was a young female child, not yet of age, her eyes were wide with terror, her small body trembling in the drizzling rain. Isabelle's breath paused; the girl was a beast cub, she didn't look familiar, perhaps stolen from a distant tribe, her fur matted and ears flattened in fear.
What happened next shocked Isabelle to her bones. Ethan transformed in a flash and his fox form in a predatory manner pounced on the little girl. He bit down hard on her shoulder, his jaws clamping with brutal force as she cried out in pain and fear, her small voice piercing the air. Then, without mercy, he violated her from behind, his beastly instincts twisted into something monstrous. At that point, the drizzling rain began to fall heavily, the lump drops of water cascading from the sky, drowned out the girl's screams and turned the ground to mud. Isabelle's vision blurred with horror and rain, her body froze as she watched the unthinkable unfold.
After he was done, fallen beastmen who had emerged from the cave—drawn by the noise—began to fight over who would be next, their pale forms snarling and snapping like rabid dogs. While they argued, the first fallen beastman, the one Isabelle had seen at the beginning, brought out another girl. This one was older but still young, her body bruised and battered, with a festering bite wound on her shoulder oozing pus—obviously the work of Ethan, the mark was identical to his savage bite. Isabelle strained her ears, catching fragments over the downpour: "She's pregnant with your seed," the beastman growled, shoving the girl forward.
What happened next shocked her even more. Ethan, without hesitation, transformed into his fox form and lunged, his jaws closing around the girl's head. With a sickening crunch, he bit the poor girl's head off, her body crumpling lifeless to the ground, her blood mixing with the rain in dark rivulets as her head which was frozen in terror rolled in the mud before coming to a stop. The fallen beastmen howled in approval, their blue-veined faces twisting in grotesque glee.
Nobody asked Isabelle to run away before she was discovered—she bolted on her own, her deer form leaping through the woods as fast as her feet could carry her. The heavy rain was a mercy, masking her scent, washing away her tracks, and muffling her frantic footsteps against the sodden earth. Branches whipped her sides, but she felt no pain, only terror driving her onward.
Back home, in the safety of their cave, Isabelle shifted to her human-like form, collapsing against the wall, her body soaked and shivering. Fear and anxiety flooded her, overwhelming and relentless as the storm outside. So this is who Ethan really is—a monster, a fallen beastman in disguise. The realization hit like a predator's strike. She was immediately filled with regret, a bitter wave crashing over her. After preserving herself for years, dreaming of securing a strong beastman of high rank to elevate her status, this was what she had ended up with—a cursed fiend who preyed on the innocent. She regretted snatching him from her sister Ava; Ava should have been the one to end up with this horror, but Isabelle's ambition had blinded her. It was too late for regret, she thought, wiping rain from her face. Rather than wallowing in it, she had better find a way to protect herself from Ethan, that crazy fallen beastman, before his darkness consumed her too.
Isabelle's mind raced, plotting in the dim light of the cave. She needed allies, perhaps the shaman or a trusted elder, but who could she trust in a tribe now under Ethan's rule? Her own father was busy tending to the crippled and overweight mother, if she told him he would only prioritise their mother's safety and not her's, the lion chief is now weak, a shadow of his former self and is literally at death's door, the fox chief Charles won't want believe his only son is now a fallen, she will definitely confront Ethan and then Ethan will deal with her. In reality, Isabelle did not truly care about the lives of the females, what she cared the most about was Ethan who had killed females and was well on his way to becoming a full-fledged fallen. The Fallen beastmen have great disrespect for females and look down on females as weaklings to be toyed with. Now that Ethan was one of them, it was only a matter of time before that same treatment was extended to her too. She was still busy thinking of what her next move would be and whether she should take more mates against Ethan's wish, so those mates would serve as a layer of protection for her when someone suddenly entered the cave, looking up it was none other than Ethan.
.............
Back at the Tree Tribe, the snake incident had long faded into a distant memory, the young cub who was bitten, having healed remarkably fast thanks to Ava's pink flower paste and spiked horned grass remedy. Peace had settled over Ava's life once more, the rhythmic hum of daily routines replacing the tension of those perilous days, the only issue was the secret mining and how to trade the salt.
Kale, George and Amon would take turns in supervision of mining activities all the while trying their best to minimise and restrict movement around the areas where the salt cave was located. Unauthorized beastmen weren't allowed to venture into that area for anything, not even for hunting, as there were beastmen who were assigned to patrol the area day and night. But this action had not gone without the notice of several people in the tribe, one of which were Mara, who had grown suspicious. She had already sent out her mates to investigate and know why Ava's mates were frequently going to the restricted zone where others weren't allowed into. Whispers of their vigilance spread, fueling speculation and mistrust among the more curious or disloyal.
Evening approached swiftly, the sky deepening into a rich indigo as the sun dipped below the horizon. Ava sat in her home, savoring the warm, earthy taste of roasted potatoes she'd prepared over the fire. There was a knock on the door and Oma's familiar silhouette appeared, her braids swaying as she peeked inside from the cracks on the door. "Ava, you in there?" she called, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.
Ava smiled, setting her meal aside. "Oma! Come in, come in. It's good to see you." She gestured to a woven mat near the fire. "Sit, have some potatoes if you'd like."
Oma ducked inside, settling cross-legged with a grateful nod. "Thanks, but I'm here with news—big news from the elders." She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with concern. "They've decided to end Emily's punishment. They believe she's learned from her errors."
Ava frowned, her appetite waning. "That's it? After all she's done?"
Oma shook her head. "Not the whole story. The real reason Shaman Lazur and Tribe leader Morris let her go is because she's pregnant. They think a cub changes things—might soften her, moveover they don't want her pregnancy to be at risk."
Ava's stomach twisted. Pregnant? She kept her expression neutral, though her mind raced. "That's… unexpected. When did this happen?"
"During her time in the pit, apparently," Oma said, lowering her voice. "Her mates claimed it."
In the beast world, early pregnancy can only be detected by the beast father whose cub, the female is carrying. It is only after three weeks or a month can skilled physicians or shamans detect the life force of the growing cubs.
Ava decided to go and check out the situation, Ava and George along with Oma and her mates went towards the tribes centre, the sound of triumphant footsteps echoed as they approached. Peering through the crowd of beastmen, they saw Emily strutting through the tribe, her five mates flanking her like a royal guard. She moved with the air of a warrior returning from battle, her head held high despite her confinement. Male admirers—beastmen who had long pursued her—gathered, their voices a chorus of congratulations on her pregnancy. It didn't take long for rumors to reach Ava and Oma: Emily had taken in five new mates, swelling her harem from five to ten. The news of her pregnancy seemed to have attracted a flood of suitors, each vying for a place in her growing family. Two of the new mates were burly bear beastmen, their presence a stark statement of power. It seemed like the news of her pregnancy had attracted more males to court her, all the 5 males she added into her family were only beastmen with 2 two bar lines.
Ava's eyes narrowed as she watched from the sides. What is Emily up to? she thought, her mind churning. Is she even pregnant, or is this a ploy to build her influence? The thought gnawed at her, the salt cave's secret suddenly felt more vulnerable with Emily's return.
Ava went home and on the patio she could see the black cat resting, it's fur was so black, it almost looked like a huge black stain on the wooden floor, the black cat had been recuperating well in Ava's care, when the Cat woke up, surprisingly it did not attack Ava, it was even affectionate, licking Ava's finger and purring as Ava stroked it's fur, this obviously pissed George off, even though it was a wild cat, he didn't like the idea that a cat was taking away his mates attention, and Moreover wasn't he also a cat? This black cat was trying to seize his position as the only cat in the family. He was very displeased with this cat, this cat even had the audacity to lick Ava, and get its scent on her. Kael was only glad that the black cat seemed to have common sense and didn't dare to attack the hand that helped it, otherwise he would have killed the cat directly, if it had so much as left a scratch on Ava, he was counting the days when the cat would fully recover so he can kick the cat out of the house, for now he would let Ava keep the cat, allowing Ava her amusement in the meantime.
One early morning, as dawn painted the sky with soft pinks, Ava decided to change her clothes. She'd worn the same animal-hide outfit for three days, it was starting to feel sticky to her skin. Stripping naked in the dim light of her home, she reached for a fresh set, unaware of the black cat watching from its perch. Its eyes widened, a shock flashing beneath its black fur, followed by a faint blush that tinged its cat ears. Quickly, it turned its face away, pretending disinterest, its tail flicking as if to dismiss the moment.
Ava noticed the cat's reaction, a small smile tugging at her lips. It always turns away when I dress, she thought, amused. The cat is indeed well-mannered. The gesture warmed her, a quiet respect growing for the creature that had become an unexpected companion amidst the tribe's growing tensions.
As she finished dressing, her thoughts drifted back to Emily, Mara's suspicions, and the salt cave. The black cat purred beside her, a fleeting comfort, but Ava knew the peace was fragile. With Emily's return and her expanding power, the tribe's balance hangs by a thread—and the cave's secret might soon be tested.