Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 47: Leaving Tiger Territory

No one looked back as they left the Tiger tribe.

They walked into the forest, their figures disappearing into the vastness of brown and green. They were open on all sides as they walked away from the tribe. Their footsteps echoed in the silence.

Xeno walked, his shoulder back, eyes sharp, his every move ready for anything that might come their way. Uri’s pace was steady; he catalogued slopes and tree lines. Visha’s senses were heightened, even without her realizing it.

The pack was tense. They knew they were out in the open, and their instincts knew danger could find them at any moment. Adding to the tension is the fact that they were still in the Tiger tribe territory.

The pack walked in silence.

Although no one voiced their thoughts, they all knew. They were thinking about Heta, the person who stayed behind. They weren’t sure they made the right choice.

The vision of Heta drinking the tea, not knowing that the tea would make her forget. They didn’t give her a chance to make a choice. Would she really tell the tribe anything?

Now, they would never have the chance to test the waters.

The tension of their decision weighed on everyone. Visha didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to absolve anyone. She couldn’t even absolve herself. However, she felt it keenly. They couldn’t allow Heta to remember anything.

She felt it last night and this morning. The eyes of the tribe leader and the priest. They tried to hide it, but she could feel their emotions. Not as intensely as her pack, but she felt the anger and hostility from the tribe leader, his need for control.

The priest is similar in his need for control. There was also something eerie about him that Visha couldn’t quite put her finger on. It’s possible she was reading too much into it, but she didn’t like the way he looked at them.

Feeling the heaviness of the group, she realized she couldn’t allow them to dwell on their feelings like this. It was a choice Heta made, and both she and they needed to live with it.

Visha didn’t want to continue thinking about it. She decided to talk about something else to get her mind off it.

"They offered too much. Land, protection, and an alliance. They didn’t want us to leave," she said quietly, breaking the silence.

Uri’s sharp eyes turned to Visha, " They didn’t. They want something otherwise, they wouldn’t have made the offer."

Uri thought about what they offered. They were rogues. They hadn’t asked to join the Tiger tribe. The tribe leader wouldn’t offer any of these if it weren’t in his best interest. It didn’t make sense for them to have people who weren’t a part of their tribe staying on their territory.

Thinking to himself, Uri knew they weren’t offering an alliance. They were trying to cage them. But why? What was it about them that made the tribe leader want them to stay?

He remembered what Xeno said. He didn’t trust the priest. He didn’t ask directly, knowing he would get an answer. Xeno had said before he wasn’t sure, and Uri trusted that he didn’t know. He probably felt it through instinct.

Xeno caught Uri looking at him.

"The tribe leader’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. The priest felt as if he was waiting for the right time to strike. Both of them looked at us like something they could get, not like people, Xeno stated.

Visha and Uri nodded.

Krag spoke at this moment, "The Tiger tribe priest has a spiritual ability. If he needs to, he can see your hopes, fears, and dreams. If he can hone the ability, he will be able to manipulate others."

Everyone stopped, turning to look at him.

"How do you know?" Xeno asked.

"Priests aren’t the only ones who can have gifts." A sly smile appeared on his face.

"We won’t ask how you know these things. So far, you haven’t posed a threat to us. I only hope that you never will." Uri said.

"I won’t. Even if everyone becomes your enemies, we will not," Krag held Chi’s hand as he said this. His eyes scanned the entire group, calm.

Uri gave a short nod.

The sun was high as they walked. The trees were tall and able to provide shade, so they weren’t hot. Still, they needed to stop to eat.

They didn’t go hunting. They had saved a lot of food inside Visha’s space. They were able to use it to make a quick lunch and continue on the road.

"How long do you think it will take to leave the Tiger tribe territory?" Visha asked.

The question wasn’t posed to anyone in particular.

"There is still another day to go in this direction. If they changed the boundary, it might take more time." Fil responded. "Based on what I’ve seen so far, they might have expanded the hunting ground here as well."

He pointed to a large tree with fresh claw marks.

"So we need to spend another night on their territory," Visha said quietly.

"We don’t have to," Cato said. "If you want to leave earlier, we can shift."

Visha considered it. For some reason, she felt she needed to leave the Tiger tribe boundary before the end of today. It didn’t matter if they extended their hunting ground.

She wanted to leave because the feeling, first a dull ache, was becoming more urgent.

"Do it," she said quickly.

All the males transformed, except Krag. So far, no one has ever seen him change.

Nimo sat on Cato’s back, while Willa and Kit sat on Fil’s back.

Xeno and Uri both shifted with Visha standing between them. She looked between the two of them and walked towards Uri.

"You can’t be jealous," she pointed at Xeno. "I’ve ridden you before. I want to try with Uri."

Xeno huffed while Uri’s hissing laugh came through.

They could still talk when shifted. It sounded different from their regular voices, so most of the time, they preferred not to talk.

Visha got on Uri’s back or mid-section; she wasn’t sure where. It was the largest part of his body. She could sit cross-legged or with her legs on either side. She hugged his body since he didn’t have hair to hold.

Quickly, they set off. Krag princess hugged Chi, who laughed as he took off running.