Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 39: Darling of the Earth (IV)

All the elders living near Eldest Grandma quickly gathered inside a hollowed tree bark to discuss what to do next, now that the Darling of the Earth, their supposed leader, had finally returned after seventeen years.

Elder Toto, as the temporary leader, began the discussion with a single question once the euphoria among the elders slowly died down.

Yes, they were overjoyed knowing that the Darling of the Earth had returned, but searching for her and bringing her back into the depths of the Roc Forest was an entirely different matter.

"Should we arrange an army to bring her back to us? We don’t know her exact location, and we’re not even sure how to identify her," Elder Toto asked.

"Bring her back? Of course we should!" General Gugu, the largest faerie in the room (about the size of two adult thumbs) declared with a fiery temper. "Eldest Grandma is so happy knowing her granddaughter is still alive. We can’t afford to make her sad! I can arrange an army to search for her. She should have wings like us, right? Maybe she even has gold dust beneath her wings. It shouldn’t be too hard to find her!"

"Don’t be too hasty, General," Healer Roro, a middle-aged female faerie, cautioned. "Our Darling is not a full faerie... you know that. She is... a half." She hesitated. "That human wouldn’t have been able to take her out of the forest if she was a fullborn faerie like us..."

"True, true. Besides, since she’s half-human, what does that mean exactly?" Seamstress Qiqi panicked. "Does she have a human body or a faerie’s? How big is she? Ah, I don’t even know where to start! And what if she doesn’t want to return? Maybe she’s been with humans for so long that she doesn’t like us anymore."

"Then we’ll drag her back!" General Gugu insisted. "This is her home, after all!"

"Alright, alright, calm down, everyone," Elder Toto interjected quickly, halting the heated debate. "It’s true that we don’t know what she looks like, nor do we know whether she wants to return. But Eldest Grandma clearly misses her granddaughter, and we must follow her wishes if we want the Roc Forest to continue existing."

"Then how will we know it’s her, Elder?" General Gugu asked. "I don’t want to bring a random human girl into our territory. That’s too dangerous!"

"Since our Darling has already met the Eldest Grandma, even if it was only in a dream, that means she has awakened at least some faerie power," Elder Toto explained. "Perhaps she can already control plants, see other faeries, or maybe she has even begun developing wings. As long as we witness one of these signs, we’ll send people to investigate."

He continued while his eyes were sweeping at all the elders around him, "For now, arrange an army to begin sweeping the forest. Make sure not to alert too many faeries outside, or everyone will go into a frenzy searching for her. We must not disturb the balance of the Roc Forest, even while searching for our Darling. Understood?"

"Yes, Elder!"

*

Crush Tutu paced back and forth inside her mushroom home, waiting anxiously for her grandfather, Elder Toto, to return with good news about their leader’s whereabouts.

However, when Elder Toto finally came back, there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his wrinkled face. He looked exhausted and wary.

"What’s wrong, Grandpa? Why do you look so sad? Did something happen to our Darling?" Crush Tutu asked worriedly.

"Since Eldest Grandma is still happy, that means our Darling is alive and safe," Elder Toto replied. "But we don’t know where she is, what she looks like, or how to find her. Everyone is restless, especially since she isn’t fully faerie."

The fact that their leader wasn’t a full faerie wasn’t new information. Even the younglings knew. Still, no one truly knew what she looked like, as she had gone missing shortly after her birth.

Faeries also had a natural aversion to humans, so no one liked to dwell on their leader’s half-human identity.

After all, their Darling was meant to be an ethereal, motherly figure. Someone who would do anything to protect her loved ones, and in this case, ensure that the faeries continued to thrive in the Roc Forest.

But whenever humans were mentioned, the faeries couldn’t help but scowl.

Yes, human babies were innocent until they reached the end of their toddler age. But once they learned of greed, envy, and other human desires, they became tainted and lost the ability to see faeries.

Beastmen weren’t much different, but at least they still lived within the Roc Forest. So aside from disappearing once they reached adulthood, the faeries generally refrained from causing mischief toward them.

"But even if our Darling is half-human, she’s still our leader, Eldest Grandma’s granddaughter!" Crush Tutu argued, unwilling to tarnish the image of their Darling in her heart. "She must have a good heart, right?"

"That’s true," Elder Toto sighed. "Even if she isn’t fully faerie, she still possesses the heart of one. But humans are full of trickery, Tutu. I’m just afraid we might bring back the wrong girl and bring calamity upon Eldest Grandma. That’s why we must be careful."

What her grandfather said made sense.

Faeries weren’t the strongest creatures in the Roc Forest. They were small and fragile.

But with the protection of their sacred tree, Eldest Grandma, they were able to live in harmony.

"Then... how about I go find her myself, Grandpa?" Crush Tutu volunteered. "I’ve seen humans near the edge of the Roc Forest before. Maybe I can find our Darling!"

"Tutu... you’re not even strong enough to open a flower bud in spring," Elder Toto said gently. "What makes you think you can fly for so long without risking your life? Don’t make trouble, alright? I promise we’ll find her eventually. We just need to be careful for the sake of all faeries."

"Mm... okay..." Crush Tutu lowered her head in defeat before heading off to do her winter duty; arranging good-looking snowflakes onto a withered tree branch.

Still, the urge to find their Darling refused to fade.

As she worked that day, she kept thinking of ways to search for her, ways that might even put her own life in danger.

After all, faeries were naturally curious and kind-hearted beings. And if risking a little danger could help their people thrive... what was wrong with that?