The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 145: Did you swim?

I stared at the vast stretch of water before us. It felt less like a lake and more like a never-ending river, wide and daunting, with the far shore blurred by the creeping fog of dusk.

We could see the other side, but it was a distant, dark line on the horizon—too far to swim without getting soaked and exhausted.

Taking that risk as night fell felt like a gamble I didn’t want to make. Who knew what was waiting in that fog? An ambush on the other side, while we were wet and shivering, was the last thing we needed.

I turned to Fenric, and asked,

"Did you guys come through this lake when you were traveling?"

Fenric shook his head, his brow furrowed as he studied the water.

"No." He shook his head. "We took a different route. This... this is new to me."

I bit my lip, my mind racing.

We must’ve already passed the juncture where we would’ve split ways with Solin, had we journeyed our together, that’s why Fenric doesn’t know about this lake.

That’s too bad. I’d have wanted him to be our guide, but from here on out, we have to navigate on our own.

How were we supposed to get across without getting our clothes wet, losing half our supplies, or getting hypothermia?

I mean, I’m confident the jige can hold up just fine, but if the blanket gets wet, what are we going to use for the tenth I spent so long planning?

Grr... I growled under my breath just thinking about a solution.

I’m sure the folks have a solution somehow, but I doubt a boat is part of it. I can’t hope to use a log of wood either, that’s just crude and could make things worse with a little mistake.

Then, I began to think... Is there a reason there’s such a huge lake at our border?

What tribe lies beyond that we were separated like this?

Whatever. That’s not what’s important right now.

I turned to Damar, hoping for a suggestion, but I found him just standing there, staring at me with an unreadable expression while I was deep in thought.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. "Is it my face? Is the green paste that distracting?"

A sound escaped him—a strangled, dry huff. He tried to stay stoic, but the laugh nearly choked him, bubbling up his throat before he could swallow it down. He regained his composure quickly, but I caught the glint in his eyes.

"No," he said, though I narrowed my eyes at him in deep suspicion.

"Anyway," I sighed, gesturing to the shrouded water. "Have you crossed this before?"

Damar looked at the lake, his gaze traveling over the mist. "Yes. But..." He hesitated, a shadow of possessiveness crossing his face. "I prefer not to do so often, unless I have to. It’s better having my own."

I knew what he meant. He was thinking of our secret lake—his territory, where no one dared to intrude. This place was different. It was a border, a crossing. It was public. There could be other beastmen from the neighboring territories watching from the reeds or the other shore.

"How did you do it then?" I asked. "Did you swim?"

"I swam," he answered simply.

Then it clicked. I looked at the sheer width of the water and then back at him. Damar was a snake. I had seen his partial shifts, the scales and the eyes, but I hadn’t truly seen his full beast form. If he were as big as I imagined...

"Damar," I said, my eyes widening with the idea. "Could you... carry us? If you transformed, could we stay on your back so we don’t get wet?"

Damar was a cold-blooded animal who literally slept in the water, as if he were a merman, so I didn’t have to worry about him getting hypothermia.

Damar didn’t even hesitate, as if he had been waiting for his time to shine. He simply nodded, stepping toward the water’s edge.

"Step back a little, Ari." He said and I nodded, stepping back with Fenric, who had no issue with the current solution.

The air seemed to still as he began to change.

I held my breath, watching as his human silhouette stretched and distorted, the silver light of the rising moon catching the sudden shimmer of scales. There was no sound of breaking bones, only the soft rustle of power, just like when Fenric transformed.

When the transformation was complete, I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth.

He was massive. A colossal, silver-scaled serpent coiled at the water’s edge, his body as thick as an ancient tree trunk. His scales weren’t just silver; they were iridescent, reflecting the rays of the setting sun like polished armor set against a burning flame.

His emerald eyes blinked, huge and glowing, as he lowered his head toward me.

For a moment, I forgot this was the form of a snake and thought it was an imoogi that was yet to ascend into a dragon. One of those Asian dragons.

Truly magnificent.

I stood there, my mouth wide open, looking up at the majestic creature before me.

I had always thought I’d be terrified to see Damar’s full form—that the primal fear of a predator would paralyze me. But as I looked at him, I didn’t feel a single chill of fear. I thought wrong.

Just like Fenric who had been conscious of his form and worried that he would scare his mate away, I felt that same conscious fear from Damar.

Though he did not say it, I could show how I feel it. Was it thanks to our bond that I could feel their emotions so much more clearly without words?

But there was no need to fear. Because, to me...

"You... You’re amazing!" I blurted out, the compliment escaping before I could think.

...He was magnificent. Huge, powerful, and utterly majestic. He looked like a god of the water, a silver streak of lightning frozen in time.

Instead of frightening me, his presence felt like a fortress—solid, safe, and beautiful.

He let out a low, vibrating hiss—one that lingered with emotions, rather than a threat—and lowered his neck further, nudging me with his head.

I was reluctant to touch him, wondering how I could touch this pure mass of purity, but I did.

I touched his face, feeling the smoothness of his jaw, and then looked closely into his big slanted emerald eyes.

It was almost as if I could hear him speak out words of relief, just from looking into those eyes.

Then, he turned to face the water and tilted his head, inviting us to climb on.