The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 148: I saw the snake that kidnapped Gabi and Jen

Slowly, I closed my eyes, listening to the wind rustle the emerald leaves above, and the gentle beating of Damar’s heart.

For a moment, the world felt safe. Felt too peaceful to be considered a world for the wild.

I wasn’t deep under when I felt it—a subtle vibration in the ground, the sound of grass being flattened by something that didn’t want to be heard. Something was coming from a long distance away.

My ears moved and my eyes snapped open. I didn’t move a muscle, but I could tell the others were awake too. Their breathing had changed, turning shallow and alert.

Fenric had lifted his head from my shoulder.

"Fenric," I whispered, the name barely a breath, as I turned my head to look at him.

He didn’t turn his head to me, but I felt his body tense. He raised his hand, placing his index finger over his lips in a numb, silent shush.

I nodded, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs. I looked over at Damar, his bright emerald eyes were already glowing, fixed intensely on a dense patch of ferns to our left. He didn’t look afraid; he looked like he was calculating the distance for a strike.

The movement came again—a soft rustle from the shadows, followed by the faint click of wood against stone. There was more than one invader, I could tell that much.

And by the way they moved, I could tell they had light feet and knew this forest well.

Was it the inhabitants?

The tribe that was settled close by and noticed the smoke coming from this way?

I wonder.

But how can we settle this?

If they were just curious to know who we were, then we could introduce ourselves with no issue, but it would be bad if they were hostile.

In that sense, we might have to attack first to keep ourselves safe, and that would consider us violent invaders and enemies to their tribe.

We may never make it through the forest if their tribe is what lies at the end of it.

We have to be civil about this.

I raised my body slowly and then caught the attention of both of them with a light tap on their sides. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

They looked at me and I shook my head, signaling them not to attack or do anything.

"Just protect me," I whispered.

At least this way, we won’t strike first. And if they try to hurt me first, then I’d say they’re not a tribe we can reason with.

The rustling grew closer, and then—abruptly—it stopped. The silence that followed was even more unnerving than the noise. It felt as though whatever was lurking in the shadows had frozen, scouting for danger with their eyes alone.

I gulped, my heart hammering against my chest as I waited for a monster to burst from the brush. But no one came. Instead, the heavy silence was broken by the gentle, frantic whispers of a young boy and an adult.

"I told you," the boy whispered, his voice cracking. "I saw the snake that kidnapped Gabi and Jen from the flock while they were sleeping."

"And again, why were you there?" the adult’s voice hissed back, hushed but stern. "You know you shouldn’t be there, especially so late in the night. What if you got caught by those vicious monsters?"

"I... I," the boy twisted his lips as he tried to come up with an excuse. "I was just playing with them when I fell asleep." It was a childish excuse, one that made me certain a young boy was out there. "I’m sorry. But should we let the snake kidnap my friend?"

My mind raced. Beast folks from a nearby tribe. But what did he mean, a snake kidnapped his friends?

All Damar had brought back were forest fowls. It didn’t make sense. I wondered for a split second if there was another snake around here, some predator they were confusing him with.

"Dani, you know your friend doesn’t have long to live. You should stop getting attached." Another adult complained but it only made the boy whimper.

"And... Are you sure it’s even a snake? What if it’s one of those vicious monsters that were they to take what was theirs?"

"It was a snake, I swear." He said, his voice getting a little too excited, and they frowned at him.

"Keep your voice down, boy. Do you want us to get caught?"

"S-sorry. But just look at the trail," the boy insisted. "We followed it all the way here. I’m certain it’s a snake."

I looked at Damar. He was quiet, his expression solemn and unreadable. It was impossible to tell if he had made a mistake or if he was just as confused as I was. But as I listened closer, I noticed something strange.

Their voices were trembling, like they were scared.

This made it sure that they weren’t hunting us. They were too terrified to be considered hunters.

"We’ve found the snake," another faint voice joined in. They clearly had no idea we could hear every word they said. "But it’s not alone. I advise that we go back and alert the others. A bloodbath might come of this."

My stomach dropped. A bloodbath? If they went back and told their tribe that a ’kidnapper snake’ was out here with a tiger, they’d come back with an army. We couldn’t let them spread rumors or let this escalate into a war before we even saw the sun rise.

There were five of them.

"Damar, Fenric," I whispered, my voice sharp and commanding. "Bring the five of them over here. And do not harm them."

"Yes!"

They moved with a sudden whoosh, disappearing into the dark like ninjas. The people in the bushes didn’t even have time to scream. Within seconds, they were back.

Damar had caught the young boy gently with his tail and held the two others firmly with his arms. Fenric had the remaining two pinned, his large hands gripping their shoulders to keep them from bolting.

As soon as they set them down in front of me, I froze.

The fireflies danced around them, illuminating the most unexpected features. Long, velvet-soft ears stood tall atop their heads, and their little dark button noses were twitching in absolute terror.

They... they were rabbits?