The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 152: Don’t let them hear you

"It’s amazing." Dani muttered, his eyes gleaming in excitement, and I could only chuckle at his childlike attitude after dropping his guard completely. "Is it true that they’re very strong? Stronger than the Martens?"

"Don’t worry." I patted his head, my hand feeling his ears and the softness of them and my face heated up in excitement.

It would be nice to have rabbit pelts.

But I shoved that thought aside, knowing my harmless thought might seem terrifying to this species. I’m going to go after the animal rabbits, not their kin, so let’s put it aside for now.

"You’ll get to see them in action firsthand. Then, you can judge."

But as we reached the final screen of ferns overlooking the Flat Rock, the atmosphere shifted. Bram and the other adults suddenly froze, their long ears pressing flat against their backs in a sign of pure distress.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

"They’re here already," Gram answered, his voice thick with dread. "They weren’t supposed to come down from the crags until the sun touched the trees tomorrow. Why are they here so early?"

The plan was for them to lead us to the entrance of the Flat Rock and then leave before they get spotted in case things go wrong.

But halfway there, the Martens were already out and heading towards the Silent Reach, the tribe of the rabbits.

Being early meant the Martens were hungry. They were planning to take the tribute earlier than planned, so they could catch them unaware and use it as an excuse to be violent 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

This was indeed a reason to fall into distress.

The adults huddled together, their whispers frantic.

I leaned forward, peering through the foliage to get my first good look at the ’monsters.’ I blinked, a bit surprised. They were short—no taller than my waist—and incredibly slim.

At first glance, they looked like dwarfed, scrawny people, but the way they moved gave them away.

They darted with a twitchy, liquid speed, and long, bushy tails flicked restlessly behind them. Their faces were narrow, ending in pointed muzzles filled with sharp, needle-like teeth.

"Is ’that’ what we should be afraid of?" I whispered, my voice tinged with a bit of unimpressed skepticism. They looked like something I could accidentally step on and not even notice.

"Shhh!" Dani hissed, his eyes wide with terror as he pulled on my sleeve. "Don’t let them hear you! They are fast—so fast you can’t see them move until their teeth are in your neck!"

Bram and the other adults gave me an anxious look as they edged further back into the shadows, leaving the front line to us. I looked at Fenric and Damar.

The skepticism I felt didn’t seem to have reached them; they were looking at the Martens with the focused intensity of warriors who knew that even a small snake can carry deadly venom.

"I think we can take it from here," I said, breathing out softly as I stretched my arms sideways. "You guys hide so you don’t get caught in the crossfire."

"Is there a fire nearby?" Dani asked but I shook my head.

"It’s just a word to express the fight that’s going to happen," I said, and wondered if it could even be considered a fight. It might as well be a one-sided slaughter.

"Arinya," Fenric called and I nodded, knowing why his voice held a tremor filled with worry.

"I know, I know. I’m not going to engage them first. I’m the guard at the back, I know." I said and this set their minds at ease.

Fenric cracked his neck, his eyes glowing a predatory red.

"Then, I’ll make the introduction. Damar, take the flank. There should be more coming from their hideout. And Arinya..."

"Yeah, I know. You can just think of me as the wall they will never get past," I reminded them, stepping toward my position at the narrow crevice between the boulders and they smiled at me.

Damar gave a sharp, silver-eyed nod.

"I won’t let any of them get closer to the wall." He said, looking at me and I pouted.

"No fair."

Fenric didn’t wait. He stepped out from the trees, his massive frame towering over the plateau.

The Stone-martens, who had been busy bickering over an empty stone altar, stopped mid-snarl. Their yellow eyes snapped toward the red-eyed ’giant’ who had just invaded their sanctuary.

"It seems I’ve stumbled upon something interesting," Fenric rumbled, his voice echoing off the cliffside as he got into character. "Why don’t I have a little fun?"

The Marten leader, a scarred male with a notched ear, hissed and drew a jagged rock blade.

He knew no fear, staring at the huge beastman that had appeared out of nowhere.

"A wolf in the Reach? You’re in the wrong forest!" He said.

"Well, first of all, I’m not a wolf. And second," his eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought of ripping them to pieces. "I think I’m in the right place."

They immediately felt Fenric’s murderous intent and this caused them to clench their needle teeth.

"Kill him!" The Marten Leader ordered.

That clueless idiot. How can he mistake a tiger for a wolf? And doesn’t he already know they have no chance of facing Fenric? Can’t he feel it?

Just what gives them that confidence?

Maybe oppressing weak rabbits all this time had made him forget that the world was a dangerous place filled with much more dangerous predators.

The Martens vanished into a blur of dusty fur. They were indeed fast—faster than any beastman I’d seen before. But it was clear they hadn’t met a Snow Tiger who had earned the title of ’Beast warrior’. This little was not enough to faze Fenric.

Fenric began to handle them like a pro, his claws out and ripping them to shreds as they lunged at him like sacrificial lambs.

He ripped them apart like they were paper-thin, making it seem so effortless, but that’s just because he’s an overpowered beastman.