The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 161: Do not let them come back to the village yet
The silence that followed was heavy, and all we could hear were the heartbeats that hammered in their little chests. I felt a strange mix of pride and lingering annoyance. He was right, of course, but it was still frustrating that it had to come to this just to get a little basic respect.
Fenric leaned in closer to me, his cool breath tickling my ear. "Are you satisfied, my jealous tiger? Or shall I find something more... permanent for the girl to do?"
I sighed, the fire of my temper finally cooling down into a dull simmer. "No," I said.
This doesn’t help me get revenge but I guess this is all we can do now.
If I go too extreme, I’ll really be turning into a villain just because a girl touched my man.
"But I think they got the point." I added, getting up from the ’stool’.
She immediately collapsed, as if a huge boulder had been pressed on her back this entire time.
It got me a little irked. I’m not even heavy.
It’s her fault for being weak then.
"Anyway," I stretched my arms wide and yawned. "I’m starving, let’s go hunt for food."
I turned to walk away with Fenric and Damar beside me, but just as I did, Gram lifted his head from the dirt.
"S-Savior, thank you for your mercy!" he called out, his voice cracking with genuine relief.
We didn’t stop, our long strides quickly carrying us toward the edge of the village and into the forest.
Gram watched us go, his expression torn between fear and a desperate need to make amends. He knew that the atmosphere in the village was currently a powder keg; his people were terrified, and the predators were insulted. He needed to bridge the gap, but he also needed us out of the center of the village for a while so everyone’s emotions could settle.
He turned to Dani, who was standing nearby with wide, saucer-like eyes.
"Dani," Gram whispered urgently. "Follow them. Quickly."
"Me?" Dani squeaked, his ears standing straight up. "But... isn’t that dangerous? You saw what she did to the Tesi,"
Gram placed a trembling hand on the boy’s shoulder.
"They aren’t wicked, Dani. They just don’t like disrespect. You are a child; they will be more patient with you. The snow tiger likes children, right? And you even spoke with the female as well. What do you think?"
Dani went silent, thinking about it. Yes, when we didn’t do things like that, we were like normal beasts but it was bad when we got angered.
"B-but... isn’t following them a type of disrespect?" Dani asked, his lip trembling.
Gram went silent, the logic of the child hitting him like a physical blow. He didn’t want another incident, and sending a child was risky, but he guessed there was nothing else to do. He needed to offer the fowls—the precious birds they had originally raised as a grim sacrifice for the Stone Martens.
"If you get caught," Gram instructed, his voice low, "...tell them I sent you because I wanted to offer the fowls to them as a gift. Go, now!"
Dani swallowed hard.
"What... What do you want me to do when I follow them?" he whispered, his voice trembling as he looked back at his father.
"Do not let them come back to the village yet." Gram said, dropping a heavy burden on the shoulders of a child. "You can use the opportunity to show them around the Forest. You know it best, so you won’t get lost."
"Until when?"
"Until the sun starts to dip." He said and Dani nodded solemnly.
It was a huge responsibility but he was going to try his best. He knew the best places to have a fun time with the other rabbits, but he didn’t know if the predators would love it.
"I’ll do my best."
"Good. I’m counting on you boy."
I heard the conversation as clearly as if they were standing right next to my ear. I didn’t even have to look back to know that Dani was ’stealthily’ following us.
I thought rabbits were supposed to have excellent hearing, but it still falls short, I guess.
To the rabbits, Dani’s tailing might have seemed standard, perhaps even skilled, and given he was still young with little to no presence, it was assuring, but it was impossible to fool the senses of a tiger and a snake. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Every time he hopped, the grass swished too loudly. Every time he paused, his panicked heartbeat thudded against the air like a tiny drum.
Beside me, Damar’s tongue flicked out, tasting the air in less than a second.
"The little one is persistent," he murmured, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "He smells of fear and clover."
I looked at him. I know beasts can smell fear; I can, too, but Damar seldom talks. It seems like he’s been contributing very actively since we set out.
Is it because of how I told him to never hesitate in expressing himself, what he wants, and what he doesn’t like?
That’s the only explanation I can give for his change.
And I... I like it.
Fenric let out a low huff of amusement, his long strides never faltering.
"Gram is clever. He’s using the kid as a shield to keep us away while the village settles down. Do you want me to scare him off, Ari?"
I glanced back toward the tall grass where a pair of long, fuzzy ears were sticking out quite obviously. The image was almost comical after the tension of the morning.
"No," I said, a small, genuine smile finally tugging at my lips. "Let him follow. If he’s brave enough to try and ’distract’ three predators all day, the least we can do is give him a head start." I chuckled.
I stopped walking and turned around abruptly, crossing my arms over my chest.
We kind of need a guide anyway.
"You can come out now, Dani," I called out into the seemingly empty meadow and he flinched silently. "Unless you plan on hopping all the way to the deep woods on your stomach."
