Whispers of the Beast Realm

Cut

"Hush, it's alright." a calm, soothing voice whispered in my ears,"Don't worry, it'll get better in no time". Black hair leaned down beside me, and I recognized it as Iker's. He began to intently focus and bind my wound tightly with a thin strip of animal skin. The pain lessened slightly after the tight bandage but still my blood was slowly seeping into the cloth.

"Here, give it to her fast," Felix's voice, slightly breathless as if he had just run a mile, instructed Iker. "Open up", Iker said calmly and I felt the cool touch of an emerald pressed to my lips for which I was immensely grateful for. As soon as I swallowed it, the pain instantly vanished. Grateful for the relief, I slowly looked up into Iker's solemn black eyes, which was staring back, as if searching for any another discomforts.

Iker wore earrings made of black feathers, a detail I noticed absentmindedly. Suddenly, Felix was on his knees, at eye level with me, his expression showing rare concern as he took my hand and inspected to see if it was still bleeding. "I'm.... sorry," he spoke low, and for a moment, the sharp edge in his demeanor seemed to soften, my hand still in his as he turned them around and kept checking.

I was still a bit dazed from the blood loss, but I could vividly hear a few female voices discussing potential punishments for Felix.

"Felix will be punished for harming a female, and will take any punishment you deem fair," Iker remarked gravely but loud so that all nearby breastmen could hear. Felix, too, nodded slowly, his expression now reflecting genuine remorse as he stared at my bloody hands.

I knew the consequences females imposed on males for even accidental harm. It usually involved severe punishment, often at the hands of their mate or, in some cases, exile from the city. And I certainly didn't want Allmer to get into a fight cause of me.

I slowly moved my head, indicating my decision. "No, I was at fault too. It was an accident," I said quietly. Despite Felix being a jerk, it was true that he didn't do it deliberately and I was just having a really bad day. "You should reconsider" Iker said. I just moved my head again. I was too tired now to deal with all these. Iker nodded quietly. The other beastmen just viewed this whole spectacle, eager to later gossip to their females.

"That's very generous of you," Felix remarked, his tone still carrying a dark edge.

Iker offered assistance, "Should I drop you at your home?" He asked. Again my shame of head. I declined. There's no one there and I didn't want to stare at empty walls especially after bleeding few glassful.

"We'll take care of her. You males can leave," came a female voice. I recognized it instantly; it was Nea, the red-haired female I had become friends with before falling off the cliff.

Iker nodded once and left, taking of rather pulling Felix with him, who seemed hesitant to go. While leaving, Iker gave me a final narrowed glance, though I wasn't sure what it meant. I scanned the females that had come to surround me, some asking if I was alright and others checking my hands. Glancing at the nearby beastmen, there was still no sign of Ace or Allmer, for that matter.

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting with the females. Better, answering their questions about ferals. Everyone was very curious about Allmer, thanks to his reputation. I did my best to assure them that he was caring, but his absence today, which led to the incident, only fuelled their beliefs.

**Thank you for reading!!