Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin

My eyes burned, tears spilling over as a deep ache settled in. A warm, unsettling sensation crept between my thighs, pulling me from my thoughts. Panic surged as I opened my eyes wide, dread washing over me. Glancing down, I was met with the shocking sight of my inner legs soaked in crimson.

I inhaled sharply and quickly retrieved my bag from behind me, flipping the flap open and loosening the drawstring of my brown leather backpack. I made a conscious effort to stay still, not wanting to create a chaotic scene for myself or stain the cushion I was sitting on.

Elara stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. What was the big deal? Had she never witnessed someone who’d unexpectedly started their period before?

"You...are you trying to have some eggs?"

"What?"

"Are you planning on having a litter of eggs this season? You know, with Kai." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

I chuckled, imagining myself laying eggs and a whole brood to boot. This world is truly bizarre! I can’t help but think that laying chicken eggs must be a walk in the park compared to the whole human childbirth ordeal. Not that I have firsthand experience, but I’ve certainly heard my aunt from the next room during her labor, and let me tell you, it sounded like a scene from a horror movie. So, yeah, hard pass on that! Then the thought of me squatting over a nest made me giggle.

"I’m not completely against the idea; he seems like a solid male, and I plan to keep him around. But honestly, I’m just not ready for that step yet. I want us to really get to know each other before diving into that territory."

"You really need to eat your clear gems fast! Being in heat out here isn’t safe at all; it’ll draw in all kinds of males, and we definitely don’t have enough males to set up an aura barrier to keep them away. I mean, Kai is strong and all, but with me being a yellow aura female and not having full control over my aura, things are already pretty messy. I’m probably releasing pheromones like crazy! And then there’s what’s happening with you. Whatever transformation you’re going through, your mana fluctuations are off the charts! Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if your aura ends up being even stronger than mine, and mine is super rare for a female."

I rummaged through my backpack, and let me tell you, it was a treasure trove of travel-sized goodies—well, everything except my medications. At that moment, I was truly thankful for my slightly paranoid nature. I found a few lip balms, some jerky, a couple of flavored water bottles, an infuser bottle, my trusty filter straw, protein bars, deodorant, dried cherries, and peanut butter crackers. Oh, and I had a first aid kit, kava tea, a box of assorted bandages, ibuprofen, aspirin, alcohol wipes, antibiotic ointment, baby wipes, medical tape, a high-powered flashlight, extra batteries, pepper spray, my phone, a power bank, my school ID, a compactable jacket, an emergency silver blanket, a change of clothes, and some extra warm fuzzy blue socks. I also had my anxiety meds, my pills, a container of compactable bags, allergy meds, an inhaler, a toothbrush, toothpaste, liquid soap, face wash, lotion, wilderness toilet paper, hand sanitizer, a multi-tool, a loud whistle, a roll of cash, a comb, hair ties, a lighter, flint, no-rinse shampoo, a small box of fire starters, a notepad with a pen, and at the very bottom, a small bag of thin pads. Still, I couldn’t shake the worry about when my prescriptions would run out.

I pulled out my small bag of baby wipes, a pad, an ibuprofen, a bottle of strawberry water, one of the compactable bags, and a spare pair of underwear.

"Woah! What’s all that?"

"Items I packed up from home when I made my exit." I began to wipe away the blood that had trickled down my legs using a baby wipe. Then, I hastily swallowed an ibuprofen. Normally, I’d pop two, but who could say if I’d ever come across an equivalent? I needed to conserve everything for as long as I could.

"What’s this about clear gems?"

Elara paused and gave me a surprised look. "You mean you don’t have any clear gems?"

"I don’t even know what they’re for," I said.

"They make it so that your seasonal bleeding barely happens, they help you hold onto your youth, and if you pop three of them daily during your heat, you won’t end up pregnant that season. Seriously, what kind of species are you if you don’t know about clear gems?

"I’m a mermaid."

"Oh, that makes sense! You’re not going to age like the rest of us... hold on... you’re a mermaid?!"

"Keep it down! I overheard some beastkin mention that I might get snatched away if anyone else learns about this, so let’s keep it under wraps."

Elara sighed, her tone softening. "Okay, I won’t raise my voice again, but you really have to be more cautious. We’re not exactly in a safe spot right now." She glanced at the open curtains and hurriedly began to pull them shut, one by one. "Take these clear gems quickly; they’ll help with the scent of your heat," she said, offering her hand filled with five sparkling gems. "Just swallow them all at once. I’ll make sure you get more."

I winced. "Is it really that bad?"

"Seriously, this is really bad! You can’t underestimate how serious it is. Your aura is still unstable, and it could burst out at any moment, attracting a bunch of wandering male beastkin to us. We’re definitely not safe right now. They’d grab you first, and then they’d see me and snatch me up too. Kia might be strong, but he can’t handle a whole horde. My brothers have just a yellow aura like me, and that fox? He’s just a crafter beastkin. What’s he going to do, whip up a gift basket for our attackers?

I can’t believe your people didn’t assign you any males for protection. I get that mermaids are on land until they shift for the first time, but how did you end up all alone? Mermen usually keep their females hidden away. And wow, Kia actually found a mermaid as a mate! I always thought he’d end up with someone special, but this is amazing. When you have adorable little cubs, can they call me Aunt Elara?"

I stared at her, my cheeks warming at the mere idea of having little ones. "Well, I guess that’s a possibility," I mused. I picked up the transparent gems, which were about the size of cough drops and sparkled like exquisite jewels. As I popped one into my mouth, the flavor burst forth like peaches and cream, with a delightful fizz. Absolutely delicious!

She inhaled deeply, let it out slowly, and then flashed me a smile. "I really need to chill out; panicking isn’t going to do any good. I know Kai has everything under control—he’s a general, after all. But seriously, it’s no surprise they rushed in and pulled you off the stage like that. I hung around on the sidelines just waiting for you to finish because I needed to let off some steam about what Miko Vera said to me."

"Let’s talk about the Female Snatching Ritual. What is that all about? It definitely sounds a bit shady, doesn’t it?"

"Every full moon, there’s this intense ritual that takes place. If a female hasn’t found her mate and has completed her awakening ceremony, she’s required to take part in the Female Snatching Ritual. In the heart of the woods, there’s a big gazebo where the village brings the females. They dress them in these traditional short, bright red dresses and set up guards to make sure no one tries to escape. When the moon is high in the sky, they take away the guards and let in males from other villages who are looking for a female. The whole thing ends with them biting the female to claim and mark her or brand her.

"Wait a minute...what? I was under the impression that it’s the females who handle the marking!" I said and then popped another clear gem into my mouth.

Usually, that’s how it goes, but during full moons, a male can mark a female. It does something weird to their mana. A lot of females really don’t want to be marked because it feels kind of shameful like he’s claiming you or something, you know? It really brings out those possessive instincts in males. So, many females bolt from the gazebo as soon as they can, but they’re in red and most are newly awakened, so they can’t really control their aura and pheromones yet. Plus, most females have a red aura, which makes them super noticeable, and they lack magical abilities. It’s not even a contest; nearly every female ends up getting bitten and taken off to who knows where."

"Isn’t that just the worst tradition? Seriously, why does it even exist?" I popped another gem into my mouth and happily sucked on that too, they tasted like candy.

"It was set up to protect villages from being raided because they had too many single women. Overall, it has saved many lives, but honestly, it’s not exactly exciting to be told you have to take part in it. I used to think it was a positive thing since it prevented a lot of conflicts, but I never thought I’d end up being told I had to be a part of the sacrifice.

It’s not going to be the same for me since I have a yellow aura, which means I’ll be tapping into some kind of magic soon. Plus, my aura boosts my pheromones, and guys can sense that. They know that females with stronger auras are more likely to produce healthy eggs and are more likely to lay female eggs. It definitely makes me a bigger target for males from other clans. The only reason why a male didn’t offer to be my mate when I was on stage is because they knew I’d beat the pulp out of them for trying."

"Why didn’t you just secure a male ahead of time?"

"I had a male, but Vix took him from me. We were always competing for the top spot in school, and after I aced our last test, she thought it would be funny to get back at me by swiping the male I was supposed to be with first. It’s not like you can just swap out your first mate on a whim. There’s a whole bunch of stuff both families usually have to sort out; unless, of course, you’re as daring as you and just go for it and bite a male." She grinned.

"Guess we just need to find a male for you to sink your teeth into then," I said.

Elara’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she began to wave her hand in front of her face. "I... just can’t do that."

"It’s either that or you’re going to get bitten by some weird male and get hauled over his shoulder like a chunk of meat."

She shot me a cheeky grin, leaned in closer, and with a handful of clear gems, playfully stuffed a few into my mouth in one swift motion.

Coming Next Time: Camping at Starwood Shade