Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 50: Episode : The Tiger Invasion

The Tiger Territory

Miles to the North-East, the climate shifted abruptly. The Iron-Wood gave way to humid, dense vegetation. Giant ferns blocked out the sky, and the air grew heavy with the scent of orchids and damp earth.

In the center of a massive bamboo grove lay the Tiger Citadel. It wasn’t a fortress or a cave. It was a sprawling network of open-air pavilions built on raised platforms, connected by swinging bridges. Silk curtains fluttered in the breeze.

Unlike the primitive territories, this was like a totally different part of the beast world, only blessed with a lot of things.

It looked less like a base of operations and more like a resort for deadly hedonists.

A massive white shape leaped from the jungle floor, landing silently on the central platform.

The beast shimmered, white fur retracting, bones shifting. Torian stood up.

He stretched his neck, cracking it to the side. He was breathtaking. His skin was bronzed, a stark contrast to his white hair.

He wore loose silk pants that hung low on his hips, and his chest was a canvas of natural markings, faint, black stripes that looked like tattoos running down his arms and ribs.

He was leaner than Zarek but broader than Kaelen. He moved with a lazy, arrogant confidence that said he had never been afraid of anything in his life.

"My King!"

A chorus of purrs erupted from the surrounding pavilions.

Female tigers, in their human forms, draped in silks and gold jewelry, swarmed toward him. They were beautiful. Lithe, dangerous, and desperate for his attention.

"You returned!" one female purred, rubbing her cheek against his arm. "Did you find prey? Did you bring us gifts?"

"I brought myself," Torian drawled, his voice a rich baritone that sounded like honey poured over gravel. "Isn’t that enough?"

He walked through them, ignoring their grasping hands. He flopped onto a pile of velvet cushions in the center of the pavilion, picking up a goblet of wine.

"Dance for us, My King!" another female begged. "Select a mate for the night!"

Torian looked at them. They were perfect specimens. Strong, agile, and beautiful. But they were empty.

The air was filled with their perfume. He smelled their desire, but there was no smell of life in them. No matter how much he mated with them, there was no change in their smell.

They were useless to him.

"Boring," Torian muttered, taking a sip of wine.

He closed his eyes, and instantly, the image of the female in the stream appeared behind his lids.

She wasn’t a Tiger. She was small. Fragile. She had no claws. But the scent...

It was intoxicating. It smelled of milk, of blood, of creation. The Wolf King guarded her like a dragon hoarding shiny stones, but Torian had seen the truth.

She was heavy with life. Three heartbeats echoed within her.

Three.

His tribe hadn’t produced a cub in five years. And that Wolf, that mangy dog, had managed to secure three?

"Impossible," Torian whispered, a smirk playing on his lips. "Unless..."

Unless she was the one I was searching for.

"My King?" The lead female, a tigress named Nala, touched his knee. "You seem... distracted. Is the wine not to your liking?"

Torian opened his eyes. "The wine is fine, Nala," he said, setting the goblet down. "But I have found a new flavor."

He stood up, pacing to the edge of the platform. He looked south, toward the Iron-Wood forest.

"She was glorious," he murmured to himself. "Floating in the water. Round and ripe. She belongs in silk, not furs. She belongs here."

"Who?" Nala asked, jealousy sharpening her voice.

"The female who belongs to me," Torian replied. He turned back to his harem, his smile widening into a grin that showed off his canines.

"Clear the East Pavilion," Torian commanded. "Get rid of the statues. Put in soft beds. Lots of them. And find me toys. Rattle things. Soft things."

"Toys?" Nala frowned. "For whom?"

"For my new collection," Torian declared. "I am going to steal the Wolf King’s prize."

He chuckled darkly.

"He thinks he can keep her to himself? He thinks he can hide her from me?"

Torian ran a hand through his white hair.

"I don’t just want a mate, Nala. I want a Queen. And I think I just found the only one in the world worth chasing."

[System Alert: The Tiger King has marked you as ’Prey’.]

[Objective: Kidnap the Host.]

[The Harem grows... whether you like it or not.]

****

The Wolf Territory

Roxy sat in the center of the communal sewing circle, clutching a wooden knitting needle like a shank.

The System notification still blinded her sight despite her trying to ignore it.

He wants to kidnap me? And what do you fucking mean by the harem grows, you fucking robot?

This is going to take a toll on my sanity. I am currently incubating a litter of puppies, and my dragon husband is tearing down walls to get to me.

Now I have a massive Hello Kitty with boundary issues.

Can I just not take a huge break?

[TheSassyGoddess sends a digital ’Hang in There’ kitten poster. She notes that Tigers have barbed tongues. Just saying.]

Roxy shuddered. Not helping!

Though deep down, Roxy was moved by the tongues.

"Moon Mother?"

Roxy snapped her head up. Sera was looking at her with concern, holding up a half-finished baby bootie. "You are stabbing the sheep wool. Is the pattern wrong?"

Roxy looked around the circle. About ten female wolves, including Mara, were gathered in the warm sunlight of the central plaza. They were sitting on the new benches Roxy had taught the males to make, learning the ancient art of ’making clothes that aren’t just dead animal skins’.

It was peaceful and completely terrifying because Roxy knew it was a house of cards waiting to be blown over.

"The pattern is fine, Sera," Roxy forced a smile, smoothing her hand over her massive triplet-bump. "Just... hormones. The pups are playing soccer with my bladder."

The women chuckled, for some reason, they found it beautiful to spend time with Roxy, and they looked forward to it every day.

Because she was very different from them and yet so similar. They still didn’t know which species she was, but they didn’t care.

They only cared about how much she had helped them.

"They will be strong," Mara said from the end of the bench. She was sewing a tiny tunic for her own coming pup. Her belly was just starting to show a small curve beneath her tunic. "They have the Alpha’s kick."

Roxy watched Mara. The former antagonist had become one of the most devoted members of the New Way. She was still sharp, still guarded, but she was loyal.

And she was knowledgeable.

"So," Roxy said, trying to sound casual as she looped another stitch. "Speaking of neighbors... I saw something by the river today."

The needles stopped clicking. The women went still, waiting and itching for the gossip.

"What did you see?" Sera asked, her voice dropping.

Roxy chuckled and quickly said. "A big cat."

A collective hiss went through the group. The wolves’ lips curled back instinctively, baring teeth.

"Tigers," Mara spat the word like it was poison. "The most mysterious species in this world."

"They are far to the East," Sera frowned. "They do not come to the Iron-Wood. It is too cold for their liking, but they usually come here to hunt because the game tastes much better and is easier to hunt."

"Well, one of them did," Roxy said grimly. "And he seemed... interested."

Mara set her sewing down. Her green eyes darkened. "Interested? In you?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line, letting my silence speak.

Mara let out a low growl. "If the Tiger King watches," Mara said ominously, "then he wants. And what the Tiger King wants, he usually takes."

"You know a lot about them," Roxy probed gently. "Tell me what you know..."