Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 193: The opportunity

The winter months passed quickly. The snow did nothing to halt activity in the caldera. Outside the caldera, there was no way for people to navigate. Tree branches bent under the weight of snow.

The caldera, though having snow on the ground, could not be said to have experienced such a dreadful winter. The Heartstones ensured that, though the ground was covered in snow, it was kept at an appropriate level.

Ever so often, pack members would rake the snow from their rooftops. The children would go out to play, running and jumping. The laughter in the caldera never stopped.

Even the River clan and Stone-horns played well with the members of the Warm pack.

Most of Visha’s winter was spent in the library. She learned a lot about the Beast Continent. She also partially understood the blessing of being ’blessed by the land’. For some reason, she had a connection to the First Beast.

That was as much as she could gather for the time being. She thought about how she might be related to the First Beast. And if she is, does it mean Lyra has some connection as well?

Not dwelling on the reason, she decided to enjoy the rest of winter. She would not allow herself to sink into theories. If there was something she needed to know, it would happen sooner or later.

Things were already unraveling. She would follow the trend. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Spring came faster than anyone realized. The constant mixture of green and white dissolved into a symphony of green. The lush caldera gave birth to new plants. The bird came out to sing. There were newborn animals, unwittingly stepping into danger.

Floral scents filled the caldera. Visha briefly thought back to the valley of flowers. It no longer filled her with trepidation. She was able to enjoy the sights and sounds that spring had brought.

With the arrival of spring came the departure of the River Clan and the Stone-horn tribe. Xeno and Uri would be escorting them back to their respective territories.

On the day they left, it was obvious that fondness between them had been fostered. She watched the young cubs crying about their friends leaving. She caught the furtive glances of pack members with others of the different tribes.

Visha wondered if she would be performing partnering ceremonies anytime soon. She mainly kept her thoughts about partnering to herself. She had her mates; it was not her turn to force people to wait for their mates.

Whether they had mates or partners, as long as they were happy and it did not bring chaos to the pack. Visha had every intention of allowing it to continue.

Now, she was the only one left. And the first order of business is getting the pack members to try sensing vital energy.

It was the second day after Uri and Xeno had left. Visha called a pack meeting.

She began addressing the pack, "I stand before you today as a recognition of your efforts. Your leaders, though they cannot be here today, and I have seen your hard work."

"I’ve spoken with them. We’ve reached a decision. We want each of you to reach your fullest potential. We have devised a way for you to do so. We hope that everyone will take this seriously."

"You are all aware that we went on a journey recently. Although we did not explicitly state the reason for the journey, the discovery we have made will benefit everyone in the pack."

"As long as you grasp the opportunity, you will become stronger, faster, and more agile."

She paused, her eyes scanning the females in the crowd. "To our females. Some of you have experienced the cleansing ceremony, some of you have not. Regardless of whether you have completed the ceremony, this method is still feasible."

"Your strength grows just as much as the males do. At the end, you will be able to become the same as them...complete beast shifters."

Her words sent a ripple through the pack. A female who can transform. It was already strange for the first members of the pack, knowing they could become half-shifters. Now, they were half-shifters, and they learned they could become complete beastmen, like the males.

Visha watched their expressions, allowing them the time to understand what they were being offered. She could see the expressions of those who were less than thrilled to have such an opportunity.

Every person had their own pursuits. She would never force them to do something they did not want to do. But, for those who were willing to accept the offer, she would gladly do everything in her power to make them powerful.

She raised her hand to signal silence. "As with anything, there are some who will quickly grasp, and there are others who will have difficulties. I will not hide it from you. Many of you might find it hard to begin."

"Bloodline is one of the factors that might affect you. But I can assure each of you that as long as you work hard, you will be able to get to the level of your leaders."

Another round of chatter began before it quieted down. "Yes," Visha said, responding to their chatter. "Your leaders have already started their journey. You all felt it when we came back from our journey. Now, we want to pass on that same power to you."

"This power has actually always been around you. You’ve been breathing it in since the day you were born. It’s the reason you live for so long. The reason your bodies are so strong. It’s the reason priests have gifts."

"I know many of you are skeptical. I don’t blame you," Visha laughed softly. "But you have all seen this in this pack that you would never be able to explain to outsiders. You only need to believe that your leaders and I would never harm you."

"I will allow you the time to digest the information. You can also decide what you wish to do. I will not force. And when the leaders come back, they will not force you. The only thing I will say is that whatever you learn in this pack must stay in this pack. If what we teach you goes outside, it will be seen as an act of betrayal."

"I will give you until the half-day sun to decide. You may leave the square. Return to this place when you decide."

With that, Visha sat, legs crossed. She would not move from her spot on the platform. She would circulate her energy, letting them see exactly what their reward is.

Some of the pack members got up to leave. They did not go far, only speaking to each other in hushed tones. Visha could hear them but pretended not to.

Others didn’t move at all, only watching Visha as she breathed. Visha was able to see it all. She only wanted to give them time to process.

Waiting for the half-day sun felt like an eternity to the ones who were eager to learn. To the uncertain, it was not enough time. Visha opened her eyes when she knew it was time.

She stood, waiting for everyone to walk back to the square.

"Have you decided?" She surveyed everyone. "Those of you who wish to try," she raised her right hand, "come to this side. Those who do not," raising her left hand, "come to this side."

She didn’t rush anyone. She didn’t try to make the decision for them. She kept her arms raised, waiting for those who had yet to make a decision.

"To those in the middle. I know you have not yet made a choice, so let me ask you one question. Do you want to be stronger? Yes or No." She gestured to her right hand for yes and her left hand for no.

This prompted those who were unsure to move. While not everyone moved in the way she expected. It was still the majority of people in the pack. She noticed that many of the unshifted females were the ones who stood to her left.

She understood why they would say no. It could be for aesthetic reasons. Or they simply didn’t believe; either way, it was their own decision.

"Before, we dismiss. The cubs. I want to ask the cubs to come to the center."

One by one, they moved out of their parents’ arms. When all of them were gathered in the middle, Visha asked, "Do you want to become stronger?"

It was the same question she asked before. She had no reason to deny the children their own choice. If they followed the choice of their parents and they started too late, it would only be detrimental for them, in her opinion.

"No!" yelled an unshifted woman. She reached out to grab her cub, a young female.

Visha turned her power into a whip and wrapped the woman. Her eyes met the person who ran out.

"This is their choice, not yours. If the cub wants to try, let them try." Her voice was flat.