Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 64: The sudden storm

The pack travelled for another few days. The sun warmed them when they needed it. Now, Xeno would sometimes find cracks in the trees and go sunbathing. Uri watched him, a little jealous at how at ease Xeno was.

Xeno felt it and licked Uri’s face.

"It’s fine. When the place gets warmer, I’ll join you sunbathing too," Uri said to the excited tiger.

They were getting closer to the mountainous terrain. The days were simple and easy to deal with. The routine they followed became predictable. And although they were travelling, it also felt relaxing. They hunted, foraged, and trained.

Visha started imparting knowledge about seasoning and spices, in the hopes of getting a good cook in the group. The days that passed made them learn something about Nimo. He seemed to have the ability to steer them away from trouble.

But while he could let them know about dangerous beasts. The same couldn’t be said about the weather.

It began with a subtle shift in the air. The gentle breeze died down, the birds stopped singing. The gentle blue skies gave way to dark clouds that rolled in all too quickly, swallowing up the sun.

They watched the sky change colour as they walked. They became tense as they noticed the winds picking up.

"Storm!" Fil shouted. "Find shelter."

No sooner had he spoken than the sky opened and heavy raindrops began to fall. The ground under their feet became a muddy warzone. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed closely by the crack of thunder.

"This way!" Cato yelled, pointing to what looked like a cave.

The curtain of rain obscured their vision. It was not the ideal settlement, but it was all they could do for the time being.

They ran inside, shaking the water from their clothes. The sound of the storm became muffled as soon as they stood inside. The cave was deeper than it looked. The darkness covered everything except the first few feet into the cave.

Willa started working on a fire. The cave was damp, and they couldn’t stay in wet clothes forever. Although their immune systems are better compared to humans, it doesn’t mean they don’t get sick.

After lighting a fire so many times, Willa’s hands became skilled.

The darkness made her uncomfortable, so while Willa was making a fire, Visha took out her flashlight. She had gotten it from the system when she first arrived and never used it.

Since the cave was so dark, she decided that today would be the day. She turned it on, shining it on the cave floor.

The pack members looked over when they saw the light. "It’s not a fire. I’ll explain what it is later."

Hearing Visha say she would explain it, they didn’t bother to ask.

Visha shone the light on the cave floor, wanting to see the road ahead. What she saw was not a road, but mounds of what looked to be dried shit.

The smell of the cave was already hard to bear, but seeing the poop on the ground, Visha couldn’t help taking a sharp intake of breath, immediately regretting it when she did.

She looked at the flashlight in her hand, then at the poop. She wondered if she should shine the light on the cave ceiling. She didn’t get to answer her own question when she started hearing a chittering sound.

She didn’t run; she walked slowly, towards everyone.

"We need to leave," Visha said as she walked to her pack. Turning, she asked, "You heard it right?"

People slowly got up, not wanting to disturb whatever was in the cave.

But whatever it was decided they didn’t want them to leave today.

That short conversation was the difference between being able to leave and being unable to leave. They went into battle formation, protecting the females in the center.

The creature detached from the ceiling and fell. They had furred bodies like ferrets, needle-like teeth of a piranha, and large leathery wings. They had multiple sets of small red eyes and sharp, curved claws that allowed them to cling to the cave ceiling and crawl down walls.

Visha saw their forms, and her heart jolted. She couldn’t help but think to herself. What the fuck is that? What in the arachnid, baby ferret, sharknoid is this?

The thought passed quickly as the pack started fighting.

The first wave hit them like a tide. Xeno roared, swiping his paw, his claws tearing through multiple creatures at once. He was a wall of fur and muscle.

Uri chose to forego the knife this time. He shifted into his beast form, using his tail to whip the creatures that got close. At the same time, sinking his fangs into others, releasing a powerful toxin that left them paralyzed and crashing to the ground.

The fight continued as more and more of these creatures came forward to fight. They didn’t know how much longer they would be able to hold out. They were surrounded and unable to run.

Visha gripped the flashlight in her hand, wondering what they could do to get out of the situation.

Her mind, working quickly, she thought. These things aren’t corruption; they are nature. They are predators, and they are defending their nest. Their very dark, stinky nest. Visha thought.

If they didn’t look like abominations, Visha would actually assume they were mutated bats. Bats. The word echoed in her mind. If they were bats, they would be afraid of light.

But what if they are? Her brain couldn’t help but think of the possibility.

She looked down at the flashlight in her hand. It had multiple settings. When she turned it on, she had it on the lowest setting. She wondered what the highest would look like.

She looked at her pack mates; they were starting to slow down. Visha decided in that second.

"Everybody, close your eyes when I count to three. Only for a second, then start fighting." After making the statement, Visha didn’t give room for objections. "1...2...3..."

As soon as she said three, she flipped the flashlight on its brightest setting. The horrible screeching of the creature echoed in the cave. Visha turned it off after a second and shouted, "Fight!"

Seeing the disoriented creatures, everyone started moving. Including Visha herself. This would be her first time killing something she wasn’t going to eat. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. She only knew that if she didn’t kill them, they would kill her.

So the systematic killing of the creatures started.

Whenever Visha noticed they recovered, she would count, and the pack would close their eyes. With the creatures blind and confused, everyone moved faster. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The fight Visha thought would end up being a protracted war, ended in a few minutes. The cave fell silent, the only sound the ragged breathing of the people trying to catch their breath.

The creatures were piled high around them. They stood, happy in their victory.