Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 79: A watcher in the sky

A month has passed since the foundation of the warehouse. The meadow has been transformed. The scent of freshly cut iron wood and damp earth has become the perfume of the caldera.

Four sturdy houses are now in a neat ring. There is a central plaza. This is the place where Visha will hold blessings and rituals. There is a central fire pit and a wider space around it. The place will serve as a meeting ground for the pack. Tribe meetings can also be held here.

The trio’s house was made into a two-story building. The top floor will be their bedroom and lookout. The bed was made from the logs of the ironwood tree and is incredibly durable. With the furs spread over the bed, it is soft and comfortable.

The rest of the pack members opted to keep their building as one story. Firstly, because the two-story house is an honour for the leaders and priestess. Secondly, the two-story house is too difficult to build. It took more than twice the amount of time to build it than the other houses.

All the houses are spaced far enough away to ensure privacy. Visha also asked them to keep an area where they can use to plant food. Luckily, Visha didn’t need to teach them about this. Although beastmen do prefer to forage because it is usually close to the tribe, they are aware of the concept of agriculture.

The pack had fallen into a rhythm of building, training, and exploring. These days have been filled with labour, laughter, and sharing warm nights by a fire.

It was during one of these training sessions when Cato and Xeno were sparring that the first incident happened.

Kit and Nimo were resting near the plaza, watching them train.

"Such a big bird!" Kit shouted.

Visha followed his gaze. She looked up to see a bird circling the caldera. Although it was far away and she couldn’t see exactly what it was, she was certain it was circling. She wondered if there was anything in the caldera of interest.

Over the next three days, she would see the same bird circling. Always at the same time. It would make slow circles over their settlement. Initially, the pack was curious about this bird, but curiosity soon turned to anxiety.

There were talks of it being a spy from another tribe. A scout who has been trying to figure out their strength and report to their leader.

Uri, Xeno, and Visha stood watching him for the fourth day in a row.

"He’s too high for me to catch his scent." Xeno’s instincts are on edge because of this person who might be trying to take his territory. "I can’t tell what tribe he’s from."

Uri’s eyes narrow, "He never comes any closer. He is patient and disciplined. This isn’t an impulse. It is a shifter with a purpose."

That evening, the trio thought of devising a plan.

"Waiting for him to make the first move doesn’t benefit us," Xeno stated. "If he’s a threat, we’re giving him a chance to plan against. We need to nip this in the bud."

"Agreed," Uri said. "But we need to ensure it is on our terms. We are unable to chase him after he leaves the caldera." He took out his map and pointed to a section. "This is the western ridge. There is a ledge large enough to accommodate all of us. His flight pattern passes this ridge. We can wait for him there."

Visha nodded in agreement. "We’re going to talk, not to fight. Only if everything else fails will we become violent. We don’t need to assume the worst right away."

The next morning, just as the sun began to rise, the three made the climb. The path to the western ridge was steep and treacherous. They stood on the ledge, wind whipping their hair.

It didn’t take long for them to see him. A piercing cry echoed from above befor fly directly towards them at an incredible speed. The shifter landed a dozen paces away. His transition from eagle to man was seamless. He was tall and lean with straw coloured hair and a pair of piercing golden eyes.

He stood before them, not saying anything. His posture was relaxed but alert.

Xeno took a half step forward. "Why have you been watching us?"

The eagle shifter’s gaze flitted from Xeno to Uri and finally landed on Visha.

He turned back to Xeno. "I’ve been watching you build. With your small number, you work together and eat together. You are building something different than ordinary tribes."

Uri’s eyes narrowed. "Who are you and where are you from?"

"My name is Kaelen. I am from...I used to belong to the Eastern Eagle tribe." His speech was straightforward. "I was exiled because I wanted to let people know of a danger that plagues the continent."

Uri watched his every move, looking for something that told him Kaelen was lying. "What threat are they hiding?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Uri didn’t know whether he would tell him. He took the chance to ask simply because he wanted to see if he would answer.

"Twisted beasts are appearing across the continent. They have a strange smell. Their blood melts and infects. Some move in the forests, other lay in one spot as if waiting." He cocked his head after he was finished talking.

Uri, Visha, and Xeno felt varying degrees of fright. Based on what he said, the creatures they encountered are everywhere. What they experienced wasn’t an isolated incident. It is something that could happen to everyone.

They remembered being infected by their blood.

The fact that Visha had to heal them or they would have become like those creatures. If the same thing starts happening to other tribes, will the continent be full of these creatures?

"How many did you see? Where are they now?" Visha stepped forward, her voice urgent.

Kaelen looked at her, his eyes piercing into her. "You’ve seen them." It was a statement.

"Yes," she nodded quickly, "now answer the question."

"The most I have seen at any given time is twenty. I don’t have an accurate number. They are everywhere. They have no fixed point."

"Have you seen any on your journey, whether alive or dead?" Xeno asked.

Kaelen shook his head, indicating he hadn’t seen any.

The trio frowned. They hadn’t cleared up the ones they killed. So either they weren’t truly dead or someone took them away. The other possibility is that he did not fly over the same section they walked. This was the truth they preferred to believe.

Sidestepping the topic, Uri asked, " So why exactly are you watching us?"

"I wanted to know if it was worth it to join your small tribe." Again, he spoke with a matter-of-fact tone. "I have never seen a tribe like yours. I have never seen people build with such purpose. If you will have me, I will join."

[Potential pack member detected]

[Candidate: Kaelen]

[Compatibility: High]

[Recommendation: Accept]

Visha turned to Uri and Xeno, giving a curt nod.

Uri stepped forward. "Kaelen, we will accept you. We hope you will be loyal to the pack. You have said you have never seen a tribe like ours. You are correct, there is none like it. You are welcome to grow with the Warm pack."

A smile crossed Kaelen’s face at their acceptance. They noticed that his tense posture had relaxed. He was still alert, but now there was fluidity.

When they ascended, there were three. On the descent, they became four.

Walking towards the settlement, they were happy.

That is, until they saw Cato sprinting towards them.