The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 166: The crystal grotto

The trees waved with a violent rustle as two blurs of motion skidded to a halt just a few feet behind us, carrying the wind behind them.

Fenric was grinning, a few stray crumbs from the roast still clinging to the corner of his mouth, his chest heaving with the sheer exhilaration of the sprint. Damar looked as if he hadn’t even broken a sweat, his silver hair perfectly in place, though his slit-pupils were wide and focused entirely on me.

"Thirty seconds," Damar said, his voice smooth and slightly smug as he checked my shadow’s position. "You didn’t get very far, Ari."

"I was pacing myself for the kid!" I argued, pouting. "How did you even eat all that meat so fast?"

"It’s just meat," Fenric said and for some reason, my eyes wandered down to his skirt, wondering how he managed with his erection. "Ahem,"

I looked away. Well, he must’ve done ’something’ cause there’s no longer a tent. Good for him.

Dani looked between the two towering males and then back at me, his mouth hanging open in genuine awe. To a rabbit, the idea of being tracked and caught that quickly—across shifting winds and through thick brush—was the stuff of horror stories. But seeing us laughing, he finally seemed to understand that this wasn’t a hunt. It was something special.

It was a bond he could not fully comprehend at his age.

"They really... they really did find you," Dani whispered, clutching my shoulder.

"Told you," I chuckled, ruffling his hair. "I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace with these two around. Now, since you’re both here and clearly full of energy, let’s see this Crystal Grotto. I’ve had enough drama for one morning; I want to see something pretty."

Dani pointed toward a dense cluster of weeping willows where a small stream disappeared into a limestone crevice.

"It’s just through there. The water carved out a hollow under the hill. When the sun is high, it hits the quartz in the walls and..." He gestured vaguely, his eyes bright. "It looks like the stars fell into the earth."

As we walked, Fenric stayed glued to my left side, his shoulder occasionally bumping mine as if to reassure himself I was still there.

Damar took the right, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back. The tension from the morning had completely melted into a comfortable, warm hum of companionship.

We reached the entrance of the grotto—a narrow opening draped in glowing green moss. As we stepped inside, the temperature dropped, smelling of wet stone and ancient earth.

And then, I saw it.

The cave opened up into a wide, shimmering chamber. A thin beam of midday light shot through a hole in the ceiling, hitting a massive cluster of crystals in the center of a clear blue pool. The light shattered into a thousand tiny rainbows, dancing across the damp walls and reflecting off the water.

"Whoa," I breathed, eyes widened, and chest tightening.

It was breathtaking. It was peaceful.

The feeling I had while staring at the scenery was the exact opposite of the chaotic, jealous mess I had been an hour ago.

"Is this better than anything you’ve ever seen before?" Dani asked, excited and hopeful.

I looked at the rainbows, then at Damar’s calm face, and finally at Fenric, who was looking at me with so much devotion it made my chest ache.

"Yeah, Dani," I whispered, leaning my head against Fenric’s arm while holding Damar’s hand. "This is better than any scenery I’ve ever seen before."

It was even better than the lake they took us to take our bath. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The crystals looked so beautiful. To think there was a place like this with such rare and pretty materials.

If this were the modern world, this place would’ve already been mined until there were no crystals left.

Such beauty can only be appreciated where others can see, they say. But I think the beauty of such crystals shines brighter in their cluster, just like this.

I breathed softly, and then hard, my eyes suddenly feeling heavy as I fluttered my lashes.

What’s going on? It’s like I’m slowly losing strength in my legs and my body’s getting a bit weak.

I let out a shaky breath, feeling a bead of sweat roll down from my temple. I wiped my chin with the back of my hand, frowning. Is it because of the run? Or did I push myself too hard with that stunt earlier trying to climb a tree with Dani on my back?

I didn’t feel anything then, and not even when I had stopped running, but right now... It’s as if my insides are on fire.

The air felt thick, like it was suddenly ten degrees hotter in this damp cave than it had been in the sun.

I tried to blink away the fuzziness, focusing on the rainbows dancing on the walls, but the colors started to bleed together.

Beside me, the air shifted. I didn’t even have to look to know Damar had gone rigid. I heard his tongue flick out, and then his eyes slit into razor-thin lines. Wild lines.

"Ari," he called. His voice wasn’t its usual silk; it was sharp, vibrating with an alarm that made my heart skip. "Your scent... it just changed."

"What?" I murmured, my voice sounding distant to my own ears.

I turned toward him, but my coordination was off. My head felt light, and my skin felt like it was humming. Fenric was there in a second, his large hand pressing against my forehead. The moment his skin touched mine, a jolt of electricity shot through me so fierce I nearly gasped.

I looked into his eyes and saw a flash of something primal and dark. He looked drawn to me—hungry—but he jerked his hand back as if I’d burned him, his face flushing a deep, sudden red.

"You’re hot, Arinya. Too hot," he said, his voice rasped with a light tremor as he turned his face away.

His chest began to heave. It was as if he had a feeling as to what was going on with me but he couldn’t be sure.

He clenched his hand in front of him, trying not to look at the state I was in, scared he would fall harder the more he looked.

Damar didn’t pull away. He came closer, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the air around me. The scent he once knew had become so thick that it felt so intoxicating to him.

He let out a silent, languid sigh, but I heard it, and it made my skin tingle in excitement.

He knew. I could see the realization spread all over his face as he looked me dead in the eye.

"Ari," he called. "It looks like you’re in heat,"