Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin-Chapter 87: Meeting Up

Oliver’s Perspective

I jumped up and ran over when I realized how aggressively she was blinking her eyelashes. Almost as if they were two pairs of wings that were getting ready to take flight. "Are you alright? Is there something stuck in your eyes?"

The medicine was given to Perla’s other hopeful males, so there wasn’t much more I could do on that front except wait a bit longer for them to recover. They would be okay, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me knowing that. They weren’t officially part of our family yet since she hadn’t marked them, but I found myself hoping she would do so soon. I wanted our family to be stable and settled in a nice place. I would reopen a practice somewhere that needed a healer and was welcoming to smaller beastkin. We could have a big family, and once Perla decided she was ready, we could have some adorable cubs to care for. I didn’t mind what kind of cubs they were, even if they weren’t little chipmunk babies; they would still be my cubs, our family’s cubs, and they would be so cute. I hoped they would inherit Perla’s eyes.

Imagining her plump from pregnancy, her soft and gentle eyes gazing at me with warmth, just fills me with happiness. I looked into the other female’s eyes while picturing Perla’s lovely golden-brown eyes in my mind. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, realizing that daydreaming while examining an injured beastkin is quite unprofessional. "I don’t see anything. Where does it hurt?" I asked, looking into her eyes. She blinked a few more times, and then the expression in her eyes suddenly shifted. She took my hand in hers and lifted it, placing it on her left breast, "It hurts here." I looked down at my hand in confusion as she pressed her hand over mine firmly. "Really? But I thought there was something in your eye.

Tonya’s Perspective

He looked at me, confusion clouding his eyes, when I had anticipated a spark of desire after I boldly made him touch my breast. But instead, all I saw was confusion. How could he be so oblivious? How did Perla even manage to claim him in the first place? Did she just leap at him, bite him, and somehow get lucky enough for him to accept her mark?

"It hurts so much and feels so tight," I said, quickly pulling down my top to expose my left breast to his gaze. He picked up a delicate white cloth and laid it over my chest, then grabbed a metal cup with a cord attached to it and another cup at the other end. He positioned one end above my breast and listened through the other end. He regarded me with a cold, detached look, as if I were just a piece of furniture, basic furniture like a rough-hewn chair without any charm. It was infuriating, and I felt a surge of anger rise within me. How could he not give me the attention I so rightfully deserve? I would make him notice me.

Oliver’s Perspective

He looked a bit concerned while checking the instrument, but nothing appeared to be seriously wrong. Her heartbeat was slightly elevated, yet it wasn’t high enough to cause the chest pain she was mentioning. It must be something else that’s triggering the discomfort.

Then, he heard some movement behind them and turned to see the other guys starting to wake up. He quickly jumped up, dropping the instrument and completely forgetting about it.

Tonya’s lips were pressed together as she adjusted her shirt to cover her chest, knocking the white cloth onto the dirt in frustration. She stepped on the cloth, grinding it into the cave’s dirt floor as she stood up.

Oliver was busy tending to the other guys as they regained consciousness, offering them herbal tea to boost their energy, clear their minds, and ensure they were hydrated to flush out the remaining poison. One by one, he brought the bowls to their lips, making sure they drank as much as they could. He had been so worried about them, more than he ever thought he would be before this all happened, and he felt anxious, eager to rush out and rescue Perla; she was his everything, his love.

"Perla! Where’s Perla!" Titus shouted as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Shh, there’s no need to get worked up. Once everyone wakes up and finishes their nutrition drink, we can devise a plan to save Perla. We can’t just charge in there without at least a little strategy. I managed to catch his scent on a cloth before he left, so we should be able to track him down."

"Who’s that?" Titus said while pointing at the red squirrel female, between quickly gulping down the nutritious drink I made him.

I cast a glance at her while making my way to Ira with another bowl. "You know, I’m not entirely certain. She walked in here claiming she was ill and needed a healer, yet she never revealed her name." Titus scrutinized her with a discerning gaze, a flicker of...disgust? "Is that right? Tell me, how did she know we would be here and that you’re a healer? What exactly did she have you examine?" Oliver frowned, then turned to Tonya, confusion etched on his face. "You know, that’s a very valid question. She had me check her chest, but how did she know I would be here and that I’m a healer? Just a strange coincidence, I guess."

"She wanted you to check her chest, huh? I’m feeling a bit stuffy; would you mind heading to the stream outside and getting a damp cloth for me?" Titus asked.

"Sure," Oliver replied, leaping up with a white cotton cloth and heading outside to the stream. The moment he was out of sight, Titus lunged at Tonya, extending his claws on one hand and pressing them against her throat, forcing her down into the dirt. She opened her mouth to scream but froze when she felt the sharp prick of a single claw break the skin of her throat.

"I wouldn’t make a sound if I were you; your throat will be sliced clean open from one side to the other by the time Oliver returns. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, and frankly, I don’t care, but I know you’re trying to seduce Oliver, and that’s something I won’t tolerate. You see, Oliver belongs to my female, and she’s quite attached to him. Anyone who tries to disrupt my female’s happiness becomes my enemy, and I’m not someone you want as an adversary. Oliver is a good male, but he’s naïve; he doesn’t even see you as a female, just a faceless patient. However, if Perla catches wind of you trying to take Oliver from her, she’ll be furious, and no one upsets my female around me and walks away unscathed.

"You can’t threaten a female," she said with a quiet and enraged hiss.

"I can do whatever I want. Do you know Titus of the adventurers guild, the Legendary Nieman Lion?"

She paled and shut her mouth while studying his face. "No, you can’t be,"

"Yes," he said simply.

You’re not getting it. This is all just a big misunderstanding. I have no intention of hurting Perla; I just wanted to find out if there was any kind of connection between Oliver and me, between us. If there was, I was planning to ask Perla if she would consider selling him to me. I had no plans to steal him or harm Perla; I was going to provide a generous offer.

His deep, golden eyes sparkled ominously as he narrowed them at her. "Do you know her?"

"Yes, she saved me, so of course, I would never steal from her. I was only going to propose a generous offer if he and I shared a connection."

Tch! Ignorant females can be just as harmful as the cruel ones. Let me clarify this for you: you have no relationship with Oliver, there is no ’us’ between you two, and there never will be. Perla loves him, and you’d better keep that in mind. She won’t sell her man; that’s just not who she is.

"Why do you even care if I take a male away from your female? Wouldn’t you be happier with less competition?"

He let out a soft laugh, devoid of joy and filled with malice. It sent a bone-chilling shiver down Tonya’s spine. "As I’ve mentioned, my main priority is Perla’s happiness, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to guarantee that happiness. You will cease your pursuit of Oliver right now, and we will act as if this awkward situation never occurred, or you will vanish, and no one will ever find out what happened to you."

"I only wanted to see if he and I were compatible."

"Look, you can stop wondering because you’re not. So what’s your real reason for being here? And don’t give me that nonsense about needing a doctor, or you might actually end up needing one."

She gulped, anxiously. "Perla sent me to inform her friends about her whereabouts. I was just about to share that before you chose to confront me like this."

"So, Perla saved you, and your brilliant idea was to try to charm her mate as a way of saying thanks?"

"I wasn’t going to steal anyone; I was going to offer a good price for him if he was interested in me."

"This is why I dislike most females: this kind of twisted logic. In your mind, you don’t even see anything wrong with your actions, do you?" He said while pulling back his hand and shoving her away with the other hand.

Oliver came back into the cave, and Titus gave him a pleasant smile like nothing had even occurred. "It seems that this little red squirrel knows our female and was sent here to find us," said Titus.

"And got injured along the way. Thank you for putting yourself in danger in order to help our female. We won’t forget your kindness," said Oliver

" I certainly won’t forget what happened here today," said Titus while staring deeply into Tonya’s eyes.

She turned her eyes away from him, questioning how Perla could choose to be with such a terrifying guy. Once she finished helping Perla, she’d return to her own people and find a decent male from her tribe to settle down with. Those outsider males are just way too scary!

Coming Next Time: Reunion