"Stay still," Kai said in a caring voice as he observed Valerie's troubled facial expression. "It might hurt for a bit."
Valerie closed her eyes and bit her lips, trying her best to bear through the pain. There was nothing else she could do. She took several deep breaths and felt the warm breeze as Kai pressed his hand against her skin.
She let out a little cry, and her body stiffened from the pain.
"Ah, it really hurts!" cried Valerie as she let out a small moan.
"It's okay," Kai said. "Just breathe. You'll get through this."
Valerie closed her eyes and recited the words under her breath to calm her nerves and ease the pain. Then, feeling the soft touch of Kai's hands against her, she felt the warmth of her body and the gentle breeze of the wind against her face.
"There, it's done!" Kai said as he stared at Valerie's wounded shin. He applied medicinal leaves and pressed them on the wound to prevent herself from bleeding.
Before that, they made sure to clean the surrounding skin of the wound before applying it. Kai felt proud of what he had done.
In a daze, Valerie exhaled. "It was so painful."
"You did well, Lady—” When met with Valerie’s steely gaze, Kai corrected himself, “You did well, Valerie.”
She then turned her head, and her round green eyes looked at Kai, "May I ask what your people are called?"
With a wry smile, Kai answered, "We are called beastmen. As you can see, I appear like a human but have similar qualities as a wolf. So I transform into one as well." He continued, "There are other beastmen like us as well. All different animals."
No words came out from Valerie's mouth, and she only nodded as a reply. Somehow, everything made sense if she were to judge and base it on what happened earlier. Then, a thought struck Valerie.
Were those hyenas beastmen too?
Standing up, Kai offered his hand and said, "Valerie, grab my hand and I will help you stand up."
Valerie stared at Kai's hand before accepting it. Then, reaching out with her fingers to place it in his calloused palm, Valerie felt grateful for him helping her.
"Thank you," she said as she let out a small sigh.
"You're welcome," Kai replied with a bright smile. His dimples were showing themselves. "You're safe now. You'll be back to your usual self in no time."
As Kai helped her up, Valerie jolted while standing up. She looked up at Kai and said, "Don't worry about me, I am fine and I can walk on my own."
Kai only smiled, shaking his head. Without warning, he snaked a hand around Valerie’s waist and under her knees. One moment Valerie’s feet were on the ground and in another, she was in Kai’s arms.
"As if I would let you walk in this state," he said. His actions brought a flutter of warmth to Valerie’s chest.
‘If only James was half as caring,’ she thought bitterly to herself.
The whole place was a little bit dark. The never-ending forest did not seem like it would end, but the more they walked, Valerie could see the village nearing them. They traveled through the village paths and made their way to the main entrance.
"I could see some people by the village," Valerie commented. "Do you know them?
Kai nodded as he began to pick up his pace. Valerie could see one of the villagers by the main entrance of the village extend his arms. The man, who looked similar to Kai, welcomed them with open arms.
Once they were safely in the village, Kai gently placed Valerie back down before he hugged the man in a tight embrace.
Valerie noted that the people there looked the same as Kai. They looked similar to humans appearance-wise, except for the ears on their heads and the tails behind them that made them stand out from ordinary humans.
The village looked like a warm family. For better or worse, the folks knew one another. It seemed that all of them got along very well. Despite the occasional squabble, they were loyal, loving, and protective of one another.
'They are a pack of wolves, beastmen,' Valerie thought to herself as the big man, who resembled Kai, glanced at her. He had the same amber-colored eyes as Kai, and she wondered if they were related to each other.
Some of the other villagers stared at her with a strange look on their faces. Particularly, one woman who had rusty ochreous hair color with ears perked up, fully alert. She glared at her as if Valerie had already done something wrong without having any idea of it.
And that made Valerie feel awkward and acknowledge some of them with a nod and an awkward smile.
"Village Chief," Kai called the man out with a grin. "I am back, safe and sound."
"Hearing you call me 'village chief' sounds so cold," the man commented as he gently patted Kai on his head. "Kai, you are my son. You should address me properly."
"Yes, Father," answered Kai.
The village chief, who introduced himself as Kai's father, glanced at Valerie with a big grin. "Are you the one kind woman who helped my son?"
"Y-Yes," Valerie muttered as she felt shy. "I did, but it feels like he helped me more along the way."
Kai's father, who seemed just as extroverted as his son, grabbed Valerie's hands and said to her, "If you don't have any other places to stay, you are welcome here in our village. You'll be safe and warm there. You have our thanks for bringing my son home safe and sound."
"Thank you, you are very kind," Valerie answered as she glanced at Kai, who was nodding his head.
"I will show you around the village, Valerie," Kai told her, "I will also introduce you to the rest of the villagers. Will that be okay?"
Valerie nodded, and for the first time, she realized that the exhaustion she felt earlier disappeared. Instead, seeing the villagers' faces made her feel like she felt welcomed.
As far as she can remember, Valerie's parents died when she was young, and she became an heiress of a multi-million company at such a young age. The world only valued those who are at the top,
As she always aimed to be at the top of the pyramid, Valerie could not help but feel the loneliness. However, seeing Kai get along with his father tugged something in her heart.
She craved having a family of her own as well.
With a smile, Valerie said, "Of course. That would be great!”