Hans' face turned angry when he heard Halvir's answer just now. Even so, he still seemed friendly and gentle.
''How could a woman be in the FORBIDDEN FOREST?!'' Hans asked with a slightly raised voice, ''Are you making fun of me because I never set foot there?'' asked Hans again with a furious face, glancing at Halvir.
''You think I'm making fun of you?'' Halvir asked seriously, but the impression of indifference and indifference remained on Halvir's face.
''Your name is Anindira,'' said Hans to Anindira. He didn't answer Halvir, he just ignored him. It was still clear that he was annoyed at Halvir.
''Yes ...'' replied Anindira while nodding.
''Hmm...'' Hans started to observe Anindira, he saw Anindira as a whole from top to bottom, ''You are quite healthy, just need energy. You're a little tired, but that's okay. Just need to eat enough and rest. Your blood circulation is blocked a lot here and there, but it's safe enough. For a woman, you're quite muscular...'' Hans said then, after seeing Anindira's condition carefully, Hans sincerely praised her. He was quite proud that a very healthy woman had entered his village.
''His hearing and smell are many times better than mine, when concentrating he's even able to tell where your blood is flowing. If he gets used to you, he will know if there is a problem with your body,'' Halvir explained to Anindira.
Halvir seemed to understand the look on Anindira's questioning face. Without being asked, he told Anindira.
Hans, who had been annoyed with Halvir for a moment, now felt strange. He softened and was no longer indifferent to Halvir, he wanted to pay attention to him even more, he felt something was different about Halvir.
''Since when did he talk so much?'' asked Hans in his heart.
Hans felt a change in Halvir. If he didn't know him well, he wouldn't be able to see that there was a gentle expression behind his straight face all this time.
Hans had known Halvir for almost three decades, they were close enough to be called friends. Hans's face turned gentle, he was quite happy after looking closely at Halvir, he was quite sure what he was seeing just now was not wrong. Because of that, he is happy with his friend's change. He is also happy for Halvir.
Hans stepped over to the large table beside which there were several chests and shelves full of spices and medicines neatly arranged. He sat cross-legged and started pounding some spices. Anindira, who had been curious since entering the village, finally dared to ask.
''Anu... Halvir!'' Anindira called while holding his wrist.
''Halvir, is... is he just like you?'' asked Anindira in a whisper.
''Hm?!'' Halvir's forehead wrinkled, he didn't understand Anindira's question.
''C-can... Can change... shape?" Anindira asked haltingly because she was hesitant.
They were silent because they were still trying to digest the meaning of Anindira's question.
''That... Emh... Can change... It changes form... Becomes a Jaguar?... Like you... '' Anindira said again, still stuttering because she was very hesitant to say it.
''Of course, I can!'' shouted Hans and immediately answered. Anindira was surprised because she was still not used to the sharp hearing of the Beast Humans, ''But I'm not a Jaguar, I'm from the Lion Clan,'' Hans replied with a smile on his face.
Hans admired Anindira. She was small in stature but she could talk casually with Halvir, who was a *Sapphire. Even for a man, the aura of authority that could be seen in Halvir was heavy.
''WOW... Great!'' exclaimed Anindira. Finally, her doubts disappeared immediately, ''Can everyone here change?'' asked Anindira with sparkling eyes.
''What's so great?! All men can do it. Have you ever seen it?" asked Hans, surprised by Anindira's reaction.
''But... I'm just an ordinary human, I can't change shape like that...'' Anindira's words just now made the two of them look at each other with strange faces.
''Of course not! You're a woman... '' Halvir replied, and Hans also chuckled at that.
''So... Anindira... Is that your name?'' asked Hans.
''Yes,'' Anindira answered briefly with a nod.
''Okay, can I call you that?'' asked Hans to Anindira, but he also glanced at Halvir.
Hans asked permission from Halvir. Halvir nodded in response, he allowed Hans to call Anindira.
''Anindira, what clan do you come from?'' asked Hans then, ''To be honest, I don't smell any genes from you, you don't have a spouse yet, you should smell that smell strongly of you, but I can't smell it at all any clan from you…'' said Hans again continuing the explanation of his question.
''I'm sorry, I don't understand?'' Anindira asked, answering Hans with a confused face.
''Is this matter that you brought her to me? You want to make sure...'' Hans said, glancing at Halvir. Halvir was silent and didn't answer, but that was enough to answer Hans' question, which meant ''yes''.
''I can't smell anything, Halvir, the smell of the genes in it, I don't recognize it,'' Hans answered Halvir.
Anindira was even more surprised to see Halvir and Hans, who seemed to be talking and ignoring her. She was quite annoyed because of that.
"Halvir what's wrong?! Is there a problem?" asked Anindira in a curt tone, breaking up the two men who were focused on themselves.
''Sorry, Anindira... No, there's nothing, it doesn't matter... Calm down!'' Halvir shouted.
''This is Anindira. I'll explain a little. For example... I'm from the Lion Clan, and Halvir is from the Jaguar Clan... We have a smell that identifies our ancestry, a smell passed down from our father... And, sorry, Anindira... I don't recognize the smell of you. I'm sure you don't have a mate yet, that's why the smell should still be there…" Hans said gently, explaining to Anindira.
''I?! I'm not from any clan... I'm an ordinary human, my brothers, my mother, and my father... as well as my friends, they're ordinary people…'' Anindira answered innocently, which made the two of them even more surprised.
''Even the men?'' cried Hans asked, with an astonished face.
''Yes... Men, women... it's the same, no one can change their form in my place, as I've seen it with Ms. Halvir,'' said Anindira, answering matter-of-factly.
''Halvir, don't you know anything about this?'' asked Hans, and Halvir answered by shaking his head.
"She even spoke a different language before," Halvir added, not hiding anything from Hans.
''Who did you get to the forest with?'' Hans asked again.
''Alone''
''Are you left out? Over there, alone?" asked Hans again. He was still very curious.
''No!'' exclaimed Anindira answered firmly, ''I was suddenly there,'' she added.
"I'm sorry, but, frankly speaking, you're weird, I… Don't know anything like this, it's my first time hearing about this, how can there be a human who can't shapeshift?!… I only know women who can't, if men can't either, are you perhaps the only one left of your Clan?" asked Hans in astonishment and confusion.
"Only men can change shape, can't women?! Why?'' Anindira asked back to Hans.
''We don't know, it's been like this for a long time, women are indeed weaker than men, that's why we take care of them,'' Hans answered Anindira.
''Ah!...'' exclaimed Anindira in response to Hans, ''But... I'm not the last. There are many others...'' Anindira said in response to Hans' previous question.
''But, earlier, you said that in your place no one can change shape?!'' cried Hans asked with a very surprised face, still with his mindset.
''Yes, that's true,'' said Anindira confidently.
''What are the men like?'' asked Hans, still curious. It was Hans' nature to always want to know more about something.
''It's normal, but men are still stronger than women, but Halvir can be called a superhuman,'' said Anindira.
''Doesn't that mean your clan is very weak?!'' Hans shouted firmly, ''How could they possibly survive until now?'' asked Hans in surprise.
''Huh?!?!'' Anindira cried out in surprise, Anindira's forehead wrinkled, feeling like she was being humiliated.
"Listen... When we shapeshift, our strength will also increase, but also our body size clearly shows how far we can grow. If you can't change shape, that means you are weak? How could you face the ferocity of wild animals, especially when there is an attack from a clan that could change shape like us? How many members of your clan are they almost exterminated?" Hans explained.
''ANNIHILATED?!... That's impossible! There are many of them, if you mean tribes, there are many from one tribe, but from one country there are many tribes. destroyed?!! That's impossible, wild animals, we humans, crazier than them ... '' Anindira answered excitedly.
Halvir and Hans frowned in surprise at Anindira's words, but they could also feel that there were no lies in every word she said.
''Well... in this village, there are six Clans, all mixed. If all of them add up, there are around eight hundred people. This village is called the Blue Forest Village, one of the hundreds or even thousands of villages around the KINGDOM ruled by the Lion King,'' said Hans.
''How many people are in the KINGDOM?'' asked Anindira, assuming it was a big country, hearing not the Chieftain but the King mentioning it.
''About three hundred thousand,'' replied Hans.
"I don't know the exact number of each tribe in my place, but we are all under the same government, our numbers are almost three hundred million souls ... '' said Anindira answered.
''Million?!... What is that?'' Hans asked. He and Halvir did not understand that sentence.
''Eum...'' Anindira tried to think of an answer, ''How come... Three hundred thousand... About eight hundred and thirty-three times out of three hundred thousand…'' Anindira replied with an innocent face.
"Not only that, where I come from is one of over two hundred territories… No, territories. But, the country which is there, and it's not the largest number. My country is in the fourth position with the most population, but, in terms of area, my country is only in the fifteenth position ... '' said Anindira, again adding his explanation.
Hans and Halvir were surprised by Anindira's words. They couldn't believe there were so many people in one place. Even if the KINGDOM and the surrounding villages were added together, the number wouldn't add up. The most astonishing thing for Halvir and Hans now is, it turns out, it's only from one area and there are many other regions and some are even bigger.
They were astonished to feel that Anindira was making it up. However, they did not see any lies in Anindira's eyes. They believed that what Anindira said was true. It was clear from the look in Anindira's eyes and the sound of her normal heartbeat.
''How many women are there?''
Halvir and Hans both asked in unison.
**
Women are the most important treasure, not only for a family but also for a village and even a BIG KINGDOM.
Women will be guarded and protected even if their lives are at stake, even if men don't know them. Losing women means that a Village or Clan will lose the ability to have the next generation, and if that continues, it won't be long until the Village or Clan will eventually disappear.
This is not just a fairy tale, many villages or Clans have perished because they lost their women. Clans or villages that have lost women will be looked down upon because it means they are weak. Even though they can enter other clans or villages, they will rarely be glanced at by women because of their inability to look after and protect women.
**
''Hah?!?! I-I... I don't know...'' Anindira exclaimed in surprise. Two dashing men suddenly asked about women together with serious faces.
"I said we have eight hundred people in this village, right? Do you know how many women there are? There are only thirty-three, plus you add thirty-four... In the great Lion Kingdom, there are three hundred thousand people, not much different from this village, the number of women is few. There are only less than fifteen hundred women, that's what I know. Five years ago, I hadn't been there for a long time…'' Hans explained.
''Ha!!... Terrible!... Very few... in my place, women and men have an equal proportion of numbers. It seems that there are more women than men... It seems so...'' said Anindira.
Hans and Halvir had nothing to say. They were weak but had an incredibly large population, but no one had ever known this before. What was their secret to having such a large population? Hans' curiosity started to be piqued. He wanted to know more.
''Eum... How old are you?'' asked Hans. He changed his question, he wanted to find out more.
''Sixteen years, I think... '' Anindira answered, she didn't count how long she had been there.
''You're still young, have you entered your maturity?'' Hans asked further.
''Huh?!... What does that mean?'' asked Anindira. She didn't understand the words that Hans had just said.
''Your *hot cycle...'' said Hans, again trying to explain to Anindira, but was immediately interrupted by Halvir, who glanced at him with sharp eyes that made Hans flinch.
''Let's go home!'' Halvir shouted, cutting off Hans' words. He immediately picked up Anindira, picked her, then took her outside.