If anyone asked Winston how his skin improved, Shelly would gladly take credit and offer her spa services to anyone who was interested. The beastworld didn't have money, but they used a barter/trade system. She wasn't sure how much to charge, so she would leave it up to the beastmen who received the treatment. The most important thing was to improve the reputation of Winston and her family.
Good reputation was essential to gain the trust of the beastmen. Shelly figured if they trusted her and Winston they might not react so strongly when they found out she was not from their world. She might be able to change the fate that Bai experienced in the novel. Only time would tell if the plot had been altered by her actions.
As the banquet was coming to an end, a wolf beastman approached Winston and informed him the Ape King requested for him. Winston nodded and told Shelly, "You can go back first and I will come after I speak with the Ape king. Shelly and Harvey nodded and left to go home. Shuu followed them.
Once they returned to the den, Shelly showed Shuu around and some of the plants and vegetables they had found. Shuu was especially interested in the Aloe Vera plant. Shelly told him, "This plant is edible, but it doesn't taste good. I prefer to use it on the hair and skin. It is part of the reason Winston's skin has improved.
Shuu nodded and put the plant back after sniffing it. He was thinking if his female liked that plant, he would recognize the scent and bring more back when he went hunting. His sense of smell was a little overwhelmed with all the different plants she had. She pointed to the lavender and said, "This one is good for sensitive skin like mine. It is also edible, but does not taste good. I can also use it to clean with. I really love the smell of lavender." She pointed at the mint and said, "This is mint. It can be used to calm an upset stomach and leaves the breath smelling fresh. It can also be used to clean with."
Shuu took in all the different smells and remembered them. If his female liked them, he would get more of them. Harvey was also mentally taking note of the different uses for the plants. He thought his female was very knowledgeable.
The sky grew darker and Shelly was beginning to worry about Winston. She remembered in the book that the Ape king had poisoned Winston. She wondered if she had altered the story enough to change the plot line. Soon it started to rain and thunder outside. Shelly remembered it was about this time in the story when Winston was poisoned.
She tried to keep herself from worrying by mixing different masks. She asked Shuu to make her some stone bowls and he was happy for something to do. Harvey was busy grinding the ingredients she asked him to grind. She started with the lavender. Her sensitive skin would need a good moisturizer during the winter when it got colder. The air was currently humid due to the rain, so she had some time to figure out the correct ratios of ingredients.
Time went by and the three were so absorbed with their concoctions that Shelly was frightened when she saw a glimpse of Winston illuminated by the lightning outside of her window. She gasped and the other 2 males looked out the window. Shuu went outside and brought Winston back inside. He was limping and barely awake. Harvey went up to him and helped Shuu lay him down on a fur.
Harvey examined Winston and said, "He has been poisoned!" Winston was barely able to speak and said, "It was the Ape king." Shuu looked nervous and said, "Maybe he is hallucinating. Why would the Ape king poison one of our strongest males in the city?" Harvey looked pensive as he started to create an antidote to help with the poison.
Shelly knew the Ape king did it, but she was unsure of where Shuu's loyalty lay. She had barely known him for less than a day and he was a trusted guard of the Ape king. She decided to test his loyalty. If he was on the Ape king's side, she would not allow him to live with her any more.
Shelly said, "What if the Ape king is trying to get rid of the stronger beastmen so he could be the strongest in the City of Beasts?" Shuu and Harvey thought about it and Shuu said, "I guess it is possible, but why now? The Ape king just praised Winston at the banquet for bringing back the females."
Shelly said, "Maybe he was trying to make it look like someone else did it by praising him earlier." She looked at Harvey and asked him, "How is he? Are you able to cure the poison?" Harvey looked at Shelly and said, "I have neutralized the poison, but it will still take some time to leave his body. He will need to sleep and drink a lot of water for a couple days."
Shelly nodded and asked Shuu to get some more water from the river. She thought, this is a great time to teach them how to make soup. Winston fell asleep and Shelly asked Harvey, "What do you think?" Harvey looked at Winston and said, "It is possible for the Ape king to poison Winston. I trained with him when I became a doctor and he knows all of the secret poisons. He is also hungry for power."
Shelly nodded and said, "once Winston recovers we should leave the City of Beasts. We should head towards the sea." Harvey considered her words and nodded. He had never been to the sea, but he had heard stories and it seemed to be a nice place to live. The weather was warmer, so they would not need to stock up as much for winter. The journey would take them about a month and it was the rainy season now. It was not the best time to travel.
Harvey replied, "The sea is a good place, but we should wait until after the rainy and cold season to travel. The Ape king will not be able to strike at Winston again without angering the Tiger king." Shelly nodded and remembered that Winston was the Tiger king's brother. Then she remembered Rosa, the Tiger king's daughter who wanted Winston for her own. She hadn't seen Rosa yet, but hoped to avoid her.
Shuu returned with the water and soon after there was a knock at the door. Shelly told Shuu to answer the door. She was testing to see what he would say. Shuu answered the door and a few wolf beastmen were outside in the rain. They asked if he had seen Winston. Shuu said no. One of the beastmen said he could smell Winston's scent in the den. Shelly came to the door and said, "Winston is one of my guardians. He was here earlier, but went to see the Ape king after the banquet. I have not seen him since then. What happened?"
The wolf beastmen looked at each other and then told Shelly, " He went crazy and bit a lot of beastmen. If you see him let us know. He is dangerous and we do not want anyone else to be in danger." Shelly nodded and closed the door. Since Shuu lied for her, she took it as he was on her side. She would let him stay.
Shuu was unaware of her thoughts but felt he did the right thing. He didn't want to risk angering Shelly by handing over Winston to the Ape king. He was still unsure if the Ape king did poison Winston, but didn't want to regret it later. Better to wait and see. If Winston did try to bite Shelly, he would protect her with his life. Shuu was fiercely loyal to Shelly even though he had only just met her. She was special.
Shuu had not seen any other female that treated males with such kindness and respect. She also had different ideas and new recipes that he was eager to try. His tail wagged a little at the thought of the meat from earlier. Shelly asked him, "Do you feel bad about lying to them earlier?"
Shuu shook his head and said, "I will follow what you want. I will not hand him over unless he really becomes a threat to you." Shuu looked at Winston's sleeping form and felt no threat from him. Shelly nodded and said, "Good. Let's get ready for bed. We will let him sleep in the other room tonight.
She was a little nervous. She had slept next to Harvey in his beast form and he was good at keeping her warm. She didn't know about Shuu and Winston. Just think of them as big pets!