The next morning Ethan came back but Lyria still wasn't.
"Still not back?" Ethan asks.
"No. Every little sound I hear I think it's her. I hope she's alright." Noah sighed in frustration.
"You wouldn't hear me coming anyways." Both males jumped in fright. Lyria was walking up to them and replied to what Noah said.
"I was watching for you this whole time and never saw you. How did you do that?"
"It's a secret. I'm going to the river to wash up. We can talk when I get back. Noah, will you be my lookout?"
"Yeah." He was confused but let it go. When Lyria walked by the scent of another male crossed Noah's path and his eyes narrowed.
"Don't Noah." She glared at him dismissively.
"Why?"
"Do not question me, Noah," Lyria said sternly.
"What's going on?" Ethan's sense of smell wasn't as strong as Noah's.
"Lyria smells like another male."
"Drop it Noah."
"Why do you smell like another male." Noah had a pained expression. Ethan looked at Lyria but didn't show his feelings.
"I told you to trust me so do that and don't ask about it."
"I didn't think you'd be with other males. We waited for you and worried about you and you were off playing. Your acting like all the other females now." Noah started to raise his voice at her. He was upset and lashing out at her.
Those words hurt.
"Ethan, will you keep watch for me?" She looked away from Noah and turned to Ethan, hoping he would help instead.
"Sure." He nodded
Lyria turned and walked away. Small silent tears slipped down her eyes. Ethan walked behind her.
"Are you okay?"
"It's not what you think. I didn't really have a choice. I got caught right before dawn. I did what I had to do to get out of there. He's dead anyways so I got out without any more problems. I swear I didn't do it because I wanted to, I swear I didn't." The tears just kept coming harder and harder. She momentarily stopped and hugged herself.
Ethan was amazed and saddened by her. He felt helpless not knowing what to do.
"I don't know what to do."
"Just have my back please."
We kept walking till we got to the river. After making sure no one was around, Lyria stripped and got in the water rubbing her body as hard as she could still crying silently into the water.
As a winged beastman, Ethan had great eyesight and every cell in his body wanted to examine the beauty in the river. His ears weren't so great so he got higher to get a better view of the area.
Nudity wasn't a big deal around beastmen but for a lone female, it was instinct to want to claim her. To keep that from happening, he kept his eyes off her concentrating on the surrounding areas.
After a while, Lyria called him down.
"Feel better?"
"A little better."
"I know we don't really know each other that well but may I ask what happened?"
"I went to the female's tent first. There were still two females left. I told them when everyone was back that they can have the food I sent them. I hid it slightly underground and went to the private garden I had there that was behind the palace. It's where most of my energy was stored, where I could connect better with the forest. I sat there for most of the night searching and searching to see if it was possible that there was a tunnel going underground but I couldn't find anything and dawn was coming so I was about to walk back and hide by the female's tent to see if they were sharing when I was grabbed from behind and dragged into a tent. As one of the kings chosen, we were shown off to the more important males. One of the generals who hoped I would choose him instead of the king found me. I thought I was a goner for sure but then he started to check if I was alright and I used his weakness for me to my advantage and let him touch me so he would let his guard down. Then I strangled him, forever silencing him. I checked on the females and then left. But I did find out that the general just got back from supervising the dig. I searched and searched but I couldn't find the tunnel. When I was walking back I realized I searched the safe areas."
"What do you mean?"
"The tunnel the young females and I used to escape was the safest path, branching out outside of the palace to the edge of Blackmist. What isn't safe is the nest directly under the palace."
"So you're thinking the tunnel is dug from the nest?"
"Yes. I want to set up my own perimeter around the forest that goes deep into the ground. When the snakes get close to it I'll know how far down and which direction they're trying to escape from."
"If you could actually do that we'll be the ones to have the advantage." Ethan almost sounded excited.
"Yes, but it'll take me weeks to do it on my own and we may be out of time by then. Is there any way you could request nature priest to help me?"
"Yes, I'll do that right away. Get on my back I'll give you a lift back."
"Don't you think that's a little too intimate, can't you just hold me in your arms."
Ethan's eyes widen slightly. "Sorry, I forgot what that means for feline females. For us in the wing clan when a female wears our feather in her hair is when she's spoken for. So It's fine with me if you get on my back."
"Okay."
Ethan morphed into an eagle twice as big as his man form. His feathers were beautiful, going from black, to brown, blue. His tail feathers were the longest and most beautiful royal blue. He knelt down so I could get on. Each feather was smooth and felt good to the touch. When he got up, he was huge. He spread his wings out and they were massive. They looked strong and powerful.
When he took off I held on tight and hid my face into his neck.
With how hard I was holding him I could feel the strength and power behind every muscle movement. I ran one of my hands over his wing. I felt a wave go across his body.
Ethan shook his head no.
Was he telling me not to touch? I pull my hand back just in case.
A couple of minutes later he was landing by our set up. I slid down and he quickly left.
Did my touching his wing really bother him that much?
I notice Noah watching me but I ignore him and set up a place to rest.
"I'm sorry Lyria for what I said. You asked me to trust you and the moment you do something I don't like, I question you. I'm sorry for that Lyria." Noah begged.
"I told you, you were going to see another side to me. I told you to trust me because I already knew you weren't going to like it. I tried to give you a heads up and you still said some hurtful things to me." Lyria spoke with disappointment in her voice.
Noah was ashamed of how he treated Lyria and left her to get some rest.
He swore to himself right there that he would always follow her and never question her why she was doing something.