The distressing news of Lucas being kidnapped by a titanboa snake quickly spread throughout the tribe, causing a sense of worry and concern to engulf every member.
Gina, overwhelmed with grief, was sobbing uncontrollably in the arms of her husbands, her eyes swollen and red from the tears streaming down her face.
"My precious cub...," Gina whimpered, her voice choked with sorrow, as she pounded her fists against her husband Louis' chest.
Kyra, who had just learned about Lucas' abduction, stared blankly ahead, her eyes filled with a mix of shock and despair. She approached a beastman with curly white hair, who was informing everyone about the kidnapping.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, her heart heavy with sadness.
"He provoked a feral titanboa snake, and it snatched him away," the worried beastman explained. "Some of us pursued them towards its castle, but we couldn't gain entry because venomous snakes were guarding every corner... I afraid..."
Kyra's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Each passing second felt like a painful stab to her heart. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, blurring her vision, and her hands clenched into tight fists.
Her mind latched onto one word: castle.
"Can you take me there?" Kyra asked, her voice devoid of any emotion. The shock on everyone's faces was palpable as they stared at her in disbelief.
***
Vincent, with an expressionless face, callously threw Lucas into the arms of one of his snakes, who caught him in a state of shock.
"Boss..." a young man with green hair and dark black eyes, filled with concern, looked at Vincent in disbelief. "Why did you...?"
"Your dinner," Vincent spat, slithering upstairs in his castle. They had been in Beastcity for two months, trying to obtain citizenship for the snakes.
Being snakes, they faced numerous challenges, disliked by everyone. Despite offering more coins, no one was willing to exchange goods with them. Additionally, finding suitable mates proved to be difficult, as they only had two spoiled and demanding female snakes who had set their sights on Vincent for quite some time.
Vincent was the one who initiated the gathering of all the snake Beastmen and feral snakes to form a tribe. Now, with their newly acquired citizenship, they were no longer considered feral. Many snake Beasts desired to mate with females of different species from other tribes, as they found them to be much better compared to their venomous and spoiled two snake females. They had also witnessed numerous females treating their mates with fairness and kindness.
However, Vincent's decision to capture a wolf Beastman for dinner disgusted him. How could their boss stoop so low as to eat another Beastman? Even when they were feral, they never dared to eat Beastmen.
Suddenly, Lucas, hugged him tightly, muttered, "Hey lovely Snake, why are you so cold?" Jimmy, the green-haired snake, was taken aback upon hearing his words. The other snake behind him was equally stunned. For the first time, someone had referred to them as lovely, as something other than poisoned and feral.
Throughout their existence, they had been called disgusting fearals, heartless creatures. And yet, unknowingly, Lucas managed to melt the hearts of these snake Beastmen.
Blushing, Jimmy embraced the wolf Beastman. He had never interacted with other Beastmen apart from snakes and ferals. Most of the time, the Beastmen from the tribe avoided any form of communication with them, even in Beastcity.
"Are you okay, wolf?" Jimmy asked softly, his concern evident. Lucas giggled, his hair falling messily around his face as he attempted to stand up straight.
"I'm not okay," Lucas replied, pouting. Jimmy and the other snakes widened their eyes, their worry evident as they surrounded him.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Has the boss been treated you harshly?"
Surrounded by a dozen green-haired Beastmen, Lucas felt his vision blur and started to feel dizzy.