Elara shot me a curious glance from across the cushion. "You're super cute, but I can't figure out what kind of beastkin you are! What type did your folks belong to?"
I pondered the question for a bit, but I struggled to find a coherent answer. I was uncertain about what was anticipated from the various types, and I had no idea how they might impact me or even what those types entailed. "I'm not sure; I grew up without that knowledge."
"Oh wow! You're not gonna have to wait much longer to find out! Once you go through the awakening ceremony, your powers are gonna kick in, and you'll have your first shift! Everyone's looks change a bit after their ceremony, so there's really no need to stress about it. But hey, I get it—I'm feeling a bit jittery too! I'm about to fully shift for the first time and go on my first run as a wolf! Lucky for me, both my parents are wolf beastkin, so I'm all set to turn into a wolf."
"So, my friend Tina? She's totally clueless about her future. Her mom can't even figure out which dad is her real father since Tina hasn't shown any shifter traits yet, just like you! I feel kinda lucky knowing what I'll be, but I still have no idea what powers I'll end up with or what color my aura will be. Imagine being strong enough to join a gourmet guild and go on exciting quests! You need at least a yellow aura for that, and a green one to get into an adventurer guild. It's a bit of a drag, though, because most girls only get a red aura. They usually have to rely on their partner's energy from the stones on their rings, which their partners have to recharge. If you're stuck with a red aura, you won't have your own magical skills and will have to use tools instead. Just thinking about adventures and exploring new places gets me so pumped! I really want to have a strong enough aura. Plus, I'm not planning on hanging out with my birth family forever like some little hatchling!"
"So do you know all of the colors of the aura in order then?"
"Oh? Are you testing me? Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Celestial-Shadow," Elara said with a proud look on her face.
"Excellent! You're clearly a decent student."
"Thank you! I've been studying a lot for my graduation exam."
I glanced through what you might call a window, though it was really just a gap between the curtains. Outside, the carriage pulled up to a lively marketplace, bursting with an array of stalls set on strips of leather and fur. Each stall was decorated with little tables and canopies held up by delicate poles. The variety was mind-blowing; every vendor had something special to offer. I spotted people trading colorful gems, similar to the one Kia had pulled from the spider, while others were opting for clear stones or bartering items by checking the lists displayed next to each stall, outlining what the owners were looking to trade for their wares.
The scene buzzed with the presence of women, each flanked by a small entourage of men. It was common to see women being lifted effortlessly by their male companions or transported in ornate palanquins, much like the one we occupied. The ambiance was lively and slightly chaotic, brimming with the excitement of the throng. I was utterly entranced, unable to look away from the captivating array of sights that surrounded me.
"Hold up, we gotta stop here! They've got some of my all-time favorite meat!" Elara exclaimed. "You're not one of those herbivore beastkin, right?"
"No, I'm an omnivore."
"Great!" Elara excitedly selected two skewers of grilled meat, handing one to me while she eagerly dug into the other. Meanwhile, Zelig presented the stall owner with Kai's tablet, and after a quick note of the transaction, he pressed his fingerprint in black ink to seal the deal.
"What's that for?" I said.
"When someone who's part of the city wants to do a bunch of transactions, here's the deal! It's super convenient because you won't need to lug around a ton of gems or trading stuff. You just set things up with the stall owners beforehand, get a tablet ready, and pick someone who can buy things for you if you can't make it. Since Kai hasn't had the chance to add you yet, he's got Zelig stepping in to help out. Oh, and by the way, ladies usually don't shop directly since they need a guy to tag along!"
"I'm super curious about what kind of beastkin you are! Being an omnivore narrows it down a bit, but honestly, you totally give off the vibe of a small-shifting beastkin. No need to stress, though—having Kai as your mate means no one will mess with you!"
"Did you really just say that this pathetic little thing is General Kai's mate?" A woman with cascading waves of vibrant red hair, a charming little nose, and striking green eyes was the center of attention among a dozen men. She was gently lowered to the ground by an orange haired man sporting orange cheetah ears and a tail. As she landed, she playfully wrapped her fluffy red tail around his wrist and flashed a smug grin at Elara. "It's been ages since you and Lefu crossed paths. Weren't you two practically inseparable once? I even heard whispers about you two possibly becoming mates. I'd hate to think my presence had anything to do with your split."
"Vix, I see you left your hovel," said Elara.
Lefu seemed a bit anxious and wrapped his arm around Vix. "Don't worry, there's nothing going on between her and me. The only one who has my heart is you, my mate."
"I completely understand. I was just concerned that she might hold some resentment towards me, believing I'm the reason you won't be her mate."
"That's not true at all! I never wanted to be her mate from the start. Why would I want to be with a stinky wolf when I could be with a lovely fox? It's not like us guys can just pick and choose different females whenever we feel like it! We can only have one female, and I pick you! I wouldn't want others to think less of me for having a smelly, little, masculine female! I couldn't face my family if I brought someone like that home for my mom to meet."
"It's for the best, that tiny female probably couldn't even have a proper litter of cubs. She'd probably just have one or two eggs at most!" said Vix.
Elara rolled her eyes and said, "I guess I'll figure it out in time, but I doubt I'll have as many little ones as you. I mean, I'm not about to just throw myself at any random male wandering by. Definitely not into the trashy types either! Honestly, I was so relieved when you snagged that loser's attention away from me. It was such a pain having him sniffing around when he had zero chance with me!"
"Oh please, spare me the drama! Your family lead male had already inked a mating contract with him before I swooped in and took him away! He didn't even know me until after he signed on to become your first male, but he was all too happy to switch over to me! Now look at you, left without a first male for the awakening ceremony! You're going to be a joke, a female that nobody wants to mate with, even with the severe shortage of females. How pathetic!"
All the other females in the vicinity just froze in their tracks to catch the drama unfolding. "Did you catch that? That male was already taken, and yet that fox female had the audacity to swoop in and steal him! She was fully aware of the situation before they even exchanged a word."
"Can you believe this? It's absolutely disgraceful! If he were her secret love and was being set up with someone else, that would be one thing. But they didn't even have a clue about each other! She just had to swoop in and snatch away another female's promised male!
"What a deceptively beautiful female, she's actually hideous!"
"I agree, we should keep our cubs far out of her sight."
"From what I heard, we should keep our males out of her sight too."
"I wouldn't be interested in such a female, I only want you," said the male standing next to the irritated female.
"Keep her away from my litter! I can't have her getting any notions about my boys," exclaimed a small female with large gray mouse ears and a little gray tail, who had been criticizing the fox female. Beside her stood a tall male with brown bear ears, holding a basket filled with eight eggs, each with blue spots.
"Seriously, why on earth would I care about these puny little unhatched males that look like they wouldn't even make a decent snack? Do you and your pathetic males lack the mana to actually feed them? They're not even going to grow up strong enough to be picked as a female's servant male!"
"How dare you?!" said the mouse female. "I'll have you know that I just birthed these eggs! They are an excellent size!"
"What's all the commotion going on here?" A breathtaking figure appeared, gliding gracefully from the sky. She had sun-kissed skin that shimmered in the sunlight, and her impressive curves were accentuated by a luxurious white bikini top and a long, flowing skirt with two daring thigh-high slits. Her golden wings sparkled in the light, and her long golden hair streamed behind her like a radiant halo, making her look like an angel descending from above.
Her wings flapped strongly as she descended, throwing sand into my eyes which I attempted to rub out. My eyes were stinging, reddening, and dripping. Then my nose started running.
She landed gracefully and then looked me up and down, swiftly dismissed me with a smirk on her face, and turned towards the fox female.
"Elara actually had the audacity to call that plain little brown-haired, brown-eyed nobody General Kai's mate! Seriously, is that even legal? How could such a magnificent specimen like him be stuck with someone so utterly forgettable? Shouldn't he be paired with a stunning beauty from the fox tribe or something?"
The golden-winged female's eyes squinted at the red fox and her lips pressed together.
"That was just a random example, we don't know what you'll shift into yet! I wouldn't dream of trying to steal your future male!"
"True, you don't have the nerve and you wouldn't have a chance to steal a male that I desired."
The fox sighed in relief after seeing that the golden-winged female was placated.
"My mother has impeccable taste when it comes to selecting the finest males for breeding, which explains why I'm such a remarkable female. Being the sole daughter in my family, it's only natural that I deserve nothing but the best! Naturally, General Kia is exclusively mine; there's simply no room for anyone else."
She fixed her gaze on me, her eyes boring into mine. "Let me make this crystal clear: anyone who dares to lay claim to what I consider mine will quickly discover that this village is not the welcoming paradise they thought it was. After all, my family practically runs this place and will do whatever I ask."
Coming Next Time: Fluffy