Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

19. Payback

     Both Rain and Third ran from the oncoming stampede.  If they could run far enough, the herd would lose interest.  Rain lead the herd in the direction that they both came from while ignoring the pain in her muscles.  At one point, she pointed Third in another direction.  She wanted to steer the herd towards the tiger male.  Hoping the tiger would like her gift, Rain continued towards her goal at a frightening speed.

     Having secured her objective several moments later, Rain sped with haste back towards the heard, increasing her speed to her maximum ability.  Cutting diagonally to shorten the distance, she caught up to the colossus.  They were hot on the heals of the tiger and leopard with a worried hawk following from above.

     Rain did not stop.  She identified the leader of the herd who was right behind Third.  Locating a hill next to their path, Rain quickly reached the higher ground and angled the item she carried in her tail.  When the herd ran by Rain, she whipped the beehive she carried, sending it flying right into the alpha colossus.  The honey and bits of hive splattered all over the leading colossus, the two that flanked it, and even Third.

      The bees reacted immediately.  The few that were still inside the nest began stinging the softer parts of the colossus.  The herd had come to a halt to asses the threat.  Sensing no peril, they continued their pursuit of the retreating leopard and tiger.  Rain had used the remainder of her strength to follow after.  Once she caught up, she indicated to the two felines to follow her.   The three beasts lured the colossus in a circle.  Eventually the rest of the bees caught up with them.

     Blaming the alpha colossus for the destruction of their nest, the swarm of bees assaulted the honey covered leader.  The leader's eyes and mouth became swollen beyond recognition and the creature fell to anaphylactic shock.  The herd that now lost it's alpha, ceased chasing the group.

     The now exhausted group of beastmen searched out a safe place to rest.  Once out of harm's way, Rain and Third collapsed.  The hunt had been successful and Rain was pleased enough with the outcome.  It was a shame they couldn't get more crystals.  The colossus would likely eat their leader, so they wont be able to retrieve its crystal.  What a waste that was.

     Breathing heavily, Rain and Third focused on catching their breath.  They would need to find water to quench their thirst.  Rain looked up at the sky.  Seeing the familiar orange hues, she knew dusk was coming.  As much as she wanted to rest, she could do so once they were back in the city.  A speckled, tri-colored hawk entered her line of sight.

     Brice descended with clothes in his claw.  Carefully setting them down on a rock, Brice shifted and put on a fur.  He had been anxious during the whole ordeal.  He had to hold himself back from assisting several times.  He was impressed with the two beasts and knew they could grow stronger, but also wanted to scold them for their reckless behavior.  In the end his positive impression won out over the negative one.

     Brice turned to the tiger and offered him a fur.  The tiger eyed him before picking up his large body and leaving without a word.  Brice wasn't close enough to the tiger to know what he was thinking.  Then again, he was sure that Damon was not happy.  The siblings did lead the herd right to him after all.  Brice chuckled.  It wasn't a terrible plan, but he was sure that the victim would feel differently.

     Having caught her breath, Rain ignored the hawk beast's outstretched hand and the old shed that laid on it.  She had no intention of shifting now.  The hawk beast looked uncomfortable for a moment before withdrawing his hand.  'At least he can take a hint,'  Rain thought to herself.

     Rain and Third sought out a place to drink.   Water was getting scarcer, but it was still around.  Heading in the direction of the city, the hawk went ahead and lead them to a small lake he had seen on the way.  There, they met Damon who had finished quenching his thirst.

     After drinking their fill, Third shifted back and Brice threw him a fur.  Third rubbed his sore hindquarters with mud.  Apparently, he had not escaped all of the angry bees.  Rain smirked inwardly.  Had she tried, she could have given him enough warning to avoid being splashed with honey, but that wouldn't have been just payback.  Thankfully, her scales protected her from the onslaught of stingers.

     Shifting back, Rain held in a wince.  She had done a number on her muscles.  A bashful Brice handed her the old shed, eyes averted.  This time, Rain took it and fastened it around her top.

     Through the short exchange, Damon had been eyeing her.  He didn't miss the way her faced creased when she shifted.  There were many reasons as to why he didn't want to cub-sit this female.  He knew they would mix like oil and water.  He tried to remain in his beast form to avoid saying anything, but was barely refraining from doing so.

     Third shifted and chatted nonstop, "We did great Rain!  How did you know that the bees could kill it?  If only we could have gotten the crystals.  Well, at least we got one.  Do you want it this time?  Can we even split one of these?  We can always hunt more in the future if we can't."

     Rain's head spun.  How did her brother have that much energy left over?  The bee stings clearly weren't sore enough.  She should have made him run more.  "We can figure out how to split it once we are back.  We can go hunting again another time," stated Rain.

     Third almost started bouncing where he stood.  If this was the effect of the coffee beans, then Rain really needed to try them again.  She just couldn't stand how bitter they were and she didn't like how they made her shake.  "Okay!"  Third energetically agreed.

      Brice looked at the two siblings worriedly.  It wasn't his place to say anything and he felt that Rain would be quite upset if he did.  They weren't family nor were they close.  Brice quietly thought to himself about all the ways the hunt could have been improved.  He applauded the tiger king's decision to not let these two out of the city without supervision.

     On the other hand, Damon's expression became cold and hard.  Damon couldn't hold himself back anymore.  He was sick of watching the two young beasts.  The tiger king could maul him later.  He was going to say something.  Shifting back, he grabbed the fur from Brice and tied it around his waist.

     Brice noticed the expression of the tiger and frowned.  He had worked with Damon a few times before, though they never spoke much.  From what Brice had seen, Damon was a serious and reliable beast.  He had never seen Damon lose his temper, but he could sense he soon would.  Gulping down the knot that started to form in his throat, Brice hardened his heart and resolved to stay put.  The tiger king had faith in this beastmen, so he would try to as well.  He prayed that tonight wouldn't end tragically.