A Novel's Beast World

70. Talk

1/3 updates for today, July 4th.  Happy birthday to the USA!  For those of you who are celebrating today, have a fun and safe day.  

 "Hey Shuu."

"Yes!"

"Have you met with the ape king or your father recently?" I was reminded after the confrontation yesterday and figured I'd check.

"I saw my father yesterday, but we didn't talk." He was kind of busy. "I saw the ape king once or twice over w-winter." It's okay Shuu. You don't have to change your words for me.

"You can call it cold season. I just slip a lot. Did that guy say shit?"

"Okay. And he didn't tell me much, but asked me questions." Shuu liked the attention, but knew the conversation was a serious one. He relayed everything as he remembered it. "He asked if I was favored. Then he asked about how you enjoyed the city, if there was anything you were dissatisfied with." Hmm.

Is he feeling me out? Trying to figure out if I'll be a pain in his ass. Did it ever occur to him to ask Qingqing to move out of the city? Or me? Maybe that wasn't something you do here.

"He asked me if our family was harmonious and offered to send some more of my clan to help."

Snort. Help with what? Making babies? Spying?

"I declined." I reached up and pet him. Of course he'd decline, but this wolf was always so honest and good.

"That's good. Anything else?"

"He mentioned that Winston may try to take the tiger throne." Say what? Dammed fucker. Winston growled from his spot with a boy hanging by his pretty hair.

"Smash." I warned off the boy who dropped immediately.

"He believes me to be ambitious." That serious look is so reliable and hot.

"Or he's concocting a scheme." I added.

"That is possible." He agreed.

"Sounds like he wants you and your brother to fight." I was stating the obvious, but oh well.

"I think that is likely." He agreed again.

"Realistically, what do you think your chances are of winning if you were forced to fight." Damn, that sounded so official. I really am getting better at speech.

"I'll win." Confidence is hot, but... Is he saying that because he can definitely win or because he wants to win.

"Your power level is higher?" They both have four stripes. No way for me to know.

"I should be stronger now, though I haven't been close enough to tell if his strength has also increased." Winston furrowed his brows in thought before straightening his expression.

Even if the tiger king had gotten stronger, he would win. He would not allow himself to lose. He glanced at the quiet hawk. They hadn't fought since that day. That one time was enough to tell him that the hawk was stronger than he was. Sparing wouldn't happen as Drew did not allow it. She let them fight if they used no beast parts, but that wasn't an ideal way to test or increase their power or skills.

Winston had been doing a lot of hunting over the last few weeks to supplement for the lack of action. Prey was scarce, but they were starting to come back. Colossus were hunting again. He caught two that rewarded him with two small energy crystals. He and whoever his hunting partner was for the day, would eat the meal and bring back the crystal. The corpse can not be transported even if it was safe for females to consume.