Rise Of The Beast Queen: Elizabeth

Ch 34 Distraction/Reunion

Liz's skin prickled as a cool breeze blew across her bare flesh, she opened her eyes to find herself standing in a dark foggy field. The long grass blew in the wind and tickled against her legs, while her body shuddered with a mixture of cold and fear. She felt eyes on her but she couldn't see who or where they are, her heart beat began to drum in her ears and her breath became labored.

"Liz!" A familiar male voice yelled sounding so far away yet caused relief to nearly overwhelm her.

"Jin! Jin! I'm here!" Liz yelled back and began walking in the direction she heard him, but her feet felt heavy and she could barely move.

"Liz!" Another familiar male voice called for her but from another direction.

"Beau! Over here!" The smile that stretched across her face was so wide it hurt, but she was so happy.

"Liz..." Yet another voice spoke her name, this time from behind her and caused a shiver to rake up her spine.

"No!" She screamed and tried to run, but it felt like she had weights draped over her entire body.

"My Liz. Mine." His sickening voice got closer until she could practically feel his breath on the back of her neck.

"Help me! Jin! Beau! Someone please! Help me!"

"Wake up, Liz. Come back to me..." Yet another familiar voice called to her but in a low rough pleading whisper as something cool brushed across her cheeks. The fog began to fade into the darkness and Liz felt like she was slowly pulled back up to the surface of consciousness. Liz's eyes fluttered open for her to see a recently familiar face full of sharp defined angles and dark eyes staring down at her with a sorrowfully worried expression.

"T... Tairen..." Her voice came out hoarse and whiny sounding to her own ears.

"Don't cry. It's ok. Your safe." He repeated in a hushed tone while he gently wiped the wetness across her cheek, she blinked her heavy wet lashes and she nod against his cool calming touch.

Tairen helped Liz raise her head and drink more water, but she got embarrassed by her own reliance on this male she'd only just met and tried to move to help hold the bowl, though her muscles protested with every slight movement. Tairen on the other hand was quite pleased with her attempt to hold the bowl, he wasn't about to let it go because first of all he wasn't convinced she could actually hold it herself without choking or spilling and second he liked the sensation of her soft warm fingers brushing against his.

Being the only distraction available Liz stared at the odd looking whiteish bowl trying to identify the material it's made out of, it looks so familiar. It's not ceramic... It's...
Her eyes widened as realization hit her and she pushed the bowl away hastily, spilling it on the thick fur blanket covering her. Liz now needed a distraction from her distraction, while she tried not to think about the way her guts were churning with the knowledge she'd been drinking water out of the top half of some animals skull...

How exactly that differs much from her dressing in animal skins or eating meat, I'm not quite sure, but there's just something distasteful about the thought of drinking out of an animal skull.

Thankfully Liz's wish for a new distraction was granted when she heard a mighty roar resound through the tribe and despite her pain Liz immediately sat upright on the bed, clutching the fur to her chest as the familiarity of the sound washed over her making tears of joy well up in her eyes.

"Jin... Jin! He's here!" Liz exclaimed and touched his mark feeling his relief, excitement and exhaustion through the bond.

Although Tairen had been constantly at Liz's side to keep her calm and comfortable, Dylan was never too far away, he'd treated her wounds and cleaned her up a bit without being too invasive. Once he heard her excited call, he quickly sent word out through the tribe so that the white tiger wouldn't run into any resistance and be led straight to the injured female.

Jin had roared as a warning when he crossed over onto the Rivers Bend territory and was pleasantly surprised to find hordes of males waiting to greet him, he was quite pleased to see the males ready to defend their tribe and his mate if he wasn't the male they were expecting. This also reassured him that his mate was indeed here and she'd either told them he was her mate or they'd seen his mate mark...

The males parted, clearing a path and a huge chestnut brown rabbit beastman ran out in front of him while two fox beastmen flanked in behind him. The rabbit only had two stripes though he easily outpaced him so Jin never had to slow down, the foxes on the other hand struggled to keep up despite both having three stripes, thankfully for them it didn't take long to arrive at the healers hut at the speed they were running.

Along the way Jin had picked up Liz's scent and didn't hesitate to follow it right into the hut where he found his battered mate sitting on a nest being supported by some unknown male. Though he couldn't be bothered by that fact now, not when he was finally starting into the emerald green eyes he's been missing for too long.

"J... Jin..." Liz stuttered his name and the nervous twinge he heard in her tone brought him to his knees.

"Liz... Liz... Forgive me. I wasn't able to protect you. I wasn't strong enough..."

"Jin, it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could. You... You fought for me... You searched for me." Liz reached out for him but he was too far away. "Jin... I missed you so much. I was so scared." She cried and Jin closed the distance, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm here now. Don't be scared. I'm stronger now. I will protect you." Jin cooed in a slightly desperate voice trying to console his crying mate, while Liz clung onto him like a koala.