B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

75. Competition

Thanks to the bucket of ice water Muir's confession dumped on my mood, the next day wasn't one of sparkles and rose petals. I could've lost a family member. Mitchell could've died. And not from some great, unpredictable threat, but from Muir. I was too lenient, and I left holes in my expectations.

To avoid that mistake again—even at the risk of sounding like a nagging, broken record—I called my family together and spelled everything out once again. Then I made them repeat it back to me. We work as a team, as a family, and anyone who can't...well, they know where the door is, and I reminded them just in case they forgot.

With all that going down, I took some time to cool off. So I did what I did best in times of stress: seek a distraction.

I swallowed a crystal and gave one to Harvey. He'd been treating heatstroke patients and would benefit from the boost in energy regardless of whether it helped him obtain higher power. I gave one to Winston since he's been cracking down more on security on top of overseeing the harvest.

If things went well, I hoped to gain my second stripe soon and hoped Winston got his fifth. Maybe that was a lot to expect, but Winston having it would make most worries of mine evaporate before they had a chance to form.

Nothing happened for any of us besides the energy boost, but I put it to work. It was time for one of my winter plans to come to fruition.

I summoned the guards and announced the start of a competition. I'd been meaning to encourage skills in the people that weren't related to combat and this was the best way I could think of to do that.

I started by sharing the prize to get them all worked up. "The winner of this competition gains three lesser-quality transparent crystals, a piece of premium fur, and a jar of pickles or preserves. The runner-up will win a lesser-quality transparent crystal, a premium fur, and a jar of pickles or preserves. Third place will get a jar of pickles or preserves."

The beasts who listened assumed it'd be a contest of strength and cheered. I explained to them that it wasn't and told them the details.

This was a carpentry contest. The participants will build replica dens and present their creations to the judges before the heavy rainy season begins. The judging panel included me and Winston. Anyone of any clan and any age could participate.

"You can enter as teams or individuals, but the prizes remain the same." I wanted to foster teamwork where I could, even if I couldn't push for it.

Even with all the commotion and activity, I still stopped to answer some questions. Yes, I was a judge. No, I'm not taking the winner as a mate. Yes, the submissions can be entered early if completed before the due date. No, that wasn't recommended. Things like that.

The city came alive in the wake of this new contest idea. Some were drawn by the prizes, others were just eager to prove that they had worth outside of strength.

When the leopard queen and former wolf queen got wind of this competition they invited themselves to the tiger castle for a visit.

I was strong-armed into letting Memi join the judging board and had to add a new section of grading to satisfy her. Holly wasn't interested in anything that remotely sounded like work and was just looking for an excuse to visit her grandcubs.

"What made you think of doing something like this?" Memi asked as Grace's wolf mate brought refreshments and snacks to their table. Memi went straight for the battered meat bites.

Holly listened curiously as she squeezed Dos in a hug. Her mouth watered, but she wasn't willing to let the cub go yet.

"Well, everyone needs a roof over their heads. I think encouraging them to learn how to build will be an invaluable skill for them later on."