Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter One Hundred and Ten

As the evening turned to dusk, the bonfire's raging flames turned into a low simmer of crackling heat. Many of the villagers had returned to their newly completed homes to spend the rest of the night alone with their families. Some stayed behind mingling and enjoying the last of the refreshments.

I stood on the edge of the lake with the fire behind me illuminating the small waves created by a soft summer breeze. The purple sky began to reveal its hidden stars and glowing moons. It was all so picturesque and surreal that I started to softly sing to myself and the kittens in my womb.

As a human, I used to love to sing. I thought I had a decent voice but every time I got on a stage, I would start to tremble and couldn't maintain an even pitch. When I got into high school, I finally gave up the dream of becoming a singer but that didn't mean I stopped singing entirely. I just didn't do it in front of crowds.

Since being reborn, I didn't sing much at all. Music in a structured form was nonexistent. The howls of wolves were vocals, the plops of rain were the drums, and the rustling of leaves were the acoustics. Beasts weren't entirely without rhythm but true music had yet to take root in our hearts. The first time Winston had heard me hum a song, he couldn't understand if I was in pain or trying to call for battle. I had to sit him down and spend time explaining what music was. Once he understood, I would catch him stop what he was doing and watch me every time I would unconsciously start humming. But I had yet to sing a full song.

Tonight we had created a home that would likely be around for years to come. I was surrounded by good people and my family and the moment's happiness caught me up with an irresistible urge to give it a soundtrack. With the lake as my audience, I let my alto voice make its way to the other shore. I remembered a few songs from my past life but I had never been very good at memorizing all of the lyrics so I simply hummed through some parts, letting the open air find the missing words for itself. The first song that popped into my head was about crescent moons and enduring love. It seemed to fit the atmosphere perfectly.

I had remembered more than I thought I would and with a satisfied smile I turned back to the square only to find that the thirty odd beasts remaining were watching me intently with their glowing eyes. They had all been listening to my unpracticed song with their super hearing and I was suddenly so embarrassed, my ears felt as hot as the coals. No one said anything for a moment and Shuu was the one to break the awkward atmosphere by draping a soft fur around my shoulders.

His action was like a domino causing everyone else to fall towards me.

"What was that?! That was amazing!" said a grizzly of a man.

He had pushed himself so close to me that I inadvertently flinched backwards into my wolf's arms.

Alva flew down from his perch and eagerly approached as well, eyes twinkling with interest, "I thought you were a fox. Do all foxes make sounds like that? I thought only birds could do that but even peacocks can't do what you just did."

I usually don't mind answering questions but my lack of confidence in my vocal skills had me shying away from the tightening crowd. Shuu let out a warning growl and with regretful apologetic expressions, they eased out of my bubble.

I smiled a little shyly and said, "It's called a song. It is created by combining words, sounds and rhythms." I couldn't very well tell them that it came from another world so I lied, "I like to mix words with sounds and see what happens."

"Can you do another one? Please." Asked a juvenile leopard. His question was followed by head nodding and expectant eyes from others.

"Um." Just because they had no experience with music didn't mean my stage fright would disappear. I looked to my mates for some help or direction but their faces mimicked the ones around me. I sighed out my tension and acquiesced. "I guess."

They cheered a little and then sat down on the ground nearby. Tails waved in excitement and ears twitched my way.

Steeling my nerves, I sang another song. This one was about desire for tangible objects over abstract affection. I changed some of the words to be more relatable for my audience and though my voice trembled at times, they seemed to enjoy it as they requested yet another encore.

After the third song, my audience started to ask how they could make their own. Happy to change the light of their eyes from a spotlight to a kaleidoscope of curiosity, I walked them through basic tempos and Do Re Mi. My moment of musical affinity for my surroundings had turned from a concert into a seminar where I helped the ones with high comprehension create their own songs. By the end, a handful of them had their very own nursery rhyme like ditties.

Alva was the best at it. Maybe because he was a bird but he easily managed to grasp harmonies even though his lyrics were childish. Even a certain eagle caught the corner of my eye while he hummed and coughed his way through one of the songs I'd sung. I had to stifle my giggle. The mood was contagious and the already pleasant evening was wrapping up on a very high note.

Then a flash of red that I had thought a stray ember struck out at the eagle. I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. Focusing my eyes, the ember expanded into reflective bloody scales. 

The last beast I had expected to see was here and wrapped in his coils was Muir. He had snuck up on the male whose disposition had him conveniently placed near the shadows of the town square. The only beast capable enough to have noticed the feral's presence was napping in a tree on the opposite side of the square.  Curtis opened his mouth wide as his fangs dripped with poison and he aimed to plunge them into the eagle before any of us could react.

I tried to shout 'no!' but it was too late. Even the swiftest of my mates wouldn't have been fast enough to stop him. The fangs sank deeply into Muir's tan shoulder and he screamed. The low voice that had been humming earlier was now an ear-splitting shriek of pain. Muir was only a tri-marked beast while Curtis was now a penta-marked one. The potency of his venom would have increased with his strength, effectively disabling Muir. His body began to convulse.

Curtis dropped the dead weight and as I watched his body fall to the ground, rage boiled in my bones. The wounded eagle we had worked so hard to heal and who had finally started to open up to others was dying. And the snake that was his executioner was smiling in self-satisfaction.