The Return of the Beast Princess

Chapter 14 - I like you *

"I just hope that my father's alright. We use to camp like this whenever we have free time."

Dumu didn't quite understand what the female was saying. He just let her talk. Perhaps she just wants someone to listen to her so she won't feel sad.

"Enough moping around. How about you Dumu? Can you tell me something about yourself?"

The fire crackles as they both went silent. It was a peaceful night. There was a little breeze that makes the humid night a bit cooler.

"I am a wandering beast man. I have been exploring the beast world since I was young. I do not know who my parents are or if I have any brothers or sisters because we snakes are abandoned by our parents right after they gave birth to us. So, I do not know the feeling of missing someone like you since I am alone all my life."

Asha didn't expect that Dumu would tell a story sadder than hers so she felt a little guilty for asking him.

"We are exploring this world together now right? So you are not alone now. It would be more fun that we get to wander and get to experience new adventures together. Do you like that or you prefer going out alone? We can part ways if that's the case. I won't...."

"No! No! I like it! I like to wander together. I like you female."

Asha smiled and looked back at the moons, "I like you too Dumu."

That surprised him. He was speechless when he heard what the female said. It made his heart beat so fast and a new kind of hope blossomed in his chest that made his entire mood soar and brighten. His cheeks turned into a bright red as he stares longingly at her.

"Is that true female? You like me? If you like me, will you mate with me? I... I do not like to force you to mate like how I see other males do to females. But...but if you will mate with me I will be very happy...."

Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down Medusa. You just did a 360 on me!

"Wait Dumu. I better stop you right there. When I said I like you, it meant I like you as a friend."

"Friend? Do they mate? I want to be your friend female."

Well duh, friends with benefits have sex. But like I would tell you that...

Asha takes a deep breath and tries to think. She wants to explain it in a simple way for Dumu will misunderstand more if she doesn't explain it to him well.

"A friend can be a male or a female that you feel comfortable to be with. You both like each other that you take care of each other. You can talk about anything and accepts you for who you are."

"Do they mate?"

Dumu's attention is all at her and is trying to absorb and understand everything that she is telling him.

"Friends, if their relationship turns more serious and decided to be more intimate, they do. So from friends, they turn to future partners like lovers. Lovers mate. That's a different kind of relationship because they also both trust each other with their life. But hold up, I said a friend can be a male or a female. Why did you ask if friends mate? Have you seen two males mate?"

He nods, "yes. I have seen a lot of males mate when they are in heat but there is no female."

"So... have you mated with other females... or males?"

He shakes his head angrily, "never. I do not like them. Why will I mate with them."

"...be-cause you are in heat?"

"No. I will still not mate. I can use my hand."

Oh my God! I really can't anymore! Please let the ground eat me right now.

Asha clears her throat to hide her embarrassment.

"Okay how about this. Since we like each other, let us stay friends for now. We only just met days ago so why don't we let our relationship grow first and see if we are fit to be future partners.

A lot can happen you know. Because if friends can turn into partners who really Really like each other that they always want to be together, they can also turn into enemies that hates each other and will fight whenever they see each other."

"No! Dumu only likes you female. I will not hate you. Never! Or let the beast god take my soul and never be born again."

She smiles at him and held her hand on top of his trembling clenched hand.

"Thank you Dumu, you are the nicest and kindest friend I could ever have. Let's take it slow okay? Let's enjoy and have fun while we go on our adventures together. Is that okay with you?"

Dumu was a bit disappointed for getting his hopes up but it's still good if he can be with the female. Maybe, like what she said, they can be partners when they grow to really like each other.

He looks at her and nods. Asha was relieved because she doesn't want to hurt his feelings. Aside from Old Harac, Dumu was so nice to her even though they had a rough start. She had a good feeling that they'll get along well.

"We better clean this all up so we can both rest."

She stood up and swipes all her things back after washing them. Dumu went back to the riverbank and ate the rest of the meat. He was still a bit hungry but he doesn't want to leave the female alone especially at night.

He watched her as she sets up another odd looking thing.

"This is a tent. We use this when we can't find any cave where we can sleep safely. You want to get in? This is good for four people."

"I will sleep beside it. You should sleep female."

She took her beddings and gets comfortable inside the tent. She looks at Dumu while he is relaxing outside the tent.

"Since we are already friends, you need to call me by my name. Call me Asha from now on okay? Good night Dumu."

She gets comfy inside the tent and in a minute, she already fell asleep. Hearing the female gently snoring inside, Dumu turn to face the tent and looks at her sleeping face. He smiled a bit and whispered her name before closing his eyes to rest.