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

99. Changes

Time, unfortunately, did not fly for Grace, but it did for the beasts of the city. With impending danger on the horizon, they all worked diligently to ensure that the females of the city were moved out as soon as possible.

Despite the pleas of the males, some females chose to remain a little longer. For a portion of them, the city was all they knew and they were somewhat reluctant to let their homes go too soon.

Others knew how hard life outside of the city could be and wanted to wait until they were more prepared for the hardships that awaited them. But most were just stubborn and wanted to be cajoled and placated first.

While a few dozen females were hesitant, no males were. They took any threat too seriously for that, especially a danger of this magnitude. But they had faith in the ape king's judgment. If the ape king hadn't fled yet, then they had no need to panic.

By the time the first rain was predicted—and thanks to the joint efforts of Curtis and the ape king—about one-third of the city's residents had already moved away. Those that left were forewarned about the upcoming flood and the drought that would follow thanks to the ape king's visions.

It was actually the tiger queen who brought those things to the attention of the ape king...but none besides the directly involved parties knew that. This was an intentional play by the tiger queen to both curry favor with the ape king and keep attention off of her. She had enough as it was since rumors of her pregnancy spread across the whole city.

As for the building preparations for Grace's village, it was going well. A conservative approach to building was in effect. The castle was not nearly as grand as the one in the city. With only two levels and less than half the amount of space, it was small in comparison.

But the castle wasn't to be the king and queen's home, but a place of work. The first floor was divided into three parts.

First, the meeting/throne room where village policies could be discussed and implemented. This was only one room, but it was a large space that was straight ahead from the main entrance.

To the left of the entrance was the workshop and classroom. The workshop was a communal space that would be set up for anyone to join. And the classroom was fairly self-explanatory. There were no desks or furnishings yet, but it would be a place of learning.

To the right was the guard barracks that could sleep a max of 10 males. It wasn't much, but the idea was that the guards would have homes outside of the castle to return to.

The second floor was made up of storage and small bedrooms. These bedrooms were intended to be temporary homes for those who may not have a home built yet.

Outside of the castle, a garden had been started courtesy of Cooper, who had been sent with Muir on supply drop to put the finishing touches on their soon-to-be home.

Rather than a castle, it was closer to a community center. But there was no soul brave enough to say no to Grace's ideas. Most didn't want to anyway.

Aside from the castle, 30 huts and 15 wooden cabins were built by and for the males. They were not the most amazingly crafted homes, but Winston made sure they were at least not prone to spontaneous collapse. In addition to them, four caves were carved into the cliff to be used by some of the residence, but one cliff side had only one home...

Grace's den was built into the cliff in a way that wasn't conspicuous, just as she wanted. With greenery draped over a large trellis that extended from the mouth of the cave, the entrance couldn't be made out by the average eye.

If it wasn't for the stairway and wooden railing leading up to the front of it, most would not think twice about the sight of that particular cliffside.

While the outside was unassuming, the interior was not. Many baskets of goods remained unpacked and new furniture pieces awaited placement.

Curtis had made a trip to the village to familiarize himself with the route while also leaving his scent along the way. But he did not stop there. He found his mate's new home lacking and turned some of Winston's simple and dull furniture into something Grace would feel happy to look at.

And with Curtis's speed, traveling to and from the village took far less time than others. Only Muir could best his speed. And they did race. Being away from their heavily pregnant mate made them much more inclined to get back as quickly as possible. And somewhere along the way, it became a competition.

While the village didn't suffer greatly due to the flooding, as the worst occurred in the central and western parts of the continent, it needed mended. Winston made his second trip to assess the damages and organize a cleanup. But his stay was a short one, lasting only four days.

Cooper had made one trip only and stayed for a good while. It would be pointless for him to plant sprouts and seeds if they would wither shortly after during the drought, but he tried anyway. But the weather was not so bad thanks to the location. Rain was still a scarcity, but the humidity never dropped too low.

Cooper made it his mission to find hardier plants that could withstand the low amount of rain and planted them for the time being. His work was not quick and he took meticulous care in planning the arrangements. Muir ended up leaving the young male behind once Cooper managed to convince Grace to let him stay.

With the wells built sturdy and mostly filled with water, there would be no danger of Cooper suffering dehydration. But that was not the danger alone. Although the laws were made clear to the villagers, rootless beasts and ferals did not make peaceful company. Cooper was given a very hard time.

But the young male insisted on staying. He was very aware that his position in the family was the weakest. And while he was happy to indulge and receive Grace's attention despite his lack of contributions, it gnawed at him. The female cubs in Grace's belly could be his, for all he knew, so he should work hard too. That was how he thought even as he received harassment from the villagers.

And so, Grace spent the rest of her pregnancy in the city like her mates wanted. Because the ape king was hesitating on moving, she did not need Jed to give her checkups. Despite that, Jed worked hard.

Jed was now the fittest ape in his clan, but his first stripe eluded him for awhile. He made up for it though, using the knowledge that Harvey had imparted on him whenever he could. While still inexperienced, Jed was shaping up to be a half-decent healer.

It wasn't until Jed was dragged off on a colossal hunt that he gained his first mark. He had nearly died, not from the colossal, but from heatstroke. The city fared well during the drought thanks to the many deep wells and expansive canal systems that had been built over the last year, but outside of the city, nature was harsh and the sun, brutal.

But Jed did it. Even while staggering and hallucinating, he delivered the finishing blow to the young colossal with a spear coated in a deadly poison.

The origin of that poison...well, let's just say that tree it came from no longer existed. And no, it wasn't Grace and her family that took care of it. Surprisingly or not, the ape king was the one responsible. With his secret exposed, he chose to cover his tracks.

If anyone asked, he'd say he just learned that the tree was a danger and got rid of it. A lie so impactful could hardly be called a white one, but to the ape king, there was no difference. He would protect himself and wash his hands of the matter.

With all plans in place and most loose ends tied, Grace was able to give birth in relative peace. But that did not mean the birth itself was peaceful. Because it definitely was not.