Trapped in the beastworld

Part 90~ Together again

For the first time since the attack, Alma slept soundly, she slept like the dead, she had spent all the energy she had in her and it was like she finally knew she could sleep peacefully, with the arrival of Odin and Ulfar, she would not have to bare the burden alone, they would help her as they always did. Even though she did not yet know they had come her body did, it relaxed as soon as Odin embraced her, even though his blood and body was cold he filled her heart with warmth, a warmth she had missed so much.

Ulfar did not fall asleep like Odin, even though he was almost as tired as the snake, he took his role seriously and he needed to protect his mate and find out what was going on before Odin would. Ulfar could see the merman in the oceans, swimming lazily near the shore, he could also see the megalodon,  it was wary of Ulfar but still did not giving off any threatening beast aura. Ulfar walked calmly towards the shore and told them it was time for them all to have a talk. Hafthor and the shark morphed and came out of the ocean. They greeted Ulfar with utmost respect, by showing off their neck, Ulfar was getting impatient and told them enough with games, he wanted answers, what had happened to Alma and Askell. Hafthor being both older and more eloquent than the shark decided to speak for them both, he could see the shark was relieved, for Hafthor was sure he did not want to tell this beast that he had been stalking his mate for months, Hafthor was not stupid and would not tell Ulfar that the both of them had been watching, waiting and hoping for a chance to mate with Alma. He skipped that part and decided to go straight to where he had seen Alma and Askell trying to flee an assassin bird. Ulfar sighed, he was angry at himself and the others that they had not been there to protect her, they never should have let her go with only one beast, this was a mistake that would never happen again, they would need to make sure, danger lurked in every corner in this land, they had been too relaxed, everything had gone too well, he could not loose her, they could not loose her.

Ulfar watched them and was direct in questioning why they had helped and he wanted more details about Askel. Hafthor told him he had seen Askel descent and then drop Alma in the ocean before leading the bird elsewhere. He told Ulfar that he had been with his minion and he had sent him to follow and assist if he could, after that he had rushed to where the bird had dropped Alma but the shark had seen her first and rescued her before she drowned. He told Ulfar about the millions of jellyfishes that had also come that had threaten the lives of the shark and Alma so he had used his power and a little magic to rescue them. He was hesitant for a while, thinking if he should tell Ulfar about how frightened she had been, he decided it was best to tell the truth about it since Alma could easily tell the story too, so that is what he did, Ulfar was not impressed but he could understand, he was just afraid for his Alma, she was so fragile, it must have been a big shock to her, she had seen very big beasts but the megalodon was one of the biggest of them, it would frighten most beasts, both male and females. Ulfar was much more mature than Odin and had an easier time to analyse the situations and react without anger, he was not happy with them but they had after all saved his beloved and Askel, without them, both of them would have died. Ulfar was no fool, he knew very well what must have happened but he wanted to have the full story, he had to calm down a very angry snake, he was rather thankful how tired Odin was, he was far from his best, he should have gone to his lair to hibernate two weeks ago, he was still hanging on by sheer stubbornness but he would not last long, it did not matter how strong he was nor how wilful he was, his body would succumb, sooner rather than later, he was sure of it, he might even only have days or even less than that, he needed to get to his lair as quickly as possible.

Hafthor told his story, how they had found this beach, set up camp and that his doctor had worked hard and saved Askells life, they had tried to make it as comfortable as possible for the bird and Alma. He told Ulfar that both he and the shark had given the bird many life stones to save his life, without their help it would not have been possible for him to hang on but unfortunately they could not save his leg and they did not know yet the damage to his wings, he had morphed into his human form before the doctor could assess the damage. He told Ulfar that Alma was the one to offer them place at her side and that she was willing to complete the mating bond quickly. Hafthor hesitated a little, he was a little frightened and really did not want to relive the memory again but it had to be told, he told it just as it had happened. He started to tell Ulfar that he thought that she was willing since she had offered, he told him he had glamoured her, not to coerce her but to make the experience as enjoyable as it could be for their first time. Hafthor told him that everything had been alright until the day after. Hafthor did not want to talk anymore, it was such a horrible day, he had thought it was the best day of his life until he saw her face, he instantly knew that she was not alright. He told Ulfar she had cried, she was saying horrible things to herself and she was hurting herself. Hafthor broke down, the remorse was eating him up alive, he had hurt the one person he had ever loved and she would most likely never love him.
Ulfar was furious but still he felt empathy towards the merman, mating was not a big issue here, even forced mating was not something a female would crumble over, when females knew a beast wanted to mate them and that they were stronger than them they just gave up so it would be over sooner, then they would go on with their lives like nothing had happened. Females were not that complicated here and here you were either a prey or one of the strong ones but even the strong ones could become prey, it was the law of the land.

Alma was not from here so she did not behave like other females, Ulfar knew that but he knew these two did not, Ulfar asked him to go on. Hafthor told him he had put her to sleep since he was worried she would hurt herself even more and after that the doctor had given her something to calm her down. Hafthor told him also she had not left the tent since then, she only left to relive herself, she had barely eaten nor slept since that day. He, the proud king of the sea was crying like a little cub, he felt so small and so pathetic while speaking to the Komodo dragon. The dragon had a way with affecting peoples emotions, Ulfar had toyed a little with the merman's emotions, since it was not a sign of strength seeing a king cry, the merman deserve it but he also needed a relief, he could see how remorseful he was but still it did not fix things but it was a start. He was scared that Alma would be in dire situation, she had come so far, he was scared it might all be ruined but he would not stop, he would help her, even though she was fragile she was still very strong, she would be alright, she had all her mates to tend to her and he was certain that Gudda would help her stabilise. Everything would be alright, he would make it so.

Alma woke up, she was still so tired but she felt a little better, she almost felt that this had all been just a bad dream, Odin was here, she was safe, after a minute or two she was fully woken up and she remembered, where she was and that Odin had not been with her, she was frightened it was all a dream, she leapt in his arms, crying, begging him not to leave her, she had missed him so much, it took longer for Odin to wake up, he was still so tired, it was so hard to open up his eyes but hearing her voice helped, he embraced her, telling her he had finally found her and that everything would be alright now, they would go home and all would be well. Alma cried like a baby, she had been through so much in such a short time and seeing Odin she finally had found her anchor, she was not alone, everything would be fine. She almost forgot about poor Askell but was quick to check on him and and feed him a little water, he had not woken up, since the night before, the doctor had told her again and again that his was normal, still she did not like it, he slept so much, he needed to eat and drink more but thankfully they had a lot of life stones so everything was fine.

Alma knew her snake and she also knew that it would be best telling him what had happened, she knew he was going to be angry and if she would not tell the story he might even try to kill them. She told him how she met them and all they had done for her and Askell, they had helped them so much and saved their lives, she could see the grim look on his face but he had to hear it, even though she did not want to tell it, she told him she had asked the beasts to mate with her and she had asked them to do it fast, she gripped his hands so he would not do something foolish and try to challenge them. She told him she had done that to protect herself and Askell, she told him that she had to be sure they would not leave them, because if they had done that Askell and her would have died, she did not know how to start fire, nor where the water was, she would not have been able to do anything and she needed to feel secure. Odin looked crestfallen, he was so angry at himself, she had been through so much and yet none of her mates had protected her, he felt so shameful, he felt defeated, angry and so bad for her. He did what no other snake had ever done, tears formed in his eyes and fell down, he did not notice, he was so beaten, Alma felt she had ruined everything, she cried and held him telling him again and again how sorry she was, she had to do it, it was not anyone's fault, it was just bad luck. She held him in her arms for a while, humming a lullaby, she rocked him to sleep, he was spent, he fell into a deep sleep, one that he would not awaken from for a few months.

Sorry for no drama, i wanted to focus more on the trauma and the exhaustion, i hope you like it. I still have not decided on the name of the shark, any suggestions? Thank you all again for reading, liking and commenting, it truly brightens my day, ill try to update again tomorrow but no promises, it will be a busy day tomorrow but I will write another chapter before Friday