The Return of the Beast Princess

Chapter 113 - Completing the barrier

As soon as the crows left, Asha summoned a rock behind the wooden poles. She embedded the fourth rune and let the rock burrow down the ground to hide. Her marker will be the dead bodies of the crows. This is the best place to hide the rune guard inconspicuously. She walks towards the males that are waiting for her.

"Are you alright master? Do you feel drained? You have just recovered yet you used a lot of your mana you just retained last night."

Tarik held her in his arms to carry her while walking back to the cave where Dumu is sleeping. Theo looks at her worriedly as he takes his cloak off and covers Asha's body with it.

"I'm okay. Just let me rest for a bit."

Tarik kissed the top of her head as they continued to walk. It didn't take long when they heard Asha's soft snores.

"Asha feels sad," Theo said softly but the two males heard him.

Tarik nods and looks at her sleeping face, "she may seem savage when she fights but deep inside, she has a tender heart. I think she felt sad because of the crows' situation."

"A leader needs to be resolute and firm with their decisions, even if it means she has to do something very drastic to save and protect her fellow beast men. There are rules that she needs to implement and even follow herself. That is the reason why you all killed those trespassers, she allowed it and did not stop any of you, even joined you. But she is also empathetic and sensitive to their situation. She might have felt guilty even for a bit for killing them when she found out the reason behind it but it was needed to show the others that she means what she means. If she does not do that, she will be seen as weak. They will take advantage of her and only be used repeatedly for they know that she can be swayed easily. At least, they now know how determined and how strong the guild master is even if she is a female."

Shay said softly while they all walk. Tarik and Theo agree and nod at what he said.

"The crow chief seems sensible enough to understand what master told him. It made a lot of sense and I think it hit him. But let me ask hawk beast, I have not been to the Destitute Plains, is the situation there so poor that beasts like crows are forced to steal from others? What is the kingdom of Byakko doing? They should help for the whole area is almost covered by their territory."

Shay sighs as he looks ahead with a straight face, "our elders have once said that the Destitute Plains is not like that before. It is plentiful like the Abundant Plains but as the kingdom of Byakko grew bigger, the distribution of resources got out of hand. Since there are more powerful beast men in Byakko, these weak beast men were not able to defend themselves and were only left with little resources to survive while Byakko hoards everything for themselves. And as cycles pass, some of the small kingdoms and large villages that do not want to ally with them got oppressed. Many have already left the Destitute Plains just to avoid the beast men from Byakko. The crow village is one of those who refuses to give in to the white tigers. And now, as a result, they are nearing extinction."

"It is sad to hear that most of the tribes are that poor to even steal from other tribes as well. Beast men who can enter Baylor and other open villages are still lucky for they are being welcomed. They are not even forced to be allies with them like in Byakko. I wonder if the kingdom of Adira is different from them? You know how mermen can be so vain and egotistical. Let us just hope that the beast world can reach peace where all beast men do not even need to fight each other anymore. We are lucky that we get to meet master. If not for her, we would not be living like this."

"Barda could be ruling Baylor now and instead of the red wolves going extinct, it is your kind, the gray wolves, who are wiped out instead. This lion beast could still be with the abandoned beasts following his brother's orders even if it is against his will. That snake beast may still be hot tempered as ever as he continues to wander around the beast world aimlessly without any goals for himself. And I, I do not know if I can even find a way to save my kind and cut ties with Byakko."