The Path of a Black Sheep in a Fantasy World (BL)

Chapter 86

Crazy by Simple Plan~

The trial took a while, well, if it was really what kept Athena this occupied. The little family waited a few hours in her tent, uncomfortable knowing that their fate was being decided by strangers not far away.

Adam took this time to recompose himself, allowing his emotion to run free before gently reining them in. He allowed himself to truly feel, and not just brush it off or chain down his feelings, like he had been told to do. Emotions were weaknesses, like his mentors always said.

However, they could also give strength if well managed, and never listening to them could also bring more weakness in the future.

So Adam had to find a good balance, and he knew Evan would be there to accompany him all the way.

Once his mood was settled, Adam took his face out of its nest on Evan's shoulder. He glanced at the children, seeing them still stuffing their faces with the cookies.

"That's a look I like seeing on your face." Evan whispered in his ears, making Adam blush as he realized that he had been grinning like an idiot. The giant tenderly rubbed under his puffy eyes, making the warrior wince slightly.

"I don't like seeing you cry if it's not tears of pleasure." Evan mumbled to keep the children from hearing. Adam didn't know if he should have felt ashamed or happy, so he chose to hide his embarrassment by quickly pecking the giant on the lips, effectively shutting up the man. Evan raised an eyebrow at the initiative, quickly pursuing Adam's lips before they could get too far.

Ensued a little battle of tongues and teeths, lips bruising and saliva exchanging.

Adam gently knocked his fists on the giant's chest to make him stop, not wanting the children to see them like this. Evan reluctantly let him go, his arms still holding him close. Both men looked into the other's eyes, silently taking in the other's handsomeness as they struggled to catch their breath. Evan brushed a strand of hair before Adam's eye, smug about the misty look of wanting in his lover's eyes.

He had always found Adam's icey blue eyes alluring, the way the man acted like an ice cube with everyone around him, and only with his family did his walls melt away. Under his thorny outsides, the hedgehog hid the softest fur.

He loved this man so fucking much it hurt.

Adam turned back to face the kids, only to see Blaze and Ash openly staring at them with confused little faces.

"Why are you eating each other's lips?" Blaze asked loudly, raising his hand as he had seen children do when asking questions. Beside him, Ash nodded quickly, showing that he, too, was curious. Adam turned back to glare at Evan, silently telling him to fix this issue as he was the one to blame.

"Shouldn't have tempted me." The giant whispered in Adam hot ears before explaining to the children that it was what lovers did to show their love, and that little children shouldn't watch it. The innocent kids bought it, much to Adam's relief.

Adam took Blaze on his lap, stopping the wriggling child from slipping away like he had realized the kid intended to do when he saw the shifter frequently glancing at the entrance. The fox had difficulty staying in one place, always needing to spend energy. Waiting like this for a long time was hard on this energetic child.

Evan glanced at Ash, the snake peeking under his lashes at Blaze. The shifter started to twist his fingers again, looking hesitantly at the giant. Instead of helping the child, Evan waited for the shifter to ask first. It was important that Ash learnt how to ask if he wanted something. Evan could help him from time to time, but not always.

"Hum... P-papa... Could I g-go on your l-lap, please? I-it's fine if you d-don't-!" Ash timidly asked, quickly trying to backpedal after for fear of annoying the giant. However, his escape was cut short as Evan lifted him up and put him on his lap, not letting him finish his sentence.

The snake curled up his tail around his own waist in surprise, holding the chubby tip in his hand. His pointy ears dropped down in fear, before lifting up with a quick vibration as he realized that he was on his Papa's lap. Ash looked up with wide slanted eyes at the giant, seeing him look down at him with a small smile.

The child beamed at the former slave, showing off a few missing teeth and his two pointy fangs.

Adam chuckled at the sight, finding the kid endearing.

As they resumed their wait in this new position, with Adam leaning against Evan's shoulder, the tent's entry was lifted.

The little family of four all turned toward the sound, seeing Athena walking in.

The elder still had puffy eyes from her earlier outburst, but she didn't seem in a bad mood.

Things looked promising, alas, Adam didn't dare hope for too much. He had been disappointed too often in his life, be it by people or by life in general.

Meeting Evan, Blaze and Ash was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"The council came to a conclusion. Those old foxes wouldn't give in at first, but no one can resist my charms. Maybe the fact that they all loved Adeline a lot played a big part too, but that's another thing." Athena started talking as she sat down, taking a little break to pour herself some tea and munch on a cookie.

The family looked at her, waiting anxiously for her to finish what she was saying instead of raving.

"Here's the deal : you will all need to pass the rite of entry. The difficulty will of course be adjusted for each of you. Then, you will receive training until your teachers judge you apt to go outside. Don't worry, we won't keep you chained here forever. However, we know that you need to go against strong foes, mostly to take revenge on the Duke. It won't be easy, and we would all regret it a lot if we couldn't protect Adeline's son and his family when we had the chance. Which is why you will need to get stronger. The faster you grow, the faster you will be able to leave." Athena finished explaining, sipping her tea as she waited for the family's reaction. It was the best compromise they could come up with. She really fought hard to make the old conservative people accept breaking the rules, but this situation was exceptional.

Since Adeline had gone missing, their scouting methods had been strengthened and no one had disappeared anymore. Having her son show up today was a miracle in itself as their tribe had grown even more averse to letting strangers enter the tribe. Had it not been for the scout recognizing Adeline in Adam, they wouldn't have met.

As such, the tribe's council was even more against letting Adam leave after finally finding Adeline's traces in this world. They all felt responsible for what happened to Athena's daughter, they feared that Adam would get hurt and suffer like his mother.

They weren't bad people, they were just like worried parents.

Still, Athena convinced them that Adam's happiness was the most important. They hoped that the man would grow fond of their tribe and decide to stay after his training, but they would also accept it if he wanted to leave.

Knowing that the Duke would get retribution was also a joyful event for their tribe.

Hey dear readers, do you think it's a good deal?

When writing about the council, I couldn't help but imagine a group of elders surrounding Adam and giving him their best puppy eyes to make him stay.

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