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As the day wore on, talk of the feral beastman and Moon had reached the ears of the four beast kings. The tiger king, the ape king, the wolf king and the leopard king. Each of whom stood as four unwavering pillars of the city of 10,000 beasts. Each one wanting to make sure that the female was in fact with the feral of her own accord and save her if not.

The kings pushed their way to the front of the crowd, their presence demanding attention as they laid eyes on Moon. The tiger king's ears perked up as he noticed the deep scarring that went down from below one ear, to her neck and disappearing into her clothes.

"That feral snake has marked her as his property and harmed her."

He growled lowly.

Moon's brows knit together and she stepped between Curtis and the other male, hearing whispers around them to know enough that this guy, was called tiger king or somthing.

"Curtis didn't do this to me... he saved me from bleeding out and nursed me back to health... I do not appreciate you jumping to conclusions..."

"Yes, she is mine, and those scars are a sore reminder to how close to death she was when I found her."

Curtis hissed protectively, his tail tightening further around her.

"I did not harm her, and I will not stand for you implying such things. She is my mate."

"I think we should leave..."

Moon murmured softly to Curtis, hoping to get away from the grips of four different types of kings.

"No, don't go. I insist you stay for the beast god festival. Many young males will be challenging each other. It's the best time to get yourself some more mates. Surely a delicate beauty such as yourself would like six or seven more males to take care of you?"

The ape king intervened, making Moon even more uncomfortable as she leaned back against Curtis' strong chest.

Curtis' eyes narrowed at the ape king's words, his tail coiling around Moon like a protective rope.

"She has me already. I am more than capable of providing for her needs."

He stated firmly, his voice low and deadly. Sure he was looking for a strong warm blooded male to join them, but he wouldn't openly be announcing that to a city of 10,000 beasts.

Curtis considered the ape king's words, his mind racing with the possibilities. A den in the mountain side or a tree on the village edge. Both options were acceptable, but the idea of being closer to the heart of the city did not much appeal to him.

"We can stay, but I will choose where we live..."

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With the beast kings off of their tail, Moon could finally breathe easier, sitting outside in a grassy meadow as Curtis carved through solid stone in the mountain side to make them a home on the edge of beast city.

As he worked, Moon's eyes drooped and she drifted to sleep under the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze whispering over her body as she napped.

As the sun began to set, Curtis finished carving out their den, slithering back to admire his work. It was cozy and protected from the whims of nature, perfect for his mate. He gently picked Moon up, carrying her into the den and removing her boots before laying her onto his coil, relaxing his muscles so that she could rest easy on his snake tail.

Moon had a relatively dreamless sleep, before waking at dawn and trying to make sense of her bearings. The darkness of the new cave stirred a level of unease within her before her eyes travelled over to the sleeping male. His face extremely close to her own as they had rested in close proximity to one another. Moon lazily traced her fingertips over his sharp jawline, not feeling a bump or ridge of coarse hair on his flesh to ever indicate him having a beard. 

𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝔂 & 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓼 𝓜𝓸𝓸𝓷'𝓼 𝓛𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽Where stories live. Discover now