Ari (Child of the Beastman Goddess)

I flew hurriedly to my destination as fast as I could without looking back.

After a few glides through the sky, I arrived at the hidden spring.

The spring was located near the summit of a huge mountain. It was surrounded by a thick forest and huge rock formations that one can only enter or leave the spring by flying above, climbing the huge trees or by a small dog hole gap between the two huge rock formation walls covering the area.

I removed the shawl wrapped around my body and placed it on the ground along with my bow, quiver and bag.

Soaps and shampoo were still non-existent in this world. We only use a variety of flower essence and ointments made from herbs and apply to our body and hair, then use stone to scrub the dirt on our body while rinsing up with water.

I was still in the process of studying how to make soap, but I got so focused on fabric production and on sewing dresses that it got delayed too much.

I already brought some bucket and basin before and placed it near the secluded area of the spring so that I can take a bath and clean my body first before soaking in the spring.

I soaked in the secluded part of the spring so that if ever any beastman enters the spring, I won’t be seen easily.

I felt sleepy soaking in the spring for a while so I started to thoroughly clean up my body before I could fall asleep and prepared to go back to the tribe.

I dried myself using a cotton towel I brought along in my bag and wore the shawl like a dress and put on the cloak and gloves. I tied the quiver at my waist, then picked up my bow and bag.

It’s almost time for Dillon and Lindie’s turn for checking compatibility in front of the altar. I wanted to take a peek at how my sister looks wearing the dress I made, but I dare not to show up to not ruin her mood on her special day.

I decided to walk back while checking on the trees along the way. I am currently looking for rubber trees to produce some elastics that I will try to add on the dresses and clothes I am going to make.

I was also studying the process of melting and molding metals to produce a more sleek set of needles and sturdier arrows. The current needles we were using were all made of hard and pointy fish bones drilled carefully on one end using a spike of a porcupine and a small stone hammer carefully. The arrows were all made from wood, making it ineffective to kill prey with thicker skins like the huge boar.

I was also thinking if ceramic arrows could be a better alternative in the meantime, but to do so, I have to go to the bear tribe and ask them directly to make it for me. I wanted to ask my father for a favor, but I wasn’t able to do so because he was so busy dealing with so many tasks at hand. I kind of regret making the fabrics because it made my father totally busy and sometimes sleepless.

I wish I could travel to other areas to find more useful stuff, but my father will probably scold me if I do so since he was over protective of me.

I crawled out the dog hole to exit the area, but upon standing up, I realized that I made a big mistake. My whole body was covered with dust from the dog hole. I looked like I was covered with powder and dirt all over my body as if I didn’t take a bath.

“Argh! Damn it! You’re so crazy Ari! What a mess.” Scolding myself as I tried to shake the dust away.

I suddenly heard a loud laugh of a male beastman from a distance. I tried looking around, but I couldn’t see him.

I can faintly sense a presence in the distance as if someone was watching me.

“Who’s there? Reveal yourself! Don’t hide yourself like a coward laughing at someone’s miserable appearance. Such rudeness! Hey! Where are you?” I shouted provoking the stalker while raising my bow and arrow to the direction where I heard the laugh. I went there in a haste, but he suddenly disappeared as I approached the exact spot as if I was just hallucinating.

“Yow! You’re too slow! Find me if you can! Hahahaha!” He taunted laughing like a crazy hyena.

“Damn it! Are you a crazy hyena? Stop laughing!” I shouted back as I got furious and tried searching for him, hoping to catch him.

However, he was so good at hiding and was very agile so disappeared every time I searched for him on the spot where I heard his voice.

“Wow! You have a good pair of ears, but sorry, I won’t let you catch me! I don’t want to duel a beautiful winged beastman like you. Hahaha! Anyway, what are you? I believe that chimera beastman tribes don’t have any territory around the area.” He asked while teasing me.

The chimera beastman tribes are tribes of beastmen with multiple animal characteristics such as the winged lion beastman that symbolizes the ancient generations of beastman that existed in this world.

I was so baffled because this was the first time that my sense of smell failed me.

A normal female beastman has an ability to smell the scent of a male up to two kilometers away except in some minority who were born with a sensitive sense of smell such as myself. Their sense of smell will intensify during their estrous.

A male beastman also has a sharp nose, but they can smell both female and male beastman up to 10-30 kilometers away depending on their race.

The forest was damp due to the rain this morning so I can smell the moss and wet branches around the forest. Maybe his scent got mixed up with it making me unable to recognize his exact location.

I gave up searching so I decided to fly back to the tribe to prevent being caught in some incident since there was someone lurking in the forest.