Ari (Child of the Beastman Goddess)

Everything went well when we set off from the Canan Village, though Blake didn’t bid us farewell. It was a relief that he decided to stay in a safe village-I trusted that Jael and his family would take care of him on my behalf.

We planned to sail in the ocean further north because it would take us quite a risk if we sailed from the nearest shore because it’s the Siren’s territory. Also, not even a single one of us knew how to sail a boat, except my basic knowledge on ship mechanism.

During our journey, we allotted some of our time with hunting practice every day. I also taught Gurion how to wield a bow and arrow while Dillon made a small set for him similar to the design he made for me. Lowell also taught Gurion how to wield a spear since he requested it and made a small spear for him. I was so amazed at how fast he could learn to wield weapons despite his young age.

Tora also wields a knife similar to my brother and Dillon, but Dillon always left them alone for some reasons during practice and went to us instead. On the other hand, Macan was surprisingly lame on any weapon even though his physical strength was far greater than Dillon. Tora said he used to be good at knives too, but he was surprisingly different after his fall from the cliff. We already had him try almost all types of weapon we can make, but he was also losing hope on it.

One day, we found a wounded little bunny, but my brother didn’t allow me to come near for some reason.

Tora held me and refrained me from going near the bunny. I had to cover Gurion’s eyes because the sight may be traumatizing for a hatchling like him.

Tora asked my brother, “Is it a hatchling or a regular beast?”

My brother answered, “Stay there! There are traces of Sirens surrounding us.”

Lowell, Dillon and Macan were on their guard and stood near me, Tora and Gurion.

We were lucky that all of us used Lowell’s suppressant to prevent others from tracking our presence even in a short distance, making it easier to make our escape. The males waved at each other, pointing at the huge tree a few meters away with us, while my brother wrapped the poor bunny in a clean blanket.

Macan whispered to my brother and took over the bunny while Dillon suddenly grabbed me and Gurion-my brother held Tora and Lowell followed quietly.

We climbed up the huge tree and settled our things there while my brother started creating a temporary housing for us before scouting below to check for any threats.

Macan asked Dillon to make a small sharp knife that can cut a skin precisely and asked Lowell to make a numbing and antiseptic potion that we have made before and heat all the tools he will be using. They were baffled by Macan’s words, but I asked them to do as he said.

Macan had to make a divider and cover his area while treating the bunny. I asked Tora and Gurion to stay on the other side because I wanted to check on how Macan was doing with the bunny. As I walked near the divider he placed while Lowell and Dillion go in and out due to Macan’s instruction, I saw how severe the situation of the bunny was. The wound looked so deep that his internals were already showing and the surroundings of the wound were beginning to turn purple.

I was surprised at how skilled Macan was treating a tiny beastman. He looked exactly like the modern vet I used to know in my previous life, Tory’s brother, Mac.

“Mac, do you need any help?” I mumbled unconsciously, causing him to jolt and sweat profusely.

I gasped when I suddenly realized that I accidentally called him “Mac” instead of Macan.

He briefly looked at me with his hands held high in the air while blinking due to the sweat on his eyes and asked, “Can you help me wipe my sweat? Please, Ari?”

I rushed to our bags and took a few sets of clean towels and helped him wipe his sweat while he was treating the severed wound of the poor bunny.

I asked while he was stitching up the wound, “Is it a hatchling?”

He nodded lightly, “Yes, he is. I know you want to ask something more than that.”

He saw through me so I answered, “I won’t tell anyone. I’ll wait until you are finally ready to talk about it. I am extremely confused right now but this is not the time to talk about it.”

He cleaned up the hatchling bunny and I lightly stroked his head and tried to control the energy flow within me going to him to prevent myself from fainting due to overusing my power since his condition was quite severe. He started to move his nose lightly and his breathing became normal.

He gasped and uttered, “Wow! He looked stable in an instant. I still couldn’t believe it even after seeing it multiple times, A**i.”

My hearing failed me for some reason so I asked, “What did you call me?”

His left eyebrows raised with confusion and answered, “Ari? Did I say something wrong?”

“Ari? What are you doing here?” Dillon asked, seeing me near Macan upon returning from helping Lowell to concoct the other potions needed.

I smiled and shook my head lightly while stroking the body of the bunny hatchling, “Nothing, I couldn’t help myself but worry about the hatchling.”

Lowell’s eyes widened, looking horrified upon seeing me stroking the hatchling, “Ari? Are you feeling alright? Don’t you feel uncomfortable anywhere? I think you look a little pale. Would you like me to make some nourishing soup?”

I chuckled and responded, “I’m fine! Don’t make a huge fuss about it Lowell. Okay? See? I can still stand on my own two feet.”

I stood and swirled a little to show them I was fine, though I felt a little dizzy for some reason and almost lost my footing while still holding the towel on my right hand.

Dillon pulled me near, took the towel from my hand, placed it on the table next to the hatchling and said in a low voice, “No, you are nowhere near the word ‘alright’. Please stay still.”

He took me in his arms and lifted me and took me away.

They all looked excessively worried about me. However, thinking back, I used to faint every time I tried to use my power. However, after awakening, I suddenly felt like I can already control it properly without consuming too much of it-but I can’t deny that healing or sustaining a life can also drain my power, causing me to feel exhausted in the process.