Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 123: Talks about mates

"Tell me what happened," Visha said.

"I don’t know what you mean," Cato said, his lips pressed together.

Visha smiled. She didn’t out him immediately, instead she started to speak.

"You know, the first time I met Uri and Xeno. Xeno had fished me out of the river. At that time, I was only thinking about going home. My brain refused to register anything else. It only took me a few days to realize that I like both of them. I still denied and rejected it. This was a new place for me. Feelings like that had no place in my life."

She looked at the sky, thinking back to when they first met. "Uri was the one who told me about the Soul-Bond. I heard the Tiger tribe has something similar. Finding a partner, you can change at any time. It doesn’t matter who it is. Finding a mate, that’s different. You could say it was something the Beast God did."

"It is a union of souls. It isn’t temporary like partners are. The first thing you notice I noticed was the feeling. There was a hum in the air. With Xeno, it’s a smouldering fire. It could burn if you aren’t careful. With Uri, it is a pool of endless water. It’s unpredictable. You either flow with it, or it will drown you."

She laughed, a melodic sound. "I guess I would be steam, if I say it that way. Uri and Xeno noticed the sound first. They were together before me. They once told me meeting each other was like hearing music. A low, constant sound that made them want to listen. When they met me, it became a symphony. The rhythm carried them away."

"So when you met Lyra, which was it?"

Visha didn’t hide the intrigue in her voice or int interest in her eyes when she asked. She had never seen someone start a bond. And hers hadn’t been the happiest given her circumstances. She was curious to know what Cato was feeling.

Beside her, Cato lowered his head. He wouldn’t say anything. Visha assumed he was taking in her words and didn’t ask anything more. She decided she would watch and see how things work out.

Before walking away, she said, "Sometimes I wonder if Heta and Kael are actually mates. You and her didn’t work. I know you weren’t heartbroken when she left. The Beast God gave you a chance. Are you sure you want to miss it?"

After Visha’s talk with Cato that day, she didn’t say anything. They were able to situate Lyra. While she didn’t actively speak to the members of the pack, she would still help. She did everything a normal pack member would do.

She would continue to observe.

It had been a little over a month since Biron and his family had been at the pack. This day, they approached Xeno. He watched the nervousness on their faces.

"Do you need to tell me something?" Xeno asked.

Biron bowed 90 degrees. Xeno’s green eyes watched him with interest.

"We would like to stay in the pack with everyone," Biron spoke rapidly. He sounded afraid that Xeno would say no.

"Get up," Xeno said. "Are you sure this is what you want?" His tone was patient.

Biron nodded. "My family and I have talked about it." His eyes shifted to his daughter, laughing with Kit and Nimo. "We think it would be best if we stay. We have been travelling for a long time. It’s time for us to settle down."

"Why not go back to your original pack?" Xeno had thought of this before. They hadn’t asked about Biron’s previous tribe, mainly out of respect for his family. But if they decided to stay, they would need to know.

"We can’t go back," Biron lowered his head. "Since the day the priest was unable to cure my daughter, they decided she was cursed. They told us to throw her away. We couldn’t do it. So we walked around searching for a cure. It took three years before we were able to find your pack."

He paused, letting Xeno understand his words. "This is the place we have decided will be our home...if you all will allow it."

Xeno laughed, loud and boisterous. " Do you remember when you first came, the priestess asked you to do three things...she never named the third. Do you know why?"

Biron stood listening. He did remember. He never knew what the third thing was, and the priestess never mentioned it again.

"Has she decided on the third thing?" Biron asked, uncertain why the leader mentioned it.

"She had already decided what the third thing would be, and you just fulfilled it. She hoped you would stay." Xeno clapped Biron on the shoulder. "We can do a pack bond ceremony tonight."

With that, he walked away. Biron was left standing there, amazed at how easy it was. His reasoning was that he knew tribes didn’t accept people from other tribes that easily. He noticed that everyone except the leader and Kaelen were tigers.

Uri was a partner to Xeno and Visha, so it was obvious for him to be here. He wasn’t sure how Kaelen came to be here, but he thought things would be complicated when it came to accepting his family of four.

He shook his head, attempting to get the wonder of it from his mind. He needed to go back and tell his family that they could stay. He was sure they would be happy.

That night, the ceremony was held in the square. Same as before, Visha, Uri, and Xeno cut themselves, mixed the blood with the rest of the mixture, and a sigil was placed on the forehead of the family of four.

The pack felt their bond snap into place. They spent the rest of the night cheering and congratulating the family for becoming a part of the pack.

Lyra watched it all happen with a complicated look in her eye. She had been in the pack for a week. She had examined the way they live. It was nothing like the Stonefang Pack, where people were constantly competing.

Cato, standing beside her, noticed her complex emotions. "What’s wrong?"

Lyra sighed before answering. "It’s different. I’m just not used to it."

"You haven’t been here long. I’m sure you will adapt." He was trying to soothe her.

Lyra looked at Cato. She went from freezing when he was nearby to expecting his presence. She smiled and walked away without answering.

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