The men realized they were staring.
They looked away quickly.
But they couldn’t forget what they saw.
Maya didn’t notice anything.
She moved her arms and legs to test the fit.
“This is more comfortable than expected.
But how should we travel to get there?”
Caleb answered, “If we go beast form, we can reach the Eagle tribe in seven days running at full speed.
If you’re not in a rush, we could walk in human form, but it would take much longer—”
Maya cut him off.
“We’re in a hurry.
Beast form.”
As soon as Maya said “Beast form,” the beastmen suddenly went quiet.
Maya noticed their strange expressions.
“What’s wrong?”
Caleb stepped forward.
His dark red eyes stared at her with obvious sarcasm.
“Beast form means you need to ride on someone’s back. So whose back are you planning to ride?”
Those words hit Maya like a slap.
She suddenly remembered how the previous Maya had insulted their beast forms.
The previous Maya had called Caleb’s snake form slimy and disgusting.
She said just touching it felt dirty.
She said Sage’s griffin form looked proud but was actually clumsy.
His wing flapping made people dizzy.
What a waste of big wings.
She said Jasper’s fox form looked sneaky and evil.
That red fur looked like dried blood.
Such bad luck to look at.
She called Hunter’s lion form big but stupid as a pig.
His messy golden mane looked like dead grass.
When he ran, the ground shook and gave her headaches.
She said Finn was pathetically clumsy without water.
His scales looked like a gutted fish after falling off.
So ugly that even sea creatures looked better.
Maya stood there with her throat feeling tight.
She didn’t think they would willingly carry her after being humiliated like that.
Her only choice now was to offer blood drops as payment.
Just as she started to speak, Hunter suddenly stepped forward.
His tall body blocked her view.
“Ride on my back. My mane is thick. Easy for you to grab.” His voice sounded deep with no emotion showing.
Once she climbed on, he could give her the bumpiest ride of her life.
Just imagining her getting tossed around had him suppressing a grin.
He hadn’t forgotten all the shit she used to talk about his beast form.
Maya’s eyes immediately lit up.
She hadn’t expected anyone to volunteer.
She nodded quickly, afraid he might change his mind.
“Yes! I won’t ride for free. Two days of riding and I’ll give you a blood drop. I promise!”
Hunter surprised.
Was this really the same cruel, violent Maya he knew?
Shouldn’t she be ordering him to his knees so she could stand on his back and berate him?
“Are you sure you’ll give blood?” Hunter’s eyes showed he didn’t trust her.
Maya nodded firmly.
“Of course. If you let me ride tomorrow too, I’ll give you blood tomorrow night.”
Otherwise she might not survive to see her father.
The other beastmen heard her promise and felt jealous of Hunter.
If they had known carrying her for two days could earn a blood drop, they would have volunteered first.After all, carrying one small female meant nothing to a beastman.
Seeing Hunter had no complaints, Maya felt relieved.
She picked up a synthetic backpack with some things inside.
The backpack would hide her space ability.
If she needed to take things from her space, the backpack would be good cover.
After Maya packed, she told the beastmen, “Everyone else pack the tent supplies. Nutrition bars, thermal blankets, and mineral crystals. Take everything.”
Caleb, Sage, and Jasper went into their tents.
Soon they came out with several full backpacks.
They quickly counted their supplies and noticed there was less than yesterday, but didn’t worry about it.
Maya probably threw stuff around when she got angry last night, Caleb figured.
Finn went to the water container.
He carefully packed the container with mineral crystals into a backpack.
With everything ready, the beastmen looked at each other and changed into beast forms at the same time.
Caleb became a huge silver-gray snake.
His scales gleamed like metal in the sunlight.
His coiled body was thicker than an adult’s waist.
Intimidating to look at.
Sage turned into a powerful griffin.
His wings spread three meters wide.
His feathers were silver-white like moonlight.
His eagle beak was sharp with golden edges.
He looked as noble as an ancient god’s mount.
Jasper’s fox form caught the eye immediately.
His fiery red fur shone like burning flames.
His tail was fluffy and long.
His amber eyes looked clever and charming.
Hunter’s lion form looked the most impressive.
Twice the size of normal lions, his golden-brown mane sparkled in sunlight.
His muscle lines were perfectly defined.
Finn kept his merman form.
The wounds on his tail had healed over, but the scales hadn’t grown back.
The scars still looked raw.
Maya stared at the different beast forms in front of her and felt amazed.
These interstellar beastmen are incredible.
Even their beast forms are magnificent.
Hunter walked up to Maya and crouched down a little, signaling her to climb on.
His mane looked rough, but when her fingers touched it, it felt as soft as silk.
Surprisingly gentle.
Maya took a deep breath and carefully climbed onto Hunter’s back.
She gripped his mane tightly with both hands.
“Hold on tight,” Hunter said.
Caleb led the way in front.
The griffin flew overhead watching for danger.
The fox moved quickly through the landscape, sometimes collecting useful supplies.
Finn rode in a portable water tank that Caleb carried with his tail.
As soon as Hunter started running, Maya felt every bounce on his back.
She pressed her body closer and grabbed the mane behind his neck tightly.
Hunter’s steps paused for just a second, then went back to normal.
But his running rhythm felt stiffer than usual.
What the hell?
Hunter thought, confused by his body’s reaction.
Why does her touch feel so…
The female’s body pressed very close to him.
Her soft curves felt like a warm cloud covering his back.
Her breath smelled clean and light.
Sometimes her curly purple hair brushed against his neck, making his heart race and sending strange sensations through him.
This feeling was too new for him.
So strange it made him confused.
Hunter deliberately picked bumpy paths to make Maya uncomfortable.
Plus Maya had never ridden a running lion before.
It felt terrible.
She barely kept her balance, but as Hunter went faster, her arms started aching.
She bit her lip and buried her face in Hunter’s mane.
I knew females were fragile, but this is ridiculous, Maya thought, fighting nausea.
Several times during big bumps, she almost fell off.
She had to grit her teeth and grab Hunter’s mane to stay on.
The sun climbed to midday before the beastmen reached a small stream to rest.
When Hunter stopped, Maya practically fell off his back clumsily.
When she hit the ground, she couldn’t stand up straight and stumbled against a rock, throwing up.
Then she sat down beside the rock with a pale face to rest.
“God…” She breathed out long and hard, then looked up to see Hunter’s complicated expression.
She looks like she’s about to pass out, Hunter realized with unexpected guilt.
Maybe I went too far…
Just as she started to ask what was wrong, Hunter pulled an energy whip from his backpack and placed it in her hands.
“Go ahead and hit me.” Then Hunter knelt down in front of Maya.
Maya stared at the energy whip in Hunter’s hands, completely baffled.
She didn’t take it, looking at him in confusion.
“Hit you? Why would I hit you?”
Hunter looked like he’d just heard the impossible.
His ice-blue eyes went wide, shock etched across his scarred features.
He frowned and asked, “You really won’t hit me?”
Maya shook her head slowly.
“Every single one of you is crucial to finding my father. I didn’t punish Finn, so why would I punish you?” She gestured at the whip with disgust.
“These are supposed to be weapons to protect me, not instruments of torture. If that’s all you see them as, then throw the damn thing away.”
Without another word, she turned and slumped against the massive alien tree, closing her eyes.
Her voice came out flat with exhaustion.
“I’m wiped out. I need to crash. Don’t wake me.”
Soft breathing sounds emerged almost immediately.
She was completely spent.
Between last night’s close call with death and barely sleeping, the moment she relaxed, she was out cold.