The walk to Rin’s hut didn’t take long. The six of them walked briskly, not really speaking to each other. Enzo knew it was most likely his presence that caused the rift, but he couldn’t control their thoughts.
He wasn’t the original. He couldn’t act the way they wanted him to.
As they approached Rin’s hut, Enzo sighed. Yet another hut that was better than his own. Even from the outside, he could see the difference. His was like a drafty, windowless tomb.
This one had windows that let in light, much like Zeli’s hut. Not windows in the sense that Enzo knew them, but openings that could pass for windows.
A group of young sub-beasts was waiting at the door.
"Rin," one of them said. The other turned to see the six of them coming.
Enzo remembered some of their faces. When he first met Nova, some of these people were there. They all greeted each other, Enzo included.
He received strange looks as he greeted everyone. Someone whispered, and when they got the answer they were looking for, the strange look intensified. It didn’t bother him.
Rin greeted everyone and stepped inside. The chatter outside intensified. Enzo listened as names he didn’t know flew around.
People mentioned that the beastmen who had gone hunting should be back soon. They hoped they would bring back enough prey.
"I only hope that he comes back safe," one sub-beast said.
Another commented, "Of course they’ll be safe. The strongest warriors have gone to find prey. I bet they’ll bring back a giant horn beast."
"My partner promised to bring back the fur of a long-eared beast," someone else commented.
"Partner? You’re a cub. He’s not your partner yet."
"He is. He’s already scented me. Even if he didn’t have a ceremony with me right away, it’s as good as done."
"Not done, don’t we have a live example right here?" A malicious voice replied.
Enzo, who was listening to the conversation, was shot while lying down. They turned to him and looked at him with varying expressions. They were practically calling his name.
"Who me?" Enzo asked, not the least bit shy. He turned to Zeli. "Was I scented?"
Hearing the question, gasps rang out. They hadn’t expected him to ask. Having a male reject you is one thing. But in the society they live in, sub-beasts were precious. Being rejected by a male was so rare it was practically unheard of.
Sub-beasts could reject beastmne, but a beastman rejecting a sub-beast, it was social suicide.
Now here was Enzo, acting as if nothing happened.
"He has the forgetting disease. He doesn’t remember any of it," Zeli commented.
It wasn’t the first time he said it. It was obvious they didn’t believe it.
Enzo was actually getting annoyed with them reminding him about this supposed rejection. He didn’t feel anything about it, but being reminded was making him want to slap people.
The sad thing was he couldn’t very well shout that he wasn’t the original.
Thankfully, Rin, who had disappeared to who knows where, had reappeared with an absurd amount of palm leaves.
A hush fell over them as Rin walked out. "What’s wrong?"
Enzo didn’t get the chance to respond. He wasn’t certain whether he was grateful or annoyed that Rin came out when he did. However, he didn’t defend himself.
Everyone tacitly said nothing about the conversation since one of the parties involved was Rin.
Rin came out and sat on a large stone at the front of the hut. "Let me show you how to do it, then we can try making a few."
They all gathered around, and Rin took the time to explain and show how to make the basket. Enzo had to admit, the guy was handy.
Enzo tried it himself. The first attempt wasn’t great, but he could follow along. Occasionally, he would give a few pointers based on what he understood. He even made a plan with a few sub-beasts to go find the palm leaves and make some on their own.
The group was laughing and chatting when they heard a lazy, rumbling growl.
"They’re back!" One person stood and shouted, and then everyone was on their feet.
Only Enzo was still confused, looking around, trying to understand what was happening. The growl nearly scared him out of his wits, and now everyone was jumping up. Are they under attack or something?
"Let’s go," Zeli tugged Enzo.
"What? What’s happening?"
"The hunting party is back."
Running towards the central clearing, Enzo felt and saw their joy. By the time he arrived at the clearing, it was packed with sub-beasts and young beastmen who hadn’t been able to go hunting.
Enzo couldn’t help staring. Seeing beast cubs in beast form is no different than seeing a kitten, but these? These were definitely not kittens.
Eight feet of rippling muscle and orange and black striped fur. They walked into the tribe with blood on their bodies, but they were obviously proud.
The prey they dragged behind them was even larger than their own bodies, and for the first time, Enzo understood why sub-beasts don’t go out hunting.
These animals were just big; they were huge, humongous, ginormous. The words rotated in Enzo’s mind until they stopped on one thing. And Enzo thought, damn, these fuckers are big.
The most eloquent words ever spoken.
But as he gazed upon their giant countenance, he couldn’t estimate their size. If he wasn’t wrong, they should be more than four metres tall, on all fours. Twice their normal height, give or take.
And the rippling muscle and strong frame- Enzo swallowed. He wondered if he could even take a tail swipe from one of them.
The tribesmen erupted in cheers, seeing their males return safely. Nova clapped his hands together. The excitement was infectious, and Enzo found himself smiling too.
Then a figure sprinted past the cheering crowd. It was a beastman in his regular human form.
"Healer! Gato!" the man roared.
Enzo felt a knot form in his stomach, despite not knowing any of the beastmen present. When he saw the person barreling past him, he wondered who had been hurt.
The sub-beasts looked around for their loved ones anxiously. They didn’t want it to be one of their own. The beastmen dropped the prey and shifted.
People surged forward, each finding their partner or future partner or child. There were scratches and scrapes. Some were still bleeding from various wounds, but none was serious enough for them to run to Gato like that.
Enzo was still staring at the person who had run past, his eyebrows knitted together. He wanted to ask Zeli, but he saw he wasn’t beside him. When he turned, he saw the one thing his brain had been ignoring.
They were naked. The beastmen were naked. He could see...everything. He looked down. Was this something he could see for free?
He peeked through his eyelashes, and yup, they were definitely naked.
Oh, the muscle. Oh, the nakedness. Oh the...I shall not look.
He debated with himself long enough for the beastmen to put on their loincloths, but the damage was done. He saw everything, and he was certain now more than ever that he would remain single.
It was already big, flaccid; what if it got up?
Enzo made his way to Zeli. He cleared his throat. "Did you find out who got hurt?"