"I'm sorry, Arinya, but I don't think I can be your mate." The awkward, big-nosed, and uneven-eyed male said and then turned to leave.
He looked weak, but he was still a male.
There was nothing Arinya could say to stop him.
This was her fifth rejection from 'another' ugly male.
When beastmen came of age, they had one thing that dominated their mind. The desire for a spouse, or spouses.
As females were scarce, they were allowed to have more than one mate. But not everyone was lucky enough to have several spouses.
To bag even one male as their mate was a blessing from the beast god.
And then for those who could not get a mate, they were seen as unlucky.
The males weren't picky. Even unattractive females manage to get a mate or two. After all, all they wanted was a female they could mate with and have cubs with.
It wasn't like the 21st century, where looks were important.
Yes, that was it.
But if that's the case, why couldn't Arinya, the first daughter of the tiger king, find a mate?
Though she was ugly, with freckles under her eyes that resembled splattered mud, she wasn't that bad to look at. Her brothers would say it was her 'unruly' personality that chased men away.
She did everything the tribe considered unfeminine: She hunted like the males, climbed trees, and even argued like a male!
Her rough palms, scarred belly, and loud self chased the men away.
"Stop climbing trees and leave the hunting to your brothers!" Her father, Rakan the tiger chief, would often yell at her, "You'll never find a mate if you keep behaving like this!"
Females were meant to be docile and wait for their mates at home. When the males return from hunting, they eat together. After that, they get in bed and rut like rabbits.
Talk about breeding machines.
Arinya knew all of this too well. She knew the only way to get a mate was to act more feminine. But she couldn't contain the wild spirit coursing through her veins.
She took more after her father than her mother, who was the gentlest female. That gentleness was passed down to her younger sister, Veyra.
Veyra was not only gentle and feminine, but she was also very beautiful. Everyone adored her.
She was a few months younger than Arinya, and yet she already had many mates lined up to court her.
However, in reality, her gentleness was a facade for her heart was as black as ink. Verya was cunning. She was part of the reason why no male wanted to mate with Arinya.
Each time a male wanted to approach Arinya, Verya would show interest in them.
Talk about a whore!
She'd even framed Arinya on multiple occasions, claiming she had tried to ruin her face with poison. This caused Arinya to be locked in her cave, often for a week with no food.
Unable to go on like this Arinya decided she had enough.
"I will go to another tribe and maybe there, I will find a mate."
But going to another tribe was not as easy as it sounded.
She'd have to cross the lake, and she had no idea how to swim.
Even if she got to the other side, she would have to prove that she wasn't a spy, sent by her tribe, Stormhole.
If that happened, she might get sent back. Her tribe would hate her even more and accuse her of trying to create strife with the other tribes.
She felt suffocated.
Arinya couldn't stay in the tribe during the day because everywhere she went, she would see females and their mates fawning over each other.
And no one cared about her either.
So, she went to the empty yellow flower field at the far end of the tribe and laid there till sunset.
Arinya died in that flowerfield. Alone.
And that was when I woke up.
I was in tears, recalling Arinya's memories.
She led such a pitiful life. But not every part was grim. At least she found happiness hunting and doing the things she loved.
Her father and brothers paid more attention to her sister because she was beautiful and gentle.
Then what about Arinya?
I wiped my tears with the back of my palm.
Arinya was emotionally scarred. She died of a broken heart.
"I need to get this out of my system," I said to myself, breathing in and out to get that heaviness out of my heart.
I wasn't Arinya, but because I had possessed her body, her emotions suddenly became my emotions. Still, I cannot let them overwhelm me. I have to be strong.
My name is Stephanie. Such a side character type of name, right? I know. I get that side character energy a lot.
I was always in the background while the main characters sparkled brightly.
I wrote a book once, starting from my third year in high school.
It was such a depraved novel that was mostly filled with beastmen mating and going on adventures together.
It was fun while I was writing it, and I made my protagonist so beautiful that a single wink would make the males kneel at her feet.
And I think... I fell into that very novel.
But something doesn't feel right. My protagonist didn't have a sister. She was the only female among her numerous brothers who worshiped her.
There was no one named Arinya.
And I didn't make a villain either, because it felt like too much of a chore.
So, why was everything so mixed up?
I got up from the flower field and gazed at the setting sun.
Was this really not a dream?
No, the pain in my head and the ache in my heart felt real.
I... I was a beastman in the beastworld of my own creation.
I was excited atfirst but the reality of my situation hit me like a rock. Why did I have to be an ugly duckling!
To make matters worse, I'm an outcast! Just my luck!