The day before the Great Mating Festival was supposed to be a day of peaceful preparation. Xin Yi had envisioned it as a time for spa treatments, flower crown weaving, and perhaps a small, controlled group therapy session for the two Alphas currently vibrating with territorial aggression.
Instead, the System had other plans.
[DING! (◕‿◕✿)]
[New Mission: 'The Industrial Revolution but Make it Cozy!']
[Objective: Teach the Shadow Claw tribe the art of the 'Raised Bed.' No, not for sleeping, for gardening! If you don't start a vegetable patch, they're going to get scurvy, and bleeding gums are SO not aesthetic for a Goddess. ☆]
[Reward: 100 System Points and a 'Survival Guide to Scaly Situations.']
"Vegetable patches? Now?" Xin Yi groaned, wiping sweat from her brow as she supervised a group of confused panthers digging holes in the dirt. "I have two Alphas fighting over my soul and a jealous cat-woman plotting my demise, and you want me to plant kale?"
[Kale is full of iron, Host! You'll need the stamina for tomorrow!]
Xin Yi ignored the System's suggestive wink. She glanced over at Mei Hu, who was currently sitting by the river, nursing her purple, berry-stained nose. The panther female was completely isolated; even Mao-Mao had refused to share his meat with her, citing that "Xin Yi says bullies don't get dessert."
Everything was going relatively smoothly, until the air suddenly turned cold.
It wasn't a winter cold, it was a damp, slithering chill that made the hair on the back of Xin Yi's neck stand up. Beside her, Hei Yan and Feng Huang froze mid-argument. Their pupils thinned into lethal slits.
Sniff. Sniff.
"Snake," Hei Yan spat, his upper lip curling to reveal fangs.
"Not just a snake," Feng Huang growled, stepping in front of Xin Yi. "The big one."
From the dense ferns at the edge of the clearing, the Python tribe emerged. There were about eight of them, moving with a fluidity that made the Tiger and Panther warriors look clunky by comparison. At the head of the group was Qing Lin.
His eyes, a piercing, cold emerald, locked onto hers instantly.
"What do you want, Python?" Hei Yan roared. "You are far from your marshes, and on MY territory."
Qing Lin smiled, though his lips barely moved. "I am here for my payment, Panther. You promised me compensation for the 'trouble' at the border."
"I didn't promise you anything, you slithering liar!" Hei Yan countered. "You told me to not worry about payment, and told me I could take the cub. I did not invite you to my hearth."
The Snake King's gaze drifted toward the large stone pot bubbling over the central fire. "My people and I have traveled far. We have heard whispers of the 'Scent Goddess' and her magical creations. We wish to taste this...soup. It is warm. And we are very, very cold."
"No," Feng Huang snapped, his tail lashing. "Be gone. You don't belong here."
Qing Lin ignored the Tiger. He looked directly at Xin Yi. "Is this fair, little one? I released the panther cub you so cherished. I showed mercy. Is this how you treat a King? With empty bellies and bared teeth?"
Xin Yi swallowed.
[WARNING! (⊙_⊙)]
[Host, if you don't de-escalate this, you're going to have a 3-way Alpha war on your front porch. Tomorrow is the Mating Day. Everyone is... let's say... 'emotionally sensitive.' Choose wisely!]
"I'll choose to not have a bloodbath, thanks," Xin Yi muttered. She stepped around Feng Huang's protective arm. "Fine. You can stay for dinner. But only dinner! And you have to keep your fangs to yourselves!"
"Xin Yi!" both Hei Yan and Feng Huang yelled in unison.
"Remember the rules!" she barked, pointing a finger at them. "You must respect my choices! And I choose to be a gracious host so we don't get murdered in our sleep by giant constrictors!"
The Alphas rolled their eyes, but they stepped back, grumbling under their breaths about "cold-blooded scavengers."
The dinner was the most awkward social event in the history of the Beast World.
The panthers and tigers huddled on one side of the fire, while the eight pythons sat in a silent, unblinking row on the other. Xin Yi ladled out her special Boar and Wild Onion soup, but the tension remained.
Suddenly, a small tiger cub named Bibi (Feng Huang's cousin's kid) chased a rolling nut too close to the snake side. One of the python warriors let out a low, vibrating hiss.
"Bibi! Get back here!" her mother shrieked, her fur standing on end.
Qing Lin reached out, his long, pale fingers catching the cub by her scruff before she could bolt. He didn't hurt her, but the way he looked at her was predatory.
"Such a small, loud life," Qing Lin mused. He looked up at Xin Yi. "I will return the child to her mother.…..for a price."
Hei Yan's claws extended, scraping against the stone. "Let her go, Qing Lin."
"I want the female to feed me," Qing Lin said simply. "Directly. I wish to see the Goddess up close."
Hei Yan and Feng Huang looked like they were about to explode, but Xin Yi saw the fear in the mother's eyes. She sighed. "Fine. Give the kid back."
Qing Lin released the cub, who scrambled back to her mother in a blur of orange fur. Then, with a lightning-fast movement, he reached out and pulled Xin Yi directly into his lap.
"Eep!" Xin Yi squeaked.
He was freezing. It was like sitting on a block of marble. His skin was smooth and dry, and he smelled like rain and ancient moss.
"You're very cold," she whispered as she held the wooden spoon to his lips.
He took a sip of the soup, his emerald eyes never leaving hers. "And you are very warm. It is.….intoxicating."
"You're only doing this to make them angry," she muttered, glancing at Hei Yan and Feng Huang, who were currently being held back by four other warriors to keep them from lunging.
"Maybe," Qing Lin smiled. "But I am also interested in you. Tell me, little one.….who shall you mate with tomorrow? The growling cat? Or the striped one?"
Xin Yi felt her face go nuclear. "I... I haven't decided! It's complicated!"
[DING! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]
[System Commentary: 'Intoxicating'? 'Warm'? Host, you're basically a human heating pad. Careful, or he'll wrap around you and never let go. Also, your heart rate is 120bpm. Is it fear, or do you like the Bad Boy snake vibe?]
"Shut up!" she hissed at the screen.
Qing Lin tilted his head. "If you cannot decide.…..I have a better idea. I will lie and say you stole a sacred relic from my tribe. Then, I can 'arrest' you and take you back to the marshes. You can teach my people to build houses and cook soup. Nothing serious. Unless, of course, you want it to be."
"She is not following you anywhere!" Hei Yan roared, finally breaking free of his restrainers.
"She belongs to the forest, not the swamp!" Feng Huang added, his golden eyes glowing with fire.
Qing Lin tightened his grip on Xin Yi's waist, his thumb stroking her hip through her deer-hide skirt. "We shall see what the Mating Day brings."
Oh no.