Beauty's Beasts
Chapter 156: They return. Her memories.

Chapter 156: They return. Her memories.

Greetings father!" Ash came over and was pulled into a hug, his father laughing boisterously.

Look at you! You’ve gotten so big! Anyway ,how’s the city? Why are you here and not in the city?" He asked drawing from the hug.

It should be alright. " Ash answered with uncertainty before his eyes fell on his mother. "Greetings mother!" He smiled at the female.

"How have you been? You’ve grown so thin!!" The female walked over and clasped Ash’s hands to check on him as her eyes scanned his whole body.

I’m alright mother." Ash was happy to see her. She looked around and cast his father a look. He couldn’t see his other fathers. Must be something his scheming father did. He could only shake his head and not poke his nose in their matters.

Vincenzo, Greg and Kevin also came up and hugged Ash, Ray and Shawn almost crashing their bones in the process.

Hahaha!!!" The group of men laughed and laughed during their hug. It was weird for them to hug but who wouldn’t after all this long. Tears of joy coated their eyes but they didn’t let them fall.

Shawn felt whole...before, he really didn’t get to interact with them on such an intimate level. He felt like he truly belonged.

As the men interacted, Lilly and her brothers walked over and past the reuniting group and went to the small house they had come from.

Inside, Sydney was seated on the ground a bewildered and disbelieving look in her eyes. Hearing the arrival of someone, she looked up from where she sat and her breathe hitched seeing the four children before her.

Tears immediately begin to roll down from her forest green eyes down to her now pale face.

Lilly also stood at the entrance and tears immediately begun to fall from her eyes freely.

Lil...

Mom...

They both called out at eachother at the same time and stopped.

My... Lilly...is that really you?" Sydney sobbed.

Lilly pounced over and fell into Sydney’s arms bawling her eyes out. Waaaa....mommy!!! I missed you so much....waaaa."

The sound of crying attracted the adults outside and they immediately broke from their reunion and dashed over to the house but the three panther brothers stood guard not allowing them into the house.

What’s going on with your sister?" Ash asked in panic looking at his sons that stood towering like mountains in his way.

Growl!!!" Frost growled at Ash his eyes ferocious.

Enzo and the others were stunned by the display. What reason was there for Frost to develop this level of hostility towards them.

Hey ..calm down...calm down!!!!" Ray said pulling Ash away. He knew these children pretty well enough. Calming down the agitated Ash, he turned to frost, he was the white panther boy. "Frost...look at me." He gestured and the boys green eyes shot to him. "We aren’t doing anything. Lilly is crying now and we are just worried about her." He spoke.

"She’s with mother." Franklin spoke and then turned to Frost but he didn’t stop him.

Okay. We will retreat now. Don’t get angry, okay?" Ray said and stepped back bringing along the others.

Ash’s parents looked at Frost with concern. Learning that they had grandchildren was a very great deal for them, all the way from the spirit beasts territory in the mountains, the children had spoken not much but still followed after them.

Frost didn’t mind them and turned to look into the house where his mother and sister were and a smile bloomed on his face.

A few moments before Sydney saw the arriving group.

Hearing Caden screech, she wanted to look over but Ken kept her in his embrace. She didn’t struggle and patiently waited, letting her mind wander off to the identity she had just learnt of.

For as far as she knew, she wasn’t a person from this world and the relation with this place didn’t extend as far as that in her mind. Coming here, she only had one single plan and that was to get back home as soon as possible.

Initially, she knew it wouldn’t be easy for her but the longer she stayed, the better she appreciated this place and at some point thought of not leaving ever!

The huge chunk of black stone she had asked for was in her hands as she fumbled with it time and again, a certain feeling arising the longer she held it.

I’ll become you and take everything that’s yours." Those words rolled out of her mouth and she frowned. They felt familiar. But to who had said them, she wasn’t sure!

Ah!" She let out a cry. The black stone had scratched her finger and a drop of her blood was immediately sucked into the black stone. Eh?" Sydney was surprised. This stone had been smoothened out and had no sharp edges to it! How did it cut her?!

She drew it afar to study and was surprised. Inside the black stone, she seemed to see images flashing at a very fast speed and all she could catch from them were a blur.

She drew the stone next to her face to take a closer look and was shocked.

Zhu! She felt like she was sucked into the stone.

At this time, Shawn and the others had run out and she had been left alone so no one knew that she had gone missing again for a fraction of time.

Myriads of memories bombarded her mind in an unending assault. It wasn’t just a short fraction, it was like she was watching a life come to blossom and die and that repeated for countless times.

But one thing was common, the lives of those people that she saw, she was a part of them, she was there in all those times, the pain, the joy, the sadness, every single emotions stood like it were her own. Massacre upon massacre!

And the bewildering thing was the fact that cause of all this was a female that looked exactly like her with her black hair as the only distinguishing features between them.

Like a person that’s travelled through space and time, Sydney was thrown out of the black stone and it fell to the ground with a thud. Rolling all the way till it’s movement was stopped by the stone wall.

Her breathes were bartered and her eyes were full of fear, jolting from the ground, she ran to the door so that she’d leave this place but when she saw the people outside, her trembling body couldn’t hold itself and she stumbled all the way back into the house falling on her butt as the memories integrated themselves in her eyes like slashes of lighting.

Pain!!! She wanted to cry out but her voice seemed to have been locked somewhere from within. She squeezed her eyes shut and bore with the pain.

Only after hearing the movements coming her way did she look up.

Her tears fell!

Lilly!!!

Lilly seeing the difference in her mother’s eyes, the usual dark green having striking flickers of blue in them, she knew her hard work and finally paid off!

She crashed into her hands.

I’m sorry my baby..I’m really sorry!!!!" Sydney couldn’t help but cry. Her small daughter!!! Her baby!!! Just how much did she have to endure all the way just for this moment.

Lilly. Sydney’s youngest and only daughter.

Run!! Hurry up!!!" Ray rushed off with all his might, in his hands was the baby in a swaddle crying so hard that her face was red. The small patch of red hair on her head was like a raging flame.

Besides Ray were cubs not older than four years running not daring to look back behind, fear apparent in their eyes.

They were being hunted.

Ray gritted his teeth and continued to run on his two feet. He couldn’t run in his beast form as he’d loose the small group of children that were assigned to him.

They were approaching the end for he forest and would then proceed forward to head to the mountain range. His deep blue eyes were bloodshot and the sound of his heart was loud enough playing like a death song in his ears.

Ahh." A cub tripped over and fell filling over.

This brought the others to a stop as the other small cubs rushed over to their brother.

Ray also rushed back only to see that the poor guys’ paw had been sprained. But the fox cub didn’t let it’s big beads of tears fall from its frost green eyes.

Shit! He cursed internally and bent down to pick the cub in his other hand. You can cry, it’s okay!" He said and turned to look at the other cubs surrounding him. If any of you get tired. Let me know." He said and signaled for them to continue running.

The cubs braved their small hearts and ran. Before the sun sets they had crossed the forest and the mountain range which was their destination was in sight but the closer it seemed, the further it was. For Ray, this wouldn’t take a week for him to cross over to but with these cubs, it would take him more or slightly less of a month.

That would have been okay if they didn’t have anyone hunting after them.

Night fell and Ray had no other choice but to find a place for the children to rest. He couldn’t keep dragging them to run as they’d soon drop from exhaustion.

He was lucky.

He found a cave and immediately unleashed his aura, any small beasts would be scared off by only that. He also couldn’t engage in battle at the moment.

Once sure that the area was clear, he brought this children in.

The cave had a black lining to it and was chilly the further one entered. Ray had to secure this place and didn’t hold back going all through the cave. When he saw its end, he breathed a relief of sigh and turned. You can come. " he said and the group of heavily tired cubs ran over.

Lilly had cried till she couldn’t anymore falling asleep in the process.

I’ll have to let you down Josh." Ray said to the cub in his arms and it nodded. He carefully set the small guy down and Josh immediately took his human form. A small boy with forest green eyes like Sydney’s and a small face with a tiny nose and small pink lips.

Aftet shifting, he was naturally naked and immediately hurried to find his skin hide. He wrapped it around himself and found a part of the cave to sit and nurse his now swollen ankle.

Okay, you guys chose, some can take rest while the others..I’m going to have to trouble you to keep guard. I have to go hunt you something to eat and kill off some of those bad guys. Frost, you’ll need to ensure that Lilly doesn’t cry...can you do that for me?" Ray asked looking at the only white guy among the different shades of furs of the children.

Frost nodded his head and immediately took on his human form. A pair of forest green eyes and a head full of white long hairs, Frost hurried to embrace his little sister careful not to wake her up.

The panther brothers were the oldest at five years and had learnt alot about nursing their siblings but with Lilly, only frost could handle her if not for Sydney.

Franklin, Fred, Zain, Rick and Heather went to stand guard at the cave their small frames emitting ferociousness of young capable beasts.

Ray went to where Josh sat and looked at his left leg. "I’m going to twist it back."

"Is it gonna hurt?" Josh asked holding back a sob.

"A little, it’ll only be a little painful." Ray assured.

"Like when my tooth fell out?" Josh asked again.

Ray let out a laugh. "Mm."

"Okay then." Josh agreed and his small face twisted as he braced himself to bare with the pain.

The other cubs also came to see and also offer support to their brother.

The process was swift and fast. After Ray tended to Josh, he turned to Frost and offered the small guy a skin bag. There’s the powdered milk and water in there. Once she wakes up, let one of your brother help you mix it and let Lilly eat. I’ll try my best to return earlier."

After ensuring everyone was in place, Ray walked to the cave entrance and scanned the area. He immediately took on his beast form, black lion and disappeared into the night.