Beauty's Beasts
Chapter 62 - 60 Rejected.

Chapter 62: Chapter 60 Rejected.

After her breakfast, Sydney fought tooth and nail to have her way! She wanted to go look for herbs and try to find other food that weren’t meat. With little to no choice left, she was now under the caretaker ship of the lion brothers and hundreds of snake eyes.

Having been away for a while, both Ken and Caden had to attend to their clan duties and couldn’t keep her company. Titan had been surrounded by the overly eager snake beastmen who wanted to know more about him and assimilate him into their tribe as a king whereas Ash was no where to be found.

With her animal skin bag coming in handy, she collected around everything that caught her fancy. If she tried to reach out for something poisonous, a sixth rank snake beast would appear in time to warn her of it but he dared not shift into his half beast form.

The lion brothers who were also enjoying their time kept guard but since it was in the city of beasts territory, they got to play around and tackle eachother to the ground

"Hey...I’ve been meaning to ask you...did you two visit the lion tribe?" Sydney asked.

Eldest stopped hopping around and ran back to her side. They had wanted to go but felt extremely awkward about it. They hence had decided to wait for Sydney to return so they could go there with her. Eldest shook his head in a no.

"Well, I’ve collected enough herbs for today..let’s return and visit the lion tribe. I haven’t been there myself." With new plans up, Sydney sat on youngest’s back and the trio set off to the lion castle.

The snake beastman sent a message to Titan informing him if where Sydney was.

The lion tribe.

Lion beastmen stepped out from their small homes when they heard that a female from another tribe was visiting. Since females had no restrictions on them and could go wherever they wanted to, for a female to visit another’s tribe, it only meant that she was out looking for a spouse from that tribe. Such an opportunity couldn’t be missed and the single males stepped out with puffed chests. Others had stone bowls full of fruits while others had beautiful skin hides that they’d use as gifts to pursue the female.

Sydney didn’t ride on youngest’s back and walked besides them. This place was clean and many beastmen kept rushing from their homes with different things from their homes. Sydney who was here on behalf of the brothers sported a soft smile.

"Who are those two cubs?" one beastman asked.

"I don’t know...they aren’t from our city!" another replied and sized up the lion brothers.

"Why are they with that female? Doesn’t their colour make her eyes hurt?"

"Hey stop it! Let’s find out why she’s here with them first!"

"I know that female! Blood red hair and forest green eyes!!! She’s the female belonging to the city lord!"

"Yeah...no wonder my heart kept jumping...It’s definitely her!"

"She so pretty up close."

"Is she here because she wishes to have a lion beast as her mate?"

"That should be the case! She even hasn’t mated with either of her pursuers."

"Maybe she’s still young!"

"No way. can’t you smell the faint scent of heat coming from her!"

Sydney could clearly hear what they were saying and for a second, she was surprised to hear their reasons. She wasn’t here for a mate! Heavens...she already had five beasts at home that she was yet to feed! Taking in more would be the death of her.

A four rank beast walked over to Sydney and observed her. "Female...may we know why you came to the lion tribe?!" he asked.

"I’m here to look for my brother’s family." Sydney said as she pointed at the brothers

The lion beast looked at the two cub and frowned a little. "No male cubs born in our tribe left the city in the past twenty years. These two are not from here and don’t have any family." His reply was honest but brutal. Sydney felt a jab to her chest when she looked at youngest who looked on in disbelief.

"Then...can they be welcomed into the tribe?" Sydney asked hopefully.

"Female..they are still cubs and are close to useless to the tribe. If they wish to become part of the tribe, they’ll have to work hard to become formidable beasts." he replied.

"They are exceptionally hard working! " Sydney was delighted. There was atleast a means for them to join the tribe.

"They can only do that from the outer most section of the beast city where all males below three ranks or new beastmen begin their life from."

"What do you mean? They are from the lion clan! And like you said, they are still cubs! They need guidance and family growing up! No place is better than amongst their own kind!" Sydney spoke up feeling it was unjust to the two cubs.

"I’m afraid that won’t happen."

Youngest had never faced such harsh rejection in his life before and with all these eyes trained on him with judgemental expressions, his lion heart pained alot. Eldest frowned and let out a cry that had every one look at him.

[Is it because it’s two of us?] he asked. [ You can take in my little brother! I’ll settle in the outer part of the city of beasts..]

"We won’t be taking in any of you. Laws are laws and they don’t bend for anyone."

[Please! My father was a cheiftan of the lion tribe that resided in the northern part of the continent. We aren’t weak beasts and can surely be of great use.] Eldest gritted his teeth and exposed his father’s title that he had kept silent about for years.

"Nothing you are going to say is going to change how things work here! You aren’t females so no laws can be bent for you." the beastman said firmly.

Sydney couldn’t stand hearing what the lion beastman was saying. She leaned on youngest and massaged around his furry ear. The poor beast had tears in his eyes but didn’t let them fall nor did he say a single thing!

"Eldest..let’s go! There’s no use trying to talk sense into prideful ears. Let’s go home." She said and looked on at the small crowd that was full of many beastmen who said nothing but looked on. She remembered a documiof a lion cub who was injured and almost abandoned by his own mother. The lion cub with the injured leg persisted through pain, hunger and loneliness to be recognized and accepted by his mother. And after his relentless pursuit for life, he was finally awarded the love and affection he longed for and also got to suckle on his mother’s milk after days of being rejected.

That was the law of the jungle! But being at the center point of such rejection obviously felt like death. She could only imagine how these two young ones felt.

Sydney turned to leave but heard a voice that stopped her in her tracks. She turned around and saw the lion king and and a group of warriors escorting him. She had only seen him a couple of times and didn’t know much about his personality.

"Female...you returned safely!" he spoke gently to her. Sydney’s mood was sour but she smiled nonetheless.

"Thanks to these two cubs..I did return safely." Sydney jabbed at all male beasts ego.

The lion king was surprised. "You mean these two cubs?!" He was speechless. His eyes darted between the two lean white lions. We’re they really that capable of looking after a female to the point of earning her acknowledgement of their efforts?! Clearly they lacked formal training as it could clearly be seen by their muscle build and only had hunting skills that were also minimal and not up to standard.

Seeing the scrutinising gaze, Sydney held her head high. "Yes!" she admitted and her eyes cold and distant as they scanned among the beastmen who had piles of gifts in their hands that were intended for her. "They did everything in their power to provide for me while I was taken away by the beast god." she said and gasps were heard. "They also protected me fearlessly when we encountered a colony of strays and with their great coordination, I managed to survive strays despite being in heat at that time. They held their forte till my mates came to find us."

"Oh my god!"

"She was in heat while in the stray colony!"

"And she wasn’t harmed!!!"

"Wow!!"

The beastmen who had been apprehensive towards the two brothers gasped and murmured in shock. None of them even believed they could hold up against strays while having a female in heat in their hands! These two cubs were outstanding!!

"We will allow them into the tribe!" the lion king spoke as soon as the story sunk in. For a female to speak up this much for a male, it was either she loved him or it was the truth and from their interaction, he knew it was both. She told the truth and loved these cubs...the kind of love was what was hard to point out on. "But there’s a condition to it." he added

Sydney on hearing what the lion king said smiled sadly. Eldest frowned. [ We are thankful for your kindness but our sincerity was rejected first and no laws are bent for no one. We will settle outside the city and won’t bother the lion tribe again.] Eldest declined firmly. They clearly wanted to trap Sydney in some madness. Had she not told them of their contributions, he was sure no one would allow them in.

"Why are you saying that cub?" the lion king was a little displeased.

[We are not answerable to you as you aren’t our king.] Youngest growled. [This isn’t the first time we were thrown away by our own kind so this matter won’t be taken to heart!] he said and looked at his older brother.

[Let’s go!] Eldest said with a proud smile. He had feared for the mental impact his soft hearted brother would suffer but he had stood up against a beast king! He was extremely proud.

Sydney couldn’t understand what the brothers were saying and could only pick out on things after the king spoke up. This time however, she could tell from the emotions youngest emitted. He had chosen to leave the lion tribe and he had done so by rejecting the king himself! She understood they might have done it for her and she was happy.

She looked at the lion king and bowed her head. She had no hard feelings towards him but was utterly disappointed in the lion tribe. "We shall return home now. Be healthy!" Sydney bid her farewell and went back home with the brothers in tow.