My Wild Beast
Chapter 42: The Apatka

Chapter 42: The Apatka

[ AN: Music Recommendation: Warrior Rhythm by Primal Shaman ]

Subtly, Yoa moved Nova behind him in the waters, eyes fixed on their next foes. He’d never had any trouble with the Apatka. They respectfully stayed in their lane, remaining the majestic hunters of the rivers and marshlands.

Yoa was one of the most powerful creatures on Isla de Tayun, but scrapping with a caiman would still cause him some trouble. His gaze moved further downstream to the others floating in the calmer waters, their eyes above water or their bodies sunken below, bubbles occasionally popping from where they rested. More sunbathed with their jaws open on the sides of the river, still as anything and incredibly boring.

Many remained in their reptilian form— more animal than human. Cold-blooded to the core. In the shallows, some of the younger Apatka, still children yet to be men, wrestled in human form, twisting and splashing as they fought to gain the upper hand and drown the other. Such was the way of the Apatka. Only the strongest survived, whether child or grown.

Yoa reached out to a boulder, guiding Nova to the river’s edge, his eyes trained on the others in the river. He was a good swimmer, but they were better. It was their domain. The Apatka were also further downstream, a small advantage for Yoa and Nova, who could still climb out of the water before a croc caught up to them.

That was if the caimans were bothered to waste such precious energy on a meal that was well protected by Yoa.

With his free hand, Yoa urged Nova towards the river edge, moving closer like a shield around her tiny figure, his eyes sweeping everywhere, his body taut, ready to fight for her. The Apatka had never been his enemy, no more a foe in search of a good meal, but if they decided Nova was easy pickings with her slender and smaller form, then they’d meet his wrath.

Nova had yet to catch her breath, she was sure there had been more than a few potential near-death experiences and now she swam in the same waters as crocodiles. It chilled her more than the rivers depths to see those unblinking, reptilian eyes, completely unmoving like wax figurines. They were certainly not wax though. The telltale signs of the bubbles from more beneath the water reminded her that others could be closing in or beneath her.

Yoa wouldn’t let that happen, though. There was a certain sense of ease being with him as if she knew she could rely on him. If he said he would protect her, then he will. He’d proven it many times. Neither would anyone fault his promises from looking at the sheer size of him.

With a little nudge onto her backside, Nova was mostly scooped out of the water whilst she hoisted herself up. The light blue of her dress was muddy and soaked, weighing her down more as she crawled over the grass. Yoa followed behind her, and his body covered hers, crouching over her protectively.

Nova looked up at him, shocked by how fiercely protective he was right now. They were out of danger, weren’t they? Yoa’s jaw was set, his claws slicing through his fingertips and into the ground as he looked directly across from them.

"Look what the cat dragged in..." A feminine voice called, amusement slithering over their tongue. Nova froze at the woman sauntering towards them. "Is she the one I’ve heard so much about?"

"And what have you heard, Yara?" Yoa voiced, his tone steely, eyes guarded as he watched the woman’s every move.

This Yara was short, probably the same height as Nova, but that was where the similarities stopped. Yara was stocky, muscles with veins almost bursting out, much like a lot of the men further behind her. They all looked like they could be in the gym using steroids.

Although Yara was a total ’muscle mummy’, she had striking yellow-green eyes, the pupils slitted like knife cuts—hard and edgy. Her short black hair was shaved on one side, her ear lined with piercings made of bone. The remaining hair spilt to one side, reaching past her chin and fading into a mossy green at the tips. A scar sliced across her nose, and like most on this island, she wore very little. Brown cloth wrapped tightly around her chest, knotted behind her neck, with a matching skirt hanging loosely from her hips, her thighs mostly bare to allow for easier movement. Her earthy skin was inked with symbols, and beneath it, golden scales shimmered faintly.

Each step Yara took seemed to command attention from all the other crocodiles. Power throbbed through the ground with her approach. She was a leader, like Ixana? Or a chief’s wife? Nova scanned the men and women behind her, but no one else seemed to carry that same weight.

Some men, taller than others, stood closer by, but they did not approach. Were they bodyguards? If so, they weren’t very attentive. Or maybe... Yara didn’t need guarding. The scars marking her body said as such. That piercing, unnerving stare certainly did.

Though her expression was slightly amused, Yara’s face remained hard. Her lips curved into a smirk, but those cutting eyes stayed locked on Nova.

"Vulcan and thee Yohuali fighting over this little shrimp."

Shr-shrimp?! Excuse me?!

Whatever awe Nova had felt from Yara’s magnetic presence instantly evaporated. She didn’t care how powerful the woman was or how killer she looked—how dare she call her a shrimp!

Yoa scoffed and slowly rose to his feet, blocking Yara’s line of sight to Nova. She also stood, almost glued to Yoa’s back, where he kept her. He was so powerful, but from the way his muscles were locked and his jaw set and eyes set on Yara, it was almost like he deemed her a great threat. It was either Yara or possibly because they were in Apatka land.

After quickly scanning the tribe, Nova could see everyone looked a little rough, with scars lining their bodies. They were all fighters. The children even seemed bigger than here. They were definitely wider, thicker boned and muscles already forming with the shimmering green or brown scales beneath their skin.

Yara arched an eyebrow at Yoa. "You think so little of me?" Her words silenced their surroundings. Even the younglings stopped wrestling in the shallower waters and turned to watch Yoa, clicking their heads to the side like they were ready to fight.

Okay, these were definitely at the top of Nova’s list to avoid.

"Yes."

Nova gaped up at Yoa’s response. ARE YOU INSANE? Her eyes screamed at him. One side of Yoa’s mouth quirked slightly, but it flattened again as he held Yara’s gaze. He was such a cocky little-

"That hurts, Yohuali," Yara pouted. She looked anything but hurt. Had the woman ever felt pain? The emotional kind? She was almost frozen like the crocodiles in the river.

"That’s not my problem," Yoa answered, stoic, unconcerned about Yara’s words.

Nova continued to gape, but she hid her face behind him when Yara’s amused eyes slid back to her.

"Hmmm, your little shrimp is all skin and bones. Stay. Share a meal with me," Yara said, her voice purring with mock generosity as she turned, gesturing with her hand to follow as she walked toward a shaded area lined with stone slabs and steaming clay pots. "You can fatten her up a little. I make a killer stew. Unless you prefer her... bite-sized."

Yoa didn’t move. Nova’s grip on his side tightened. She sensed that this wasn’t hospitality but a threat wrapped in a sharp-toothed smile.

Yara glanced back over her shoulder, one brow raised. "Well? Come. Before I change my mind."

What would that look like?

Yara perched down on the stone slabs, her back deliberately turned to them. It was the kind of move only someone truly powerful could afford. None of her bodyguards came forward to offer her a sense of comfort, and she did not need to watch Yoa to be ready for him. It was clear that Yara feared nothing, least of all Yohuali, the black jaguar that prowled these jungles, striking fear into the hearts of the residents.

"Yoa?" Nova whispered, staring up at him, glued to his back, soaked and dripping from the river.

Yoa’s hand slid down and wrapped around hers. "Come. Yara is a good cook."

Nova gulped at his words and the tension forming in his shoulders, his steps slow, guarded, but his expression relaxed, looking like the ultimate house cat that deemed itself far more superior and bigger than its opponents. Yoa was bigger, but Nova sensed how powerful the Apatka were, and there was only one Yoa to over a dozen of these crocodile shifters.

Unlike Yoa, who watched Yara now, Nova kept looking around the area. The Apatka were like statues, mirroring their animal forms. The children returned to wrestling aggressively, and others floated downstream in animal and human form, silencing others who dared remain in the waters.

Yoa tugged Nova gently, drawing her attention back to the area where Yara now sat. She didn’t object when she found herself sitting on Yoa’s thigh across from the woman. She scooped a bowl into the pot and offered it to Nova, her sharp eyes locked on Novas.

"You must be hungry after being devoured by Yiska and chased by Vulcan."

As if on cue, Nova’s stomach grumbled, and the woman burst into a hearty, almost boisterous laughter. "Have you not been feeding the poor girl?" Yara gestured at the bowl again.

Nova accepted it and dropped her head in thanks. "She is utterly adorable," Yara continued while Yoa remained silent, watchful. "I could eat her all up."

The bowl froze at Nova’s lips, eyes widening. Yara chuckled again.

"Stop teasing," Yoa clipped.

Yara waved him off. "She knows it is a joke." She handed Yoa a bowl.

"Silver Feather will be searching for us," Yoa said to quicken this little meeting. He knew Yara was curious about Nova, which is why she offered her food. Yara never shares food.

"Then you best be quick." Yara’s head tilted, waiting for Yoa to say more. When he didn’t and only brought the bowl to his lips, her gaze quickly fell on Nova, watching her like one would prey or like she’d never seen someone quick like Nova before.

"Hmmm, if you are ever in need, child. Come to Yara." Her words guided Nova’s eyes back up to meet hers, gulping down the stew that was utterly delicious and flavourful.

"So you can eat me like the shrimp I am? I don’t think so," Nova blurted before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened, and she froze at what she had just done. This woman could probably rip her spine from her skin with one yank of her hand, and she just challenged her.

The shrimp against a croc?!

A muscle mummy croc?!!!!