Chapter 111: The Search
Anaria rushed outside.
The settlement was in chaos, beast people were running between the shelters. A yellow leopard woman was crying near the center. A lion man whom has a big build was shouting orders to a group of beastmen. Others stood around, confused and afraid. The mid afternoon air was cool. The sun was beginning to set. Fire Lanterns were being lit. The shadows were already starting to grow longer.
Anaria grabbed the arm of a passing beast woman. "What happened?"
𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
The woman’s eyes were wide. Her hands were shaking. "A cub is missing, he was playing with the others. They were playing hide and seek. He went to hide and his friends went to go and look for him but couldn’t find him"
Anaria let go of her arm "How long?"
"Not quite long, We have been looking but we cannot find him. His mother is hysterical. His father is leading the search."
Anaria looked around. The settlement was small. There were only so many places a child could hide. But the forest was close, very close. The trees stood at the edge of the settlement like a dark wall.
Kenai appeared beside her. He had Ana in the sling against his chest. His face was tight.
"You should be inside."
"I can help."
"No."
She looked at him. "Kenai."
"You are not feeling well, You are still recovering. You cannot run around the forest looking for a child."
"I am a healer. If he might be hurt and lonely out there"
"Others can look for him, you need to rest."
Rylan walked over. He had been speaking to the settlement people. His expression was serious.
"The search parties are ready. We will cover the settlement first. Then head towards the forest if we can’t find him here."
Anaria looked at him. "I want to help."
Rylan looked at her. He did not answer immediately. Then he spoke.
"You are not helping. You are staying here."
"Rylan."
"You collapsed yesterday. You are still pale. You are still weak, I only agreed to come here with you because I didn’t want to see you cry but you making another request won’t happen this time around. I will not risk you now."
Ryan contuined with a serious look on his face "You can stay here with the women, it won’t take long for us to find the child"
Anaria opened her mouth to argue. Kai stepped forward.
"He is right. We will find the child. You stay with Ana, allow the men to do their jobs.
Anaria looked at the three of them. They were all watching her, waiting for her to say something or probably act stubborn again.
She sighed "Fine."
Kenai smiled at her and then handed Ana to her. The baby was awake now. She looked up at Anaria with wide eyes.
"Stay inside," Kenai said. "We will be back."
He turned and walked toward the search party. Kai followed. Rylan looked at her one last time. Then he left too.
Anaria stood alone.
She watched her mates leave with the search party. Kenai, Kai, and Rylan moved with the other beastmen through the settlement while the women stayed behind. Lanterns were carried around as they searched between the shelters.
Anaria looked toward the yellow leopard woman who was still crying. She could not just leave her like that.
She walked over and sat beside her.
"It will be okay," Anaria said gently.
The woman covered her face with both hands. "I don’t know where he is. I should have been watching him."
"You didn’t know he would disappear."
"He is my first child."
Anaria placed a hand on her shoulder. "They will find him."
The woman nodded, but she continued crying. Anaria stayed beside her for a while, saying little. There was nothing she could say that would make the woman’s fear disappear.
Around them, the settlement slowly became quieter. The search parties had moved farther away, and the voices calling for the cub could now be heard from a distance.
Anaria kept looking toward the direction of the forest.
She hoped they would find him soon.
After some time, one of the women told her that she should rest because she was still recovering. Anaria thanked her and returned to the small shelter that had been prepared for her and her mates.
She sat down with Ana in her arms.
The baby was awake and quietly looking around. Anaria smiled at her and gently touched her small cheek.
"You are lucky you are here with me," she whispered.
Ana moved slightly before settling against her.
Anaria looked at her for a long time.
She wondered what Ana would be like when she grew older. She wondered what kind of child she would become, what she would enjoy, and whether she would still want to stay close to her when she became old enough to run around on her own.
Then she thought about the missing cub.
If it had been Ana who disappeared, she did not know what she would do.
The thought made her hold Ana a little closer.
She stayed awake for some time, listening to the distant voices outside.
Eventually, exhaustion caught up with her.
Anaria lay down with Ana beside her on the small leaf bedding that had been prepared for the baby. She pulled the covering over them and closed her eyes.
She only wanted to rest for a little while.
Time passed, Anaria woke again, the shelter was already quiet.
Anaria slowly sat up and rubbed her tired eyes.
The first thing she thought about was her mates.
Maybe they had already returned. Maybe they had found the cub.
She looked around the shelter.
No one was there.
Anaria stood up carefully and stepped outside.
The settlement was much darker now. The sun had completely disappeared, and the lanterns were the main source of light.
Two guards were standing near the entrance of the shelter.
Anaria walked toward them "Have Kenai, Kai, or Rylan returned?"
The guards shook their heads "No. They haven’t come back yet."
Anaria looked toward the forest.
Her worry returned immediately.
Anaria looked toward the forest again "How long have they been gone?"
The guards exchanged a glance "They left some time ago. The search is still going on."
Anaria nodded slowly.
She returned to the shelter and looked down at Ana, who was still sleeping peacefully on the leaf bedding.
Anaria crouched beside her and carefully picked her up.
She held Ana against her chest before walking toward the shelter where the women had gathered.
The women looked at her when she entered.
"Anaria, you should be resting," one of them said.
"I am fine," Anaria replied.
She looked around the shelter. Most of the women were sitting quietly, waiting for their mates and relatives to return.
Anaria noticed the leopard woman’s place was empty "Where is the cub’s mother?"
One of the women pointed toward the other side of the shelter "She is sleeping."
"Is she okay?"
The woman lowered her voice. "She cried herself to sleep."
Anaria looked at her.
"She has been crying since the cub went missing. We tried to comfort her, but she could not stop worrying."
Another woman added, "He is her first child. She must be very afraid."
The women looked toward the sky through the open side of the shelter.
"We hope the Beast God will protect him and bring him back safely."
Anaria nodded "I hope so too."
She stayed for a little while before quietly leaving.
Outside, she stood beneath the lantern light with Ana against her chest.
She looked down at her sleeping child.
The settlement was quiet now, but the search was still going on somewhere beyond the shelters.
Anaria looked toward the nearby woods.
She could not stop thinking about the cub.
Her mates were still out there too.
She knew they had told her to stay behind, but she only wanted to look around. She did not have to go far.
"I will just take a quick look," she murmured.
The system chimed immediately.
[Host, you should not leave the settlement.]
Anaria sighed "I am not going far."
[Your mates instructed you to stay here. You are still recovering.]
"I know."
[Then please remain here. They will find the cub.]
Anaria adjusted Ana carefully against her chest.
"I just want to look around the nearby area. I will be careful."
The system chimed again.
[The system does not agree with this decision.]
Anaria frowned.
"You don’t have to agree. Just keep checking on them and alert me if anything happens."
[Host...]
"Keep watch."
Anaria waved her hand through the air.
The system disappeared.
She looked down at Ana once more to make sure the baby was comfortable.
Then she started walking toward the nearby woods.
The forest was close to the settlement, and she could hear the sound of the stream somewhere ahead.
Anaria moved slowly, keeping Ana secure against her chest as she entered the path near the trees.
She did not intend to go far, she only wanted to look around.