Chapter 76: Backstory
"I didn’t think anyone would be willing to even consider us. Talk more of wanting to save us..." He smiled. "So that’s why I was skeptical when we first met you. But... I guess I was only a jerk at the beginning."
She was quiet, staring at him.
Ash added, "I’m sorry for being mean to you at first. And thanks for wanting to be with us and save us... It’s a first for us all, so accept all our goodwill."
"If you’ll help, we’ll all find a way to pamper you enough for you to have all the strength you want in this world and never get tired."
Ayra smiled as she slowly nodded. "Okay sure. Whatever will make you feel at ease."
The two smiled as she cleaned her body. Ash also said, "And we also talked about that cat..."
She stared at him, stiffened. Cat? Like Nyx?!
He smiled as he said, "You might not know him..."
"You mean Nyx the wild cat?" She asked.
"How do you know him?"
She smiled as she said, "I made Commander Lynn tell me. And I’ve also heard some stuff from the men around..." She couldn’t probably tell him that she bullied him.
Ash slowly nodded. "Oh sure. We talked about him. We are still looking for ways to save him. And we can’t even find him.. so it’s really demoralizing for us all..."
Ayra hesitated as she asked, "Is he really that important to you all...?" She casually asked.
He smiled as he said, "Very. He’s like everything to everyone. A friend, a brother, family.. and even our savior and protector..."
Ayra was there listening.
"He has done a lot for everyone. Saving us all. Even though he’s rather unsociable in most cases and can be somewhat psychotic, we owe a lot to him. So we can’t just abandon him like that..."
Even though she wasn’t the one who did the bullying, Ayra suddenly felt extremely bad. She casually wanted to change the topic as she asked, "And I’ve been curious to know... How you and your two leader brothers became the tribe leaders and all," she smiled. "I mean, just curious."
He smiled at her as he said, "It’s nothing much. I guess it all fell into place..."
She stared at him while he hesitated, thinking of how he was to begin.
"We all have our stories, I guess," he smiled. "But I guess they all have one thing in common. Abandoned, despised and tagged a monster." He scoffed as he said, "I guess everyone here has that to say about themselves."
He added, "It’s no news how we all ended up here. Monsters who can’t be soothed. Those who can’t live with normal beastmen.. abnormal. I was just a kid when my parents discovered that I can’t be soothed. And I guess it was the same for Vale and Zark."
He sighed. "And maybe Lynn."
He shrugged with a smile as he said, "My parents had immediately had the tribe leader send some men to capture me and tie me up. I cried and pleaded with them but they didn’t even bother. They threw me out of the tribe and brought me here."
He smiled as he looked around. "I guess this tribe has been existing for a while now. We certainly weren’t the first and won’t be the last." He sighed. "And I met Vale and others here. They had similar stories I guess... I guess no one wants a monster in their tribe. Not even parents who gave birth to their own cubs."
Ayra was quiet. She suddenly felt a pinch of sadness as she listened to their stories.
"We thought that maybe staying here would mean finding peace and home. But no, we still had to survive daily. And we grew in that wild dangerous state without any protection at all. And we were just teens when it happened..."
Ayra was curious. "What happened...?"
He smiled as he said, "Our tribe leaders tried to rebel against some upper tribe who were trying to dominate them under their command.. like this... And they decided to end us."
"They sent wild beast animals. Those whom they’ve manipulated to kill us. It was a bloodbath that killed a lot of people. A bloody fight. And our tribe leader had died with many other people."
"That was when I and the other two unlocked our S-class powers. And then we fought to take down the monsters. But he ultimately helped us..."
"Who...?"
"Nyx.." he said. "He was a mystery who came out of nowhere. And then he destroyed all the monsters in a blow without help. He was strange but extremely powerful. And strange, just an A-rank beastman.." he shook his head. "He was our savior."
"After saving the land, we naturally became the leaders at such a young age. Bringing everyone back together while restoring the once bloody land. It wasn’t easy but we tried. And Lynn who also helped in the fight helped. And got the high position he is in. Nyx was offered to be a leader, but he turned it down and disappeared..."
"So we became the tribe leaders. The only S-rank beastmen in the tribe."
"Nyx was always that strange. Disappearing and appearing at will. But no one questioned. He was always born to be strange," he smiled. "But he helped everyone in need and was always there to protect us in times of danger."
He explained the story to Ayra who listened. Nyx was still being mentioned. It was inevitable to avoid mentioning his name when talking about this tribe. She guessed he was really an important figure.
And it made her feel more terrible.
"That must have been a lot," she said with a smile.
He smiled as he said, "It’s all in the past. So we’re over it. Nothing much. That’s why we also have to prepare for whatever the Silvermoon tribe will bring forth if we try to rebel... Because they clearly won’t let us off easily."
Ayra slowly nodded as she cleaned herself off. "Don’t worry. I’m here with you," she smiled. "And I’ll certainly help find Nyx back."