Woman
1534 Words
Chapter 021: Woman
That afternoon, the sun shone faintly.
Its pale golden light filtered through the gaps between the leaves, while a cool breeze began to blow from the direction of the river, carrying the scent of water and damp earth.
"Hehehe..."
That strange laugh appeared on Anindira's face again. She pinched off a piece of perfectly cooked fish and eagerly put it into her mouth.
"This is the first fish I've eaten," she said innocently.
"You've never eaten fish before?" Halvir asked, clearly surprised.
"No, Kak, I've eaten fish before," Anindira quickly denied. "But since being with you, this is my first fish."
She chewed slowly, her eyes narrowing in happiness. A sweet smile was clearly etched across her face—a smile that was difficult to hide.
"You like fish?" Halvir asked, studying her more closely. The way Anindira ate was far too honest to conceal.
"I do," Anindira answered plainly.
There was one thing Halvir did not know: Anindira genuinely enjoyed fish more than meat. Meat felt too heavy for her, while fish was softer and easier to chew. Fresh fish, especially, tasted sweet and savory even without seasoning.
"Then I'll find fish for you more often."
Halvir's tone was light, as if it were a trivial matter.
He could easily read changes in Anindira's mood. Her increased appetite, the steadier rhythm of her breathing, and even her heartbeat—all of it showed that the girl was feeling comfortable.
"Ehh!" Anindira cried out in surprise. "That's not what I meant, Kak! I'll eat anything. I'm not picky. So there's no need to go through the trouble of changing the menu. Whatever you eat, I'll eat too..."
Her voice sounded hurried.
She did not want to become a burden.
She did not want to appear demanding.
"Why would that be troublesome?!" Halvir frowned, his tone rising without him realizing it. "What do you want to eat? I'll get it for you. There's nothing difficult about it."
He straightened his back slightly.
"I'm not so weak that you need to suppress what you want," he continued more firmly. "I will definitely—"
His words stopped.
Not because of Anindira.
But because of someone's presence.
Halvir had already noticed him earlier. A pair of eyes had been watching from afar. He knew exactly who it was. Among the young men who only dared whisper among themselves, this one had enough courage to approach.
Even so, his nervousness could not be hidden.
His heartbeat was clear—far too clear—to Halvir's ears.
A fair-skinned young man with short grayish hair that gleamed like silver stood there. From the color of his eyes alone, it was obvious that he belonged to the *Diamond rank. His build resembled Hans at a glance, but his face was still far too young. A teenager. Innocent. Naive. About the same age as Anindira.
His smile was cheerful, typical of a young adolescent.
Yet his aura was different.
From head to toe, he exuded elegance, almost like nobility. The way he wore animal-hide clothing and paired it with simple accessories looked neat, beautiful, and luxurious without being excessive.
"Halvir!"
The greeting was delivered politely.
The young man lowered his head slightly, his eyes asking permission even before the words left his mouth.
"No," Halvir replied firmly.
His voice was flat.
Without emotion.
Without explanation.
The young man immediately stepped back several paces. He had expected that answer.
Even so, he had still come.
At the very least, he wanted to make himself known.
This was where the difference between *Sapphire and *Diamond became obvious.
It was not merely a difference in power rank.
It was a difference in understanding boundaries.
This was public territory.
Anyone was allowed to come here.
But Halvir had arrived first.
And beside him sat a woman.
Everyone there knew—except Anindira herself—that officially, though unwritten, Halvir was Anindira's guardian.
And to the Beasts, a guardian meant far more than a protector.
It was a declaration of ownership.
At the same time, it was an announcement—
that this territory had already been marked.
In the Beast World, women were not merely individuals.
They were territory.
A possession protected with one's life.
Respected, guarded, and not to be touched carelessly—especially by unmarried men.
If a woman was still a child, or remained untouched despite having reached adulthood, then her father was her primary guardian. Her biological father stood first, followed by her mother's other mates according to the established hierarchy.
This was very different from the modern world where Anindira had been born.
There, a stepfather rarely devoted genuine affection to his stepchild.
But not in this world.
As long as a child was descended from one of their mates, the mother's genes—bound through the mate relationship—would Imprint protective instincts upon the fathers who were her mates.
There was no distinction between a biological child and a child born from another mate.
Children were a priority that had to be protected.
Even so, hierarchy still existed.
The mother came first.
Even above their own biological children.
In Anindira's case, there was one rule understood and respected by everyone—both men and women—throughout the entire Beast World.
With one exception:
Rogue Beasts.
A man who rescued an unguarded woman would legally become her guardian.
And if that man was still unmarried, he had the right to propose marriage.
If the man who rescued her already had mates, then only with their permission could he bring the woman into their household and protect her. Without that permission, the woman had to be entrusted to a Clan Leader or Village Chief until she obtained a mate.
That was the law.
Unwritten.
Yet absolute.
Halvir had rescued many women.
Yet not a single one had ever attracted his attention.
There had also been women bold enough to offer themselves to him, captivated by his *Sapphire rank.
But Halvir always refused.
That decision often caused irritation among other men.
In the Beast World, the number of bachelors far exceeded the number of women.
Sixty percent of the men in this world would never have a mate throughout their entire lives—unless they chose the path of becoming Rogue Beasts.
No matter how weak a woman might be, once a man became her first mate, he became the Head of the Family.
He carried full responsibility for her life, supported by her other mates.
Yet this world was not governed solely by law and honor.
There were territorial invasions.
There were struggles.
There was plunder.
Groups of Beasts who abandoned their honor—driven by vengeance, desperation, or hunger—would attack other clans and villages. Most of them came from clans or villages that had previously been plundered themselves.
The absence of women drove them to reckless actions.
Long periods of extreme winter caused widespread starvation.
*Amber—the primary resource used to protect women from the cold and nutritional deficiencies—became the most valuable commodity.
A shortage of *Amber caused many clans and villages to collapse.
Some groups of Rogue Beasts were naturally destructive.
Dominance and violence flowed through their blood.
They did not act out of necessity.
They acted because they enjoyed it.
Their goal was singular:
Women.
To increase their population and strengthen their group's existence.
The Beasts would go extinct
if these characteristics were allowed to run unchecked.
Women—whose numbers did not even reach five percent of the population—should have been cherished and protected.
Yet in the hands of the Rogue Clans, women rarely lived long.
They were not valued.
They were not protected.
The Rogue Clans were also selfish toward their own people.
They oppressed the weak without hesitation.
Completely different from the Beasts who upheld codes of ethics and honor—whether in battle, territorial disputes, or matters concerning women.
No matter how strong their desires became, they would not force themselves upon others—unless their instincts completely slipped out of control.
Even then, they still tried to restrain themselves.
Perhaps...
that was the only reason the Beasts had not vanished entirely.
Yet attacks from the Rogue Clans continued.
During war, evacuated women could become lost.
They could disappear.
They might never return.
There were other disasters as well.
Small villages whose clan members possessed lower ranks were frequently attacked by wild animals—especially during prolonged winters.
Winter in this world could last seven months, a year, or even two years.
When food became scarce, wild beasts would enter settlements without hesitation.
It was not only the Beasts who were subjected to natural selection.
Animals were as well.
The cycle of seasons in this world did not last a single year, but two to three years:
Summer: three to six months
Rainy Season: three to six months, sometimes up to a year
Spring: three to six months
Winter: seven to twelve months
The Rainy Season and Winter were the most unstable.
The Beast World was a harsh world.
Natural selection here showed no mercy.
Whether Herbivores or Predators—
all of them were tested.
And only those capable of adapting
would survive.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD