Chapter 81: brought to you by THE studmuffin

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Beefcake Bonus Chapter, because we haven't seen what a certain sexy tiger man is up to in a hot minute. (Let's face it, every minute with Winston is hot!)

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"That's fine, just make sure they're comfortable." Winston detested giving orders, almost as much as he disliked the cowering and bowing and simpering the other beastmen gave him. He wasn't any better than them, just stronger, and it made him feel as if he didn't belong on the throne.

He checked on Vance's work, just in case, because although Rosa and Vera, her mother, hadn't done him any favors... they were still females and deserved as much comfort as he could give them. Rosa turned away from him with a scowl when he checked on her and Vera settled on their largest Bear. Small water skins and bags of dried meat were twisted underneath their feet, looped into belts tied around the bear's middle. He'd made sure they had access to enough provisions for the journey and would check up on them every day... or at least he'd ask one of the beastmen to do it. He knew he should delegate more...

"Tap Ichabod's side, should you require anything. He has permission to access anything for your comfort during the journey." His heart panged when Rosa refused to acknowledge him. He'd watched her grow up, hadn't he? Held her small hands in his and guided her to the freshest honey plums he could find... how could she have grown so hateful to him?

No matter... a female's mind was her own and no matter her feelings towards him, he still had a duty to ensure her comfort and health. Four Ape Clan doctors stood on the sides, clutching their small bags of herbs, and he thought about a welcoming smile. Coming from someone as ugly as him, though, it might be seen as an act of aggression. No, he had to stay on their good side so their report to the Ape King would be favorable. Anything to rectify the situation... although how he'd become angry at Neara and Shay was anyone's guess.

Beastmen chattered around him, but he'd learned to filter out the mean comments his appearance drew. He didn't even have to resist the urge to hide his scar anymore... although his fingers trembled at the memory of Neara so close to him, her lips forming the words he hadn't dared to hear.

No. He couldn't get carried away. The expedition needed his protection and if he allowed her to occupy his thoughts; well, like his heart, she filled his head completely.

"Frank is to lead, I will circle around and keep an eye out for Colossus, ferals, and trade opportunities." They'd gone over it this morning, but he didn't want anyone to feel left out if they'd forgotten. He sniffed the air again, just to make sure he couldn't detect the faintest whiff, then motioned forward. Frank was a fine leader, strong and capable, and very intelligent. He rivaled the Ape Clan in his ability to figure out his way around problems. He deserved the title of King more than Winston did, but he supposed a Clan needed strength more than brains, which is why the tentative alliance with the Ape Clan benefited them more than the City of Beasts.

With a backward glance at the males in charge of Rosa and Vera to check on whether or not Ichabod could hold himself at a gentle speed (he did), he stretched himself into his beast form, the joints popping and rippling in a pleasure-pain vibration down his entire body. He should have grown accustomed to this, but the pure power that filled his frame, far different than his beastman form, felt like as much control as he could possibly handle. Neara flickered at the edges of his memory, like a candle, and he swore he could almost smell her on his fur.

He leaped into the forest, burying his nose in the strongest fang plant he could find, the spicy bitterness clearing his nose and making him sneeze. He focused on his surroundings, on the smell of greasy squirrels hiding in the trees, birds flitting above the canopy, disturbed by the noise he made. There was a scent of Scorpion barely overlaying the leaves, so faint it must have passed by months ago. It wasn't a threat to the caravan. Although how had it passed so close to the City without him noticing? He shook his head again. No, he had to focus on what his mission right now needed... although he would like nothing more than to hunt it down and tear every limb from its body for daring to threaten Neara's safety.

A scent of Wolf caught his nose and he veered away, following the disgusting odor. Wolves smelled like rot and stomach acid; all of them. How females could stand... but it wasn't his place to question. He was only meant to protect. His ears caught the faint crackle of dried leaves being compressed, the owner breathing out a putrid smell of rotten meat. It smelled like there was more than one, tracking him. He'd have to lead them away from the caravan. He raised his head suddenly and looked off into the distance, his ears pricking in that direction. He raced off at quarter speed, still outrunning the beastmen who chased him. He had to find a good place to defend himself... like that.

He skidded to a halt and quickly jumped to the top of a large boulder shrouded with trees. His scent lay all over the base of it, and while they investigated, he'd get a good look at who was following him.

After a few minutes, several Wolves circled the bottom, their noses close to the ground as they sniffed. They growled and whined at each other, wondering where he'd gone. Winston counted them, although he could sense more coming.

Seven. Seven beatsmen total, chasing him. And from their smell, they were City beasts, not ferals. Wolf King must be trying to kill Rosa. He couldn't let that happen. None of them seemed strong enough to be a leader, although one barked significantly more than the others. Without a leader, they'd fall apart and he could pick them off one by one. As he whipped through the air like a white bullet, he suddenly caught the heavy scent of a bond, thick and flowery over the smell of vomit. His claws sheathed and he landed on top of the Wolf with a crunch.

The Wolf buckled beneath his weight, yipping in pain. The others turned in rage and lunged at him. His claws neatly clipped through the throat of one and the other two sailed over his head, not expecting him to duck down. Another snapped at his tail and he raced around a tree to face him again, biting his throat while he curled his body underneath. The Wolf's paws scrambled against his face, weaker and weaker as he used his body to shield him from the lunges of the other wolves. Two down, one incapacitated, three surrounding him and one running for reinforcements. He couldn't let that happen.

His jaws released the carcass and he shot after the messenger, his speed quickly outpacing the stunned beastmen. The Wolf never knew what hit him as his spine snapped in half under Winston's powerful jaws. He dragged the body behind him, determined to clump them together in case someone went looking. The other three Wolves stopped in their tracks when they saw him. He growled low in his throat, a warning, and dropped the body.

One of them flipped immediately onto his back; he knew Winston meant to kill each of them, but the other two wouldn't back down without a fight, snarling and bearing their teeth, one less confidently than the other.

Winston watched the bold one with a wary eye; the cocky ones always made things difficult because you never knew how they'd try an attack. Cowards nearly always stopped short, or jumped too late, but the cocky ones... always thought they knew better. Their power levels couldn't have been above two stripes, but he didn't want to risk hurting himself, or being incapacitated for the journey. They could do without his leadership abilities, he was sure, but his strength was necessary for the protection of the females.

Just as he'd predicted, the timid one leaped too late, his jaws snapped just short of Winston's snout, which lashed out to sever a tendon in his foot. The taste of blood coated his whiskers and he sniffled a little, resisting the urge to shake his head. Thick red droplets clung to the ends of them, throwing off his sense of balance, but his eyes followed the bold one, circling around to find an 'in'.

Winston held his ground, thinking the bold one would attack his back. His claws sheathed themselves so he could maneuver easily. Just when the bold one tensed for an attack, the timid one jumped forward, his teeth ripping deep into Winston's foreleg. Winston yowled in surprise and threw his body down and forward, just missing the bold one sailing over his back. The timid one wasn't clever enough to loose his jaws and Winston quickly crunched through his skull, the brain matter spattering in his mouth. He shook the death clamp from his leg and shuffled backward, blood smeared on his white and black fur. Where had the one who surrendered gone?

He sniffed quickly, but the smell of Wolf blood clouded his senses. He tried listening, but all he could hear were the furious growls of the bold one. He couldn't risk reinforcements, no matter the personal cost. He threw himself forward with all his strength and ripped through the bold one's body in ten swipes. Surrounded by shredded wolf pelt, he quickly washed his whiskers and nose, suppressing the gag reflex each time his paw came to his mouth. Now was not the time for a delicate stomach.

His nose passed carefully over the area where he had lain. Still warm, but his scent seemed no more remarkable than other Wolves. He trailed outward, trying to follow the smell until it caught his tongue. Vomit and blood, fear like barbed wire on the roof of his mouth. Leaving his mouth open, he raced in the direction of the City. He had to catch him; Rosa and Vera's lives could depend on it.

Within a few minutes, his sharp eyes caught the galloping shape of a Wolf, terror exploding from him in a dark aura. Winston paced himself, slowly decreasing the distance. If he spent all his strength catching up to him, he couldn't fight efficiently. After several seconds, he caught the end of the Wolf's tail in his mouth and threw himself backwards. The Wolf yipped in surprise before Winston slammed him into the ground. Keeping the tail in his mouth, he rolled several times until a high-pitched whine met his ears. He transformed back into a beastman and laid his good hand on the throat of the trembling Wolf beastman, his childish face white with terror. No marks in sight. His heart broke for him, but Rosa and Vera... he squeezed lightly.

The Wolf shook violently, his eyes rolling back in his head. Once he stopped fighting back, Winston released his grip and, with a small groan, transformed back into beast form. He really needed to save his strength... he'd just forgotten to question him. If only he were clever like Neara... she would have remembered all the questions he wanted to say, and probably come up with better ones. To occupy his mind, he thought of her soft curls in the breeze, lifting single strands from her head, the rich brown color tinged with red and gold. He could spend eternity counting the colors in her hair, and the privilege would overwhelm him completely. Of course, the spark in her eyes when she finally perfected an invention, as she always did, stirred something within his stomach that quickly traveled up his chest to clench his throat.

Her brown eyes held so many secrets, like dark worms wriggling beneath the surface, filling her soul with intelligence he only admired her for having. As long as she looked at him, he didn't care what she kept to herself. Just a glance every year would fulfill him completely. Why couldn't he think things eloquently?

As often happened when submerged in his thoughts, he missed his mark completely. His foreleg throbbed angrily, each step pushing out a little blood, and he growled to himself. Focus on the task at hand. He dragged the other corpses behind him, carefully piling the shreds of Wolf big enough to bother with on top of their bodies. When he reached the boulder where they'd first fought, the bonded Wolf still lay on his back, wheezing in pain. Winston wouldn't be surprised if he'd broken several ribs, although he tried to keep the injuries survivable. Of course, without seeing his beast marks, he may have misjudged...

He lay the bodies next to each other at the base of the boulder and shrugged the young Wolf next to his leader... he hoped. He transformed back into his beastman form and growled to get their attention.

"I've left you alive to return to your mate," he pointed to the older one, "and to deliver a message to the Wolf King. My job is to get Rosa and Vera safely to the coast and trade them for salt. I will not be frustrated in my purposes."

The older one nodded, then winced and shifted back to beastman form, his torso already a violent purple. "We... understand." Breathing sounded difficult.

"You should carry the young one with you; he's only unconscious but the fear may disorient him."

The Wolf sneered, then winced again. "You think you're so smart, Winston, finding us out, but the real target wasn't Rosa and Vera; it was you."

"To get to the females?" Winston couldn't fathom his life having more worth than a female's... unless he was viewed as an obstacle, which secretly pleased him. He could protect them well enough to be considered a threat. He couldn't let this go to his head, only serve as a greater motivation to increase his skills and abilities.

"I don't know. We weren't given specifics." Every word took a labored breath to make out.

"You should rest. You should be safe enough, this close to the City." he nodded to them, and prepared himself for the transformation. The Wolf beastman snarled at him again, but he couldn't look back. He had to return to the caravan. Of course, if they saw him like this, they would insist he rest... and he could rest that night.

He found the overwhelming odor of the caravan easily enough, the delicate odors of Rosa and Vera weaving through the stench of masculinity. They smelled floral, despite the unwashed beast they traveled on. He sniffed slightly, then moved out of hearing range. He didn't need anyone coming to investigate. The rest of the patrol went smoothly, although he did favor his leg in order to speed the recovery. He didn't stop to eat, that could be done at night as well, and no other odors invaded his senses that day.

As the group huddled around the fires, Winston slowly approached in his beastman form.

"Winston! You made it back!"

"Gods, what happened to your arm?"

"I hope that's not anything serious."

"As if anything could hurt a tetra."

Winston raised his hand slightly in acknowledgement. "Are the females comfortable?"

"They're in their tent. Rosa threw everything out that we brought her except fruit. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find fruit this far north? We had eight beastmen looking for her."

He nodded. "As females, their care is worth more than ten of our lives. We should remember to be grateful for the children they've sired, many of which will soon be old enough to join the caravan."

They fell silent at his gentle rebuke. Surely they knew this already, they were just venting their frustrations, as any beastman had a right to. He couldn't see anything about the care of females that warranted complaining, but each beastman had a right to their own thoughts. He was glad their needs had been met, although he should check on Robin, the Bear they were seated on. He tapped him gently on the shoulder and the enormous beastman turned around, towering over Winston.

"Yeah, Tiger King?"

"How is your stamina?"

"It's alright; one of them kept kicking me until I shrugged a few times, then she stopped."

"Were you gentle?"

"Look, they were pulling on my fur! I was as gentle as I could be." He sounded disgruntled, which meant he needed more food. Winston made a mental note to allow him time to hunt tomorrow.

"Thank you for your gentleness. Maintain that same level tomorrow, and more if you must." He walked into the forest, his own stomach rumbling in protest. He sniffed deeply, allowing the night to come to him, to waft in and out of his mouth, until he had selected his prey; an elderly deer with not many days left. He wouldn't need a young buck this time; the old satisfied his hunger just as well.

The next day, dark and early, Winston rose before the dawn and checked the camp perimeter, noting the smells of small prey animals scattered along the edge. Nothing stronger than a fox had passed through, which he was grateful for. The ache in his arm kept him up most of the night, and he'd wrapped it loosely with strips of hide to steady it. Within a few days, it should be healed, and he could remove the bandages tonight.

He gathered more fruit, mostly dry season... summer berries, and laid them carefully in front of Rosa and Vera's tent. This should provide them with a good breakfast and he'd chosen the ripest, sweetest ones he could find. No honey plums until the end of the season, but Rosa would be long gone by that time. He still felt a twinge of sadness at her chubby face, lengthened in adulthood, looking up at him with sparkling grey eyes and asking for another honeycomb. He could never resist, to the chagrin of his brother's mate, but who could resist a female? Even one so young and innocent, who could deny her every wish? As she'd grown, she'd begun demanding more and more things, demanding more and more time until she'd amassed eight males ready to die for her. Bart, her oldest mate, gave her the most satisfaction due to his three stripes, and Winston had even been considered a candidate, had looked forward to spoiling her, until the scar marred his face.

He gripped the dirt underfoot, digging his toes into the soil and feeling the heartbeat of the world. Neara was in the City of Beasts somewhere, waiting for his return. He would come back for her, if only to see her again. And if she decided, while he was gone, that she didn't want him anymore? That was her decision as a female. His only hope was that she would permit him to continue being her guardian; it was the only thing he wanted in this world.

"Tony, are you ready to leave?" He could hear the Bears waking up, grumbling and irritated in the crisp morning air. Bears were excellent at carrying salt jars, but waking up in the early hours necessary to cover enough ground to make it back in time for the rainy season.

"Shut up, I just wanted a few more minutes..." A quiet fire thrilled through his throat at the sound of Tony's voice. The same bear who had once imposed himself on Neara... despite her repeated refusals of even his food gifts. The beastman had no sense of self. His only contribution to the caravan was his strength... although perhaps Winston shouldn't judge him so harshly as that was his only contribution as well.

Feeling chagrined, he reminded himself of the need to stop more frequently to hunt, and rotate custody of the females. Everyone needed to have enough time to rest and hunt, otherwise they would be a prime target for any ferals looking to snatch an 'easy' female away. No, he had to remain strong for their sakes, had to remain vigilant, had to provide the best care for the beastmen in Frank's care and under his responsibility.

He approached the middle of the camp and spoke loudly, "There will be an extra stop today in order to provide amply opportunities for hunting and rest. The females will switch their carrier at that time."

"What time, Tiger King?" Bennett asked.

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