[Hidden mission triggered]
[Convince Beast men partial shift is not a curse]
[Reward: beast pill]
[Use: helps Beast men stuck in a partial shift to complete the shift]
Visha looked at the hidden task she had completed unintentionally. She also noted that the one to secure the cave hasn't been completed. Which means she definitely needs to cover the trap. She might even need to find other ways to ensure everyone's safety.
Curious about the partial shift, she went to the help interface.
What is the reason for a partial shift?
[Partial shifts can happen for several reasons. The primary reason is nutritional deficiencies. Others include abnormal fetal development, traumatic birth and illness before the first shift.]
Her thoughts drifted to ancient times, before modern medicine, when a cold could kill people. That's exactly what this is. And from the looks of it, people don't question whoever spread the information.
From the way they were crying, she could tell they had lost many relatives because they were partial shifters.
She didn't ask anything more. She realised the system was more of a search engine than anything else. While it could give the information she needed, the people who have experienced it are invaluable.
And she had them here, so why ask the system? Maybe when she needs something, they can't answer.
She turned around only to catch Xeno and Uri staring a hole in her back.
She looked at the other people in the cave. Xeno's parents were cuddled together. Nimo's parents were the same. The two little ones had tired themselves out. The division of the cave was obvious.
The seven other people in the cave, two females and five males, stuck to themselves. There didn't seem to be any couples among them. She did notice one of the men had a limp. One of the females was pregnant. She had never heard the other woman speak since she got here.
As for the other men, she wasn't sure.
She realised she really didn't know anything about any of them.
Not their names, their beasts or anything.
It seemed they had segregated themselves a long time ago.
Her thought drifted from these people. She thought about what she would be doing if she hadn't been here. All the shows she hadn't finished watching.
Frankly, she was bored.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Xeno and Uri had made their way over to her.
It's only because of the hand waving in front of her face that she was able to snap out of it.
"No. I'm bored."
She couldn't bother to pretend. She had nothing to do.
"What do you want to do?" Xeno asked.
"I don't know. What do you usually do during winter?"
Uri answered, "Hibernate."
Of course, he hibernates; he's a snake. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She accepted what they were, but that didn't mean she wasn't still a little freaked out.
"First, we go hunting, then we hibernate," Xeno added.
"You hibernate too? I didn't know tigers hibernate."
Xeno grinned, "They don't, but I have to keep this guy company. So while he sleeps most of the time, I go out hunting."
Understanding dawned on her face. She tilted her head in the direction of the seven people.
"You don't talk to them much, are you not from the same tribe?"
The two men paused as if thinking about what they wanted to say. They never told her they were rogues. The thought crossed their mind that she might think they were separated from their tribe and not thrown out.
They knew people in her tribe must be powerful if they could all make fire. She was even willing to help Kit shift.
Visha noticed their hesitation to speak. "What's wrong?"
"We..."
They didn't want to hide it from her. Xeno couldn't speak. Uri didn't really have a tribe. The only reason he was out here with them was that his tribe kicked them out.
Uri didn't let Xeno continue. He took over the conversation.
"Visha, we want you to understand that we mean you no harm..."
Starting a sentence like that never ends well. Now she had her antennae up. If they tried anything, she would fight for her life.
They noticed how tense she became.
Uri's face had an ugly expression.
His thoughts drifted around her, trying to run as soon as she heard what he had to say.
Xeno was not much better. He became agitated, shifting from one foot to the other.
But he had to say it. He needed to let her know.
"...we're rogues. We don't have a tribe."
Huh?!
"Is that what you wanted to say?"
Her quizzical expression was almost comical, if it weren't for the two men worrying.
Uri gave a curt nod.
Visha's body fully relaxed.
"Thank goodness. I thought you were going to tell me you wanted to eat me or you hunt females for sport."
Now it was their turn to be confused.
"Why would we hunt females for sport?" Xeno asked.
Visha squinted, not sure how to put it into words. She decided against saying anything. She was pretty sure that if she said some of the things she was thinking they wouldn't think her tribe was that powerful. They might even think they were evil.
"Don't ask. Maybe one day I'll tell you."
Uri looked at her, concern evident on his face. "Did that happen to you? Was there someone hunting you?"
"Who? Me? No way!"
Instead of being reassuring, her denial only made them think she really was being hunted.
Xeno couldn't help himself and picked her up to hug her.
"Visha, who is it? Let me kill him for you?"
With her feet off the ground and Xeno nearly suffocating her, she couldn't say a word. Luckily, Uri noticed her distress and had Xeno put her down.
"I'm really not being hunted. You won't understand even if I tell you. If you really have the chance to come to my tribe, then you'll understand."
She didn't intend for any of them to go. She could only use this to appease them for now.
"By the way, we need food. When do you all plan to go hunting? Picking berries isn't a way to sustain any of us. Also, how long is winter here?"
She wanted to get their minds off the female hunting, so she found other topics.
"Tomorrow. Since we closed the cave, it should be fine for us to leave the females here, while we go hunting. Winter is 3 moons long." Xeno responded.
Her brows furrowed. She didn't know how long 3 moons were. She would ask the system later.
"Are you sure you can go hunting, Uri?"
She looked at his missing arm; everything below the elbow was gone. She was especially fascinated with how quickly it healed. When she first saw it, it was inflamed. Now it looks like it's almost healed.
He looked at her with discomfort.
Did she think he wouldn't be able to provide for her? Did she hate him because he only had one arm?
The thought spun around Uri's mind.
"Do you dislike him, Visha?" Xeno asked.
"No, why would I?"
"You asked if he could go hunting, and you looked at his arm. Do you dislike him because of it? He can still hunt. Even if he doesn't catch big prey, I can catch the big ones; he gets the small ones. We can both provide for you."
"No, I don't dislike him. I'm sure he can provide for me. I was only worried about his safety."
"So you'll let us provide for you?"
Confused, she said, "Sure, but I can provide for myself, too."
With a determined look on his face, Xeno said, "No, you don't need to provide for yourself; we will provide for you."
Why are they trying to provide for me? I have two hands.
She looked down at her hands as if wondering whether or not they had turned invisible and she was the only one who could see them.
She looked at Xeno's grinning face and Uri's resolute eyes and wondered if she had gotten herself into something she was unaware of.
She spent some more time talking to them before she quietly drifted off to sleep.