My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 96: Too Late, Again

Claire let out a soft scoff.

The man truly thought far too highly of himself.

Jeffrey, long accustomed to her distance, showed no sign of offense. He simply surged forward, his body cutting swiftly through the terrain.

...

By the hot spring, an unfamiliar beastfolk arrived.

Zane's silver fur rippled without any wind, gleaming with a dazzling sheen. His powerful limbs carried him lightly onto the stones surrounding the spring.

"The lingering trace of Claire's scent is still here. She was here, and she stayed for a while."

The ground around the hot spring was a wreck, snow-soaked mud churned up, red berries scattered everywhere, rolling through dirty water until none of them looked fit to eat.

Only the hot spring remained untouched, its surface steaming gently, inviting in contrast to the chaos around it.

Zane's nose twitched, then his expression darkened.

"There's another scent... no, more than one. Jeffrey... and someone else. Level 3. But there's too much blood. Whoever it was, they didn't make it."

He didn't need to guess what had happened. If anyone had done it, it would be Jeffrey.

"Hey, fleabag! Did you find her?"

Rufus's shout came from overhead.

The silver wolf looked up at him.

"What are you doing here? I told you to watch the beastlings!"

Rufus remained aloft, his keen gaze sweeping the ground below in sharp, methodical passes.

"Relax. The beastlings and your two clansmen are safe at the eagle clan settlement. My mother is watching the little ones personally. But that fat female you brought back still hasn't woken up."

Zane frowned.

"You mean Fiona? She's still unconscious?"

Rufus gave a small nod. He knew exactly who Fiona was and what she had done. He hadn't wasted good medicine on her. Just enough broth to keep her alive. No more.

She'd spent too much time working against Claire, hadn't she?

Frankly, the fact that he'd allowed her into the eagle clan at all was already generous.

Zane's brow stayed knotted.

Rufus caught a whiff of something in the air, something serpentine, and his voice came out shaky.

"What kind of nightmare creature left that behind? Even I feel cold just breathing it in. Hey, is Claire here?"

"She's already gone."

Rufus's feathers ruffled.

"Then what are we waiting for? Go after her!"

He didn't like this place. Something in his bones recoiled from it, a deep, instinctive dread pressing harder with every passing second. The sooner they left, the better.

Zane gave the area one last sweep, confirming there was nothing left to glean, then turned without hesitation.

"You take the sky. I'll track from the ground. If you spot Claire, you tell me first. And this time, pay attention."

The last words carried a barb, a mocking edge that made Rufus's face burn.

"I didn't do it on purpose," he muttered. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

He wouldn't let Claire vanish right under his beak again. Not like last time.

Zane ran hard through the forest, already piecing together Claire's likely path. Her scent had been steady earlier. There was no signs of distress. She had been alive, unharmed.

She'd been right here, not long ago.

And once again, he'd come too late.

The thought of her due date, only days away, made his chest tighten.

The two of them searched, one in the air, one on the ground, for what felt like half a day. Nothing. No trace.

"Rufus. I don't care how you do it. Wake Fiona up. She knows where Claire is."

"Got it. I'm heading back now."

Rufus tilted his wings and veered off without delay, cutting a direct path toward the eagle clan.

By air, it would take only half a day. Through the forest, it would have taken far longer.

He did not slow once. By the time the sun dipped low and the sky burned gold with the last light of evening, Rufus descended at last, landing within the eagle clan.

"Someone fetch Fiona and throw water on her face. Cold water."

The truth was, Fiona had been awake for a while.

Her body was warm, her stomach full. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew she'd been saved.

In her final moments, when she had glimpsed Zane, she had made a decision. No matter the cost, she would live.

She had no idea where he'd brought her.

The old settlement had fallen. The caves were all destroyed by Jeffrey's soldiers. So Zane must have found some new place to hole up.

Fiona cracked one eyelid just a sliver. An unfamiliar wooden house. Sunlight slanting through the window. An elderly female walked in.

Fiona shut her eyes tight again, forcing her breathing to stay even. No one could know she was awake.

Because once they knew... Who knew what Zane would do to her?

Just as the thought settled, a familiar voice drifted in from outside.

"Go on. Throw it in her face."

"... Yes."

Fiona's stomach clenched. Before she could think of a way out, a basin of freezing water crashed over her face.

The cold struck like a blade, biting straight through skin and bone. Her composure shattered instantly. She shot upright with a scream.

"Fuck! That was cold! Are you people insane?"

She jabbed a furious finger at the two beastfolk who'd thrown the water.

They looked helplessly over at Rufus.

Fiona turned her head and saw Rufus's cold, carved-stone face. Her anger vanished instantly

She faltered, then quickly softened, voice turning syrup-sweet. "Rufus... Y-You didn't have to wake me like that..."

Rufus didn't even look at her properly. He just cut his eyes sideways, then walked over to the older female who'd entered earlier.

"Mother, would you step outside for a moment? I need to speak with her."