Chapter 136: Beast gossip circle.

It was hot-- too hot. The kind of heat that made your clothes stick to your back and your throat thirsty all the time. Lately the weather changed like a wounded beast which knew it was cornered and close to death. One moment it was warm and the next, blistering heat. One moment a hailstorm that shattered rooftops and the next, silence so thick that it felt like the air itself had stopped breathing.

Zyra crouched by the edge of a pool in the beast pavilion, desperately stealing whatever cool breeze she could get from the splashing water. She had spent the last hour watching the beasts enjoy cooling off, but what she enjoyed most wasn’t their graceful swimming_ it was their conversations. Specifically, how much they loved gossiping about the humans.

They were like nosy old women in a neighborhood, discussing everything from appearance and strength to comparing who had the best human!

So far, Tyrant was winning, but only because he had threatened the rest of the beasts. Zyra wondered how the humans would react if they had the ability to understand beasts like her. There would probably be less misunderstanding, easier bonding, and more ass whooping.

"There comes the party pooper," the drake muttered, floating lazily on his back. "I wonder what stick he has shoved up his ass this time."

The surrounding beasts instantly bubbled over with laughter, snorting bubbles and flapping their wings.

Zyra whipped her head around to see who they were speaking of. Her curiosity naturally piqued because nobody had pooped their party. But before she could get a good look, the drake hissed at her, "Hey, Zyra, don’t look! Act natural!"

She choked on a breath, scoffing out a laugh as she quickly turned her face away. But it was too late, she had already seen the party pooper, and she was choking on laughter.

"I saw that," a crisp, dangerously familiar voice echoed.

Hunter was fast approaching, his long strides kicking up dust. He stopped right beside her, his arms crossed as he glared down at the pool. "What did the beasts just say about me? Because I am absolutely certain it was not something pleasant or else you would not be laughing." ℯℯ𝑙.

Zyra put on her best innocent face. "Nothing."

Hunter gave her a long, hard look that loudly screamed ’I don’t believe a single word coming out of your mouth.’

Seeing she was caught, Zyra immediately moved her hands up in absolute surrender. She wasn’t about to take the fall for a bunch of overgrown beasts. However, before she could spill the beans, a leopard lounging on a nearby rock bared its fangs in a terrible pout. "If you say anything, Zyra, you are officially banned from the circle. We will never include you in our conversations again and I will pee all over your pillow."

Zyra’s mouth opened in pure shock. She never thought she would be blackmailed by a beast!! She looked back at Hunter, shrugged, and said, "It’s a secret."

Hunter nodded his head slowly, a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, I see! So, you guys have created some kind of gossip team now? Conspiring against me?"

The drake suddenly flipped over, tail slamming into the water. A big wave splashed directly at Hunter. "Yes! We do not like you very much!" the drake roared proudly, before swimming away with his three wives, all of whom turned back to pout at Hunter synchronously.

Hunter stood frozen, water dripping from his hair and chin. He wiped the water from his face with a slow, heavy sigh and shook his head in utter disbelief. The rest of the beasts in the pavilion erupted into a chorus of squawks, growls, and chirps_ clear, mocking laughter.

"Right," Hunter muttered, flicking water off his fingertips. He glanced down at Zyra, trying to salvage his pride. "Are you up for a fight? A training match might actually make this heat bearable."

Zyra rolled her shoulders loosely. "Later. Right now, I’m busy." She turned her attention back to Spice, her first bonded beast, who was resting under a tree. "I’ve been looking at Spice for a while. She was supposed to show some changes after step one of her evolution, but I can’t see anything different."

Hunter dropped the training topic and walked closer to the tree. He looked at Spice critically, his sharp eyes scanning every inch of the beast’s scales. But after a solid minute of intense staring, he shook his head. He couldn’t see anything either.

"What does Beauty have to say on the matter?" Hunter asked.

Inside Zyra’s mind, a melodious, incredibly smug voice echoed instantly.

[See! He thinks of me first!] Beauty cheered, her voice practically preening with pride. [Something that you, my ungrateful host, should have done. Anyway, stop staring at the outside. The changes in the beast are only of stage one, and they are purely internal.]

Zyra blinked. Internal?

[The beast has successfully developed its first poison sac,] Beauty explained, sounding thoroughly impressed. [It can now store venom from other beasts inside its sac. And here is the best part: the longer the venom stays in the sac, the more toxic and lethal it becomes.]

Zyra gasped out loud, her eyes lighting up with pure excitement. "That is wonderful!" she cheered. She looked at Spice with newfound adoration. "Now I can finally recreate those venomous sprays like I did back in the jungle! And maybe_ just maybe, we can add the product to the beast supplies that Achilles is going to sell next!"

[Genius!] Beauty praised inside her head, her voice dripping with greed. [Do that and you will earn a reward from me!]

While Zyra was having a full-blown mental celebration, Hunter was standing there, staring at her with intense anticipation. He was dying to know what Beauty had said.

Seeing his eager face, Zyra laughed and quickly relayed everything Beauty had explained.

On hearing the news, Hunter’s usual cold demeanor melted completely. He smiled warmly at her_ a genuine, breath-taking smile that caught Zyra completely off guard and made her heart do a weird little flutter again.

"That’s incredible, Zyra," Hunter said softly. Then, leaning in a bit closer, he gave her an expectant, slightly hopeful look. "So... do you think you could help Tyrant level up and evolve as well?"

Before Zyra could even process the request, Beauty’s voice yelled out in her mind with zero hesitation. [Of course I will help! Anything for you!]

Zyra internally groaned, looking away from Hunter just so she could curse at Beauty. "Control yourself you horny machine."

Brushing off Beauty’s thirst, Zyra looked back at Hunter and gave a casual nod. "Sure, I’ll help him. After all, Tyrant is technically my bodyguard as well. Can’t have a mediocre bodyguard now, can I?"

Before she could blink, Hunter grabbed her, and with a roar, plunged them both into the water!