Ari

Chapter 41: Snake in the Lake

I was stunned after Lowell explained to me what happened that night that it gave me chills down my spine. I felt guilty towards him and I felt like it was my fault that he was harassed by a powerful goddess because of me.

Even so, I don't know how to lift my guilt from something I didn't do. He seemed a little traumatized due to the incident. He obtained a few cuts on his back deeper than Dillon's.

"I'll help you treat the wound on your back... I'm sure you can't reach that so you still haven't treated it." I suggested while finishing up my food in a hurry.

"Ok... Thanks... But... You don't need to hurry up. It doesn't hurt anyway, so it can wait until you finish eating your food." He mumbled as he covered his blushing face trying not to laugh too loud.

"Geez... What's so funny about?! Your wounds needed urgent treatment. You know it might get infected if you don't treat it as soon as possible!" I mumbled while scolding him from laughing at me.

"Yes... Yes... I won't laugh anymore, my beloved Ari. But seriously, you can take your time. Don't rush eating or else you might choke yourself. I can't even touch you, how can I treat you when you choke on your food?" He responded while smiling bitterly.

I suddenly choke a little upon hearing him say the words 'my beloved Ari'.

"*cough* Don't... Don't call me that! It's so awkward!" I mumbled as I coughed a few times.

He handed over a cup of water while lightly laughing at my reaction.

"*cough* Thanks... Can you stop laughing... *cough*... already..." I mumbled as I took the water to drink.

"Yes... Yes... I'm not laughing anymore..." He said while trying to stop himself from laughing.

After eating my breakfast, I treated Lowell's wounds as promised. I was curious where he got the clean water that we used to clean his wounds because he didn't let me go with him when he gathered the water.

"Is there a lake or a river nearby?" I curiously asked.

"Yes, there is... But it is too dangerous if you go alone... There are traces and scents from the feral beastmen in that location." He answered seriously.

"I really wanted to take a bath." I insisted like a spoiled brat.

"I can go with you and guard you just in case." He suggested it casually.

"Yeah... Great... Wait... What?!" I exclaimed in shock.

Dillon woke up due to my loudness. He instantly sat down like an undead who rose from the dead.

"I will go too... I have to guard you too..." Dillon mumbled while rubbing his eyes.

"Hey... Have you already been awake since earlier?" I asked awkwardly, confused.

"No... I just woke up." He answered casually.

"Hah! Whatever... You can only guard in a distance and you have to bind your eyes. No peeking!" I whined while feeling defeated.

They hesitatingly agreed to my condition.

We went to the nearest lake and they guarded me in the distance with a blindfold on their eyes as per agreement.

I felt excited because it has been more than a week since I last bathed properly. We normally just clean ourselves when it rains or by rubbing some leaves and wild flowers when there is no river nor lake along the area.

"Ari... Don't go too far okay?" Lowell shouted as he sat on a boulder 10 meters away.

"I know! No peeking!" I shouted back.

I transformed back to my passive form so that my wings won't get wet. I also removed my dress so that I can cleanse my body thoroughly. I used a cleansing gel that Lowell and I made when we were still in the forest wolf tribe. It was made from aloe and other floral and herbal ingredients.

I felt heavenly refreshed while cleansing my whole body.

I was already done taking a bath so I bound my chest again before wearing my under garments. Suddenly, a strange slippery thing caught my foot in surprise before I could even put on my clothes so I shouted in fright before I got pulled into the deepest part of the lake.

I saw Lowell and Dillon transform into their aggressive form while removing their blinds before they jumped into the water to save me.

However, the thing that caught my foot was so strong that I couldn't shake it off. It's the tail of a huge red-bellied black water snake. I tried my best to pull it off my foot while I was being pulled in a fast-moving phase. I instinctively transformed into my passive-aggressive form due to panic.

I tried to reach Lowell, who swam faster than Dillon but I was instantly pulled into a small underwater cave which Lowell and Dillon can't fit in.

I tried my best to hold my breath and not to fall unconscious while I was being pulled into the narrow opening of a cave. However, my head accidentally hits a rock causing me to lose my consciousness.

I woke up inside a dark and cold cave. Luckily, my eyes were already used to the dark ever since we started our journey so I can slightly see the surroundings despite the absence of light.

The tail of the snake kept exploring my body. I should feel frightened at that moment, but for some reason, it tickles me and I couldn't hold it in so I giggled despite the situation. I couldn't identify his real scent because of the smell of salt and moss that surrounds the cave, but I was sure that the tail belongs to a snake beastman due to the silhouette of his body. Half of his body is humanlike while half is of snake.

I am not afraid of snakes despite their ferocious looks. I was more afraid of big dogs. I used to study different types of snakes as a hobby in my previous life because there were snakes in my hometown and I found it important to learn which is venomous or not.

On the other hand, I was chased by an Alaskan Malamute dog when I was younger, resulting in me to become frightened.

Snakes as well as snake beastman have bad eyesight and don't rely on their eyes. They rely more on their sense of smell, especially when hunting. A red-bellied black water snake doesn't attack arbitrarily unless it was threatened so I was sure he took me when he saw me taking a bath in my passive form.