Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

47. Welcome Home

First update for today, May 23rd.

     The kings met the caravan as they entered the city. Rain held her head up as did the other members of the caravan. Rain was not unaffected by the energy around her, but kept her head. Third bounced excitedly, forgetting that he had a rider.

     Rain and Jasper caught Isabella and gave each other looks. Rain was unimpressed, but Jasper was surprised. Once Isabella was situated on the ground, she rubbed her still ringing ears. Rain sympathized as her own hearing had yet to return to normal. As she hadn't shifted to her halfway form, she had no hands to block the assault on her eardrums.

     The caravan was led by a proud Alexander who informed Winston of the results. As the ape king was also present, he did not include any details. He could brief the tiger king later.

     Alexander was happy, no, thrilled. Not only was the mission a resounding success, his second son won Rain's favor. He did not know why his first son was rejected, but he had zero interest in prying. He would be happy for his second son and proud that he contributed significantly to the city, while their losses were next to nothing. To top it off, he could tell his curious mate all about the only marked female. If this wasn't a victory, nothing was.

     After Winston was brought up to speed by the bear king, he went to Rain's side. He assessed her three times over, but came up with no wounds. He did a general count of the rest and naturally noticed the new female. Their goals did not include trading for females, but Alexander had assured him that the female was found and saved by Rain.

     Winston noted the female's skittish reaction to him and assessed the rest of the group. His sharp eyes noticed the proximity of a certain wolf immediately. Rain was clearly unbothered which spoke volumes to Winston. He stared at the wolf who bowed politely. Winston eventually let off when the male started trembling and Rain hissed.

     Vern really didn't want to show weakness in front of his female, but the tiger king was pressuring him. He struggled to breathe. There was only two stripes difference between the two, but that difference was immense. Vern didn't know if he offended the king in some way, but was relieved when the pressure subsided.

     Winston did not miss Third's attachment to the new female and nodded. Now that their salt stores had been bolstered significantly, additional females would no longer cause strain. Winston peered at the spider male who trailed them like a shadow. Since the male did not cause a problem, Winston would leave him be. Once Winston removed his eyes from the spider male, Ezra disappeared.

     Rain watched as Winston assessed their group as she tasted the air. He had no new wounds or scars as far as Rain could tell. She didn't think there was anyone capable enough to harm him but... Rain's eyes landed on his shoulder. There used to be such beasts, so it's possible that there are more out there.

     Rain shifted. They were in the city and her orders were fulfilled. She normally preferred her beast form, but found it lacking as of late. She couldn't communicate effectively with it, as no member of her family was of the same clan.

     Rain happily noticed the tiger's reaction as he turned away with a growl. He wasn't growling at her, but the beasts around them. Vern tried to block most looks as Harvey handed her a coat. She wore it as Isabella palmed her face. Isabella sometimes did that, but Rain had yet to determine what it meant exactly.

     Rain felt curious stairs, but ignored them. She had become better at letting the gazes slide off her mind instead of prickling it. The caravan had allowed her a chance to build better tolerance to attention. She was no fan, but she could handle it. Before Rain could say a word, her sister was carried forward by a light-colored tiger.