Why Am I In the Beast World?!

Chapter 19- My Decision

Vadon POV

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     Vadon didn't know why Audre went through the trouble of searching for plants while still injured, and of all things, she dug up some flowers. Why would she need those?

     Vadon had initially thought that maybe she had gotten hungry and went to gather fruits, but instead, she had dug out some flowers. Were the flowers in the basin not enough? The flowers she had dug weren't even sweet smelling.

     'What a strange female she is.'

     On the way back to the tree hole, Vadon was sure to stop and gather a few fruits for Audre to eat. He didn't want her to have another reason to go out and wander the forests alone again.

     Once he arrived back home, he found that the area outside the tree hole had been cleaned.

     "Did you clean up while I was away?" Vadon asked as he carried Audre into the tree hole.

"Uh, yeah. Couldn't seem to sit still." Audre spoke in a soft tone that was almost timid. She hadn't said much on their journey home either.

     It was obvious that she was worried, but Vadon couldn't talk to her about his decision not to tell the chief while out in the open where Ryker may hear them. Now that they were inside, Vadon decided to let her know. "I didn't talk to the Chief."

     Audre sighed with relief. "I wasn't sure if you did or not. You left so suddenly that I got worried."

     The Jaguar smiled at set her down. "You seem to have no faith in me."

     "I don't know you all that well." Audre huffed. "We just met yesterday."

     "Has it really been that short of a time?" Vadon asked. "It felt like it has been longer."

     Audre chuckled and she reached over to grab one of the fruits. "Yeah, a lot has happened these couple of days. Say, why did you decide to not tell the Chief?"

     Vadon thought for a moment about what to say. Then he moved to sit next to Audre, but he was sure not to sit too close so as to not make her uncomfortable. "It wouldn't have been fair to you. It's not like you chose to suddenly end up here, and the village isn't your burden to carry."

     Audre smiled softly as she looked down at the fruit in her hands. "Thanks for being considerate."

"Yes, but there's also another reason," Vadon said.

"Another reason?" Audre asked.

     Vadon turned his back to her so that she wouldn't be able to see the nervous expression on his face. "I haven't exactly given up on you."

     "What do you mean you haven't given up? I thought I made my feelings clear!?"

     The Jaguar quickly turned around and covered Audre's mouth with his hand. "Hush! Do you want the whole village to hear? Ryker may still be nearby."

     Audre moved his hand from her mouth and glared at him.

     "I made myself clear about this." She whispered.

     "I know, and I'm also being honest. My feelings haven't changed." Vadon looked at Audre with fierce determination. "Maybe you will never accept me, but I've decided that I haven't given up yet."

     Audre crossed her arms and didn't break her glare. "You're such a simp."

     "Ha, I don't even know what that is." Vadon smiled at the small female in front of him. The feeling was strange. It was like this battle of getting Audre as a mate had become a strange rivalry between them.

     "Well feel however you want. My decision hasn't changed." Audre said. "And right now, I need to come up with a game plan to leave this village as soon as possible."

     '???????'

     "What's a game plan?" Vadon asked.

     "Well." Audre tapped her cheek as she thought of a way to explain. "It's like a strategy that you come up with before doing something important or risky I guess."

     "Your way of speaking is very confusing." Vadon huffed. "Why not just say what you mean?"

     "I didn't create the phrases; I just use them," Audre said. "Let's just come up with a strategy. What are all our obstacles?"

     "Currently our main obstacles are the Chief, the wandering beasts outside the village, and time," Vadon explained.

     "Those are some pretty tough obstacles." Audre sighed.

     "Yeah, I'm not sure if we'll actually succeed in safely getting out of the village in time before the mating rites ceremony," Vadon said. "We're a bit trapped."

     "What if we create an opening?" Audre said.

     "An opening?" Vadon asked

     "Yeah, like a distraction? Something big enough to distract both the villagers and the wandering beasts and allow us to escape unnoticed." Audre looked up and smiled. "This'll be tough, but this world is crazy if it thinks that it's going to keep me trapped in this spider's web." 

Note from the Author: Thanks to all those who continue to read this story. I appreciate everyone's love and support.