Beta: Jeannette
To keep things simple, Jun went with a basic cartoon style and even resorted to stick figures. He drew what happened with the T Rex and him "accidentally" falling off the cliff as well as all the things his body ran into while falling. When done, he gestured to his body, especially the bruises and the depiction on the ground. Azazel analyzed it for a short while before guessing anything.
"So you were chased by a colossal and fell off a cliff...?"
With a grin, Jun nodded. Azazel showed a fond smile and patted Jun's head. This gesture was so familiar and the same as before that he was certain this man was the same person as Azel and Zeke.
Azazel's hand moved from Jun's head to his neck and massaged its side. "Then what about here? How did you become mute?"
This was a little easier to draw. Although he didn't know who had poisoned him, the plot indicated that it was something he ate, so he drew that.
"... You ate something bad?" Azazel's eyebrows narrowed as he frowned.
Shrugging, Jun displayed a wry smile. Azazel held him in his embrace, careful not to be too rough, and rested his chin on the top of his head. "Don't worry, the witch doctor should be able to help you."
Jun felt really... oppressed! Whereas he maintained his usual height of 175 cm, which was neither very tall nor short, these two beastmen he had run into averaged over 2 meters tall, not to mention they were even more muscular than their previous lives. Before, they were maybe a little more than half a head taller than him, but now his head was only at their shoulders. He wanted to gnaw their legs.
(A/N: That's about over 6'7" tall)
Before he could, a rustling was heard at the entrance and Elior returned with a tiny earthen jar in his hands. Seeing them in an embrace, Elior didn't react and simply sat down in front of Jun to start to apply some of the medicinal salve onto the more prominent injuries on his body.
"You went to the Deer Tribe?"
"Yeah."
"Where'd you find him?"
"Near the edge of the western part of the forest."
"Are you a part of the Golden Lion tribe?" Azazel stroked Jun's cat ears and he jolted. The man's other hand found its way to his tail, making his toes curl and breathing quicken. It was such an unfamiliar sensation.
Elior finished applying the salve and caressed Jun's cheeks. "Poor little kitty, you were abandoned. But it's ok, you can just become ours."
"We are wild beastmen, also unwanted, so we won't abandon you. What do you say?" Azazel wrapped his arms around Jun, enveloping him in a possessive manner.
After two worlds with these two, how could he possibly say no to them? He had already decided that if he were to meet them again in this world, he would try to be more honest in his feelings with them.
After Jun agreed, Azazel and Elior exchanged information and arrived at a more complete story of what happened to him. Then Azazel left to hunt for some food and Elior stayed behind.
They had a quick dinner of roasted meat and after, took Jun to a nearby stream to bathe in. Before turning in for the night, Elior applied the medicinal salve again and held Jun in his arms to sleep. The next day the trio went to go to the Deer Tribe to meet with their witch doctor.
Carnivorous tribes didn't trade with wild beastmen, because they either feared them or found them beneath them, but the herbivorous tribes were different. Herbivores had items they desired but couldn't attain that carnivores could, such as beast cores or the even more desirable, colossal cores. When a certain amount of beast cores were consumed, they could raise the rank of a beastman.
As for colossal cores, each one could extend the life of a beastman for 10-20 years and keep them youthful. A King colossal core was the most valuable, able to help a male beastman rise in rank instantly. Most herbivore beastmen were not hunters and were generally weak, so attaining such things with their strength was difficult, particularly colossal cores. That was just impossible for them.
On hand, they had hundreds of beast cores, a few dozen normal colossal cores, and three King colossal cores. If the witch doctor could cure Jun of his muteness, they were willing to part with a few colossal cores.
Compared to the witch doctors of carnivorous tribes, the ones from herbivorous tribes were more knowledgeable and reliable, since they were familiar with plants and herbs, which were often used in the healing process. The witch doctor effortlessly identified the cause of Jun's muteness and provided them with an antidote. He would have to drink the concoction once a day for a whole week before it would work.
Azazel and Elior were wild beastmen, so they were nomadic and didn't have a permanent home. By now they'd have moved onto their next destination, but to allow Jun to heal completely, they chose to prolong their departure for two weeks.
Three days later, all of Jun's injuries were healed and he could move again. The salve had proven to be extremely effective. Although Jun was lazy, it didn't mean he enjoyed being useless. Most beastmen didn't use weapons, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. After drawing up a bow and arrow set, Elior figured out what he wanted and was able to craft him a decent set.
Since then, he began to accompany Azazel and Elior whenever they went hunting. He would try to damage the beasts a little and one of the two men would do the finishing move. As he watched them, he noticed that they were unlike other beastmen, in that they could freely manipulate their transformations.
When in human form, they retained none of their beast characteristics, but all that meant was that they could do a partial transformation of any kind, be it just the hand into a claw or the legs into the body of a snake. Being able to shift between any transformation they wanted made their battle prowess very high. He was still debating whether they were male or female.
Then again, his condition was also strange as despite having beast characteristics and not being able to change into a beast, he was still considered a "female." Just thinking that made him grate his teeth together.
When Azazel finished taking down the boar, they took it to the nearby stream to skin, clean, and slice it down into smaller pieces. Despite its size, the boar was only enough for one meal's worth for the trio, with Jun eating the least amount. Unlike the two beastmen, he couldn't live off an all-meat diet and had to supplement himself with some wild fruit or vegetables he recognized.
Azazel and Elior found it strange—he ate just like a female!—but chose not to comment. Jun would have argued that he ate like a normal human being. The best times were when they went to the herbivorous tribes to trade for certain spices and seasoning, and Jun would be able to buy the fruit, veggies, or grains the herbivores grew. Everyone just assumed the young "male" beastman had unique tastes and didn't think much of it. They also didn't want to lose their best customers, of course.
Soon it was nearing the time when Jun would be able to start talking again, and the two males decided to hunt down a regular colossal to celebrate. Because colossals were more dangerous than beasts, Elior climbed up a tall tree and left Jun there on top of a thick and sturdy branch to watch the action.
The forest they were in was called Eternal Forest and they were currently in the northern part, where colossals were often found. Rarely did they roam outside the northern part of the forest, so you could say that Jun had ridiculous luck when he ran into one right after arriving in this world. Except for wild beastmen like Azazel and Elior, most tribesmen lived on the outskirts of the forest as the further inside the forest, the more dangerous and ferocious beasts and man-eating plants became.
This, however, didn't prevent male beastmen from traveling through the forest to obtain beast and colossal cores, because male beastmen were extremely competitive when it came to courting females, and what better courtship gift than a colossal core that could maintain a female's beauty and extend their lifespan.
And so, it wasn't surprising for Azazel and Elior to run into other beastmen hunting colossals in the same area as them. It was strange that the two men were currently maintaining a partial transformation while interacting with the other beastmen though.
"What's this? A black wolf and an albino python?" The one who spoke was a beastman with lion ears and a tail, his golden hair shimmering lustrously under the sunlight. His demeanor was noble and his speech authoritative, suggesting he was the leader of the hunting party.
"Leave and don't get in our way." Another beastman with black rounded tipped ears and a slim black tail added in a cold tone.
Elior sneered at them, unaffected by their pressure. "We were here first. Why should we leave?"
At a glance, he could tell they were mostly rank 3. Even the lion, their leader and the strongest, was ranked 4. Although he was only one rank above the lion, the difference between a King rank and a rank 4 was exponential.
"Who's in whose way?" Azazel was angry and released the pressure of a King's rank. This group of beastmen was most likely from the Golden Lion tribe. Though he was grateful that their old-fashioned way of doing things led Jun to him and Elior, he still couldn't tolerate the way they abandoned him.
"A-A King rank? Impossible." The remaining member of the group of beastmen, who had white hair and black highlights, spoke through gritted teeth while resisting the impulse to kneel. He refused to bow down to a wild beastman.
Elior grinned and also released his King rank pressure.
"Both, both of you?" The lion beastman, who had been calm until now, finally felt intimidated. Though he was a rank 4, he was close to breaking through to the King rank and initially felt he might have been able to handle the King rank beastman with the help of his companions. But, to fight against two King ranks would be asking for death.