Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin

Elara’s Perspective

The arrogant male strode in front of the seated figures, his back turned to us as if we were mere shadows, unworthy of his gaze. "Feel free to browse our collection before the hunt begins. As you can see, one purchase has already been made, so our little bat girl is off the market, but there are plenty of other enticing treasures just waiting for you to snatch them up and take them home. All the females on display have been stripped of their rights and family ties, so they are yours to command as you please. We only ask that you remove them from Duarte Village and refrain from bringing them back to avoid any misunderstandings. Each one comes with documentation of servitude, ensuring you won’t face charges for any mistreatment should complications arise."

A low murmur of approval rippled through the seated men, a sound that sent a chill down my spine.

They have every intention of abusing us, at least most of them do. There were a few that were just subpar looking males that looked like they just wanted a female and those ones weren’t too bad though if they intended to be their females only male then they would be putting their female in danger without realizing it so those males would be considered dangerous in their own way too.

There were even a couple of wandering beastkin males in the mix, too- a lizard, a bat, and some male with antennae. This was my first time seeing one of those so I was really curious what kind of beastkin it was since I had never been allowed to travel, not that that was especially unusual for a female but that didn’t mean that ’i didn’t regret it. I wanted to explore, to do my own thing, I didn’t want to be stuck being pregnant with eggs constantly and be fussed over to the point of madness and boredom. I want to be a free spirit to put myself in danger once in a while and to get out of it but I don’t want to be a prisoner.

"Feel free to saunter over and inspect our exquisite collection while our charming attendants serve you delightful refreshments. Just a friendly reminder: ensure that all your ladies are safely secured near your seat before you wander off, to avoid any unfortunate mix-ups or disappearances. In one hour, the hunt will commence. You can either join in the fun yourself or send a representative to compete on your behalf. For an additional fee, you can add another hunter to your team, making it a total of two. While some roughhousing is permitted among hunters, killing is strictly off-limits—both for your fellow competitors and the merchandise. Any violations will result in hefty fines and a permanent ban from future events. Additionally, we will require a female replacement of equal or greater value. Our stunning ladies have been sedated to dampen their magic, but they still possess a hint of it. You’ll easily discern their auras, as most of them haven’t quite mastered control yet. And let’s be clear, these are young and fresh females."

"What are we, dinner? Young, fresh, and juicy," I whispered, and the girls around me let out soft giggles that felt both nervous and a bit amused. At least I managed to lighten the mood a little in this crazy situation where I’m stuck like this too. The sleazy guys made sure the girls they brought were all chained up tight. They paused for a moment while some server girls wandered around with trays of snacks and drinks. They grabbed whatever they wanted, and then some other servers came by with bowls of pretty terrible food and water for the girls. The bowls looked like something you’d give a pet—dried bits and some kind of mush. I was starving but not that desperate. Some of the girls took it without a second thought; I guess they were so used to this life that they barely remembered what it was like before all this.

The guys stood up from their chairs after a bit and headed over to the pergola. They were sneaking glances at each other, sizing up who was going for which girls. I felt all jittery and awkward, like I was crawling out of my skin. The stuff they gave me was starting to fade, and I realized they probably didn’t think about how I’m a yellow aura. I require a higher dose than the other females that they’re used to abusing; it’s their mistake.

Nancy’s Perspective

Let me tell you, Beth was always the true boss of our trio, even if she didn’t realize it. Technically, her name is Elizabeth, but only her biological family uses that name. And when I say biological, I mean those folks are more like her jailers than her family. Whenever we visit her house, her parents insist on calling her Elizabeth and get all huffy if anyone dares to call her Beth. So, we started calling her Queenie during our visits, and she just loves it because her parents can’t stand it, but they like it better than Beth, so they don’t correct us. Honestly, she was like the big sister we never had, the calm one who kept us all in check. I always turned to her for advice and help with my homework, but now I’m just staring at her back as they whisk her away, and I have no clue when I’ll see her again.

I strolled along with a gaggle of gals who looked cute with their animal ears and tails, looking like they just stepped out of a furry convention. Meanwhile, here I was, the oddball in the bunch, rocking my plain old human look. But hey, I learned that this can happen before the big awakening ceremony, so I guess I’m not alone in my boringness. Thank goodness nobody knows my age; I’m just a couple of months older than Perla, and Beth is about to hit the big one-eight. We should’ve all had our awakening by now, but, surprise surprise, we’re just humans. I’m starting to wonder how we’re going to keep up this charade when it’s clear we’re all over sixteen and still haven’t made the shift.

Out of the three of us, I’m the only one without parents, and honestly, those two make me kinda thankful for it. My aunt, bless her heart, isn’t really raising me; she just bought me a house because, let’s face it, she’s not a fan of kids. But hey, it turned out to be the best thing ever since it’s right on the same street as my future besties! I’ve got a housekeeper who’s basically my aunt’s spy, a maid who keeps things tidy, and a butler who loves to say, "The lady isn’t at home right now, please state your business," even when I’m right there. Classic, right?

Perla has this sneaky little routine where she climbs the tree outside my window to sneak in. One time, the housekeeper barged in, and Perla took a tumble out of that tree, poor thing! She wrecked her ankle, and that put a stop to her tree-climbing days for a bit, so we had to find a new hangout spot.

As I reminisced about my past and my wonderful friends, my feet just kept moving until we all ended up on this little platform. There were these ladies in long light blue robes, but instead of white, they had dark blue accents. They were missing that gold chain necklace with the creepy pendant that the old woman wore, though.

So, there were these women just hanging out by the platform—some were just standing there like they were waiting for a bus, while others were strutting around like they owned the place. And they all had these bracelets on their wrists, each one a different color but the same style. They had these cute little gems dangling from them, but of course, they didn’t even match the bracelets.

Then, just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more awkward, this one lady sauntered over to me. She had long gray hair pulled back in a bun so tight it looked like it was giving her a facelift—like, girl, ease up on the scalp torture! Just looking at her made me want to give my own head a little rub. Her mouth was all pinched up, and her eyes? They were slate gray, like a storm was brewing in there, and it seemed like someone had sucked all the fun out of her life. Her skin was rough and tanned, her fingers looked like they’d seen better days, and let’s just say there were frown lines galore but not a single smile line in sight. Yikes!

Out of the blue, she pounced on me, clutching my chin as if I were some fancy trophy. Her cold fingers dug in, twisting my face around like she was checking out a ripe peach. I suppose she had a soft spot for a curvy gal with long, dishwater blonde curls that are just begging for a time machine back to the seventies, standing tall over her petite pals with my dazzling dark blue eyes that I totally flaunt. I mean, she was nodding like she was all about it, so who am I to say no? fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Then her voice came out in a deep, rumbling crackling, like she smoked four packs a day, girl lay off the smoke. "This one has a nice sturdy build, perfect for washing laundry by the creek. She’ll come to the laundry division."

"What now? Washing laundry by the creek? Am I supposed to be scrubbing delicates in that muddy creek? Please, do I look like I’m about to wash clothes by hand in that chilly, grimy water?" I mean, just look at my fabulous mauve French manicure with those sparkling rhinestones! So I held out my hand for her perusal. Then she snatched my hand like it was a sale at the mall, and before I could even blink, she chomped down on one of my rhinestones like she found my fingers covered in chocolate chips! Then she bit it off and swallowed it! Do they not feed people around here?!

Then she turned around and started walking off but not before I saw that satisfied look on her face, like she was a cat that had just caught a bird. "Come along," she said while walking off.

Are we not going to address the whole biting off and eating my rhinestone thing? I guess not. I looked at my nail that was missing one of its rhinestones and let out a sigh. It’s whatever; it’s not like my manicure is going to last forever, but I had been careful with it because there’s no telling when I can get my nails done again, and I love having manicures. Crazy old woman!

Coming Next Time: Shocking Revelation