Born Between Humans & Beasts

Chapter 009

The inn was not very large, and I only saw a few tables when I went inside. Most of the space was empty. There were several small parties of guests sitting together, enjoying their booze and meals. I could tell at a glance that they were tough customers from the fierce glares they were giving me, and I could not help but shudder.

"Hey now, where did this handsome little fella come from?"

A comely young woman came towards me with a smile.

She must be the owner's wife.

She had a provocative body and her long, fair legs could vaguely be seen as she moved. I had no idea whether the design was deliberate or not, but there were two long slits on both sides of her yellow skirt cut all the way up to the hip. Even an immature boy like me could not help but gulp at the sight.

"Dear customers, are you here for a meal, or a room? If you're looking for a meal, then please come over to this side. Otherwise, please come upstairs."

She smiled at me as she approached. Before I could give her an answer, she moved close enough to my ear that I could hear her breathe.

"Our beds are big and soft. I'm sure you'll like them."

I was unable to avoid blushing, and I even began to stutter.

"Uh... I'll have... something to eat first. Then... a room."

"Sure. Follow me upstairs. I'll have someone send your food up once we’re done."

She giggled. Then, she even gave me a quick slap on the butt. Cheeks burning red, I quickly made my way upstairs as a burst of laughter sounded behind me, followed by the sound of the derisive taunts of both the young woman and the customers.

The tavern boy led me to the innermost room, and I did not have to wait long before food was served. While it was nothing fancy, it was much better than the dried rations we had been having on the road. Without thinking much about it, I started eating.

After just a few mouthfuls, I heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked, slightly wary.

"It's me. I've come to deliver wine to our guest."

When I opened the door, I saw the young woman from before. She was leaning against the door frame while holding a flagon of wine, looking at me with a charming smile on her face. Her body was particularly sexy from this perspective.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

I cleared my throat with feigned composure.

"But I didn't order wine."

Smiling, she winked at me.

"This one's on the house. I brewed it myself."

Then, she came even closer and whispered, "I brewed it with my own bathwater..."

Before I could react, she pretended to fall over and landed in my arms. Then, with a tap of her right foot, she shut the door behind her.

A soft touch caused my heart to flutter. Blushing to my ears, I pushed her away and scampered back.

"My, why are you afraid of me? I won't eat you. Is it because I'm not pretty enough?"

Though I was silent, I could not stop my heart from racing. Seeing no response from me, the young woman sat down on the chair that I was sitting on before.

"What are you trying to do?"

I just had to ask when I saw that she seemingly had no intention of leaving.

"Of course, I'm here to do what you men love to do."

She covered her lips with her dainty hand in feigned shyness. Meanwhile, she had intentionally lifted a corner of her skirt with her other hand to expose a fair and smooth leg. Were all women in the outside world so open? I could not help but feel troubled. As a hot-blooded youth, there was no way I could endure this. I could feel a devilish flame burning within me.

Just as I was about to lose myself, the stone on my chest vibrated gently. Then, I felt a clear stream run from my chest throughout my entire body before finally settling down in my mind, instantly bringing me back to my senses. When I turned my gaze to the woman again, my eyes had regained all clarity.

"Please leave!"

The change in my demeanor surprised the woman. Seemingly annoyed, her voice carried a hint of anger.

"Fine. I'll go if you agree to share a cup of wine with me."

Seeing as she was willing to compromise, I agreed without a second thought.

"Fine. Come on!"

I took the seat next to her. Pouring out a cup of wine for each of us, she downed hers in one resentful gulp.

As she had drunk hers, I drank my cup too without thinking much of it.

"There. You can go now, right?"

"What're you in such a hurry for? I almost fell down and sprained my ankle. Let me rest for a while." She suddenly changed her mind again and looked at me with a sulky face.

"What are you trying to pull here?"

My temper was rising as she refused to leave even after the drink. So, I stood up and began dragging her out, but for some strange reason, her top was ripped off even though I had only touched her lightly, revealing her plump bosom. The sight of them jiggling sent me cross-eyed. As I was about to turn around and avoid looking at her, I suddenly felt a touch of warmth building up inside of me that grew violently hot, spreading through my whole body in an instant.

I gulped, but my throat felt dry. I could not stop my eyes from wandering off to between the young woman's legs. As I did, I heard my ears buzzing.

Still half-exposed, the woman came over and pressed herself on me, writhing her body on top of me. A gush of heat overtook me, throwing off all reason. Like a wild beast, I pounced on her as the most primitive instincts inside my body burst forth, pressing her down underneath my body.

"Sir, please stop..."

The young woman was clearly experienced in this. Her sultry cries aroused me even further.

I took hold of her soft bosom with both hands, drawing a seductive giggle from the woman.

Though I was inexperienced, I should be able to do this by instinct, just like how some animals were born knowing how to swim.

The way she panted and moaned as I fondled her drove my lust even further.

At this moment in time, my engorged little friend was pitching a small tent, as if it were roaring for battle.

Desire granted.

Growling, I tore off the last of her clothing.

Then, for some strange reason, I suddenly felt a force sucking me in from her body, as if I was being pulled down by invisible hands. It felt like something was gradually being sucked out of my body.

I felt more and more tired. My eyes grew heavy, and just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a cat yowl, followed by a scream. Then, I had no idea what happened after that.

Through my hazy consciousness, I heard a melodious singing voice. At times it was as soft as tricking water, but at other times, it sounded as powerful as a thousand marching horses. Drifting in the melody, I had no idea how long I had tossed and turned in it before a voice called me back to this world.

"Wake up!"

It was a familiar voice, but I could not pin down who it was. I opened my eyes in a daze, and the first thing that caught my attention was a pair of fluffy ears moving back and forth. Someone seemed to be trying to wake me.

"Hey, wake up!"

This did not seem to be a dream. That voice sounded real. I slowly opened my eyes and the petite figure of the girl gradually became clear. She was the one who was patting my body and trying to wake me.

I sat up from the ground, my head swaying and dizzy. I looked at my surroundings before turning back to look at the girl, somewhat at a loss. That was because we were currently in the wilderness. Illuminated by the moonlight, I could see that the girl had a slim but short body, and I could also see her light blue eyes. Those eyes were so dazzling and bright that one could hardly look away. She had a nice shapely nose, but her most conspicuous feature was the peculiar pair of ears atop her head that would twitch from time to time. They looked adorable.

"What's this? Are you an angel? Am I dreaming?"

I looked at her in a daze, still processing the situation.

"Great, you're finally awake!"

Her voice snapped me back to reality. Looking at this angelic girl in front of me, I had no idea how to answer.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

I looked at her and my surroundings in surprise. I clearly remembered being at an inn just moments before. The barmaid offered me a cup of wine, then...

"Hah! If I hadn't saved you, then you would've been sucked dry by that woman! She's nothing good. If my guesses are correct, then she must be practicing some sort of technique that allows her to devour human essence. While you were under her control, I took the opportunity to sneak up to her from behind and off her. I have to say, this has been quite a tragedy for her. I'll bet she didn't even realize I was in that room!"

When I heard what she said, I tried to recall. Sure enough, that really seemed to be the case. It seemed that the barmaid must have slipped something into the drink, and I was simple-minded enough to fall for her trick. That was a close call.

Suddenly, I realized something. Who was this girl in front of me?

"Speaking of which, I haven't even asked. Who are you?"

I looked at the girl in confusion. Grinning, she stroked one of her little ears and turned around to show me the furry tail on her back.

"Now do you know who I am?"

I was shocked. Had I encountered some sort of mythical creature? This clearly was not a human being.

Seeing my face, the girl laughed.

"I'm that fox you saved before."

"Huh? You mean the little kitty?"

I was taken aback for a few moments. This was hard to believe.

"My name's Doris, a member of the beastman nation's fox clan. I have both the blood of the fox clan and the cat clan in me, a product of intermarriage."

"The beastman nation!"

I could not help but feel shaken. This place had been occupying my thoughts for a long time. Though I had never been there, I had been constantly wanting to go since I found out about the circumstances of my birth. I wanted to look for my father and see what sort of person he was. Then, I wanted to ask him why he would have me endure all of this.

Even though I was eager, I did not interrupt her.

"What you saw earlier was my true form, and this is my beastman form. Among powerful beastmen, we have a special ability that can allow us to change back and forth between our true beast forms, and our beastman forms. On the other hand, the weaker beastmen can only remain as beastmen."

So that was how it was. I could not help but sigh in awe at what a magical existence these beastmen were. I thought I had bumped into some sort of mythical creature.

"Of course, only a few beastmen have this ability. Most beastmen can only remain in their beastman states, but I am gifted, far more so than my peers in the clan. Very early on, they made the exception to take me into the spirit lodge and promote me into a shamanic priestess. Now, I'm just one step away from becoming the youngest shaman!"