Chapter 85: The Snake’s Bite And The Outcasts’ Plan!
Neve heard the news and felt his entire body go numb.
He almost fell.
His legs gave out and he stumbled backward but Ryker was already there, in his human form, catching him before he could hit the ground.
"Hey, don’t think now, Neve," Ryker said, his arm wrapped around Neve’s waist, holding him steady. "We need to move fast."
Neve took a deep breath and clapped his hand over his cheeks, trying to ground himself. He could do this. He could treat snake bites. It was similar to the scorpion sting he had treated before. The poison was different but the principle was the same.
He just hoped the snake that had bitten Cael was not venomous. He hoped the bite was survivable.
"Where is he?" Neve asked, his voice steady now.
"In the woods," the beastman replied.
Ryker shifted back to his tiger form without being asked. His large body settled into a position that made it easy for Neve to climb on his back. Neve did not hesitate. He pulled himself onto Ryker and held tight.
The beastman who had brought the news also shifted back into his leopard form.
He started running toward the woods.
Ryker followed close behind, his powerful legs eating up the distance. They rode for almost three minutes before the woods opened up and Neve could see Cael.
.
.
Cael was lying on the ground, surrounded by other beastmen.
Several leopard tribe members were there. A few tiger tribe members too, the ones who had been working with Cael all day on the security of the village.
Neve jumped off Ryker’s back and ran to Cael without caring about anything else.
"Chief," some of the tiger tribe members called out to Ryker, their voices hopeful.
Ryker stretched his hand out to them, his expression serious.
"I’m sorry, but I’m no longer your chief," he said simply.
The tiger tribe members looked confused and disappointed, clearly hoping it was a joke. They obviously could not imagine someone else as their leader. They had gotten used to Ryker’s strength and his decisions.
But Neve ignored them completely. They were not his concern right now.
He touched Cael’s face gently.
"Cael, look at me," Neve said.
Cael’s eyes opened slowly, like he was fighting through pain and fog to reach consciousness.
"Neve," he called, his voice weak.
Neve held him, pressing his head against Cael’s head, feeling the fever heat radiating from his body. The poison was already affecting him. Already working through his system.
"Yes, it’s me. Where does it hurt?" Neve asked.
"Oh... Neve," Cael said, his hand reaching up to touch Neve’s face weakly.
Neve turned to the beastmen standing around them.
"Where was he bitten?" he asked urgently.
"His calf," one of them said, pointing.
Neve checked and found it immediately. Two puncture marks on Cael’s calf, right above the ankle. The skin around the bite was already swelling and turning dark. The poison was spreading.
Neve did not hesitate.
He leaned down and started sucking the poison out of the wound. He drew hard, pulling the venom into his mouth, then turned and spat it out on the ground away from everyone.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Does anyone have a water pouch?" he asked.
The beastmen around him were almost stunned, like they could not process what Neve was doing. Sucking poison from a man’s leg. It was not something they had ever seen before.
"Water pouch anyone?!" Neve asked again, louder this time, his urgency cutting through their shock.
One of them held out a water pouch immediately.
Neve took it and rinsed his mouth thoroughly. He even poured some salt water to help cleanse his mouth, then he repeated the process of sucking the poison out of Cael’s wound again. And again. Three more times. Each time spitting the poison away and rinsing his mouth.
He was not affected by the poison at all. The immunity he had gained from completing the survive the murder attempt mission protected him completely.
When he was satisfied that he had extracted enough of the venom, he brought out the herb. The same herb that he had used on Sif..
He chewed it quickly and created a paste, then applied it directly to Cael’s calf wound.
Cael winced even though his eyes were still shut. The pain of the poison was real and the paste helped but could not completely eliminate it.
"This really isn’t normal," one of the beastmen said, his voice carrying wonder and confusion in equal measure.
Neve did not shut him up. He listened as the others agreed.
"The outcasts are not supposed to be anywhere around in our territory," another said.
"Does that mean they snuck in just for one person?" a third beastman asked.
Neve understood what they meant. The outcasts were banished. They lived far from the tribes. They did not come close to civilized territories unless there was a specific reason.
Someone or something had attracted them.
’Did they come for me? Did they come because they knew about the poison cure Neve had developed?’
He did not want to be the reason for anyone’s suffering. Not Cael’s. Not anyone else’s. He was tired of feeling guilty about things that were not his fault.
"Help me carry him to the cave," Neve said, already preparing to take Cael back with him. "You all can take the day off. Get some rest. Tomorrow we can figure out what happened and why the outcasts were here."
The beastmen nodded and helped lift Cael carefully.
Ryker shifted back to his human form and then shifted again into his tiger form, creating a sturdy platform for Neve to hold Cael on his back.
Neve settled against Ryker’s warm fur with Cael held carefully in his arms. They rode back toward the cave quickly but not so fast that Cael would be jostled around and injured further.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the dark forest far from the village.
The poisonous snake who had bitten Cael was slithering back toward the outcast territory.
He was a member of the snake tribe. One of the outcasts. He had been sent on a mission by his king.
The mission had been simple: find the red panda mate of the dragon king and observe him. Learn his weaknesses. Report back.
The snake had watched the commotion at the village. He had seen when Neve rushed out with the oversized blanket. He had observed the attack by Popi. He had noted everything.
When he saw an opportunity to test Neve’s abilities, to see what the red panda could do, he had bitten Cael. It was not a random attack. It was calculated. It was a test.
And what he had witnessed was extraordinary.
"So, that red-haired boy was able to get rid of my poison," the snake said to himself, his voice a soft hiss as he moved through the dark forest. "I see he’s really special. That’s why the king wants him."
He continued moving through the shadows, his body low to the ground, his eyes bright with intelligence and purpose.
"The king was right. This one is different. This one has knowledge and immunity that should not exist. This one has power that goes beyond what we expected."
The snake disappeared into the darkness of the forest, carrying information that would change everything.