Chapter 215: The Journey to the Leopard Tribe!

Maren had been walking through deserts, forests, snow-covered mountains, and everything else he was able to walk through, just to find the remaining two earthlings.

He remembered the mission he had gotten a few weeks ago when he first bonded with his unconscious mother.

[New Mission Unlocked!]

[Mission Directive: Gather the earthlings and return to Earth.]

[Task 1 — Earthlings Found: 0/3]

[Task 2 — Find The Key]

[Task 3 — ???]

(Note: Complete Task 1 and Task 2 to unlock Task 3.)

The system had given him a clear directive.

He was supposed to gather all the earthlings and return them to Earth. Three earthlings in total. Task one was to find them. Task two was to find the Gateway Key. Task three was still unknown, locked until he completed the first two tasks.

He had completed the first task by finding the last two earthlings. The first one had been Neve, back in the leopard tribe. Now he had found two more.

But he still had no idea where to find the key.

It was obvious to him though that the key had to be amongst the earthlings living in this strange world. Since Maren had asked the other two earthlings and they had no idea about it, he was heading back to the leopard tribe with the two others so they could ask Neve about the key.

Maybe Neve would know something. Maybe Neve had seen it or heard about it somewhere.

"Maren, what if this guy does not have the key?" Zoey asked, walking beside him with worry written all over her face. "Does that mean we will be trapped here forever?"

Zoey was a young woman from France. She was part of the wolf tribe now, though she had not bonded with any of them. She had fallen into her role and suddenly appeared in this beast world. She had thought she was in a movie or that she was dead because of how real everything felt.

When Maren had found her, she had been speaking French to her wolf beastmen, confusing the hell out of them. They had almost sent her to the underground chamber for being weird before Maren stepped forward and protected her. He had secretly told her his own secrets about being from another world.

That was how the two had started their journey together.

"Do not worry," Maren said as they increased their pace, taking advantage of the fact that the snow had reduced significantly. "I am sure he is the one that has been here the longest, so he must have heard or found this key."

Maren was trying to sound confident even though he was not sure at all.

"She said, what if?" The second boy asked, his quiet voice cutting through the conversation.

He was nonchalant when it came to a lot of things, not showing much emotion or concern about the situation. This silent boy had become their traveling companion just a few days ago.

Maren had met him when he had gotten into a problem with some beastmen who were about to kill him. This quiet boy had appeared out of nowhere and saved his life, fighting off the attackers without breaking a sweat. He was the third Earthling.

Maren did not even know what tribe he was from since the boy refused to speak most of the time. He did not know his name or his backstory. But the boy seemed to have his own reasons for helping and for wanting to find the key.

"I do not have any other idea," Maren said, feeling frustrated.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the expression on the boy’s face. He was watching Maren with those dark eyes, waiting for an answer that made sense.

"I really do not know," Maren admitted. "Maybe Neve might know something."

He heard the boy roll his eyes.

"If you do not know anything, how would this Neve know something?" the boy asked, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Because he is my mate," Maren said simply.

Zoey gasped loudly beside him, her eyes widening in shock.

"A man?" she asked, her French accent thick with surprise. "Is that how it works here? People can mate with the same gender?"

"Yes," Maren said, already regretting telling her. "In this world, gender does not matter for bonding. Any two people can bond together if they are meant to."

"That is so cool," Zoey said, a smile spreading across her face. "I want to find a mate too. Are there any single guys in the leopard tribe?"

Maren groaned.

"Do not get too excited," he said, shooting her a look. "We will get to the leopard tribe in five hours. Maybe less if we keep quiet and walk faster."

He gestured for them to keep moving without talking.

They obeyed him immediately, understanding his urgency. Both Zoey and the silent boy increased their pace, trying to match Maren’s speed. They walked quietly through the forest, their footsteps crunching softly on the dried leaves and branches.

Zoey had been complaining about everything when they first started this journey. She complained about the cold, the hunger, the lack of civilization. She complained about the beastmen and their weird customs. But slowly, over the past few days, she had started to adapt.

She was learning the language faster now. She was getting used to eating raw meat and hunting. She was even starting to understand the tribal politics and social structures of this beast world.

The silent boy, on the other hand, never complained about anything. He just walked, helped when needed, and watched everything with those dark, observant eyes. Maren had tried multiple times to get him to talk about his past in the original world, but the boy always refused.

As they walked, Maren thought about Neve. He wondered if his mate was okay. He wondered if Neve was still pregnant, carrying his cubs. He wondered if Neve had thought about him while they were apart.

"How much longer?" Zoey asked, her voice tired and frustrated.

Maren checked the position of the sun in the sky.

"About three hours if we keep this pace," he said.

They continued walking in silence.

The landscape changed as they got closer to the leopard territory. The trees became thicker, more familiar. Maren recognized some of the landmarks he had seen when he was at the leopard tribe before.

The mountain with the split peak. The river that flowed through a hidden valley. The old burned-out tree that had been struck by lightning.

They were getting close.

Maren’s heart began to beat faster. In a few hours, he would see Neve again. He would be able to hold his mate, to feel Neve’s warmth, to smell his scent.

But first, he had to find out about the key. He had to complete his mission.

The three hours passed quickly.

And after three hours, they arrived at the leopard tribe.