Ari (Child of the Beastman Goddess)

I remembered my pet snake that I used to take care of for a short time in my previous life. The brother of a friend of mine was a veterinarian and he gave me a baby red-bellied black snake as a pet when he learned that I love studying snakes despite being a business major.

I was so fascinated with its jet black scale and red belly. The unique light yellow to reddish orange highlight from its mouth to its eyes had me totally captivated. It was so gorgeous that I couldn’t turn down the giver.

When my mother learned that I was raising a snake in my own apartment, she scolded me and told me to return it to the giver. I had no other choice, so I gave it back as mother instructed. I felt sad because of it.

“What are you? I clearly pulled in a young female earlier. You also have the scent of a female. However, what is this? A lion tail and wings?” A male voice asked with a confused tone.

I suddenly felt a sudden urge of anxiety when I heard the male voice.

“What… What will you do if I am a male?” I asked anxiously.

“I will drown you and throw you back to the lake. I can’t eat you, but I can’t let you live.” He answered with a threatening tone.

My trembling became worse upon hearing his harsh words.

“What if I’m a female?” I mumbled in a low voice while trying to calm myself down.

“I will take you as my spouse.” He mumbled with a confused tone.

“What if I am both male and female” I unconsciously asked, making me jolt upon realizing my mistake.

“What do you mean by both?! Are you confusing me so that I would let you go?” He shouted in agitation as he tightened the grip of his tail on my body, causing me to feel pain due to the pressure.

“Wait… Wait… I am a female but I have a male passive form. That is what I meant! But I’m not a good spouse candidate.” I mumbled due to pain while trying to redeem the situation.

He suddenly loosened up, then sighed as he brought me to a different location where light was seeping through an opening above the cave. He gently placed me on top of a nest made from dried leaves and grass covered with a big wooly piece of pelt.

I can finally see his figure clearly. He has shoulder length layered jet black hair with a highlight of red underneath. His sharp black eyes with reddish orange lining are giving him a reserved yet ferocious vibe while his pale skin reminded me of Lindie and Askook.

Snake beastman race has three forms; passive form which is humanlike despite the scales on random parts of their body, passive-aggressive form which is a half human half snake and lastly their aggressive form which is their beast form.

They are known as descendants of the dragon beast god. There are also other beastman races that have three forms such as merman and all the chimera beastman races.

“I’m still confused. If you are not a good spousal candidate, why do you have two guardians?” He asked in confusion.

“Guardian? Wait… Two?!” I asked in disbelief. I suddenly forgot my anxiety due to confusion.

“*sigh* You have a wolf guardian imprint on the back of your arm and a lion guardian imprint on the back of your shoulder.” He answered casually.

A guardian imprint is an insignia that appears in a female when she accepts the guardianship proposal of a male after a kiss. Dillon and I underwent a guardian imprinting ritual right after the tribunal trial, but I never paid much attention to the imprint because it appeared on my back and I couldn’t even see it. My wings also cover the insignia so it was not noticeable unless I am in my passive form. On the other hand, I haven’t agreed with Lowell to be my guardian yet making me confused about the wolf insignia.

“Wait… Wolf? But how?” I whispered in confusion.

I transformed back to my passive form, then checked the back of my arms and saw the insignia that the snake beastman was talking about in the back of my left arm.

I was taken aback upon seeing it with my own eyes.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

“Hah… How interesting… You really can transform… Here… Use these skins… You might catch a cold with your wet clothes on.” He said while handing over a set of black snake skin.

“Thanks… By the way… Why did you take me? I’m still too young. I haven’t even undergone my first estrous. You don’t seem to be aggressive by nature.” I asked curiously while wrapping the snake skin around my body without removing my wet undergarments.

“I need a female as a spouse to build my own family. We are of the same age, so I thought it would be a good match. Don’t you think, my little snowball?” He asked as he leaned towards me trying to look at me closely.

I crawled backwards trying to distance myself.

“Keep your distance and don’t call me names like that. It’s so cringey! I have a name… Ari… Call me Ari…!” I responded in distaste.

“Don’t females love being called sweet names?” He asked confusedly.

“Please don’t count me in. Oh my goodness! So… what’s your name?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t have a name.” He answered bitterly.

“Why don’t you have a name?” I asked curiously.

“I was abandoned. My parents dumped me in the forest along with my siblings. Luckily, I survived due to my instinct as a snake beastman. My other siblings were unlucky because they couldn’t hatch due to the absence of our parents.” He said while sadly looking at the ground.

“Do you plan to stay here?” I asked in pity.

“I have no other place to go to.” He responded while smiling bitterly.

“Why not just join a tribe so that you can select a proper spouse easily. There are too many tribes to choose from.” I suggested.

“What if you are the one I want?” He asked seriously.