Winston Wakes Up

Shelly was busy giving instructions for the chicken soup. The scraps of the vegetables could be fed to the short birds. It was nice they didn't have to worry about waste. While Shelly was busy thinking about all the waste in her old life, Winston woke up. He smelled a delicious aroma and his nose started to twitch. He sniffed the air and then slowly sat up. Harvey heard him and said, "Take it easy, there is water nearby. Sip it slowly." Shelly went in to see Winston. He still looked half asleep, but was happy to see Shelly was worried about him.

He felt his heart warm that such a kind and beautiful female cared if he lived or died. Shelly said, "you're awake. How do you feel?" Winston smiled shakily and said, "I will live. I have been poisoned before and it is mostly out of my system now." She nodded, " that's good. Some wolf beastmen were looking for you last night. They said you went crazy and bit some beastmen." Winston shook his head, "I was poisoned by the Ape king. He didn't know I had been poisoned before by scorpion venom and had developed some immunity to poison. It weakened me and the guards tried to stop me. The Ape king lied and said I tried to attack him. I had to fight my way out. I only thought of coming back to you." Shelly was touched by his words. She used her hand to check his temperature. Winston snuggled into her hand.

She said, "You don't have a fever anymore, but take it easy for now to make sure the poison is completely out of your system. Drink some water and we are making soup for you to eat. It is meat and vegetables boiled in water." Winston nodded and looked hopeful to try one of Shelly's new recipes.

Harvey came in carrying a big bowl of soup with mostly bird meat and not a lot of vegetables. He left most of the vegetables for Shelly. Harvey said, "I have already tried it. It is delicious and will help you regain your energy." Winston nodded and accepted the bowl. He started to drink the soup and stopped and looked up in surprise. He said, "This is delicious and the bird is tender." Shelly smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Chick-short bird soup is one of my favorites." Harvey looked interested and asked, "Are there other types of soups?" Shelly nodded and said, "Yes, where I come from there are many types of soups. They mostly start with a water base and add in different types of vegetables and meat. Some only have vegetables or broth." She thought about ramen and wonton soup. She was thinking, wait until I get wheat. I will make noodles and wontons.

Shelly had been raised partially by an Asian step dad who taught her some Asian foods. She would love some spring rolls, but had to figure out oil first. Then she could make a wok.She used to help him cook and learned a lot when she was young. She remembered a bamboo basket he used to steam sticky rice over a pot. She thought, if I find bamboo I can make so many things with it. Bamboo could even be woven into cloth, but she wasn't sure how to do it. Maybe she could experiment later.

Shelly was offered a bowl from Shuu and she accepted it. She thought, I need to make some spoons. For now, she would do as the beastmen did and just sip the soup from the bowl. It was good, but would be better with some noodles and or rice. She wonders if the Ape king had oat seeds. She would love some oatmeal and could use it to make some oat masks. She had been lactose intolerant for most of her adult life and had tried many different varieties of plant based 'milks'. Oat milk was her favorite and was easy to make. She could also make almond milk if she found it. Rice milk or coconut milk would be great too once they were closer to the sea. She was thinking about different options when Shuu broke the silence. He asked Winston, "Did the Ape king really poison you?" Winston nodded and Shuu thought about it for a second. "What is our next step?" Winston said, "I will speak to my brother and see what he says." Shuu nodded and said," I could speak to my father." Harvey said," I will speak to the Leopard king." They all nodded and Shelly thought, I wonder if it will make a difference.

She wanted to see if Bai had arrived in this world, so she offered to go with Harvey. They all nodded in agreement. After they ate and Harvey gave Winston the all clear they headed out on their own mission. If they could get the other kings to unite against the Ape king, they would have a chance to overthrow him. Shelly didn't have much hope, but thought if the other kings were aware of the Ape king's behavior they would be more wary of him. The Ape king would not strike again so openly.

Shelly rode on Harvey's leopard form to the Leopard king's castle. Once they arrived, he shifted and put his toga on quickly. The guards recognized Harvey and asked, "Why have you come today? Who is this female with you?" Harvey did not take offense and answered, "I request to speak to the king and I am her beast guardian. This is Shelly." They nodded and one went to ask the king if they should let them in. A few minutes later, he returned and nodded to the others. They were allowed entry and brought to the king's courtyard.

The Leopard king was feeding his mate grapes and without looking away asked, "Why have you requested to see me?" Harvey said, " My king, we would like to inform you of a possible threat. The Ape king poisoned Winston yesterday and we believe he is trying to destroy all 4 marked beasts so he can rule the city alone." The Leopard king considered his words and looked to the queen to see if she believed it. She looked towards Shelly and asked, "Is this true?" Shelly nodded and said, "Yes, Winston and Harvey are both my guardian beasts and Winston came home last night poisoned. Harvey healed him and it was only because he had some tolerance to poison that he is able to walk around today." The Queen thought about it and nodded slowly. She said, "The Ape king is tricky enough to try something. We will keep an eye on him. Thank you for letting us know." The king nodded his agreement with the queen and said, "If that is all, you may see yourself out." We nodded and turned away. I asked Harvey, "Do you know what kind of fruit the queen was eating? They look delicious." Harvey nodded and said, "Those are called bubble fruit. I can get some for you." I nodded and said, "Yes please, if it's not too much trouble." The king overheard us and looked pleased that Harvey had found a polite female. He only wished this female was not barren so she could be with his son. Harvey was a gentle doctor and deserved a gentle female.

They left the Leopard castle and went to a fruit tree that had all kinds of grape vines hanging from it. There were purple, red and green grapes. Harvey asked "which one should you like?" Shelly said, "can you get one of each color so I can taste them?" Harvey nodded and shifted into a beast. He nimbly climbed up the tree and quickly gathered one of each color bunches of grapes. He climbed back down with the vines in his mouth and handed it to Shelly. She thanked him and climbed on his back so they could return to his den.

When they returned both Shuu and Winston were there. Winston looked upset. Shelly asked him,"What's wrong Winston?" He hesitated and then replied, "My brother doesn't believe me. He said he would only help me go against the Ape king if I agreed to be with his female cub." Shelly looked a little shocked. She asked, "What did you tell him?" I told him it is not possible for me to be with her. I already have a female to guard." He looked at Shelly and her heart felt warm. She felt guilty for holding him back. She said, "I don't want to hold you back. If you would be better protected with them maybe you should consider it." He looked upset that she would suggest such a thing. He got closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. She backed up towards the wall. He was worried she would misunderstand and said, "I never wanted to be with Rosa even before I met you. I only saved her because she was my brother's female cub. I got the scar then. Rosa never even thanked me. I am so lucky to be with someone who is the most beautiful and kind female I have ever met. Please don't misunderstand."

Shelly felt touched by his confession. She said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you leave if you don't want to. I was just worried about you. The Leopard king only said he would keep an eye on the Ape king." Winston felt so relieved and leaned in to hug Shelly. She patted his back to help him calm down. He calmed down and backed away and apologized. She said, "It's ok, I have accepted you. You can hug me, I just want to wait to take it further." He nodded and seemed to peel up. She looked at Shuu and asked "what did the Wolf king say?" Shuu smiled and said, "my father said he would keep an eye on the Ape king. He also wants to meet you. One of my brothers is Rosa's mate. I don't think he will choose between us, but will remain neutral." Shelly thought about it and said, "So he is neutral, the Tiger king won't side with us and the Leopard king is neutral for now." She thought about it. Winston said, "The Ape king would need 2 kings on his side to kill me. We should be fine for now." Shelly nodded and said, "We should leave the City of Beasts after the cold and rainy season. We can go to a village towards the sea." They all nodded, and Winston said, "There is a tiger village near the sea. It would be safe for you." Shelly smiled and nodded, "For now, we will just be careful and not travel alone." They all nodded in agreement.