[CHAPTER 9.1: THE TIGER]
"Are you feeling better, my lady?"
Bella woke up to find Suria and Talia standing by her bed. Her memory from last night was blurry, but she knows that she had gone to the palace top garden and remembered Sora was there as well.
"General Sora had carried you down because you fainted." Suria explained.
"I see."
"Would you like me to bring you water to wash your face now, my lady?"
"Okay. Thanks."
After she was done, she wanted to get up from the bed but Suria told her she should rest, so she stayed in bed. Besides, her body felt weak and she had no energy to move around either. Might as well sleep in a little longer.
*****
Leopard Fortress
A thousand of slaves have already started their works on digging sites and carrying woods and stones outside the temporary tent at the fox mountain, that was now called the Leopard Fortress.
Gaharu scanned the area before going back into the temporary tent. He had brought along Sepatu and had discussed his idea of how the fortress should be built. Bella's painting of her apartment building had given Gaharu a great idea but he was not completely sure if it would work.
Sepatu also brought along Igu, another beastman from his clan, who Sepatu thinks was a beastman with wild imaginations and has very different kind of thinking.
"A fortress is a place of defense and it should be very stable and strong. We cannot use woods as woods can be burnt down easily." Gaharu said.
In his last conversation with Bella, Gaharu remembered that Bella had told him about heating a type of rock and clay then pulverize the concoction into a fine powder. The mixture hardens when water is added. That was how the fine structure was made in her world. He discussed the idea with Sepatu and Igu, telling them to experiment on his idea. He wasn't sure of what type of rock they should use, so he needed them to search for it. Gaharu had heard that Igu was a beastman with a wide range of knowledge, he should be very useful in tasks like this. 
"Lord Gaharu is indeed extraordinary to think of such a method!"
"It is useless if it cannot be accomplished."
"My lord, there is a possibility. Just give me some time to do some research and experiment."
Gaharu's lips twisted a smirk. He will first build a great fortress using the idea Bella had given him. If it's successful, he will then build a new Tiger Palace with a stronger defense. 
*****
"Lord Borius." Garuda kneeled down when the chief leader of the Zov clan approached him.
"I have failed you, my lord."
"You did not, Garuda. I am so glad you are still alive." Borius tapped on Garuda's shoulders and pulled him to stand up.
"That tiger is not at all an easy opponent. Gaharu had been wounded before by Tayen. Surprisingly, he recovered quickly and went back to the battlefield soon after his recovery." The wolf beastman uttered again. He then turned to Raneki who was also there with his soldiers.
"A  thought had crossed my mind... What is it that the Moro tribe has that we do not?"
"Moro specializes in poisons. They are as treacherous as their chief leader." Raneki replied.
"True. Gaharu was wounded and poisoned by them before. Although it cannot guarantee victory, poison can weaken him. Then all we need to do is seize the opportunity."
Raneki nodded in agreement. He then gestured to Borius and his soldiers to sit down on the stone stools in the meeting hall. The Ang and the Zov tribes had joined hands in defending their tribes' territories from the Ra. They were not conquerors like Gaharu and Tayen. They simply provided protections for other small clans from being completely destroyed by those two evil beasts. 
The bear clan had the most territory since the bear clan itself was a very big clan. They were also larger in sizes compared to other beastmen. Until now, Gaharu had never once tried to conquer any bear clan's territory. Although Raneki was glad that he didn't, Raneki knew that Gaharu would sooner or later seize an opportunity to do so. Several small clans like the hare and sheep clans seek protection from the bear clan, therefore the Ang tribe was formed. The same goes to Borius, who protected the hawk and raven clans and formed the Zov tribe.
Gaharu seemed to be overwhelmed by his desire to conquer and become the ruler of all. He has to be stopped. Or else more clans would be destroyed by him.
*****
When Gaharu started talking about mixing ground clay with water, forming the clay into the desired shape, then drying and firing to make better shaped stones, Igu's eyes immediately sparkled in amusement.
"Like I had stated, I may need some time to work on that, my lord. But rest assured, I will not disappoint you." Igu said with confidence.
"Good."
Gaharu wanted to rebuild the Tiger Palace after the fortress was built. He had told them the idea he had in mind, so it was up to them to make his ideas into reality.
After four nights at the construction site, Gaharu then decided that he should return to the Tiger Palace. As he was getting on his chariot, his nose caught a whiff of fragrance coming from one direction. He lifted his face and sniffed the air.
This is something that Bella might like, he thought to himself. 
*****
"Should we stop and take a rest, my lady?" Satria asked when he noticed Suria and Talia had come, bringing one tray of beverages and one tray of clean cloth.
They were outside the palace at the training field where palace guards do their sword and archery practice every dawn. Bella had requested Satria to train her how to use a sword, or at least be able to protect herself. But the sword she was holding was too big and heavy for her, she couldn't even lift it higher than her knee height.
"Perhaps, you should try a different weapon, my lady," Satria recommended, "A dagger might be easier for you to use. Um, do you still have the dagger that I gave you?"
"Yeah, but let me take a break first." Bella placed the sword she had in hand down on the ground, panting. Her arms felt sore after holding the heavy sword since morning. Suria walked over and handed Bella a clean cloth to wipe her sweat while Talia poured a beverage for Bella to replenish.
"Have a drink, Sir Satria." Talia poured another goblet for Satria and offered it to him.
"Thank you." Satria took the goblet and smiled hesitantly.
"Teach me archery after this," Bella uttered after finishing her beverage, "I'd like to learn more."
"Take it easy, my lady. Even the Great Temple was not built in one day." Satria responded with a smile at Bella's request.
"Besides, you had just recovered from your illness, you should not push yourself too hard." He said again.
"There's nothing else to do here." Bella murmured. She let out a soft sigh. She was bored, Gaharu was always away, Abnaki had already moved to the Great Temple, and she hadn't seen Sora since that night she had a fever. There's not much for her to do there in the palace.
"Why not go sightseeing down the mountain later, my lady? I am sure the tribe members would like to meet with you."
"Sure, why not."
*****
Satria had prepared a wagon for Bella to go down the mountain. At first, he had suggested that he would transform and let Bella ride on his back, but Bella felt uncomfortable with the idea and rejected it.
When they reached one huge village area in a forest down the mountain, the beastmen there started to surround them.
"Welcome, my lady! Sir Satria!" The head of the village came forward to welcome them. 
The beastmen started to form a crowd and bowed their heads, welcoming Bella's presence excitedly. They were all tigers, males and females, old and young. They were all wearing dirty shabby clothes, looking like peasants. Compared to those she had seen in the palace, these beastmen looked weak and harmless. 
Satria offered his hand to Bella but she shook her head with a smile, refusing. Bella's eyes scanned around as she got down the wagon slowly. There were straw huts everywhere and there was a heavy smell of burning wood lingering in the air. She could see smoke in the background and thought, maybe this is how a primitive village smelled like.
"What brings you here, my lady?" The head of the village asked with his head lowered down.
"Lady Bella decided to distribute more meat to your village," Satria answered on her behalf, "be grateful for her kindness."
Bella's face twitched when she heard Satria's reply. Does he have to say it that way? It wasn't her idea to give the meat, but Satria's.
Bella had spent half the day there at the tiger village, learning how they live their everyday lives. They were the ones making wooden furniture like stools, tables, and racks for the palace and were rewarded with food supply as payment.
"So who made the fine fabrics?" Bella asked.
"The antelope clan, they are mostly innovators of Ra tribe, they always have new ideas of things." Satria explained. He also mentioned that the ox clan was good at making accessories. Accessories were made from horns or claws of dead beastmen. Ew... Bella thought of the tiger claw she was wearing. So... This claw was from a dead tiger too?
"I see."
Satria also told her that all tribe members have their own roles to fulfill, strong beastmen trained as soldiers, some unfortunate beastmen were forced to become servants and slaves because they have no useful skills or were too weak to handle tasks.
Bella thought long and hard. Strange though, that these beastmen were still living lives in a primitive way even though they already have knowledge on a lot of things.
When they got back to the palace before sunset, Sora was outside the palace as though just got back from somewhere. Several soldiers were following him as he paced his way into the palace entrance. When he noticed the wagon arriving, he stopped and turned to look.
"Lady Bella." He lowered his head slightly when he saw Bella getting down from the wagon.
"Haven't seen you around. Were you busy?"
Bella approached him as she talked. However, Sora took a step back away from her. Bella froze in her step when she noticed his strange behavior.
"Quite. Where did you go today?" He asked in his usual friendly manner, but the smile on his handsome face seemed rather odd, it wasn't his usual sunshine smile. There was a hint of awkwardness in his glance.
"One of the villages down the mountain."
"I see. I should be going. Permission to leave, my lady." Sora bowed briefly before making his leave. His subordinates followed behind him. 
Bella felt strange. Sora was being unusually cold to her. Was he in a bad mood?
*****
"You barely eaten anything, my lady. If this goes on, you might fall ill again." Suria said concernedly. It's been so many days Bella hadn't eaten any meat. She only ate the cooked plants and didn't touch the meat on her plate at all. She's been busy training sword and archery with Satria for the past few days and Suria worried that she might fall sick again if this continues. 
"I'll eat. I just haven't got the courage to eat them."
Suria and Talia gave each other a questioning gaze after hearing Bella's reply. They didn't understand what that means.
Bella thought about the apes that were hunted and killed before her own eyes. She understood that the manoks were the beastmen's food source, yet after witnessing the whole thing, she had trouble putting the manok meat into her mouth. It's probably temporary, she would be able to accept it soon. But for now, she didn't feel like eating meat. 
"I'd like to go to the river later. Talia, summon Satria for me."
*****
"Are you sure there isn't any animals other than the manoks? What about fish?" Bella asked when they reached the riverside.
"Fish...?" Satria asked back in confusion. What on land is that?
"A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water? Don't tell me fish don't exist here."
Satria scratched his scalp, shaking his head.
"Do you mean the mermen?"
Mermen? Fairy tale creatures like mer people exists here? Then what about unicorns? Hah! Come to think of it, I've never seen a horse beastmen here. Wait, what if centaurs exist here? 
"Mermen?"
"They are beastmen that live under water. But they became extinct decades ago because of the drought."
"Okay, so what did the mermen eat to survive? Waterweeds? Or was there a smaller species in the water that they hunt as food?"
Satria thought hard and long on Bella's question. It was hard to follow, but he was getting it. Luckily he was quite a brilliant cub that had read some scrolls and had quite a few knowledge on past events.
"There... There is another kind of animal other than the manoks. But we beastmen cannot even catch it, let alone eat it." Satria answered after thinking for a while.
"What? Why?"
"It is the karoks. They live under water and we beastmen cannot go into the water, how can we even hunt them? Besides, I heard they are hard to kill."
Right, Sora had once told her that no one here knows how to swim. They didn't even know what 'swim' was. For more than a century, the beastmen had decided that water areas are dangerous areas and would avoid going to deep water places.
"Where are their habitats? I mean, where are the karoks commonly found before?"
"If you go up," Satria pointed at the water, "You will reach where the river is bending, waters are a lot deeper and the currents are merging, you might find the karoks there."
Bella nodded and began walking up into the forest, following the river path. 
"But why are you so keen on finding karoks, my lady? They might have extinct for a long time." Satria questioned as he walked beside Bella.
Bella stared at the shallow river. Its water was so clear you could see the glistening sands, stones, and the weeds in it.
"I just thought we could have a different choice of food."
"But why, my lady? Manoks are enough to subdue the hunger, why would we want something else?"
"Maybe it's because I'm a human. I have greed and desire that is not easy to please." Bella murmured silently to herself. Was it really because she's having trouble swallowing ape meat? Or was it she has gotten bored of it and wanting to taste a different meat?
Yes, I want to have variety choices of food like before, in my world. At least for now, I don't want to put the ape's meat in my mouth. 
After walking up the river path for more than an hour, they met a bending river path. There were big rocks and overhanging trees by the undercut bank and the current there was slower. The water seemed deep too.
"That is the place, my lady. But I am not sure if there are still any karoks lives in there. I haven't seen one before but I read that they are hard to kill and can be quite dangerous."
"Do they attack?"
"I... I am not sure, I have never seen one before and I do not know how they look like. I have only heard stories from the elders when I was a cub and read some scrolls."
"Alright. I might die trying. Hahaha..." Bella chuckled as she pulled out a long vine from a tree.
"What are you trying to do, my lady?" Satria nervously asked when Bella started to tie the vine around her waist, and handed the other end to Satria.
"Pull me up immediately if you feel the vine being tug harshly." Bella said before doing some warm-ups.
"Are you planning to go into the water? No, my lady! It is very dangerous! We do not know what is under there and I certainly cannot let you risk yourself!"
"I'm a good swimmer. A good swimmer don't die easily." She sarcastically said.
"What? No! My lady, if anything happens... Wait! Lady Bella!"
Bella didn't wait for Satria to finish his nagging, she drew in a long deep breath and jumped into the water, swimming further down. The water was clear enough for her to see in it, but the vision in the water was still a little blurry. The water was not as deep as she thought it was and she almost reached the murky depth. 
At first, there was nothing there that she could see except for weeds and dead broken tree branches. There were also countless of what seemed like humanlike bones half buried in the floor of the water but Bella shook the thoughts off. She focused on the dark murky area under the bank and waited. Something moved.
Soon, she could see something coming out from the shadow of the bank.
Are those...?
She was right. There were fish in this world. There were countless of them. And they were... Heading her direction?
Shiny silvery colored, quite big in size... Perhaps bigger than her head?
Bella noticed something wasn't right. They were swarming at her at a rapid speed, like a predator that sees its prey.
Bubbles of air burst out of Bella's mouth when she realized the danger she was in.
... Are those... Piranhas?!
She immediately tugged the vine, praying that Satria would drag her out of the water before the piranhas chews the flesh off her bones.