My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 131

Chapter 131 The Hyenas

Donald’s expression was dark and heavy. “The Hyena tribe has been tracking us.

“From the looks of it, they’ve made up their minds to take the salt.”

Kyle had been watching from a moment ago. “There are a lot of them.”

Yael’s voice came out low and furious. “These absolute bottom–feeders. They’re asking for it.“/

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The Hyena tribe had a reputation throughout the Beastworld that was essentially worthless/built entirely on theft and raids.

Their territory sat squarely across the only route back from the salt trade, and plenty of tribes with less fighting strength had suffered badly because of it.

Some lost half their goods at minimum, and others were stripped of everything they’d brought.

Several weaker tribes had been forced to seek protection from more powerful ones, the White Tiger tribe, the Silver Wolf tribe, the Black Bear tribe, and others of comparable standing.

This time, the Hyena tribe had watched Donald’s group return with far more salt than usual and had decided the numbers were worth gambling on.

As the sun dropped below the line of trees, the temperature fell sharply. The wind outside the cave began to rise, and the chill pushed its way in without invitation.

Every exhaled breath came with a thin wisp of vapor.

Zachary rubbed his hands together, pulled the beast hide tighter around his body, and shifted closer to the fire.

Matthew took out the beast hide covering and laid it over his shoulders. “Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

Zachary caught his hand. “Where are you going?”

“Dealing with them while their numbers are still manageable.” Matthew patted the back of Zachary’s hand in a reassuring gesture. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

He walked toward the cave entrance without waiting for a response.

Donald and Kyle were already ready.

The black panthers burst through the entrance, and almost immediately, the night outside erupted with low rumbles, snarls, and the sounds of impact.

Hyena therians relied on numbers and ambush to overcome the disadvantage in raw strength and size.

Matthew and Donald’s group moved fast and with deliberate purpose, not aiming to kill, but targeting the hyenas‘ abdomens and legs specifically, injuring them enough to force retreat.

A hyena therian with significant leg or body injuries lost most of its aggression, and a broken formation made the rest of the coordinated attack fall apart.

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Chapter 131 The Hyenas

The howling wind carried furious, pained sounds with it, and the dan

The black panthers guarding the entrance held their position while the tre watching eyes, the tension hanging like a blade over still water.

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swallowed the worst of what was

line beyond bristled with

Zachary bit at his knuckles in quiet distress, pressing forward to see through the gap at the entrance, searching for any sign of Matthew and the others.

The darkness outside was absolute, and every sound that carried in landed against his chest/feeding the worry that built steadily with each passing moment.

Jaden and Taylor pressed close on either side of him, their small faces drawn tight and deeply serious.

Rain began falling from the sky, starting as a light, fine mist before driving harder, pushed sideways by the wind and sweeping into the cave entrance.

Zachary draped the beast hide covering over both cubs, then stood and rummaged through their supplies to find the various shell vessels they’d traded for at the merfolk tribe, setting them out near the entrance to collect the rain.

The sounds of fighting grew more distant. The pale green eyes in the surrounding dark withdrew, one by

one.

After an indeterminate stretch of time, Matthew and the others came back into the cave, soaking wet, and the thick, copper–edged scent of blood spread through the space immediately.

The fire lurched and bent in the wind that came in with them, and in the unsteady light, every battered face was visible.

Kyle looked at the gashes on his arm and hissed a sharp breath. “More than we expected.”

They’d gone in assuming twenty or so, and the numbers had kept climbing. It looked as though the entire able–bodied population of the Hyena tribe had decided to show up.

Daniel had come off worst. He couldn’t even sit comfortably. A hyena had gotten its teeth into his right backside before being kicked away before it could bite through, but painful was still painful.

“The cold came on way too fast.” Yael dried himself off quickly and pulled his clothes back on.

Whatever their usual dynamic, Taylor actually cared deeply about Yael. The moment the Alpha walked back in, Taylor ran straight to him and checked him over with exhaustive thoroughness from the top of his head down to his feet.

Only after that did he let out a long, slow breath.

Yael grabbed Taylor and scrubbed his knuckles firmly into the top of his head. “There. Go get the medicine from the pack

Taylor, in an uncharacteristically cooperative moment, didn’t put up any resistance and went to get it

without comment.

Matthew was pulling his clothes back on in the corner when Zachary reached him, and the marks across his

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Chapter 131 The Hyenas

shoulder were immediately visible, deep and raw, the blood mixing with rain and tracing the lines of muscle down his back.

Zachary grabbed Matthew’s hand and stopped him. His brow pulled together. “Don’t put your shirt on yet.”

Jaden moved quickly to retrieve the medicine.

Matthew took Zachary’s cold hand in his. “Come by the fire.”

A therian’s ability to heal was genuinely formidable. As long as the injury avoided vital areas,/bones, or major vessels, surface wounds typically closed with considerable speed.

In the firelight, the claw marks looked harsher and more defined. Zachary sat beside Matthew in silence pressing his lips together as he worked the medicine into each wound.

Pain didn’t diminish simply because the body recovered quickly, but Matthew could tolerate it. His/ expression stayed calm and steady all the way through.

When Zachary finished and stood up, Matthew’s hand closed around his immediately.

“Keep the arm still,” Zachary said.

Matthew eased his grip, but he didn’t let go.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m alright.”

Zachary rested his hand briefly on Matthew’s head. “I’ll put something together. It’s too cold in here.”

Because Zachary had taught the merfolk tribe how to cook, they’d expressed their gratitude by giving him a large turtle shell before the left.

group

It was dark grey and nearly black, and at a casual glance it looked like nothing so much as an oversized cast iron pot from a farmstead.

The merfolk tribe’s chieftain had explained that it came from a deep–sea turtle beast, extraordinarily dense and entirely resistant to fire, and could be used as a cooking vessel without any concern.

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