"Ally seemed all right two days ago. What made it so irritable now? Could it be sick?"
Hannah asked, looking perplexed. Ally had been with her since it was a cub, and it had always been obedient and even-tempered. In fact, it had rarely shown such mercurial temperament before.
"We have no idea what is happening. Several beast curers have come to check on it, but none of them could find anything wrong!" the man in charge of the beast farm immediately answered.
He looked harried and frightened, possibly because Hannah could easily blame him and punish him.
But Hannah didn't get angry at him. Instead, she turned to look at Rocky hopefully, knowing that he was also very proficient in beast curing.
"Basil, do you know what's wrong with Ally?"
Rocky was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. Then he said, "I think it might be in heat, so it must be longing for a mate."
"In heat? What does that mean?" Hannah looked stunned for a moment, as she had not expected that answer.
"It is autumn right now, and spiritual beasts typically reproduce during this season. It is highly likely that Ally has reached maturity, so all its instincts are driving it to reproduce. Therefore, it is in a hurry to find another beast to mate.
This is a normal process that all beasts go through, so you don't have to worry. It's not a big deal!" explained Rocky succinctly.
"Oh, is that so?
I guess I have to find a suitable spiritual beast to mate with Ally right away."
Hearing Rocky's explanation brought instant release to the anxiety in Hannah's mind, and she let out a deep sigh. She had been incredibly concerned at first, but it seemed that Ally's problem could be easily dealt with, which was a great relief.
"I'm afraid that's not a good idea. Spiritual beasts like Ally won't be willing to mate with spiritual beasts arranged for them. The best thing that you can do is to let it select the mate it wants,"
Rocky reminded her gently but firmly.
"Oh, no, I can't do that. Ally is incredibly talented, so its genes must be exemplary. It will be a great loss if it finds an inferior spiritual beast to mate with!" Hannah cared deeply about Ally and thought of it as a family member, so she didn't want anything bad to happen to it at all.
"I think you are misinformed. A beast's mother is the main source and therefore has the biggest impact on the descendant's characteristics. That is why even if Ally finds a low-grade spiritual beast, it won't cause too much impact,"
Rocky reassured Hannah.
"No. I can't let it find a mate by itself,"
Hannah insisted, shaking her head vigorously. It seemed that she was resolved not to let Ally have a choice.
"So, are you going to find one for it even if it doesn't like your choice?" Rocky looked sideways at Hannah as he spoke as if he was judging her in the privacy of his mind.
"I can get multiple beasts that it can choose from.
I'm sure if I get a lot, there will be one among them that can satisfy it, right?" replied Hannah.
"Well, I can't force you if that's what you want to do. But you have to be mentally prepared for what will happen."
Rocky seemed to have given up, as he just shook his head at Hannah's pigheadedness.
"Has anybody told you that you talk a lot?" said Hannah suddenly.
She had a teasing smile on her face despite the harsh words because she knew that Rocky was just doing that for her own good.
"I'm just trying to help. Anyway, as long as you remember what I said, everything will be fine,"
Rocky muttered sternly and turned around to leave, but Hannah's abrupt cry stopped him.
"Wait!" she shouted as if she had suddenly thought of something.
"Do you need anything else, Miss Hannah?" asked Rocky.
He raised one eyebrow critically as he turned back around to meet her searching eyes.
"I heard that you helped Tessa a lot. She said you were instrumental in her successful fusion with the martial spirit," she answered. Her beautiful eyes were narrowed in thought, but Rocky only shook his head modestly.
"It's not a big deal," he said as he waved his hands in a dismissive gesture.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Medallion