Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 157: Plants are foodies too

While Roc was worried about whether the tribe leaders would allow them to go back to the Ram tribe. The Boar tribe was encountering a hellish situation.

It began a few days after leaving the caldera. The boars were boisterous as always. Having been kicked out, they were disgruntled. However, in their mind, the Warm Pack was nothing to be intimidated about.

They planned to return to the Boar tribe and have their leader launch an attack to get the information they wanted. If necessary, they would team up with the Stonefang Pack to wipe them out and search the caldera. So, after a day of travel, their sour mood had become a joyous one.

The days that followed saw them hunting, eating, and sleeping. Until the day the hunt was not an animal but them.

There is a place on the continent that animals only venture to if they are doomed to die. A place where the most harmless plant could kill you most agonizingly. This place has always had its border, making it easy to avoid. However, a certain person has loosened that border. Now, the occasional plant can slip past unnoticed.

The said unnoticed plant is currently in the temporary camp that the boar beastmen have set up. It sways with the winds just like any other plant. Its razor-sharp leaves have been hidden, and its harmless camouflage is intact. To the untrained eye, it looked like a skyberry bush.

This plant, however, would not give delicious berries. Instead, it would give a deliciously slow and painful death.

As its root stretches under the earth, the boar beastmen are roasting a piece of meat. The root swerved around the camp. Testing and tasting. The first beastman to be pricked assumed he had been pricked by a thorn. The second was the same.

A third and a fourth were pricked. None of them paid attention to the feeling. The poor little plant could not find the delicacy it so craved. Seeing there was nothing it liked. The little plant called a few friends.

With a quick rustle of its leaves, a few more plants arrived.

"Disgusting, rogues!" Alin sneered in disgust. "When we conquer their pack, I’ll fuck that stupid priestess and make them watch."

The boisterous laughter at the statement showed none of them thought what Alin said was wrong.

"When you’re done, send her to me," another shouted.

Another cacophony of laughter.

"You can have any one of them. Why do you want the priestess?" one man asked.

"Why not?" Alin retorted. "Did you see the way she looked at us? Like we were shit under her foot. If I want to have some fun, she should be grateful."

"Exactly! Small tribes like them are all..." The sentence did not end before a scream tore through his throat.

And before their very eyes, the beastman who was talking a moment ago was sucked dry. The once full cheeks were sunken and hollowed out. The skin stretched taut over the skull. The sharp contours of his bones were visible. The eyes, once bright, were now dull.

The massive frame had dwindled to nothing more than a skeletal frame, still sitting upright.

The hardened men had a visceral reaction to seeing the man they once considered a brother die in such a way. Their hearts were pounding. Jumping away from his body, the sound of trees rustling did nothing to dampen the sound of fleeing.

"With me!" shouted Alin.

No need to check on his companion. It was clear that he was dead. No one would be able to live after being drained of blood.

The moment the boars began moving, so did the plants. Chasing the beastmen, they weaved and dodged. The beastmen tried to attack, but it was futile. No matter what they threw at the plants, their razor-sharp leaves, root tendrils, and vines would block it.

What the beastmen had not realized yet was that they were being herded.

Attacking from one side or the other, the plants drove the beastmen exactly where they wanted them to go. The beastmen had not even noticed that they stepped into a forbidden zone.

The plants did not follow. There was no food in the bunch they were interested in. So, they went in search of something more tasty.

Alin called a halt to the group after noticing the plants were no longer chasing them. Giving them time to rest, he lay down as well. He closed his eyes and waited to restore his strength.

Before long, he was able to calm himself. His breathing became even.

"What the hell was that?" one of the boar beastmen asked.

Alin’s lips were pursed. He knew of only one place where plants would act that way. The Verdant Maw. He found a problem with this because the Verdant Maw had never gone beyond its borders.

They were not near the border. And even if they were. The plants don’t or cannot cross. So how did they end up in a situation like that?

Alin stopped to think. He closed his eyes briefly. He needed a clear mind, and his was still in chaos. As he thought, he heard a huffing sound. It was similar to the sound of heavy breathing. The sound echoed in his mind.

"Which one of you is breathing so heavy? Shut up! I think when we get back, you need to do some more hunting." Alin said angrily.

"It wasn’t us," someone closeby replied.

"What do you mean it wasn’t you. I can still hear it." Alin opened his eyes and stood up. The breathing sound was very distinct. And it was close. There was no way he could miss it.

He scanned the group. His eyes dismissed the possibilities one by one. Until the last person, he could not figure out where the breathing was coming from. Spinning in place, he tried to pinpoint it with his ears.

He came to a horrible realization. The breathing was coming from everywhere.

"Run!" Alin shouted.

Before they could move, leaves blocked their path.