Clenching his hands tightly and then letting them go, Elian was determined to stay today until the fire died out.
"You guys... tell me, what should I wear to look good..."
After saying that, he deflated again. He was not inherently beautiful, so no matter how he dressed, he couldn't look pretty.
"Elian, actually you are also very beautiful, don't be so insecure!" Cael disagreed, and Kaelen also nodded in confirmation.
Elian was indeed not ugly; his face was oval, with pitch-black almond eyes, a high, straight nose bridge, and petal-like lips. When he smiled, he looked incredibly gentle and warm. It was just that he usually kept his head down, and his messy black hair covered a third of his face, so that beauty was overshadowed.
[Cael, go into my bedroom and bring me the wooden box in the far right corner on the second tier.]
Having been an Omega in his previous life after all, a love for beauty was natural to have. Although he didn't like flashy makeup like other Omegas, he still knew how to beautify himself, especially in terms of skin and hair care, as well as fashion. In this life, despite the lacking conditions, Kaelen was completely confident he could turn his friends into the most beautiful sub-beasts in the tribe.
"Kaelen, what is this?"
Cael looked curiously at the wooden comb in Kaelen's hand, while Elian held a bunch of strings from inside the box, completely unaware of their purpose.
"Oh? This stone is so pretty. Is this a necklace?" Elian held a long, flat animal-skin cord, as small as a pinky finger, with a sparkling light purple stone threaded through the middle.
Kaelen put his finger to his lips and made a "shh" sound, meaning that they would know soon enough.
He held the comb and carefully brushed Elian's hair. Because the two friends hung out with him, they had picked up Kaelen's cleanly habits, frequently washing their bodies and washing their hair with bubble grass boiled with fragrant herbs. Kaelen liked the ugly-looking Fiend grass that smelled like golden oranges, Cael liked the gorgeous Hydra flower with its very sweet scent, and Elian liked the Leshy grass that smelled like berries under the golden sun.
Elian's hair was very smooth; with just a few strokes, his messy, lion-mane-like hair fell neatly into place. Elian's face was oval-shaped, so Kaelen chose a fishtail braid hairstyle for him.
Dragging himself to sit on the table for height, Kaelen began to create a voluminous layer on the front bangs, then started dividing the hair into small sections, braiding down from the top of the head. When there was a little over a handspan of hair left, he threaded the long animal-skin cord into the final braid, then wove it with the hair two more times to secure the cord within, wrapped the cord around the hair for about seven centimeters, and finally tied a butterfly knot.
Next, he slightly pulled the braided strands to fluff them up a bit, took a little of the sideburns on both sides and a bit of hair on the forehead, and lightly twisted them with his fingers to create a natural curl. With just a change in hairstyle, Elian's entire person had completely transformed.
"WOW!" Cael's mouth couldn't close, his eyes staring at Elian full of infatuation, and then he vigorously rubbed his own face: "I take back my words that Theron is a foolish leopard; Theron is a leopard who is both foolish and blind. What the heck is Rylan? Rylan isn't even worth one of Elian's toenails!"
Elian's cheeks flushed slightly red, and he raised a hand to lightly touch his face. He couldn't see himself; was it really as Cael said? It was probably just because Cael was his friend, so Cael was only encouraging him like that.
Kaelen admired his handiwork, took out a flat animal-skin cord adorned with a light blue stone from the box, and measured it against the middle of Elian's forehead. He signaled for Cael to help hold the two sides of the cord at the forehead, then carefully threaded the leather cord through the braided strands below the temples, gradually pulled it up near the top of the head, and tied a butterfly bow at the back of the head.
When Cael let go, the weight of the stone slightly pulled the cord down, and the light blue stone perfectly concealed the vermilion fertility mole in the middle of Elian's forehead. Cael's eyes were about to turn into heart shapes.
Kaelen signaled for Elian to turn around so he could take a look. He inspected from left to right, adjusted a few unsymmetrical spots, and looked at his handiwork with satisfaction. If a little lipstick were added, Elian would be no less beautiful than the most beautiful Omegas in his world from his previous life.
He gave a double thumbs-up, expressing absolute admiration. Elian shyly lowered his head. Kaelen then shifted his gaze to Cael, smiling until his eyes narrowed. Cael jumped, pointed at himself, and said: "M-me too, I have to do it too?"
Kaelen smiled faintly, allowing no refusal, and pressed Cael down to sit in Elian's place.
Cael had a round but petite face, with dove-like eyes and cherry lips. Kaelen thought for a moment and decided to give Cael a double fishtail braid hairstyle. He divided the hair into two halves, gently and loosely braiding from the ears down to the chest, then left a section of the tail ends and tied them off. Kaelen deliberately pulled out a few wispy sideburns to frame Cael's cheeks to soften the angles. The two loose braids draped over his chest not only accentuated his small chin and puckered lips, but also made Cael look obedient and as soft as a little dough ball.
Choosing a forehead band with a light purple quartz stone for Cael, once the styling was done, both Kaelen and Elian felt their hearts melt, wishing they could pin their friend down and take a few bites out of those chubby cheeks.
---
The sky grew darker and darker, while the center of the tribe was a scene of joy. Bonfires crackled, illuminating the whole tribe as brightly as day; the sounds of cheering, dancing, singing, and crisp laughter startled even the baby birds in the forest.
Cael and Elian nervously held hands as they walked toward the center of the tribe, their shoes rubbing against the ground, creating a rustling sound. Elian felt like his legs were no longer his own. He pressed closely against Cael:
"What do we do now, Cael? I'm trembling so much..."
Cael replied with a voice that was equally trembling:
"Why be nervous? You are so beautiful today, even if Kaelen's guess is wrong, there are still many other beastmen. Just consider it that Silas guy lacking the fortune to enjoy."
The two sub-beasts, hand in hand, cautiously entered the central area. The firelight shone upon them, glowing as brightly as the radiance of gods. For a moment, the atmosphere seemed to fall silent for a few seconds, and then it erupted.
"Oh, who is that? Are there such beautiful sub-beasts in the tribe?"
"Are they sub-beasts of the Leopard tribe? Yohu, since when did your Leopard tribe have such beautiful sub-beasts?"
Yohu, having been called out, shook his head in bewilderment. He knew all the sub-beasts in his tribe, but there was no one like that. However, this didn't affect his eagerness to show off:
"Who cares whose sub-beasts they are! Tell me, if I run home right now to spruce myself up, will there still be time?"
The group of young beastmen looked at each other nervously. Aside from those who came with the intention of finding a mate at the gathering, the rest were as sloppy and unkempt as if they had just fought three hundred rounds with a magic beast. The whole group regretted it so much their guts turned green.
The group of beastmen who were surrounding Rylan and his friend to offer meat also paused slightly, subconsciously staring at the two newcomers in a daze. Seeing their own spotlight stolen by two unfamiliar sub-beasts, the most sought-after group of sub-beasts in the tribe became so furious their mouths twisted.
However, just as the group of males tidied themselves up, preparing to walk over to the two sub-beasts, one of the two turned in a different direction.
Cael saw Zale from afar and skipped over happily, flashing a smile that could melt both adults and children alike.
Zale was a bit stunned, then looked to his left and right; he was the only one standing in this spot. He had chosen a discreet place for himself, waiting for his future mate to arrive. When the two sub-beasts appeared, a look of astonishment and a bit of admiration appeared in Zale's eyes, but it was nothing more than that. Now that one of the two beautiful sub-beasts was walking toward him, Zale flusteredly stepped back a few paces.
Before the sub-beast could rush over, Zale said loudly: "I already have a mate!"
Surrounding them were gasps of jealousy mixed with hatred.
Dammit, why was that black panther so lucky? And to top it off, he didn't even know how to cherish it!
Everyone knew that the mate Zale spoke of was Cael from Theron's family, the leftover sub-beast that nobody in the tribe wanted!
If you don't want him, us brothers do!