"Hey! What kind of witch doctor are you? Keep your paws to yourself!"
Caspian roared out as he stepped backward trying to create some distance between them. However, Iris wasn't as bothered by Basil's advances. As this was only the second young and unmated beastman she had met, Iris had yet to feel weary of such advances.
In the modern world, Iris was certainly seen as quite beautiful but not so much so as to feel confident flirting with men as attractive as those found in this beast world. She was used to occasionally being flirted with at a bar or by the guys on campus, but she wasn't exactly the belle of the ball. Thus, she was entirely too vulnerable to the charms of this young and handsome witch doctor.
"No, it's alright Caspian. Let me go, we are inside now, surely it is okay to stand on my own two feet here."
As females always got the last day short of endangering themselves, Caspian could only comply. As he let Iris go his fingers lingered, gently caressing her fingertips. Sadly, Caspian could only glare at Basil, silently warning him to keep away.
Iris, happy to be freed, casually stepped forward, taking in the contents of Basil's property as she finally answered his question.
"I'm Iris Hart, it's lovely to meet you, Basil. I was wondering if you could sell us some herbs, if you have any to spare?"
The corner of Basil's lips perked up as he saw the beautiful female before him behaving in a warm and friendly manner, despite her male's clear displeasure.
"What kind of herbs are you looking for exactly? As a witch doctor, I've always got a good stock on hand and I'm always willing to help a pretty female such as yourself."
Iris blushed at the compliment as she tried to organize her thoughts enough to stumble through an explanation.
"Er... Well... I need edible herbs if you have any."
Basil smiled, highly amused by how easily swayed the female in front of him was by his words. While he didn't usually like other females much and certainly not enough to flirt with them, they certainly wouldn't be as affected by his words this much.
Most females were proud and used to hearing sweet words from the many males around them, especially a prized female like this one. Iris's beauty far surpassed even the most beautiful females of other tribes.
Basil went through his herbs carefully selecting any that he might give to patients orally. He was unsure what Iris might want such herbs for but figured it wasn't uncommon for such herbs to be requested. Basil occasionally would get requests from males who did not live with a tribe for herbs good for colds before the cold season. After all, the cold was especially hard on females and the snow would prevent the males from easily traveling to obtain medical treatment.
Setting down an animal hide blanket, Basil placed herbs good for fevers, colds, coughs, sleep, and similar ailments down. As usually the males would treat the females, Basil expected Caspian to look them over and decide what they should purchase. Thus, when he saw Iris's small figure sit on the floor as she began to move the herbs around, he was surprised.
She seemed to be carefully studying the herbs as she sorted them into two different piles. She would occasionally sniff the herbs, as if checking for freshness before placing them in the pile closest to her or discarding them to the other pile.
Feeling curious as to what Iris was thinking, Basil sat on the floor beside her as he questioned
"Is there something in particular you need these for? If I know what you are looking for, I might be able to better help you find suitable herbs."
As Iris looked up at Basil, she found he was somewhat close to her. He had a friendly smile on his face that made him look gentle and trustworthy. However, before she could answer, Caspian butted in.
"She likes to eat them with her food. She makes the small purple flowers into a hot drink to help her relax. The yellow root and that red one she uses on meat to flavor it. She already bought many of these herbs from our witch doctor and regularly eats them. It doesn't look like you have much different from what we already have at home."
Caspian was now also sitting on the floor, and he was pointing to various herbs as he spoke. While he'd prefer to create more distance between the two, Caspian felt it was more important to obtain the herbs his mate wanted. There was no way he was going to allow his jealousy and possessiveness to overshadow his need to provide the food that his mate enjoyed.
Basil merely smiled, amused by Caspian's overprotective behavior. As a witch doctor he often had to deal with overly emotional, angry, and possessive males who were worried about their mates. As such, he would not be easily swayed by such things. Instead, he was rather intrigued by this small female's use of such herbs.
"What purpose is there in using the herbs with your food? Is it perhaps to make it easier to take the herbs? I know many of the females have complained about drinking bitter medicines."
Iris could feel Basil's green eyes sweep across her face, eagerly awaiting her answer. She felt as her face began to warm once again as the attention fell once again on her.
"Well, I'm not really eating the herbs for their medicinal properties as much as for their flavor. I like to use them to season meat alongside salt and then cook it using fire. It makes the meat easier to digest and kills anything harmful that might be in the meat."
Basil had a thoughtful look on his face as he looked down at the herbs she had chosen. He reached down and picked up a red chili pepper, slowly sticking it into his mouth before chewing thoughtfully.
Iris was shocked by this and didn't know if she should laugh or be concerned for the poor fellow.
As Basil's face began to turn red, he began to cough. Iris began to feel pity for the poor beast as she rushed forward to comfort him. She turned to Caspian and gestured for him to do something to help. Caspian just scoffed before walking away to get some water. He didn't want to help Basil, but he didn't want to be looked down upon either.
After calming down, Basil still remained quite red in the face. He hadn't expected the red pepper to be so spicy, but he had been curious as to what the herbs tasted like.
"Hmm, that one was spicy."
Iris felt incredulous at this simple yet true statement.
"Uh yeah! Of course, it's spicy, it's a chili pepper! Why did you eat it whole like that?"
Basil made an embarrassed face as he averted his eyes.
"I was just curious. I've never attempted to eat these herbs for their taste. My mentor taught me how to recognize herbs and how to use them medicinally. I've never heard of eating them for their taste."
Iris made a gentle expression as she rubbed his back in comfort.
"Ahh, I suppose this is just one of those things you need experience to understand. The chilis are less spicy without their seeds. Fresh herbs, dried herbs, and herbs that have been cooked can all taste different."
Basil nodded in understanding. He would have to spend some time testing such things in the future. Perhaps he could even discover new ways to make the medicine that would make it more effective or, at least, more pleasant to ingest.
"Alright, well, how many of these did you want? I've got more of them in storage. I will need to keep most for my own use, but I always have extra on hand."
Iris turned back to her pile of herbs. There were many of the same herbs she had bought previously with only a few new ones. Oliver only had a limited amount of his herbs but many of the herbs that were only used for tea weren't needed in abundance.
"I'll take a small amount of the chamomile, mint, lavender, and dandelions. I'll take a modest amount of your dandelion roots, red clovers, and rose hips. I'd like as much of the peppercorns, garlic, ginger, mustard, chili peppers, rosemary, thyme, basil, plantain leaves, and these bay leaves."
After getting all of the herbs Iris requested wrapped up in an animal hide bag, Basil went to hand it to Iris. However, as he was doing so, he suddenly thought of something. He ran off and grabbed a small stone box with a lid and brought it over to Iris.
"Here, this is my gift to you. I often use this to sweeten medicine to make it more tolerable."
After paying Basil for the herbs, she quickly stuffed them into her bag. She then carefully opened the stone container in curiosity. Inside she found honey wrapped in water-resistant leaves.
"Oh, wow! It's honey, this is amazing! Thanks so much, Basil, I really appreciate this."
Iris quickly hugged Basil with her free arm before returning to Caspian's side. At this point, Caspian just felt defeated. There was very little point in trying to scare the competition away if his little mate was just going to go out of her way to be affectionate towards him.
Thankfully, they could finally leave. Caspian quickly picked Iris up as he left the witch doctor's residence and he headed for an inn to stay the night. After a brief rest, they would be heading back home, and Caspian could finally put some distance between the two.
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This series is now complete on Patreon!
- 5 PDF copies of completed volumes
- 3 side stories
- End of chapter shout-out
- Exclusive Discord role
A special thanks to the following Patreon subscribers:
Discontinued: Ann, Argon, Austin J., Byloderus, Care, Catherine W., Cheyenne O., Chong Y., Christen F., Cindy S., Clara, CooCoo C., Courtney H., Dagoon320, David Z., Denise G., Doc., Dreamer, Emma B., Fictional F., GeminiDragon, Gracie, InjaP., Izzzy B., Jasmine H., Jenn L., Juha, Kayla N., Kelly, Killer K., Lisa C., Martina I., Merveille L., Michelle S., Michelle W., Miranda M., Myungjun R., Nick T., Nova H., Nyrobi J., Nyxie N., Parul N., Quince, Red, Reyanne B., Rochelle N., Ryanna B., Satya P., Sboss678, ScorpioPerk, Shaunna H., Shawna B., Steven B., Travis S., 7Please respect copyright.PENANA0uW1wVVv7V
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Her Beasts: Alison S., Becca S., Isabel P., Ja’sonsra P., Kaleaha C., Keiber A., Miranda S., Ren, Sha C.,
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