The Evolution Chronicles

Mian and Daniel eventually left the stream after they had stayed there for over an hour. Daniel seemed to be more relaxed and less tense after his swim, but that didn't mean that he had become more approachable. He still remained closed off from all of Mian's attempts to befriend the Beastkin. Any attempt he made was quickly shot down by a snarky remark. The only times they spoke was when Daniel started the conversation himself.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the spring where we get our water." Daniel motioned for Mian to follow him after putting on his clothes, and began leading the way up the hill where the stream flowed from.

Mian hurriedly got up from where he was inspecting a few fishes in the stream and hurried after Daniel. He had been waiting for the chance to inspect the water source, and the time had finally come.

The pair made their way up the hill slowly. Daniel was not in a hurry to take Mian to one of the more sensitive spots of their pack, but he had little choice in the matter since his father ordered it.

Soon, they got to the top of the hill here a pile of boulders were piled on top of each other in the distance. A large waterfall cascaded over the rocks underneath the boulders, falling into a basin of land at the bottom of the terrain before running further down as the stream that Mian and Daniel had left behind.

"Wow..." Mian whispered as he leaned forward to look down over the cliff where he stood. That turned out to be a mistake.

Mian felt someone shove him from behind and he lost his balance, only managing to catch a glimpse of Daniel's emotionless face before completely losing sight of the top of the cliff.

"AHHH!" A scream left Mian's lips as his body was forced to endure the rush of wind that blew past him as he fell. He only managed to cover his head before he collided with the surface of the water and sunk even deeper.

SPLASH!

He vaguely heard another splash ring out not too far from him before he felt something wrap around his waist and start tugging him deeper underwater. A moment of darkness washed over Mian's mind before he suddenly found himself in an empty space that had air.

"Cough-cough!" Mian coughed up mouthfuls of water. He turned around slowly and tried to get up, but froze when the figure of Daniel appeared in his sight.

"Y-you! You tried to kill me!" All forms of sluggishness fled from Mian's body as he leapt back to increase the space between himself and Daniel, only to fall into water once again.

After a few seconds of struggling, Mian finally managed to pull himself back up on the wet rocks where Daniel sat comfortably with crossed legs.

"Are you done?" The young dominant quirked his eyebrow as he tried to suppress a laugh. Mian watched the Beastkin with a complicated gaze as a series of thoughts ran through his mind at an insane pace. He was trying to figure out if Daniel suspected him of something, but he was unable to come to a conclusion.

"So," Daniel began. "I think we have a matter we need to talk about." The former disdain had cleared completely from his expression and was replaced by a stifling seriousness.

"What are you talking about?" Mian tried to act clueless but Daniel promptly cut him off with a harsh glare.

"You are not affected by the drug." Daniel stated plainly, causing waves of shock to erupt within Mian. Mian could barely control his expression, but Daniel still managed to pick up the tiny clues.

"Oh? So you are also aware that there is a drug. Good, we can start from there, but before we start, let me make it clear that I am on your side. I also want to get rid of the drug." Daniel waved his hand and stretched it out to help Mian out of the water. Mian hesitantly took Daniel's outstretched hand and used the help to pull himself out of the water. He immediately collapsed on the wet rocks. He was tired and worried, and being drenched made it even worse.

The duo spent several minutes in silence. The only sound they could hear was the sound of drops of water hitting the rocks in the back of the cave.

"Sorry for being such an annoying brat. I had to make it look like I was annoyed when I was actually happy or they would start to suspect me. It's been a long time since a traveler came by our pack." Daniel eventually spoke first, drawing Mian's attention to him.

Mian sat up and tilted his head as he faced Daniel. His ears laid back against his head as he thought of a proper reply.

"It's good to know that not everyone here is affected. At least there is someone I can work with to handle the drug that's affecting everyone." Mian replied. "How exactly did you even know about the drug? Do you know who is behind this whole scheme?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You have barely been here for a day, but you already know about the drug. For all I know, you could be connected to the people behind this."

Mian simply shrugged at his words and waited for Daniel to continue, which the other boy eventually did after a sigh.

"I developed an immunity to the drug when I was a child. I think it has to do something with my Beastkin nature. I can't be sure since I have never met anyone else like me, but that seems to be the only plausible reason. I am the only Beastkin in the pack, and I am also the only one who has a resistance to the drug. I can also smell the presence of the drug, that is how I was able to tell that you were not affected." Daniel explained before turning to Mian to listen to his own explanation. He was curious as to how Mian was able to resist the effects of the drug.