It took them about five minutes to get to the river. The beastman guiding them went ahead to check the water and make sure it was free from any hidden predators.
"Looks good." The beastmen took them. "Just stick to the shallow side because the middle is deep and there's a bit of a current. I'll be nearby collecting some food. Yell if you need anything."
The three beastwomen all nodded their heads in understanding and the tiger beastman headed off to some trees, soon disappearing. Serena wondered what type of food he was collecting.
Probably some plants which would be good. Because despite being a carnivore now, Serena felt constantly eating meat was too much for her stomach.
Perhaps it was because she was used to getting the ultimate amount of nutrients at once. She'd probably need to make her diet more balanced, recalling one of her crew members telling her about ancient food based diseases.
Shaking her head, Serena walked over to the river and set her basket down. She grabbed the rough piece of soap Theo had given her and her stinky furs.
Since it was still around morning, Serena wanted to make the most of the sun and get some washing done. Maybe she could then sleep in peace without having to worry about the grime on the furs.
Trix and Rebecca seemed to have a similar idea although they were only washing their clothes. Hygiene in this world did exist, but not to the level Serena wished it could be.
They all quietly worked on washing their clothes, Trix and Rebecca even jumping in to help Serena. She had to admit that while they weren't really that close, the other females were still quite friendly, trying to pull her into conversations or help her out.
It was quite nice, but Serena still kept her guard up. Because she feared that kindness could one day come back to bite her. So, she maintained a steady distance between them, not wanting them to break her hardened walls.
She had already learnt that lesson.
Once they were done washing everything, they hung them up on nearby tree branches to dry and set about enjoying the cool water. The sun was high in the sky by then and burning down on them, making it refreshing to sit in the river.
Neither one really cared about their nudity or were really worried about a peeping tom. Their guard would keep others away and as a mated beastman would keep a respectful distance away from them.
"These soaps are quite nice." Trix suddenly mused out loud, holding up her bit of soap. "They smell so nice, making me wish they sold them in our tribe."
"You know they wouldn't do that." Rebecca giggled. "Soap is hard to make and the recipes are all secret. Even big tribes struggle to get a good supply of them. How would a tiny tribe like ours get them?"
"I suppose that's true." Trix murmured as she went back to scrubbing her body with the soap. "Guess that's the one good thing about moving to the city. We'll get lots of good stuff there."
Serena caught a hint of sadness in her tone for a second, making her wonder if she had imagined it. Then again, their move to the city was a complicated one.
They weren't moving to the city of their own free will like Serena was, but rather because their tribe had sold them off for salt. Serena could only imagine the conflicting feelings they had about it.
After all, they were practically being abandoned by their tribe.
"That's only if you have good mates." Rebecca sighed, moving her hands through her hair to wash it. "I heard the city females normally take the good ones, leaving weaker males for outsiders. And if you don't have a strong or skilled mate, it's hard to get crystals."
Right, there was that whole conflict between the city females and the female lead in the story. Serena thought to herself as she rinsed her body. At first I just thought it was because they were attacking the female lead.
But it seemed she was wrong. It was a wider problem, making her think it was some kind of class thing going on. City females saw themselves as nobles while everyone else were commoners basically.
It could explain the annoyance some of them had within the story then. Seemed it was best that she stayed away from city females at all costs to avoid unnecessary drama.
"What about you, Serena?" Trix suddenly asked, making Serena realize she had gotten lost in her own thoughts and missed a question.
Thankfully, Rebecca saved her from asking by adding, "Come on, tell us! Do any of the male beastmen interest you?"
"Like that tiger beastman you're always around." Trix said. "The tall, young one. You always seem to be chatting about something off to the side."
Serena's lip twitched as she thought, Well that's only because Theo and I are planning the whole fake mate thing. We plan to make it official after I get the Beast Vow done.
"I guess we're pretty close…" Serena shrugged, wanting to be vague about it. "Are there any you like?"
"Well since Rebecca has her eye on that hawk beastman, I guess I'll say I do also like that one wolf beastman." Trix stated. "He seems a little younger than me which I normally don't like, but I'll admit that wanting to please side of his makes me want to protect him. Plus I heard wolves are very loyal to their partner."
"Must be because of their pack nature." Rebecca mused. "Though it can be dangerous if he becomes possessive. Messes with the family."
"True." Trix nodded in agreement. "I don't like inner fighting among family…"
Serena silently listened to the two chat about family dynamics, adding her second cents whenever asked. Not that she could really say much. But chatting with Trix and Rebecca did end up being useful.
[General Knowledge Increased]
[+1 INT Stat]
The system notification appeared while they were sitting on the river bank after getting out of the water when it got too cold. Serena did wonder how that stat would affect her, but for now her focus was on the present.