Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 178: Ania Visits Puula

Taking a few minutes to think and ponder within her daughter’s room, Puula looked about her as if to find inspiration for their next possible chat. But nothing came to mind from the empty, widely undecorated room.

“Excuse me, Mistress.” A fox stopped at the open door, bowing his head to his chief. “Ania of the gorilla clan has come seeking an audience with you.”

Nodding, Puula finally got up and exited the room. “Then I’ll make sure to see her.”

Her usual confidence as the fox clan’s chief was immediately restored. Puula was precise with her every step as she returned to the great lounging area of the main building. Upon stepping inside, she let out a sigh of relief and a small bow. “I wasn’t expecting a visit, but I’m never against meeting up with a friend.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Ania smiled, already comfortable on a cushion. “Some chit-chat would be nice, but can we get work out of the way?”

“You came for work?”

“I was told about a perennial wolf coming to meet you. Mind filling me in on the details?” asked Ania, talking casually without exerting any sort of pressure.

.....

“Oh, that...” Puula chuckled, unsure of what emotion she was supposed to feel after everything that had just happened.

Ania was quick to spot the mixed emotions hidden within Puula’s eyes. “Did something happen?”

“No, nothing too major that it would concern you or the territory.” Puula sat near Ania and sighed. “An arrogant and immature wolf dared share scents with my daughter without so much as asking her name. And that was just before they came here to ask for her hand in marriage.”

“So... he was smitten at first glance?”

“More like perverse at first glance,” corrected Puula. “Those wolves didn’t even realize that the girl they had lustfully flirted with in a marketplace could’ve been the young woman they had traveled to come to see.”

“Oh... Then he–”

“He had the nerve to ask for my daughter while he couldn’t keep his eyes off of a single woman. I felt his gaze on me for the entire first half of our discussion. Only after I embarrassed him did he stop staring at me,” remarked Puula. “And Netra held nothing back from him, as expected.”

“But isn’t that what you would want?” Ania asked. “For Netra to be confident in herself, unlike before?”

Puula sighed, “It’s true that she’s more confident after entering the academy, but she’s still selective about anything she listens to and is too blunt most of the time.”

“Before we continue talking about Netra’s recent growth, would you mind telling me whether the wolves came unannounced or not?”

“No, they came announced. Their envoy arrived three days ago. That was the one thing I told Netra to do regarding the matter,” answered Puula. “Don’t tell me she didn’t bother to even mention it at school?”

Ania shook her head with a playful grin. “I see. So that’s what happened. Don’t worry, I just wanted to make sure, and that sounds exactly like something Netra would do.”

“I’m sorry for the confusion. I should have informed you personally and–”

“Puula, calm down.” Leaning forward, Ania spoke softly, “There wasn’t much concern to begin with, and, seeing that you’ve handled the situation, there’s no need to get too flustered over it. Relax and breathe. Or is it something else that has you stressed out?”

“I guess...” Puula sighed again, scrolling through her memories of their recent conversation. “She’s so... so...”

“She’s very head-strong,” Ania began sharing her thoughts while Puula was hesitant to choose her exact phrasing. “Netra can be very intimidating to others wanting to befriend her, making it hard for most people to interact with her normally. And her aloof personality only adds to that difficulty.”

“And she’s so set in her ways, especially for someone so young,” stated Puula.

“How so?”

“No matter what I try or how logical things seem, Netra never considers acknowledging anything as legitimate. She’s constantly challenging everything I do as a mother...” Pausing for a moment, Puula looked humbly into Ania’s eyes. “I’m... I’m sorry if this is too soon to ask, but how did you handle Oli?”

“That...” Ania swallowed her first response, making sure to think properly and not let her bottled-up emotions leak out so easily. “I don’t know. If I’m being honest, I smother him too much and I come on too strong. But after losing Dioro... I can’t help but do everything I can to keep Oli in my life, even when he avoids me from time to time.”

“But you always seemed so close?”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Puula reasoned, “The few times that I’ve seen you two interacting, the most defiant thing he did was joke around. He never openly defied you or avoided you. He even came to you for cultivation advice...”

“Puula...” Ania held back from asking too much too quickly. “I’m sorry if opening the academy kept her from–”

“That’s not it, Ania... She never came to me about cultivation before either.” Sighing, Pulla brought her tails around and laid her face in them. “Netra has never sought me out for anything. Not about cultivation. Not about her life. Not about her feelings. Not about anything... How can I create a relationship like yours was with Oli?”

“It... Well... That’s not something done in a day,” replied Ania, lightly shrugging. “If I think about things deeply, I think I got lucky that Oli actively kept me close, even if we weren’t spending time with each other every day. And deep down, I bet Netra feels similarly.”

“Then how can I get that out of her?” Puula’s tone was both demanding and gentle, proving her confusion with her voice alone. “I feel that she’s just growing further and further from me... Just now, when we finally had a moment where things seemed to be changing, she stormed out and left to go train instead.”

“I don’t mean to intrude, but how did you create such a moment in the first place?” asked Ania. “Knowing Netra, I imagine you were the one to initiate such a moment.”