Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 181
Chapter 181
Aze, who had just sent Chen Qi back to the inner city wall, frowned slightly when he heard the sound. Ake turned his head and met his gaze. Aze pursed his lips, and said softly to Ake, “It’s Little Wolf.”
Ake nodded, handed the siege crossbow he had just brought back to Ashu, who came over, then patted Aze on the shoulder. “I’ll go take a look.” With that, he slid nimbly down the rope ladder along the city wall and ran toward the nearby buildings.
Azhang began to reassign tasks to the beastmen who had retreated. If the hyena-drakes broke in, they could attack together with the beastmen defending the ice wall from both sides.
As the hyena-drake leader’s roar fell, a large pack of hyena-drakes began to twist their bodies, their forelimbs excitedly clawing at the snow beneath them. The breath spraying from their nostrils turned into wisps of white mist, making their vision hazy. Red light spread faintly through their eyes as their tails lashed back and forth, their entire bodies radiating uncontrollable excitement.
The giant wolf-god, who had been standing lazily to the side, pursed its lips in boredom at the sight. Just then, a cold wind blew past, and a familiar sound carried within it made the giant wolf-god shudder. Its eyes turned blankly toward the direction of the ice wall. The sound that made its very soul tingle clearly came from within that strange beastmen tribe.
The voice that belonged to the little wolf cub alone was not very clear because of the distance, and it was a timbre buried deep within the bloodline of the giant wolf-god — something only the giant wolf-god could understand.
It had always believed that the little wolf cub being raised by the beastmen could never survive its first molting without its own kin nearby. It never expected that the cub had been adopted by the beastmen of this strange tribe.
Unexpectedly, besides itself, there were still living pure-blood giant wolf-gods in this world.
The giant wolf-god’s dazed expression lasted only for a moment before it was interrupted by the hyena-drake leader’s order to launch a full-scale attack. There was no time to think. With a sudden leap, it pounced on the unsuspecting hyena-drake leader, pinning him to the ground. Its sharp teeth moved lightly along the other’s neck. “Let’s go back to the forest.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
The hyena-drake leader neither struggled nor ordered the other hyena-drakes to drag away the giant wolf-god pressing him down. His crimson eyes simply stared silently at the other. “Reason.”
“We’ve hunted enough beastmen this winter. This tribe is so interesting — if you kill them all now, you’ll have nothing to play with next winter.” The giant wolf-god’s warm tongue lightly brushed against the other’s cold, hard scales, its words sounding like a lover’s whisper. The cub inside the tribe had not yet grown up. It did not understand why Chen had not taken the cub away, but that cub must not be discovered by the hyena-drakes — it was the only pure blood left untainted.
The hyena-drake leader still did not yield. “Isn’t there another interesting tribe?”
The attacking hyena-drakes had already rushed into the ice wall. The small breach in the wall had been widened by the later ones. The beastmen still standing atop the wall could already feel it trembling. Ashu dared not linger any longer and signaled the beastmen still on the main gate wall to withdraw to the left and right walls with the remaining weapons.
The giant wolf-god knew that once the hyena-drake leader grew excited, it would not stop so easily. Although the number of hyena-drakes in this group was large, there were still far more left in the forest. Even if this small tribe destroyed this batch, it would not feel any pain over the loss.
The giant wolf-god withdrew the forepaw that had been pressing the other down. Lowering its gaze, it made a submissive gesture. “I am dying. For generations, the final resting place of the giant wolf-gods has been the Sanchen River. There is still some time before summer — I want to fulfill my last duty before the end.”
The hyena-drake leader slowly stood up, looking down at the giant wolf-god who, since being captured, had never once submitted. Now it lay humbly at his feet — the former king of a race once honored with the name of ‘God.’
“Do you wish to guard the Sanchen River?” The hyena-drake leader’s voice held no emotion, cold as the eternal glacier beside the river.
“Yes, I am willing to let the waters of the Sanchen River return to their original state.”
“Didn’t you once refuse to die, willing even to eat beastmen just to survive?” The hyena-drake leader looked at him coldly, then used his tail to lift the giant wolf-god’s chin, forcing it to meet his gaze. “Do you no longer wish to be a beastman?”
The giant wolf-god’s eyes were calm. “I have already eaten enough beastmen, but I still haven’t become one. Legends were only legends and could not be taken seriously.”
The leader of the hyena-drakes stared fixedly at him for a long time before giving a soft sneer. “Then go die. Once you’re dead, the hyena-drakes will be the rulers of the forest.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
A male hyena-drake, who had been watching nearby, received a message from their leader and raised its head to let out a retreat signal. As the massive ice wall in front collapsed with a thunderous crash caused by the widening gap below, the ironshell-drakes and hyena-drakes that had been surging toward the beastmen tribe all stopped their movements, then retreated like the ebbing tide.
Seeing the retreating hyena-drakes, the giant wolf-god secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The cub’s voice in the wind had already gone quiet. It slowly stood up, returning to its usual lazy demeanor, and gestured for its personal mount to crouch so it could climb on. After finding a comfortable position to sit, it looked toward the hyena-drake leader and said, “Next winter, perhaps you really can take human form.”
“I’m not the only one. I believe many of my kin can transform as well.” The hyena-drake leader looked at the returning horde, his tone confident and resolute. He had worked toward this goal for a long time and believed he could achieve it—only some unexpected delays had set his plans back a little. Flicking his tail, he turned toward the forest. “Thanks to your cooperation, of course.”
“What do you think Chen would do if he came back and saw this?” The hyena-drake leader stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his lips. “I can’t wait to find out.”
When Ake found the little wolf cub, it had already stopped howling. Fine white fur was sprouting on its once pink, bare skin. Its back was slightly arched, limbs stretched stiff and straight, claws extending out, and its face twisted in pain.
Blood oozed from the pores where the little wolf cub’s fur was growing, staining the once beautiful white coat with streaks of red. Seeing the pitiful state it was in, Ake’s heart tightened. He quickly went over, took off his cloak, and draped it over the little wolf cub. “Little Wolf, are you all right?”
The little wolf cub whimpered softly when it saw Ake, then turned its head and pulled the cloak off. It was in the middle of molting and could not have anything covering its body. Even surrounded by freezing snow and ice, it had to endure it.
Seeing the little wolf cub’s reaction, Ake loosened his grip on the cloak. The blood-stained fabric was easily brushed to the ground. The little wolf cub backed a few steps away and continued enduring the pain of its rapidly growing fur and bones.
Ake had not seen many giant wolf-gods and did not understand their nature well. Although he knew the cub was suffering, he also realized there was little he could do to help. Despite his anxiety, he could only stand quietly and watch.
Ajing, having noticed the little wolf cub’s disappearance, left the cellar under Ali’s protection. They dared not make too much noise for fear of affecting the beastmen still fighting outside. After circling the tribe, they finally found Ake and the little wolf cub in a secluded corner.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
By then, the cub’s fur had grown to about the length of a finger, and its claws had already shed once. New nails were slowly growing out.
“Wha’s going on?” Ali was startled and hurriedly pulled Ajing over.
Ake briefly explained the situation to them.
When the little wolf cub saw Ajing approaching, its once raised head drooped. Its voice was hoarse from suppressing its cries. It knew enemies were still outside, yet it also smelled the scent of its kin. It didn’t understand what was happening—only that instinct drove it to seek help.
Ajing squatted down and quietly observed the little wolf cub for a moment. “I’ll stay here with Little Wolf. Ake, you can go back to the wall.”
“Should we take Little Wolf back to the cellar?” Ali suggested.
Ajing shook his head. “No. Little Wolf can’t go indoors right now.”
The giant wolf-gods were born in the wild, and there was not enough natural power indoors to sustain one through molting. Although Ajing didn’t fully understand the process, he was the one who spent the most time with and understood the little wolf cub best. Even though the little wolf cub couldn’t speak, he could read its meaning clearly—it couldn’t return inside.
Ake gave them one last look. Though he was still worried, the danger wasn’t yet over. He couldn’t linger. He told them to take the little wolf cub somewhere safe as soon as it finished molting, then left. But before he reached the base of the wall, a loud crash of something heavy collapsing echoed from outside. Ake’s heart clenched—had the ice wall fallen?
The distance between the ice wall and the inner wall wasn’t far. Beyond the moat lay a patch of barricades buried with gunpowder. The beastmen atop the inner wall quietly waited for the hyena-drakes to step into the trap zone. This was their final line of defense—if the hyena-drakes crossed the moat, the beastmen would have to engage them in close combat.
However, after bringing down the ice wall, the massive wave of hyena-drakes suddenly retreated. With the wall gone, even those on the inner wall could easily see the hyena-drakes’ withdrawal.
“What’s going on?” Ake, who had just returned to the wall, asked the beastmen standing closest to him.
“The hyena-drakes seem . . . to have retreated.”
Under the puzzled gazes of the beastmen, not only did the hyena-drakes in front of the main gate withdraw, but those that had surrounded the other three sides also pulled back into formation. They moved slowly, yet unmistakably, toward the forest.
As the hyena-drakes retreated, Axu ordered the beastmen on the wall to cease their attacks. Only when the last figures of the hyena-drakes disappeared beyond the horizon did their tense nerves finally relax. There were only a few days left until summer—if the hyena-drakes had truly returned to the forest, it meant they were finally safe.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 3 of 3 for the week.
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
Proofreader: Yume
Editor stepping into the realm of MTL translating, starting with CLWP. Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
