Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 217 (ex2)
Chapter 217 (ex2)
The first snow wasn’t as biting as the deep winter cold, but it fell just as heavily. In only two days, knee-deep snow had already blanketed the Dora Plains.
At the source of the Dosa River, the unfrozen water ran red with blood. The river lay so still that even the wind failed to stir a ripple; it was like a bright red mirror, yet reflected nothing at all.
From the middle of the river, a handsome man suddenly emerged. His long hair, as white as snow, fell straight to his waist, and crimson droplets slid down through it without leaving a trace.
His expression was tinged with sadness. He stared up at the two moons hanging high in the sky, eyes fixed, until—after an unknown length of time—he withdrew his gaze and looked around, slightly dazed.
A rustling in the grass broke the silence. The man stepped out of the water, and as droplets slid from his body, a white fur coat materialized over his bare chest.
He seemed unaffected by the cold. Barefoot, he walked toward the withered tall grass, leaving a trail of footprints behind him.
“Come out,” the man said, his voice hoarse, as if he had never spoken before. His words sounded awkward and rough.
A moment of silence passed, then a small, silvery-white, fluffy head peeked out from the tall grass.
“Hyena-drake?” The man was a little surprised. He never thought there would be a young hyena-drake in the territory of the giant wolf-god.
The cub’s eyes were wary. Though it couldn’t speak human language, the man could understand its animal tongue. In a soft, childlike voice, it asked, “Aren’t you an Azure Dragon? Why are you white?”
The man tilted his head. “You’re not afraid of me?” He had no idea how long this cub had been here, but the blood in the river was thick and pungent, mingling with the scent on his own body. By instinct, even a cub should sense danger.
“He ate an entire giant wolf-god clan.” Another childlike voice came from the tall grass. Following the sound, the man discovered a giant wolf-god cub.
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 giant wolf-god cub looked frail and thin, only half the size of the hyena-drake cub, its steps unsteady as it emerged.
Hearing this, the hyena-drake cub’s alertness eased slightly, replaced by a strange curiosity. It lifted its head and asked the man, “Did you transform because you ate giant wolf-gods?”
The man said nothing. He turned and walked away—his purpose for coming here had been fulfilled; there was no reason to linger.
Seeing him leave, the hyena-drake cub hoisted the giant wolf-god cub onto its back and followed.
The man walked slowly, a hollow feeling settling in his chest as he exited the giant wolf-god’s territory. At the edge of the land, he stopped, sat cross-legged, and stared ahead blankly.
The hyena-drake cub, still exhausted from carrying the giant wolf-god cub all the way, cleared the snow from the nearest patch of withered grass and placed the giant wolf-god cub down.
“I’m hungry. I’m going to find milk fruits. Will you stay here?” it asked, tilting its head up at him.
The man merely glanced at it, neither saying he would stay nor that he would leave. Ignoring him, the hyena-drake cub gave the giant wolf-god cub a few instructions and departed.
When it returned, carrying a few frozen milk fruits, it witnessed the man easily bringing down a fully grown male elephant. The elephant’s head had been nearly severed in one clean cut and lay to the side. Apart from blood on the man’s suddenly elongated fingernails, his body remained spotless.
The hyena-drake cub froze, heart racing. Taking a few cautious steps forward, it dropped the milk fruits for the giant wolf-god cub, then looked at the elephant carcass—like a mountain of meat—and finally back at the man. “Can you eat it all by yourself? Can you spare some for me?”
The hyena-drake cub had never eaten meat before. Now, with warm food right in front of it and the rich scent of blood tempting it, the hyena-drake cub couldn’t resist. Seeing that the man made no objection, it cautiously approached.
The male elephant’s fur was thick, and the hyena-drake cub’s claws couldn’t tear it. It fussed and struggled for what felt like ages, but not a single bite of meat came off. It grew more and more anxious.
The giant wolf-god cub, in contrast, had already skillfully opened a milk fruit and filled its stomach. Unlike the energetic hyena-drake cub, it needed sleep once full; only sleep could make it grow faster. While the hyena-drake cub was still entangled with the elephant carcass, the giant wolf-god cub’s eyelids drooped, and it quickly fell into a deep slumber.
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 man watched the hyena-drake cub fumble for half a day. Perhaps he could no longer stand it—he extended his sharp nails, tore through the elephant’s fur, cut off a large slab of tender meat, and tossed it in front of the hyena-drake cub.
“Thank you,” the hyena-drake cub said, eyes unusually bright. It wasted no time being polite, pouncing on the chunk of meat roughly the same size as itself and gnawing on it ferociously.
The man watched quietly as the hyena-drake cub finished. Yet even after devouring such a large piece, the hyena-drake cub’s belly barely swelled. It looked at the man in puzzlement. “Why am I still not full after eating so much?” Though eating meat for the first time was satisfying, the feeling of fullness didn’t compare to a milk fruit. If meat alone couldn’t fill it, would it have to live on milk fruits forever?
The thought made the hyena-drake cub uneasy. As a carnivorous dragon, once it had tasted meat, no other food could interest it.
The man said nothing but stood up to leave. Seeing him go, the hyena-drake cub quickly picked up the sleeping giant wolf-god cub and followed, casting one last glance at the small pile of meat with slight regret.
After the first snow, the plain’s snow melted quickly, and the weather turned cool. One man and two cubs slowly walked across the vast plain. They encountered a massive migrating herd—a spectacle the hyena-drake cub had never seen. The sight shook its young mind as profoundly as the moment it first saw the Azure Dragon transform into a man.
The hyena-drake cub didn’t know where the man was headed. Along the way, he occasionally killed wild animals he came across, drank their blood, and tossed the meat to the cubs. No matter how much they ate, their hunger never fully subsided. They had to keep track of where milk fruits grew. Even though they craved meat, they gradually lost interest in it when it could not satisfy them.
When the first winter snow fell, they reached the edge of a forest, gazing at the dense, leafy trees in awe. Both cubs were mesmerized until the man killed a passing hydrochoerus dragon.
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 giant wolf-god cub, previously indifferent to the plains animals the man had hunted, couldn’t help but stir at the hydrochoerus dragon’s scent. The hyena-drake cub had already rushed to the fallen creature, salivating as it looked at its lifeless body.
“Azure Dragon, Azure Dragon, can I eat this?” the hyena cub circled the hydrochoerus dragon, already thinking about how to take a bite even as it asked.
The man remained silent. He neatly sliced two pieces of meat and tossed them to the cubs. Strangely, although they had eaten larger portions before without feeling full, these smaller pieces—barely the size of a hand—made them rub their bellies and belch with satisfaction.
The man took them to a cave in the forest and settled there. Except for occasional hunting trips, he sat at the cave entrance, clad in the black dragon’s scales, from head to toe. At first glance, he looked somewhat fearsome.
After the first snow, winter’s chill deepened. Even huddled together, the cubs shivered. The man offered only food; otherwise, he left them to fend for themselves. During sunny daytime hours, the hyena-drake cub collected soft hay and carried it back to the cave. Together with the giant wolf-god cub, they built a simple but adequate nest to survive the harsh winter.
They spent a full winter there. By the time the snow melted, the hyena-drake cub had grown as tall as the man’s calves. That summer, an adult giant wolf-god arrived to take away the giant wolf-god cub. The hyena-drake cub stood protectively before it like a mother hen, but the man merely bent down, pinched the fur on its back, and lifted the cub effortlessly. The hyena-drake cub could only watch as its companion was taken away.
“The giant wolf-god will take good care of it,” the man said, rarely offering such comfort, patting the hyena-drake cub’s head.
The hyena-drake cub was still angry and ignored the man for three days.
They lived there for another three years. In the third summer, the man departed. His scent vanished at the forest edge. The hyena-drake cub ran out to look for him, but no matter how far it searched, he was gone.
The plains’ animals could never fill the hyena-drake’s hunger. The hyena-drake grew thinner and weaker. Before fainting, it returned to the source of the Dosa River—the place where it had first met the man.
Back then, it had just crawled out of its dead mother’s womb. It had followed the giant wolf-god cub that fed it milk fruit into the giant wolf-god’s territory, witnessing the massive Azure Dragon shed its scales and transform into a beautiful man.
“You were the one who took me back to the forest when I fainted that time, weren’t you?” the hyena-drake leader asked, watching the handsome man emerge from the water, droplets clinging to his hair. In his hand was a lifeless ichthyosaur, which he placed before the hyena-drake leader.
“En,” the man replied blandly, then began expertly handling the prey.
“Didn’t you say you’re not suited for the forest?” the hyena-drake leader asked, kicking the man’s back and leaving a muddy footprint on his bare skin.
“I want to watch over you,” the man said, unfazed, sliding neatly prepared slices of meat onto clean cattail leaves in front of the other man.
The hyena-drake leader took a bite, cheeks puffed from chewing, and mumbled vaguely, “Then watch all you want… just don’t let me leave the forest for the rest of my life.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 more left.
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.
