Gentle Beast 39

<<< Previous | Project | Next >>>

“Chief, what should we do with this?”

“Chief, where do you want the stove built?”

“Chief, should we add a chimney. . .”

. . .

Several beastmen dressed in sheepskin were huddled in the warehouse, all asking questions.

Ryan stood at the front of the warehouse and was directing the men at work.

Well, no one was paying attention to her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu observed the environment then checked her things and carried her backpack, sneaking towards the door.

Since Ryan had said he wanted to pursue her yesterday, he had seriously began taking “courtship” actions.

He personally boiled her a fish soup, examined her wounds, and slept on the bed with her in the evening.

You know, he was honest to the animal style of laying belly down!

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s whole body went into shock and she immediately jumped from the bed, refusing righteously.

Later. . . Ryan directly pressed her into bed and asked her, “Do you know why carnivores like to hunt?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu shook her head.

“Because,” Ryan said, licking his lips with impudence, “Running away will only arouse our interest.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

So Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu did not dare to move the entire night, lying stiffly in the corner for fear of arousing his “interest”.

Earlier that morning, Ryan called over three leopards and brought them to the warehouse to clean it up and transform it into a kitchen.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu saw that Ryan wasn’t treating it like a joke. Although she didn’t know why he wanted to court her, she knew that if she didn’t hurry to escape, she may not have a chance later.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stepped lightly and carefully toward the door of the yard, holding the door latch and opening it up a little. . .

Suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder and pulled her back.

“It seems that you would prefer to be my prey than my female,” Ryan’s hands tightened on her hips.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu froze then her hair nearly exploded, “You!. . . You put me down!”

The three leopards at the entrance of the warehouse turned to watch as he actually slapped her butt!

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu kicked her feet in frustration, “I’m going to find Pat. . .”

Ryan’s claws held her waist and pulled her back towards the door of the warehouse, “Didn’t I promise I’d help you find him?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu shook her head violently: “No, I want to find him myself.”

Ryan asked: “Why not?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu paused, “. . .I don’t want to owe you anything.” Only then could she walk away happy.

Ryan frowned, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly, and he got straight to the point, “If it were Táo Táo in front of you, would you still refuse?”

“. . .”

Ryan just had to say what was on her mind.

In Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s heart, there was always a difference between “Táo Táo” and “Ryan” and she could not associate them together.

If it were Táo Táo, she could take him with her without any emotional burden. She could protect him and take care of him.

But Ryan. . . he was a mature leopard in all aspects. Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu did not dare mess around in front of him.

The girl hung her head, long lashes drooping low, and her porcelain white face was cast in a gray shadow.

The mild sunlight in winter wrapped around her and her whole body faded into the halo.

Ryan raised his palm and touched Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s cheek. The girl’s face was very different from his skin, smooth and delicate, like flower petals weighted with dew in the morning.

Ryan had never been interested in delicate things before, because they were troublesome to take care of. Whenever he got inattentive, they would dry up and wither. Now, he wanted to pick this flower and take her home, water and plant her, and let her only bloom for him.

Ryan pinched a bit at Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s little face, “If you can’t, then you’ll honestly stay here.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu raised her bright black eyes to look at him. After a long time, she slowly asked, “. . . when will you help me find Pat?”

Ryan raised his brow slightly and licked his teeth, an unobtrusive smile spilling over his lips, “When do you want?”

“The quicker the better.”

*

The warehouse was rebuilt in two days. The inside was all cleaned up and a stove was set up in the middle. It had a square chimney and smoke poured out the top when used for cooking, so it wouldn’t choke up the whole house.

Next to it was a cupboard with a freshly baked clay pot. Next to that was a pile of dry firewood and straw for the fire.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu walked around it in a circle while Ryan stood in the courtyard talking to his people.

She was no stranger to the stove. Her grandmother used to live in the countryside and the stove there was identical.

At that time, she was still young and had a baffling interest in the fire. When grandmother cooked, she would stand to the side and handle the firewood.

It was a shame that her grandmother feared her burning herself so kicked her out every time.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu looked around then walked out of the kitchen.

Ryan was still talking with the tribe using the leopard language. Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu could not understand it still. His back was to Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu so she could not see his expression, but she could see the heavy expressions of the leopards opposite him.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu recognized the beastman, he seemed to be called. . . Winter?

Soon, Winter turned to leave.

Ryan walked back to her and explained as usual, “Winter is the fastest-running leopard in the race, and he is going to seek out Pat’s whereabouts.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stared blankly, remembering that yesterday she had told him, “The sooner the better.”

. . . He actually listened to her?

Ryan saw that Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was silent and bent over to pick her up, walking into the room while holding her legs. He set her on the bed and pinched her tender face, “Tomorrow, I will be going out. I’ll be back in the evening. Stay here and wait for me. I will let Suzanna accompany you.”

Since Ryan had found Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s face to be smooth, he always liked to pinch her face or fingers.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s hands were not the same as theirs. Beastmen had long fingers and sharp nails. Due to year-round hunting, their palms were rough and thick. Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s fingers, like the new sprouts of water shoots, were slender and good-looking, and her palms were soft and boneless.

It was so soft, the more people wanted to touch the palm of her hands.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu raised her eyes, her first thought was, “You’re going out?”

Ryan nodded then calmly reminded, “If you try to run, you’d better think before you do. Unless you can outrun the leopard’s speed, I’ll find you wherever you go.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

That evening, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s resistance was futile and Ryan once again pushed her into bed.

Ryan didn’t do anything to her that she didn’t wanted to. It was just that his claws were sharp under her clothes and her eyes suddenly went red with tears as she cried out in pain.

Ryan stared at her for a long time, then finally pulled away his hands and locked her in his arms.

Actually, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s injuries were almost back to normal but there were three, ugly, pink scars on her belly. The reason she cried was because Ryan couldn’t ignore the wounds on her belly. . .

Even though the layer of clothes, she could feel his hot temperature.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was not psychologically prepared at all and her hand and feet went stiff. The entire night, she did laid stiffly against Ryan’s chest.

After that long night, Ryan finally left.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu seemed to regain life and laid back in bed, falling asleep.

After only an hour of sleep, Suzanna calm over.

Suzanna was entrusted by Ryan to accompany her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu lacked sleep and she felt a bit dizzy. So when Suzanna proposed going outside, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu did not refuse.

There was a stream behind the leopard tribe and the stream was surrounded by the Camuda Valley. The water was clear and bright.

Suzanna took a basket of clothes and squatted by the stream to wash it.

Elder Scarlet was getting old and washing clothes was too inconvenient. Washing the clothes on weekdays was Suzanna’s job.

Suzanna threw a skin into the water and washed it with a few pieces of acacia leaves. She looked at Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu and her tone was not very friendly, “I heard you ran away the other day. Ryan brought you back?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu cupped some water in her hands and splashed it on her cheeks, soon waking up.

Suzanna’s words passed through her ears. She only understood the words “run away” and immediately startled, “How’d you know?”

Suzanna saw doubt in her eyes but thought she was answering both questions. Her tail swayed and she hummed a gentle sigh of relief, “The night you ran, Ryan went out to look for you. He didn’t come back the day after, but when he did, he held you in his arms. How do you think I know?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu blinked and looked at her confused, not understanding.

Suzanna also did not explain and the corners of her mouth dropped. She did not understand why Ryan personally went to bring back this female.

Where was she?

He had only gone out for a day, but when he came back he held tight to her and might as well have tired her to his waistband.

So she couldn’t run away again, Suzanna thought irritably.

So, a girl and a leopard stayed by the stream all morning. Suzanna washed clothes and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu followed her back.

On the way, she encountered several kinds of mushrooms she could eat, so Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu picked them off. When Suzanna wasn’t paying attention, she put them all into her space.

After a long walk, she heard a low growl from far off.

The sound was deep and powerful, echoing off the valley walls, resounding one after the next.

——The roar of the saber-toothed tigers.