Beauty and the Beasts

Seeing that the female was looking at the prickly fruit in his hands, Bark knew what she was puzzled about, so he quickly explained, “These are for my mother and the female cubs she gave birth to. They like to eat it.”

Parker suddenly let out a low growl from his throat. He said in a deep voice, “Scoot to one side.”

If it weren’t for the fact that this male didn’t look at all threatening, he wouldn’t have given him the chance to get near them.

Bark instantly sprinted away and only turned his head to reveal a goofy grin at Bai Qingqing when he got to a safe distance.

Bai Qingqing smiled but didn’t stop Parker. She said, “There’s no danger now. You can continue picking the prickly fruits.”

“Mm.” Parker went back up as he was told.

Bark stared dreamily at the female under the prickly fruit tree. Seeing that her mate had picked many prickly fruits, he asked curiously, “Why did you guys pick so many prickly fruits? Are you a herbivorous beastman? I’ll help you pick them.”

“No need,” Bai Qingqing shouted to him as they were a distance apart.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that it might incur the displeasure of the tiger beastmen if she picked too many. Worried, she asked, “Are we picking too many? We’ll stop in that case.”

Bark hurriedly waved a hand. “No, no. There are more prickly fruits than we can finish. If they fall to the ground, they will end up being eaten by the animals, anyway.”

Relieved, Bai Qingqing thanked him for his explanation.

As though he was injected by a stimulant, Bark—who was overwhelmed with honor by her act of thanking him—began maniacally picking the prickly fruits and tossing them to Bai Qingqing from a distance. No matter how much she refused, it was of no use. Her leg was even accidentally pricked by the prickly fruit Bark tossed over.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Parker leaped off the tree and gave Bark a good beating, before chasing him away.

“Hahaha…” Bai Qingqing sat on the ground with one hand over her stomach.

Parker started to panic. Could Qingqing have fallen for that immature rascal?

“What are you laughing at?”

Bai Qingqing picked up a prickly fruit and cracked it open in the middle, retrieving the chestnut from within. “I just suddenly recalled how you were like when we first met. You were exactly like him.”

Parker was first relieved, before fury set in. “How are we the same? I was already a two-striped beastman at that time!”

“Alright, alright. You’re the greatest.” Bai Qingqing nodded as though it was truly the case.

Satisfied, Parker poured out the prickly fruits from the animal skin bag, before sitting down beside Bai Qingqing to peel them.

As the chestnut forest had frequent visitors, the ground was even and fields of little yellow flowers were seen everywhere, exuding the tranquil beauty of the rural countryside. Merely sitting there was a form of enjoyment.

Bai Qingqing couldn’t help saying as she gazed at the scenery, “If only our cubs were here.”

“They’re about to wean off breastmilk. It’s time for them to learn to hunt. By the time the light rainy season arrives next year, they ought to have the basic abilities to protect themselves. We’ll bring them out to play, then.”

Bai Qingqing nodded with a smile.

After he finished peeling the prickly fruits on the ground, Parker made another two trips up the tree and only called it a day after filling more than half of the animal skin bag.

Seeing that it was still early, Bai Qingqing suggested, “Let’s walk around. It’s been a long time since I ate rice or noodles. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find wild grains. They should be rather commonly found, right?”

“There’s plenty over in the City of Beastmen, but I’ve yet to see any here.” Parker carried the chestnuts on one shoulder and held her up with his other hand.

Bai Qingqing sputtered with laughter as she ran away. “I’m here to look for food. I’m not in a hurry. There’s no need to carry me, let’s just walk slowly.”

“Go slower, be careful what you step on.” Parker cast a displeased glance at her.

She slowed down her footsteps obediently and walked with her head lowered and her eyes on the path ahead of her.

Parker said, “We’ve moved out everything we had in the City of Beastmen and hidden the grape wine and seeds. We can go back for them anytime.”

“Really?” Bai Qingqing’s eyes lit up with delight. “Where?”