Soon after, Felice was found by the tribe. He was dizzy from hunger because he hadn't eaten in days.
As for Gus, he had been eaten by a black bear.
The black bear was caught by the leopards but his attitude was irritable and fierce. He waved a large paw and tried to attack the leopards.
Black bears were huge and powerful, and their strength shouldn't be underestimated. Several of the leopards could barely subdue it.
But he was not very good at selecting opponent, and he opened his large mouth and mercilessly bit down toward the middle of the leopards around him.
"Chief!"
Several of the leopards hastened to step forward.
The beastman in the middle lifted his head and his blue eyes were bottomless. When the black bear attacked, he extended his arm and held his palm directly to the black bear's jaw.
His eyes forcefully glanced over him and in the next moment, the sound of the black bear's jaw cracking and falling off could be heard.
At the same time, he grabbed the black bear's waving hands and, with a little force, threw the bear to the ground.
The bear landed heavily and the ground shook.
The bear struggled unwillingly and bodily fluids leaked from his crooked mouth. He tried to stand up from the ground.
Ryan clasped his claws around the bear's throat and licked his teeth. His voice fell crudely and heavily, seemingly shackling his ears, "I hear my people are in your stomach?"
The bear glared at him with muddy eyes and uttered an angry growl.
Ryan's eyes lowered and fell on the slightly bulging belly of the bear. His eyes flashed coldly and he straightened, raising his boot towards the bear's head, and he stomped down. He told his tribe, "Cut open his belly and send Gus to his parents."
The bear's voice sounded out from behind and Ryan explained what was going to happen, then he turned and walked toward his home.
His house was still the same as three years ago, and nothing had changed.
Only the cabin where Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu made her gunpowder was locked and never opened.
Ryan pushed the door open and entered, his eyes never shifting toward the middle bedroom.
There was no sign of Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's existence in the house. She had not left many of her things. On the night she fled, she had cleaned up everything.
Except for a small kitten pendant.
It was something that Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hung on her phone, because it resembled Gǔn Gǔn at home. It hadn't been picked up.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's phone had fallen out of her backpack that night and the pendant fell off. She couldn't find it and never picked it up.
The kitten pendant was in the cupboard at the side and Ryan walked passed it without looking at it.
There was dust in the area, like no one had took care of it.
Ryan lay on his bed for a rest and was awakened at noon by a clansman.
His temper wasn't great after waking and his eyebrows were furrowed, his voice indifferent, "What?"
The man swallowed down his saliva and felt that chief had become more and more terrible over the past three years. Unlike the bear's claws, this was a deep-seated kind of oppression. A single look in the eye would make his heart pulse in fear and his courage plummet.
"Pat is making a fuss about wanting to see you. . ." The man said.
Ryan paused for a moment, "Did he find a way?"
The male shook his head. "He said he knows nothing, but if you don't let him return to the Eastern Sea, he'll die of thirst."
Ryan regained his composure and was expressionless, "Then tell him if he doesn't come up with a way, he will never return to the sea."
The male nodded and sent back the message.
To be honest, he didn't know how Pat had offended the Chief.
Three years ago, the chief grabbed Pat and didn't say anything, only told him to think of a "way."
What way? It wasn't clear and only the chief and Pat knew.
The tribe said it was related to the little female that the leader had lost:
The leader's female had made a fuss three years ago and ran away from home. So far, she hadn't come back and the chief had become what he was now, half-dead.
So where did that female go?
*
The young female who had ran away from home was now feeding milk to a flower-patterned leopard cub behind the sweet potato fields.
These days, the leopard's injury was significantly better and was also bandaged up, proving that the tribe was dealing with the wound, but he came tirelessly to the same place every day to beg her.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu originally wanted to have a ruthless heart and ignore him, but he stood still and looked at her with round eyes, opening his mouth and making a soft sound. She immediately softened and relented.
So much like when Ryan was still a child.
So even if Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu knew that he wasn't as harmless and pitiful as he looked, she couldn't help but feed him for several days.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu knew that he could understand her words and she touched his semi-circular ears, "Can't tell the others, ah, don't let people know I let you drink milk, or I won't come here anymore."
Wenrick's ear shifted and silently recorded it into his heart.
. . .
So, Winter and Suzanna found that their son would come home with less and less frequency.
Wenrick was at a very active age and everyday, he left with his companions and ran west. Originally, they didn't mind until Wenrick started to return every time smelling of milk.
They knew that leopard cubs were weaned at about half a year old.
Today, Suzanna especially guarded the door and when Wenrick came back, she stopped him. She smelled him and asked, "Say, which race did you go to today? Where does that milk scent come from?"
Wenrick's face was stiff. He had stayed with Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu too long recently and forgot to take a bath for several days. When mom and dad didn't say anything, he thought they hadn't found out.
"Don't speak, but I know the taste of milk. Are you running to the herbivorous races to rob their food?" Suzanna wrinkled her nose, not ashamed at her son's behavior.
Wenrick immediately retorted, "No, I didn't rob them for food."
"Then tell me where you've been these past few days."
Wenrick bit his lip and closed his mouth, "Nowhere."
". . ."
After that, no matter how Suzanna asked, Wenrick would refuse to disclose a single word.
Suzanna taught him a lesson and ordered him not to take food from herbivores in the future, let alone drink their milk.
Unfortunately, it had no effect. Wenrick was honest for two days then ran out on the third day.
He was too fast for Suzanna to catch up.
. . .
Today was the day the leopards went out to hunt. All the males would set out, even the young cubs that had just been training.
All the males gathered at the entrance, led by Ryan into the remote Wilnor Valley.
——Waiting for a long time and the tribe hadn't gotten altogether.
Ryan's blue eyes turned to Winter, "Wenrick?"
Winter looked around in a circle and could not find his own son. Looking worried, he couldn't help but think of Wenrick's abnormal behavior these days. "This little guy, he must have gone looking for the herbivores!"
Ryan said nothing and calmly reminded him, "There's still a while before we have to leave."
Winter was now very respectful toward Ryan. This respect came with a guilty conscience, "I am very sorry, Chief. You and the tribe go first, I'll follow after I find Wenrick."
Ryan didn't refute and his default was an agreement.
According to the recent weather changes, it wasn't difficult to speculate that winter was coming soon. Before that, the race needed to have sufficient food and fur stored to safely survive the winter.
This was a large-scale hunt, and would take about a month.
Ryan didn't want anyone to slow down the process.
"Depart."
Ryan's low voice commanded and he turned into his beast-form, stooping low and heading out toward Camuda Valley.
. . .
. . .
In the meantime, Winter and Suzanna's voices could be heard in the rear:
"Suzanna, have you found Wenrick?"
"No, that guy most likely went across the forest to look for the herbivores."
". . . when he comes back, I'll give him a good lesson."
"Winter, what have you said to Wenrick recently? Like drinking milk every day? He came back the day before yesterday and asked if I knew something about a 'Táo Táo'. That name's something of those stupid grass-feeders. How could he know about it? He's not going to like playing with the herbivores in the future, will he?" Suzanna asked worriedly.
As Winter listened, he was a little worried, "No. . ."
If that's what happened, his son was too humiliating to be a leopard!
Winter picked up his complicated mood and turned to say, "I'll go look for him."
He had yet to take a step forward when he suddenly saw a strong, tall body in front of him, dark blue eyes staring at him.
Winter's body shook and he said, "Chief."
Ryan asked, "Where?" His voice was extremely low and heavy, like an upcoming storm.
Winter said, "What?"
Ryan said, one word at a time, "Where is Wenrick?"
*
The deer farmland had grown better and better.
In addition to the seeds Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu brought with her, the sweet potato field was much more lush than before.
Originally, they didn't know how to plant and the watering was uneven so the roots of the seedlings didn't get enough water.
Additionally, there were disturbances nearby that often trampled their potato seedlings and nature wouldn't produce much fruit.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu remembered something she had seen on TV before and taught them a way to fully water the potato fields, then let them build up a fence around the fields.
This way was indeed very effective.
If this trend continued, when winter came, they would have plenty of food to withstand the winter.
The reindeer clan was extremely grateful to Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu and learned that her race was far away from here, so they took increasingly more care of her.
Fresh fruit was picked up on weekdays and they gave her part of it.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu could not finish it all herself so she gave some to Eric and Eric's partner Liana, but they refused to accept it.
Although putting it in her space wasn't bad, but there were too many things and there would be some panic, so she took some for Wenrick to eat.
Unfortunately, Wenrick wasn't interested in the wild fruit and drank the milk as before then laid comfortably on her feet, licking his lips.
——The little guy was addicted to drinking milk.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu found it a bit funny and squatted in front of him, touching his ears, "Don't just like to drink milk. It's good to eat fruits and vegetables."
Wenrick stuck out his tongue and tilted his head, gently licking her palm with eyes that didn't listen to her at all.
"However. . ." Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's palm was itchy and she bowed her eyes, "I guess I won't come here to feed you milk anymore."
Wenrick lifted his blue-green eyes and looked at her puzzled.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu said to him, "You are a leopard. This place belongs to a herbivorous species. You will bring them trouble. Your injury is already find. From tomorrow on, don't come here again. . . even if you come, I won't give you anything."
Wenrick understood and opened his mouth to bite her pants, his voice chattering in his throat as he refused to agree.
"Hey. . ."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu didn't expect this reaction and she stood up, a little helpless, "You can't be so shameless."
. . .
The shadow of the tree was slanted and sunlight mottled the ground.
The girl was slim and her looks exquisite. Her long eyelashes hung slightly and covered her colorful eyes. Even if one couldn't see them, they could guess that her eyes would be unprepared and soft-hearted.
The sun shone on her head and spread a circle over it, exposing her porcelain white, clear skin.
Like a ripe and full peach, a bite would be sweet and overflowing with juice.
The sound of Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's voice floated up from under the tree and passed into Ryan's ears.
She persuaded Wenrick with tenderness, she relentlessly tried to say farewell to him, but was still helpless to the cub.
Every sound, without omission.
Ryan stared fixedly at her, his eyes deep and shining, unblinking.
Like the seemingly calm surface of the deep sea, in fact, the depths had already churned into waves.
At the same time, the long dead heart in his chest began to beat again, slowly pumping blood across his entire body.
"Thump, thump," a quiet sound soon erupted.
*
Wenrick tightly bit Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's pants and occasionally issued a soft rumbling sound, and he refused to let her go.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was a bit distressed. Where did this little guy come from? Wasn't that something only a puppy could do?
A person and a leopard contended for a while, then Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hardened her heart and finally succeeded in saving her pants from Wenrick's mouth.
The leopard lost his momentum and rolled to the side, his head struck a tree trunk, stars floating around his head.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu forced herself to ignore him and was about to leave, when she suddenly heard the cry of the deer.
The sound was frantic and steps were mixed in.
Then a figure came running from afar and Eric's voice drew closer:
"Ōu, come with me. The tigers are coming to attack this mountain!"
This mountain was close to the tiger clan and every once in a while, the tigers would attack.
Especially when it approached winter, the tigers would come out more frequently to hoard food.
Recently the deer had been busy planting the fields and forgot about the tiger clan, so this attack sent the race into a frenzy.
"Ōu, come and hide with me. . ." Eric ran toward Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu and said anxiously to her in a hurry.
But he hadn't reached her when an adult tiger suddenly emerged from the side and opened his sharp mouth, fiercely rushing forward.
Eric's face whitened and hurriedly hid aside, forcing his limbs to jump into the nearest tree trunk.
The adult tiger stopped and turned amber eyes in a circle, falling on Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's body and he slowly moved toward her.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's heart throbbed and she stepped back.
The other side followed.
The other party snarled low and rushed toward Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu, accompanied by Eric's scream. A section of broken branches fell from the sky, straight passed the tiger's eyes to pierce into a tree trunk with a shriek.
Then, a swift and vigorous figure leaped down between Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu and the tiger.
The tall figure towered over Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu and his thick, long tail swept the dead leaves behind him.
Like a blade in a sheath, he was dangerous and bloodthirsty, hiding none of it.
"Uncle Ryan!" Wenrick, hiding behind a tree, stuck out his head and pleasantly cried.
Ryan took rope out to tie his prey and leaned forward. His dark eyes did not look at Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu but he held her hands and tied them tightly with rope.
At the same time, he growled low in his throat to the unfortunate tiger behind him, "Sorry, this is my prey."