Now that the most difficult part of getting along was settled, the rest became much simpler.
Aware of Susu’s current hostility toward him, Fierce Tiger tactfully handed the task of looking after her to Brother Leopard.
He then transformed into his tiger form and headed into the jungle to hunt for food.
Once Fierce Tiger left, Brother Leopard didn’t remain idle.
He shifted into his leopard form and circled the clearing where they were staying before finally coming over to lie down next to Susu.
He watched her panting, and then, as if struck by a thought, he got up again.
He turned and walked off in a certain direction.
Before long, Brother Leopard returned and placed a fresh, juicy fruit in front of Susu.
He then lay down beside her and closed his eyes to rest.
Susu was very thirsty, so of course she didn’t refuse the fruit.
She held it with her paws and started to gnaw on it with all her might.
By the time she had finished it off, Fierce Tiger had returned, dragging prey that looked like a deer.
“Where do we plan on going next?” Fierce Tiger had shifted back to his human form and was resting against a nearby tree trunk.
He posed the question to Black Panther as the latter came over to handle the prey’s carcass.
“Judging by the situation earlier, it looks like the insect swarm is coming.
Besides, even without that threat, we can’t keep wandering around without a place to live, can we?
It doesn’t matter for you and me, but she’s still little.
An unstable environment isn’t suitable for her to grow up in.”
After Brother Leopard finished with the prey, he shifted back to his human form.
He tore off the choicest piece of meat from the kill and presented it to Susu before finally answering Fierce Tiger.
“This jungle is vast.
It won’t be hard to find a suitable place to live.”
Susu was, in fact, quite happy that they would be choosing a place to settle down.
‘At least I won’t have to be carried around by the scruff of my neck by Brother Leopard every day.
If this keeps up, my small frame will be shaken to pieces one of these days!’
Brother Leopard and Fierce Tiger briefly discussed their upcoming travel and arrangements, then both shifted into their animal forms and began to eat.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Brother Leopard took Susu with him, and they continued deeper into the jungle.
After traveling on and off for about another day and a night, they finally stopped beside a rocky hill that jutted up in the middle of the jungle.
A winding river flowed through the riverbed in front of the hill, quietly disappearing back into the depths of the jungle.
The vegetation here was relatively sparse, providing a clear line of sight and ample sunlight.
Most importantly, there was a wide, recessed cave at the base of the rocky hill.
The cave wasn’t very deep; Susu estimated it was only about four or five meters from the entrance to the back, shaped like the letter ‘U’.
Although it wasn’t huge, its main advantage was the high entrance, which was about a meter above the lowest point of the riverbed.
That way, even if a heavy rain caused the river to overflow its banks, they wouldn’t have to worry about the cave getting damp.
Brother Leopard and Fierce Tiger set Susu down at the mouth of the cave, then split up to scout the surrounding area.
In the end, they decided this would be their temporary home.
Susu lay on a large rock at the cave entrance, watching as Brother Leopard and Fierce Tiger, who had shifted into their human forms, began to tidy the cave.
They cleared out the rocks piled inside and then spread out soft aquatic grasses they had found in the jungle near the riverbank.
This way, the small stones on the floor wouldn’t make it uncomfortable to lie down.
Perhaps seeing that she was bored just lying there, Fierce Tiger, who was eager to curry favor with Susu and close the distance between them, brought her an unexpected gift the next time he returned from outside—a white-furred rodent that he had already scared out of its wits and was now trembling violently.