After failing to crawl into his bed last time, Sora had apparently changed tactics.
Now she preferred sneak attacks.
Ace’s golden eyes darkened as he leaped across the rocky terrain. The warmth pressed against his abdomen made every muscle in his panther body tense. This shameless woman actually dared to hug his waist while he was running.
Did she have no sense of shame at all?
As if sensing his irritation, Sora quickly loosened her arms and straightened herself on his back.
"Sorry," she said awkwardly. "That was an accident. I didn’t mean to."
Ace snorted coldly, clearly unconvinced.
With her previous record of trying to climb into his bed, how could he possibly believe her innocence?
Still, after they landed safely on the opposite cliff, he did not throw her off. Sora immediately behaved herself, sitting obediently and no longer moving recklessly.
For a while, the two traveled in rare silence.
Unfortunately for Ace, silence did not make the burden on his back any lighter.
This woman ate far too much.
Carrying her together with the luggage was exhausting enough to make even him feel strained.
Sora eventually noticed his slowing pace. She licked her lips and carefully suggested, "Should we stop and rest for a while?"
Ace flicked his tail and glanced behind them instead of answering.
Following his gaze, Sora spotted Xavier slithering nearby in his enormous purple serpent form. Unlike the Tiger, the snake beastman moved effortlessly across the rough ground.
The moment Xavier noticed her looking, he sneered lazily.
"It must be hard for you," he drawled mockingly at Ace. "Carrying someone so heavy."
Sora’s eyelid twitched.
Was there really any need to say that out loud?
Ace shot Xavier an annoyed glance but remained silent.
Xavier gave a smug snort and slithered ahead, clearly pleased with himself.
Sora stared at his retreating figure for a moment before suddenly rummaging through her bundle. She pulled out a small leaf pouch and opened it carefully.
A sweet-and-sour fragrance drifted into the air.
"These are honeyed sour plums," she said, holding one toward Ace’s mouth. "Do you want one? It can help restore your energy."
The plums were something she had found in the forest several days ago. After washing and drying them, she had coated them in honey and left them to absorb the sweetness. Originally, they were meant to be her emergency snacks.
Ace lowered his head skeptically.
Anything made by Sora should have been suspicious.
But he really was tired.
And at the very least... it was only a plum.
How bad could it be?
With that thought, he reluctantly opened his mouth and accepted it.
The moment he bit down, his ears twitched slightly.
The plum was unexpectedly delicious.
The sourness was mellow rather than sharp, balanced perfectly with the sweetness of honey. The fruit remained soft and juicy instead of dry and shriveled.
Ace had never tasted anything like it before.
By the time he swallowed the first one, he found himself wanting another.
Sora blinked in surprise.
She had expected him to ignore her completely.
Instead, the proud panther lowered his head slightly again.
Clearly asking for more.
A smile slowly curled at the corner of her lips.
Without hesitation, she fed him another plum.
Then another.
Ace accepted every single one without complaint.
If he disliked it, with his temper, he would have spat it out immediately and mocked her mercilessly. The fact that he silently continued eating meant he genuinely liked it.
The atmosphere between them gradually changed.
At first, Sora had sat stiffly on his back, afraid he would throw her off at any moment. But now she occasionally fed him plums while secretly sneaking a hand through his sleek White fur whenever he wasn’t paying attention.
To be honest...
A tiger’s fur was unbelievably comfortable.
Smooth, warm, and soft beneath her fingers.
Not prickly at all.
Ace’s ears flicked slightly, but surprisingly, he did not stop her.
Not far behind them, Serena watched the scene unfold with a dark expression.
She had originally expected Sora to make a fool of herself after choosing Ace.
After all, among the five beast husbands, Ace had always been the fiercest and hardest to approach.
Yet instead of being thrown off, Sora was sitting comfortably on his back, even feeding him snacks.
Serena’s nails dug into her palms.
That position should have belonged to her.
Meanwhile, Sora remained completely unaware of the jealousy directed at her. She looked sadly into her pouch and realized there were barely any plums left.
Ace’s appetite was terrifying.
Fortunately, the tribe soon arrived at their temporary resting place.
After traveling for so long, the beastmen were exhausted.
Martin shifted back into human form and surveyed the area before speaking decisively, "Everyone rest here for now."
Then he turned toward Lyra.
"Take the females into the forest to gather fruit."
Lyra nodded and immediately organized the women.
The beastmen had spent the entire journey carrying people and supplies. Most of them no longer had the energy to hunt. Meanwhile, the females had ridden comfortably the entire way, so gathering food naturally became their responsibility.
Sora was also dragged into the group.
As they entered the forest, she frowned slightly.
Fruit alone would never satisfy hungry beastmen after such exhausting travel.
Most wild fruits were watery and sour. Eating too much on an empty stomach would only make people feel worse.
What they needed was proper food.
Something warm. Something filling.
Something oily.
Unfortunately, refining castor oil was troublesome, and she currently lacked enough supplies to cook properly.
As she searched the surroundings thoughtfully, Serena and her two followers suddenly approached from both sides.
"Kaelira," one of them mocked loudly, "are you planning to be lazy again?"
"Can’t you see how exhausted the beastmen are?"
The accusation instantly drew Lyra’s attention.
Sora had barely opened her mouth before Lyra frowned coldly.
"Kaelira, you’d better work properly today," she warned sternly. "If I find out you’re slacking off again, you won’t get anything to eat."
Hearing Sora being reprimanded, Serena’s eyes flashed with satisfaction. Yet on the surface, she pretended to speak kindly.
"Aunt Lyra, don’t be too harsh on her," Serena said softly. "Kaelira is just playful sometimes."
"Playful?" Lyra’s expression darkened further. "Everyone else is gathering fruit while she wanders around distracted. How is that playful?"
Sora nearly laughed.
Serena truly was skilled at pretending innocence while quietly pushing blame onto others.
She had only been searching for additional ingredients.
Yet somehow, in a few simple sentences, Serena made her sound lazy and irresponsible.
Sora rolled her eyes.
Since Lyra already disliked her, explaining further was pointless.
She clapped the dirt from her hands and said lazily, "Fine then. If you don’t want me eating with you, I’ll find my own food."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked deeper into the forest.
Lyra watched her leave, furious.
"Kaelira is becoming more unruly every day!"
Serena quickly pretended to comfort her.
"She only said that out of anger. She’ll come back once she’s hungry."
Lyra snorted coldly.
"She hasn’t done any work and still expects food? Even females shouldn’t be spoiled like that."
Satisfied, Serena lowered her head to hide the smile in her eyes.
Meanwhile, after escaping the noisy group, Sora finally felt relaxed again.
This forest was far less abundant than the tribe’s original territory.
After searching for a long time, she only found ordinary fruits and wild vegetables.
Just as she sighed in disappointment, a sharp bird cry echoed overhead.
Sora looked up immediately.
A colorful long-tailed bird flashed through the trees.
Her eyes brightened instantly.
Wild chicken.
Perfect.
If she could catch it, she could make roasted chicken.
Without hesitation, she crouched beside a patch of dark soil and dug around with a stone until she unearthed several fat earthworms.
Then she gathered thin sticks and skewered the worms carefully.
Nearby, she found a broad leaf and rolled it into a funnel shape before placing the bait inside.
After setting the trap, she hid quietly behind a tree to wait.
At the same time, Xavier wandered nearby searching for wild eggs.
Ever since losing those duck eggs to Sora, he had never quite let the matter go.
Then suddenly, he spotted a suspicious figure crouching sneakily behind a tree.
Xavier narrowed his eyes instantly.
That ugly woman must have found eggs again.
This time, he was definitely taking them back.
Silently, the giant purple serpent slithered closer.
But when he finally peeked over, he froze.
There were no eggs.
Sora was simply staring intently at a leaf on the ground.
Xavier frowned suspiciously.
"What trick are you playing now?"
Before Sora could answer, rustling suddenly erupted nearby.
A wild chicken darted from the bushes and rushed straight toward the leaf funnel.
The moment its head disappeared inside—
Sora yanked the hidden vine tied to the trap.
The funnel tightened instantly around the bird’s neck.
The chicken exploded into panicked screeches as it flapped wildly across the dirt.
Xavier’s eyes widened slightly.
This ugly female...
Was actually trying to catch chickens?