Xue Tuan hadn’t expected his mother to talk to them about this first thing after returning, but he immediately understood his mother’s intention. Xue Tuan was once again moved by his mother’s actions, his family always unconditionally put him and his brother first.
However, this also aligned with his current thoughts, he didn’t want to stand out too much in front of people outside his family.
“Hello, may I borrow a fire?” Another person came to borrow fire. Rong Shan temporarily put Xue Tuan down and took a torch to help others start their fires.
Feng Yan didn’t say much, and took out a small stone pot to prepare a meal. He always agreed with Rong Shan’s views on these matters.
Xue Tuan looked around and found that only one fire remained unlit not far away.
Without hesitation, he pulled a smaller torch from the fire and walked towards that family’s tent.
Bing Qiu had been watching his younger brother’s actions and, seeing him take the small torch, guessed that he was going to help others start their fires.
Bing Qiu glanced again at the direction Xue Tuan was heading, and it was right where his new friend, the little black lion Chong Yan was.
“Looks like Xue Tuan really likes his new friend,” Bing Qiu thought, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside him. He was happy his brother had made a friend, but also wanted him to stay with him forever—a real dilemma.
Elder Mu Shi was alone with the little black lion. Unlike other elders who would assign their apprentices to help with chores, Elder Mu Shi had sent his apprentices to prioritize helping other beastmen.
The little black lion couldn’t transform into human form, making certain actions easier for it. Like starting a fire, it could only watch helplessly as the elder struggled.
“I’ll help you,” Xue Tuan said, arriving at Elder Mu Shi’s tent. The elder recognized Xue Tuan.
Seeing the little cub carrying a torch alone filled him with warmth and gratitude.
From afar, Xue Tuan saw the elder struggling with a flint and steel. He confidently walked over and placed a small torch on the pile of dry grass, with a “whoosh,” a flame immediately ignited.
Xue Tuan’s eyes crinkled with satisfaction.
“What a good child, thank you,” Elder Mu Shi said, affectionately patting Xue Tuan. He already knew the little cub couldn’t transform into its beast form, indicating its frailty.
But the little cub always gave off a tenacious and positive feeling, its nature pure, gentle, and endearing.
Logically, the elder was quite popular. Although the chief and the priest’s family were on good terms with the elder, they were extremely busy and probably couldn’t spare the time to help.
Xue Tuan vaguely suspected that perhaps the little black lion’s reputation as a jinx deterred others from coming to help.
Especially since there wasn’t a single tent around the elder’s tent, and no one offered to lend them fire.
Since Xue Tuan came to help, the little black lion had been hovering around him, his eyes never leaving the little ball of fur.
“There’s a fire! Hurry up and get some food!”
Seeing the little black lion looking at him so eagerly, Xue Tuan ruffled his fluffy ears and ran off.
“Hehe, I made a profit!” Xue Tuan happily ran back to his tent where his father and mother were still waiting for him.
Feng Yan was turning the roasted meat in his hands, but his eyes were fixed on Xue Tuan. Seeing his son playing so well with his new friend, he felt much more relaxed. He hoped his son could make more and more friends and always be as lively and happy as he was now.
The embers of the fire rose with wisps of smoke, and most of the beastmen had finished eating.
Normally, they would be busy tidying up their huts or preparing for the next day’s hunting and gathering. But now, unsure of what to do, everyone had more time to think.
The sudden earthquake had caused a great deal of commotion. Every family had to pack their belongings hastily, and leave most of their possessions still inside.
The atmosphere grew increasingly somber, and a sense of unease settled in everyone’s hearts. What had become of their tribe which they had lived in for so long? Was their home destroyed? Could they ever return?
Some of the beastmen couldn’t help but discuss among themselves:
“The earth seems to have stopped shaking now…”
“Is the earthquake over?”
“Mother, I want to go home, is that alright?” asked a cub who had never traveled far from home.
The beastman being asked was also troubled, of course, he wanted to go home. He thought for a moment, hugged the cub, and said, “Alright, I’ll go ask the chief and elders.”
So, one after another, people went to ask, and eventually, there were so many that the elders had to send their subordinates and apprentices to stop them.
“Everyone, go back first. Don’t all crowd around here.”
“Really, the elders have already started discussing it.”
“There will be a result, I’m not lying to you.”
…
While other places were bustling with noise, the Snow Fox family was quite relaxed.
Rong Shan silently rejoiced that they hadn’t stayed in the tribe for long and hadn’t acquired too much wealth. They had brought most of their belongings with them and didn’t feel any attachment to the place.
Xue Tuan rummaged through their family’s belongings and found the tendon thread his father had prepared. Looking at the three Snow Foxes in his family who had obediently transformed into their beast forms, he smiled until his eyes were barely slits.
This was their family’s new activity. Xue Tuan was going to use “dental floss” to clean the teeth of each member of the family in their beast forms, keeping their teeth clean and hygienic.
“Open your mouth now.” Xue Tuan patted his brother’s furry chin, signaling him to stop dawdling.
Bing Qiu snorted, glanced helplessly at Xue Tuan, opened his mouth, and gently swept his tail on the ground.
Xue Tuan straightened its little body as his tiny paws gripped the tendons firmly, and began pulling left and right, up and down, happily helping the fluffy creature clean up food scraps.
When it was Father Feng Yan’s turn, Xue Tuan even helped him pull out a small piece of meat that was stuck!
The giant snow fox blinked, its tongue twitching, instantly feeling much better. The big snow fox lowered its head and rubbed its fluffy cheek against its cub’s face in gratitude.
Xue Tuan giggled from the rubbing. He hugged the fluffy snow fox’s head and said, “Hahaha, it tickles so much, Father!”
Not only that, Xue Tuan had an idea and went to help the little black lion pick its teeth.
The little black lion looked blank and confused, but still obediently stayed still, its big eyes innocently watching the little ball.
Xue Tuan: “Teeth are very important, you have to protect them!”
What teeth? Protect what? The little black lion didn’t understand the connection between the tendon and the teeth, and blindly nodded at Xue Tuan’s soft voice.
As dusk fell and the night sky twinkled with stars, the beastmen, each lost in their own thoughts, drifted off to sleep.
They continued to wait to see if there would be another earthquake. But as the night passed, there seemed to be no further movement.
Time flowed quietly by, the night faded, and the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn. A new day had arrived.
The crisis seemed to have passed, but the people were uneasy, and the question of returning to the tribe was raised again.
The Snowfox family, however, remained calm. They were in no hurry to return and even considered continuing south to explore further.
Feng Yan and Rong Shan were now firmly convinced that heading south was the right thing to do, their cubs were adapting well. If Xue Tuan hadn’t still been unable to transform, they would have thought the little cub had fully recovered.
The inability to transform due to weakness was difficult to cure, but Xue Tuan’s current state of mind and vitality made it no different from that of any other cub. “Give it a few more years, and things might really get better.”
However, the tribe couldn’t continue like this, and unrest was easily brewing among the people. Some beastmen longed to return, while others felt it was too dangerous and valued their lives more than their homes. A small group lacked independent thought, and simply followed the chief’s orders.
Gradually, discontent began to grow, and the clamor grew louder.
The temporary camp became chaotic and disorderly until a chorus of wolf howls brought everyone back to silence.
This was an unwritten rule in the tribe: the howls of wolves meant the chief had a major decision to announce.
The crowd parted to make way for the chief, who walked to the center of the camp. Shi Hu spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear: “Now I will announce the tribe’s next steps.”
The chief’s voice was heavy, and many hearts tightened in their throats.