Beauty and the Beasts

A bowl of impurities could be filtered out from a bucket of salt, with there being sand and floating algae. There were even dead bugs and small fishes. The earlier displeased tiger beastmen didn’t dare to say a single word.

All the salt was mixed with water and filtered, even the half bucket of salt that had been extracted through boiling was no exception.

After it was done, the sky had turned dark, and the beastmen left.

The leopard cubs had run wild for a day. They returned with their own hunt.

“Howl—”

The three cubs placed their hunt by their mother’s feet and grabbed onto her lower thigh.

Even though their claws were drawn back, Bai Qingqing’s skin still hurt from their scratches. She could vaguely smell a farting stench and lowered her head to see a blue-tailed fox covered in blood next to her foot.

That blue color was too bright, and Bai Qingqing instantly felt that something was amiss.

This could be said to be one’s instincts. All bright things in the natural world emitted a hint of strangeness. They would either be extremely toxic, smelly or have some other capabilities of driving people crazy.

This was their protective coloration that reminded those who hunted them.

“Ahahahaha…”

Molly burst out laughing while backing off. “Qingqing, your cub has caught a blue-tailed fox, hahaha…”

“What’s wrong with the blue-tailed fox?” Bai Qingqing asked, feeling baffled. Back then, Alva also gifted her with bright blue clothing, but she hadn’t worn it before. Later on, she also left it behind in the peacock village.

Parker scolded. “Rascal.”

He then kicked Third away, the one who had caught the blue-tailed fox.

“You’ll sleep on the top floor today.”

“Howl?” Third looked toward his mother, feeling aggrieved. He suddenly sneezed.

This guy had choked on the stench on his body again.

Parker explained, “When the blue-tailed fox is frightened, it’ll fart. Third is going to stink for a month. Qingqing, don’t get close to it, else the smell might get to you.”

“Pffft!” Bai Qingqing burst out laughing. She recalled that Alva also stank for a while. It should also be because he had hunted a blue-tailed fox.

It had been very long since she had seen him. She wondered how he was doing, and if he had returned to the peacock village.

Third had initially been very proud for having hunted the most beautiful prey. After hearing his father’s words, he was completely stunned.

Bai Qingqing saw how pitiful he looked and felt like laughing even more. She held back her laughter and walked over to him. “Third, don’t be sad. One month will pass by very quickly. Mother won’t despise you.”

“Howl?” Third looked at her with water gleaming in his eyes. They were half a year old, and the color of their pupils wasn’t as deep anymore. However, they were still clear.

Bai Qingqing could understand the feelings when looked at by those emotional eyes even though they couldn’t communicate with each other.

“It’s true, I’m not lying.” After saying that, Bai Qingqing lowered her head and rubbed the tip of her nose against Third’s black nose. She was about to breathe when her nose moved to the top of his head.

A strong concentrated scent of bedbugs amidst lanugo gushed into her nose like they were alive. That feeling was as if she had forcibly chugged down a bucket of stinky sewage water.

Bai Qingqing blanked out, and she forgot where she was.

Who am I?

What am I doing?

Where is this place?

Bai Qingqing only regained her senses after she raised her head seemingly calmly and left the source of the pollution. She coughed and did a hand gesture to Third, indicating that “I’m refusing the invitation.”

“You better sleep on the top floor.”

“Howl—” Third raised his paw and scratched his head that his mother had smelled.

First, who had caught a bird, and Second, who had caught a rabbit, were exalted. They imitated their father and stepped on their prey, looked toward Third, and let out challenging cries in unison. “Howl—”

“Growl!” Third squeezed out a low bellow from his throat. He kicked at the soil with his hind legs and then shot toward them like an arrow that had been released from a bow.