Beauty and the Beasts

Roar~ [Got it.]

The leopard cubs responded obediently as they hugged their mommy’s legs and whimpered pitifully.

“Seriously. You’re big boys already and you’re still wheedling,” Bai Qingqing said in amusement.

Parker’s heart also softened; something that rarely happened. He said, “They’re asking you when you’ll be coming back, whether you can be back by tomorrow.”

Bai Qingqing circled her arms around all three of them and said gently, “Nope. I don’t know when I will be back too.”

Then, she got to her feet and walked to the window. The cubs trailed after her.

With much effort, Bai Qingqing hoisted up the slightly lighter Third and pointed at the largest moon—the silver one, which represented the month. Right now it was only a crescent moon.

“Just look at the moon when you miss Mommy. Mommy will look up at the moon when I miss you three too. Since we’ll be looking at the same thing, you won’t feel that Mommy is so far away.”

Third widened his eyes and, staring at the silver moon, roared and nodded.

Eldest and Second climbed up to the window by themselves. The three cubs raised their heads in unison and softly howled.

Heart aching for them, Bai Qingqing stroked their heads one by one.

“Tomorrow after we leave, you three go live in the tree hole. It’s nearer to the tribal head’s home there, which makes it more convenient for you to go there and eat. That way you three won’t make a complete mess of our home. You’re not to make trouble in the tree hole, either. Mommy will check when I get back.”

Bai Qingqing gave them a stern reminder.

Roar!

The leopard cubs agreed unanimously.

At night, Bai Qingqing chased Curtis and Parker out of the nest and slept with her cubs on the grass pile.

…

The next day, before the skies brightened, five young and strong tiger beastmen reported at the stone castle entrance.

Sprawled on the nest, the leopard’s ears pricked up as he tilted his head towards the entrance.

Howl~ The leopard straightened his limbs and got up, then arched his back and stretched lazily.

He then shook his body and stealthily walked out.

“You’re here.” Parker transformed into a human and greeted them as he opened the door to the yard.

The tiger beastmen, who were also in their human forms, gazed into the yard feeling a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

“Hasn’t Bai Qingqing woken?” asked one of the tiger beastmen.

Parker said, “I’ll go and wake her right away. You guys can come in.”

“It’s alright. No need to wake her up from her sleep,” said another tiger beastman.

Parker ran into the bedroom and quietly walked past the cubs, then crouched down as he reached Bai Qingqing’s side.

As the leopard cubs were deep in slumber and were used to their family members’ movements, they remained soundly asleep.

“Qingqing, wake up. The tiger beastmen are here,” said Parker softly.

Still in a daze, Bai Qingqing perked up immediately upon hearing Parker’s words. She rubbed her eyes and sat upright.

“No hurry. I’ll cook for you first. It’ll be hard for you to have a good meal in the desert,” said Parker. After waking Bai Qingqing up, he turned around and left the bedroom.

In order to save time, he cooked a bowl of noodles stewed with preserved meat, which took about ten-odd minutes to prepare.

By then, Bai Qingqing had just finished washing up. Enticed by the alluring fragrance, she took a bite from a slice of the preserved meat. To her surprise, the hard-as-rock meat that she cooked for over an hour yesterday was tender and chewy under Parker’s skilled hands.

Now that there were instances for comparison, she realized, to her surprise, that her cooking skills were indeed inferior to Parker’s.

“Smells great. It’s the smell of smoked meat.”

The tiger beastmen at the door slurped down their saliva. Clearly, they had deliberately filled up their stomachs yesterday, yet it was only early in the morning and already they were feeling kind of hungry.

“Good morning, everyone. Do come in and drink some meat soup.”

A clear, crisp, and pleasant female voice attracted their attention.