Chapter 220: Chapter 220: The Young Rabbit Leader’s Burden
Inside the temporary settlent prepared for them, the rabbit tribe finally began to huddle together, trying to shake off the damp cold that had clung to their fur and skin for days.
The tree houses the fox tribe offered them were simple but solid.
Inside one dim tree house, the rabbit tribe leader, Tu Yelang, sat against the wooden wall, his back straight but his eyes heavy with exhaustion he didn’t dare show.
He was still a young beastman... rely 19 years old. Far too young to be carrying the weight of an entire tribe.
His hands were still trembling slightly from the cold, but his mind was elsewhere entirely; it was replaying the mont that had changed everything.
His father’s last stand.
The rain had just begun then, heavy and rciless, and the ferocious sky bees had sward out of their nests in frenzied waves. Their stingers could pierce fur, flesh, and even bone. Their venom could weaken limbs within minutes.
Tu Yelang’s father, Tu Ganglie, already frail from sickness, had stepped forward anyway.
"Yelang... take your sister. Take everyone... from here and find a safe place."
"B-but Father...!"
"Don’t make
repeat myself!"
He rembered the way his father’s voice shook with dread. The way his wide rabbit ears trembled, yet he still stood tall, blocking the bees with the elders who volunteered to die with him.
Tu Yelang swallowed now, pressing a hand over his eyes.
He shouldn’t cry... not when he had to be a leader... even if he wasn’t old enough yet.
Even if half the tribe still saw him as a child.
Even if sotis he felt like he was still that sa boy who used to hide behind his father’s legs.
A soft voice brought him back.
"Leader Yelang... the others are settled."
He looked up to see Tu Feixian, one of the older rabbit warriors, carrying a small bundle of wet leaves to burn.
Yelang nodded. "Good. Make sure the cubs are near the fire. They’re too cold."
Feixian nodded and went out again.
Yelang left his tree house to go and see the situations of others. Females leaned against the walls, trembling softly, their clothes still drying. Little cubs rubbed their faces sleepily. So warriors were wringing water out of their fur.
And in one of the tree houses, his sister... Tu Ruyan, the second pregnant female of their tribe, was leaning weakly against the tree wall.
Her face was pale, her lips slightly blue. Her belly was small, and the rain had been unforgiving to her weak body.
He imdiately went to her, crouching beside her. "Ruyan, are you okay? Does your stomach hurt? Are you cold? Do you need water? Should I call the witch doctor?"
She rolled her eyes weakly. "Gege... breathe. You’re asking too many questions."
He blinked, then stumbled over his words. "I... I’m just worried."
"I know." She smiled faintly. "But you don’t need to. I’m fine. That fox tribe female... Miss Su... she helped
earlier. I feel a lot better."
Tu Yelang swallowed. "Su Qinglan..."
Even thinking her na made his heart skitter like a frightened rabbit.
Ruyan noticed instantly.
Her smile turned sly. "Ah? So that’s the beauty who made your ears stand straight earlier?"
His face flushed bright red. "R-Ruyan! Don’t talk nonsense!"
"I saw you staring at her."
"I wasn’t... I just... she... she is beautiful, yes, but she’s surrounded by three beastn who could snap
in half with one hand!"
Ruyan giggled softly, then winced as a cold shiver ran through her body.
Imdiately Yelang grabbed the thin blanket around her shoulders and wrapped her tighter. "See? You’re still cold. I’m not leaving until..."
"Gege." She looked at him gently. "Go eat sothing. You haven’t eaten since yesterday."
"I’m not hungry."
"Your face is so pale it looks transparent."
"I said I’m not hungry."
She gave him a long stare. "Stop being stubborn. Father entrusted
to you. If you starve, how am I supposed to explain it to him in the afterlife?"
The words pierced him deeply.
Yelang sighed shakily and lowered his gaze. "...Fine. I’ll eat later."
"Good." She closed her eyes a little, exhaustion dragging her down. "The fox tribe female said she’ll bring us so dicine. She’s very kind..."
Yelang murmured, "She is."
Ruyan opened her eyes just a slit. "But don’t stare at her too much. Her three beast husbands look like they want to bury you alive."
She wanted her brother to find a good female, but she was also aware of the cruel reality: if he really wanted to join any nest, he should at least be able to beat her previous beast husband, or his status would be too low and he would have a miserable life.
"...I noticed," he whispered.
She caught his sleeve weakly. "Gege... thank you for saving us."
His breath hitched.
"No," he said softly. "It was Father. And the elders. They died for us."
Ruyan’s eyes softened. "They died so we could live. So... we must live well. Don’t bla yourself."
He brushed her hair back gently. "Rest now. I’ll co back later."
She nodded and slowly drifted into sleep.
The mont Yelang left her room, another figure slipped inside. He was her beast husband, a soft-spoken goat man nad Ren Wenqing.
He exhaled with deep relief and knelt beside her.
"Ruyan... my heart," he whispered, carefully removing her wet clothes and wrapping her in his own warm fur shawl. "You’re safe now. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm."
He pressed her cold hands to his chest, rubbing warmth into them.
Behind him, two other rabbit husbands, Li Minghe and Mo Baolian, entered with trembling hands carrying bits of dry bark.
"Minghe, try to light it."
"I’m trying... these branches are too wet..."
"Then use the inner layer!"
They scraped off the dry parts from the big tree outside and managed to spark a tiny fire.
Warmth slowly spread.
Ruyan sighed softly in her sleep and curled closer to Wenqing’s chest.
Her husbands looked at her with a mixture of love, fear, and determination.
"We should hunt sothing later," Minghe said quietly. "She needs at... even if it’s small animals."
Wenqing nodded. "Yes... we should hunt at as soon as possible. The female fox said she would teach them how to eat so Ruyan would not fall sick."
Baolian exhaled shakily. "At least the fox tribe didn’t chase us away... other tribes didn’t even let us speak." His voice trembled in anger and humiliation.
"Isn’t it obvious? They saw we were small beasts or herbivore beasts... so they drove us instantly."
Everyone knows rabbit beastn were the prey and not predators, so how could they hunt for the tribe? Even letting them fill their own stomach was hard, let alone believing they would eventually be able to pay them back.
So no one bothered with them; at this ti at was the most important thing. In their eyes, they were not capable of hunting at all.
And letting them live in their place would be a waste of space when they could shelter a stronger tribe.
Wenqing looked at the fire with heavy eyes. "It doesn’t matter. Now we have to take care of everyone."
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