"Does Cursed Female—I an, Bai Yue! Do you want this fruit?!"
Bai Yue blinked the sleep from her eyes to find a fuzzy, scaly tail flicking inches from her nose. Shé Èr was holding out a bright purple, star-shaped fruit, while his brother, Shé Yì, was shaking with nervous energy behind him.
Beside them stood a tall, slender man with dark, shimring scales tracing his jawline and black eyes. This was Mò Chéng, the father of the twins!
"Thank you for protecting them, Cursed Female," Mò Chéng said. His voice was deep and raspy. He looked angry, his arms crossed over his chest, but the lethal edge usually reserved for her was strangely absent. "I am in your debt."
"I—it was nothing," Bai Yue stamred, taking the fruit. "I an, it was a lot of hitting people with trees, but I’d do it again."
Mò Chéng looked at his sons. "Co. We are going back to the snake pits for training."
"Noooo!" Shé Yì wailed, grabbing Bai Yue’s leg. "We want to stay with Ruì Xuě and Cursed Female!"
"Yeah!" Shé Èr added, nodding vigorously. "She’s very kind to us! She didn’t even yell when we threw rocks!"
Mò Chéng black eyes widened in genuine shock. After a long, tense silence, he let out a sharp exhale. "Very well. Stay. But do not cause trouble." Then he left.
"Yayyy!" The twins cheered. Shé Yì lunged forward and shoved the fruit directly into Bai Yue’s mouth.
"Mmph!" She nearly choked, but managed to bite down. It tasted like a cross between a mango and a popping-candy.
As she chewed, her eyes landed on Zhāo Yàn, who was leaning against the doorfra of her hut, looking entirely too smug for a man who had left her alone in the dark springs last night. She was still fuming. After he had vanished, she’d had to stumble back through the woods, freezing and terrified that every rustle in the bushes was a Vulture coming to finish the job.
"You," she pointed a finger at the Fox Lord. "Don’t even look at ."
"I have to look at you," Zhāo Yàn countered, pushing off the wall. "I have decided I’m staying with you at all tis today. For the safety of the kits, of course."
Bai Yue snorted, ignoring him as she turned her attention to Ruì Xuě. The little snow leopard was sitting on the floor, watching the twins play. When Bai Yue moved toward him to pet his hair, he flinched.
The movent was small, but it cut through Bai Yue. Sigh. What did she expect? He was the most traumatised of the three cubs.
"Does Cursed Female still think I’m a burden?" Ruì Xuě whispered, his purple eyes downcast. "That.....that I shouldn’t have been born?"
The room went silent. Even the snake twins stopped wrestling. Bai Yue knelt down, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces. She took his tiny, cold hands in hers.
"No. Never," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "You are the bravest boy I know. You called ’Mama’ yesterday, rember? A mother’s job is to protect her treasures, and you, Ruì Xuě, are a treasure."
He looked hesitant, peering at her through his white bangs. Finally, he gave a tiny nod. "Okay."
Sigh. No smile yet. But we’re getting there.
"Co on!" Miao Miao barked, shifting into her panther form and wiggling her butt. "Let’s go get the Sugar-Glow berries! The ones from yesterday were dropped in the mud!"
"Let’s go!" Bai Yue cheered, glad for the change in atmosphere.
As they trotted out of the hut, Zhāo Yàn’s hand shot out, catching Bai Yue’s arm and pulling her back.
"Don’t touch !" she hissed, sparking with indignation. "You abandoned in the middle of a dark forest! I could have been eaten!"
Zhāo Yàn looked puzzled for a second, then a low rumble started in his chest. To Bai Yue’s absolute shock, he snickered. It shocked him too, because he imdiately clamped his mouth shut and straightened his face.
"I didn’t abandon you," he said, his red eyes sparkling. "I stood ten paces behind you in the shadows until you safely reached your hut. My night vision is superior to yours, Bai Yue. I watched you stumble over that root near the elder’s hut."
Bai Yue froze, her face heating up. "So you saw face-plant in the dirt? And you just....watched?!"
She swung her hand to smack his shoulder, but he caught her wrist mid-air, his smile returning, this ti, it was softer. "I’ll bring our son, Yòu Lín, here tomorrow," he said, turning serious.
Bai Yue’s eyes widened. "Really? Oh, yes! Yes, please!"
Zhāo Yàn seed taken aback by her genuine excitent. He nodded slowly. "Yes. He should see this.....version of you."
They followed the cubs to the berry patch. It was a wholeso scene, the panther triplets pouncing on shadows, the snake twins hissing at butterflies, and Ruì Xuě trotting along at Bai Yue’s side.
"See!" Miao Miao pointed to a high branch. "That berry is huge! But we can’t reach!"
Bai Yue jumped, trying to pluck it, but it was just out of reach. Suddenly, a long, elegant arm reached over her head. Zhāo Yàn plucked the berry with ease and handed it to her, his chest brushing against her back.
"Oh. Thank you," she murmured, her heart doing a frantic little dance. She quickly handed the berry to Ruì Xuě, who ate it with a tiny, satisfied hum.
"When will Han Shan be back?" Bai Yue asked, looking at Zhāo Yàn.
"By tomorrow evening," the Fox Lord replied. "Why? Are you planning on gobbling up all the kits before the Bear Alpha arrives to stop you?"
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped, giving him a playful shove. To her surprise, he didn’t snap back, he just smiled, though he quickly cleared his throat and looked away.
Miao Miao looked up from a bush. "Uncle Zhao, I miss Yòu Lín! When can he co play with us?"
"Yeah!" A-Li and Xiao Hei chid in. Even Ruì Xuě looked up cutely. "Yes, please."
Zhāo Yàn looked at the eager faces and his expression ward. "Should we go see him now?"
"YES!" the cubs scread in unison.
"Alright," Zhāo Yàn chuckled. He looked at Bai Yue. "You too. We’ll find Mò Chéng and Mo Xiao to tell them we’re taking the kits to the Eastern Hills. It’s a bit of a journey, but we’ll be back by evening."
"I’m going to see my son," Bai Yue whispered to herself, a mix of nerves and excitent swirling in her gut.
As they began to walk, Zhāo Yàn leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear, his voice dropping to an erotic, teasing purr.
"Ti to see if your kit recognizes his mother, Bai Yue. Or if he’ll run from the ’Demon’ too."
[DING! ☆]
[Quest Updated: The Mother’s Redemption]
[New Objective: et Yòu Lín and avoid a total emotional ltdown!]
[Soul Itch: 1% - You’re doing great, sweetie!]
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