023: Moon Wolves
Nightfall arrived.
The Rock Armored Turtle stopped to rest.
Bang, bang, bang!
Mu Liang knocked on the door. “Mino, co out for dinner.”
“You eat first. I’m not hungry,” ca the shy voice from the room.
Standing at the door, Mu Liang muttered loud enough to be heard, “A fourteen-year-old girl… Could she be entering her rebellious phase?”
The door, made from wooden planks, offered little soundproofing.
Whoosh!
The door flung open instantly.
Mino appeared at the doorway, her cheeks flushed red, her blue eyes glaring.
Hands on her hips, she scolded, “I’m not rebellious!”
“Right, right, not rebellious.” Mu Liang suddenly felt like he was raising a daughter.
Smiling, he lightly flicked her forehead and gently said, “Co on, dinner’s ready.”
“Eh?! Eh?! Eh?!”
Mino’s eyes widened in shock as she saw the completely transford hall.
At so point, a tall square table and four benches had been added.
A steel pot sat in the middle, with wooden bowls and chopsticks neatly placed across from each other.
“Why are you just standing there? Co eat,” Mu Liang beckoned calmly.
“Did you make all this this afternoon?” Mino sat down in a daze, running her hand over the smooth table and bench.
“I made them along with the big bathtub,” Mu Liang casually ladled at soup for her. “We can’t keep crouching by the fire pit to eat.”
“A big bathtub too?!” Mino almost bit her tongue in surprise.
“To store water and for bathing, I made a big tub,” Mu Liang pointed to the half-human-height tub in the corner.
With his current strength, handling wood was easy.
Previously, he had to shave wood little by little. Now, a single swipe sent large chunks flying.
“That tub must hold a lot of water.” Mino montarily forgot her al and ran over to inspect it.
“It could fit at least ten of you,” Mu Liang took a sip of soup.
Mino sighed, “But there’s no water.”
“Wait for rain,” Mu Liang said nonchalantly.
If no rain ca, they could find water at the Blood Beard Bandits’ base. A base had to have a water source.
“It hasn’t rained in seventeen days. Who knows when it will?”
Mino returned to the table, the thought of her sll dampening her appetite for the soup she loved.
Mu Liang, chewing on roasted at, urged, “Finish your dinner. I’ve got sothing for you.”
“What is it?” Mino asked curiously.
“You’ll see after you eat,” Mu Liang glanced at her bowl.
“I’ll finish quickly!” Mino grabbed her roasted at and soup.
In under ten minutes, she was done.
“I’m finished!”
Mino licked her lips, her blue eyes blinking eagerly, her rabbit ears twitching.
She looked like a little girl begging for candy from her father.
Mu Liang brought out the drawing board and handed her the Hotown painting.
“Don’t touch the surface, or the charcoal will smudge,” he warned.
“Got it.” Mino took it, flipping it over eagerly.
The mont she saw the familiar scene, her blue eyes widened, and her mouth opened in awe.
The sight hit her deeply.
“It’s… so beautiful,” Mino’s nose tingled, her vision blurring.
“Hotown. That’s its na,” Mu Liang stood, patting her head, giving her space.
He stepped outside, gazing into the pitch-black wilderness where nothing was visible.
Mu Liang’s mind wandered.
He thought about his journey to this world, how he was lucky to et a kind girl who kept him from being robbed and left for dead.
Then, he reflected on how she trusted him, soone she’d known for only six or seven days, and was willing to follow him.
All Mu Liang could do was preserve her precious mories.
Awoooo!
Suddenly, a wolf’s howl pierced the quiet night, snapping Mu Liang out of his thoughts.
He looked in the direction of the sound, seeing a string of white dots flicker like stars moving across a dark curtain.
“Mu Liang, co inside quickly!” Mino’s raspy, anxious voice called out.
She stood at the door, waving frantically.
“What’s wrong?” Mu Liang approached, noting her reddened eyes.
“Get inside. It’s too dangerous out there,” Mino tugged him in, slamming the door shut.
She rushed to the fire pit, removing logs to dim the fire.
Huff, huff… Mino exhaled, visibly relieved.
“Because of the wolf howls?” Mu Liang asked gently.
“The Moon Wolves are dangerous beasts,” Mino sniffled.
She had been moved to tears by the painting monts ago, only to be terrified by the wolves now.
“Did you forget? We have our own beast.” Mu Liang chuckled, stomping his foot.
Awooo! The Rock Armored Turtle let out a warning growl.
Awoooo!
In response, a distant wolf howl echoed.
Awoooo!
Then, the howls grew fainter as the Moon Wolves left the area.
“They’re gone,” Mino blinked in disbelief, her floppy rabbit ears slowly standing upright.
“Yeah, they left,” Mu Liang, now familiar with beast communication, roughly understood their ssages:
The turtle warned the Moon Wolves: Get off my turf.
The wolves retorted: Just you wait.
“Good riddance,” Mino rekindled the fire.
A second later, she realized she’d forgotten sothing.
“My painting!” Mino paled, frantically searching until she spotted it on the table, sighing in relief.
She had set it down in her concern for Mu Liang’s safety.
“How should I preserve it?” she asked.
“Hang it on your wall,” Mu Liang suggested warmly.
“Help hang it.” Mino held the painting up, a bit flustered.
“Sure,” Mu Liang agreed, touched by how much she treasured it.
For so reason, it made him happy.
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