Gentle Beast

Her entire body was startled into alertness.

“I’m fine. . .” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s white arms wrapped around her chest, her face rosy red, and she wished she could shrink into nothingness.

She had not thought that Ryan would suddenly break in. She had just turned to pick up her clothes when she accidentally kicked down the wooden stool and cried out. The sound hadn’t even ended yet when he broke in the door.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu could not respond, the figure in the doorway tall and large, profound facial features peering in from the night, his eyes dark and shining.

——There was a strong oppression there, and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu had forgotten she was facing a leopard.

“I, I just accidentally kicked over the stool . .”

The huts here had no way to lock the doors.

After these days of getting along, she had gained some trust in Ryan. Additionally, the filth her body was too much to deal with. She hadn’t let herself worry too much and used a wooden stool to press behind the door.

Now, that stool had fallen on its side and she was embarrassed under Ryan’s gaze.

This naked encounter was not conducive to her. Her knitted jacket was on the table in front of her so she covered her chest and reached forward with one hand, quickly grabbing the clothes to put on. . .

But the floor was slippery and she was too flustered. With an unsteady skid of her foot, she began to fall backward.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu closed her eyes and protected her belly, waiting for that moment of hitting the ground——

But, without warning, she fell instead onto a spacious and warm chest.

She did not know when Ryan had moved from the door, but was now holding her shoulder and waist, rolling her entire body into his arms.

He was wearing beast leather that exposed most of his chest and his body temperature was much higher than hers. The cool and hot giving sharp contrast.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu blinked and looked at Ryan’s face. Stunned, red stretched across her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, her whole brain boiling with heat.

She was dressed from the waist up, but nothing underneath. . . her legs were pressed to his thighs. . .

“Let me go! Get out. . .”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s face was red for a while. In Ryan’s arms, she desperately struggled but his arms were like iron rod, and the more she struggled, the tighter it got.

Worried she would hurt herself, Ryan picked her up and walked to the bed.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu wanted to cry but she was without tears, and she tightly pulled the knit sweater over her lower body. Once Ryan set her on the bed, she desperately shrunk towards the corner.

But she couldn’t, Ryan’s hand on her shoulder nailing her to the spot.

“Don’t move.” She just struggled so much and almost fell backward. Ryan checked the wound on her belly to make sure it hadn’t cracked open.

His line of sight tracked up her body, staring blankly at her snow white body.

The girl was wearing a large sweater but was too late to button it shut and, while it concealed both sides of her, it still revealed too much of her upper body.

Her skin was very different from the leopard females, white and soft.

She grabbed the bottom of the sweater with one hand and once she was in bed, her wide eyes looked at him. They were wet and she pursed her lips, looking aggrieved and miserable.

It was this expression that allowed the girl to break free from his grasp and rolled into the inside of the bed, wrapping herself in a blanket until only her small head was exposed. Her wet hair was plastered to her cheeks and she looked like a drowned poodle.

Ryan shifted his gaze away.

The girl had covered herself up as tightly as she good. . . but forgot her tiny, delicate feet.

The ankles were exposed to air, the bones were well distributed and the backs were like the rest of her, white and tender soft.

Her ten toenails were glossy and pink, like the bud shoots sprouting in spring, only to find the big toes wiggled a little.

Although she was not as conspicuous as the leopard race’s females, there were many parts of her body that were delicate and exquisite. It was a pity the leopard females couldn’t possess that feeling of tenderness.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu obviously perceived his sight and her feet vanished like smoke under the blanket.

Ryan watched her wariness and his lips curved into an imperceptible smile. He stretched out his long legs blocking her only way out of the bed.

Then his slow, magnetic voice said, “Is your entire race like you?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu blinked her eyes at him, not understanding.

His next words caused her entire body to go stiff——

“Humans, are they all like you? Rather like loach.”

. . .

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s eyes suddenly widened, opening her mouth in surprise, “You, what did you just say?”

Did he just say she was like a loach. He said just now. . .  “Humans”?

How did he know she was human?!

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu went over her thoughts quickly, when had she mentioned in front of him that she was human. But no, she had no impression of saying so at all.

The girl’s pupils were sparkling, her body stiff and her eyes full of trepidation.

It’s no wonder that her reaction was so large. Eric had said humanity had long gone extinct. And the beastmen were always evolving towards humans. If they knew she was human, would she be taken as a monster?

“I am not human, I am. . .” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu denied, trying to defend herself. She thought for a long time and could not think of an appropriate statement. Finally, she pulled her blanket over her head and gave up, “I’m a mud race*!”

*I wasn’t aware until now but Loach is apparently a type of mud fish and that’s what she’s referring to here, and what Ryan was saying earlier.

“They don’t have the ability to turn into people.” Ryan kindly reminded her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu guessed well, that early on when Ryan was in his cub form, he had already guessed her identity.

Primate and with no beast form, her habits and the use of high tech, those were all characteristics of humans.

It was only because of his physical limitations at the time that he did not speak much.

He had so many things to ask her. Where she came from, and why, and what was that \'space” of hers?

The words in his mouth, he quickly swallowed them back down. Ryan lifted his legs from the bed as if nothing happened and said, “Rest assured, no one will know who you are except me.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s eyelashes trembled and she said nothing.

It wasn’t until she heard Ryan depart that she slowly opened the blanket and looked at the door, wondering what he was thinking.

*

Perhaps because she didn’t dry her hair last night before going to sleep, but when Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu woke up the next day, she had a headache and felt awful.

She sat up and took two cold medicine pills. Last night’s memory rushed into her mind and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu thought of Ryan’s calm expression when he said she was human. Most likely, he had already known. As for why he was saying it now. . . she could not see.

In short, it strengthened Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s resolve to leave after she was better.

There was no one in the room and there was a pot of fish soup on the table left for her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu tasted it and the soup was very fresh. He didn’t use ginger, garlic or wine, and it was difficult to taste.

She reluctantly drank a mouthful but could not drink it. She quietly took a box of milk out of her space and opened it.

After drinking the milk, she was still alone in the room.

Outside the house came some noise and she hesitated but pushed open the door and went out. She saw a lot of firewood out there and Ryan was siting on the pile, ordering two other leopards to work.

The two leopards heard the door open and blue green eyes looked at her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu shrank back and subconsciously walked over to Ryan’s side, asking, “What are you doing?”

Ryan put down the bamboo keys in his hand and looked at her as he answered, “Expanding the courtyard.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was puzzled. Why did he suddenly want to expand the courtyard?

Ryan said: “I leave Camuda tomorrow to lead a hunting trip. During the days I’m away, you can move around in the courtyard.” Otherwise, with her timidness, would only wander around the house.

After all that, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was surprised.

Ryan tossed the keys over to her, “Can you unlock it?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu caught the keys and carelessly nodded.

“Do not open the door to any race,” Ryan raised his chin and looked sideways at the dark hair behind the girl, then after a while, he added, “Except me.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu had let her hair down after her bath. It was dense and thick, like spilled ink.

Ryan’s fingertips twitched and he suddenly had the thought of pulling it into the palm of his hand.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s mind was elsewhere as she cautiously asked, “You’ll be gone for a few days?”

“Maybe three or four, maybe seven or eight,” he said.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu bit her lower lip. She still remembers Ryan’s reaction when she mentioned leaving, and subconsciously thought that if she mentioned it again, he would still disagree.

Instead of waiting for his consent. . . could she take this opportunity to leave?

Her Táo Táo had returned to his hometown and she still had a long way to go.

The girl’s mind was pure and her heart’s desires were painted across her face.

Ryan’s dark eyes started her shifty eyes and gradually grew even darker.

“Chief, where do you want these stakes?” asked one of the leopards wearing a fur coat.

Ryan put away his thoughts and walked over to the side, “What stakes?”

The beastman said: “The stakes were offset and it’s not supposed to be here. That guy’s getting lazy. . .”

The leopard known as “Warm” immediately retorted, “Do not shirk responsibility. Did you not just find it?”

Ryan was silent for a moment then thoughtfully said, “Let it stay there.” He paused, “Make up for this mistake elsewhere.”

*

The beastmen were very efficient and in a single day, the courtyard was expanded.

The courtyard walls were solid wood and surrounded in rattan, then caked with mud to look no different from the farmyard.

Although the appearance was simple, it added a sense of security.

The next day, Ryan and the tribe were heading out to hunt and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu woke up early to find he was already gone.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu thought he had set out already. There was no kitchen in the courtyard so she took some milk and biscuits from her space for breakfast. After eating, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu though back to the broken compass and took it from her backpack, looking at its pointer that still swayed wildly around.

“What’s the matter with it?” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was extremely disappointed. If she had no compass, how could she leave the leopard tribe?

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu sat for the bed for a while but her thoughts did not bear fruit.

She was discouraged and about to go for a walk in the courtyard when she heard the sound of conversation outside.

After a moment, she saw Ryan outside followed by a female leopard.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu froze. She hadn’t expected Ryan to come back and was temporarily helpless, “Oh. . . I thought you were gone.”

Ryan looked at her but said nothing and introduced her to the female behind him. “This is Suzanna, the daughter of Elder Scarlet. She will accompany you on the days I am away. If you have any needs, you can ask her at any time.”

Since the door was open, Suzanna’s curious eyes were on Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s body.

Ryan had hidden her so tightly so her rudeness could not be blamed on her.

Now that she could finally see the girl, she better take a careful look.

It turned out that Ryan liked a girl like this. . . the eyes were black and the facial features very small. Her skin was pink and the whole person seemed lovably exquisite.

Suzanna was about to greet Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu when Ryan looked at her and said quietly in the leopard’s tongue.

“Before I come back, she is not allowed to have an accident or to leave.”