“Didn’t you say there were no wild animals in the woods? How did a cat show up?” Xu Shuangci asked.

Qing: “I don’t know.”

Xu Shuangci now had a cat of his own; the rest of them were of no consequence to him.

Since Qing knew about it and hadn’t chased it away, it must not be a threat. Xu Shuangci thought about it for a moment and then forgot all about it. Today was a rare sunny day.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, bathing the cave in bright light.

Looking out from the cave entrance, he saw a blue sky dotted with white clouds, the sunlight blinding—it seemed no different from Earth. Could it be that he was still on Earth?

Impossible.

Big cats and wolves on Earth don’t communicate.

The first major task of spring was to clean up the cave, which was starting to get moldy.

Xu Shuangci took off one of his animal-skin coats, rolled up his sleeves, and got ready to work.

He dug up the plant ash he’d been saving for several months and moved it outside to pile up. That way, it could be used as fertilizer if he ever wanted to grow something in the future. He restacked the unused firewood.

The wicker baskets and other containers piled in the corner were all neatly arranged.

He swept the floor clean with a broom bound with grass leaves, leaving not a speck of dust in any corner.

The water cistern, brine cistern, and all the pots, bowls, and utensils were washed one by one. Then he carefully wiped down the rattan chairs, rattan tables, and rattan shelves he’d woven that winter… Xu Shuangci was busy in the cave and found Qing to be in the way, so he shooed him out.

Qing stood outside watching for a while. Seeing that Xu Shuangci was ignoring him, his tail slowly drooped. The sun fell on his fur, warming him gently.

Qing walked around the cave entrance once, then found a rock outside the cave and lay down on it. The sunlight fell on his back fur, making his white coat look as lustrous and smooth as silk.

Listening to the sounds coming from inside the cave, Qing gazed at the dense forest and thought: Shuangci seems to have made this cave his home.

Doesn’t he want to return to his own tribe?

If he did, considering how long they’d been together, he could send him back.

“Smack—”

The tiger’s tail slammed down on the stone platform.

“Upset?”

The tail flared out, and Qing nearly kicked Xu Shuangci, who had come too close, right out of the way. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick enough to stop himself just in time. Xu Shuangci stood up straight, grabbed the tiger’s ears with both hands, and rubbed them with a smile.

“Don’t be upset.”

“It’s spring—what a wonderful season.”

Perhaps Qing would be able to bring back a litter of tiger cubs this year.

Qing felt that the smile on Xu Shuangci’s face was a bit insincere. He raised a paw to brush the hand off his ear. He looked at the sub-beastman and opened his mouth to ask. But Xu Shuangci simply picked up the wooden basin and walked away.

Qing let out a heavy snort through his nose. He said indifferently, “I’m not upset.”

“Thwack, thwack, thwack—”

The tail thudded against the stone platform, each strike heavier than the last. Xu Shuangci glanced over at the sound.

Although the big cat’s face was covered in fur, making its expression hard to read, its blue eyes were fierce, and the tail behind it was swishing about restlessly—a clear sign that it was “angry.”

He curled the corners of his mouth. Still playing hard to get. So tsundere.

It took half the morning for Xu Shuangci to clean out both caves.

With the clutter cleared away, the caves felt spacious and tidy. The sunlight streaming in lifted his spirits.

It was early spring now, and the temperature was rising rapidly.

The leftover food in the cave wouldn’t last long, so they needed to eat it up quickly.

There wasn’t much food left over from the winter—it was fish, and nothing but fish. Even though Qing loved eating it, he’d turn away at the sight of fish now. But the benefits of eating fish were obvious; Qing’s fur had become noticeably smoother.

After cleaning the caves, they had eleven fish and five sweet roots weighing five or six pounds each. Thanks to his efforts, only a single jar of jam remained.

The yellow tip vegetable was gone, and while there were some green ear vegetables left, they had all gone bad, so Xu Shuangci threw them out. For lunch, Xu Shuangci made pan-fried fish.

With few seasonings, there weren’t many variations he could make—maybe eight out of ten—and the flavor wasn’t anything special. It took some coaxing to get the big cat to eat even a little, and Xu Shuangci was working up a sweat.

He felt like he was serving an ancient ancestor. Though it took a lot of effort, he enjoyed it.

“We’re going out tomorrow.”

Qing crouched beside Xu Shuangci, his tall, imposing frame blocking the light from the outside. Xu Shuangci shifted the rattan chair slightly to the side and continued sewing the animal hide in his hands. This was for spring wear, so the fur wasn’t very thick.

As he sewed, he asked, “Should I go with you?”

Qing: “Sure.”

After finishing another meal of fish, for the fourth meal of the night, Xu Shuangci followed Qing’s example and gnawed on a sweet root raw. At least that suppressed the cloying aftertaste. After washing up, he immediately burrowed into the blankets.

He woke up from a deep sleep.

Xu Shuangci grabbed a wicker basket, pulled the door shut, and climbed onto Qing’s back.

It was early spring, and not many animals had returned yet. They needed meat, so they had to go further afield to hunt. Xu Shuangci wrapped himself in animal skins as usual to shield himself from the wind.

Qing set off in a random direction, and by the time he stopped, Xu Shuangci’s legs had gone stiff. They were now on a slope.

Below the slope, the view opened up.

About five hundred meters below, in the grasslands circling the lake, a beast was grazing. Qing called them “spotted beasts,” saying that the patterns on their bodies were all different.

Xu Shuangci gazed into the distance but could make out only a head and four legs.

“Don’t wander off,” Qing warned.

Xu Shuangci nodded. “I’ll stay right here.”

Qing hid among the trees in the gap and slowly crept toward it.

Xu Shuangci wanted to take a look, but the distance was too great to make out anything. Since getting out had taken so long, he feared wasting any more time, so he grabbed the wicker basket and began searching for something edible.

Xu Shuangci’s knowledge of this place came entirely from Qing.

He knew plenty of things that were inedible, but Qing hadn’t told him much about what was edible. So he could only search slowly. In early spring, one eats shoots.

Tree buds, grass shoots, and even flower buds were all edible.

As Xu Shuangci searched, he found only one edible tree bud; he picked the ones at the bottom and then climbed up to pick more. Even so, he only managed to fill the bottom of the wicker basket a little.

A small shrub rustled.

Xu Shuangci thought it might be a small animal. He glanced around and quietly picked up a stick from the ground.

He stifled his footsteps and crept forward.

Amid the tangled thicket, a mound of dry grass stood out.

The closer Xu Shuangci got, the faster the pile of dry grass trembled. He raised his stick high, ready to strike.

“Meow—”

A faint meow made Xu Shuangci jump back a step.

The dry grass shook loose, and a tiny kitten crawled out from within. Half-buried in fallen leaves, it looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

“No, don’t kill us.”

Xu Shuangci froze for a moment, then took two quick steps back.

Seeing him leave, A-Mao let out a sob. Shaking unsteadily, he buried his head in the leaves and emerged with his nearly unconscious younger brother in his mouth. The kitten carried the tiny kitten, and even the grass and leaves on the ground were taller than them.

Xu Shuangci watched for a long time but saw them not move a single step; the kitten even stumbled and fell with a thud.

Finally, seeing Xu Shuangci still staring at them and his little brother injured again, A-Mao let out a whimper and sat down on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The voice was soft and babyish—it was a kitten.

Xu Shuangci couldn’t bear to watch and, suppressing his curiosity, asked, “Do you need help?” The older kitten looked at him with tear-filled eyes.

“My little brother…”

Not a shred of the wariness one would expect.

Xu Shuangci slowly approached and crouched down. “What’s wrong with him?” 

A-Mao: “Hungry… hungry.”

Xu Shuangci: “Can I hold him?”

The little cat carried the tiny kitten in its mouth and walked over to its lap. Both were thin and small, and they were still shivering from the cold.

Xu Shuangci couldn’t bear to watch; he reached out and simply placed both of them on his lap.

Their paws were delicate and soft—just like a kitten’s. But they were so thin, nothing but bones.

He sat down against the tree trunk and took out the fish he’d brought.

The fish was plain, with nothing added. He tore off a palm-sized piece and placed it on a leaf for the kitten to eat on its own. Then, cradling the tiny kitten’s head, he tentatively held a piece of finely shredded fish to its mouth.

When he noticed the deep, bone-exposed wound on the kitten’s leg, he frowned and held it even more carefully. Fortunately, the kitten had a bit of a will to survive; as soon as it smelled the food, it opened its mouth on its own.

After feeding it a small morsel, Xu Shuangci gave it a little water.

Worried it might be cold, he took off the animal hide, wrapped it around the kitten, and tucked it securely against his chest.

The other kitten had finished the palm-sized piece of fish. Just moments ago, it had been whimpering, but now it was calmly licking its fur. Xu Shuangci: Kittens are so resilient.

“What happened to your brother’s leg?”

“He was fighting over food… and fell.” A-Mao sat obediently. He wasn’t even as tall as Xu Shuangci’s calf.

Mao Mao’s fur was a grayish-brown. His eyes were round, with black markings at the corners, on his face, and on his forehead. Xu Shuangci asked tentatively, “Where are your parents?”

The kitten began to whimper.

Xu Shuangci hurriedly said, “Never mind, never mind. I won’t ask anymore.”

A-Mao nuzzled Xu Shuangci affectionately, his eyes brimming with trust.

He dared to bring his little brother out because he knew Xu Shuangci wouldn’t hurt them. So he was willing to tell this sub-beastman… “Dad’s gone.”

The little kitten looked pitiful, and Xu Shuangci couldn’t help but stroke the fur on his back.

Poor little thing.

He placed the kitten into the fur pouch along with the others, intending to discuss with Qing upon his return whether they should add two kittens to the family. Qing returned quickly.

It had only been two quarters of an hour since he’d returned with the two spotted beasts.

As he approached, before Xu Shuangci could even speak, Qing’s gaze locked onto the leather pouch hanging from his chest. His eyes were fixed on it, gleaming with a menacing glint.

Xu Shuangci stiffened slightly and confessed honestly, “…I picked up two kittens.” Qing’s expression betrayed no emotion.

“Do you want to keep them?”

Xu Shuangci: “I’m just asking you—do you want to?” 

Qing: “No.”

Xu Shuangci was speechless.

“Th-then what should we do with them?”

“We’ll do what we’ve always done.”

Xu Shuangci was still being stared at by him, so he had no choice but to take off the animal-skin pouch.

The kitten inside had already woken up. Sensing Qing’s presence, the two huddled together, shivering. Qing pulled the animal-skin pouch open.

He stared at them for a long time, then bent down and picked up the pouch in his mouth.

“Let’s go back.” Qing lay down.

Xu Shuangci climbed onto his back, unsure. Did this mean he was taking his back?

But that wasn’t the case.

Qing ran northward, not very fast. After running for half the afternoon, he stopped.

“Time to eat.” Qing’s tail brushed against Xu Shuangci’s leg. Xu Shuangci nodded and started a fire to roast the meat.

Qing placed the kitten across from Xu Shuangci, then wandered through the woods for a while. When he returned, he dropped two blades of grass. Xu Shuangci recognized them as the medicinal herbs Qing had previously planted outside the cave.

He immediately picked up the kitten.

First, he cleaned the wound, then crushed the herbs and applied them, before bandaging it with animal hide. Throughout this, neither kitten made a sound.

The older kitten, in a protective stance, wrapped its paws around the younger one.

Xu Shuangci saw the maturity in their eyes that belied their age, and gradually realized… Had he just been tricked?

He looked at Qing.

Qing: Not a shred of caution.