The sunlight was just right, casting dappled shadows through the gaps in the trees.

A stream trickled gently, pooling into a small, emerald-green pond. By the pond, Xu Shuangci used a stick to dig a hole; once he’d dug deep enough, he gathered stones to build a fire pit.

Downstream, Qing followed Xu Shuangci’s instructions, skinning the game entirely, removing the entrails, and cutting off the head.

“Qing, are you done yet?”

Qing looked at the spotted beast on the grass and the wooden stick, looking somewhat troubled. He hadn’t brought any animal hides.

If he turned into human form, he’d have nothing to protect himself with.

Hearing no reply, Xu Shuangci ran down a few steps. Seeing Qing standing blankly in front of the spotted beast, he smiled, crouched down himself, sharpened the stick to a point, and then threaded it through the carcass.

“You hold the other end.”

Saying this, Xu Shuangci moved to the front and lifted the stick.

Working together, the man and the tiger propped the stick against the pile of firewood.

An animal pelt was spread out on the grass. Xu Shuangci sat cross-legged on it, pounding the newly gathered spices on a stone slab. Qing watched for a moment, then turned and went into the nearby woods to gather firewood.

The grassland around the pond was open and sunny.

Did he hear a few bird calls coming from the shadowy woods? Xu Shuangci scanned the forest and only snapped back to reality when he spotted the conspicuous white cat inside.

It looked like they’d be spending the night here. Grilling meat takes time, so Xu Shuangci wasn’t in a hurry.

He ran a stone knife over the meat, rubbing the seasoning into it. After marinating it for a while, he lit a fire to grill the meat.

Qing made a few trips back and forth, and they had enough firewood.

Xu Shuangci told him to watch the fire and turn the meat occasionally, while he went into the woods to look for herbs. Qing lay down on an animal hide.

His ears pricked up, and his tail hung motionless behind him like a long rope. It wasn’t until Xu Shuangci returned that Qing lazily nudged the firewood with his paw. “Look what I found!”

Qing looked up to meet a delighted face.

Looking down, there was another clutch of eggs, almost touching the tip of his nose. Qing glanced at them and asked, “Where’s the medicine?”

Xu Shuangci looked around, then said blankly, “I think I forgot to bring it back.”

He set the eggs down in front of Qing, shuffled his two legs—bulky from being wrapped in animal hides—and hurried back. Qing fiddled with the eggs in front of him.

There were plenty this time—a full ten of them. Judging by the sub-beastman’s absent-minded nature, three or four of them should hatch.

Xu Shuangci, feeling embarrassed to return to the fire with the herbs in hand, covered them with the animal hide—a futile attempt to hide the truth. Qing noticed the faint blush on the sub-beastman’s earlobe, and his eyes flickered.

As dusk approached, the forest filled with the chaotic chirping of insects.

The aroma of roasting meat assaulted their nostrils. The wooden skewers were charred black at both ends, and the meat’s surface was already golden-brown. Xu Shuangci made a few cuts.

The knife met the meat with a slight crunch. Pressing into the center, juices oozed out, glistening with oil. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside—it was cooked to perfection.

Xu Shuangci transferred the grilled meat to a large, washed leaf and used the knife to slice off a strip from the ribs. This was for himself.

He tore the rest apart, bones and all, and piled it all in front of Qing.

This was for the big cat.

It was supposed to be lunch, but he’d turned it into dinner. Xu Shuangci looked at Big Cat’s flat stomach and patted it sympathetically.

“Let’s eat.”

Qing’s tail twitched twice, as if in a spasm.

Looking over, Xu Shuangci had already started cutting the meat to eat.

Qing looked at the tiny bit of meat in front of him and said, “That’s not enough.”

“It’s enough. You should eat.” He said this as he turned around, plopping down with his back to Qing, his back pressed against his belly. “Ah… that feels so good. Hmm, thank goodness the Priests sent some salt; otherwise, the flavor would be way less satisfying.”

Qing flicked his tail, draping it over Xu Shuangci. He lowered his head to eat the meat in front of him.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Qing narrowed his eyes; the explosion of flavor on his taste buds whetted his appetite a little.

He didn’t have high standards when it came to food—as long as it filled his stomach, that was enough. But since the sub-beastman liked to experiment, he’d gotten to experience a variety of flavors along with him.

He liked the novelty of it all.

But the more the sub-beastman revealed, the more suspicious he became. Where exactly did Qing come from?

Night fell, and the temperature dropped sharply.

The campfire blazed fiercely, the crackling sound of wood splitting and burning never ceasing.

Xu Shuangci wrapped himself tightly in an animal pelt, crushed some insect-repelling herbs, mixed them with water, and sprinkled the mixture around them.

“Is it safe for us to sleep out here like this?”

Qing: “I’ll keep watch.”

“You can’t stay awake all night.” Xu Shuangci washed his hands, crouched down in front of Qing, and stared into his gleaming eyes. “How about this: you keep watch for half the night, and I’ll keep watch for the other half. We’ll take turns sleeping.”

Qing stared at him intently for a moment.

Xu Shuangci kept chattering, “Don’t underestimate me—I used to live in the mountains too. My hearing is sharp, and I’m always on guard… uh!” Qing lifted his paw pad, hooked him, and pinned him against his chest.

“You should just go to sleep.”

“You don’t believe me!” Xu Shuangci wriggled out from under his fur, his hair—which had grown nearly to his neck—a tangled mess. Qing lowered his head and studied Xu Shuangci closely.

His ears were as good as deaf, and he had not a shred of vigilance. With his skinny arms and spindly legs, even a beastman from a herbivorous tribe could knock him down with a single blow. He thought it over and decided not to crush his spirits by telling him the truth.

Qing lowered his head, pressing his chin against Xu Shuangci’s crown, forcing him to hide within the fur. Xu Shuangci thrashed about with all his might.

He buzzed on, spouting self-justifying words, determined to make Qing believe him.

Qing handled him as if he were a cub; aside from having to be careful not to hurt him, it took no effort at all. After a bit of fussing, the sub-beastman who’d been supposed to keep watch was fast asleep.

Qing wrapped him in a fur pelt and encircled him, his thick paw pads pressing possessively against Xu Shuangci’s back, shielding him so that only a tuft of black hair was visible.

He watched the fiercely burning fire and yawned. This was his territory.

Anyone who dared to come would be killed.

Xu Shuangci, wrapped in the warm fur and having eaten his fill, soon fell asleep, his body sprawled out.

Even out in the wild, he felt not a shred of unease.

The night passed without incident.

After waking up in the morning, Qing led Xu Shuangci on a walk through the forest. They hunted any game they encountered along the way, while Xu Shuangci gathered edible plants and herbs.

Stopping and starting along the way, it took them another full day to return to the cave.

“We’re finally back!” Xu Shuangci slumped into a rattan chair, unwilling to move once seated. Qing trailed behind, slowly entering the cave.

Looking at the person whose complexion had grown somewhat sallow, he asked, “Are you still going out with me?” 

Xu Shuangci lifted his heavy eyelids. “Go… sure…”

Qing: “Then I’ll go process the game.” 

Xu Shuangci closed his eyes.

“Go ahead.”

A smile flashed in Qing’s eyes.

He left with the game. Inside the cave, Xu Shuangci lay there for a while before getting back up. The herbs he’d dug up needed to be planted; otherwise, they’d wither.

The red fruit trees he’d planted earlier hadn’t survived the winter; they were completely dead. Xu Shuangci pulled them out and cleared the empty patch of ground again. The herbs Qing had planted earlier had died over the winter but had sprouted anew come spring.

Xu Shuangci pulled out the weeds, loosened the soil in a small patch, mixed in some plant ash, and then dug holes to plant the seeds. By the time he finished, it was nearly dark.

Qing hadn’t returned yet, so he filled a beast hide flask with hot water and set off along the stream to look for him. Just as he reached the halfway point, Qing came walking toward him, carrying a wicker basket on his back.

Xu Shuangci stopped and smiled at him.

Qing paused, walked over to Xu Shuangci, and said sternly, “Don’t go out tonight.”

Xu Shuangci: “I’m worried about you.”

Qing looked away, his ears turning pink again. “Let’s go back,” he said.

Xu Shuangci asked with a twinkle in his eyes, “Would you like a drink?” 

“I’m not thirsty,” Qing said.

Xu Shuangci walked up beside Qing. Seeing him slow his pace to accommodate his, he slowly curled the corners of his mouth upward. If that big cat were a person, he’d be wonderful.

But it’s better to be an animal—so pure.

Their feet brushed against the grass, sending tiny insects fluttering about with fluttering wings. As the weather warmed, the insects had come out.

After a moment of silence, Xu Shuangci said, “We’re out of salt.” Qing replied, “We’ll go up the mountain tomorrow to get some.”

Xu Shuangci asked in puzzlement, “I noticed the Cat Tribe has salt. Could there be an open-air salt mine around here?” 

Qing replied, “Yes, but it’s very far away.”

Xu Shuangci’s interest was piqued, and he hurriedly asked, “How long does it take to get there?” Qing replied, “It’ll take half a month just to make the round trip.”

Xu Shuangci: “Then forget it. I’ll just make my own.”

Now that the weather had improved, he could start making pottery—it was needed all over the cave. Having made up his mind, he planned to get started in the next few days.

Tonight’s dinner was a long-awaited stone pot stew.

Unlike the winter version, it had some tender greens added. Xu Shuangci didn’t care for meat much and ate mostly vegetables. Qing waited until he was full before clearing away the leftovers.

After a good night’s rest, the next day, the man and the tiger set off up the mountain together. Making salt wasn’t urgent, but eating salt was.

The water cistern for the salt spring was already empty; they had to bring some down first.

Fortunately, the big cat could serve as a pack animal; a single trip with a leather bag was enough to fill the water cistern. Xu Shuangci stayed on the mountain, surveying the surroundings.

The back of the mountain was densely forested, but if he walked toward the eastern edge, a deep ravine dropped down below. Gazing across to the opposite shore, he saw towering mountains—he wasn’t sure if that was still Qing’s territory.

That said, the winds were strong in the deep valley, so salt fields could actually be built along the cliff’s edge to try salt harvesting. Two ideas formed in Xu Shuangci’s mind—both were worth a try.

The trees and grass rustled in the woods as Qing ran up the slope.

He was agile, his muscles moving fluidly as he ran; when he encountered a fallen tree, he leaped over it with ease. Xu Shuangci watched with admiration.

When Qing drew near, he asked, “Qing, have you seen any red soil around here?” 

“By the river.”

“Then shall we find some time to go dig some up?” 

“Let’s go.”

With that, he turned and took off—that’s how fast he was at putting things into action.

Xu Shuangci hurriedly grabbed him, only to end up grabbing the big cat’s tail.

He could see the hairs on Qing’s tail bristle visibly, which startled him into quickly pulling his hand back and taking a few steps.

“Thwack—”

Qing’s tail slammed down on the dead wood, sending wood shavings flying.

Xu Shuangci let out a soft gasp; his fingers went numb.

“Does it have to be this aggressive?”

Qing croaked, “Don’t grab my tail.”

“…I didn’t mean to,” Xu Shuangci said nervously. “Why can’t I grab your tail?”

He’d been wanting to ask this for a long time. Qing glanced at him.

“You have to leave.”

Xu Shuangci looked confused. “I’m not leaving. I haven’t even finished clearing this spot yet; I’m not in a rush for the red soil.” Qing’s tail drooped.

Xu Shuangci didn’t understand what he meant. Qing: “Aren’t you going back to your tribe?”

Xu Shuangci: “Where would I have a tribe? Speaking of which, do you have one?” 

Qing: “No.”

Xu Shuangci raised his hand to rub the big cat’s head, smiling gently: “Well, then, that settles it.”

“You don’t have a tribe, and I don’t have one either. Let’s just live together from now on.” 

“But do you have a partner?”

“Bring a few little tiger cubs for me to pet sometime. I’ll be their godfather.”

Qing watched the sub-beastman’s retreating figure. The tail he’d just raised snapped back down, sweeping away a patch of grass. It seemed he really didn’t know what it meant to touch a beastman’s tail.