The two wolf-beasts belonged to the Gray Wolf tribe.

One had a severed tail, and the other was missing an ear.

They were injured during a tribal hunt. After the Priest declared them unfit for hunting, they were cast out. But they were lucky—they ended up in a place teeming with long-eared beasts.

Long-eared beasts are the most foolish; one catch yields a whole litter. So the brothers ate their fill, devouring one litter after another. During this time, they slowly nursed their wounds back to health and managed to survive.

In the years that followed, they managed to survive the snowy seasons thanks to this. But this year was different.

Having lived off the land without hunting, they realized they had completely depleted the long-eared beasts in that area.

Compounded by insufficient food reserves, they were forced to venture out in search of food just two months into the snow season. Game is scarce on the Golden Continent, and even more so in the east.

By winter, encountering any prey in the entire forest was a blessing from the Beast God. Driven by hunger, they set their sights on Qing. The two beastmen entered from the westernmost edge of Qing’s territory, tracked his scent, and made their way northward.

Entering a beastman’s territory without permission is considered a declaration of war against the beastman.

They had come in search of food, fully aware of the risk to their lives, so the two beastmen set out with all their might as soon as they entered the Qing territory. Even if they died, they would not die of starvation!

Over at the cave.

Qing had sealed off most of the cave entrance, leaving a gap too narrow for even a single beastman to squeeze through. Before sealing the entrance, he had moved all the food Xu Shuangci would need for the next few days inside. The adjacent cave used for storing provisions had been sealed even more tightly.

Qing had been gone for two days.

Worried that the smell of cooking meat might attract wild beasts, Xu Shuangci tried to eat as little meat as possible. When Qing was there, it was fine; in the days before, Xu Shuangci had never felt lonely.

The anxiety of arriving in a strange land had been completely overshadowed by his fascination with the big cat, so he hadn’t even noticed it.

But when the cave fell silent, and Xu Shuangci was left alone, anxiety about the future overwhelmed him. Perhaps in the past, Xu Shuangci knew that working tirelessly would at least allow him to make a living and support himself.

But at this moment, he was lost. Qing could speak, but he was a beast.

Was he destined to spend the rest of his life in the company of a beast, living like a wild man, drifting aimlessly through his days? The future was unknown, and the more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.

Xu Shuangci realized he was falling into self-destructive thoughts again, so he began weaving things with vines, trying to distract himself.

He was very skilled with his hands.

Having done this kind of work for so long, he could tap into his muscle memory whenever he wanted to. His fingers danced, and a small rattan table, about the size of a coffee table, gradually took shape.

When a discomfort in his stomach made him pull his attention away from his work, Xu Shuangci peered through the crack at the top of the opening. It had grown dark outside again.

It had been three days; Qing should be coming back soon.

Xu Shuangci set down the wicker strip, stretched his stiff body, and decided to eat some roasted sweet root for dinner. Just as he crouched in a corner of the stone wall, before his hand could even touch the sweet root, the hairs on his body stood on end.

He turned to look up at the top of the cave entrance.

Two pairs of eyes, glowing green, were staring intently into the cave.

“Found them.”

“And there’s a sub-beastman.”

Xu Shuangci’s legs went weak, and cold sweat instantly broke out.

Realizing the intruders outside meant him no good, he bit down hard on his tongue, grabbed the wooden stick, and thrust it toward the top of the cave entrance. His hand, clenched tightly around the stick, turned white as Xu Shuangci lashed out wildly.

Two cries of pain followed.

A dull thud of something heavy falling came from outside.

Xu Shuangci gripped the stick even tighter, but feeling that wasn’t enough, he quickly ran back to grab his stone knife.

He didn’t know how thick the pile of debris outside was, nor how long it would hold. Swallowing hard to moisten his parched throat, Xu Shuangci stood in the blind spot behind the entrance, weapon in hand.

At this moment, he could only rely on himself.

After the initial shock, he regained his composure.

Xu Shuangci kept a stern expression as he watched the outside. Apart from those two sounds just now, it was very quiet outside.

Recalling those two pairs of bright green eyes, he couldn’t be sure what kind of creatures were out there. But he thought he’d heard them speak.

They were using the beast tongue Qing had taught him.

Outside, the two gray wolf-men—who had nearly had their eyes gouged out by Xu Shuangci’s sudden attack—tumbled down from their fortress of snow and boulders.

The timid, one-eared beastman was terrified and fled with his tail between his legs.

The wolf-kin with the broken tail had no choice but to chase after him, and as he passed by, he blocked his brother’s path.

“Huier! Why are you running?” he whispered urgently. “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!”

Huier kicked out and tumbled into the snow, clutching his head with both paws, leaving only his butt exposed. Huiyi grabbed his trembling tail and yanked, pulling his hapless younger brother out of the snow.

“You idiot! The tiger isn’t back.”

He grabbed Huier’s tail and dragged him toward the cave.

“We’ve been looking for so long, and now that we’ve finally found it, we need to move the food quickly.”

“Otherwise, if the tiger comes back and finds us, we’re both done for.”

Huier’s ear, missing a piece, stood high on his head. He picked up on the sounds nearby.

His four slender legs were still trembling as he pulled his tail out of his older brother’s mouth. “Big brother, don’t bite my tail.” 

“Let’s go!” Huiyi led the way back.

Huier followed, whispering, “But there’s still a sub-beastman inside. He’s really handsome.”

“Do you want him as a mate?”

“I want to eat meat.”

The two brothers exchanged a glance and were back at the cave entrance in the blink of an eye.

Only from outside the cave could they see just how completely Qing had blocked the entrance. From the mouth of the cave down to the slope below, snow mixed with rocks piled up a full three meters high.

From the outside, the entrance appeared almost completely blocked, and even the ventilation holes left at the top were obscured by branches. It was only thanks to the brothers’ keen sense of smell and sharp eyesight.

After searching all day, they finally found this spot by following the scent of smoke from nearby.

“How do we get in?” 

“Dig from the top.”

Xu Shuangci’s ears twitched.

He grabbed the piece of wood that had just been brought back, still glowing red from the fire.

Stepping onto the stacked firewood, he peered out quietly through the crack at the top. They had climbed up.

Two pairs of olive-green eyes glowed, like will-o’-the-wisps.

Xu Shuangci held his breath, then suddenly thrust the flaming stick outward as the creature approached.

“Awoo!”

“Shut up!”

A wolf’s howl!

Xu Shuangci quickly grabbed the stick and rolled away, then stood silently behind the door. His back pressed against the wall, his eyelids twitching nervously.

The wolf’s howl was piercing and carried far.

Qing, who had already reached the riverbank, looked up. Without pausing to rest, he immediately sprinted toward the cave.

His eyes were dark, tinged with a barely perceptible worry.

“Brother, big brother! My head…” Huier clutched his forehead, which had been poked by a burning stick, and rolled around on the ground. Huiyi gritted his teeth and frantically clawed at the rocks.

Before long, the fortress outside the cave entrance had caved in by more than half. Xu Shuangci heard the commotion and raced through the possibilities in his mind.

Wolves fear fire… Yes, fire!

Xu Shuangci ran back and scooped up some smoldering plant ash with a gourd ladle. Climbing up onto the wood, he suddenly flung the ash outward.

“Big Brother! Fire, fire! Your fur’s on fire!”

Huiyi rolled over, and the fire was extinguished.

He bared his teeth and growled into the cave, “I advise you to behave. Otherwise, once we dig through the entrance, we’ll tear you apart and eat you!” Xu Shuangci gripped the gourd ladle tighter.

He ran back, not caring whether the fire was out or not, and scooped up one after another scoop of still-scorching wood chips to throw down below. He also poked at it with a flaming stick.

He had to hold them off for as long as possible.

With no other choice, Huiyi retreated halfway through the digging.

Huier sneezed twice in a row, his fur singed and curled, and said, “Big Brother…” Huiyi had made up his mind.

“Hurry up.”

Inside the cave, the fire died out silently, and the remaining unburned plant ash was finally tossed away. Working together, the two wolves caused the entrance to collapse with a thunderous crash.

Xu Shuangci gripped a wooden stick and brought it down hard as the wolf charged in.

“Awoo!”

“Shut up!” Huiyi’s eyes flashed with ferocity as he lunged to bite Xu Shuangci’s hand. Xu Shuangci switched to a stone knife and began slashing wildly.

“Big Brother!”

“Get the supplies!”

In the darkness, with both hands pinned to the ground, Xu Shuangci could clearly see the massive wolf pressing down on him. Indeed, just like Qing, it was a gray wolf twice the size of any he had ever seen before. Xu Shuangci was simply no match for a battle-hardened beastman.

Under the gray wolf’s strength, he couldn’t even struggle free. He heard one of the wolves search the cave and return.

“Big Brother, there aren’t many.”

“Search! It must be nearby.”

Huiyi pressed his claw against Xu Shuangci’s neck: “Tell me, where is it?” 

“I don’t understand.” Xu Shuangci spoke in Mandarin.

“Big Brother!”

Huiyi snapped, “Big brother, my ass! Can’t you just use your nose and find it yourself?” 

“Forget it. You come over and hold him down!”

The two wolves moved quickly. After finding a nearby cave where food was hidden, each wolf returned carrying a kill. Xu Shuangci was tied up at the cave entrance, facing the wind.

His whole body was so cold his teeth were chattering, and his lips were deathly pale. Goosebumps covered his skin in waves. His inner clothes were soaked with sweat from his recent struggle with the wolves.

Now that the fire was out, the extreme cold made him feel as if he were in an ice cellar. Xu Shuangci’s consciousness was gradually fading.

He was on the verge of hypothermia.

“Big Brother, what about the sub-beastman?” Huier hesitated.

Huiyi: “Do you want it?”

Huier: “I…” 

“Roar—”

“Run!!!!” With a thunderous shout, the two wolf-beasts ran for their lives.

Qing followed them out immediately, but when he saw they hadn’t taken Xu Shuangci with them, he turned back without a second thought. Qing darted into the already dug-out hole, his tail whipping frantically with impatience.

“Xu Shuangci!”

Xu Shuangci felt as though it was getting hotter and hotter. As he drifted into a daze, he struggled to take off his clothes. But suddenly, soft fur enveloped him like a blanket.

Xu Shuangci groaned in discomfort, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

“It’s hot…”

Qing released the vines wrapped around him, picked him up in his mouth, and placed him on a bed of dry grass.

He quickly stripped off Xu Shuangci’s sweat-soaked clothes, his movements so frantic that he tore them to shreds. He pulled the blanket over them and tucked Xu Shuangci close beneath his belly.

“You can’t die.” Qing held him tighter.

The warmth of the big cat’s belly was just right. Xu Shuangci had been fluctuating between chills and fever for who knows how long. After all that turmoil, once he’d recovered slightly, warm water was brought to his lips.

He moved his lips, gulped it down in one go, then retreated back into the warm fur. It felt smooth to the touch, fine, soft, and resilient.

Xu Shuangci opened his eyes groggily and thought he saw a tall, handsome man with long hair standing there naked. Was he dreaming?

Qing added some wood to the fire, then shifted back into his beast form and pulled Xu Shuangci close, cradling him against his belly.

The fur on his belly was soft, like a constantly glowing stove. Xu Shuangci leaned against him for half the night before gradually opening his eyes.

The fire in the cave burned brightly. Xu Shuangci shifted his body, which was pinned down by the big cat’s paws, and rubbed against the fur on his chest as he looked up.

“Big Cat.”

“You’re back.” His voice was faint and weak. Qing licked Xu Shuangci’s face; his eyes were bloodshot.

“You can’t die.”

“I won’t die.” Xu Shuangci curved his pale lips into a faint smile.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“Big bro, big bro! He didn’t chase us—he stopped.” Huier flopped down on the ground, panting with his tongue hanging out, completely exhausted. “Get up, run!” Huiyi kicked him in the back with his hind leg.

“But the tiger isn’t…”

“Guess what he’ll do when he finds out we bullied his mate?” This was an act far worse than stealing food. “B-big brother… I’m hungry.”

“Are you trying to drive me crazy?!” 

“But I’m really hungry…”

Huiyi roared, “Eat while you run!!!”