Gentle Beast

A soft, hesitant voice sounded out in the crowd.

It was quiet and surrounded by the beastmen’s panic, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s voice did not attract attention.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stood next to the beastmen and when the leopard looked in her direction, they all recoiled as if in the face of the enemy.

Though Ryan’s small body had little threat, who could guarantee he would not lead other leopards to their village?

The Elk race had lived here for hundreds of years, content with their lot in life, and got along well with the neighboring races.

They did not want to attract the genocide of entire clans.

The elk clan’s patriarch was named George and was the eldest of the elks. He had a white beard and a rich voice.

When he faced a crisis, his even temper would become no good. His beard flew all over and his eyes opened wide.

Seeing that no one admitted to it, he asked again, “Who brought this leopard in? None of you know?”

The elk patriarch said while blowing at his beard, arranging the strongest youths of the clan to surround and protect them.

At the same time, he asked the people to find the origin of the leopard.

Yesterday, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu followed Eric back to his temporary residence in the courtyard and several beastmen had seen her.

There were not many beastmen in this village and there were not many to ask about it.

Even hiding it wouldn’t cover it for long.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu silently took a step forward, her head bowed in resignation, and with a tone of having lost and found her property, said, “I, I brought him in.”

The Elk patriarch and all the clansmen’s eyes clung to her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu regretted severely. Why didn’t she put him into her space when she left?

She underestimated the leopard race’s ability to get into trouble, but also their sense of presence.

Why couldn’t he know his place and stay in the room?

Nevertheless, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu still tried to justify for “Táo Táo”, “He’s actually really good, and not the same as the others. . . he was abandoned by the leopards and will not lead them here to hurt you.” After a pause, she added to strengthen her word’s credibility, “I promise.”

She was unaware of the “covering up” tone her words had taken on.

The Elk beastmen stared at her suspiciously.

Perhaps it was because of her unknown origin, but Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s words did not convince them.

Yesterday, everyone knew that Eric brought back a female with a human face.

Every race had produced a few beastmen evolved very close to the humans, but they were extremely rare and gifted, different and imposing.

Like the wolf race’s Holden.

Rare, but not uncommon.

The others, they did not know Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu.

“Sorry, we cannot believe you.” Seeing that the other was a female, the patriarch took a deep breath, unclear on how a female had such courage.

“The leopards are born brutal, and every year there are countless deer that die under the claws. Even if it was abandoned, it cannot deny that it feeds on the deer clan!” Patriarch George said this clearly.

The patriarch’s words caused his clansmen to resonate, but also triggered their innate fear of the leopard race.

The beastmen immediately left Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s side, watching her with hesitation and inquisition.

Among the crowd, Eric looked at the isolated girl and hesitated several times, but he did not go forward to help her.

After all, yesterday he had seen Ryan’s true form, and watched his claws flash towards hers, wanting to harm her.

He could not convince himself that this was a harmless beast.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu tightened her hold on the basket straps and raised her eyes to look at the leopard lying on the corn rack.

Ryan also looked at her, deliberately putting away his arrogance, and his expression was peaceful and without waves.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu thought if only he had been so obedient from the start, then said to the elk patriarch, “I’m sorry, patriarch, I. . .”

“It cannot stay here,” before Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu finished, George interrupted her coldly and said, “For the sake of the race’s security, I hope you will leave our village as soon as possible.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

Eric at last couldn’t help but step out from the herd, “Patriarch George, there is a storm coming soon. If you get rid of them now, they’ll be buried by the blizzard. Do you think if you cold let them stay until the snowstorm stops?”

George had to do official business according to official principles, and he said, “I’m sorry. As patriarch, I have to think of the security of the race. Who can guarantee that their stay will not endanger the clan?”  His tone shifted as he turned to Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu, “Female, leave immediately with the leopard.”

*

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s plan to make a quilt could only come to an end.

Eric, for the sake of his race, could only see her to the village gate and said to her, “Ōu, I’m sorry. . . I did not speak for you.”

In fact, his subconscious still thought of this leopard as very dangerous.

He couldn’t even begin to wonder why Ōu wanted to be with it.

But Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu understood where Eric was coming from.

He was deathly afraid of the leopard race, but he managed to endure that fear. To get along with the leopard this long, it was already very rare to find.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu said it didn’t matter, and after bidding Eric farewell, carried her backpack and hugged Táo Táo to her chest, preparing to leave the elk clan.

“Ōu, you find a place to stay nearby and when I finish with my grandfather’s account here, I will go look for you!”

Eric could not feel at ease so he urged.

But a cold wind swept by and whirled Eric’s words far, far away.

He did not know if they were blown to Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s ears.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu walked east along the road.

The road was covered in snow and sunlight fell on it, reflecting a layer of glittering light up into her eyes, piercing them with pain.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu desperately wanted to take advantage of the time before the snowstorm to find a safe place to stay the night.

As soon as winter arrived, the blizzards were rather frequent, one after the other and leaving to respite.

She was perhaps too urgent. Under the snow, many rugged stones were buried, and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s food caught on one, throwing her center of gravity off and dumped her forward into the snow.

In the blink of an eye it took to fall, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu remembered the leopard in her arms.

She feared crushing it, so she stiffly turned sideways.

Fortunately, the snow as soft and it had fallen heavy, so there wasn’t much pain.

But Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu did not get up for a long time.

In the snow, the girl wore a goose-down coat, revealing two slender, straight calves from beneath it.

She hugged the gray striped leopard tightly in her arms and rested her chin on top of his head, her eyelashes curling shut, silent.

Ryan was held tight by the girl and there was no room to move.

He struggled a little and the arms held him tighter.

Ryan felt this body’s resistance had no hope, so he simply gave up the struggle and let Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hug him.

After a while, his head felt a little hot, the hair seemed to be getting wet.

The girl rubbed his head with her chin, and it was followed by a muffled, aggrieved voice”:

“Táo Táo, I really want to go home. . .” she asked, “how about you?”

Ryan laid silently in her arms, his eyes taciturn in its depth.

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