Chapter 217: Little Tiger’s Roar in the Beast World – 6

“Sheng.”

Xie Hui walked over and gently grabbed the back of his neck.

After leaving the campfire, the Little Tiger was still reluctant, waving its paws in the air, trying to swim back.

There were no mirrors here, and the nearest lake had frozen over after the snowfall, so Xie Hui couldn’t let the Little Tiger see its singed appearance.

As soon as Sheng was put down, he eagerly crawled back to the fire.

No Little Tiger could resist the warmth of a campfire in such cold weather.

During snowy days, most of the beastmen in the tribe found it hard to endure, and the firewood burned quickly.

When Xie Hui went with the other beastmen to gather firewood, they found a fallen tree, thick and sturdy. He brought it back to the cave and made a simple barrier.

Xie Hui strongly suspected that without something to block it, the mischievous Little Tiger would burn itself bald.

After setting up the barrier, Xie Hui went to the food storage.

Most of the food for the cubs was fresh meat naturally frozen near the snowy days. It needed to be placed by the fire for a while to thaw before they could eat it.

Holding a fish, Xie Hui turned around to see the Little Tiger lying on the barrier meant to keep Sheng away.

The Little Tiger lay there with its head tilted, paws hanging naturally on either side, tail occasionally flicking contentedly, and sometimes using it to scratch an itch.

Xie Hui approached and saw Sheng’s paws comfortably spread out near the fire.

With eyes half-closed, Sheng occasionally turned to warm the side that hadn’t been toasted yet, ensuring both sides were equally warm.

“Shall we have roasted Little Tiger for dinner tonight?”

Xie Hui placed the fish aside and gently rubbed the Little Tiger’s head.

Sheng wasn’t afraid of his father at all. When his father petted him, he let out soft, playful whimpers.

The fish hadn’t fully thawed yet, but the hungry Sheng eagerly pounced on it.

Xie Hui, nearby, transformed back into his large tiger form, enjoying the warmth of the fire on his body.

He admitted it was indeed quite comfortable.

Although Xie Hui’s original intention for the barrier wasn’t that, seeing Sheng lying at a safe distance from the fire, he let it become Sheng’s personal seat.

When Xie Hui was busy outside or resting, if the Little Tiger felt the fire was too small, he would push the firewood into the fire with his paws.

This little cub, having never seen trees struck by lightning or beastmen injured by it, dared to approach so fearlessly.

The adult beastmen in the tribe, though they loved the warmth of the fire, usually kept a safe distance from it.

Whenever Xie Hui went out, the playful Little Tiger followed like a little tail, determined to go along, even if the snow outside could bury him completely.

Fearing Sheng would get sick if his fur got wet, Xie Hui placed him on his back, instructing him to hold on tightly to the fur at his neck with his paws.

“If you fall off, you won’t be coming out with me next time.”

Xie Hui knew that in this position, Sheng wouldn’t fall unless he was being mischievous.

Not long after issuing the warning, he heard Sheng’s agreeing sound from his back.

“Roar~”

Entering the cave of the elderly beastmen, Xie Hui saw them huddled around the fire and checked their food storage as usual.

After confirming they had enough food, he joined them by the fire.

Though they now had fire, most of the elderly beastmen still gathered together, warming each other with body heat as they had in previous years.

While Xie Hui checked the food, the Little Tiger had seamlessly integrated into the group, nestled under the head of an elderly male lion.

The warmth was so comforting that Sheng was reluctant to leave.

Taking this opportunity, Xie Hui chatted with the elderly beastmen.

When Xie Hui realized it was getting late, he called out to the Little Tiger, who had fallen asleep comfortably.

Sheng, eyes half-open, staggered out, shaking his fur once he reached flat ground.

During warmer weather, Xie Hui enjoyed sleeping with him, but in the snow, Sheng’s paws were too cold, and he loved pressing them against Xie Hui. This made Xie Hui a bit reluctant to share his space.

Only the older beastmen, who were more patient, didn’t mind the cub’s mischievous antics.

On the way back, the sky hadn’t completely darkened. The top layer of snow had frozen, and Xie Hui’s paws made a crisp sound as they stepped on it.

The Little Tiger, full of energy after his nap, followed his father’s steps, calling out in his young voice.

Though Xie Hui couldn’t understand the meaning behind Sheng’s sounds, he could clearly sense his joy.

Just as they returned to the cave, it started snowing again. Xie Hui blocked most of the entrance, leaving just enough space for air to circulate.

Every time they got home, Sheng would climb onto what he considered his personal spot and lie down.

The long winter was somewhat dull for them, with nothing much to do. The Priest forbade them from going out alone, even the strongest among them, Xie Hui, was no exception.

In previous years, too many beastmen had perished in the snow, and this year was colder than any before.

Although Xie Hui felt confident that he would be safe if he ventured out, he chose to follow the Priest’s orders.

The Priest didn’t allow them to leave the tribe, but visiting each other within the tribe was not prohibited.

Most adult beastmen stayed in their caves to rest. Winter was indeed boring, but the cold diminished their desire to mate. Lying on animal skins helped them conserve food.

Xie Hui took Sheng to visit his good friend, the little leopard Yu. As they reached the cave entrance, they saw Yu perched on his father’s head, playfully batting at his father’s ears with his paws.

Even as he was being teased like this, Yu’s father merely turned his head to another direction.

The little leopard, bored from lying there, turned his head and spotted Sheng standing at the cave entrance. With a powerful kick from his right hind paw on his father’s head, he leaped down.

The two young friends, who hadn’t seen each other for a long time, forgot all past quarrels and fights, happily playing together on the snow-cleared ground in front of the cave.

The big leopard only slowly got up when he saw the Tribe Leader approaching.

In previous snowy seasons, the beastmen would huddle together for warmth.

Now, with fire, they didn’t need to crowd together, but out of habit, he still didn’t want to move.

“Tribe Leader.”

“Yes, I brought Sheng to play with Yu.”

Xie Hui’s words made the big leopard lie back down again.

“Tribe Leader, please stay a bit longer. Let Sheng and Yu play more. He’s been noisy at home all day.”

Most creatures dread taking care of mischievous youngsters, and the big leopard was no exception.

As night fell, Xie Hui took Sheng back. On the way, they encountered a female with her child. Feeling the little tiger on his back, Xie Hui couldn’t help but think of the Client’s partner.

In the Client’s memories, there wasn’t much about Sheng’s mother. They got together during a spring gathering and had a good relationship.

Later that year, a natural disaster struck, and the tribe’s beastmen couldn’t find food.

The Client left most of the food for Sheng’s mother, but she was too weak and passed away, leaving behind the little tiger with a faint voice.

Even the strongest beastmen could face the danger of death.

With inadequate medical conditions, uncertain food sources, and various natural disasters, most beastmen in the tribe had grown accustomed to farewells. Sheng rarely asked about his mother.

Back in the cave, the little tiger quickly fell asleep, and his comfortable purring made Xie Hui feel a bit sleepy too.

The long snowy days finally passed, and the good news was that only five beastmen returned to the Beast God.

Those five were elderly and passed away peacefully in their sleep.

Even with Xie Hui around, he couldn’t stop the little tiger who loved warmth too much.

The little tiger, once soft and fluffy, had become a scruffy sight, yet Sheng still thought he was beautiful. As soon as the weather warmed, he pestered Xie Hui to find flowers to wear on his ears.

When the weather warmed, the Priest led the tribe’s beastmen to the back mountain to bid farewell to the departed.

The sensible beastmen bowed their heads, feeling somber, while the young cubs chased each other playfully.

Every time Xie Hui returned from hunting, he would see the little tiger waiting at the tribe entrance for flowers, and couldn’t resist ruffling his head with his paw.

“Why does Little Tiger love wearing flowers so much?”

Though he said this, he still placed the flower he picked on Sheng’s ear.

The proud little tiger walked with a lively spring in his step, completely ignoring Xie Hui.

Xie Hui looked at his singed rear and brought the day’s catch into the tribe.

They say you can’t touch a tiger’s rear, but Sheng had managed to burn his rear, and the fur hadn’t grown back yet.

In the Client’s memories, when buds appeared on the tree at the entrance, the tiger would shed its fur.

After autumn, before the snow, new fur would grow for warmth.

Since there wasn’t much to do then, Xie Hui didn’t think much of it until one day he returned from hunting and didn’t see the gluttonous little tiger during the distribution of prey. When he entered the cave, he saw a pile of fur.

Xie Hui couldn’t help but sneeze, then looked at the little tiger sighing on the animal skin, glancing around to see fur everywhere.

“Sheng.”

“Roar.”

The little tiger replied listlessly. Xie Hui placed Sheng’s favorite deer innards in front of him, but Sheng just turned his head away.

“Come on, let me show you what you look like now.”

Xie Hui’s words made the little tiger bury his head in his front paws, letting out a pitiful whimper as he curled up.

With Sheng looking like this, it was hard for Xie Hui not to suspect that he had already seen his own scruffy appearance.

“It’s okay, Father doesn’t mind.”

Xie Hui used his paw to rub his back. There wasn’t much he could do about it; without scissors, he couldn’t give Sheng a stylish haircut to make him look cooler.

After being coaxed by Xie Hui for a while, Little Tiger finally lifted his head and went over to eat the meat. First, he sniffed it with his pink nose, and once he confirmed it smelled delicious, he took a big bite.

While Little Tiger was eating, Xie Hui stepped outside the cave and noticed that the tree had started to sprout a bit of green.

In the world of beastmen, there wasn’t a precise sense of time. They could only remember events by observing changes in the trees or plants.

Xie Hui tidied up the cave, eyeing the many fallen hairs. He glanced at Little Tiger, who was so eager to bury his head in the meat that only his singed rear was visible, and couldn’t help but feel a bit doubtful.

Despite shedding so much fur, Sheng didn’t have any particularly bald spots, except for the previously singed area.

It was only then that Xie Hui realized, belatedly, that he too was a tiger. The thick fur layer meant for winter had reached its shedding season.

With his belly stuffed, Sheng ran out of the cave and chased butterflies on the lawn. He tried to catch them with his paws, hoping to trap one in his grasp, but each attempt ended with him tumbling onto the grass.

His front paws lay flat on the ground while his back paws scratched lightly at the grass in a final effort, but the startled butterflies flew higher and higher.

Eventually, Little Tiger lost patience and lay on his back on the lawn, staring at the exceptionally blue sky.

Until his father came over, nudged him upright with a paw, and carried him back to the cave by the scruff of his neck.

The rabbits they had been raising were all eaten during the snowy days. In the cleared space, the Priest instructed the adult beastmen of the tribe to catch some other small animals.

All beastmen instinctively wanted to save the best for the young ones. In their minds, freshly killed food was more nutritious.

Though such food didn’t make much of a difference to adult beastmen, a plump rabbit could fill a young cub’s belly.

The Priest, using the most primitive and clumsy methods, began experimenting to see which foods were more suitable for raising.

Every time, Sheng would waddle over with a domineering stride, his round body eager to help.

The other beastmen praised Sheng for being so sensible, but Xie Hui, seeing him with his arm around a little leopard, couldn’t shake the feeling that this little cub was just joining in the fun.