Chapter 219: Little Tiger’s Roar in the Beast World – 8

In the client’s memory, that place was discovered only after the tribe grew powerful and began annexing other tribes.

Most of the beastmen there were quite intelligent. They raised animals for food, used various tools, crafted bags from animal hides, had sharper knives, and were able to preserve the Fire Seed.

This time, Xie Hui brought back a lot of seeds. After handing them to the Priest, he noticed the Little Tiger clinging to him and casually picked him up.

“How old are you now, still so clingy?”

Normally, Sheng, even when wanting to be close to his father, would retort a few words out of pride.

But today, after Xie Hui spoke, Sheng nodded vigorously. The movement was so forceful that his ears wobbled with the motion.

“What happened?”

Xie Hui’s question seemed to open the floodgates. On the way back, Little Tiger kept whining and complaining, using his paws to gesture when he got particularly agitated.

Once they were back in the cave, Little Tiger pointed to his own backside with his paw, intending to tell his father how outrageous it was that a beastman dared to touch a tiger’s rear!

Unexpectedly, after Little Tiger made this gesture, Xie Hui also reached over and gave it a pat.

Because Sheng ate a lot, he appeared a bit chubby. Although there were still some burn marks on his rear, new fur was growing, and it felt quite nice to the touch.

The Little Tiger, who had come to complain, was stunned into silence. Xie Hui held the bewildered Little Tiger in his arms and gently kissed his ear.

Coming back to his senses, a slightly embarrassed Sheng buried his head in his father’s embrace, completely forgetting that his father, just like that annoying beastman, had also patted a tiger’s rear.

In the tribe, both males and females seemed to have an innate love for cubs. One of the main reasons they formed partnerships, aside from liking each other, was their desire to have their own adorable cub.

It’s well known that cubs only behave well and are easy to cuddle in front of their parents. In front of others, they might jump up and bite when anxious.

Especially the Tribe Leader’s Little Tiger, who was so adorable that many people wanted to hold him.

Aside from his cute appearance, he was also famous for his bad temper, only becoming a docile cub in front of the Tribe Leader.

The relations between the tribes in this area were quite good, generally distinguished by the types of animals.

Later, under the female lead’s suggestion, they annexed other tribes and integrated them, which Xie Hui didn’t see as a positive development.

A unique aspect of this world was that beastmen could only pair with beastmen of the same type to become partners.

In their tribe, most were either leopards, lions, or tigers.

The nearest tribe to them consisted mostly of birds. If they lived together, aside from personal habits, things could easily become chaotic when they reached adulthood.

Each tribe had its own unique cultural heritage.

The way they were developing independently now was the result of accumulated experience.

Xie Hui held Sheng, and the Little Tiger contentedly wagged his tail. When his tail got tired, he wrapped it around his father’s wrist.

If nothing unexpected happened, Sheng would be the next Tribe Leader.

In the tribe, the Tribe Leader was usually the strongest. If the previous Tribe Leader was the strongest, it was normal for his child to become the next strongest.

Since it was his own Little Tiger, Xie Hui thought he could teach him more about these things once he grew up.

The following winter, with the previous experience, they lived much more comfortably.

That winter, only two elderly beastmen passed away. Considering their age, it was about time for them to return to the Beast God, according to the Priest’s speculation, unrelated to the cold.

The Priest, who should have left during Xie Hui’s first winter, was now healthier and focused entirely on raising animals and planting things.

Last year, to prevent the rabbits from freezing to death, they were culled early. This year, the Priest instructed people to use firewood for warmth, and the rabbits remained lively.

Every three days, a designated beastman would deliver lively rabbits to families with cubs.

This winter, Xie Hui didn’t provide any help to his Little Tiger.

Watching the Little Tiger try to bite a rabbit, only to be kicked hard by the rabbit, Xie Hui pretended to be asleep on the animal hide, ignoring him.

In this world, if he always indulged Sheng and solved everything for him, it wouldn’t be good.

Sheng needed enough training to survive in this dangerous world.

Especially with his teeth, the simplest hunting method was to lie in wait, then rush in and bite the prey to death, giving them no chance to struggle.

Though cruel, this was the reality.

Initially, Sheng would get his head swollen from being kicked by rabbits, but gradually he learned to hold on tightly to the rabbit’s neck until it stopped moving.

The area where cubs could practice hunting was initially abundant with rabbits, but as their numbers dwindled, other beastmen would catch more from outside and release them back.

The reason Little Tiger found catching rabbits increasingly dull was that the rabbits, exhausted from being chased, had no energy left to struggle.

The rabbits that survived the winter were lively and healthy, which put Sheng at a disadvantage. After getting beaten several times, he finally gained some experience.

Xie Hui didn’t offer any assistance, so Sheng had to skin the rabbits himself. When Little Tiger was too tired to lift his paws, he would simply gnaw on the rabbit as it was.

As long as Sheng could manage to eat, Xie Hui never intervened.

Remembering last year’s lesson of being bald and ugly, and with Sheng having grown a bit this year, he no longer foolishly leapt into the fire.

Xie Hui noticed Sheng’s cautious demeanor, as if constantly reminding himself not to get too close. He appeared quite obedient, except for his tail, which persistently inched toward the fire, betraying Little Tiger’s true intentions.

Thus, this winter, Little Tiger looked plump and his fur was clean and tidy, but his tail was slightly singed from the fire.

One day, Xie Hui saw Sheng lying there as if asleep. He walked over and hooked Sheng’s tail with his paw, gently nudging it toward the fire.

Last year, when the little cub was causing trouble, Xie Hui didn’t find the winter long. This year, with Sheng less mischievous and learning to sleep peacefully, it was Xie Hui who found himself bored.

Every day, Xie Hui would take some of their stored food and carefully roast it over the fire. It wasn’t for any particular reason, just to pass the time.

Unfortunately, he didn’t like cooked meat, and the picky Little Tiger didn’t either. In the end, all the food was given to the cubs born in their tribe that year.

Those cubs were even smaller than Sheng had been the previous year and seemed to prefer raw meat, though their parents liked to cook the food before feeding them.

The Little Tiger, sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes wide when he felt someone tugging his tail. Seeing his tail almost touching the fire, he instinctively grabbed the ground with his paws and let out a frightened yelp.

Xie Hui, seeing his terrified face and his inability to pull his tail back, was reminded of something he’d read: that most cats don’t realize their tails are part of their bodies.

His Little Tiger could barely be considered a cat.

Xie Hui didn’t pull his tail too hard, worried it might hurt the Little Tiger.

After a while, Sheng realized it was his father who was the culprit. Annoyed, he turned his head away.

For once, the Little Tiger was determined to sulk, even when it was time to eat. When Xie Hui nudged him with a paw, Sheng didn’t rush over like usual.

Xie Hui poked him again, and Sheng moved aside. Xie Hui kept poking him until the Little Tiger had crawled to the edge of the cave wall.

“Really not going to eat? Today’s is very fresh.”

As Xie Hui said this, he noticed Sheng’s ears twitch. He picked up his portion of the food and began to chew, making a loud noise. Little Tiger’s ears started to quiver.

Just as he began to chew, Sheng seemed tempted to turn his head, but with poor self-control, he forced himself to stay put, covering his ears with his plump paws.

“It was my mistake. I won’t tease you like that again.”

As soon as Xie Hui finished speaking, the Little Tiger quickly got up, grabbed the piece of meat Xie Hui had eaten, and started chewing near the fire.

“Hmm? Not mad at me anymore?”

There was no response from the Little Tiger. Sheng was like a cold, unfeeling eating machine.

After finishing, the Little Tiger, who usually preferred to lie around doing nothing, made the effort to drag out a small piece of animal hide from a corner, pulling it over himself.

When Xie Hui approached, Sheng childishly buried his head under the hide.

Xie Hui lifted the hide and saw the Little Tiger waiting for comfort. He picked him up by the scruff and placed him in the warm spot under his neck, adjusting his position with his chin.

Sheng let out a contented hum, nuzzling against his father to reconcile.