Good Baby C26

Chapter 26

Maya saw the little one she was raising running toward her with a fruit in its mouth. She did not miss the scene of it bidding farewell to that obviously powerful tiger earlier.

The little tiger also seemed to realize that something was off. Feeling guilty, it tucked its tail between its legs and ran to Maya’s side, rubbing against her lightly while making a soft, whining sound in an attempt to please her.

Maya grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and carried it back to the cave. The things she had been wondering about now had answers.

For example, the unfamiliar scent on the little tiger, the occasional appearance of food, and even the buffalo resting in the bushes last time.

It was no surprise now—these were all thanks to that tiger helping behind the scenes.

Maya was deep in thought and did not immediately respond to the little tiger. The cub, who had been rubbing against its mother, hoping she wouldn’t be angry, gradually drooped its ears as time passed.

“Roar…”

The little tiger pushed the fruit toward its mother. Its clean, bright eyes were already misty with tears as it stared at Maya longingly.

“I’m not mad at you.”

Maya ate the fruit that the little tiger had pushed over. The cub’s once-dim eyes gradually regained their sparkle.

Thinking that its mother was no longer angry, it happily pranced around her in circles.

After finishing the fruit, Maya carried the little tiger to the spot where it usually sat after being scolded for mischief. The cub sat there properly, and if one looked closely, there was even a hint of excitement in its eyes, as if saying, “Here comes the scolding!”

An’an had always been mischievous since he was little. He was very carefree about being scolded and not afraid of it at all. What he truly feared was his mother ignoring him—just like when she carried him back to the cave earlier without saying a word.

“That tiger—is it your friend? Was it the one bringing you food before?”

The little tiger nodded vigorously, its ears perked up with pride.

It didn’t matter that it was still small. It had made friends with a very powerful big tiger!

“Don’t make friends recklessly in the future. At least, not until you’ve grown up.”

“Roar~”

The little tiger obediently nodded. It felt that its mother was right—having one good friend to play with was enough. Making too many friends would make it seem insincere.

Even though Maya’s intended message and An’an’s understanding were completely different, the end result was about the same.

—

A few days later, when Gairo came looking for the little tiger again, he brought its favorite meat. This time, the cub excitedly wagged its tail, wanting to take Gairo to meet its mother.

Maya was out hunting at that moment. Most of the prey were highly alert, making them difficult for her to catch.

Seeing this, Gairo impatiently scratched the ground lightly with his paw before giving the little tiger’s head a gentle pat, signaling it to stay put. Then, in the blink of an eye, he rushed ahead of Maya and swiftly took down the prey.

The sudden appearance of such a large adult tiger startled Maya. Her first instinct was to flee.

But in the next second, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her cub waiting nearby, excitedly running toward her. Then she looked at the big tiger, who had placed the prey in front of her.

It was only then that Maya recognized this tiger as the friend her cub had mentioned.

She hadn’t paid much attention the last time they met, so she hadn’t recognized him.

The little tiger eagerly introduced Gairo to Maya. Gairo glanced at the leopard in front of him—her thin frame made it clear that even she was struggling to feed herself.

So… he did have a part in keeping this little tiger so plump and round.

Maya and Gairo sized each other up, neither intending to initiate a conversation.

The little tiger, too preoccupied with the food, didn’t bother to introduce them properly. It appeared to be sitting there properly, but in reality, it had already tilted its head and started eating the meat.

Its teeth had grown sharper, allowing it to tear through the prey’s hide effortlessly. It selectively bit into the best parts of the meat.

“An’an, it’s time to go home.”

Hearing his mother’s voice, the little tiger quickly pulled its head back, trying to act as if it hadn’t been eating. Unfortunately, the bloodstains on the white fur around its mouth were glaringly obvious.

“He’s still very young. He needs to eat more to grow strong and healthy. Also, you’re a half-beast—your hunting techniques aren’t suitable for him.”

Gairo could tell that Maya didn’t want him to have too much contact with the little tiger. But he genuinely liked this cub, so he stated the facts in a calm tone.

Maya glanced at her messy-faced cub, who sat there with bright, eager eyes, then at the lifeless prey on the ground. She had to admit that what the tiger said was true.

“What do you want? Or rather, what would it take for you to teach An’an?”

She didn’t want to owe Gairo a favor while An’an was still too young to understand such things. If possible, she preferred to offer proper compensation.

“I don’t want anything. We’re friends.”

Even though the age gap between them seemed large, it didn’t affect the friendship between the two tigers.

“The cave you’re staying in isn’t entirely safe. When you go out hunting, starving beasts will eventually try to sneak in.”

Staying there for a day or two was fine, but Maya clearly planned to settle there long-term.

Predators that specialized in hunting young prey weren’t strong in other aspects, but their observational skills were extremely sharp. They excelled at deducing the truth from the smallest clues.

Previously, Maya might have been cautious about such risks but wouldn’t have fully believed Gairo’s warning.

However, not long ago, An’an had nearly been snatched away and eaten simply because he hadn’t properly buried his waste.

Knowing her cub well, Maya understood that he was gluttonous, spoiled, and lazy. This kind of thing had probably happened more than once or twice.

If he got any bigger, someone could probably lure him away with just a piece of fruit.

“Come live in my territory. I’ve marked it with my scent, so most animals wouldn’t dare enter. There’s also a large river nearby—it will never dry up unless the entire grassland runs out of water.”

Gairo initially built a comfortable place for himself, never expecting it to come in handy in this situation.

Aside from the grand-sounding excuses he gave, Gairo had his own selfish reasons. Half of the meat on this little tiger’s body was raised by him, and he wanted the little tiger to sleep beside him.

A warm, fluffy little ball—hugging it should be quite cozy.

He had worked hard to help this little tiger grow plump and was unwilling to see him lose weight just because Maya couldn’t catch enough prey.

If Maya hadn’t seen how close An’an and Gairo were before, she would have refused without hesitation. She was used to relying on herself for everything and didn’t trust anyone.

But now, as she watched An’an secretly nibbling on meat while his tail swayed lazily, occasionally brushing against Gairo’s leg, she hesitated. Gairo, seemingly tickled by the sensation, wrapped his tail around An’an’s little tail and tossed it aside.

The little tiger, focused on chewing meat, suddenly lifted his head and glared at Gairo angrily. As revenge, he used his tail to scratch Gairo, tickling him.

The big tiger clearly disliked such contact but only furrowed his brows without saying anything, not even scolding An’an to behave, let alone getting angry.

After noticing this detail, Maya believed that Gairo genuinely liked An’an and nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I can handle my own affairs. I don’t need your help and won’t cause you trouble.”

“Mm.”

Gairo only wanted to take the little tiger back and raise him; he had no intention of taking responsibility for the half-beast’s life.

If he hadn’t noticed that the little tiger and the half-beast got along well, Gairo would have taken only the little tiger without a second thought.

When An’an heard that his mother was coming with him to stay at his good friend’s home, he turned his head, wiped his mouth on Gairo’s fur, and urged his mother to take him back to the cave—he still had some things to pack.

Maya had no attachment to that cave. She had nothing to bring with her and didn’t even have the concept of a home, let alone the desire to settle in one place.

If not for the need to raise the little tiger, she would never have even considered these things.

On the way back, the little tiger climbed onto the big tiger’s back. Having learned from experience, An’an held onto Gairo with his paws and let out a childish howl, urging him to run faster—faster!

This journey back to the cave made Maya keenly aware of the gap between half-beasts and beastmen.

Gairo ran at an incredible speed without breaking a sweat, while Maya, struggling to keep up, arrived home panting heavily. It took her a long time to steady her racing heart.

The little tiger, sitting on the big tiger’s back, had his neatly groomed fur tousled into a messy fluffball by the wind. From a distance, he looked like an exploded furball.

Yet, the little cub—who usually cared about his appearance—was completely unaware, his mind filled with only one thought.

Exciting! This is so exciting!

There wasn’t much luggage to pack, just a bone that An’an particularly liked. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would carry it around to play. If his mother wasn’t around, he would hug the bone to sleep.

“Let’s go, it’s getting late.”

“Okay.”

This time, Maya didn’t trouble Gairo. Instead, she carried the little tiger in her mouth and followed behind him toward his territory.

They left the cave in the late afternoon and hadn’t arrived even after dusk had fallen.

Maya carried the little tiger, who held onto his beloved bone with all four paws, while a large adult tiger led the way. This unusual trio attracted a lot of attention along the journey.

Some starving wild beasts fixated on the obviously tender and meaty little tiger for a long time. Noticing the lurking threats, Gairo let out a low, warning growl.

Only after confirming that the wild beasts had retreated did he continue on.

The sounds of insects chirping along the roadside, blending with the night breeze, became the perfect lullaby.

The little tiger slept soundly, even starting to snore.

When they finally reached Gairo’s territory, Maya’s four legs were trembling from exhaustion. She barely managed to build a makeshift nest for An’an before placing him inside.

This little one had developed a lot of quirks after being raised by her—refusing to sleep without a proper nest was just one of them.

After the little tiger fell asleep, Maya, completely drained, lay down beside him and drifted off as well.

Gairo didn’t rest. Having been away from his territory for so long, he habitually went out for a patrol, driving away any unwanted intruders.

By the time he finished, dawn had arrived. Along the way, he also went hunting. After filling his stomach, he carried the remaining meat back.

Previously, when feeding the little tiger, he had to do it secretly. An’an seemed afraid that his mother would get angry if she found out, so even when Gairo brought a lot of meat, An’an wouldn’t eat it all.

He always left some behind and pretended to share it with Gairo, making sure Maya wouldn’t realize he had eaten an extra meal outside.

The little tiger had, without a sound, been eating from two different sources.

Now that An’an was in Gairo’s territory, there was no need for such concerns. He could be fed as much as needed.

Gairo, though physically strong as a tiger, wasn’t particularly intelligent. He didn’t even realize that he was raising the little tiger like a son—more devoted than an actual father.

On the vast grasslands, it was rare for tigers to raise their offspring. To them, cubs were of no use.

Females, due to their innate maternal instincts, weren’t as ruthless. However, after experiencing several natural disasters and witnessing how fragile cubs were, even they found it difficult to give their all as they once did.

Many cubs were abandoned, and Gairo occasionally came across a few.

When he first found raising a little tiger interesting, he had thought about picking one up himself. But just by observing, he knew none of them were as cute as An’an.

An’an wagged his tail so quickly, ran up with a bright smile to hug Gairo’s leg, and rubbed his head affectionately against him. It seemed like there was only one little tiger like An’an in the entire grassland.

An’an had unknowingly fallen asleep on the way. When he opened his eyes and saw a completely unfamiliar environment, he was startled.

He rubbed his eyes with his paws to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Just as he was about to run away while he still could, he first caught sight of Maya sleeping beside him.

Maya was utterly exhausted. After traveling for such a long time, she needed more rest. Even now, she still hadn’t woken up, sleeping deeply for once.

Confirming that her mother was still by her side, the little tiger, though unfamiliar with this place, didn’t find that important at all.

She snuggled closer, burrowing into her mother’s embrace, adjusting to a comfortable position to sleep a little longer.

Just as she closed her eyes, not yet drifting into sleep, An An’s furry ears twitched. She sensed a noise outside growing closer and instinctively reached out with her paw to nudge her mother.

Maya was woken up by the little one, quickly entering a state of alert. She picked up the cub, intending to leave, but at that moment, a familiar large tiger entered their field of vision.

Gairo dropped the remaining half of his prey in front of the little tiger, then lay down to rest nearby, his eyes half-closed.

The little tiger approached first, let out a small howl, and took a big bite. he pounced onto the large chunk of meat—several times her own size—and feasted eagerly. His cheeks puffed up as he struggled to chew, but in the midst of eating, he noticed Maya still resting nearby.

Letting out another small howl to get his mother’s attention, he then happily waved his tiny paws at Maya, inviting her to eat together.

Before following Gairo back, Maya had already said that she could take care of herself.

She understood that most beastfolk had bad tempers and didn’t want to overstep boundaries and provoke Gairo’s displeasure.

Maya firmly believed she could raise the little tiger on her own, though she couldn’t teach him proper hunting skills. That was why she had brought An An here with Gairo—so he could teach him to hunt.

Until Gairo taught An An how to hunt properly, Maya had no intention of leaving.

So, despite being unbearably hungry, she waved her hand in refusal, planning to go out later and find food on her own. She knew plenty of edible plants, so filling her stomach wouldn’t be a problem.

Gairo, who had been lying there with his eyes half-open, had noticed all their little movements from the start. Only after Maya refused did he finally speak.

“This time is special. Eat. Once your strength is restored, go hunt for yourself. I won’t always bring food back.”

Gairo was indeed capable of catching enough prey to feed all three of them, but he had no intention of doing so.

If it weren’t for how amusing it was to raise a plump, round little furball who wagged her tail, Gairo would have preferred to stay in his own territory, sleeping and only going out to hunt when he was hungry. At his core, he was quite lazy.

This time, he had indeed brought back extra food—he had even deliberately eaten less to leave some.

Oddly enough, Gairo had specifically brought that extra food for Maya, but he didn’t want to see her accept it so straightforwardly.

After all, the only one he wanted to take care of was this adorable little furball. Maya was just an unavoidable attachment that came with her, someone he had to tolerate for the cub’s sake.

After thinking it over, Maya finally said, “Thank you,” and moved closer to eat with An An. She needed to recover her strength quickly and familiarize herself with the surroundings.

The little tiger was adorable while eating, stuffing big mouthfuls of meat into his mouth before chewing. His tail swayed excitedly behind him.

Gairo watched intently, half-closing his eyes, his gaze fixed on the little tiger’s soft pink belly. He observed as the previously flat stomach gradually swelled, turning round like a ball.

Once he was full, An An sat down, exposing his belly, looking drowsy and completely at ease. It seemed he was planning to take another nap.

Every little movement of the cub was irresistibly cute, holding Gairo’s attention completely. Only when he heard the soft, even sound of An An’s breathing did he finally close his eyes to rest.

He hadn’t slept the entire night. Now that he had finished hunting and filled his stomach, drowsiness overtook him.

After regaining some of her strength, Maya moved carefully and got up to leave. As she stood, Gairo cracked open an eye slightly but soon closed it again.

Once she was gone, he stood up, took a few steps, and used his tail to nudge the sleeping cub awake.

The groggy little tiger stirred, still a bit confused about what was happening. he rubbed his eyes with his paws and instinctively followed the big tail, climbing onto the large tiger’s body. After adjusting himself into a comfortable position, he lay down again to continue sleeping.

Gairo turned his head and gently rubbed his chin against his head, savoring the fluffy sensation of his fur. Satisfied, he then drifted off to sleep.

By now, summer was ending. The autumn season on this grassland was extremely short, and soon, winter would arrive—a season when food was scarce.

This little tiger’s carefree days were about to end. he would soon face the brutal reality of nature for the first time.

Gairo was already exhausted. Even an adult tiger couldn’t withstand such constant exertion. But when he thought about the approaching winter, his sleepiness disappeared entirely.

The little tiger, however, slept soundly, blissfully unaware of the coming hardships—of the hunger he might soon face.

His small body rose and fell with each breath, his tail occasionally twitching restlessly against Gairo.

Even as a half-beast, Maya’s sense of smell was keener than that of ordinary animals. She could clearly distinguish Gairo’s territory based on the scent traces he left behind.

She found plenty of edible plants nearby—ones she had tasted before and found acceptable.

The hunting grounds, however, were a bit farther away, requiring much more travel than she had needed before.

The river here was indeed as large as Gairo had said, though it wasn’t within his territory—it was some distance away.

Judging by its location, Gairo likely only stopped by to drink water after patrolling his territory before heading home.

But this meant that An An’s habit of washing her paws after eating would have to change.

Compared to the convenience this large territory provided, such a minor inconvenience was hardly worth mentioning.

After drinking a few sips of water, Maya followed her instincts and went out to hunt. She didn’t eat a single bite of her catch, instead carrying it all back in her mouth.

She didn’t want to owe that tiger any favors. Maya had realized that Gairo only compromised at noon because of the little tiger. Now that she had regained her strength, she wanted to repay the debt.

By evening, Maya returned. She had caught an antelope. Placing the lifeless antelope in front of Gairo, she then tossed a rabbit toward An An.

Upon seeing the rabbit, An An instinctively shrank back, hiding behind Gairo.

The fully grown tiger’s massive body shielded him completely, allowing him to deceive himself into thinking that his mother couldn’t see him.

For other little tiger cubs, as long as there was food, it was fine. But for An An, it was different. His picky taste had long been cultivated by Gairo.

Moreover, Maya had caught far too many rabbits for him in the past. For a long period, his diet consisted almost exclusively of grass and rabbit meat. If he kept eating them, the little tiger couldn’t help but wonder if he would eventually turn into a rabbit himself.

Gairo noticed his reluctance, lowered his head, and tore open the antelope’s hide, letting out a low growl to call the little tiger over.

If Gairo were the one hunting, he generally wouldn’t go after antelopes. In the beginning, before he had reached adulthood and wasn’t strong enough to take down his preferred prey, he had eaten one once.

Gairo had caught most of the prey on the grasslands before. The reason he never hunted the same animal twice, aside from it not tasting good, was simply that it wasn’t worth it.

It was the first time the little tiger had seen such an odd food. Without any caution, he took a big bite. Before he could even start chewing, the overwhelming gamey smell made him gag.

His fluffy face scrunched up into a ball. The cub, who usually loved eating meat, immediately bolted outside and took a huge bite of the most bitter grass he could find, chewing furiously to get rid of the strange taste in his mouth.

Gairo watched this whole series of actions and couldn’t hold back his laughter. Even Maya found it amusing.

Beasts that had survived the seasons on the grasslands weren’t picky eaters. Even Gairo was the same. He simply ate the best prey available within his means.

If it were winter and food was scarce, he wouldn’t hesitate to gnaw on rotting meat just to stay alive.

In the end, the little tiger begrudgingly ate the rabbit. Compared to that strange-tasting food, a dead rabbit seemed much more appealing.

An An ate the entire rabbit clean. Gairo had intentionally left the antelope’s internal organs for him, as they didn’t have a strong smell. An An found them acceptable and happily ate some more.

After eating, An An habitually extended his paws toward his mother, signaling her to take him to wash them before he went to sleep.

Maya thought about the distance to the river and instead licked the little tiger’s fur in a soothing gesture, hoping to help him break this habit.

She understood the situation, and of course, Gairo did too. After a brief cleanup, Gairo grabbed the little tiger by the scruff of his neck and carried him outside.

“I’m going to patrol my territory.”

Since he would pass by the river while patrolling, he could wash the cub’s paws and then head back to rest.

Gairo’s territory was much more beautiful than the place they had previously stayed. After being carried for a while, the little tiger wriggled free, following behind Gairo at just the right distance—not too close, not too far.

The new environment fascinated An An, and he wagged his tail excitedly.

However, the farther they walked, the stronger the sense of unease grew in An An’s heart. His mood even started to drop.

An endless stretch of plains extended before his eyes. The wind carried a dry heat, and in the distance, the howls of wolves could be heard. A strange sense of desolation filled the air.

“System, am I not supposed to be here?”

After a moment of silence, 250 finally responded:

“Yes.”

Tigers lived in forests, but they were now in the largest grassland in the world.

This realm was different from the previous one. The environment had not been well-preserved. Due to unchecked destruction, the forests had become infested with poisonous insects.

Trees and plants had withered away. During scorching summers, the dried-out trees and grass would catch fire under the blazing sun, completely destroying what was once their home.

Animals and beastmen had migrated to the grasslands to survive. Even tigers, once the undisputed rulers of the forest, were no exception. Their strength meant little in an already devastated environment.

At first, they had thought it was just a bad year. But after moving to the grasslands, this way of life had continued for over a decade.

The first batch of beastmen and animals that had migrated from the forest had already died. Some of the newborn cubs had even come to believe that they were meant to live here.

“Oh.”

The sense of wrongness made the little tiger feel a bit sad, but he quickly pulled himself together.

Stepping on the grass, he followed Gairo. He had to tilt his head back just to see Gairo’s back. His clear, bright eyes were filled with hope for the future.

He hoped that when he grew up, he could be like Gairo—catching whatever he wanted to eat, and catching food for both his mother and Gairo as well.

Gairo had only developed a sense of territorial awareness after coming to the grasslands. Although his daily patrols were mainly to avoid unnecessary trouble, halfway through, An An grew tired and started whining, begging Gairo to carry him.

There were familiar beastmen in the area. For now, Gairo still cared about his image and didn’t want them to see him being bossed around by a little tiger.

So, instead of doing as An An wanted, he simply grabbed the cub by the scruff of his neck.

An An wasn’t stubborn about it. In fact, he even thought that being carried like this was pretty nice. His four paws dangled in the air, and he didn’t have to use any energy.

After making their rounds, they arrived at the river. An An ran down to wash his face and paws. Once he was done, he let out a small howl, calling for Gairo to carry him back.

The little tiger didn’t want his freshly washed paws to touch the ground. If they got dirty again, he wouldn’t be able to resist washing them once more.

On the way back, An An spotted a beautiful little red flower and pawed at Gairo’s short fur.

Realizing the little tiger was up to something, Gairo lazily lifted his eyelids for a glance before quickly looking away.

It was too far—he didn’t want to go.

It was too high—he didn’t want to climb.

It was too late—he wanted to sleep.

This little tiger was too mischievous—he wanted to smack him.

Not getting what he wanted, the little tiger sulked on Gairo’s back. When they returned to Maya, he immediately rolled into her embrace.

The next morning, when the little tiger woke up, he opened his eyes to see the little red flower he had wanted yesterday, placed right beside him. It was still covered in dewdrops, its fragrance drifting into his nose.

When Gairo returned from hunting, the little tiger, awkwardly holding a small red flower in its mouth, shuffled over and nestled against him to sleep, completely shameless.

……

Before Maya started following Gairo back, he had already emphasized that they would not interfere with each other. But after actually living together, every time Gairo caught extra prey, he would bring it back.

Maya ate grass because, as a half-beast, she lacked strong hunting abilities. It wasn’t that she naturally enjoyed eating grass.

Meat provided her with more energy, giving her the strength needed for hunting.

At first, Maya would refuse, but over time, she gradually got used to it. Whenever she went out hunting, if she had the opportunity, she would also bring back extra prey.

Although it didn’t taste as good as the ones Gairo caught himself, he didn’t mind.

After all, aside from a few things he was passionate about, Gairo was truly lazy.

Time passed quickly in Gairo’s territory. The little ball of fur gradually grew up.

Gairo had attempted to teach him how to hunt, but the little tiger was just too dumb. On top of that, he was overly energetic and couldn’t master any of Gairo’s hunting techniques.

Instead, the little tiger figured out his own sneaky way—waiting in ambush for prey like a rabbit and occasionally managing to catch something.

His white fur put him at a disadvantage when hunting, and all the extra weight he had gained from being fed by Gairo and Maya only made him less agile. Though adorable, his chubby body looked anything but nimble.

Eventually, Gairo gave up. This winter, both he and Maya would stay with the little tiger, postponing hunting lessons until spring.

Once this thought took root, it became uncontrollable. Gairo even convinced Maya.

They both agreed to let the little tiger enjoy his last carefree days before winter arrived.

As summer passed and autumn winds brought a slight chill, some shrubs and grass on the prairie began to turn yellow. Maya’s harvests from her outings increased, and she often brought back ripe, delicious fruits.

Gairo disliked eating those things, but the little tiger loved them. Every time Gairo returned from hunting, he would find the little tiger holding a fruit between his paws, happily gnawing on it.

Neither Maya nor Gairo had specifically taught him about conserving food, but An’an was naturally mindful. He always finished his fruits completely, leaving behind only the seeds.

The little tiger also loved collecting fruit seeds. Every time he finished eating a fruit, he would pile the seeds in a corner. Over time, they formed a small heap.

At first, An’an didn’t notice the dropping temperatures. That was until one day, when Gairo took him outside to wash his paws, and the water felt slightly cold.

The chill made the little tiger instinctively jerk his paw back. Just then, a gust of wind blew past, making his wet paws even colder. An’an shivered violently.

“Awwooo!!!”

Feeling wronged, the little tiger refused to wash his other paw, bolting back to Gairo and rubbing his wet paws dry on Gairo’s legs.

“Awoo awoo, awooo awoo!”

The little tiger didn’t realize the cold was due to the change in seasons. He thought there was something wrong with the water—maybe bugs were biting him.

Gairo grabbed him by the scruff and carried him home. That night, Maya explained that summer had ended and it was now autumn.

The temperature would gradually drop. There would be frost, snow, and ice… and finding food would become difficult.

Maya didn’t say the last part out loud. The little tiger’s eyes were filled with curiosity about these unfamiliar things.

Not wanting to freeze his paws again, the little tiger became more particular about cleanliness. He refused to endure long exposure to cold wind just to wash his paws.

The mornings and evenings were getting colder, but the mid-morning sun was still pleasantly warm.

Previously obsessed with playing outside, the little one now preferred to drag the big tiger along to find a perfect spot to lounge.

Gairo lay on the grass, and An’an sprawled on his belly. The soft cushion of fur, the warm sunlight, and the gradually yellowing grass fascinated the little tiger.

Besides that, An’an and Gairo had started shedding. Every morning, their sleeping cave was covered in loose fur.

Gairo didn’t care about such trivial things and was too lazy to clean up. But the cleanliness-loving An’an wouldn’t stand for it.

Whenever Gairo and Maya went hunting and left An’an alone in the cave, he would clean up all the shed fur. Seeing the spotless cave made him happy.

But cleaning up one night only to wake up and find fur everywhere again drove the usually well-behaved little tiger to the brink of frustration.

Of course, colder weather had its benefits—one being that they didn’t have to hunt every single day like before.

Prey didn’t spoil as easily. As long as they caught enough in one hunt, they could store it for a whole week.

That day, Gairo didn’t need to go out. He had grown fond of sunbathing under An’an’s influence, so he went out early in the morning to bask in the sun.

The little tiger, who loved rolling around in his sleep, was woken up when a tuft of fur floated onto his nose. He opened his eyes, swiped at it with his paw, and saw that it was yellow fur. His fur puffed up instantly in rage.

Lifting his head, he sniffed the air, pinpointing Gairo’s location outside. His tiny pink paw clenched into a fist as he angrily charged out.

After a short running start, the little tiger pounced onto Gairo, yanking out a clump of his fur with his paws.

The moment he pulled it out, he got so startled that he leaped back in shock.