Arc 3: A city where 4 clans reside in peace.

It was only a day worth of journey to the city from Camel Hump Valley. Upon QingQing’s request, they decided to move in leisure. Being close to many civilizations, the path wasn’t very dangerous and Caden was strong enough to protect both girls, so he agreed. For the meantime, he left Ash with Zayn to gather some fruits and took QingQing to search for water as she was thirsty.

“You dumb female! How can my QingQing be alone with that feral! If he harms her in any-” Zayn was already shaking off his bags to run after them. 

“Come on, Zayn, you’re too paranoid. He won’t break his promise.” 

Though Ash said that, she was a bit worried herself. With Caden, there’s always a ‘what if’ and he’s a ‘snake’. If reality had gone according to the novel, in this moment QingQing would’ve already been to the other corner of the world, stuck in Caden’s custody. 

Zayn goes crazier than he is now and pesters his father, the leopard king to help. As the king is out on a mission, his mother sends a group of leopard and a scouting eagle to rescue her cherished son’s chosen female. The eagle does find QingQing but ends up getting bitten by Caden in a fight. Before getting carried further away, QingQing steals the antidote from Caden and leaves it by the eagle’s side to save him. That’s how the eagle falls for her and becomes her 4^th mate after too long of a drama and agony. 

Ash wasn’t very fond of this ml either. Later in the novel, he tries to kill all of QingQing’s mates and imprison her. That’s messed up! It’s better that we aren’t meeting him anymore.

Fortunately, Caden was back before Ash and Zayn killed each other arguing over his creditability. However, QingQing practically shook him away as she jumped into Ash’s arms, barely holding back tears. “Jiejie, Caden- he- ah, he-” 

As Ash knew about QingQing’s herpetophobia, she tried patting her back and consoling, “Don’t be so afraid of Caden. He means no harm.” 

Q: “How? He just bit a person!” 

The patting hand froze. 

Q: “He was being a weirdo in the spring water I was drinking from, when suddenly a black haired man appeared from behind and tried to grab me. I think his mistook me for a feral victim and was trying to save me. Caden curled his tail to strangle him the same way he did with Zayn, but the man turned into an eagle and actually dodged!” 

No-no-no, this series of action is too similar! 

Q: “Then they started fighting and Caden bit him and he flew away and- will he die?” 

“He’s ok for now... might just pass in a day.” Caden shrugged with his matter of fact tone.

Ash felt helpless. She had thought she managed to avoid at least the eagle; why’s he here too? 

What does this mean? That the ml routes will weasel their way in, no matter the story line? Then why should I even... 

Given what a psyco he is to become, should I just let him die?

Q: “I think he had 3 marks along his jaw and a very rude disposition.” 

Z: “Hey, he sounds awfully like Muhr. I... I think I'll go check just to be sure.” 

Q: " Is this Muhr an important figure?"

Z: "Well... he is a respectable trainee of my father's and a feirce scout to the leopard clan. It's hard to come by an eagle that loyal. So if we’re losing him, I'd rather we know how."

The look on QingQing's face said it all. To save the supposed kind/ loyal/ important man, the gears in her head were already turning. Even if Ash warned her against it, she might just save him purely out of humanity. Just like she felt for the 'villager's lost belongings' and brought in that feral murderer.

Darned humans and all their darned humanity... tch. 

If anything, Ash wasn't letting him near QingQing. Best would be Zayn saved his b*tt. 

That way, none of us would take the place of his savior; but to have ‘Zayn’ snatch it from Caden...

A: “Don’t cry for a male you don’t even know, Xiao Bai. There’s a rumor that the darker ends of a reptile’s length can cut through toxin. Care to try that out?” 

Her words might sound nonsensical to others but QingQing deciphered the right meaning after a little pondering. 

Q: The antidote is in Caden’s tail! To use such scientific metaphor beastmen have no idea about... “Ah~ maybe? How does the toxin move?” I don’t think Caden will let me out of his sight. 

A: “Let’s not bother with toxins. Zayn’s going out, no? Want some pears? They shouldn’t be too far away.” You shouldn’t bother sneaking out. He’s injured, so he wouldn’t have gone too far. Zayn can deliver it when he’s out hunting.

Exchanging a knowing smile with QingQing, Ash sat beside Caden’s piled up tail. He eyed her expressionlessly for a few seconds before focusing back on chopping firewood. 

Q: "Hmm. Aren’t your scales so pretty~ I've never met a feral with scales or hair as shiny. What's the secret, snake? Is it an oil? A fruit? Some sort of crystaline tonic?" 

Caden eyed her again, but showed no emotion. A few seconds later, only his tail uncoiled and laid itself on QingQing's lap. 

C: "Just me." Aka he was born this way.

Now that she concentrated, there was a smug aftertone to his answer. 

What a narcissist. 

Nervously smiling at Ash, QingQing began to caress the tail with trembling fingers. She had to think of the dying man. She had to steal a scale. Only one scale and the task would be over. 

Yet everytime her fingers brushed the edge of one, her blood turned cold. She was terrified black and blue thinking what would happen if the snake caught onto their scheme. Even if he wasn’t smart enough,he could get angry simply because of the pain she was about to inflict on him. If this heavy tail was to rise high and fall on her- better yet, he could just flash his fangs and... and...

A loud pained hiss sent her blood into temporary coagulation. 

There beside her stood Ash, a black-ish scarlet scale the size of her thumb being twirled between her fingers.

"Hey now, viper, can I keep this? I happen to like shiny things, you see."

“Hiss~” His tail shook wildly, then spasmed and twisted as if he was in great pain. But Caden only smiled at QingQing dotingly who was now staring at Ash flabbergasted. 

Shaking his head after the world's quickest glance over at Ash, he leaned over and plucked another scale. Then leaning close to QingQing he gently whispered, “This one. Here.”

Only to have QingQing’s face burst in flames of being caught.

A: Hmm... so he does favor and dote on Bai as he did in the novel. Phew, his demand to eat- I mean mate with me had scared the sh*t out of me.

***

After sunset, Caden found them a cave to sleep. Zayn lit a fire to roast meat, still dumbfounded at the fact that the females had managed to convince a feral, even hid the antidote in a leaf and sent it over. 

A: “Caden says we have only an hour’s walk left. Go to sleep. We got a lot to do tomorrow.” 

QingQing glanced at Caden’s open arms. Wrapped in the same arms the night prior, she was nearly paralyzed in fear. She cried out instinctively, “You’re cold! I want to sleep with Zayn!” 

This froze Ash over. 

I barely convinced him to only keep Zayn around! Did you really have to... He’ll surely kill Zayn now. And that stupid jerk? Stop sneering already! 

She quickly turned around, intending to coax the snake, when a shiver crept up her spine. Caden was nowhere to be seen, but an icy sensation was crawling over her feet. Cold and smooth, nearly a foot in width, glided up her thigh, waist, over her clothes and around her arms as she stood unmoving. Then a pair of glowing red made its way into her line of sight. 

His scales were shining like tiny rubies under the light from the fire. He’s not planning to kill me first, right? Should I try coaxing now?

Ash lifted her free arm ever so slowly and tried petting the snake’s head. His stony vertical slits widened in a fleeting surprise before he lowered his head and started rubbing back. 

My whole life I thought snakes would feel terrifying to touch, but he’s so soft. Cold of course, but... 

A long while seated next to the fire had made her skin prickly. His cold touch actually felt refreshing. “I never thought I’d find a snake this cute and comfortable...” 

Did I fu**ing say that out loud! Delete! Where’s the delete button?

In the meantime, QingQing skipped into Zayn’s embrace, dazed. 

Did I just witness jiejie getting totally enveloped in a snake’s body? Forget screaming, she was casually petting him and calling him cute? Has she been roaming in the woods for so long that she became a true savage? 

Their intimacy was making her, the one he supposedly came after, feel like a third wheel. 

This should be an act of cheating. Then why don’t I feel weird at all? Is it because I don’t like him at all? ...a male with long red hair and a female with them short and black, together they look somewhat aesthetically powerful. If he decides to get over me, I might gladly...

***

Satisfied by her prior night’s actions, Caden let her run wild. Unlike QingQing who sits docilely in his arms, Honey sure acted her part as an ape, climbing trees and swinging vines. Also her voice. It was loud and lively at the same time melodious and sweet to the ears.

In your eyes, there’s a heavy blue, one to love, and one to loose... 

C: “What is she saying?” Q: “She’s... singing? Wow, she’s got a deep voice.” C: “Can you sing too?” Q: “Nothing like her.” Z: ”The whole village doesn’t praise her voice for nothing.”

I wanna feel the way that we did that summer night. Drunk on a feeling, alone with the stars in the sky~

Z: “Is she talking about someone?” Q: “Don’t mind it. They’re merely words strung together to bring out a melody. That’s how singing in our clan works.”

I’ve been running through the jungle, I’ve been crying with the wolves to get to you... Q: “But it does feel like she’s searching for someone, eh?” I’ve been down the darkest alleys, saw the dark side of the moon to get to you... Is it somehow about the man she likes? QingQing wondered.

I’ve looked for love in every stranger, took too much to ease the anger- Her mind drifted off to Luca and Caden- It can’t be... all her intimacy with them is just sweet talk? A temporary replacement? No. I’m taking a song too literally. I‘ve even heard this one before. All for you. Yeah, all for you. O~ just to get to you.

As Ash came closer to the city, her heart pained more for Kaywin. If my calculation is right, his team will be entering the city in 35 days. I shall prepare myself in the meantime. She was trying to swing and sing away her anxiety. What freaky hell is he going through? He’s so emotional and insecure, its mind boggling.

On the other side of the world, the white tiger bearing a black sports bag was running in ragged breaths. “Young male, what is that strange object you carry?” A wise looking senior, probably the cheif of some nearby village, smiled and asked when Kaywin paused for some breath. There was a hint of longing in his tone as he stared at the clear morning sky, “No idea. I only know this carries the scent of my love. The one whose smile has become the reason I want to win her the world.” “You must really miss her, eh?” “I do. And I hope soon she’ll let me hunt and cook for her, take her care. Although I’m not sure how much she’ll like what I make. You see, she cooks amazing herself.”

After howling a whole day Kaywin had spent another half laid on the edge of the cliff like a dead body. Desertside tiger village, stone fruits, city gates... Only then he felt like thinking. Did she have a prior plan?

As if possessed, he had suddenly leaped up, stuffed her belongings in her odd looking bag (He could open and close it because he had seen her do so), then took off the way he came in.

His team, still resting in the same spot he left them 3 days ago, didn’t ask him a single question, as if no time has passed at all since he left. Weird. If her bag wasn’t resting on my back, I would’ve totally believed everything was a dream. K: “You guys move forward, I need to make a round to the desert.” His team members had seemed surprised but didn’t argue. Only the sub-leader had asked, “Will you be joining us at the welcoming ceremony?” K: “I’ll try to be as fast as possible. SL: “Then we’ll move slower, leader.” 

I will search and gather for the stone fruits you so wished for. Pray be safe and wait for me, my love.