Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The little bird immediately turned its head, rubbing against Xue Tuan's nearby fingers with all its might, a picture of eager appeasement.

Xue Tuan's eyes crinkled in a smile as he reached out to stroke the downy feathers on the bird’s forehead. "Not going to roast it."

"Alright." Whatever Xue Tuan said, that was final. Since he didn’t want to eat it, Bing Qiu wouldn’t press the matter.

The little bird’s eyes darted left and right. Sensing the danger had passed, it resumed its focused munching on the dried meat.

Just as the two were amusing themselves with the bird, Feng Yan returned, having gathered enough firewood.

Seeing the young ones gathered around a bird—not skinning or skewering it, but even feeding it—Feng Yan’s expression was subtly intrigued, as if witnessing something novel. However, as the family wasn’t short on food at the moment, he didn’t comment further.

After stacking the wood, Feng Yan took out a flint and another dark gray stone from his hide bundle, preparing to start a fire.

Meanwhile, Rong Shan used a bone knife to sharpen two small wooden sticks and began drilling for fire.

At present, neither method was distinctly faster. Drilling for fire required more effort, while striking flint for sparks relied somewhat on luck.

The gray-black stone in Feng Yan’s hand lacked sufficient iron, making it take longer to generate sparks capable of igniting a pile of grass.

For a while, the temporary camp was filled with the sound of clashing stones.

Hu Li, still watching the little bird busily eating, suddenly caught the scent of burning wood. Before he could even turn around, the next second, he was lifted off the ground.

"Time to eat." Hu Li was scooped up by his Dad, Rong Shan.

Hu Li didn’t struggle, already accustomed to such sudden lifts.

Rong Shan placed him on a spread-out hide bundle and handed Xue Tuan his personal small clay bowl and a miniature shell spoon.

Hu Li possessed many such personalized items. The family’s only small clay bowl was a gift from his beastman grandfather, whom he had never met—a testament to the varying levels of development among different tribes.

Wandering beastmen were forced to roam, whereas traveling beastmen were free adventurers who loved exploring.

"Thank you, Dad."

Hu Li held a bowl of steaming, tender meat stew. His hands warmed instantly, and he took small, careful sips, cherishing each mouthful.

To survive, beastmen in animal form typically ate raw meat in the wild. But when living in human form, they preferred cooked food.

Hu Li could feel how much his family had adjusted for him. At first, his digestive system was very weak. While beastmen could normally drink untreated water without issue, Hu Li had once suffered vomiting and diarrhea after drinking it. Since then, the family always boiled his water.

To care for frail Hu Li, the arctic fox family also cooked his portion of food until it was extra soft.

Feng Yan set up two tripod-style fire pits. One held a small stone pot, which heated slowly and was used to cook wild vegetables; the other utilized a beast’s stomach sac to boil meat.

Food cooked faster in the stomach sac. By the end, the sac would be charred, and Bing Qiu would eat it, as he loved crispy, burnt food.

A few tuber-like roots, similar in texture to potatoes, were also roasting slowly by the fire. They weren’t originally called by that name—it was likely a local specialty—but after hearing Xue Tuan call them "potatoes" once, Bing Qiu started using the term too.

"Eat more." Rong Shan scooped some cooked wild vegetables into Hu Li’s bowl.

Bing Qiu also added some leafy greens from his own shell bowl into his younger brother’s bowl. "Stop staring—even the little bird eats more than you."

Though teased for having a "sparrow’s appetite," Xue Tuan still buried his head in the mountain of food. It would be a while before he could "carry heavy loads with ease," so for now, he’d obediently let his family feed him.

Thankfully, the meal was balanced with both meat and vegetables, not just meat alone.

In the past, the family would toss everything into one pot for a haphazard stew. Once, when Xue Tuan saw a pot full of scallions and cilantro stewed together, he had looked utterly dismayed.

Once, while gathering fruits with his brother, Hu Li noticed that Bing Qiu dismissed ginger, saying it tasted bad.

Hu Li didn’t argue but quietly picked the ginger up. Later, when Feng Yan and Rong Shan were preparing meat, he would playfully toss ginger slices into the pot to reduce the gaminess.

Now, holding a bowl of what could be called a "hearty" meat stew, sitting around the campfire with his family and watching them busy themselves, Hu Li felt immensely grateful.

He knew the arctic fox family had migrated for the winter entirely because of him. In this world, not all beastmen cherished their young—survival of the fittest was the rule.

With his frail health, if he had been born into another family, he would likely have been abandoned long ago.

Let alone traveling thousands of miles south just for a young one whose survival was uncertain, all to reach a warmer place.

Seeing Xue Tuan enjoy his stew so much seemed to wash away the family’s fatigue. The gloom that had long hung over them finally showed signs of lifting, and joy shone in everyone’s eyes.

Even the usually stern Feng Yan showed a rare tenderness.

Now, Xue Tuan could eat and sleep well, unlike before when each awakening seemed to sap a bit of his vitality, and his sleep grew longer and longer.

It wasn’t until Xue Tuan started hiccupping from being full that the adults devoured their dinners.

Xue Tuan now lived by the motto "eat and sleep, sleep and eat." He called it "conserving energy," but in reality, he was living the life of a pampered idler.

Full and drowsy, Xue Tuan rubbed his eyes.

Rong Shan noticed and picked him up, letting him rest on his shoulder while gently patting his back to lull him to sleep. Bing Qiu shifted into his beast form and snuggled in front of them, acting as a warm blanket for Xue Tuan.

Feng Yan spoke in a hushed tone, discussing matters quietly with Rong Shan.

Curled up in his Dad’s arms, Xue Tuan’s drowsy eyes reflected the flickering firelight, and the soft murmurs of his family became the most soothing lullaby.

Just like every day before, Xue Tuan gradually drifted into dreams in his Dad’s warm embrace.

·

Dawn broke faintly. Hu Li blinked groggily, waking to the rhythmic jostling of movement.

In his blurry vision, he could only see fluffy white fur. Reaching out, he grabbed and clung to the neck of his beast-formed Father.

Sensing the slight movement, Feng Yan knew his child was awake. But he didn’t stop running—his well-behaved, weak child wouldn’t likely tumble out of the bundle.

After discussing with Rong Shan that night, they had decided to find a temporary settlement, ideally a tribe, for safety.

They had been traveling for too long; it was time to stop and adapt to a new environment.

After several more days of journeying, they finally discovered a frozen stream.

Where there was water, there was likely a beastman tribe nearby.

The snow foxes slowed their pace. Feng Yan let out two soft growls to Rong Shan, signaling that they could stop and search for signs of beastman life.

Feng Yan was the first to shift back to human form, holding Xue Tuan in one arm and the travel bundle in the other.

He pulled out a small gourd from the luggage, filled with clean snowmelt water he and Rong Shan had boiled before setting off. Though it was no longer hot, it was still safe for the young one to drink.

Drinking untreated cold water was fine for them in beast form, but their frail child needed boiled water. Eventually, it became a rule—when in human form, the child insisted the family drink boiled water too, or he would sulk.

Thinking of his increasingly lively young son, Feng Yan's heart softened.

Feng Yan surveyed the surroundings—there was a water source, trees, and not far away, some hills. It was likely that other beastmen lived nearby.

Seeing that the little cub had taken a few sips from the gourd and then stopped, Feng Yan packed up his belongings and carried Xue Tuan into the woods.

After Rong Shan and Bing Qiu also transformed into their human forms, they followed behind Feng Yan.

"Father, let me carry my brother," Bing Qiu said eagerly. As soon as he transformed, he rushed up to Feng Yan with his hands outstretched, hoping to hold Xue Tuan and play with him.

"No, the woods are hard to walk through," Feng Yan replied, dodging Bing Qiu's hands and continuing to hold Xue Tuan securely. He wasn’t about to hand over the little one, who was clinging so sweetly to his neck.

"I’ll be careful! I promise!" Bing Qiu pleaded anxiously, his eyes fixed longingly on his brother in his father’s arms as he stretched out his hands, determined.

Bing Qiu tugged at his father’s beast-hide clothing with his left hand to keep him from moving and stubbornly reached for Xue Tuan with his right.

Feng Yan wasn’t about to let his eldest son win. He simply lifted Xue Tuan higher, out of Bing Qiu’s reach.

Rong Shan, who had been watching, suddenly stepped forward. He took Xue Tuan in one arm and handed the pack to Bing Qiu with the other. "I’ll carry him," he said. Now that his hands were free, he was the best one to hold the well-behaved little one.

Seeing his brother taken by his dad, Bing Qiu could only pout and clutch the pack tightly without another word. Meanwhile, Feng Yan, seeing his partner no longer looking worried and smiling as he held their child, couldn’t help but smile too.

As for Hu Li, his eyes darted between them. He didn’t have much to say—after all, he didn't care who held him.

A small bird flew down from the sky and landed on Hu Li’s shoulder. At first, he thought it would leave once it had eaten, but it ended up following them the whole way. Hu Li reached out and petted the bird. He didn’t mind having another companion.

The family headed deeper into the woods. Hu Li joined the adults in searching for signs of other beastmen. He had never seen other beastmen before and was full of curiosity about the world.

He also agreed that they should find a place to rest first and make plans later.

Following a well-worn path, they faintly saw smoke rising in the distance.

After walking a bit further, they came upon a small beastman tribe.

Carried by his father, Hu Li had a good view. As they walked, he could see the layout of the tribe.

The tribe consisted of thatched huts of various sizes, some unfinished. The basic structure was built with thick tree trunks and covered with thatch. Some huts had animal hides or woven grass curtains hanging at the entrance, giving some protection against the cold wind.

The tribal territory was roughly encircled by worn-out wooden stakes. By the time the arctic fox family reached the "entrance" of the tribe, beastmen had already crowded around to stare. The so-called entrance was merely a few tree trunks arranged as a makeshift gate.

The tribespeople found it hard to believe at the sight of outsiders.

It was the cold season, when food was scarce—how could there still be beastmen wandering outside?

Many stopped what they were doing and hurried to the entrance, while those who were slower could only watch from behind.

They stole glances at the arctic fox family, each of them astonished: this family, with their handsome features, fair skin, and dignified presence, wore clean, neatly mended fur clothing and even had ivory accessories.

Comparing the newcomers to their own rough, simple fur garments, they couldn’t help but wonder: What kind of family is this anyway? Are all beastmen from the north like this?

The bustling crowd soon cleared a path, and a few leading figures emerged, surrounded by others.

Hu Li gripped his father’s shoulders and turned his head curiously to look at them.

An elderly man with graying hair walked out, leaning on a wooden staff. On either side of him stood two middle-aged men. The one on the right wore a cloak made of bird feathers and animal hide and was supporting the elder.

The chieftain of this small tribe had taken a group of beastmen out hunting, so the Deputy Chief, Priest, and elder were currently managing tribal affairs.

The elder’s cloudy eyes scrutinized the arctic fox family before him. Guessing they might be traveling beastmen with their family in tow, he spoke up first: "Are you looking to join our tribe?"

Elder Mushi noted that these two men had strong builds and were probably good hunters. Seeing how clean and well-tailored their fur clothing was, he assumed they came from a fairly prosperous tribe.

In just a short moment, Elder Mushi had already considered the idea of letting them stay, but...

No matter how skilled a hunter was, without prey, those skills meant nothing.

Hearing the question, Feng Yan hesitated for a moment before briefly explaining where they had come from and their need for a place to stay, without mentioning whether they intended to join the tribe.

"You should go elsewhere."

The speaker was the Sub-beastman standing to the right of the elder, the only one dressed in different attire.