Chapter 45 - Let’s Try Food...As a Start

Chapter 45: 45 - Let’s Try Food...As a Start

(Moyu’s POV)

I had to think about her words later. I put more wood on the fire to keep the cave warm, and sat as far from the trio as possible. Close enough to watch her, and far enough not to be caught.

Her expression was blank, eyes dull. She didn’t carry my mate mark, so it was difficult to read her emotions. I was not attuned to her yet, and could only guess.

She still couldn’t move, so was there anything I could say or do to cheer her up?

What did females like? Gifts? I had never given anyone a gift before. I was always the one receiving gifts, as a reward for my deeds. Not the other way around.

Food? I recalled what she liked to eat. The weirder, the better. From fruit, to bugs, to cooked meat, to live prey. I had seen her eat it all. From afar. So I knew she wasn’t picky.

’Let’s try with food...As a start.’

I scanned the cave’s surroundings, my gaze sweeping over corners. Near the entrance, a berry bush drooped with ripe fruit. I plucked a handful of berries, arranging them carefully on a broad leaf.

I noticed a plump purple bug gorging on the leaves and placed it beside the berries on the leaf. I turned my attention to the damp soil nearby. There, wriggling pink worms caught my eye. I scooped several up beside the berries.

A lone snail was making its slow way up a rock. I added it to my collection. Lastly, I spotted a spider suspended in its web between two branches; I transferred the small creature onto my plate to complete the offering.

’Should I make it easier to consume?’ I thought so. I pressed another leaf on top and used a stone to grind it all together. A bit of water to make it a mush, and I was done. A food paste. Surely, she would like that. It would be easy to swallow and had a variety of flavors.

I carefully brought the leaf to her and held it under her nose. She didn’t react, but I could see her nostrils flaring. Her eyes turned to me, and I smiled.

"Food." I tried to put on a diplomatic face, one that would put beastmen at ease. To show trust and friendliness. It was a technique I used often.

"..." Her sharp nose flared again, and I realized she might have trouble smelling it. I moved the leaf closer, so she could smell it better.

Warmth spread through my chest when her gaze lingered on my face. Even though it lacked emotion, it felt like she acknowledged my existence. She tended to ignore me, so this was an improvement.

"Here, I will feed you," I said, using the tip of the leaf to push the paste in.

Her lips closed around it, and I held my breath, watching her reaction. She spat it out the next second, my face taking the full force of it. I blinked, the paste sticking to my cheeks and eyebrows.

I somehow expected that, but the shock still hit me. And the embarrassment, too. I wiped my face, trying to regain my composure, and gave her a bashful smile, as if to say it was all right. I didn’t mind, even though I did. "Not good?"

"You─"

Whatever she was about to say, she didn’t finish. The snake’s hand clamped over her mouth, muffling the rest of her insult with his lips. His tongue explored her mouth before biting her lower lip and putting her into a sleepy state.

A frown appeared on Kurus’ forehead as he pulled back, his nose wrinkling. "What did you feed her, warmblood?"

I looked at the leaf in my hand, the paste still clinging to it. "...Food?"

[I’m going to brush mate’s teeth,] Kurus said, flicking his tail toward me like a whip. [Water, warmblood.]

I released my beast aura, refusing to be treated as a cold-blood’s servant. [I have a name.]

Kurus tilted his head, eyes narrowing at me. [You are a warmblood, so I call you warmblood.]

[If you want water, go get it yourself,] I responded. [You are not my superior, coldblood.]

[You woke her up. You get the water.] He hissed at me, and I matched him with a sharp stare, neither willing to back down.

We didn’t want to wake her up, not when she needed the rest. So, we fought through deep-speak, exchanging a few more silent blows before Vick intervened.

[Go and get the water, Moyu. You are yet to earn your place here. And Kurus, start calling him by his name. Only by working as a pack can we protect her.]

I went to the river as Kurus grumbled under his breath. [Coldblooded can’t work in packs... we only trust our own.]

Vick said something that made the snake fall silent. [Only if you want to lose her.]

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As I knelt by the river, washing my face in the cold water, their words echoed in my mind. If even Vick, a powerful, cold-blooded male like himself, couldn’t keep her to himself, what chance did I, or Kurus, have of making her stay?

The chill of the river cleared my head. I filled the gourd with water and made my way back to the cave.

Days passed in this same pattern.

She remained in her deep sleep, refusing to wake, refusing food, refusing drink, refusing to speak. Her body would not accept anything, as if she were rejecting the world itself. She fought, even in her sleep, against something we couldn’t see.

[A tantrum?] Kurus asked as we got ready to resume our journey. The female was still asleep, and Vick carried her on his back.

[Both can play this game,] Vick replied, adjusting her weight. [She might have the will to starve herself, but we have the power to force-feed her.]

This act would have been punishable in the Beast Kingdom. Any type of mistreatment towards females was strictly forbidden. Even if she refused to eat, we should have tried to convince her with gentle words and affectionate gestures.

But I couldn’t see any of these tactics working on her.

[How will she accept us if we treat her like this?] I couldn’t help but voice my concern. [She will hate us even more.]

Vick shot me a sidelong glance, his lips curling into a smile. [That’s the point. She needs to hate us enough to stop caring about us. And when she does, she will let us stay with her. Because she won’t give a damn about what happens to us, and if any of us dies in the process, she won’t feel responsible.]

I didn’t like the idea, but I understood the logic behind it. The female had a soft spot for the weak and the helpless. If we showed her we weren’t, she wouldn’t waste her energy on us. She would see us as nothing more than tools to be used and discarded.

There existed females in this world who cared only about the power and pleasure they could derive from their males. They were selfish, cruel, heartless, and without conscience. Did I want her to become like that? To treat me as if I were nothing more than a toy to be played with and then thrown away?

I looked at Kurus, who was slithering beside us. He didn’t care about Vick’s plan or the female’s feelings. His cold-blooded nature was immune to such considerations. If she misbehaved, he could retaliate in kind without guilt or remorse.

I had been raised to respect females and protect them at all costs. Seeing someone being mistreated went against everything I believed in. I had no power to intervene, though. I had to watch and learn. This was the world she lived in, and if I wanted to be a part of it, I had to adapt as well.

[Her father...is he that powerful?] I asked.