Beauty and the Beasts

A fire was started and it burned brightly in the pit. After it naturally extinguished, Parker scooped out the remains bit by bit. He then wrapped them in a piece of animal skin that he was going to throw away and smashed them with a rock.

When he unwrapped the animal skin, the animal bones had already been turned into ash.

Parker was about to bring the ashes to the mountains to dispose of them when Bai Qingqing shouted from inside the house, “Wash your hands, you dirty leopard!”

“Okay.” Parker obediently washed his hands, then showed her his dripping wet hands. “They’re washed clean now. Since I’m heading out, I’m going to take the chance to hunt as well.”

“Mm.” Bai Qingqing nodded.

However, when Parker returned with his prey, Cortis had already prepared food for Bai Qingqing.

They were roasting a whole sheep in the main room, and there was another sheep on the verge of death wrapped around Cortis’s tail.

When Bai Qingqing saw Parker, she immediately called out to him. “Parker, quickly come and eat. The meat’s just been roasted.”

Parker threw his prey on the ground, and it landed with a thump. He stood stiffly beside the fire. “No thanks. I’ll eat my own meat. I’ll roast it once you two are done.”

Bai Qingqing glanced at Parker’s prey and internally sighed at the idea that the food was about to go to waste. “But there’s so much here. I won’t be able to finish it, and Cortis doesn’t like to eat cooked food. You two can take turns to hunt in the future. It’ll also be a little easier for you that way.”

“Hmph.” At first, Parker didn’t want to accept her suggestion. However, he then remembered that other people did the same thing, and he would seem unreasonable if he continued to be against it. He could only sit down in a displeased manner.

Seeing that Parker had returned, Cortis carried his prey and slithered further away from him before fully transforming into a beast and swallowing his prey bit by bit. He then slowly slithered into the bedroom, closed his retinas, and dozed off.

Despite having seen Cortis feed a few times, Bai Qingqing couldn’t help but feel uneasy. However, this time, she felt a little safer with Parker around. She only relaxed when Cortis went into the house.

“What are you going to do with your prey?” Bai Qingqing asked.

Parker glanced at his lifeless prey before replying, “I’ll just throw it into the river to feed the fishes. Honestly, what’s with that damned snake? His prey was still alive. Couldn’t he have just eaten mine?”

Bai Qingqing couldn’t think of any way to preserve the meat, and curing it with salt would be too wasteful. She could only agree with Parker’s idea.

The rainy season arrived without a warning. That afternoon, the sky suddenly turned dark the moment the temperature dropped. The wind then blew fiercely, causing the air to be full of sand particles. The insects in the air suddenly vanished, and the air pressure was so low that it was difficult to breathe.

Parker and Cortis moved the firewood and grass they had left to dry in the sun into the house. As soon as they were done, there was a loud crack of thunder and rain poured from the sky.

Surprise could be seen in Bai Qingqing’s eyes as she crawled up to the window and looked outside. “What a big downpour!”

She had never seen such heavy rain before. It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that it was raining cats and dogs.

Cortis built his nest next to Parker’s, which was the smaller one. He then said to Bai Qingqing, “Come and sleep here.”

Parker immediately said, “Qingqing’s sleeping with me.”

Feeling the atmosphere between the two grow dangerously explosive, Bai Qingqing stood firmly by the window and pretended to look at the scenery. “I’m not going to sleep. I want to look at the rain.”

The lightning and thunder outside caused light to flash across Bai Qingqing’s face.

“Pa!”

A sudden peal of thunder could be heard from not far away. Then, a tiger was illuminated by strong light. Its wet fur stuck to its skin, causing its bones to stick out. Its face was covered in scars, causing it to look ferocious and terrifying.

“Ah!” Bai Qingqing screamed and stepped backward.

The strong light flashed again. Its strong silhouette seemed to be broken up by the rain.

“Qingqing.”

Parker and Cortis rushed up to her at the same time, but Cortis eventually reached her first and hugged her.

“Don’t worry. I’m here.” Cortis lifted Bai Qingqing’s chin and kissed her face.