Chapter 321: Take A Bath.

Chapter 321: 321: Take A Bath.

"No... please don’t misunderstand me," Sun tried to explain himself. "I didn’t mean it that way at all..."

But Lord Ash didn’t seem willing to take his word for it. "I know people like you, and I know what you might mean. So tell me, what’s wrong with it?"

Lord Ash didn’t stop there. He rose to his feet, staring down at the little rabbit as he continued, "Who are you, and who sent you here?"

He added, "What do you really want? And what’s your plan for being here?" he demanded.

"..."

An awkward silence filled the space as everyone looked around, wondering what was wrong. By now, they were certain there was some bad blood between the two. However, they couldn’t understand how that was possible. Did they even know each other before? Lord Ash was acting as though they did.

"Ash..." Ayra gently tapped his side, silently signaling him to calm down.

Ally wanted to speak up in Sun’s defense, but he shook his head to stop her. He wanted to speak for himself.

Turning towards Lord Ash, Sun finally spoke. "I understand how you might feel. You might find me suspicious since I’m a stranger lurking around here. It’s understandable."

He added, "But I want you to understand that I wouldn’t think that way. I might be a stranger, but at least I know how to judge things for myself."

Sun continued, "I’ve been here long enough to realize that all the rumors about her were wrong. At least I know she’s different from everything they said about her."

He looked at Lord Ash earnestly. "I don’t mean any harm at all. I hope you can believe me."

The gathering fell quiet as the two stared at each other for a while. Lord Ash didn’t seem to believe him at all, but with so many eyes watching him, he appeared reluctant to push the matter any further.

In the end, he said nothing. He simply turned and walked away, leaving everyone sitting there in silence.

"It’s okay..." Ally said, gently patting Sun to comfort him. "It’s okay."

Ayra watched Ash disappear into the distance and couldn’t help feeling bad. She could tell that something was bothering him, but the stubborn fox didn’t seem willing to talk about it at all.

As everyone gradually returned to their evening activities, Ayra slowly rose to her feet and excused herself to go after Lord Ash.

---

"I know you’re not the type to persistently hate someone. Otherwise, I would’ve been dead meat by now," Ayra remarked as she came to sit beside him by the river.

The two sat there with their knees drawn up, gazing at the water beneath the moonlight.

"What do you want to say, then?" Ash asked.

Ayra smiled. "I guess whatever happened affected you deeply, since you don’t want anyone to know about it." She turned to look at him. "Your beef with the kid..."

"It’s not a beef," Ash muttered, staring down at the ground.

Ayra smiled gently. "Don’t worry, I understand. And I won’t judge you at all."

Ash looked at her, his eyes showing gratitude for the simple gesture.

She added, "If you’re comfortable talking about it, you can always tell me. Or tell us. We’re all curious to understand what’s going on, and I hope you know that."

Ash listened quietly as she continued.

"Especially your dear daughter. I’m sure she desperately wants to hear from her dear father. She doesn’t want there to be any bad blood between you. She wants you to accept her friends and her choices, too."

Ayra smiled as she gently patted his hair. "She wants to understand your real reasons as well, okay?"

Lord Ash said nothing. He simply sat there, listening to her while quietly thinking everything through.

Sooner or later, he would have to make a decision about what to do. He couldn’t afford to let this situation continue until he ended up losing his daughter.

---

On a bright morning, Sun lay in bed, sniffing himself.

Ally had told him that he reeked and needed to take a proper bath to freshen up. He sniffed himself for a while before frowning.

"I don’t think it’s that bad... Is it? Why do I need to take a bath this early?" he wondered aloud.

The rabbit added, "We don’t usually take baths so often, though..."

Ally shook her head. "So often? What do you mean? Mama always makes us take a bath at least once a day!" she insisted.

Sun blinked in amazement. "Oh, your mum is really something! I want to have her as my mum, too," he declared.

Ally smiled. "Too bad. She’s mine. Now, get ready. Let’s go take a bath."

Sun stared at her in surprise. "Huh? The two of us... together?"

Ally looked at him. "Yes. Why?"

"..."

Sun panicked, his cheeks flushing red.

Ally hesitated for a moment before bursting into laughter. She casually patted his hair and teased, "Hey, what are you even thinking? It’s not like we’re going to bathe together, silly rabbit!"

"Oh, I was just..." Sun stammered shyly, unable to finish his sentence as Ally shook her head in amusement.

---

The two set off towards the stream together, walking side by side while Sun took his time admiring the scenery around him.

As they walked, he couldn’t help commenting, "This place is impressive. It could even rival our tribe! And I can’t believe most of you here bathe so regularly and even have nice-smelling materials to use."

He shook his head in amazement. "I guess I’ll have to learn a lot from all of you while I’m here."

Ally smiled as she led the way. "Of course! You’ll have to learn all these things sooner or later. That’s the only way to develop. Mama made all of this possible, so we’re simply following her instructions."

She continued smiling as they made their way towards the woods.

However, as the two disappeared into the distance, Lord Ash stood watching them from afar.

He had been lingering around the house for a while, keeping an eye on things. Seeing Ally and Sun walk out together and head towards the stream immediately made him uneasy.

He stood there, watching them disappear into the distance, before finally following after them.