Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 421: Beastly Embarrassment

While the outer cave was filled with the sounds of splashing water and heavy breathing, the atmosphere inside the cave was a completely different story.

Hu Yan and Rong Ye were dead to the world.

They had worked so hard the night before that their internal "alert systems" were completely fried.

Usually, even the sound of a falling leaf would wake them, but they were so exhausted that they probably wouldn’t have noticed if the cave roof fell in.

Because they knew Xuan Long and Han Jue were "on duty," they had let their guard down completely.

Rong Ye was deep in a dream about a giant, sweet coconut. He reached out with a subconscious groan, his hand searching for that soft, warm thigh he had been hugging earlier. His fingers brushed against something thick and muscular.

"Mmm... Lan Lan... so soft..." Rong Ye mumbled, his eyes still tightly shut. He didn’t even realize his "Lan Lan" had suddenly grown a lot of muscles and doubled in size.

He didn’t just grab it; he pulled it toward him and threw his leg over it, snuggling in with a blissful smile.

On the other side, Hu Yan was also trapped in a deep sleep. He felt something warm and heavy pressing against him.

In his dazed state, he assumed it was Su Qinglan seeking warmth.

Without opening his eyes, he reached out with his massive arms and pulled the "small" bundle into his chest, tucking his chin over the top of a head that smelled suspiciously like a stinky fox rather than his sweet female.

​"Stay... stay here..." Hu Yan grunted, tightening his grip.

​Neither of them realized they were currently spooning each other.

​Rong Ye’s face was pressed right into Hu Yan’s bicep, and Hu Yan was hugging Rong Ye’s head like a pillow.

If any other beastmen from the tribe walked in at that moment, they would have been scarred for life.

The two fiercest predators in the forest were currently curled up together like a pair of overgrown kittens, completely oblivious to the fact that their female was not even there.

​Rong Ye even let out a small, satisfied purr and licked the "thigh" in front of his face.

​Ptooey! Even in his sleep, his tongue registered that something was wrong. "Lan Lan... why do you taste like... tiger fur?"

​He frowned, his nose twitching, but the exhaustion was too much. He just wiped his mouth on Hu Yan’s arm and fell right back into his dream, squeezing his "brother" even tighter.

***

The sun was high in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the forest clearing outside the cave.

Su Qinglan had finally finished her long, chaotic bath. She was now dressed in fresh, clean animal skins, her hair still slightly damp and smelling of the forest.

Despite her calm and flat expression, she felt like her soul was about to leave her body from sheer embarrassment.

If anyone looked closely, they would see that her ears and the back of her neck were a deep, burning red. She sat on a smooth stone near the cave entrance, pretending to be very interested in the dirt at her feet.

Beside her, the two men were already busy.

Xuan Long had dragged the enormous deer-like prey he caught earlier to the edge of the clearing.

He was silent and efficient, his long fingers moving with practiced skill as he began to process the meat.

Han Jue, on the other hand, was kneeling by the fire pit. He had started a bright, crackling fire and was currently setting a pot of water to boil.

Inside the cave, Hu Yan and Rong Ye were still completely out of commission. None of the three outside wanted to wake them up.

"Let them sleep," Su Qinglan muttered softly, her voice a bit hoarse. "They must be... really tired."

Han Jue stole a quick glance at her face. When he saw her trying so hard to act normal while her ears were glowing red, a flash of a smile crossed his eyes. He didn’t tease her, though. He knew she was at her limit. He simply reached for some large bird eggs and placed them carefully in the boiling water.

She must be starving, Han Jue thought. It was already past noon, and they hadn’t eaten a single bite since the previous night’s activities.

Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by two high-pitched, twinning squeals.

"A-wooo! Meow-ow!"

From the bushes, two furry orange streaks came charging at full speed. It was Xiao Yi and Xiao Er.

The tiger cubs didn’t even look at their fathers; they ran straight for Su Qinglan and jumped into her lap with such force that she nearly fell off her stone.

"Mommy! Mommy! We finally caught you!" they seemed to cry, rubbing their wet noses against her cheeks and licking her face aggressively.

Behind them, Shi Feng appeared, carrying the little snake cub, Xiao San. He looked completely exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and leaves sticking to his hair.

He had tried to keep the cubs away to give them some space, but as soon as the tigers caught their mother’s scent, there was no stopping them.

Shi Feng breathed a massive sigh of relief when he saw Su Qinglan was awake and dressed. He had been terrified of walking into something... inappropriate.

"You’re awake," Shi Feng said, his intense gaze fixing on her.

Su Qinglan felt like his eyes were drilling holes into her forehead. She couldn’t look up. She had not even realized when he had disappeared from the cave; only moments ago she found out that he was taking care of cubs.

After finding out, she felt even more guilty.

The tiger cubs were now busy "complaining." They were making all sorts of dissatisfied noises, tugging at her clothes with their small teeth.

"Meow-gruu!" (Where did you go, Momma? Why did you leave us with the big lion? He doesn’t smell good like mother!)

Su Qinglan didn’t understand their language, but she could sense their anger. She felt even more embarrassed. "Babies, I’m sorry. I’m here now. Look, you must be hungry. Eat something."

She quickly grabbed some ripe bananas from a nearby basket and peeled them. The tiger cubs, distracted by the food, immediately began to munch on the fruit.

While they were busy, Shi Feng stepped forward. He didn’t say anything to make her awkward. He knew her being in estrus was a sensitive time.

He gently placed the little snake cub, Xiao San, into her arms. "You must be hungry too," he said calmly. "I brought you more food."

He dropped a large, woven basket in front of her. It was piled high with at least thirty giant bird eggs.

Su Qinglan’s lips twitched. "What did you do? Did you rob the entire forest’s nests?"

Shi Feng just shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "The cubs eat a lot. You need to eat more too."

"Thank you," she whispered, still not daring to meet his eyes. She kissed the top of Xiao San’s head.

The little snake cub didn’t run away like his brothers; he was content to coil around her wrist and sigh happily. He rubbed his tiny head against her thumb.

"Hiss... hiss..." (I missed you, Mother. Why were you away for so long?)