I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 48: Did I Break Him?

The tribal fire crackled merrily in the center of the Thousand Fang village, casting dancing orange shadows over the massive gathering of beastmen.

Bai Yue chewed on a piece of perfectly cooked venison, trying her absolute hardest to pretend she wasn’t the focal point of the most chaotic seating arrangement in the history of the Beast Realm.

Sigh.

On her left sat Cāng Jì. The Dragon Prince was aggressively tearing into a roasted leg of some massive forest bird, radiating a wave of draconic heat that made Bai Yue sweat.

On her right sat Han Shān, sitting rigidly with his massive arms crossed, glaring a hole into the fire.

Next to him was Zhāo Yàn, casually feeding little Ruì Xuě pieces of soft meat with an infuriatingly smug smile, his tails draped elegantly over the log.

And directly across the roaring fire sat Hóng Yè. The thirteen-year-old Red Panda was glaring at Bai Yue with such hatred that if looks could kill, she would have been buried, dug up, and buried twice more.

"So," Mo Xiao’s booming voice broke the tense silence. The Panther Alpha wiped grease from his chin and grinned, leaning forward. "Are you going to tell us how you managed to retrieve the Dragon Prince’s stone from the monkeys? We know about you fighting a Swamp Hydra, but what about the Monkey King’s trials? They are notoriously cruel."

Cāng Jì choked on his meat. He started coughing violently, thumping his own chest with a heavy fist.

"The trials were.....highly classified! A matter of royal draconic business! We do not need to speak of them! The stone was retrieved with dignity and grace!"

Bai Yue’s eyes lit up. A wicked, mischievous glint flashed across her face. Oh, she was absolutely going to speak of them.

"Well," Bai Yue started, her voice carrying clearly over the crackling fire. "The first trial involved His Royal Highness sitting perfectly still while a dozen monkey toddlers picked imaginary bugs out of his hair."

The entire tribe went dead silent. A few of the younger hunters exchanged bewildered glances.

"I was showing mercy to the young!" Cāng Jì protested loudly, his ears already turning pink.

"And they peed on his very expensive boots," Bai Yue added helpfully.

Someone in the back of the crowd snorted.

"You swore you would not mention the bodily fluids!" Cāng Jì shrieked, his face turning the color of a ripe tomato. He looked around wildly, his majestic aura shattering into a million pieces.

"But that wasn’t even the best part," Bai Yue continued smoothly, leaning forward and gesturing with her wooden spoon. "The final trial required the mighty, terrifying Golden Dragon to wear a skirt made of neon pink and green feathers."

"Stop speaking at once!" Cāng Jì reached over, trying to cover her mouth with his large hand, but Bai Yue simply ducked under his arm with a laugh.

"And he had to perform an apology dance!" Bai Yue projected her voice to the entire rapt audience. "He had to wiggle his hips, flap his arms like a bird, and sing a song about how much he loves trees!"

Complete, utter pandemonium erupted in the clearing.

The panther hunters burst into roaring laughter, slapping their knees. The stoic elders chuckled into their wooden cups, hiding their smiles. Even Zhāo Yàn threw his head back and let out a rich, melodious laugh that vibrated pleasantly against the cool air.

"I WAS NEGOTIATING DIPLOMATIC PEACE!" Cāng Jì roared at the laughing tribe, jumping to his feet. But the aggressive, fiery blush on his cheeks completely ruined the intimidating effect. "IT WAS A STRATEGIC WIGGLE! I AM AN APEX PREDATOR!"

Across the fire, Hóng Yè wasn’t laughing.

The teenage Red Panda’s hands clenched into tight fists, his claws digging painfully into his own palms.

He hated this. He hated that the tribe was listening to her, laughing with her. She was the cursed female! She had ruined his father’s life! She had broken their family! Why were they treating her like she belonged here?

Before he could say anything, a small, orange cannonball launched itself across the dirt and slammed directly into Hóng Yè’s chest.

"Big brother Hóng Yè!"

Yòu Lín, the fox kit, nuzzled his older half-brother enthusiastically, his tails wagging furiously.

Instantly, Hóng Yè’s hardened, warrior-of-vengeance exterior melted into a puddle of absolute mush. "Y-Yòu Lín! Look at you, your fur is so shiny!" He wrapped his arms around the kit, burying his face in the soft orange fur, completely forgetting his anger.

"Play with us!" Ruì Xuě cheered, waddling over from Zhāo Yàn’s lap and throwing his tiny arms around Hóng Yè’s leg.

"Can we play too?" The snake twins, Shé Yì and Shé Èr, slithered over, immediately wrapping themselves around Hóng Yè’s arms like living, scaly bracelets.

Within seconds, the fierce, rebellious teenager was buried under a pile of demanding, giggling cubs. He tried to maintain his scowl, but as Yòu Lín batted playfully at his white-tipped ears, Hóng Yè let out a ringing laugh. He had missed them.

Bai Yue watched the scene, her heart softening. Hóng Yè was just a kid carrying way too much anger. He missed his brothers, and he missed his home. She remembered the memories of Yan Shu, the sweet, anxious Red Panda who loved herbs and poetry, who had always tried to keep the peace.

I need to fix this, she thought with determination. I need to find Yan Shu and bring him back. I have to make this family whole again.

Even the terrifying Tiger boy, Shěn, was dragged into the chaos. Miao Miao, the bravest panther cub, climbed directly up Shěn’s back and sat firmly on his head. Shěn simply stared blankly into the distance, accepting his fate as a piece of jungle furniture without a single change in expression.

The meal slowly wound down. The twin moons climbed high into the starry sky, and the younger cubs began to yawn, curling up against their parents.

Bai Yue let out a tired sigh, stretching her stiff arms above her head. She picked up her empty wooden bowl and turned to carry it toward the village washing basin.

She took exactly one step and slammed face-first into what felt like a solid wall of ice.

"Oof!" Bai Yue stumbled backward, dropping her bowl.

She looked up. Towering over her was Han Shān. The Snow Leopard had stood up at the exact same time, and she had walked right into his broad, muscular chest.

Panic instantly seized her throat. The old Bai Yue would have screamed at him for being in her way. Han Shān hated being touched by her.

"I-I’m sorry!" Bai Yue squeaked, her face flushing bright red as she took a frantic step back. "I wasn’t looking, I..."

Han Shān looked down at her. His icy eyes traced the bright blush spreading across her soft cheeks. He saw the way her lips parted in apology. He smelled the faint, lingering scent of the hot springs on her skin.

And suddenly, the memory slammed into his brain.

Her arms wrapped tightly around Zhāo Yàn’s neck. Her soft lips parted in a deep, consuming kiss. The breathless, desperate sounds she made against the Fox Lord’s mouth.

Han Shān’s eyes widened. His breath hitched in his chest.

To Bai Yue’s absolute shock, a violent, crimson blush exploded across the Snow Leopard’s pale, stoic cheeks, spreading rapidly all the way to the tips of his pointed, fluffy ears.

The terrifying, unshakeable warrior of the snows suddenly looked like a panicked, incredibly flustered schoolboy.

"Y-You..." Han Shān stuttered, his voice cracking slightly as he took a massive, clumsy step backward, nearly tripping over the log.

"Han Shān?" Bai Yue blinked, completely bewildered by his sudden panic. "Are you okay?"

"Grrrrr!" Han Shān let out a completely erratic, high-pitched growl that sounded more like a startled housecat than an apex predator.

He spun around wildly, his icy aura flaring out of control.

"Take care of my cub!" Han Shān yelled at the utterly confused Fox Lord.

Before anyone could say another word, the mighty Snow Leopard literally turned and sprinted away into the dark forest, his boots kicking up dust as if he were being actively chased by a pack of demons.

Bai Yue stood there in the quiet clearing, staring blankly at the empty space where her husband had just been.

"...Did I break him?" she whispered.