Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 585 I am a Rabbit-Eared Clan 3

"Why do you live alone deep in this forest?" Yun Chu asked cautiously, with curiosity.

A deep, resonant voice echoed within the cave: "Expel them."

These two words were like two cold stones thrown into a still pool, stirring up deeper ripples and an indescribable tremor in Yun Chu's heart.

She understood instantly.

Deep within this vast forest, dwelling alone, with an age-old coldness and loneliness in his eyes... everything has a shocking explanation.

He did not stay here voluntarily; he was exiled by his tribe!

To be rejected by one's own kind!

Just like her!

Her little mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to ask, "Why?"

But as he turned back, his broad, silent back seemed to carry the weight of mountains, and his hand, still steadily wiping the bone dagger with his distinct knuckles, all the questions choked in his throat, turning into a violent heartbeat.

Inquiring about the wounds of those who have been expelled is undoubtedly foolish and dangerous.

Fear mingled with a strange sense of empathy gripped her. Frail as she was, she too had experienced the feeling of being utterly alone. She dared not touch that wound.

But! Now is not the time to be afraid!

This powerful protector, the wolf that had just saved her and treated her wounds with almost cold-blooded meticulousness, was her only possible refuge in the perilous forest.

What if he finds her troublesome and asks her to leave the cave?

Just thinking about the all-consuming darkness and the unknown predator's aura outside the cave entrance was enough to make her freeze.

The instinct for survival overcame the fear.

Yun Chu took a deep breath, using all her strength to let her weak, trembling voice ring out, filled with urgency and pleading: "I...I am called Yun Chu! Although...although I am very weak, I can't even...can't even transform into human form, but...but I am very useful!"

There seemed to be an extremely brief pause in You's wiping of the bone dagger, but the movement was so subtle and brief that Yun Chu couldn't be sure if he had heard it in the dimly lit cave.

"I...I can cook! Really! I've learned a lot before! My nut cookies are especially fragrant, and I can also make incredibly delicious wild vegetable soup...and...and fruit jam!"

Afraid he wouldn't believe her, Yun Chu raised her voice, her tone trembling with tears, "I can help you guard the house! My ears are incredibly sharp; I can hear even the slightest noise... I... I absolutely won't be lazy and sleep when you're not around!"

"I can... I can talk to you! You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to... but I'm always ready to speak up whenever you need me!" She eagerly said all the insignificant value she could think of, as if she were holding a handful of insignificant pebbles, begging for a foothold.

Silence fell over the cave once more. Only the occasional, extremely faint crackling sound of the charcoal residue at the bottom of the stone stove, and Yun Chu's own frantic heartbeat could be heard.

You finally turned around.

The tall figure cast an even deeper shadow in the depths of the cave, his face mostly hidden at the boundary between light and shadow, his deep, cold black beast eyes staring intently at a small tuft of white fur in the corner.

His gaze, like a tangible, cold wind, swept over her chest, which was heaving violently with tension, over her forepaws wrapped in herbs, and finally settled on the tip of her nose, which was trembling slightly as she tried to express herself.

There was no anger or mockery in that gaze, only a deep-sea scrutiny, a subtle and incomprehensible inquiry, and... an almost invisible weariness.

After a long silence, just as Yun Chu's heart was about to leap out of her throat, and she thought she would be driven away by a cold command at any moment, You's deep, hoarse voice finally rang out again, seemingly with a hint of barely perceptible emotion than before, yet carrying an undeniable sense of finality:

"Stay quiet."

The cave was completely enveloped in the "quiet" that Yun Chu had prayed for.

Yun Chu bit her lower lip hard. Overwhelmed with relief and lingering fear, she immediately curled up even smaller, trying to minimize her presence.

Only the deep, steady breathing, the rustling sound of slowly sharpening bone blades, and the sound of the stone hearth ashes completely cooling remained in the cave.

The air was as taut as a fully drawn bowstring.

The light of day finally sank completely into darkness, and the cave entrance was completely erased.

Under the shelter of the cold rocks in the corner, Yun Chu's body gradually relaxed as fatigue and fright subsided.

The herbs on the wound emitted a continuous cooling sensation, effectively relieving the pain. The darkness and the concealment of the corner gave her a humble sense of security.

She dared not sleep, straining her eyes and ears to keep her "guarding the home," vigilant for any sound coming from outside the cave.

In the latter half of the night, a very faint, low howl seemed to come from a distant direction outside the cave, carrying a fierce, penetrating force.

You, who was resting against the haystack of his "bed," suddenly opened his eyes, and his cold, beastly pupils flashed with a sharp, knife-like light in the darkness.

The atmosphere in the entire cave instantly became dangerous and heavy.

He stood up, his tall silhouette moving silently toward the cave entrance, listening intently, his bushy black wolf tail taut in a straight line behind him, motionless.

The air was thick with the tense killing intent of a apex predator.

This sudden turn of events terrified Yun Chu, who was hiding in the corner!

She instantly buried her head in the white fur of her front paws, her small body trembling like a leaf in the wind, and she even held her breath.

She didn't know what it was, but the primal ferocity in the voice, and the sudden alertness between her and You, told her that the night in the forest was never truly safe.

The howl seemed to vanish in an instant, with no further sound following.

You stood at the cave entrance, concentrating for a long time, before his tense body slowly relaxed, and the terrifying killing intent dissipated.

He silently walked back to his "bed," sat down again, and closed his eyes in the shadows, as if once again falling into a kind of vigilant rest.

Perhaps it was the cold, or perhaps it was to illuminate a sliver of darkness, but You casually picked up a black stone, poked at a few embers in the extinguished stone stove, added extremely dry fine moss and a few small twigs, and skillfully rekindled a small, weak campfire.

The flickering flames brought a faint light and a comforting warmth to the cold stone cave.

The dim, warm firelight slightly illuminated You's serene profile, and also the small, white, faint yet incredibly clear cluster of light in the corner.

Yun Chu was drawn to the light and cautiously raised her eyelids slightly. Her golden eyes reflected the leaping firelight as she looked at the small fire that brought warmth with a mixture of fear and greed. Once again, she smelled the aroma of fire mixed with fur, soil, herbs, and... a very faint but real scent of smoke.

The flickering light of the campfire was like the first star quietly illuminating the darkness.

Although the fear had not yet subsided, and although the thoughts of the powerful wolf beast were as unfathomable as a deep, icy pool, the small firelight, the dry, clean grass beneath him, and the lingering cooling effect of the medicine on his wounds...

All the tiny details, in this suffocating silence and darkness, converge into an indescribable, nascent sense of security and a humble possibility of belonging.

Surrounded by cold rocks and the sweet scent of herbs, exhaustion finally overcame fear, and her consciousness slid slowly into the unknown future...