Beauty and the Beasts

Holding the two prey over his shoulders, Parker happily ran home. The mud on his fur was washed off as he ran in the rain.

“Roar! Roar!” Parker roared twice at the door, but no one came to open the door for him. He had no choice but to set the prey down and use his claws to scratch the door.

Parker was frustrated. He was so engrossed in digging that he forgot about the time. He anxiously went to the forest to capture two prey, yet he still came back too late. Could Qingqing be angry and was refusing to let him get into the house?

What an intense odor of a male! What an awful stink!

Qingqing!

The anxious Parker dashed forward forcefully.

“Bang—!”

Parker’s shoulders made a loud bang against the door. Ignoring the pain, he cocked his head sideways, opened the door, and dashed into the house.

“Roar!” Parker ferociously pounced at the one pinning Bai Qingqing. Cortis’s eyes moved and, in the instant Parker pounced over, waved a hand, sending the latter flying.

“Parker!” Bai Qingqing gazed in the direction of the sound.

She felt very embarrassed letting Parker see this scene. She looked towards Cortis and pleaded with him. “Let’s stop now, alright? I’m really in great pain.”

Parker quickly got up and, staring at Cortis, let out a low and threatening growl. “Roar!”

Cortis lowered his head and gazed at Bai Qingqing. After a moment of hesitation, he turned towards Parker and said coldly, “Get out.”

Bai Qingqing’s heart sank. She looked in Parker’s direction.

Parker transformed into a human and lashed out at him. “You beast. Qingqing hasn’t yet recovered and you’re treating her this way.”

Cortis gazed at Bai Qingqing. “What haven’t you recovered from?”

Without waiting for Parker to explain, Bai Qingqing said right away, “I caught a cold when I was in the forest with you the last time. It was a few days before we got to the village and I drank the medicine. It felt very painful then. I think it was damaging to my health. Let’s stop for now, alright? Even if I manage to get pregnant, the babies I give birth to might be unhealthy.”

Parker said furiously, “Previously, Qingqing bled a lot every day, and it ended in five days. This time, other than the first day, the amount she bled from the subsequent ten-odd days added up isn’t even as much as what she bled on one day in the past. Snake, this is all your fault.”

Cortis’s expression changed.

Parker instantly dashed up and held Bai Qingqing in his arms. “Is it alright now, Qingqing?”

Bai Qingqing squirmed into Parker’s arms, hugging her knees to her chest. “I’m in pain…”

“Let me take a look.” Parker tried to make Bai Qingqing uncurl her body, but she refused to loosen up. Parker said gently, “I’ll help you blow upon it.”

Bai Qingqing’s mouth twitched. “Bring me some water. I’d like to wash up.”

Parker was reluctant to let go of her and was about to go out to fetch some rainwater with her in his arms when Cortis came back with a basin of clear water.

“Water.”

Upon hearing Cortis’s voice, Bai Qingqing’s body involuntarily trembled. Parker held her even more tightly. He twisted his head towards Cortis and ferociously snapped at him. “Get out. You’ve startled Qingqing.”

Cortis’s hands clenched by his sides, and the backs of his hands were so tense one could see the structure of the bones underneath. After quietly standing for a moment, his legs transformed into a snake’s tail. Shaking his tail, he crawled to a corner and curled up by the wall.

Bai Qingqing felt that Parker’s words were too hurtful. But he did that because of her, so she couldn’t very well rebut him. She shoved at Parker and said, “Bring me a set of clothes. It’s so dark in the house, I can’t see a thing.”

Parker let Bai Qingqing sit on his lap and said, “I’ll help you wash up.”

Bai Qingqing repeatedly shook her head and got up. “No need, I can wash up myself.”