Beauty and the Beasts

Alva’s strong sense of crisis caused him to automatically transform into his beast form. He had already turned into a brightly-colored peacock by the time he landed on the ground, stirring up dust as he did so.

“Just as well.” Muir scoffed. He ripped off the animal skin around his waist and transformed into his beast form as well so that he could beat up the peacock more brutally.

The two large birds quickly engaged in a dogfight.

The peacock looked bigger as it had longer feathers, but the black eagle was more violent, and his swift actions exuded a murderous intent. There was also a difference between the levels of the birds, so much so that their duel seemed more like a one-sided beatdown.

Bai Qingqing ran towards them, only to see countless colored feathers falling from the sky as if it was snowing.

Bai Qingqing finally picked up a peacock feather longer than she was tall. I can finally collect peacock feathers, I thought.

3

However, upon recalling that this was a beastman’s feather, Bai Qingqing quickly threw it away. If she kept it, Curtis and Parker would definitely explode.

1

Many peacocks heard the large commotion caused by the fighting birds and rushed over.

Bai Qingqing shouted from below, “Stop fighting.”

The peacocks then understood what was going on. The two of them were fighting because of the female.

But was Alva really pursuing this female from a different tribe? Wasn’t he indulging Bella and allowing her to bully this female just a few days ago?

Since it wasn’t a foreign invasion, the peacocks didn’t stay for much longer and quickly dispersed.

Muir didn’t deliver any fatal blows. He couldn’t do it here. He and Bai Qingqing were outsiders, after all. He couldn’t kill beastmen on a whim. Not only that, but this peacock also had a very high status in this tribe.

He had long since noticed Bai Qingqing liked to look at peacock feathers and hence decided to focus on pecking at Alva’s beautiful feathers.

1

Alva cried out and tried to flee, covering the ground in green feathers in the process.

Bai Qingqing noticed the smell of burnt food and quickly went back to flip the meat. Seeing that Muir didn’t intend to kill, she sat by the river and started eating.

2

Before her eyes were ripe pine nuts. She greedily ate a few of them and roasted a few more over a fire. As expected, they taste better when they’re fully cooked. 

When Bai Qingqing had eaten her fill, Muir and Alva had finally stopped fighting.

Alva’s butt and wings were stinging with pain. His eyes were filled with sadness as he looked at the feathers littering the ground. He didn’t look for Bai Qingqing and instead flew back to his nest.

1

Muir rested beside the fire and transformed into his human form. He then picked up his animal skin skirt and put it on.

Worried about Alva, Bai Qingqing glanced towards the battlefield and saw the silhouette of a peacock with sparse feathers. The feathers on his wings and tail looked like colored flags that had been scrunched up into strips by a bird.

That… can’t be Alva, right? Bai Qingqing wondered with uncertainty.

Muir glanced at the pine nuts and noticed that some of them were missing. He asked, “Do you like to eat these? I’ll go find some for you.”

“Okay. Other nuts are fine too.” Bai Qingqing felt that she didn’t need to stand on ceremony with Muir. Taking care of the baby was most important.

“Mm.”

On the way back, Bai Qingqing saw the peacock feathers littering the ground and said, “Don’t fight with him anymore. We won’t be staying here for much longer. What’s the point in making enemies?”

“I won’t allow anyone to bully you.” Muir looked at her. His narrow and upturned eyes were bright and full of spirit, such that his eyebrows resembled swords and his eyes looked like stars.

“Not only that, but he’s also trying to pursue you. I can’t not be hostile towards him. Has he even seen your face without juice on it?” Muir asked her in a resolute tone. “Your face didn’t have any color on it yesterday.”

Bai Qingqing said indifferently, “Yeah.”

If I tell Muir that Alva also tried to push me into the water, he’ll probably kill him for real. I’d better keep it to myself.