Chapter 3 : New Neighbors

Ayue no longer had to stay home all day.

The two of them took turns going out to hunt prey, and the food at home was slowly increasing.

Ayue and Ashi’s bodies, once thin from lack of proper meals, were returning to their original shapes as food became abundant.

They released their captured prey to eat freely, filling their stomachs every meal and regaining their energy.

Ashi’s body, which had been weak at first, glowed with vitality after a few days of rest.

His feathers looked more majestic and imposing, and Ayue sometimes found herself staring at him absentmindedly.

The cubs were growing fast.

Now, they could make the “wu ah wu ah wu ah” sound, signaling their hunger whenever they cried out.

Ayue and Ashi took turns hunting, always keeping fresh food at home.

Whenever they caught new prey, they immediately turned the old meat into jerky.

On hot days, they tore the meat into strips and hung them in the shade.

The breeze would dry them into hard strips of jerky in no time.

Ashi fed the cubs until they were full.

Watching their fur grow thicker, he and Ayue no longer needed to constantly brood over them, but one of them always stayed in the cave to watch over the cubs in case someone came in to harm them while they were out.

“Ayue, what’s going on outside? Why is it so noisy and chaotic?” Ashi asked, worried but curious.

Ayue set the little lamb they had caught aside and started processing the nearby rabbit.

She threw the scraps far away to avoid attracting ants or other insects.

Smiling, she said, “A new family just moved in nearby. There are nine beastmen in total, so it’s a bit noisy.”

Ayue worried, “Are they making too much noise and disturbing your rest? I can go talk to them.”

Hearing about the new neighbors, Ashi’s heart skipped a beat.

He quickly stopped Ayue, who was about to step out, and said hurriedly, “Wait, Ayue, come here.”

Ayue changed direction just before stepping out and walked to Ashi’s side. “What is it?” she asked with concern.

Ashi nudged her head gently and whispered, “Nothing. I don’t need to rest right now. I’m just a little curious about the noise outside.”

Ayue reluctantly said, “Alright, but if they do bother you, remember to tell me.”

From deep down, Ayue started to dislike the new neighbors.

Her instincts warned her, but since there wouldn’t be much interaction between them, she kept silent.

Otherwise, it would seem like she was gossiping behind their backs.

As long as they didn’t provoke her and she didn’t provoke them, peace would be best.

Outside, the weather was at its hottest.

Most beastmen who usually hunted at night stayed in their own caves to rest.

Ayue and Ashi preferred hunting at night because their eyes could see clearly in the dark, making it easier to catch prey.

Back when they lived in the tribe, they were often disturbed during night hunts.

Because of this, Ayue and Ashi switched to hunting during the day, but even then, those beastmen still wouldn’t let them be, deliberately scaring off their prey and forcing them away.

Ayue had grown accustomed to the brightness of the daytime.

Now, she could hunt day or night, unaffected by the sunlight.

A fence stood at the cave entrance, blocking the view from passersby but leaving the top open for ventilation.

They chose this spot a little above the halfway up the mountain because snow would accumulate at the lower entrances during winter.

When heavy snow blocked their cave, it took a long time to clear.

As bird-like beastmen, Ayue and Ashi could fly up and down the mountain, so the upper location was more convenient.

Inside the cave, they often felt the cool breeze rustle their feathers.

The cave was generally cool.

Besides a wooden bed and a bird’s nest, there were a little salt and some jerky, but most of the space was empty.

They hadn’t prepared the things they were still missing at home.

Ayue took some meat to eat and fed Ashi as well.

She said seriously, “Ashi, I’ll spend more time hunting from now on. You do the same. Let’s try to get the things we need for the house as soon as possible.”

Ashi nodded and spoke softly, “Mm, but don’t rush too much. We still have enough time. Don’t take any risks.”

Ayue nodded firmly.

Looking at Ashi and the three little ones in the bird’s nest, she promised, “Okay, I definitely won’t take risks for the prey.”

She never liked taking risks.

The biggest risk Ayue had ever taken was secretly rescuing Ashi and saving his life.

Because of that, Ashi always worried when she took risks.

“Hello, we’re Da He, the new fox tribe beastmen neighbors. We live in that direction. Here’s a kiln-fired ceramic pot as a gift for you,” said a fox tribe beastman standing at the door, carrying a pile of small ceramic pots.

He smiled and handed over a brand-new pot, while carrying several others to a nearby cave.

Ashi looked at the fox beastman, feeling an inexplicable reluctance to interact with them.

He didn’t even want to accept the small ceramic pot they had sent.

Such a small pot was actually quite valuable.

At the market, it would be worth at least five jin of jerky.

The small ceramic pot was expensive and fragile, so neither Ayue nor Ashi liked such small containers.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll take it to the market and sell it next time,” Ayue said knowingly, reading Ashi’s thoughts perfectly.

Ashi stared at the pot, moving his head slightly as his eyes focused on it.

He hesitated, “I feel like the color of this pot is a bit off.”

“He brought many pots just now, obviously intending to give one to each family, but the pot he gave us is a different color from the others.”

Ayue listened carefully and also noticed something was wrong.

She whispered, “Pots from the same kiln batch should be the same color at least. There might be some variation in shape, but the color should be identical.”

If the pot’s color was off, then there was a problem.

Without changing expression, Ayue nudged the small pot aside.

It hit the stone and shattered immediately.

She carefully examined the ceramic shards on the ground, noticing some red coloration inside.

The pot’s color was definitely unusual.

“Ashi, this pot really has a problem.”

Ashi froze and asked, “You believe what I said just like that?”

Ayue replied naturally, “You’re my partner. We’re family. Why would I believe a stranger I just met instead of you? I’m not crazy.”

Ashi paused, then continued, “What if my feeling is wrong?”

Ayue carefully collected the shards.

Wearing a linen outfit of shorts and a short shirt, which kept her cool in the heat, she looked up and said without hesitation, “If you’re wrong, then so be it. Compared to other things, I think you’re more important.”

Some lifeless objects weren’t worth worrying about.

Ashi stared at Ayue with complex emotions swirling in his heart.

The grievances he had buried deep inside from not being understood seemed to matter less now.

“I’m not very familiar with these things. Do you know what they put inside the pot?” Ayue placed the shards a little distance away from Ashi and asked shyly.

Ashi looked carefully and asked Ayue to bring a small piece closer so he could smell it.

After a moment, he confirmed, “They mixed the juice of a poisonous herb into the materials used to make the pot. When fired, the poison slowly seeps into whatever is stored inside the pot. The beastmen using these pots weaken without realizing it, thinking they’re sick, and eventually die from the poison.”

People unaware of this could easily die because of it.

Ayue gasped and cursed, “What vicious beastmen! We have no enmity with them, yet they try such sneaky methods to poison us. Luckily you’re here, or I wouldn’t have found out.”

Ashi smiled and lowered his head, whispering, “An old herbalist once took pity on me secretly. He saw some potential in me and taught me many things in private.”

It was thanks to this knowledge that he had survived so stubbornly.

Otherwise, he would have died long ago under their torment.

Ayue nodded firmly and said gratefully, “When we get stronger, we’ll bring that old herbalist here and take care of him.”

Ashi shook his head with a smile, “No need. The herbalist lives well now. We can visit him when we have the chance.”

“Alright.” Ayue had no objections and turned to look at the shards. “Should we throw these shards away?”

Ashi nodded and suggested, “Take them out at night and bury them somewhere no one goes.”

Ayue placed the shards as far away as possible and came back to Ashi’s side, whispering, “Those foxes clearly aren’t good beastmen. We need to keep an eye on their movements.”

If they were up to something in secret, it would be hard to defend against.

“Don’t worry. Now that we know their intentions aren’t good, we just have to avoid contact and watch for any strange behavior,” Ashi said coldly for a moment before returning to his usual tone. “These beastmen were probably sent by them. They really went all out to kill me.”

Ashi knew very well that these beastmen had done something guilty and wanted to wipe him out completely.

If that happened, no one would ever know their wrongdoing.

Looking at Ayue, Ashi’s eyes were complicated as he warned, “It’s not just the new neighbors. Even the beastmen around us could have been bribed by them…”

Ayue cut him off dismissively, “Even if this truth is revealed, it’s not your fault. It’s all theirs. Don’t blame yourself.”

Ashi smiled, “Mm.” She would always stand by his side.

The cubs woke up and had such a big mouthful of dog food that some of Ayue’s worries faded.

Their parents really had a good relationship.

“Wu ah…” The cubs cried out, opening their mouths wide, hungry.

The two novice parents hurriedly fed them, suppressing their complicated feelings.