Chapter 10: That Thing Poking Her Thighs

Fear erupted inside his bones as though he was seeing something terrifying that even made his heartbeat skip and race wildly. In front of him was a glowing white feather that appeared without warning and slowly fell into his palm before vanishing completely. It was the feather of Little White he used to conjure the avatar bird Snowy! If it were here, then that means something must have happened just now and caused the little bird to perish and return to him. Could it be... His heart pounded in his ears in sheer trepidation. "No...You can’t die. You have to be alive and give me a proper explanation before leaving me again!" With a sharp breath, a radiant pair of snow-white wings unfurled from his back. Golden light shimmered faintly on the tips like sunlight striking fresh snow. Sid blinked. Confusion was visibly etched on his exhausted face. "Y-Young Master?!" Who’s going to die, and why is he suddenly morphing? "Sid!" He suddenly shouted, making the other person straighten up his stiffened back by instinct. "Stop saying useless things and move quickly. I’m going ahead first, so try to keep up with my pace as much as you can. I don’t have much time to explain, so don’t dawdle around if you don’t want to be left behind," Sky uttered very seriously as though he was in a hurry and racing with death itself. "Sir...? What do you me—" Before he could react further, Sky took off into the air with a blast of wind. "W-Wait! You’re not leaving me here, are you?! Young Master! I’m just a crow! How am I supposed to keep up with an eagle?!" But his cries vanished into the distance. Left alone in the middle of nowhere, Sid looked around warily. Sure enough, as soon as the big predator left, the rustle of undergrowth and the gleam of eyes in the shadows slowly emerged. Beasts. Lots of them, fierce and big, who were just biding their time since earlier, er are now coming out, closing in on his spot one after another. "Oh no... oh shit!" Sid wailed pitifully. "You selfish bastard of a master! If I get eaten today, I swear you’ll never find a wife in this lifetime!" With a screech, Sid morphed into his dark-feathered crow form and shot into the sky in a panic, wings flapping madly as he fled for his dear life. Back in the Feral Peak, the earth trembled as if a slumbering beast had stirred from its thousand-year sleep. And the once tranquil mountainside forest was now thrown into wild disarray. Countless trees were uprooted, toppling like wooden dominoes beneath an unseen force. Above the chaos, birds shrieked in fright, flapping frantically in scattershot directions. On the ground, rodents scrambled from their burrows, their whiskers twitching in panic, fearing they might be buried alive in the quake’s aftermath. "Ugh..." A low groan escaped Hyerin’s lips as a sharp jolt of pain traveled up her spine. Her back had taken the brunt of the fall. But strangely, her head had landed on something soft—something warm that cushioned the impact and spared her from concussion. "Sister, are you alright?" A gentle male voice reached her ears, unfamiliar and mellow like the spring wind brushing across thawing snow. Dazed, Hyerin slowly opened her eyes. But when she met the stranger’s face, she instantly bolted upright—only to sway, still dizzy. A face loomed close—far too close. She blinked once. Then again. A third time. Her mind refused to process the vision before her. Arched brows curved like a crescent moon. Eyes shimmered like the morning sun peeking over the horizon. A high nose bridge, thin pink lips that matched flawlessly with skin as luminous as glazed porcelain. Not a blemish marred his visage, not even the shadow of a pore. But what arrested her attention the most... were the two perky, fluffy ears atop his head—a pair of ruddy fox ears, quivering faintly, likened to an excited puppy upon meeting its owner. I-It’s a beastman! Her heart skipped a beat. She encountered another beastman, and ly looked like a beautiful man comparable to Sol! B-But of course her husband was more handsome! Hyerin thought to herself until her forehead creased, still unable to make out her inner thoughts. ’Is this a coincidence, or are all beastmen in this world born this handsome?’ But then, realization dawned on her. "Huh? Aahh!" Hyerin squealed in panic. Her underwear clung damply to her skin, the rest of her clothes tossed aside by the quake. And this man, this beautiful stranger, had her wrapped tightly in his embrace! Cheeks burning in a deep pink, Hyerin’s breath hitched. She struggled to wriggle free, but the man did not let go. His eyes, though filled with concern, curved mischievously at the corners. A hint of a fang peeked out from behind his teasing smile. "Sister, I know I’m good-looking, but if you keep staring at me so passionately..." he murmured, voice sultry, "I might misunderstand." His gaze lingered on her bewildered face, down to her soft, pinkish lips. "If you like, we could kiss first. Then I’ll carry you somewhere quiet and let our bodies become one." "You want to—what?!!" Before she could scream, he pulled her tighter. Until she felt something poked between her thighs. Hyeri, who was fighting to break free from his gra, froze in place and turned deathly pale. "AH!!" She screamed, caught off guard by his sudden movement. "You... you crazy, lewd bastard!" Her eyes widened in shock. Her soul nearly fled her body. "Just now....What are you trying to do, huh?!" Is... is this pervert pressing his dirty thing against me?! Lightning exploded in her brain. She jolted upright like a startled cat and scrambled away. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it—a bushy red tail wagging lazily behind him. Her expression twisted. "Wait, that poking thing... was a tail?" She blurted out in disbelief but quickly covered her mouth in shame. Hyun laughed and slowly rose from the muddy ground as well, "Sister, you’re so red, you’re mind must be full of dirt. What else did you think it was?" "S-Shut up!" Hyerin stuttered and failed to make up a reason. In the end, she could only cover her face with both hands, mortified. ’Oh heavens... I thought it was his... I mean—ugh!’ Her voice broke into an awkward cough. Ahem! "Y-You can’t blame others for what they think, okay? It’s all your fault for acting like an old pervert," she grumbled. Despite her flushed cheeks, Hyerin forced herself to remain composed. He may have saved her, but that didn’t give him the right to cling to her like some wandering rogue! And besides... who even was he? Where had he come from? Why was he calling her ’sister’ so casually?