Chapter 101 \nChapter 101 Extra â Casso and Qiuqiuâs journey\n
When Casso reached adulthood, he had grown into a very handsome and outstanding boy. At the same time, the females in the tribe had also grown up a little bit.
In the dense forest, on a tall tree, Qiuqiu looked sadly at his ball-like body, âAi (sigh)!â His figure from the back looked so sad.
After some time and not seeing Qiuqiu come back, Casso came out to the forest to search for him. He knew where Qiuqiu generally likes to stay. They have lived together since childhood, Casso naturally knows Qiuqiu well. On the other hand, Casso also knows that as he gets older, Qiuqiu becomes sadder and he knows why Qiuqiu is unhappy. After the fact that Qiuqiu can speak the beastman language is known, no one distanced themselves from him because of his weirdness. Everyone just said that they had never seen a beast like Qiuqiu before and doesnât know what he is actually.
Casso knew that his excellence made some females in the tribe like him very much, but he had made up his mind to stay with Qiuqiu no matter whether Qiuqiu could change into a human form or not. But to his chagrin, even after he told Qiuqiu of his determination, Qiuqiu still obviously didnât feel much at ease. Casso knew that Qiuqiu had a knot1Â in his heart. Itâs the same reason why Qiuqiu walked out of the Mist Forest, to find out the answer to what he is.
As expected, Casso found Qiuqiu soon, but when he saw Qiuqiuâs listless back, Casso felt distressed. Thinking that he has reached adulthood, Casso felt that it is time for him to travel to the outside world for experience.
Casso jumped on the tree and said, âQiuqiu, Lin Mu made a lot of delicious food today. Itâs a shame that you didnât go.â He said with an exaggerated expression and sighed loudly to show how regrettable that Qiuqiu did not eat the food made by Lin Mu.
âOh,â Qiuqiu responded in a low voice without enthusiasm.
Seeing the Qiuqiu who loves food very much, to look that unenthusiastic about Lin Muâs food like he used to, Casso sighed. He held Qiuqiu in his arms. They had been together for so long and naturally they couldnât be separated.
âQiuqiu, letâs go out to the outside world.â
âOh.â Qiuqiu, who is still immersed in sorrow, simply responded.
Casso held Qiuqiu in front of him with both hands and make Qiuqiu look at him, âQiuqiu, did you hear what I said? I mean we should go out to travel, leave the tribe and go far away. We can go to the Mist Forest or other places if you want. We can go and seek the answer you want.â
Qiuqiu heard what Casso said this time. âTravel? You are saying that you want to go out to the outside world to gain experience? But didnât your father and dad felt reluctant for you to go out so early?â Even though Qiuqiu said that, he is still got excited as if he could leave the tribe tomorrow and find out about the secret of his identity tomorrow.
Casso put Qiuqiu on his lap and rubbed his head, âIâll tell them about this tonight. We can set off in the next few days after we have prepared everything we need to travel.â
âReally?â
âReally. Are you happy now?â
Qiuqiu gave a hehe smile and replied, âHappy.â Then he sniffed, âWhatâs so fragrant?â
âYou finally smelled it out.â Casso smiled and took the item out.
âFried little yellow croakers.â Qiuqiu felt so happy.
Before Casso could hand the fish over, Qiuqiu had already stretched his paw.
âI saved this for you specially, am I good to you?â
Qiuqiu nodded repeatedly. His mouth is enjoying the delicious food now, and he had no time to speak.
Casso likes Qiuqiu like this. In his heart, Qiuqiu should be always happy, love to eat, play and laugh. Casso saw the satisfaction from Qiuqiuâs fluffy face and felt satisfied as well. Now, they should get ready to travel to the outside world.
A few days later, Cassoâs parents and Lin Mu stood at the intersection in front of the tribeâs entrance to say goodbye.
Lin Mu picked Qiuqiu up and stored mini snacks in Qiuqiuâs small bag, âRemember to follow Casso closely and let him take care of you. You donât have to work so hard. Just let him find what you want to eat. Donât starve yourself.â
âJijiâŚâ
Lin Mu couldnât understand the beast language and could only rely on Casso for translation.
After Lin Mu reminded Qiuqiu of various things, he then turned to Casso and said, âRemember to take good care of Qiuqiu. Remember to give him enough to eat and drink, sleep well and feel comfortable. Personal safety is also very important. Of course, you should also take care of yourself.â
Casso can understand what the word âdifferential treatmentâ means now. He only got mentioned by the way and Qiuqiu is the most important thing in everything. Of course, Casso thinks the same in his heart, so he doesnât mind Lin Muâs bias.
Bidding farewell to his relatives, Casso waved to his father, dad (Ria), and younger brother (Snowe) who is watching him leave, and said, âYou guys can go back. Rest assured, I will be careful.â
After the two sides bid farewell to each other, Casso and Qiuqiu embarked on a journey to find answers.
Walking out of the tribe, Casso turned into his beast form. Standing beside the giant flying wolf, Qiuqiu looked unusually small.
Casso: âQiuqiu, get on me.â\n
Qiuqiu jumped on Cassoâs back flexibly. When he sat firmly, Casso began to flap his huge wings to the sky.
âQiuqiu, which way do you want us to go?â
Qiuqiu looked around in confusion, he didnât know where to go. After a moment of thought, Qiuqiu realized that he hadnât been back to Mist Forest for a long time and said, âI want to go back to Mist Forest and meet my friends. I have been there for as long I can remember. If we go there, maybe I can find some clues, although I havenât found anything when I was living there before.â
âWell, letâs go to Mist Forest first. Donât worry, Qiuqiu. We have a lot of time to find the answer. I will always be with you, trust me.â
âEn, I believe you.â
The two flew to the distance. Mist Forest, Casso had heard of it from his father Damon before so he knew how to get there.
âŚ
Theodore had been wandering around the outskirts of Mist Forest for a long, long time. He is anxious to see that person but currently is annoyed by the fact that he couldnât even enter the forest. On this day, he is searching for a direction to enter the forest as usual but came across 2 people who also wanted to enter the forest. En, after a closer look, it should be a wolf beastman and a beast that he doesnât know what it is.
The two âpeopleâ mentioned here are Casso and Qiuqiu, of course.
Qiuqiu saw Theodore as well and wondered, âHmm, it seems that this beastman intends to enter the forest just like us. But Mist Forest is notoriously dangerous and mysterious. Why would he want to go to the forest?â
Casso: âMaybe he wanted something from the forest? Isnât there a lot of rare herbs and fruits in Mist Forest?â
âI donât know about herbs but there are many delicious fruits in the forest.â Thinking of those fruits, Qiuqiu couldnât help drooling.
Theodore has good hearing so he heard the conversation between them. Hearing that they actually come out of the Mist Forest before, he hurriedly walked up to them. His beast form is a lion and his figure is huge, giving other people an oppressive feeling. Towards the beastman who suddenly blocked in front of them, both âpeopleâ looked at Theodore vigilantly at the same time. Seeing the guarded look in their eyes, Theodore quickly stated his purpose, âDonât worry, I just want to ask you about some things. I heard what you two said just now. Did you come out of the Mist Forest before?â
Qiuqiu looked at Theodore suspiciously.
âIâm here to find someone. Itâs my partner, his name is Kanos. Do you know him?â
[Banana â For those who couldnât remember who is Kanos (Banana couldnât either), he is the fox that Qiuqiu went to see before leaving the Mist forest. Yes, the one who asked if Qiuqiu came to deliver himself to be eaten. Here is the link to the chapter~]
âYour partner? Kanos? That fox!â Qiuqiu exclaimed.
Hearing Qiuqiuâs words, Theodore is delighted. He finally got some news regarding that person, âYes, itâs him.â
âBut he is a beast, how can a beast be your partner?â
âKanos can turn into his human form.â
Qiuqiu opened his mouth widely in surprise. He never knew that there are also beasts that could transform into human forms in the Mist Forest. If so, they are also âbeastmanâ? But thatâs not right. Qiuqiu has never seen any beast from Kanosâs pack that can transform. After struggling for a while, Qiuqiu finally came to the conclusion: Kanos is always so different.
Qiuqiu: âEn, so Kanos turned out to be a beast that can transform into his human form.â
Theodore: âYes, he is different from the average beastman.â
Qiuqiu: âWhatâs the difference?â
Theodore: âCanât tell specifically. Itâs just a feeling.â
Qiuqiu: âWhat kind of feeling is that?â
Two people: blahblahblahblahâŚ2
Casso saw the two still chatting enthusiastically and suggested, âI think itâs a bit late now. Letâs rest here today and go into the forest tomorrow morning.â
Theodore thought itâs good and agreed with the plan. He had to rely on these two to enter the forest anyway, so he could only follow the majority. Theodore changed to his human form. He is not very handsome, but quite masculine.
Qiuqiu wanted to know more about the gossip between him and Kanos, that powerful fox. As if they are discussing some ulterior secret, Casso asked very quietly, âHow did you become partners with Kanos?â
Theodore looked at the two in amusement. Now that he gets to know the whereabouts of Kanos, and will be able to see him soon, Theodore is in a good mood and is willing to talk about the affairs between him and Kanos.
Qiuqiu listened to the story while eating the food that Casso made for him. Qiuqiu felt that 2 words Lin Mu said before are very appropriate to this story, that is, dog blood. It turned out that after fooling around in the Mist Forest and have nothing left to play with, Kanos shifted his attention to the outside of the forest. As we all know, the animals in the Mist Forest canât get out, but Kanos always do things differently from others. He actually walked out of the forest.\nKanos can âwalk sidewaysâ3 in the Mist forest, and can also âwalk sidewaysâ outside the forest with his ability. But compared to the beastman on the mainland, he was an ignorant person. After meeting the first person who he thought looked pleasing to the eye, Kanos followed that person to his tribe. Kanos was thought to be from the fox clan, and he played/blended well in that tribe. The good-looking person mentioned earlier was not Theodore, but Theodoreâs friend. The tribe they went to was the tribe where Theodore stayed. At that time, Theodore was still the tribe leader of the tribe.
For Kanos, whose common sense was a piece of blank paper, he doesnât know what is beastman, or what is female. Although he was curious, he never intended to find a female or beastman to live together. He is a beast, even though for others, he is a handsome beastman. Kanos might not have the intention to get a partner, but other people have. There were more than 1 too, other than Theodore, but Theodore defeated all the competitors and got the first right to pursue. Although Theodore won the right of pursuit, Kanos, who didnât understand the common sense, didnât know why are the beastmen fighting for4. Fortunately, Kanos didnât dislike the fact that Theodore often showed up around him.
Later on, after a lot of hard work, Theodore finally made the fox who didnât know what is love to understand and respond to his feelings. As for the people in his tribe, they were surprised at how hard their frigid tribe leader is pursuing a male and felt that they have found the truth. It turns out that their tribe leader likes males instead.
At this point, the story can be ended with âAnd so, xx and oo lived a happy life.â Unfortunately, this is a dog-blood drama.
Theodore is a tribe leader and a great beastman, so many females like him. Most of them gave up when they became partners with other beastman, but there is always someone who hasnât given up yet. And those females felt that their charm was mocked for losing to Kanos and were very unwilling. They didnât think Kanos is any good for the tribe leader. Therefore, the females often went to see Theodore under various reasons. Theodore wanted to avoid getting gossips but itâs a pity that he is the tribe leader, he canât ignore his people. So, after a female deliberately created countless ambiguous scenes with Theodore, Kanos finally became angry.
That female was particularly arrogant. He scolded Kanos, saying he is a male who cannot bear offspring for Theodore, and how important are offsprings for beastmen⌠blahblahblah. Kanos was angered by all these. He felt that being with Theodore is too restricting. Not only he couldnât be as free as he was in the Mist Forest, but there were also such annoying factors. So, Kanos ran away to the Mist Forest. Before he leaves, Kanos went to say goodbye to the good-looking friend and made him swear not to tell Theodore his whereabouts. After that, Kanos left without turning back.
Theodore was dumbfounded to find out that his partner has run away. He could not find Kanos everywhere, and no one knew where he had gone. Theodore knew that he didnât handle things well when facing those females, but he didnât expect it to be such a consequence that he couldnât bear. Theodore couldnât find Kanos but he didnât stop searching until he realized that he didnât even know where Kanos came from. Itâs like searching for a needle in a haystack.
On the other hand, due to his status as the tribe leader, Theodore couldnât leave the tribe for too long. In the first few years, he didnât wander far from the tribe. Later, after passing his position to a beastman in the tribe, Theodore finally had the opportunity to search further away. But even after more than 10 years later, he still didnât find Kanos5.
Seeing Theodore suffering like this, his friend couldnât stand it anymore and told Theodore about Kanosâs whereabouts. The beastman apologized after that and comforted, âIf you canât find a female partner in your life, just find a beastman to be with you6.â
After knowing the address, Theodore set off to find Kanos.
âŚ
Theodore finished speaking and sighed, âItâs just that I was not mature enough at the time. So, the beast god punished me by separating us for so many years.â
âItâs alright, you will see him tomorrow.â
âYes, I can see him tomorrow. I will definitely ask for his forgiveness. Even if he doesnât forgive me, it doesnât matter. I will live in this forest and stay with him.â Just thinking about makes Theodore feel excited.
Qiuqiu got sleepy after hearing the story, so Casso held him in his arms and let him sleep peacefully.
They entered the forest the next day. To be honest, Qiuqiu would not be able to enter the forest if it was the previous him. But beast god gave him guidance, so he is able to enter. When they found Kanos, Qiuqiu saw that he is still lazily basking in the sun just like when he left. Qiuqiu is not in the mood to watch the drama of their reunion, and he wants to find his friend. Hence, leaving Theodore there, Qiuqiu saw Kanos looking angry that even his hackles are standing upright. He could only pray for Theodore and let Casso take him away.
In Mist Forest, if you want to ask who is Qiuqiuâs best friend, it is none other than the chipmunk, Songsong. When they found Songsong, the chipmunk which has gotten much fatter was eating a pine cone.
Then moment Songsong saw Qiuqiu, the pine cones in his hand fell to the ground, âOh my God! Look who I saw! Who is this?! Itâs Qiuqiu!â
For his friend to look so happy to see him, Qiuqiu felt proud of that. He jumped down and noisily chatted with Songsong. He talking about his experiences over the years, and then looked at his friend who listened with surprise and smiling from ear to ear. Then, a lot of chipmunks came, and they continued to chat noisily together.
Casso couldnât understand what Songsong said, and now he canât even understand what Qiuqiu is saying. But he stayed quietly beside Qiuqiu and didnât disturb their meeting of friends.
Qiuqiu spent the following days happily. He went looking for food in the forest and playing with friends he hadnât seen for many years. Moreover, Theodore has successfully won Kanos over. By the way, the reason why Kanos went to say farewell to Theodoreâs friend and told him that the place he is going was to give Theodore a chance to chase him. Unfortunately, that beastman friend was too naively stupid, causing their reunion to be delayed for so many years.
Theodoreâs nature as the âwife-s1aveâ cannot be changed. Since Kanos is unwilling to go out of the forest, Theodore stayed back with him.
When Qiuqiu and Casso are about to leave, Kanos told them an unexpected thing.
âActually, Iâm the one who picked you up. It was on the way when I separated from Theodore and going back to the forest. At that time, someone seemed to be going somewhere with you, but when I get to that person, he was barely hanging on. I only heard him say something âextreme north tundraâ before breathing his last. You were just a little small thing, and I couldnât let you die like that, so I brought it back. The forest is safe anyway so I simply threw you in the forest and let you live however you want.â
Hearing that, Qiuqiu became angry, âWhy didnât you tell me before?! I remember I asked you about myself!â
Kanos curled his lips, âAt that time, you were only a tiny bit old. Let alone leaving this forest. Even if you could leave, you canât go to the north with extremely cold temperatures by yourself. I didnât expect you to actually be able to get out of the forest.â
âOh well, seeing that you somewhat saved me before, I wonât blame you. We are leaving now, so you can stay here to live your life. But if you want to go out one day, our tribe is pretty good. You can quote my name when you go, and they will definitely prepare good food for you.â
Kanos waved his hand indifferently. âJust go, just go. Iâll think about it when I feel like it.â
âTch, itâs your loss not to go.â
Casso and Qiuqiu continue to walk out of the forest. Qiuqiu lay on Cassoâs back and asked, âDo you know the extreme north tundra?â
âIt should be an extremely cold place in the north. I have heard that the weather is freezing and no one wants to live there.â
âWe are going there right now, will it be dangerous?â
âDonât worry, you have me.â\n\nUnder the 3 beastsâ guidance, they arrived at their tribe. Itâs amazing, no one can imagine seeing such green scenery in the middle of snowy land.
âI can finally take off the animal skin,â Casso said as he changed to his human form. It didnât feel cold here. He also helped to remove the clothes from Qiuqiu.
Casso met their tribe leader, an old man with a white beard. What made Casso excited is that he is in human form.
âI heard Hong Ye say that you donât know what kind of beast you are.â The old manâs voice sounded gentle as he smiled kindly.
Qiuqiu nodded, âAt the outside world, I didnât see anyone that looked like me.â
This tribe leader looked at Qiuqiu with pity in his eyes. He knew the reason why. If Qiuqiu is left by himself, it means that his parents have gotten in an accident. âOur race is called the ZhĂ beast. We are a blessed race, although we have nothing like the beastmanâs powerful/strong body, we have the ability to recognize all plants. We can know which plants are edible or not, and which plants are poisonous. I think you should know this ability already.â
âZhĂ beast?â To be honest, Qiuqiu indeed has discovered this ability a long time ago. He took Lin Mu around to look for food, causing other people to find out his secret.
âWe, Zhi beast also has a very beautiful history on the beastman continent once. Unfortunately, even if we have such a good ability, in the continent where the wild beasts are rampant, we have no ability to protect ourselves. In the end, our number slowly decline. Although other tribes are willing to take us in, it is all because of our abilities. After useful plants are discovered, our situation becomes worse. After all, the beastman values power very much, so what is left for beastman who canât protect themselves? Hence, the Zhi beasts left. They came to the place with the least wild beasts around. Bless the beast god, they finally found a place suitable for survival, and now we ZhĂ beast continues to survive in this place.â
Qiuqiu understood the fact that beastman advocates power/strength. If one wants to survive on the mainland and protect their partner, they can only do it with enough strength.
Qiuqiu asked the question he cares most about, âCan I transform into a human form like you?â
The tribe leader smiled and said, âOf course, you are already an adult. You can transform as long as you go through the ceremony.â
Qiuqiu is extremely happy to hear it and asked, âThen, am I female or male?â
âWe wonât know until after the ceremony.â
âZhĂ beast is sure special,â Qiuqiu said with emotion.
âYes, the ZhĂ beast is the most special beastman race.â Though, the tribe leader doesnât know whether this special is good or not. Their people can only live in this place now. They can no longer be seen on the mainland at all. Has their race faded from the history of beastman? Thinking about it makes the tribe leader a little sad, but seeing the children chatting noisily at his feet, the tribe leader thought to himself, âWhy do you still think about this? Isnât the tribe still continuing now?â
âThe ceremony requires a day of preparation. You should be tired now so I will arrange for you to rest first.â
âThank you, tribe leader.â
This place is huge. There are people in their ZhĂ beast form who are busy with their own affairs. When they see Qiuqiu and Casso passing by, they showed a kind smile as their greeting. The two lived in a tent specially arranged for them. After they ate some food, the wolf Casso laid in a curved posture to protect Qiuqiu next to his belly.
âCasso, Iâm so happy right now. It turns out that I am a ZhĂ beast, and I also can transform into a human form. Iâm so happyâŚâ
âEn. Iâm very happy too.â
The ceremony is held on the next day, and all the ZhĂ beasts came to the square to participate in Qiuqiuâs ceremony. This coming-of-age ceremony is held by the tribe leader. In between, he held a very special stone. After some chanting, he finally placed the stone on Qiuqiuâs forehead and asked him to drink a glass of something. Then, everyone began to stare at Qiuqiu.
Casso also looked at Qiuqiu nervously.
Qiuqiu didnât feel anything at first, so he got worried about whether the procedure is ineffective or something. Then, he felt his whole body turning hot and felt extremely uncomfortable, so he couldnât help lying on the ground.
Casso stared at the magical scene without blinking. He watched as the small body slowly transforms into a smaller and cute person.
The tribe leader put a blanket on Qiuqiu when he started to feel something. It also prevents Qiuqiu from ending up nekid in front of everyone after transforming. The tribe leader still smiled kindly. He stroked his beard and smiled, âIt seems that Qiuqiu is a female. Casso has good luck.â
Casso didnât really think it matters whether Qiuqiu is a beastman or a female. Of course, a female would be better. Thinking of Qiuqiuâs arrogant attitude, if he is a beastman, Casso couldnât imagine him hunting. Just thinking about it makes him worried. He picked up the person quickly and wrapped him up tightly in his arms. Qiuqiu is still asleep now. Casso wondered how pleasantly surprised he will be when he wakes up and sees himself become like this.
Yes, Qiuqiu is indeed pleasantly surprised to see how he looked like after waking up. But at the same time, he is a little regretful that he couldnât transform back to his beast form in the future.
Casso hugged the soft Qiuqiu in his arms, âLetâs do the ceremony when we go back.â
Qiuqiu smiled and said, âI have to think about it.â
âPromise me, promise me. Who can be better than me?â
âThatâs not necessarily true. But I can consider your suggestion.â
Casso lightly nipped Qiuqiuâs lips, âI will only listen to the answer I want.â
The happiness of the two is certain, but they wondered how Lin Mu will react when he sees Qiuqiu in human form. It should be interesting, come to think about it.