Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 391: Birth of the Little Fry

The fire had burned down to white ash by the time the first grey light of dawn began to creep into the cave.

Su Qinglan had not slept much; she had spent the remaining hours of the night in a daze, alternating between tending to the fire and checking on the sleeping cubs.

As the sun began to rise over the ocean, the three cubs began to stir. They stretched their tiny limbs and let out little yawns, circling around her feet and nipping at her hem, sensing their mother’s restless energy.

Su Qinglan forced herself to focus on them.

She took a clean cloth and some warm water, carefully wiping their faces and paws. Then she fed them their morning milk, watching their little throats move as they gulped it down.

Just as she was settling the last cub back onto the blanket, the sound of heavy, rapid footsteps echoed outside.

"Female Qinglan! Female Qinglan!"

It was Manis. He came skidding to a halt at the entrance of the cave, his face flushed and a massive, beaming grin stretching from ear to ear. He was breathing hard, but his eyes were bright with excitement.

"Sister in law gave birth!" he shouted, not even waiting to catch his breath.

Su Qinglan felt a jolt of pure electricity run through her. She stood up so fast she nearly knocked over the milk bowl. "Is she okay? Is the baby healthy?"

Manis nodded vigorously, his hands gesturing wildly. "She is fine! My brother brought her back to his cave just now. It is only one little fry, but he is quite chubby and big for a newborn! He has a strong tail and very bright scales already."

In the Sea tribe, they often referred to their infants as "fry" or "little fins" until they were old enough to shift, and Manis was clearly proud of the new addition to the family.

"My brother is watching over them now," Manis continued, his voice full of joy.

"Sister in law is sleeping peacefully. She worked very hard. My father said that if you want to visit her, you should come now before the rest of the tribe starts crowding the area."

Su Qinglan did not need to be told twice. She felt a wave of relief so strong she almost felt lightheaded. Her sister had made it. The baby was safe.

"Wait for me!" she cried.

She did not want to leave the cubs alone after the strange events of the previous night, so she quickly gathered the three babies into her arms. The cubs, sensing the excitement, did not struggle; they just poked their heads out from the bundle of her robes, their big eyes curious.

"Lead the way, Manis!"

She rushed out of the cave, following Manis as he sprinted toward his brother’s territory.

Her heart was pounding, not from the run, but from the anticipation of finally seeing Lan Yue and the little life that had caused so much worry and wonder throughout the night.

Su Qinglan rushed toward the cave of Lan Yue’s mate, her heart racing. Standing at the entrance was the tall, imposing man she had seen diving into the ocean the night before.

Up close, he looked even more formidable, with shoulders like a mountain and eyes that held the depth of the sea.

When he saw Su Qinglan approaching with her bundle of cubs, the man paused. He looked a bit stunned, his eyes flickering with confusion. He was clearly much older and stronger than Su Qinglan, but he took a deep breath and gave her a stiff, respectful nod.

"Sister," he said, his voice deep like rumbling thunder.

Su Qinglan blinked, a bit surprised. Lan Yue must have already told him that she was her sister.

Even though he was a powerful warrior and clearly senior to her, he followed the rules of his mate. To show respect to Lan Yue, he had to treat her sister with the highest regard.

"Thank you for looking after her," Su Qinglan replied with a nod, and she stepped into the cave. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The man followed her inside, his gaze immediately landing on the three cubs she was carrying. Su Qinglan gently put the two tiger cubs on the ground.

"Stay here," she whispered to them. "Do not move, and do not do anything."

Xiao Yi and Xiao Er sat back on their haunches, their golden eyes wide and curious, while Xiao San remained wrapped firmly around her wrist. After the cubs gave a small, obedient nod, Su Qinglan hurried to the bedside.

Lan Yue was lying on a soft pile of blankets, her face deathly pale and her breathing shallow.

Seeing her looking so drained made Su Qinglan’s heart ache.

Without a word, she reached out and took Lan Yue’s hand. She immediately channeled her plant type healing ability, sending a warm, green glow through Lan Yue’s palm.

Almost instantly, the gray tint left Lan Yue’s skin, and her cheeks turned a healthy, rosy pink. Lan Yue’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly.

"Sister... you are here," she whispered.

They chatted for a few moments, Su Qinglan making sure she was not in any more pain.

Once she was satisfied that Lan Yue was recovering, Su Qinglan’s curiosity finally got the better of her. She turned to look at a large stone bowl filled with seawater sitting near the bed.

"Is this the little one?" she asked, walking over.

Inside the bowl, a single small creature was swimming in circles. Su Qinglan’s lips almost twitched.

Manis had described the baby as chubby and big, but compared to her Xiao Yi, who was a fat little ball when he was born, this baby just looked like a small fish.

However, as she looked closer, she realized why they were so impressed. Most fish beast babies must be the size of a finger at birth, but this one was substantial. It had a sleek black and white pattern and a rounded head.

Wait... an orca? Su Qinglan realized.

Lan Yue’s mate must be an orca merman. That explained his massive size and terrifying aura. No wonder the tribe thought the fry was huge. It was a baby killer whale.

Xiao San peeked from her wrist, his tongue flicking out with curiosity as he stared at the swimming baby.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Er also crawled closer to the bowl, peering over the edge with their front paws resting on the stone.

Xiao Yi’s eyes sparkled. He felt a sudden, instinctive urge to swipe his paw into the water to see if the fish would jump.

But before he could even lift his leg, Xiao Er gave him a nudge with his shoulder, casting him a warning look. "Do not do it. Mother will definitely spank your bottom if you touch the fish brother."

The cubs could feel a faint sense of kinship coming from the water. Even though it looked like a fish, it did not smell like the food they usually ate; it smelled like family.

Lan Yue’s husband, however, was standing in the corner, literally sweating buckets.

He watched the two tiger cubs hovering over the bowl, his muscles tense.

Everyone knew that land beast cubs loved to eat fish. He was terrified that in the blink of an eye, his newborn son would become a snack.

He let out a massive sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Er stop Xiao Yi. He realized these cubs were incredibly intelligent and disciplined.

"They... they are very well behaved," the man muttered, finally relaxing his muscles and taking Lan Yue’s palm in his hand.