Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 417: Jealous Beastmen vs. Poor Lion Nanny!
The morning sun filtered through the thick canopy of the forest, but the air was still cool.
Xiao Yi, the eldest tiger cub, let out a massive yawn, his little pink tongue curling. He stretched his tiny paws, trying to find the soft, fragrant warmth of his mother.
But he felt something furry and solid, so he kneaded it with his claws.
Wait... His mother was soft and smelled like sweet flowers. This thing felt like a giant, hairy boulder.
Xiao Yi’s little ears flicked. He opened his adorable eyes, expecting to see Su Qinglan’s smiling face.
Instead, he came face-to-face with a massive, golden lion snout. The lion’s eyes were closed, but its breathing was like a heavy bellows.
Xiao Yi’s fur stood straight up. He let out a tiny, high-pitched growl. "Meow!" (Who are you and what did you do with my mommy?!)
The big lion, Shi Feng, didn’t even open his eyes. He just lazily lifted a heavy paw and patted the cub down, pinning him gently against his chest.
Xiao Yi felt like he was being buried alive under a mountain of gold fur. He struggled, swatting at the giant paw with all his might.
"Meow! Meow!" (Get your fatty paws off me! Where is Mommy?!)
He looked around in a panic. The cave was gone. There was no stone bed. They were lying on the open ground under a giant tree.
His antics woke up his brothers. Xiao Er, the second tiger cub, and Xiao San, the little snake cub, had been sleeping soundly on the lion’s stomach. They scrambled up, blinking sleepily.
"Where is Mother?" Xiao Yi asked his brothers in their cub language. "Did you see her?"
Xiao Er looked around, his little head tilting in confusion. Xiao San, the snake cub, was so tired his tail was dragging. He shook his head slowly. He didn’t know anything; he just wanted to go back to sleep.
Shi Feng, the lion, finally opened his eyes. He looked at the three tiny cubs vibrating on his body with a look of pure pity.
He couldn’t understand every word of their cub-talk, but as a feline beastman, he got the gist.
He sighed a heavy, lion sigh. He couldn’t exactly explain to these babies that their "biological" fathers...Hu Yan and Xuan Long...plus the other two had turned into complete lunatics in the middle of the night.
Because Su Qinglan’s estrus scent was so strong, the four "official" mates had banded together to kick Shi Feng out.
Since Shi Feng hadn’t officially mated with Su Qinglan yet, they treated him like an outsider. And because the males were losing their minds with instinct, they didn’t want the cubs around either.
Basically, the "husbands" had kicked out the "nanny" and the kids.
"Don’t worry, cubs," Shi Feng muttered.
His eyes were bloodshot. He had huge dark circles under his eyes from listening to the chaos in the cave all night. "Even if your fathers don’t want you right now, Father Shi Feng wants you."
He felt so much pity for them that he leaned in, his big mouth open to give Xiao Yi a giant, fatherly lick on the head.
"AHHH!" The cubs shrieked in unison. Their little paws flew up, hitting his face to keep his mouth away.
Shi Feng’s eyelid twitched. Why are they so dramatic? he wondered. I’m trying to be sentimental here.
He stood up. These cubs were growing way too fast. They were already the size of small calves and ate twice as much.
"Alright, listen up," Shi Feng said, his tone a bit sore. "You have to stay with me for now. Your fathers... well, all of them are very, very busy right now."
The three cubs stood in a row, little question marks practically floating over their heads. Busy doing what?
Grumble...
Xiao Er’s stomach let out a loud roar.
"Oh, the naughty ones are hungry," Shi Feng snickered, looking back toward the cave. He knew the males in there wouldn’t be coming out for a long time.
They were probably too busy guarding the entrance like jealous dogs.
"Let’s go. Father Shi Feng will find you some fruits and maybe a small snack. I don’t think your ’busy’ fathers will wake up before noon."
He shook his head and threw the cubs on his back and headed out of the forest, leaving the cave far behind.
The forest slowly thinned, and the cool morning breeze began to carry the salty scent of the sea.
Shi Feng strode through the last line of trees and stepped onto the wide, golden shore. Waves rolled in lazily, sparkling under the rising sun. The cubs immediately stopped squirming in his arms.
"Waaah..." Xiao Er’s eyes widened.
The endless blue stretched before them, shimmering like a giant jewel. Even sleepy Xiao San lifted his droopy head, his little snake tail perking up.
Shi Feng smirked. "First time seeing the sea, huh? Don’t run into it. It bites harder than your fathers."
He set them down on a large flat stone near the water. The stone was warm from the early sun but high enough that the waves wouldn’t reach them.
"Stay here," he instructed seriously, pointing his paw at them. "Watch how Father Shi Feng catches breakfast. Today, we eat grilled fish."
The three cubs sat in a neat little row, tails swishing excitedly.
Shi Feng walked straight into the shallow water. The waves lapped against his calves as he scanned beneath the surface, golden eyes sharp. A flash of silver darted past.
In one swift motion...SPLASH!
His paw shot into the water and threw the fish on the shore with one massive slap.
"Meowww!" Xiao Yi leaped up, nearly falling off the stone in excitement.
Another fish tried to escape, but Shi Feng lunged forward like a true king of beasts. Water sprayed everywhere as he caught a second one with his mouth.
The cubs erupted into cheers.
"Again! Again!" Xiao Er squeaked, hopping up and down.
Even Xiao San wiggled happily, his tail tapping the stone in applause.
Shi Feng laughed, tossing the fish onto the sand. "Watch carefully. This is what a real hunter looks like."
He dove once more, muscles flexing, and emerged with an even bigger catch. The cubs’ earlier panic was long forgotten.
Now they were bouncing, shouting, and chanting in messy cub language, their little eyes shining with admiration.
"Alright," he declared proudly, hauling the fish onto shore. "Let’s start a fire. Father will grill you the best fish you’ve ever tasted."
