I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 99: Another Dragon

Two Weeks Later

The clearing outside Thousand Fang Village had never seen such chaos.

Baskets were being packed and repacked. Furs were being rolled and unrolled. The cubs were running in frantic circles, chasing each other’s tails and occasionally crashing into adults. The grandmothers were arguing about seating arrangements. And in the center of it all, Bai Yue stood with Zhēn in her arms, watching her family descend into beautiful, glorious madness.

"I still think this is a terrible idea," Han Shān muttered, tightening a strap on one of the massive packs.

"You’ve said that eleven times in the last hour," Zhāo Yàn observed, adjusting his travel robes with fastidious care. "Repeating the same complaint doesn’t make it more valid."

"I’ll stop complaining when the danger is over."

"That will be never. You’re a father. You’ll complain forever."

Han Shān’s ears went pink, but he didn’t deny it.

Yàn Shū was vibrating with excitement, his glasses fogging up as he reviewed his scrolls for the hundredth time. "The First Generation dragons! We’re going to see where the First Generation lives! The architecture alone—the historical significance—the—"

"You’re going to hyperventilate," Hóng Yè said flatly, appearing at his father’s side with a smaller pack slung over his shoulder.

"I’m FINE. I’m perfectly calm. This is a calm excitement. A scholarly equilibrium."

"Your ears are twitching."

"That’s—that’s just—the wind."

"There’s no wind."

"The INTERNAL wind."

Hóng Yè sighed.

The panther triplets had stationed themselves at Mo Xiao’s feet, a wall of furry determination.

"We want to go," Miao Miao declared, arms crossed.

"You can’t," Mo Xiao said patiently.

"We CAN," A-Li argued. "We’re fast. We’re brave. We’re—"

"Your mother is arriving tomorrow with your new brother."

The triplets froze.

"New.....brother?" Xiao Hei whispered.

"New brother," Mo Xiao confirmed. "Remember? The tiger cubs? She’s been pregnant. The timing worked out that she’ll be here tomorrow."

Miao Miao’s eyes went wide. "We’re getting a NEW brother? A TIGER brother?"

"Yes."

"And he’s coming HERE? Tomorrow?"

"If you go with the dragons, you’ll miss him."

The triplets exchanged glances, a rapid, silent conversation that involved much ear-twitching and tail-flicking.

"We’ll stay," they said in unison.

~

Finally, finally, the packing was complete.

Baskets secured. Furs rolled. Cubs contained (mostly). Grandmothers settled (relatively).

Cāng Jì stepped into the center of the clearing and began to shimmer.

Golden light erupted from his form, blinding and beautiful. His body elongated, stretched, transformed, and suddenly, where the Dragon Prince had stood, a magnificent golden dragon now towered over them.

His scales gleamed like sunlight. His horns swept back from his head in elegant curves. His eyes, still that brilliant gold, looked down at them.

"Well?" his voice echoed in their minds. "Are you coming, or do you plan to stand there gaping all day?"

"Gaping is appropriate," Yàn Shū breathed. "He’s magnificent. Statistically, the most magnificent—"

"Get on the dragon, Father."

"Right. Yes. Getting on. Immediately."

~

Getting everyone onto Cāng Jì’s back was an adventure in itself.

The cubs scrambled up with the enthusiasm of tiny mountain climbers, finding perches among the golden scales. Yòu Lín claimed a spot near the base of Cāng Jì’s neck, while Ruì Xuě nestled against a particularly warm scale, his purple eyes bright with excitement.

The grandmothers were lifted up with surprising grace, Gū Gū by a combination of stubbornness and her trusty stick, Hán Bīng with icy dignity, and Wēn Jìng with cheerful assistance from anyone within reach.

Yàn Shū climbed up carefully, his scholarly excitement barely contained. Hóng Yè followed, positioning himself near his father with the watchful protectiveness that had become his trademark.

Zhāo Yàn leaped up gracefully, his nine tails arranging themselves elegantly behind him. Han Shān followed more slowly, his eyes never leaving Bai Yue and Zhēn.

And Bai Yue—

Bai Yue stood at the base of the dragon, looking up at the impossible creature who had become part of her chaotic family. Zhēn was quiet in her arms, those amethyst eyes fixed on the golden scales above them with calm curiosity.

"Ready?" she whispered to her daughter.

Zhēn blinked.

"I’ll take that as a yes."

Han Shān reached down and lifted her up, settling her securely against Cāng Jì’s neck where she could hold Zhēn safely. His arms stayed around her, protective and warm despite the chill of the morning air. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Everyone secure?" Cāng Jì’s voice rumbled through them.

A chorus of affirmatives answered him.

"Then hold on. Tightly. This might be—"

"Might be what?" Yòu Lín asked.

"—bumpy."

With a powerful thrust of his legs and a massive beat of his wings, Cāng Jì launched them into the sky.

The village shrank beneath them, becoming a cluster of tiny dots against the vast green of the jungle. The wind whipped past, carrying the sounds of the panther triplets’ distant cheering and Mo Xiao’s fading wave.

Bai Yue clutched Zhēn close, her heart soaring as the world opened up around them.

Zhēn, for her part, seemed entirely unbothered by the flight. Her purple eyes were wide, taking in the clouds, the sky, the endless blue with calm fascination. One tiny hand reached out, as if trying to touch the passing wisps of white.

"She likes it," Bai Yue breathed.

"Of course she does," Han Shān murmured against her ear. "She’s my daughter."

Yàn Shū was having the time of his life.

"The scale formation!" he exclaimed, pointing at various parts of Cāng Jì’s anatomy. "The aerodynamic structure! The way the light refracts off the—Hóng Yè, are you seeing this?"

"I’m seeing it, Father."

"This is HISTORIC. No scholar has ever documented dragon flight from this perspective. I need to take notes. Where are my scrolls?"

"You dropped them."

"I did?!"

"They’re in the jungle. About five miles back."

Yàn Shū’s face fell. Then brightened. "I’ll write new ones! From memory! It’ll be even more accurate!"

"That’s not how memory works."

"Science is flexible!"

The cubs were equally enthralled.

"We are FLYING!" Yòu Lín shrieked, his little fox ears flattened by the wind. "We’re really FLYING!"

"I can see everything!" Ruì Xuě added, pressing his face against Cāng Jì’s scales to peer down at the world below. "The trees look like moss! The river looks like a snake!"

"That’s because the river IS a snake," Yòu Lín pointed out. "Well, not a snake, but it LOOKS like one. That’s what I meant."

"Your meaning was unclear."

"My meaning was PERFECTLY clear. You’re just not listening properly."

"I’m listening perfectly. You’re not speaking properly."

"You are both speaking properly," Hóng Yè interrupted, "and also both wrong. Now be quiet and enjoy the flight before I throw you off."

"You wouldn’t!"

"Try me."

The grandmothers had claimed a relatively flat section near Cāng Jì’s mid-back.

Gū Gū had somehow produced her tea set and was attempting to brew tea despite the wind.

"This is ridiculous," Hán Bīng observed. "You are going to spill that everywhere."

"I have excellent balance."

"You’re eighty-three."

"And? Age is just a number. Skill is forever."

The tea, miraculously, stayed in the cup.

Wēn Jìng was passing out snacks to anyone within reach, her serene smile untouched by the chaos around her. "Dragon flight snacks," she announced. "Specially prepared. They won’t blow away."

"How?" Hóng Yè asked, accepting one.

"Secret family recipe. Also, I glued them."

"You glued snacks?"

"Edible glue. Very advanced. Very tasty."

As they soared higher, the air grew cooler, thinner. Cāng Jì’s golden scales radiated warmth, keeping them comfortable despite the altitude.

Bai Yue played with Zhēn, gently bouncing her in her arms, making faces that made the baby’s eyes track with sleepy interest.

"Look, baby," she murmured. "Clouds. Have you ever seen clouds before? They’re like fluffy blankets in the sky."

Zhēn gurgled.

"I know, right? Very fluffy."

Ruì Xuě crawled over carefully, his movements cautious on the dragon’s back. "Can I... can I play with her too?"

Bai Yue smiled. "Of course, sweetie."

Ruì Xuě settled beside them, reaching out one tiny paw to gently touch Zhēn’s hand. The baby’s fingers curled around his, and Ruì Xuě’s face lit up like the sun.

~

The flight continued, peaceful and beautiful.

Clouds drifted past them like cotton candy. Mountains rose in the distance, their peaks dusted with snow. The world spread out below like a living map, green and gold and blue.

And then—

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

Yàn Shū’s shout cut through the peaceful murmur.

Everyone looked up.

Darting toward them from the clouds ahead was something dark. Something fast. Something moving with the kind of speed that made Cāng Jì’s entire body tense beneath them.

"EVERYONE HOLD ON!"

Bai Yue clutched Zhēn to her chest, her heart slamming against her ribs. Han Shān’s arms tightened around her. The cubs screamed. The grandmothers grabbed each other and whatever they could reach.

The dark shape grew closer, larger, more defined—

Wings. Scales. Claws.

Another dragon.