"You're awake? Are you… okay?"
Hearing the voice beside her, Zoey lazily turned her head. Fox had already taken human form. She had to admit, he looked really good this way.
Fox naturally held Zoey in his arms and stroked her smooth, shiny white fur.
Zoey enjoyed the feeling of being petted. She looked up at his handsome face, but then suddenly remembered her teammates. No matter how good-looking he was, she couldn't let herself get too attached.
The beast world might be nice, but it was still not as good as the human world!
"I want to eat fish. Cooked fish."
Even though this body could eat raw creatures, deep down she couldn't accept it. Other than eating the fruits in this forest, fish seemed the safest choice.
As for roasted meat, looking at his thin figure, it didn't seem like he could hunt any prey. If not for the five pregnancy pills given by the system, she wouldn't be able to last fifty days at all.
"The river is a bit far…" Fox looked hesitant.
Going down the mountain to catch fish would take at least a day. Bringing them back, if everything went smoothly, would take at least two and a half days.
Hearing this, Zoey turned her head. Her eyes showed doubt and surprise, then quickly shifted to certainty.
Men—no, males—were all the same. No matter how handsome or not, once they had what they wanted, they all acted the same way.
As if he could see through her thoughts, Fox quickly explained,
"Zoey, don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't want to catch fish for you. I was just thinking how long it would take me to go there and back."
Since Zoey stayed silent, Fox gently set her down and walked out.
Just as she was feeling guilty for misunderstanding him, he returned soon after.
This time, he carried many greenish-yellow fruits and some long vine-like plants she didn't recognize. They all seemed edible. She looked carefully to make sure there weren't any red sweet berries among them.
After putting those things down, Fox gave her a few reminders, then ran out again. This time, he was gone longer.
Zoey had just eaten some fruit and drank some fresh juice when she heard movement at the cave entrance.
Fox came back again, dragging a long mat made of grass and carrying a few jars of water on his back.
"Rest well. I've prepared food and water for you. Now I'll go catch some fish."
While speaking, Fox hugged Zoey again, stroking her as he reminded her,
"Try not to leave this cave. I set up an illusion outside. During this time, no males will notice this place, and of course, none will come inside."
"Illusion?"
Zoey perked up her ears. She had never heard of that before. She was also living in this beast world, so why couldn't she have some skills like that too?
She remembered that in the system's description of Fox's attributes, there was no mention of illusion. Instead, it said something like "surrounded by mist and smoke…"
Thinking of this, Zoey asked, "Didn't you say you came out to do tasks for your clan elder? Don't you need to go back first?"
Fox thought for a moment. The trip down the mountain wasn't too far from the elder's place. Going back once wasn't impossible.
He looked at the things he prepared for Zoey, then looked at her again, still a little unsure.
"Go on, it's fine. These things are enough for many days."
Plus, with those few pregnancy-nourishing pills, even if it wasn't enough, she could go find food herself. She was only pregnant, not disabled.
Zoey thought as long as she returned before giving birth, it would be fine. While he was gone, she could also take a walk outside the cave and see the world out there. She had been here for days but hadn't really explored.
"By the way, I'll give birth in fifty-two days, remember that. You must be here then!" Zoey reminded him seriously.
Hearing this, Fykes' eyes lit up, filled with tears and hope as he looked at her belly. Fifty-two days. He would count them carefully, one by one.
He almost wished the baby inside her would come out right now. What he didn't know was that Zoey wished for the same thing, even more strongly.
After fussing and giving endless instructions, Fykes reluctantly left.
As soon as he was gone, Zoey ate a transformation pill and walked out of the cave. Only after transforming could she hide her unique fox scent.
Just as Fykes said, he used illusion magic to seal the cave. From outside, it only looked like an ordinary rock wall. A little farther away, all you could see was mist swirling—no one would know a cave was there.
After walking some distance, Zoey realized she was on the top of a mountain. She went around two giant rocks, then climbed onto a large boulder. From there, she could see most of the view below.
At the foot of the mountain, there were lush green trees. In the distance, mist floated around, making the scenery quiet and mysterious.
Maybe it had rained not long ago. When the wind blew, the air was damp and carried the fragrance of flowers and plants.
Zoey took a deep breath, feeling more comfortable than she ever had. But when she thought of her teammates who had died miserably after the mission failed, the breath she let out got stuck in her chest again.
The wind lifted her long white hair, shining silver under the sunlight, looking especially beautiful.
She stood on the mountain top, enjoyed the view, but deep inside she still couldn't figure out why she suddenly came to this beast world. Still, she had to accept it because of her final goal.
After a while, she ate another transformation pill before heading back the same way.
What she didn't know was that, as she climbed down the boulder and walked past the two giant rocks, a pair of glowing green eyes were staring at her tightly from between them.
Zoey thought Fykes would be gone at least ten days. Unexpectedly, he returned early on the morning of the fifth day.
"Zoey, I'm back!"
"Zoey!"
Zoey was hugging her fluffy tail while napping. Hearing his voice from outside the cave, she lazily opened her sleepy eyes.
She saw Fykes in human form walk in, carrying several big bags on his back and holding many things in his arms.
Just waking up always made her cranky. Half-asleep was even worse. She didn't bother to greet him, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.
Seeing her glance at him and then drift off again, Fykes wasn't upset.
He quickly put down the things he carried, hurried to her side, and carefully held her in his arms. He reached out, stroking her fluffy white fur out of habit.
Half-awake, half-asleep, Zoey, as a furry fox, really enjoyed this. Very soon, she drifted back into deep sleep…
"Look! This is from the elder of the tribe. He said I did a good job!"
"This is from my dad and uncles. They gave it to you!"
"This is from the lower-ranked male foxes who give offerings to our family!"
"This is the fish I caught. Later, you can teach me how to make a fire, and I'll grill it for you!"
After sleeping well, Zoey tasted the fruits and fresh juice that Fykes brought back while listening to him explain where all these things came from.
As soon as he returned, he told his closest family about their situation, but he didn't tell the chief. He also didn't go to retest his attribute or level.
"My dad said we shouldn't announce it too early. He wants to wait until after you give birth and then test again before making it public. The other males in the tribe don't know I've already become a high-level fox, so these offerings are only from the lower-level ones."
Zoey's mouth was stuffed with food. She just nodded lightly as she listened. These were things they could decide themselves. She neither cared nor wanted to interfere.
A father's rank is usually determined after the child is born. Now the child wasn't born yet, but he had already become a high-level fox. Zoey guessed it might be related to her.
She didn't fully understand, but she thought it was better not to say anything early. Fykes was probably special in the tribe, and hiding it for now would prevent trouble.
"Come on, let's go to the cave entrance and grill the fish!"
Following her directions, Fykes first carried some dry wood back, then built a frame. After that, Zoey told him to start the fire.
Fykes looked at the pile of wood, then at her, confused.
"Zoey, how do I start the fire?"
"With fire, of course. If you don't light it, how can I teach you to grill fish?" She answered casually, not thinking much.
"Zoey, you have to teach me how to light it."
Fykes still looked clueless. Zoey was speechless. How could she even explain something like lighting a fire?
"Just use fire to ignite it." She sounded a little impatient.
Seeing she was annoyed, Fykes still answered honestly, "Ignite it? Use fire? But I don't have fire."
"No fire?" Zoey frowned. Suddenly, she realized. "You don't have fire!"
Fykes nodded obediently. He really didn't. How could he? Normally, fire only appeared when lightning struck the forest and set trees on fire.
"I can't make lightning. Without that, the wood won't burn..." Fykes sounded frustrated and helpless.
He had heard that male lions could create lightning and wind, but no one in their tribe had such a skill.
Zoey was even more troubled. She hadn't expected they wouldn't even have fire. Why hadn't she thought of that?
Did she really need to try rubbing sticks together? That would be exhausting. Looking at Fykes's small frame, he'd probably wear himself out.
She absolutely refused to eat raw food. So she decided she would be the first one to make fire and cook.
At the same time, she could improve their way of living. This small step in civilization would be a huge leap for this beast world.
Thinking of how great her idea was, she felt like a savior. Her image suddenly seemed grand in her own mind, so she quickly started giving Fykes instructions to help her.
In the days that followed, Zoey mostly just ate and slept, then slept and ate. When she had free time, she listened to Fykes talk about the beast world. Whenever she wanted to move around, he stopped her.
When he went down the mountain to catch fish for her, she sometimes stood at the cave entrance or on the big rock at the top, enjoying the wind and the view, thinking about the past and the future.
Fykes's main job was to take care of her, find all kinds of fruits she could eat, and grill fish. He was actually really good at it.
"Even without any seasoning, it still tastes really fresh." Zoey said after finishing three fish.
She instinctively touched her belly. During this time, she had gotten used to being pregnant, and she felt a special, hard-to-explain emotion toward the child inside and even toward Fykes.
"There are two more, eat some more!"
Fykes handed her another piece, but Zoey didn't take it.
"You eat those two! You've been busy grilling for me and haven't eaten yet."
Fykes grinned from ear to ear. Normally, just one kind word from her could make him happy for a long time.
Suddenly, Zoey remembered something and excitedly told him,
"Fykes, I just remembered! There's a kind of plant with purple stems, oval leaves, and a spicy taste. It grows in wetlands or by the water."
"This plant can be used to pickle fish and meat, it tastes really good. Next time you go down the mountain, remember to look for it."
Years ago, when they were surviving in the wild, they had used this plant to make roasted meat.
"Alright, I'll remember."
Fykes nodded. He already had an idea. He seemed to recall smelling something spicy by the river before.
Zoey loved eating the fish Fykes grilled. She was also starting to enjoy being held in his arms, falling asleep while touching his soft white fur…
"Ah! It hurts so much!"
She cried out once, then bit her lip and didn't scream again. In her mind, she kept asking the system:
System! Didn't you say the baby would come out today? The day is almost over!
System, it's been seven or eight hours already. If the baby doesn't come out soon, both of us will be in danger.
System, hurry up and give me a solution! Why isn't the baby coming out?
[System check: The host's due date is today. No mistake!]
No mistake? But the baby still won't come out!
Could this end in a difficult birth, leaving her dead?
[Reminder: The host cannot die.]
So this is how foxes give birth?
Zoey's pain kept getting worse. She had never gone through childbirth before, and now her belly hurt more and more, her breathing turning unsteady.
At the cave entrance, Fykes was boiling hot water, panicked and helpless. He didn't know how to deliver a baby. In their tribe, births were always handled by special people, then the father would bring the child back. For now, he could only do as Zoey had told him and boil water.
He rushed back in, wiping the sweat from her forehead, his eyes red, calling softly, "Zoey, Zoey…"
But the baby still wouldn't come. The contractions hurt so much that Zoey couldn't hold back anymore and let out a loud cry.
Yet the sound that came out was strange—croaking, wailing, clanging noises. Hearing it made her feel even worse inside.
Standing at the entrance, Fykes finally couldn't hold himself back. He rushed to her side, "Zoey! Zoey…"
Just earlier, seeing his teary eyes, Zoey had told him to wait at the entrance and only come when she called for him.
But hearing her painful cry, Fykes could no longer care and ran inside anyway.