After all, she didn't know that Fykes hadn't intentionally abandoned the little fox. He just couldn't find her and couldn't smell her, so he took the little fox cub and left.
Zoey felt a bit touched and nodded. She handed him the glowing pearl beside her and reminded him,
"Take this with you. It will give some light on the way. Be careful."
"Don't worry. You can keep this pearl. The others are too small to give enough light, and with this hole, it's bright enough."
Sinek said, then put the big pearl back. He knew Zoey was afraid of the dark, but he still left the big pearl with her.
Seeing her care so much and always worry about him, Sinek felt very satisfied. He thought he could look for more pearls the next time he went out.
"You keep resting. Don't worry, this place is very safe."
Saying that, Sinek was about to go out. Zoey suddenly remembered something and asked,
"Sinek, how long does it take to hatch the eggs? When will the cubs come out?"
"Before, after the female snakes got pregnant and laid eggs, the males would take the eggs back. The shortest time is fifty to sixty days. Some even take seventy days."
Zoey: "…" That long?
Sinek thought for a moment and added, "But I'm stronger, and I'm the first male snake with a new skill. I should be able to hatch faster, but it will still take about forty days."
"Okay, I understand. Go early and come back early. Don't get too tired."
"Okay. Go to sleep now!"
Sinek reminded Zoey again, rubbed against her affectionately, and then left.
"System, system. He needs forty days to hatch the eggs. I can't stay here all the time, right?"
After Sinek left, Zoey curled up in the soft grass nest and mumbled to herself,
"System, system, what should I do? Give me a little hint!"
"System, after I give birth, if I take the transformation pill again, what will happen?"
"If it's like you said, I could have another batch of snake eggs with him. But if I take the pill and turn into something else, will it still work?"
Even though she knew the system wouldn't answer, Zoey asked a few more questions. The system still didn't respond at all.
"Sigh!"
She sighed and planned to rest more. It was still night, so she could sleep a bit longer.
But just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a deafening roar outside.
It sounded a bit like an elephant, a bit like a tiger, and a bit like an ancient dinosaur. Then she felt the ground shake slightly.
Zoey perked up her ears and listened carefully. Could it be Sinek's roar?
No, the snake shouldn't be able to make such a powerful sound yet. But she didn't want to go out to check. It was safest to stay here.
Then another roar came, followed by three more. The anger in those sounds was clear.
Zoey suddenly worried. Could Sinek have disturbed a stronger beast while looking for food? Maybe he crossed the snake territory and was fighting right now.
If Sinek really fought another male, he would probably return to his beast form.
Zoey felt uneasy and wanted to go out to check.
She took two steps and then remembered it was still night. Even if Sinek became as tall as a mountain, she might not see him.
And maybe it wasn't even what she thought…
Early in the morning, some falling rocks woke Zoey. She had never slept so lightly before, maybe because something was on her mind.
Since Sinek had not returned, she had worried so much that she hardly slept in the second half of the night. It was too dark outside to see what was happening.
Zoey reminded herself that she was not a real member of the snake tribe and, as a female, she didn't dare go out to look for him alone. She had to wait patiently for daylight.
Now, Zoey had changed back to her female form. She didn't like her beast body, so she put on the white clothes from her system and walked toward the cave entrance.
Stepping outside, she took a deep breath. This world was different from the modern one. There were no car fumes, no smog, and the air was very fresh.
She walked slowly and, maybe because it was early, she didn't see any male snakes.
Looking around, she noticed that the area at the foot of the mountain had changed overnight. Trees were broken, and rocks had fallen to the side.
A sense of unease rose in her chest. She walked faster toward the broken trees and stones.
On the damp ground, she saw some huge footprints. At first, they looked like mud holes, but they were about one meter long and sixty centimeters wide, clearly made by a very large beast.
Zoey could not imagine what kind of creature made them. The system gave no hint. This world was really dangerous.
She worried even more about Sinek. The creature that left such big footprints must be bigger than Sinek in beast form.
Following the deep footprints, she eventually reached the other side of the mountain, where the tracks stopped.
In front of her were only a mountain, a large rock, and a dense area of trees and grass.
As Zoey hesitated whether to go further, she suddenly heard a low, heavy breathing. It made her shiver.
She froze in place, not even daring to breathe. She looked around, thinking that if danger came, she would have to run back, though she wasn't sure she could make it in time.
Then, she noticed a broken snake skin near her feet. Though scared, she looked closely. She couldn't tell if it was Sinek's, but she hoped it wasn't.
Suddenly, she heard a soft sound from the direction in front of a big rock. Her heart raced, and she clenched her fists, slowly moving closer to the rock.
Taking a deep breath, she peeked quickly and saw a huge python curled up there, covered in wounds.
Her brows furrowed, and she held her breath, looking closer. A giant snake head suddenly appeared in her view.
Zoey gasped in fear and stepped back several times.
"Y… You…"
A very weak voice reached her ears.
Sinek had sensed her presence long ago. He had not returned because he was injured and did not want to scare her. His wounds were serious, and he could not change into a human form or use his skills. He had to stay in his beast form.
Zoey's heart skipped a beat. Maybe she had heard it wrong, or maybe she was just too worried.
She stared, wide-eyed. She could only hear faint breathing, knowing the big snake was badly hurt.
Her legs felt frozen. She wanted to move closer to see him, but they would not obey, leaving her standing still.
Suddenly, there was a noise behind the rock, and the giant python's head appeared!
Zoey felt a chill in her heart. It really was Sinek. She could recognize his eyes instantly.
Sinek looked at her briefly with concern and then slowly closed his eyes again.
Zoey didn't think about being afraid. She rushed forward instinctively.
"Sinek!"
"Sinek, are you okay? Wake up!"
Her voice shook with worry and a little cry. Summoning her courage, she placed her hand on Sinek's beast body and gently shook him.
Maybe because he felt her hand, Sinek struggled to open his eyes. There was a hint of surprise in his gaze.
Zoey wasn't afraid of his beast form and even dared to touch him. That made him happy.
"Sinek, how do you feel?"
Seeing him slowly wake up, Zoey felt a little relieved. Thinking of the life-saving pill she had just received as a reward, she didn't hesitate and quickly put it into his mouth.
"Take this pill quickly. It might help you recover a little. Try moving and then we can leave and go back later."
Zoey looked at Sinek's body, covered in wounds, feeling heartache.
He was such a powerful high-level beast. Even standing up, he could be as tall as a tree, yet he was so badly injured. The Beast Continent really was dangerous.
The life-saving pill worked wonders. Not long after Sinek swallowed it, Zoey saw him change back into his human-beast form.
"Zoey!"
"Sinek!"
They shouted each other's names and hugged tightly, both overwhelmed with emotion.
"How do you feel now? You really scared me!"
Zoey finally relaxed completely. Seeing Sinek so badly hurt had terrified her, and his beast form had been shocking too.
"I feel great! No, I feel completely fine. My energy is back as if I hadn't fought at all," Sinek said, surprised but happy.
Zoey carefully examined his body. His injuries hadn't healed yet.
"This pill is the only one I have, meant to save a life. I've never even taken it myself. It seems it only restores your energy. Your wounds still need to be treated properly."
She said this while supporting him, planning to go find a healer to dress his injuries.
"Zoey…"
Hearing this, Sinek felt deeply touched. She had given him the only pill without hesitation.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Zoey didn't understand at first. Seeing his expression, she realized and smiled.
"This pill is meant to save lives. If you're okay, you'll protect me well. You deserve it more than I do."