Suddenly, something bit her on the butt. Little Zoey clumsily stood up.
She couldn't just sit on the ground—there were bugs that bite!
At first, when she was flying in the air, she didn't notice her reflection in the water.
Now, being so close to the water, she looked down and saw her reflection.
Was this her beast form? Oh no! It was hideous!
Her big teeth were showing, drool dripping down. Her skin was light green, rough and bumpy, with lots of brown spots…
It was so ugly she couldn't stand it!
Zoey couldn't take it anymore. She quickly ate a transformation pill and returned to her beast-human form.
Before she could react, she heard movement behind her. It was Lex, the male dinosaur, standing there blankly.
He was breathing a bit fast, and his face was slightly red, probably from exertion.
"You… you okay?"
Had he gotten tired from saving her earlier? With his size, he shouldn't be that weak.
"Do you want to sit down and rest?"
Zoey awkwardly pointed at the ground. Should she tell him there were bugs that bite?
Lex shook his head, trying to calm his breathing. But the surprise in his eyes didn't go away.
Zoey noticed his gaze and thought he was judging her ugly beast form. She got a little angry.
Half the same! As if his beast form was beautiful!
So far, she thought only Fykes's beast form was somewhat acceptable, though it had a bit of a smell…
"I know my beast form is ugly, but you don't have to keep staring, as if your beast form is so beautiful!"
Zoey said, a little annoyed.
Lex realized his mistake and quickly explained, "No, no, that's not it!"
"Your beast form is not ugly. You have big, strong wings. You are very rare, one of the most beautiful females in our tribe."
Zoey looked up, surprised.
Big, strong wings? Very rare? That's a sign of beauty in their tribe?
Okay! She believed it. She should feel proud then.
But it was a strange thought—truly, the world is full of surprises!
Even though she believed him, Lex kept staring at her, making her feel really uncomfortable.
"Can you stop looking at me? Have you never seen a female before?"
Lex's innocent eyes shone, a little embarrassed, and he nodded shyly.
"No, I've never seen… a female without bark covering…"
"Huh?"
Zoey looked down. She was completely exposed! Then she screamed loudly:
"Ahhh!!!"
Lex was scared. He quickly hugged her and tried to cover her mouth, accidentally touching her body.
Everything went quiet, but Lex still held her tightly, frozen in place.
Zoey was furious, questioning her system in her mind. Where was her white feather clothing?
When she was a snake, she had white feathers. When transforming into her beast-human form, it should automatically cover her.
Why was she naked now? Why wasn't the clothing automatic, and why was it suddenly gone?
They wouldn't give her clothes! They were doing it on purpose to embarrass her!
If they wanted to punish her, they should do it openly. Doing it secretly doesn't bring honor. Ugh!
[System Warning: Host must not act behind the scenes. System reputation must not be damaged!]
[System Tip: The host's beast body is too big, so there are no suitable clothes for now. Host, please handle it yourself.]
Nonsense! My beast body is big, yes, but it hasn't changed. And clothes aren't supposed to go over the beast body anyway. What a trick!
Zoey was so angry her breathing became uneven. This was too unfair!
No, it was unfair to a beast! She was still a rare female!
After a moment, a deep voice suddenly came from above Zoey:
"Female, do you want to bond with me as a mate? Can I bond with you?"
Zoey: "..."
She suddenly seemed to understand something.
No wonder the system wasn't replying—so it was waiting here!
Zoey looked up at Lex. Before he answered, the system spoke in her mind:
[System Tip: Congratulations, host has found a suitable male. Go ahead and try to lower your level!]
[Host, enjoy the time. Two hours left.]
[Tip: When time runs out, you won't feel burning pain again, but your experience points will skyrocket until you reach max level!]
Hearing that last part, Zoey felt like exploding. This system was really cruel!
She didn't hesitate. She took out a treasure pill and winked at Lex:
"You can call me Zoey. My name is Zoey."
"Take this. We can only bond after you eat it. Otherwise, it won't work. That's the rule."
Lex swallowed the pill without hesitation.
Then he picked up Zoey and ran toward a large rock…
"..."
This guy really runs fast! Just a short distance, and Zoey felt like her stomach was flipping over.
From dusk to sunset…
Listening to the waves while sleeping and waking up to the stars—it was a really nice place!
[System Check: The male has taken the treasure pill successfully. Host is now pregnant!]
[System opens new rewards: one treasure pill for the host.]
[Reward: one mid-level aid pill, helps you for one hour.]
[Reward: one mid-level transformation pill, lets you change into human form for one hour.]
Zoey looked at the brightest star in the sky, stretched, and sat up. Her whole body was exhausted…
She noticed a fire…
"Huh? Fire? Is there someone here? Or maybe another beast?"
Only the fox or snake clans can make fire. The snake clan territory was far away, so could it be…?
Zoey got excited. Could she see her first baby? That female little fox…
Suddenly, her hope vanished. She saw someone running from a distance—Lex.
Even without seeing clearly, she recognized his running sound—it was him.
"Female, no, Zoey, you're awake?"
As he got closer, she saw Lex carrying a small piece of bark—probably clothes for her.
On his shoulder, he carried a huge creature, a little smaller than him… maybe a long-necked dinosaur.
Zoey pulled at the corner of her lips. When she saw the dinosaur on the ground, the system quickly gave its analysis:
Species: Male dinosaur
Origin: Father Skola is heaven, mother Hadilan is earth, born from them
Name: None
Talent: Wide vision
Level: Low
Shape-shifting: Cannot transform into a beast-man
"Bang!"
A rumble shook the ground as Lex threw his fellow dinosaur down, finally transforming into his beast-man form.
"Zoey, I caught this food for you. You must be hungry, right? Go ahead and eat!"
"…"
Zoey was shocked. Eat its own kind?
"What's wrong? Don't like this one? Do you want an older one instead? I can go catch another!"
Lex was about to run off, but Zoey quickly stopped him.
"Wait! Lex, wait!"
Lex turned and came over, kneeling patiently as she spoke.
"I told you before, I'm not a female from your beast continent. I'm from another continent, so I don't eat my own kind."
Lex blinked his big round eyes, looking a bit troubled.
"Zoey, if you don't eat your own kind, then what do you eat? Do you eat grass like them?"
He pointed at the large dinosaur on the ground.
Zoey realized that the male dinosaur was actually a herbivore. No wonder Lex had caught it!
"Let it go."
She couldn't bear it. Seeing a low-level creature caught just to be eaten—especially raw—made her uneasy.
But as soon as she said this, Lex refused firmly.
"That's not allowed! I already caught it. How can I just let it go? If you don't eat it, I will!"
He glanced at the herbivore on the ground.
"They're born low-level, can't turn into beast-men, and usually eat grass. Once we catch them, their fate is to be eaten. That's our tribe's rule. Those who can't survive will be eaten eventually!"
Zoey had been in the beast continent for a while, but this was the first time someone refused her like this. Lex was stubborn, unlike Fykes and Sinek who were more obedient.
Thinking of something, she asked casually, "Lex, how old are you?"
She expected, judging by his size, that he might be hundreds of years old, probably older than Sinek.
"15."
"What?!"
Zoey thought she heard wrong. She rubbed her ears and asked again.
"How old did you say you are?"
"I'm fifteen!"
Lex spoke clearly, and Zoey understood perfectly. She rolled on the sand in disbelief.
He's underage! How can anyone harm someone underage? That's cruel!
[System Reminder: Fifteen years old is considered adult for male dinosaurs. High-level males live at most about a hundred years. No need to feel guilty.]
Hearing the system, Zoey stopped rolling. She felt much better.
"Zoey, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Seeing her rolling on the sand, Lex thought she suddenly felt sick. He ran over, concerned.
"I'll carry you back to the tribe and let a healer check on you!"
Lex stretched out his strong arms and lifted Zoey up.
Looking at how mature Lex seemed for his age, Zoey patted him and said, "Put me down! Hurry, put me down! I'm fine!"
But Lex, looking confused, didn't listen at all. He just held Zoey and started running.
"I'm talking to you! Put me down now!"
"Hey! Lex, stop for a second!"
"Lex, stop!"
Zoey shouted at the top of her lungs, but it was like he didn't hear her and kept running.
This was so annoying! Weren't they supposed to honor females? She didn't want this disobedient guy at all.
She remembered that the place they had just left was still on fire. If the fire wasn't put out, it could be dangerous.
There was no other way, so Zoey focused and turned back into her beast form.
By the time she looked around, Lex had disappeared. She struggled to stand on her short legs and looked around.
This guy really made her furious. She would have to turn back into a human and waste another Transformation Pill.
"Lex? Lex!"
Where had this stubborn, annoying guy gone now?
"Lex… wait!"
Just as Zoey was about to shout again, she turned and saw beast-form Lex standing behind her, staring at her with big eyes.
"You…you…"
Seeing Lex in beast form made her saliva start flowing again. Of course, she had already shouted a couple of times, so some had already dribbled.
Just thinking about it made her feel sick. Zoey quickly swallowed a Transformation Pill. As she changed into a beast, Lex changed back too.
"You…"
Lex stood next to her, looking helpless, which made Zoey even angrier.
Did he really need a Transformation Pill every time he carried her and ran?
Looking at the dinosaur mark on her arm, she seriously wanted to get rid of this disobedient guy.
"You…"
Lex looked nervous and scared because he saw the disappointed look on Zoey's face. She was glancing at the mark they shared, with a hint of giving up.
"I told you to stop! I shouted myself hoarse and you didn't listen!"
"After becoming partners, you're supposed to take care of the female first, right?"
"You always start running before I even finish talking or explaining!"
Zoey glared at Lex, fuming, especially thinking about wasting her Transformation Pill.
She shouted at him loudly, "The place we just left is still on fire. Can we just leave it burning?"
"If you want to run, go ahead and run! Just wipe out this mark while you're at it!"
Lex crouched on the ground, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
When Zoey paused for a moment after yelling, he muttered quietly, "I wasn't trying to upset you… I just worried you might get sick, so I wanted to carry you back to a healer…"
"The fire, I stepped on it and put it out while running. If you don't believe me, I can carry you back and show you!"
Lex suddenly stood up and moved toward her, ready to pick her up.
Zoey quickly stepped back a few paces. If she was even a second too slow, he would carry her and start running. She angrily pointed at him and shouted,
"From now on, don't carry me without my permission!"
Every time he ran, the world seemed to spin, her stomach churned, and her head felt dizzy. She had to rest for a long time afterward.
Being with this guy, she was definitely going to suffer a lot in the future.