Rowan casually took off his beast-skin skirt, jumped straight into the lake, swam a few laps to his heart's content, and then began to scrub himself.
Wait until he had washed himself clean before slowly going ashore.
The skin covered in dust and dirt finally revealed its inherent fairness; his handsome features also became bright. Like a pearl covered in dust, now emitting a new radiance.
Rowan looked at his face, which was around twenty years old and still had a hint of immaturity, and involuntarily clicked his tongue.
After tidying up, he prepared to return. Owen must have discovered he had disappeared.
Must return quickly; although this trip didn't have a great harvest, it helped him gain an initial awareness of the surrounding environment.
It seemed he still had to live with Owen for a while longer.
Just as Rowan was about to leave, he keenly sensed something was wrong; a pair of green eyes flashed in the grass not far away.
Rowan paused for a beat, then quickly ran forward head down, not looking back but sensing danger was imminent.
From the quiet grass, a beast covered in sharp spines, shaped like an ancient wild boar but with a mouth full of fangs, suddenly rushed out.
In a flash, the beast had rushed in front of Rowan; the moment he saw it clearly, his heart sank.
Muscles tense, he circled around a large tree nearby, climbing up as fast as lightning, leaving only an afterimage.
The beast below saw Rowan climb the tree and turned to attack the tree, using its front fangs to ram into it repeatedly. The tree was rammed until it swayed and was about to fall; it seemed it wouldn't last long.
Seeing he was cornered, Rowan broke a thick branch with his bare hands, pointed it at the beast, and jumped straight down from the tree.
The beast seemed to have intelligence, immediately backing away to dodge. Unfortunately, it couldn't dodge in time and was hit right on the head.
Fresh blood gushed out, dripping onto the ground; the beast was completely enraged, rushing towards him regardless of everything.
Rowan faced the danger without flinching, constantly using the branch to whip the beast, his figure nimbly dodging, not giving it a chance to get close.
The pile of sharp spines and sharp fangs on its body were not for show.
Both sides were at a stalemate, both wanting to quickly drive the opponent to death.
Rowan gradually exhausted his strength; he gasped for breath, constantly adjusting his footwork, aiming straight at the beast's head to strike.
The beast also realized the opponent was at the end of his strength; it used its force to bite once, knocking the branch far away.
Rowan had no weapon in hand; it seemed he could only engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Just as he was preparing to risk his life for a fight, a familiar black shadow flashed before his eyes.
The ferocious beast from just now had its fatal throat constricted. The black snake body wrapped tightly around the prey in an instant, squeezing it to death; all the sharp spines on its body were broken.
Owen released the breathless prey; a white light flashed, and he transformed back into a human.
With a gloomy expression, he stepped closer to Rowan.
Rowan saw his appearance and panicked involuntarily, but quickly composed himself, saying to Owen who was standing in front of him: "I didn't..."
Before the words were finished, he was knocked unconscious by Owen.
Rowan wore a look of disbelief, his pupils slightly dilated, then fainted in his arms.
Owen was very angry; he had never seen an Omegina so bold. Why couldn't he obediently stay in the cave waiting for him to come back and feed him?
Sure enough, Father was right; encountering an Omegina who didn't want to live with him would secretly run away, wanting to return to their tribe. No Omegina liked a wandering life with the Silver-Winged Snake Clan.
The arms holding Rowan involuntarily tightened, his eyes darkened, the ferocious beast that had always been suppressed in his heart couldn't help but want to break out.
Perhaps it was better to just lock him up.
Rowan woke up in the dark cave, rubbing his sore neck, looking indifferently at the eyes flashing green.
Since waking up, Owen hadn't moved but kept staring at him; he really couldn't ignore it.
The fox's tail couldn't be hidden and poked out. Human nature was always this terrible.
Already used to it, right? But suddenly a lump of unease rose in his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Rowan's gaze towards him became sharp, restoring his previous cold attitude.
Owen couldn't stand that look from Rowan, so he stepped out of the darkness.
"Rest well, don't think about escaping. No Omegina can run out of the Lost Forest. You have been abandoned by your tribe. Although no tribe abandons an Omegina, your situation back then was very different. In their eyes, you died of illness. I will take good care of you in their stead."
Although Rowan didn't understand everything, hearing his cold tone, he also knew he was very displeased about him going out without permission.
The behavior of treating him as a possession made Rowan extremely uncomfortable.
"What do you want to do? Want to lock me up forever? Move the rock blocking the cave entrance. I will repay your life-saving grace later; consider me owing you a favor." Rowan signaled for him to look outside the cave.
If the greedy people in the Empire heard these words, they would surely politely show him out; after all, not everyone could make the Marshal owe a favor.
Unfortunately, there was only an Owen here who didn't understand human language.
Owen didn't pay attention to Rowan's words; after declaring his sovereignty, he intended to leave.
Just as he turned around, a gust of fist wind hit him; Owen's heart suddenly went cold by half.
He steadily blocked Rowan's punch. He wouldn't hit an Omegina; he still had the basic qualities of a Beastman.
Unfortunately, Rowan wouldn't stop. Previously, due to injuries and a weak body, he hadn't made a move on Owen.
This time was also considered an opportunity to compete with him.
Although mechas were the Empire's main combat weapons, Rowan had graduated from the military academy with first-class close combat achievements.
Facing Rowan's continuous attacks, Owen could only dodge everywhere after taking a few punches and kicks.
Owen's eyes lit up a few degrees, looking at him with admiration.
Rowan refreshed his perception every time. He was increasingly attracted to this charming Omegina, making a Beastman sink into indulgence.
Owen pretended to return a few moves, then took the opportunity to catch Rowan's opening, using overwhelming force to subdue him.
All moves became useless in the face of racial differences.
A sense of humiliation rose, dyeing Rowan's face red. His hands were pinned firmly on the stone bed by Owen, his wild breath blowing on his face.
"Be obedient, Omegina. Although I really like your lively appearance, just stay put here; I won't let you starve."
Owen was very confident in his ability to provide for an Omegina; he was already as strong a Beastman as his father.
Just by showing his ability, the Omegina would surely live peacefully with him.
Rowan gave up struggling; dealing with this beast bare-handed was as difficult as dealing with the Insect Race.
If Phoenix were still here, it would definitely blast this beast to smithereens with a cannon.
Owen slowly released the calm Rowan, gently moved the rock out, then blocked it again, locking the disobedient Omegina inside.
In the following days, Rowan lived very leisurely, except for having no personal freedom. Every day Owen prepared a lot of food to bring back; what couldn't be eaten could be dried and saved.
He felt Owen was like raising a pleasing pet, only knowing how to feed it frantically.
Unfortunately, what he was raising was not an obedient rabbit, but a wolf that had retracted its sharp claws.