Lin Yao felt trapped.
The storm outside raged harder by the second, rain battering the cave entrance like a living thing trying to claw its way in.
Luma slept against her chest, warm and trusting, completely unaware of the danger sitting just a few steps away.
She forced herself to breathe.
There was another cub here....
She needed to think. She needed to be smart about this.
Lin Yao lifted her gaze to Madam Jin, studying her more carefully this time. The woman's movements were too relaxed. She was speaking about selling cubs like livestock.
She swallowed, steadying her voice. "Can I see them?"
Madam Jin laughed, a dry, rasping sound, and poked at the fire with a stick far harder than necessary, sending sparks jumping into the air.
"Oh dear, it's just one," she said dismissively. "A tiger cub. About five years old."
Her lips curled with clear disappointment. "He can't be sold. No one wants to buy him."
Lin Yao's fingers tightened instinctively around Luma.
Madam Jin clicked her tongue and tossed another stick into the flames, watching it burn.
"He's too sick. Too troublesome. Not strong enough to fetch a price."
The fire crackled loudly between them.
Lin Yao didn't respond but inside, her resolve hardened.
She already knew one thing for certain.
She wasn't leaving this cave without that cub.
Even if the damn system hadn't threatened her with unconsciousness as punishment, there was no way Lin Yao was leaving a child with this crazy woman.
Madam Jin tilted her head, studying her with open curiosity. "So... you want to buy him?"
Lin Yao nodded. "Yes."
Madam Jin's gaze immediately shifted to Luma. Her lips pulled back into a grin, exposing sharp canines.
"Then give me the rabbit cub. And Ning will be yours."
Lin Yao's eyes widened. "No."
Madam Jin clicked her tongue. "Why are you being so greedy, huh? I'm offering you a good deal, and you're refusing?"
She pushed herself to her feet with a low grunt, rolling her neck. The loud crack that followed made Lin Yao cringe. It sounded just as sickly as the woman looked. Still, Lin Yao stood her ground and rose as well.
"I've been trying to stay civilized, Madam Jin," she said tightly, "This rabbit cub is mine. She is my child. I am not like you. I am not selling her. How many times do I have to say it?"
Madam Jin's expression darkened.
"This is why I'm not a nice person," she sneered. "I let you stay in my cave. I was hospitable. And this is how you repay me?"
Her claws slid out with a sharp sound as she waved her hands.
"You look like a strong, agile, pretty little lioness," she continued. "But don't judge me by my looks. I'll beat you down, sell you to the tribe chief, keep the rabbit cub, and toss that sickly cub away."
"How the hell did I end up here? I ran into a freaking cub trafficker." Lin Yao muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?" Madam Jin snapped, displeasure flashing across her face as she stepped around the fire.
Lin Yao moved as well, keeping the flames between them.
"I don't want to fight you," Lin Yao said as calmly as she could. Luma being frightened meant distress. Distress meant punishment. Punishment meant dizziness. "This can end peacefully, Madam Jin."
Madam Jin snarled. "Give me the cub!"
A blinding light engulfed her form.
Where the woman had stood, a tiger now crouched. It was thin, sickly, but unmistakably dangerous. Its growl rumbled through the cave, claws scraping against stone.
"Oh no." Lin Yao gritted her teeth.
The tiger lunged.
She barely stumbled back in time, her heart slamming against her ribs. The violent movement was enough to wake Luma, who let out a frightened sound.
And Lin Yao didn't think anymore.
She ran.
Straight into the storm, rain soaking her instantly as thunder roared overhead. She clutched Luma tightly to her chest, screaming at the system at the top of her lungs.
"Why didn't you warn me she was a cub trafficker?!"
[Warning: Dependent in distress.
Dependent has a 60% chance of falling sick.
Host must save secondary dependent.]
"Let me catch my breath, damnit! There's a tiger chasing me!" Lin Yao hissed under her breath.
Luma was trembling in her arms, panicking not just because they were running through a full-blown storm, but because the tiger was fast. Too fast.
Lin Yao knew she couldn't outrun it. Still, she forced her legs to move, mud sticking to her feet, rain hammering down until her lungs burned.
She spotted a nearby den and rushed toward it but the ground gave way beneath her.
She slipped.
Lin Yao twisted her body instinctively, crashing onto her side just to avoid falling on Luma.
"Ah—!" Luma let out a sharp cry.
Dizziness slammed into Lin Yao's head, pain blooming through her ribs. She grit her teeth, hating the system, hating this world.
"Shh… it's okay. It's okay," she whispered desperately, rocking Luma. "Take deep breaths. We're safe."
"Are we going to get eaten, Yao-jie?" Luma whimpered.
Lin Yao pushed herself upright. "No one is going to get—"
A deep growl cut her off.
The tiger emerged from the rain, stalking toward them.
Lin Yao's heart dropped. Luma clung to her as the tiger lunged.
But then another roar tore through the storm.
A massive white leopard slammed into the tiger, sending it flying.
Lin Yao had never felt relief hit her so hard.
"Let's go," she whispered urgently, grabbing Luma and ran.
Back in the cave, Lin Yao dumped Luma beside the fire and spun around, searching wildly.
"Where is he?"
A faint whimper answered her.
Lin Yao rushed to the baskets, tearing them aside until she lifted the largest one underneath....
And froze.
Inside lay a young tiger cub. He was naked. Covered in old and fresh scars.
His ears twitched weakly, but the rest of him was frighteningly still.
"Oh my…"