Nope. He wasn't a fast catcher.
In fact, he didn't even move an inch. He just watched with an expression of mild, judgmental curiosity as Bai Yue flailed through the air like a startled rotisserie chicken.
Thwack.
Thankfully, she didn't hit the dirt this time. She landed in a cluster of giant, oversized purple lilies that smelled like vanilla and felt like a beanbag chair.
"Owww..." She sat up, rubbing her backside and blinking the stars out of her vision.
"Finished?"
The voice was right in front of her. Bai Yue looked up, and for a second, her brain just.….stopped.
Standing over her was a very attractive looking man. He was bare-chested, showing off abs that could probably grate cheese, and wore a simple wrap of dark leather at his waist adorned with polished purple stones. He had a messy, short black wolf-cut that framed a handsome face, and his amber eyes glowed with an intensity that made her heart do a frantic tap-dance.
He scoffed, crossing his arms over that massive chest. "What is the cursed female doing in my tree again? I thought you stopped your peeping-tom habits once you started chasing that Bear King around."
Bai Yue's memories flickered. This was Mo Xiao, a Black Panther beastman. He had once been a suitor of the original Bai Yue before he realized she had the personality of a cactus and the ego of a dictator. Now, he was a father himself, and he looked at her like he was contemplating having her for lunch.
"Erm... I..." Bai Yue scrambled for an excuse. Think, brain, think! "I'm.….sorry?"
Mo Xiao's eyes widened. He actually stumbled back a step, his jaw dropping. "You're.….what?"
"I... I just... er..." She stood up, brushing the flower petals off her fur skirt. "I won't do it again! Really! My mistake. I'll just be on my way. Don't mind me!"
As she tried to shuffle past him, a large, tanned hand shot out and gripped her wrist. It was warm. He leaned down, squinting at her as if looking for something she was hiding.
"Are you alright in the head, Bai Yue?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave. "You just apologized. You don't apologize. Usually, you'd be screaming about how I'm 'blocking your view' and threatening to have me whipped."
"Yes! I'm fine! Perfectly sane! Brand new me!" she squeaked.
Just then, the bushes parted again. Four more beastmen stepped into the clearing. They were dripping wet, their hair plastered to their faces, clearly fresh from the hot springs, but thankfully, they all had their waists covered in various animal hides.
The group was a visual buffet. There was a tall, lanky Crane beastman with feathers in his hair; a burly, scarred Boar warrior; a young, freckled Otter boy; and the oldest-looking one, a stoic, silver-haired Wolf beastman who looked like he was the lead village Elder.
The Wolf beastman, Zhao Fēng, frowned deeply when he saw her. "Mo Xiao, send the cursed female away. Her presence is a blight on the morning air."
"Wait," Mo Xiao said, his grip still tight on Bai Yue's wrist. "Something is wrong with her. She just told me she was sorry."
The four men froze. Their eyes widened in unison, looking like a row of startled dinner plates.
"That is a lie," the Crane beastman snapped. "She doesn't know the word."
"I swear it!" Mo Xiao spluttered.
An awkward, heavy silence descended. They all stared at Bai Yue as if she had suddenly grown a second head, one that spoke in riddles.
"This is troublesome," Zhao Feng sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Mo Xiao, return her to her hut. I will send word for Hán Shàn to deal with his female. He needs to keep her on a shorter leash if she's started losing her mind."
Bai Yue swallowed hard. Hán Shàn. Her Snow Leopard husband. The one who currently hated her guts because she had abandoned their son. Great. Just great.
"Fine," Mo Xiao muttered. He looked at Bai Yue and suddenly.….shimmered. In a blur of shadow and muscle, the hot man disappeared, replaced by a massive, sleek Black Panther. He was the size of a small car, his fur glistening like polished onyx.
"Get on, cursed female," a voice echoed in her head.
"Don't call me that," Bai Yue pouted, crossing her arms.
The Panther actually paused, his golden eyes wide with shock at her audacity. He huffed a puff of hot air into her face, but lowered his back.
Bai Yue climbed on, her fingers sinking into his fur. Oh my god, so soft. It was like sitting on a heated velvet cloud. "Ahhh, such smooth fur..."
BOOM.
Mo Xiao launched. He turned into a black streak of lightning through the forest.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Bai Yue screamed, her face being distorted by the sheer force of the wind. The trees were a green blur, the air was slapping her cheeks like a thousand tiny palms, and she was pretty sure her soul was trailing five feet behind her body.
"SLOW DOWNNNNNN!"
He didn't slow down. He only stopped when they reached a small, isolated wooden hut at the edge of a cliff. Bai Yue slid off his back, her legs shaking so hard she almost face-planted into the dirt.
A large, furry head nudged her shoulder, steadying her before she could fall.
"Thank you," she panted, patting the top of the Panther's head. "Good kitty! Very fast. Five stars on Uber."
The Panther's ears twitched. A faint reddish tint appeared under the fur of his ears, he was blushing. He let out a low growl, turned tail, and vanished into the treeline without a second glance.
Bai Yue turned to her hut and sighed. "Home sweet.….yuck."
The inside was a disaster. The original Bai Yue was apparently a slob. Dirty pelts, half-eaten fruit, and dust everywhere.
"Right. If I'm going to be a villainess, I'm going to be a clean one."
She spent the next few hours in a whirlwind of activity. She scrubbed the stone floor, shook out the pelts until the dust cleared, and organized the messy piles of herbs. Finally, she wiped her brow. "Phew! Much better."
She turned around to admire her handiwork, but the sunlight from the doorway was suddenly cut off.
A massive shadow loomed over her, stretching across the floor.
Bai Yue's eyes widened. Standing in the doorway was a man with hair as white as the peaks of the mountains and eyes that looked like shards of frozen ice. He wasn't looking at her with love. He was looking at her with disgust.
"I heard," the Snow Leopard boomed, "that you were at the hot springs again."