A rough, sandpaper-like texture swiped across Bai Yue's cheek. Then another.
"Ugh... stop... I already fed the cat..." she mumbled, swatting blindly at the air.
Lick. Lick. Nibble.
Bai Yue's eyes snapped open. The ceiling was thatched straw, not her apartment's drywall. Reality came rushing back with the force of a wrecking ball, the Vultures, the sticks, the adrenaline, and the fact that she was currently being used as a communal salt lick by three fuzzy panther cubs.
Miao Miao, A-Li, and Xiao Hei were in their beast forms, their sleek black fur tumbling over her as they vied for space on her chest.
"Ah! The female is awake!" Miao Miao chirped, her tail smacking Bai Yue in the mouth.
"Papa! Uncle Zhao! She's not dead!" Xiao Hei scrambled over her ribs, knocking the wind out of her.
"Oof! Easy, guys, I'm not a trampoline," Bai Yue wheezed, sitting up.
As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she realized the hut was packed. In the far corner, Ruì Xuě was curled into a tiny white ball, snoring softly. Beside him, the snake twins were tangled together like a knot of scaly yarn.
She turned to her left, and her heart nearly performed a backflip out of her ribcage.
Zhāo Yàn, the Fox Lord, was sitting on a low stool, his red eyes fixed on her. In the dim light, his orange hair looked like flickering embers.
"AHHHH!" Bai Yue shrieked, flailing her arms and accidentally sending A-Li tumbling onto the floor. "You! Why are you staring at me like that?!"
"You have been asleep for nearly a full cycle," Zhāo Yàn said calmly. "I was merely waiting to see if your brain had finally scrambled itself permanently."
Bai Yue looked down at her hands. They had been meticulously cleaned, the dried blood and mud were gone, replaced by a soothing green salve that smelled of crushed mint.
"Eh? Did you.….did you clean my hands?"
Before he could answer, the door flap pushed aside and Mo Xiao stepped in, his massive frame nearly blocking out the moonlight.
"Bai Yue. We thought you might not wake up again. Your soul seemed.…..distant."
"Ugh! No! Of course I'd wake up!" she snapped, trying to regain some dignity while a panther cub tried to eat her hair. "It takes more than a few overgrown pigeons to take me down."
The two men exchanged a look, a long, silent conversation that made Bai Yue feel very small and very confused. The Fox Lord's eyebrow crawled toward his hairline.
"Thank you for protecting us!" Miao Miao suddenly tackled her again, followed by the others.
"Yes, thank you!" Xiao Hei added nervously, his little panther ears flat against his head. "You went bam! It was.….it was okay."
Bai Yue's heart melted again. She reached out, petting their soft heads. "You're welcome. Are you guys okay? Are you hungry?"
"No! Papa got us a whole deer! And Uncle Zhao brought honey-fat!"
Bai Yue looked at the Fox Lord again, swallowing hard. Honey-fat? That was a delicacy. She looked over at the sleeping snow leopard cub and felt a surge of maternal warmth that felt entirely too natural for a woman who used to kill houseplants.
She stood up, her muscles protesting with every movement.
"Yes! Now, where are those Vultures?! I have a very long, very loud speech prepared for them. I need to give them a piece of my mind!"
Mo Xiao's expression didn't change, but his eyes grew cold. "They are dead."
Bai Yue froze. "Ugh.….what? Dead? Like... they went home?"
"No," Mo Xiao said firmly. "They violated the most sacred beast laws. They targeted cubs. The tribe elders do not negotiate with child-stealers. We executed them at the Council Oak."
Bai Yue swallowed hard. Damn. This world is brutal.
The Fox Lord stood up, his gaze never leaving her. Even though the cubs were praising her, his stare felt like he was peeling back layers of her skin to see what was underneath.
"Your eyes are softer," Zhāo Yàn murmured, stepping closer. "You have lost your usual snark. And you risked your life for kits that aren't even your own blood."
Before Bai Yue could process the compliment, he reached out and pulled her into his personal space. His hands clamped onto her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.
Bai Yue's face went from pale to supernova red in 0.5 seconds. Too close! Way too close!
"Now you fluster at my touch," he whispered, his red eyes narrowed with suspicion. "The old Bai Yue would have tried to claw my eyes out or drag me to the bed. Why are you trembling?"
"Errrr.….sensory overload? Move!" she squeaked, pushing against his rock-solid chest.
Just then, Ruì Xuě stirred awake, yawning adorably. He saw the crowd and flinched, his purple eyes darting around until they landed on Bai Yue. He calmed down, but when she reached out a hand, he still gave a tiny, involuntary shiver.
Bai Yue sighed. Right. He called me 'Mama' in the heat of battle, but the trauma is still there.
"How are you, little Xue?" she asked softly. She looked at the snake twins, who were rubbing their eyes. "You too, Shé Yì, Shé Èr. You were very brave! Reckless, stupidly dangerous…..but brave! Don't ever do it again or I'll ground you!"
"Ground us?" Shé Yì blinked. "Is that a earth-magic spell?"
Ruì Xuě looked at the floor, his voice tiny. "Can.….can Cursed Female follow us to the river tomorrow? To get more berries?"
Bai Yue's heart twinged at the 'Cursed Female' title, but she nodded. "Of course I will."
"Oh. Okay." The cub immediately hid behind Shé Yì again, his little tail twitching.
The Fox Lord was still watching her. He turned to Mo Xiao and then announced. "Me and.….the Cursed Female... ..will be going to the hot springs."
"Eh?? The springs? Now?!" Bai Yue yelled.
Mo Xiao's eyes widened. "That's.…why? She just woke up."
Zhāo Yàn didn't answer. He simply leaned down and threw Bai Yue over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Wait! Put me down! I have legs! I can walk! Zhāo Yàn!"
The Fox Lord ignored her shrieks, his hand firm on the back of her thighs. "You smell like a Vulture's nest and old mud, Bai Yue. If I am to be trapped in this hut with you, you will be clean."
"I can wash myself!" she screamed at his back as he marched out of the hut.
"I don't trust you not to drown," he replied coolly.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
As they vanished into the night toward the steaming springs, the three panther cubs looked at Mo Xiao.
"Is Uncle Zhao going to eat her?" A-Li asked curiously.
Mo Xiao sighed, rubbing his temples. "Maybe."