314: Chapter 314 [Volume 1, Side Story for the Child] An'an's Butterfly

Dragon Valley—New Red Fox City, outskirts.

A round, orange-red little fox hopped joyfully among the flowers.

He was catching a butterfly, a beautiful blue one that looked exactly like the pair of earrings his father had given his mother.

Since Mother liked the earrings Father gave her, she would surely like the butterfly he gave her too.

Once Mother woke up, he would give it to her.

“Little fox! You've trampled all my flowers!”

Suddenly, the angry voice of a female Cub came from nearby.

The little fox looked up and saw a chubby female Cub walking toward him.

Behind her followed two male Cubs who were even stronger than she was.

They walked up to the little fox.

The little fox looked up and realized his height only reached the female Cub's knees.

He suddenly felt that looking up at her like this put him at a disadvantage.

With a "bang" sound,

The little fox transformed into a male Cub who was half a head shorter than the female Cub.

“I'm sorry... I didn't do it on purpose.

I'll compensate you...”

He reached into his space and pulled out a crystal about the size of a fingernail.

He placed it in his palm and held it out to the female Cub.

The female Cub glanced at the crystal, then at his face.

Then she looked at his face again.

And again...

And again...

The female Cub's round little face suddenly turned red.

Her little heart began to throb.

“You... what is your name?

How old are you?” she asked.

“My name is Tang An, my Nickname is Anan, and I'm four years old,” Anan answered truthfully.

He blinked his large, dark eyes, staring at the female Cub somewhat nervously.

She hadn't taken his crystal; did that mean she wasn't willing to forgive him?

His gaze swept behind the female Cub.

His brothers and sisters weren't here. If they attacked him...

Three against one, it didn't seem like he could win...

And Father wouldn't let him use his Supernatural Ability on Cubs...

Then he could only use that one move.

“Big sister, you look so cute. You're the cutest female Cub I've ever seen.

What's your name?

Can I be your friend?”

Because of his young age, Anan spoke slowly.

But every word went straight to the female Cub's heart.

She wished he would speak even slower and say even more.

Anyone would feel happy to be complimented by such a beautiful Cub.

“My name is Xiong Tu Mei, and I'm six years old. From now on we are—”

“Xiong Tu Mei! Weren't we here to teach him a lesson?”

The brown-haired male Cub behind Xiong Tu Mei suddenly interrupted her.

Xiong Tu Mei said, “Xiong Lu Yi, maybe we should just forget it.”

“No way! I've been watching him for several days.

He comes here every day, and the garden we helped you plant has been trampled to bits by him!” the black-haired Xiong Lu Er also spoke up.

At Xiong Lu Er's voice, Anan glanced behind him.

Uh...

It really was trampled to bits.

But that butterfly was just too cunning.

He even felt like he wasn't catching the butterfly, but rather the butterfly was teasing him.

“I'm sorry...”

He lowered his head, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly.

“I just wanted to catch a butterfly for my mother. She has been asleep for a long time.”

“Asleep for a long time?” Xiong Tu Mei asked.

Anan replied, “Yes, she slept for many years before, and this time too...”

Anan calculated in his head, holding out his small hands and starting to count on his fingers, but he couldn't count high enough.

His calculation skills were very poor, and his father often said he was so dim-witted he didn't seem like his Cub.

The more Anan struggled to count, the more anxious he became, and tears wet his eyelashes.

Looking at him, Xiong Tu Mei's nose suddenly felt stinging.

When adult beasts said someone had "fallen asleep," it meant they were dead.

Her grandfather had also "fallen asleep" last year.

Suddenly, Xiong Tu Mei gave Anan a hug. “Don't cry, don't cry. Big sister doesn't blame you anymore.

We'll be friends from now on.

Let's go play together!”

Anan, who still hadn't finished counting: ...

“Okay!” Anan beamed a smile.

It made Xiong Tu Mei's heart feel sweet.

She took Anan's hand and led him to the side.

“I brought a lot of sweet fruits. Do you want to eat some?”

“Thank you, big sister.”

Xiong Lu Yi and Xiong Lu Er glared angrily at Anan's back.

But they didn't dare say anything.

Xiong Tu Mei was the most beautiful female Cub in the Bear Tribe living in Dragon Valley.

If they made her unhappy, she wouldn't play with them anymore.

Just as the two were about to follow,

They heard Xiong Tu Mei shout, “You two, catch a blue butterfly for me!”

Xiong Lu Yi and Xiong Lu Er: ...

In the evening, Anan carried a small cage, looking at the blue butterfly inside as he walked happily toward home.

Suddenly, Xiong Lu Yi and Xiong Lu Er jumped out from behind a tree.

“You little Cub! How dare you try to take Xiong Tu Mei from us? You're dead!”

The two rushed over; one pushed Anan down.

The other snatched the cage from his hand and threw it into the distance.

“Butterfly! My butterfly!”

Anan scrambled up and rushed over.

The small wooden cage was already smashed.

The butterfly was dead, with one wing broken into two pieces.

“Aaaaaah!”

Anan rushed back, grabbed Xiong Lu Yi's collar, stared into his eyes, and pointed at Xiong Lu Er.

“You hit him for me! Hit him!”

As the sun set, Anan wiped his tears and walked toward home looking aggrieved...

“Waaaaah... they bullied me...”

Leaving behind two male Cubs slapping each other's faces.

---

The butterfly was dead.

The next day, Anan decided to catch another one.

Just as he reached the vicinity of the garden, his path was blocked by two Cubs with unusually round heads.

“Stinky Fox! Stop right there!”

Anan stared at the two of them for three seconds.

The fear they expected did not appear in his eyes.

Anan asked, “Are you pig beastmen?

It's my first time seeing you; you're so cute...

Can I be friends with you?”

Xiong Lu Yi: ...

Xiong Lu Er's dark little face turned red, and he gave a light cough. “It's not imposs—”

Xiong Lu Yi said, “We're here for revenge! Are you scared?!”

Xiong Lu Er snapped back to reality. “Right! We're here for revenge!”

He imitated the way adult beasts did it and clapped his hands twice.

Immediately, two Cubs even taller than them rounded out from behind different trees.

Anan looked back and forth between the four of them, noting their extremely similar hair and skin colors.

He concluded, “Ah! You're all from the Bear Tribe!”

Xiong Lu Er lifted his head proudly. “Scared now?”

“Ah!”

Anan suddenly gave another loud shout.

It gave Xiong Lu Yi and Xiong Lu Er a fright.

“What are you doing, Stinky Fox?!”

Anan said, “You're the ones who smashed my butterfly to death yesterday!”

Xiong Lu Yi and Xiong Lu Er: ...

Did he only just realize?

Xiong Lu Yi coughed. “Prepare to die!”

He was about to raise his hand.

Anan suddenly stood on tiptoe and stretched out his arms.

With both hands, he grasped the other's hand.

Xiong Lu Yi felt the soft touch of his small hands: ...

Anan said, “Four against one, what kind of hero is that?”

Xiong Lu Er was stunned.

“Hero?”

He hadn't figured out how to respond yet.

Anan asked again, “Isn't your Bear Tribe full of brave, great heroes?”

Xiong Lu Yi suddenly felt a surge of pride. “Of course!”

Anan said, “But my father often tells the other fathers that many fighting one is not being a hero.”

Xiong Lu Yi and Xiong Lu Er's brains spun rapidly.

Xiong Lu Er said, “But you have a Supernatural Ability!”

Anan replied, “I can choose not to use it. I'll go find a few more people.

Wait for me.”

After saying that, he turned and ran toward home.

The sun was setting...

The four from the Bear Tribe were waiting under the tree, getting drowsy.

Xiong Lu Er asked, “Big brother, that fox Cub wouldn't be tricking us, would he?”

Xiong Lu Yi took a deep breath.

Actually, he also felt like he'd been tricked.

But the Cubs he usually met didn't know how to lie.

For a moment, he couldn't accept that he'd been fooled by a Cub.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

“They're here!”