"Oh my goodness, you haven't been poisoned, have you?!"
Cael and Elian jumped up in panic, each grabbing one of Kaelen's armpits, preparing to carry Kaelen to the Priest. Kaelen finally snapped out of his dream of delicacies and hurriedly waved his hands:
[No, no, no, I'm fine. I was just so hungry for it that I started drooling!]
The two friends were half-skeptical, observing Kaelen from head to toe. Kaelen quickly wiped the saliva from his mouth and signaled:
[I'm telling you, this can be made into a delicious dish! It makes you full quickly, and you stay full for a long time!]
Because Kaelen was excited, his hands moved very fast; Cael and Elian grew dizzy watching and hurried to press Kaelen back down:
"Alright, alright, talk slower, we can't understand you."
Kaelen clutched his chest, taking a few deep breaths to force himself to calm down. He grinned broadly and scratched his head: [If you don't understand, then never mind. Once I succeed in making it, you'll know right away.]
Cael pursed his lips and helped Kaelen put the sorted items into small baskets according to Kaelen's instructions. Elian also quickly took the unusable items to bury them. Once everything was finished, the three sub-beasts sat down together and chatted happily. Cael scratched his cheek shyly:
"Um... there's something I want to tell you, but remember to keep it a secret for me..."
Cael was a lively sub-beast; it was rare to see Cael blush like this. Kaelen's and Elian's eyes lit up, and they both nodded vigorously, the jaguar ears on their heads perking up in anticipation of gossip.
The three heads immediately huddled together, their six ears perking up or flattening against their heads at times, their tails wagging incessantly. If an adult of the Jaguar tribe were here, they would surely pin the three small sub-beasts down and pet them fiercely.
"Wow, is that true?" Elian covered his mouth, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Cael blushed and nodded shyly: "Mm, Zale said that before winter arrives, he will come to my house to propose."
It was now the last month of autumn, so in only about two weeks, this friend of theirs would officially have a partner. Kaelen and Elian were thrilled and congratulated Cael together.
Once the shyness passed, Cael looked at Kaelen and Elian with concern. The three of them were the same age, all nineteen. A sub-beast of this age was considered past their prime. Cael already had a place to belong, while the two friends showed no signs of progress.
Kaelen didn't have anyone in his heart yet, and given Kaelen's special situation, Cael didn't find it appropriate to bring it up. Cael turned to hold Elian's hand and advised in a low voice:
"Elian, I know you like my brother, but Theron is a foolish leopard; Theron doesn't see your good points. There are many beastmen better than Theron; won't you try finding someone else?"
Elian's ears drooped slightly as he reached up to touch his face. Elian wasn't particularly beautiful, and the vermilion fertility mole in the middle of his forehead was faint; he feared no beastman would bother to notice him.
"I don't like Theron that much either. When Theron confessed to Rylan, I already gave up. It's just that I'm so ugly and likely to have difficulty conceiving; which beastman would notice me?"
Kaelen held Elian's hand and signaled: [When you only keep looking forward, you'll miss what's behind you. Elian, if an imperfect beastman noticed you, would you give him a chance?]
Elian was a bit surprised and tried to search his memory but couldn't find anyone like Kaelen described. Elian tilted his head:
"What about a flawed beastman? My Daddy has been a flawed beastman for many years and could still raise me this big. But... is there really such a person?"
Kaelen smiled slyly, and Cael also leaned in to eavesdrop.
[You both know this person.]
"Who?"
Kaelen raised his hand to signal: [Two years ago during the sunny season, when we climbed the cliff to pick bubble grass and Elian suffered heatstroke then slipped and fell, do you both remember?]
Cael and Elian thought for a moment and immediately remembered. Although they hadn't climbed high back then, the spot where Elian fell was full of sharp, jagged rocks; if Elian had fallen, Elian would have been crippled if not killed. That situation was truly dangerous, so it was naturally etched into their minds.
"You mean..." Elian hesitated, his voice uncertain: "Is it Silas...?"
Kaelen smiled and nodded, and immediately both Cael and Elian were stunned.
Silas was a beastman of the Striped Tiger tribe. During a hunting trip, Silas had unfortunately had his front limb bitten off by a magic beast while saving a companion, becoming a disabled beastman. That day when Elian fell from the cliff, Silas had appeared just in time and jumped up to catch Elian. But even so, it didn't prove anything. Aside from that instance, Elian and Silas had absolutely no contact.
"It's probably impossible." Elian shook his head and then said firmly: "Except for that one time I was rescued, Silas and I haven't met at all. How could he possibly notice me!"
Kaelen burst out laughing and signaled again: [You guys didn't think about it; usually no beastman visits that area, and no beastman is willing to follow and protect us. Why would Silas coincidentally appear there!]
Furthermore, when Silas held Elian and set him down on the grass, Silas showed no sign of letting Elian go. It wasn't until Kaelen and Cael ran over to check the situation that Silas regretfully let go. With that gaze and that manner, if Silas had no intentions toward Elian, Kaelen would walk on his head.
"This..." Elian and Cael looked at each other, not daring to imagine it. Kaelen shook his head, smiling as he said: [If you don't believe it, the tribe is having a victory bonfire tonight. Just pay a little attention and you'll see it right away.]
Mentioning the bonfire, Elian fiddled with the hem of his animal-skin skirt. Usually, Elian didn't like attending these gatherings, only staying for a short while when the Priest performed the dance of gratitude to the Beast God, then leaving immediately. The reason was that being there made Elian feel like a cub lost in a vast wilderness, lonely and out of place.
For that reason, Elian sympathized with and grew even closer to Kaelen. At least Elian still had his Daddy, while Kaelen had no one.