Chapter 190: Little Brother Swan Comes to Recharge
Su An’an could clearly hear Seville’s breathing behind her, which was slightly more rushed than usual.
A warm current of air brushed against the fine hairs on the back of her neck, sending a faint shiver through her.
"I’ll sleep on the floor."
Seville spoke abruptly, his voice lower than usual.
The last word was tinged with an unnatural tension.
He turned to walk out, but his white Wings accidentally brushed the back of Su An’an’s hand, freezing in mid-air as if he’d been shocked.
"You’ll freeze out there."
Su An’an grabbed the tip of his feather. Only after she spoke did she realize what she’d done, and she quickly let go.
"I mean, the beast hide is big enough."
Seville’s ears shot straight up. Moonlight filtering through a crack in the wall illuminated the suspicious blush on their tips.
The two stood frozen before the bed, neither daring to look at the other.
The beast-hide flap of the hut was suddenly thrown open.
Jin Zhu and Lu Ming slipped inside, one after the other.
"Huh? Why are you two still standing?"
Lu Ming tilted her head, her round, doe-like eyes full of confusion.
"You have to get up early tomorrow. Shouldn’t you hurry and get your little brother to bed?"
Su An’an stiffened abruptly.
’She’d almost forgotten that in Lu Ming and the others’ eyes, Seville in his cub form was her little brother.’
"We’re going to sleep right now!"
She responded quickly, darting to the side of the beast-hide bed and fluidly lying down.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she pulled a small, round object out of her hide pouch.
"Qiuqiu, you sleep in the middle tonight."
The tightly balled-up Qiuqiu still showed no reaction.
Seville stared at the cub that had suddenly appeared on the bed, his tense shoulders relaxing imperceptibly.
"Come on, little brother!"
Su An’an beckoned with a grin, even patting the hide mattress thoughtfully.
Seville silently climbed onto the bed, his movements as light as a falling snowflake.
He carefully avoided Qiuqiu and lay down on the edge of the hide.
Jin Zhu stood at the entrance with her arms crossed, suddenly letting out a meaningful "tsk."
"Go to sleep. We have to go to the swamp tomorrow."
Lu Ming blew out the stone lamp and skillfully snuggled up close to Jin Zhu.
The hut fell into darkness, leaving only the sound of Qiuqiu’s even breathing.
Su An’an turned on her side, looking at Seville beside her by the light of the moon.
In his cub form, Seville had his back to her, but his black Wings were restlessly spread open.
They rested on her thigh, the tips of the feathers tapping gently and unconsciously.
Su An’an couldn’t help but smile, and she secretly reached out to poke the tip of a feather.
"What are you doing?"
Seville immediately turned over.
His amber eyes glinted with a dangerous light in the darkness, but his voice was kept extremely low.
"Touch me again without permission, and I’ll throw you out."
Far from being intimidated, Su An’an’s smile only widened.
"So, Swan Clan cubs are all this fierce, huh?"
She deliberately drew out her words, her fingertip gently tracing his black Wings.
"This wasn’t your attitude this afternoon when you were standing up for me."
Seville’s ears instantly turned red, but his little face remained incomparably cold.
"You’re flattering yourself. I just couldn’t stand those useless fools!"
Qiuqiu rolled over between them, his small paw landing right on Seville’s face.
Su An’an seized the opportunity to lean in and whisper in his ear, "In any case, thank you."
Her breath brushed against his sensitive ear tip. "My ’little brother’ is so reliable!"
Seville’s whole body went rigid.
"Shut up and go to sleep."
He viciously pulled the hide over his head, forgetting that his Wings were still resting on Su An’an’s leg.
"Say another word and I’ll bite your throat out."
Su An’an stifled a laugh and deliberately tickled the base of his feathers with her fingertip.
A suppressed grunt came from the darkness.
Followed by a threat hissed through gritted teeth: "Are you trying to die?"
Seeing that her teasing had gotten Seville all ruffled, Su An’an’s eyes flashed with mischief before she quickly put on a serious face.
"We have to hunt the Two-headed Toad tomorrow. There could be accidents."
She deliberately lowered her voice. "To be safe, we should ’charge’!"
The word "charge" made Seville’s body stiffen.
He knew, of course, that this so-called "charging" was a unique method of replenishing Energy between a Beast Husband and his Female Master.
It required the most intimate physical contact and a merging of spiritual power.
Seville turned his face away, his white Wings folding in slightly, giving off a cold glint in the moonlight.
Seeing this, Su An’an deliberately sighed and reached out to stroke Qiuqiu’s dull scales.
"Right now, Qiuqiu and I can only rely on you."
"But if you don’t want to charge, that’s fine. I don’t want to force you."
With that, she rolled over to face away from him, her voice dropping.
"It’s all my fault. I’m always dragging you down."
Her words were like a tiny thorn, gently piercing Seville’s heart.
He was silent for a moment before finally giving an imperceptible nod. "Fine, let’s charge."
Su An’an’s eyes lit up, and she immediately reached out and pulled him into her arms.
"So warm!" she sighed contentedly.
Her Spiritual Power Tentacles, like gentle vines, slowly extended into Seville’s body.
Seville’s body tensed slightly, but he didn’t push her away.
He could feel pure Energy circulating within his body.
It then flowed back into Su An’an’s body through their spiritual link.
This wondrous resonance made his heart beat a little faster, and even his cold blood seemed to grow warm.
The hut became so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.
"You!"
Seville looked up, only to find that Su An’an was already fast asleep.
Her brow was furrowed, as if she couldn’t find peace even in her dreams.
Seville hesitated for a moment, then finally raised his hand, his fingertips gently smoothing the crease between her eyebrows.
’You were so awful back then, so why are you so good to me now?’
He didn’t say the words out loud.
But a tiny crack quietly appeared in his frozen heart.
「As the early morning mist had yet to dissipate, the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed through the tribe.」
Seville scrambled up warily, and Su An’an was startled awake as well.
Manda’s rough voice came from outside the hut:
"Stop sleeping! Get up, now!"
Stepping out of the hut, the scene before her made Su An’an suck in a sharp breath.
Manda was leading all the combat-capable females from the female cave, lined up in neat formation.
They wore armor woven from vines and held various weapons.
A few of the older females were distributing leather bags of food, looking fully confident about the upcoming hunt.
The Old Wolf Clan Leader stood not far away with a group of male beasts, his narrowed eyes glinting with a sinister light.
"The Tumu Tribe has been hunting the Nightlight Frogs recently,"
he said in a snide tone. "What, are you planning to go steal their food?"
"None of your business."
Manda glared at the Old Wolf, then turned and raised an eyebrow at Su An’an. "Hold on to your little brother."
Su An’an had just reached out to scoop Seville up when he ruffled his feathers. "I can fly by myself!"
He beat his Wings and soared into the air, his wingspan a third wider than it was the night before.
His black and white Wings, overcharged with Energy, gleamed beautifully in the morning light.
Every single plume was filled with a visible flow of Energy.
Su An’an’s eyes curved into a smile. "Tell me if you get tired."
She deliberately added in a whisper, "After all, my little brother is still young."
"Shut up!"
Seville shot her an icy glare and was the first to fly out of the tribe.
"Keep up!"
Manda waved her hand, and the large group left the tribe in a mighty throng.
Not far away, Stinky Bear narrowed his beady green eyes, and an oily sheen of light suddenly flowed over his corpulent body.
He silently followed them.