Chapter 32: Ming Tao?
ROCKS? First they steal his clothes and now want to stone him? Don’t these cubs know who the heck he is?
He is the mighty cheetah of the cheetah clan for crying out loud! The sole ruler. Ming Tao averted his gaze from the cubs to the woman standing behind them.
A hand was on her hip as she stared at the unfolding situation with a smug smile on her face. She could tell them to back away. She could tell them who he was and they would listen but she was not doing that. She was just standing there as they raided the riverbank searching for stones.
Ming Tao’s lips formed a wavy line. He wanted her help so badly but he was too proud to request it. A stone landed on his head. Then another. Now, it was raining rocks right at him.
"Don’t let the intruder go uninjured. Teach him a lesson like the mother taught us to do!" A cub announced. Ming Tao sighed. Did he really risk his life diving into a torrent crazed river to save one of these people? He could not even get mad. They were not the one suspiciously hiding in a river while being naked, if anything, he should applaud their unity but this was an unfavourable situation for him.
Ming Tao sunk his head into the water. A rock sliced right through the river like an arrow, barely missing his face. He looked up, his body still in the water. That was some massive rock and a really close call.
Ming Tao swam to the other side out of reach from the trajectory of their stoning and gushed his upper body out. "Please!" He panted. "Tell them I am a friend." His tone was high enough to echo to the other end but lower than a scream.
"What?" Mira called back, pretending she could not hear a thing.
"Tell them I am not the enemy!" Ming Tao said.
"I cannot hear you!"
"Please!" He said, speaking slower. "Tell. Them. That. I. Am. A. Friend."
Mira’s grin widened. Her cubs were still throwing rocks. All she wanted was for Ming Tao to reveal himself to her. She wanted her eyes to digest what laid beyond that slutty little waist of his.
"But why?" Mira asked innocently. "If you’re a friend like you say, come on out and tell them!" She said.
Ming Tao finally caught on. That demon wanted to see him. She did not deserve to see him naked. Not when she denied all five of them her duty as their wife and played with their feelings. "I can’t." Ming Tao said.
"Why can’t you?" Mira responded. She knew animals saw each other naked most of the time so there was nothing to hide from the cubs.
"Can you please just help me?"
"Huh?"
"Please. Help. Me."
"What did you say?" Mira bit her lower lip to stop herself from bursting out laughing. The look on Ming Tao’s face was priceless. Next time, when he saw her raid and infest a place with pests in an attempt to chase certain foxes away, he would not intervene. And he would also not shit talk her to her very sweet husband, Jia Hao, again.
"I know you can hear me."
"Can I?" Mira asked. This time, she could not hold herself. She laughed. The entire situation was hilarious but she saw a means to use this to her advantage. "Promise to be nice to me if I do?"
Ming Tao turned his head away.
Oh really? Is that how it is? She thought. "My mini army, grab sticks too! That intruder must not get to the pride!" Mira said. The children chanted an army squeak that served as a roar as they rummaged around for more weapons, aka, stones and sticks.
"Okay, I promise! Tell them to stop and leave." Ming Tao quickly caved.
"See? That wasn’t so hard." Mira said back to Ming Tao. These cubs either heard them converse and ignored it or were too involved in gathering stones to care what those two were saying, whichever it was, they were good accomplices to achieving her side task.
"Cubs! Stop hunting for rocks. He is not foe!" Mira said to them. The cubs stopped weapon hunting and stood, exchanging glances with each other.
"Really? Then why was he hiding?" One of the cubs asked. He had his hands loaded with rocks that he held close to his chest. Ming Tao sure was a lucky one, any later than now would’ve been a stones bomb raid.
"He was playing a game." Mira lied. "Now, kids, everyone hide nearby and I will do some seeking. Do not go too far or you would miss the meat feast! Understood?"
"Yes, tribe and meat mother!" They chorused. Mira felt like a queen. She could do this all day and never get tired.
"Now, I will count to ten and once I am done counting, I will come and look for you. Do not hide amidst dangerous grounds or I will cook you." The last two words was meant to scare them. These cubs can be really foolish sometimes, no offence. The cubs looked like they understood the assignment. Good. Very good.
"Now go hide!" Mira yelled. The cubs scattered, each looking for a good hiding spot. Now Mira was alone. "You can come here now. The coast is clear." She said to Ming Tao.
"Thank you!" Ming Tao said, swimming towards her. There was no pop up notification from system. Was this beast man not pleased that she helped him? What kind of cheetah was he??
Mira pouted. Ming Tao was on her side of the river now and stayed inside the water.
"What are you doing there? Come on out." Mira uttered.
"I have no clothing." Ming Tao responded.
"And?" She could not see what the problem was. They were alone and he was an animal. When animals shifted, they were naked anyway, outside their fur that is. Speaking of, why did he not just shift? It would have made his life a whole lot easier.
Ming Tao did not say a word for a long time. He sighed and broke the silence. "Two of the cubs took my coat and pants when I came for a bath."
Oh. Her little minions were doing the Lord’s work. "Ming Tao, I am your wife. You have seen me naked and there is nothing wrong with me seeing you naked, now get out of there before you catch a cold."
"Can you turn?"
Mira’s face flattened. Was he being serious?
"No." She worded.
"Can you get me some leaves then? To cover myself."
Mira raised a brow. If he was not going to come out, she would make him. She wanted to see what he was hiding now more than ever.
Mira took a few steps back, shaking. Her eyes widened with terror. Ming Tao looked surprised.
"What?" He asked.
She staggered backwards, like someone ridden with fear. "Ming Tao." Her voice broke. "Crocodiles."