Chapter 60: The Predator Who Mistook the furless for Prey
After holding onto Selka’s broad back, the massive wolf plunged into the current and paddled across the rushing water.
Selka’s powerful legs cut through the river, quickly reaching the muddy bank on the opposite side.
Nuan slid down onto her good leg, wincing slightly as a lingering cramp hit her abdomen. She quickly pulled on her clean, dry leather panties and adjusted the loincloth skirt over them.
Meanwhile, Selka gave her massive furry body a violent, full-body shake, sending water droplets flying everywhere like a localized rainstorm.
Once Nuan was fully dressed, she carefully climbed back onto the wolf’s back, wrapping her arms securely around Selka’s neck.
Selka started walking slowly, deliberately picking a smooth path to ensure the bumpy terrain wouldn’t make Nuan’s menstrual cramps hurt any worse.
As they pushed past the dense, untamed bushes of the new territory, Nuan’s eyes widened. The forest floor here was completely overflowing with wild fruit.
Within just a few steps of distance, she spotted bushes laden with plump blueberries, ripe raspberries, dark blackberries, wild strawberries, and low-hanging wild cherry trees. It was a complete foraging paradise.
By the way, furless, I listened to your explanation earlier, but there is still one thing I wanted to ask because I did not understand, Selka’s voice echoed gently through their shared telepathic link as she padded deeper into the brush.
"Yeah? What is it?" Nuan asked, resting her cheek against the soft fur.
This bleeding breeding cycle of yours... Selka said.
"Hm-mm?" Nuan nodded, waiting.
What exactly is a ’month’ and ’monthly’? the old wolf asked, genuinely clueless.
Nuan froze. Eh? Uh... huh? Her brain stalled out for a second. Right! How could these beastmen know about a standard calendar? To explain a month, I’d have to explain that this world is a planet revolving around its sun, and that one whole orbit is a year, and that the moon... ugh, my head hurts.
Furless? Selka prompted, sensing her mental short-circuit.
"Uh, yeah! So, um... a month is like this," Nuan scrambled to simplify the concept. "You see the moon in the night sky, right? If tonight is a bright, completely round full moon, it will slowly, slowly shrink over the next few days until it becomes a half-moon, and then it disappears completely. After that, it slowly appears again, growing bigger until it becomes a full, round moon once more. That entire cycle—from one full moon to the next—is what we call a month!"
She paused, making sure Selka was following. "In simpler words, one day and one night make a full day. Thirty of those days put together make one month. Does that make sense?"
I see. So your kind counts the lifespan of your bodies by the cycling of the sun and moon in the sky... We simply measure time by generations, Selka reasoned.
But suddenly, the massive wolf froze mid-stride. Her ears pinned forward, and her head snapped high, nostrils flaring as she aggressively sniffed the humid air. Wait. I smell a danger... but the scent is completely wrong. It is not Bramor.
"Hm? Another bear?" Nuan’s survival instincts instantly flared through her fatigue. "Should we retreat? Pushing into a strange danger’s territory doesn’t sound very welcoming."
As she spoke, she quietly willed her newly carved, high-strength bow and a sharp arrow out of her system inventory.
Both of them went entirely still, on high guard. Let us retreat for now, Selka decided, taking a slow, perfectly silent step backward to slip away.
Nuan nodded, locking the arrow’s notch onto the vine string.
But before they could even back out of the clearing, the dense bushes beside them rustled violently. The branches shattered, and stepping out into the sunlight wasn’t a bear at all—it was a massive, muscular cougar beastman in her animal form, her golden eyes flashing with raw malice.
Selka’s grey fur instantly shot up along her spine, and a deep, vibrating rumble shook her chest as she dropped into a fierce, defensive stance.
Despite the aching, twisting knot in her waist, Nuan sat up perfectly straight on Selka’s back, drawing the bowstring all the way to her cheek, the razor-sharp tip pointed dead at the big cat.
Blue Buddy, activate the Vital Strike ability! she commanded in her mind.
[ Activating Vital Strike ability... ]
[ Target locked. ]
[ Scanning target for critical weakness to trigger central nervous system or organ shutdown... ]
[ Vital point detected: Lungs are the optimal target for an immediate drop. ]
Instantly, a glowing blue 3D anatomical model of the cougar overlayed across Nuan’s field of vision, highlighting the exact spot behind the front shoulder blade where her arrow needed to pierce.
Nuan looked up from the screen, her focus narrowing down the shaft of her arrow, waiting for the perfect opening the second the predator lunged.
Selka bared her fangs, projecting her voice through a telepathic link to the intruder. Who are you, and what are you doing invading Bramor’s territory?
The cougar let out a sinister, raspy snarl, her tail whipping the dirt. That fat, useless bear abandoned his territory two days ago. I am the one ruling these woods now. If you want to live, drop that bleeding, furless creature on your back and crawl back across the river.
Selka let out a low, mocking chuckle, her massive claws digging into the soil. Well, do not get ahead of yourself, you little overgrown cat... This furless one is definitely not prey.
Well, let us find that out! the cougar roared.
Her fangs flashed in the sunlight, and with a powerful explosion of muscle, she launched her heavy body straight forward through the air, claws extended, aiming directly for Nuan’s throat.
Selka’s muscles bunched as she prepared to dodge, but the cougar had already launched herself into the air, her heavy body barreling straight toward Nuan.
Nuan didn’t panic. She held her breath, keeping the bow drawn tightly to her cheek, waiting for the absolute perfect micro-second.
The moment all four of the big cat’s paws left the ground, its aerial trajectory was locked. In mid-air, a leaping predator has absolutely no way to change its direction or dodge.
A sharp, dangerous smirk cut across Nuan’s face. Got you, reflex queen.
Nuan released the tightly stretched vine string.
Twang!
At such a dangerously short distance, the high-strength arrow tore through the air at blinding speed, spinning violently as it flew straight toward the target point.
Before the cougar could even realize her mistake, the sharp stone tip pierced cleanly through her front shoulder blade, burying itself deep into her lungs.
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