Chapter 3 - Zhou Ji (2/2)

The exit was covered by a door that was made out of wood and vines, and there was a cat crouched next to it.

The cat was a member of their tribe. It was Xiong Ye’s cousin, Mao Jin. She was only fourteen, and her animal form was very weak. But because she was very vigilant in her animal form, starting from a year ago, she had taken the initiative to guard the gate.

Xiong Ye felt that it was great for her to do so, since everyone should try to make themselves useful.

Upon seeing Xiong Ye, Mao Jin meowed, licked her paw, and lay down again.

Xiong Ye laughed, opened the door, and went out.

They generally wouldn’t destroy the trees in the forest near the tribe. Xiong Ye went further out, skillfully shuttling his way through the forest, and soon came to a stretch of woods far away from the tribe. He then began to chop down trees.

After cutting down a big tree and removing its branches and leaves, he was soon left with a thick chunk of wood. He then moved on and began to cut down the next tree.

Xiong Ye chopped down four trees in one go, then realized that he wouldn’t be able to carry any more and finally stopped.

“Do you need help?” A slightly stiff voice suddenly sounded out. Xiong Ye raised his head and saw someone standing under a tree in the distance. It was Zhou.

Zhou looked a little strange-not only was he wearing a piece of dinosaur leather around his waist, he also wore two pieces around his upper body, covering up his back and chest… In their tribe, generally speaking, only women who were worried that their breasts would impact their hunting, or those who found it too cold in winter, would do so.

Well, it was still quite cold now, and it was even chillier at night. Zhou probably hung those burdensome things on himself because he was freezing.

“Why are you here?” Xiong Ye was rather surprised.

Zhou: “Picking fruit.”

Only then did Xiong Ye notice that Zhou was holding a few fruits in his hands.

This type of fruit could be found amongst the grass. It wasn’t very big and was very sour, but it was very common and was plentiful all the way from spring up until autumn.

When he was young and hungry, he would often look for this kind of fruit to eat even though the tart taste made his teeth feel sour.

However, he didn’t eat it much after turning twelve. He only occasionally picked some for Shi Li-at the time, Shi Li and his family hadn’t yet joined the tribe, and his mother and younger brother always had nothing to eat.

This kind of fruit should only be available after the weather grew a bit warmer. Most of the plants were still only just flowering at the moment, and Xiong Ye didn’t know where Zhou had managed to find some.

Xiong Ye: “I don’t need your help.” Could Zhou’s small body even lift up a piece of wood?

Xiong Ye pulled down a section of vine and tied up the four pieces of wood, then removed the leather he’d wrapped around his lower body and turned into a brown bear.

His animal form was very big, and it took a lot of energy for him to change forms. He normally wouldn’t do this, but he wasn’t worried about it today because he had eaten his fill and there was more food stored up in his cave.

“Roar!” Xiong Ye called out to Zhou, intending to ask the other party return together with him-he couldn’t speak while in his animal form, so he could only do this.

Only, he didn’t know what Zhou was looking at; he had turned his head away and didn’t turn his head back until he heard Xiong Ye’s roar.

Xiong Ye signaled for the other party to follow him then led the way, deliberately slowing down his speed.

He was afraid that Zhou wouldn’t be able to keep up.

One of the two moons in the sky hung in the west, while the other was in the east. They shed a minimal amount of light, but it was enough for Xiong Ye to find his way. Occasionally, he could even spot something running from far away.

Those should be small-sized bird-footed dinosaurs. Unfortunately, his movements were too big, and those little dinosaurs had already run away before he could get close…

Xiong Ye felt that it was a bit of a pity, but he soon calmed down.

It was already the middle of the night, and it wasn’t a suitable time to hunt.

Xiong Ye walked on and unconsciously picked up the pace, but Zhou unexpectedly remained behind him and didn’t fall behind.

Xiong Ye turned his head and gave Zhou a glance.

Although this person never awakened an animal form, his physical strength wasn’t bad. That made sense. When Zhou’s mother was still alive, she had never wronged Zhou when it came to food.

He had been able to eat well and drink well every day, so Zhou’s health certainly couldn’t be too bad.

Although ordinary people like Zhou couldn’t do very many things, it wasn’t as though they couldn’t participate in the hunts. Xiong Ye felt that after they returned, he should urge Zhou to exercise properly.

He wanted to be the chief of the tribe, and the chief should be responsible for everyone in the clan!

Very quickly, the two of them, one in front and one behind, arrived back at the tribe.

Xiong Ye put down the wood, changed back to his human form, and put his clothes back on. He said to Zhou, “It’s really amazing that you followed behind me for so long without falling behind. In the future, you should exercise properly. You can definitely join the hunting party. When that day comes, you’ll be able to eat meat every day!”

The way Xiong Ye saw it, eating grass was definitely something that was hard to bear. Some people liked to gnaw on a few mouthfuls of grass when they were in animal form, but they would still be devoted to eating meat when they resumed their human form.

But right now, Zhou… probably wasn’t given very much meat.

Zhou, who had turned his back towards Xiong Ye at some point, turned back and looked at Xiong Ye, “My name is Zhou Ji.”

Xiong Ye looked at Zhou Ji in amazement, “You’ve awakened? What kind of animal is ‘Ji’? How come you aren’t called Ji Zhou?”

Zhou Ji: “…”

The author has something to say:

Zhou Ji: Can’t these primitive people give some warning before taking off their skirts?

The beastmen in the story all awaken mammal forms. Otherwise, Xiong Ye would definitely ask, “Zhou Ji? Did you awaken as a chicken?”