Chapter 9: Nowhere To Go

"Noona?! Pfft—Kekuek!"

Deus incredulously repeated and stifled a laughter, leaving the other just an inch from snapping his bones to pieces

"Bastard, don't you dare laugh! Be grateful I'm saving your useless ass. Shut up!"

Shul hissed dangerously at the side and glared at the snickering jade snake while trying to keep himself from laughing so hard. 

Shul hatefully rolled his eyes.

Of all the things Deus could've blurted out, he had to call out a predator for trespassing and whine about his spilled dinner?!

Isn't this guy practically begging to be turned into her next meal?

Ugh!

Shul secretly groaned in discontent and began questioning his life for having such a dimwit of a brother.

But it didn't take long before he breathed deeply and reluctantly addressed the woman respectfully.

"N-Noona, forget whatever nonsense this idiot just said! Not trespassing… you're not trespassing. Stay the night and feel at home as you like."

"Noona?" Wenshi blinked in surprise. Then, after a pause, she chuckled and nodded. A crisp, melodic laugh rang out. "Little guy, are you really calling me Big Sister? Are you guys trying to become my little bros?"

Both brothers snapped their heads in her direction.

Shul's face burned but simply nodded. As if he had another choice when he had already let the cat out of the bag!

On the other hand, Deus' initial jeering at his brother stopped. His face stiffened and instantly flushed beet red as soon as he saw the woman clutching her bulging stomach, laughing so wildly she nearly doubled over.

Who in their right mind would ask their mortal enemy to play family?!

"Don't laugh! Who wants to be your little bro, you, fat ass little twerp?!" he hissed, mortified.

Smack!

"Oww! Shul, you jerk! Why are you hitting me again?!" Deus whined, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "If my brain gets damaged, will you take responsibility and fit it?"

Shul scoffed and his face hardened.

"If I could, I would've replaced your dumb brain with a monkey's. At least a baboon would have a common sense."

Wenshi watched the two bicker with an amused glint in her eye. They were a handful—adorable and exasperating all at once that she just brushed off the jade snake's rude remarks as though she had somehow been accustomed to his childish yapping.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and felt a tinge of emotion.

Would her little one be just as unruly yet endearing when he was born?

"Oh my, I'm sorry," Wenshi said, wiping a stray tear from her eye. Her voice was warm with lingering laughter. "I didn't mean to offend. It's just… been a long time since I had a good laugh."

The brothers fell silent.

She smiled. "Hey, don't be so tense. I'm not here to pick a fight. I'm with child."

She rested a hand on her stomach, her tone soft yet firm. "As long as you don't harm me, just as that 'little fellow' didn't mean to earlier, I won't harm you."

Deus shuddered when their eyes met.

"It was an accident, right?" she asked, tilting her head.

Gulp.

Before he could stammer out a response, Shul yanked him down into a deep bow.

"Hey— ah! What are you—?"

Deus started to protest, but the sharp flicker in Shul's gaze made his throat tighten. This time, his brother was serious.

Shul turned back to Wenshi with a forced, overly polite smile.

"Of course, Noona. You're absolutely right! Thank you for your understanding. My brother is reckless and careless. He constantly makes mistakes." He shot a pointed glare at Deus before continuing smoothly, "I will make sure to give him a proper lesson."

Wenshi's expression appeared calm and unchanging. However, behind her collected gaze, the woman was actually feeling heavy and uncomfortable. 

'What's happening? Why am I suddenly feeling weak and dizzy?' she wondered and shook her head to stabilize her vision.

"Noona? Are you okay?"

"Ah..."

Wenshi snapped back to reality and descended to the tree branch where they stood, pretending to be just fine. If she shows any kind of weakness now, these two troublesome snakes might bite her back.

Taking a deep breath, she strode towards them and stopped at a safe distance. She glimpsed at their form and said, "I am. You don't have to be so alarmed around me," she assured and flashed a smile but anyone with eyes could see how weary and strained it was.

"I meant what I said. I don't intend to cause trouble."

"Since you offered me a place to stay and called me sister, Noona will not treat you badly."

With a gentle motion, she lifted her hand, plucked two strands of her midnight-black hair, and, in an instant, they transformed into pure white feathers.

With a flick of her fingers, the silky feathers drifted through the air and landed softly in the bewildered snakes' palms.

"Consider this a token of my goodwill," she said. "As long as you carry those, no eagle will blindly attack you."

Shul stared at the feather with a heavy gaze. A long silence stretched between them before he finally asked, "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Noona… but isn't this an imbued natal feather?"

"You're not giving us something this precious just to prove to show your sincerity, are you?"

Though he had been addressing her respectfully out of necessity, he wasn't about to blindly accept whatever she offered without understanding her intentions.

Wenshi exhaled slowly, her gaze lowering to her stomach. "You must have heard everything I said under your tree," she murmured.

The warmth in her voice faded, replaced by something tight, something strained. A hint of desperation clung to her words.

"My mate abandoned me. I have nowhere else to go," she admitted. There was no point in hiding it if they had already heard her cries.

She couldn't easily return to the Golden Roc City.

They were strict with their rules and there was a rule that forbade land beasts from entering. Only flight beasts were allowed in their sacred territory. Even worse, only those with wide wingspans could even reach that treacherous place.

If her baby took after his father, who is a tiger, then he wouldn't be allowed to set foot there.