The Price of Protection

The cubs looked at Kashi in surprise.

"Mommy… can you really climb up?"

Kashi wasn't sure. But she had to try.

She transformed into her beast form. Chow Chow clung tightly to her leg, while Chao Ang helped steady her. Kashi jabbed her ice pick into the pit wall—where Jin Ling's claws had once carved—and began to climb.

The pick barely held. Her limbs trembled. But she pushed upward, dragging herself and the cubs from the depths.

By the time they emerged, the sky had darkened. Snow was already falling again.

"Mommy, where are we going? Aren't we waiting for the big male?"

"We'll be back soon," Kashi said. "Stay close."

They followed her without complaint, though they clearly didn't understand.

> "Host, you're 300 meters from the wild ox," the system said. "There's an abandoned trap beneath a tree ahead. Use that."

Kashi pressed forward. Beneath the snowdrifts, she found the depression—an old hunting pit, shallow but workable.

She reinforced the sides quickly, then turned to her cubs.

"Chow Chow, Mommy's prepared a trap. I'll lure the prey in. Once it's inside, you three will be responsible for killing it."

Three small faces paled.

Chow Chow's blue eyes welled up instantly, filling with tears.

"You want us to be bait?!" Chao Ang's voice cracked in fury.

Kao Li's red eyes hardened. "You… want to kill us?"

All three turned to run, but Kashi caught them in a rough embrace.

"Listen to me! That ox is heading this way. If we don't act first, it will find us and attack. You have to trust me—just this once."

They stared at her—one angry, one afraid, one silent.

Kao Li narrowed his eyes. "Just once. If you lie to us again, I won't forgive you."

"I promise," Kashi said softly.

She gave Chao Ang the ice pick. "Hide here. Don't come out until you see me run past. Understood?"

They nodded. Kashi exhaled hard, heart pounding. She didn't notice the sharp pair of golden eyes watching them from far away.

> "Host, the ox is approaching. 50 meters away."

Kashi picked up a stick and turned toward the oncoming beast.

A gust of wind hit her face—and the stench hit her harder.

Then the wild ox appeared. Twice the size of a buffalo, massive, snorting steam, hooves crushing the snow.

> "RUN!"

Kashi did. Fast.

She transformed into her beast form and tore through the snow, lungs burning.

The cubs peeked from their hiding place. "Mommy!" Chao Ang hissed. "She's coming—and the ox is right behind her!"

Kashi reached the pit in one breath. She leapt—

Her foot slipped.

Half her body dangled over the edge.

The disguised trap caved in with a roar.

The wild ox couldn't stop and tumbled in after her.

Kao Li and the others ran from their cover.

The ox roared inside the pit, furious. Seeing Kashi clinging to the wall, it slammed its horns into the side, shaking the ground.

She lost her grip and fell in.

The ox charged. Kashi rolled aside.

"Chow Chow!" she shouted. "Bring ice rocks! Hurry!"

Kao Li was first to react, already dragging frozen stones to the edge. The others followed.

"Throw them down when I say!" Kashi's voice echoed from below.

Just as she said it, the ox charged again. The pit was small. She had nowhere to dodge. Its horn grazed her shoulder, drawing blood.

"DIE!" Kao Li roared, hurling a rock.

The other two joined in. Stones slammed into the ox's back and shoulders. It howled, angrier than ever.

Kao Li climbed up, tossing more rocks down. One hit the ox's eye. It bellowed in blind rage and charged again.

This time, it slammed full force into Kashi's shoulder.

She screamed.

"Mommy!" Chow Chow wailed. She raised one last rock and smashed it down with all her strength.

The ox groaned—and finally collapsed.

The pit fell silent.

Kashi's world swam. Her vision darkened.

> "Congratulations, host. You have received a high-grade yellow beast soul essence."

"You bastard," Kashi hissed. "You said you'd ensure my safety—"

> "I said I'd ensure your life. Technically… you're still alive. Also, I have to use the bathroom now."

"You need to piss out some code—are you joking—" But she couldn't finish.

She collapsed into unconsciousness.

---

When she opened her eyes, it was to silence.

Jin Ling stood over her, his face drawn with worry. Beside him were the three cubs, frozen like statues.

"You're awake," he said quietly.

Kashi blinked. His expression was soft—almost… tender?

Kao Li's eyes were red. "Mama…"

He grabbed her hand, lip quivering.

"Don't cry," she murmured. "Mommy's fine. Just a scratch."

She moved slightly and winced in pain.

"Don't move," Jin Ling said, voice low. "You probably broke your shoulder."

Chao Ang clenched his fists. "Why did you go after that prey? Couldn't the big male have caught it?!"

Kao Li didn't speak, but the fire in his eyes said enough.

Kashi looked away. Even if the reward was precious, even if her system shocked her, she wouldn't make them go through that again.

Jin Ling looked at her differently now.

Not as a female beastman, or a rogue. But as someone who made him feel something new—and frightening.

"You healed me," he said. "My life is yours. Whatever you ask of me, I will do."

Kashi's lips parted slightly. That pill wasn't wasted after all.

> "Ding-dong! Host, new mission delivered!"

"You mangy mutt, I almost died—"

> "Calm down, calm down. This one's easy: Get all three cubs to kiss you. The reward is worth it."

Kashi blinked. "That's… it?"

> "Think of it as emotional bonding. Just do it while they're still scared from your near-death experience."

She sighed. Fine.

She turned to Chow Chow.

"Mommy's wound hurts. Will you give me a kiss to make it better?"

Without hesitation, Chow Chow pressed her lips to Kashi's cheek.

"Feel better now?"

"…Yeah."

Chao Ang scowled, ears turning red. "I'm not doing it."

Chow Chow tugged his sleeve. "Just one kiss?"

He sighed, snorted, then brushed her forehead quickly. "Stupid female. Such a bother."

Kashi smirked. His little ponytail was practically sticking straight up from embarrassment.

She looked at Kao Li. "What about you?"

He stared coldly.

Kashi clutched her chest and moaned dramatically. "Oh, the pain…"

He gritted his teeth and shuffled over like a condemned man. One quick brush of her cheek—and then he bolted back.

> "Congratulations, host. Mission complete. You've unlocked your storage space!"

A blinding light flared. A bleak wasteland unfolded in her mind.

"Why does this look like a dump?"

> "You'll see its potential later, promise!"

Before Kashi could argue more, Chow Chow piped up: "Mama… does the big male want a kiss too?"

Kashi, half-distracted, nodded absently.

The next thing she knew, Jin Ling's handsome face was inches from hers.

Her brain froze.

What did Chow Chow just say?

She yelped and pushed both his face and Chow Chow's tiny mouth away. "No! I'm fine! No kisses!"

She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

"…What I said earlier," he murmured, "still holds true."

Kashi blinked.

For a moment, she wondered if—without her cubs—she might've wanted something more.

But the next day arrived quickly.

She awoke to the smell of roasted meat. Chao Ang and Kao Li were by the fire.

"Mama, you're up!"

"We got up a while ago. Big male's outside butchering the ox."

Moments later, Jin Ling entered, carrying a leg of meat.

"You feeling better?"

Kashi nodded. "Didn't you say that was a healing beast soul?"

Chow Chow looked up.

"That means I can use it, right?" Kashi asked.

Jin Ling hesitated. "No. Your body can't absorb crystals yet. But your cubs can."

Kashi turned to them. "There's only one crystal. Who should get it?"

"Take it yourself, Mama!" Chow Chow insisted.

"I don't want healing abilities," Chao Ang said.

"I don't want it," Kao Li muttered.

Kashi smiled. At least they weren't greedy.

Then, she placed the yellow crystal in Chow Chow's hands.

---

Chow Chow's Viewpoint

The moment the crystal touched her skin, a warmth bloomed deep in her chest.

Not heat. Not fire. Something alive.

She gripped the stone in both hands and sat down.

The warmth grew, wrapping around her ribs, crawling through her limbs like golden thread weaving through her veins.

Her heartbeat changed. Slowed. Then quickened—just once.

A memory flashed into her mind: her mother smiling.

And then she saw the pain in Kashi's shoulder.

Her fingers moved on their own. Her palm pressed gently to her mother's wound.

A pale yellow light pulsed out of her skin.

Chow Chow felt it leave her body, flowing outward—into Kashi.

It didn't hurt. It felt… right. Like returning a debt that wasn't hers but had always been hers to pay.

Her vision blurred.

So tired.

And then everything went dark.

---

When the light faded, she collapsed into Kashi's arms.

"Mama… I'm so tired…"

"She's fine," Jin Ling said gently. "Just weak. She needs rest."

Kashi moved her arm. The pain was gone.

She smiled. "Much better."

They packed up after eating. Jin Ling transformed again, and Kashi and the cubs mounted him for the final stretch.

They crossed the last mountain—and saw trees. Endless green.

Kashi gasped. "We're out!"

Jin Ling nodded. "We'll reach the Black Market Tribe by tonight."

They traveled through the forest until noon.

By a stream, they stopped to rest.

Kashi watched the water, content.

"You've been amazing," she said to Jin Ling.

His chest tightened. His eyes locked with hers.

His heart skipped—then pounded.

Kashi frowned. "Are you okay?"

He grasped her hand.

"Maybe it's just the heat."

She raised an eyebrow. "Heat? It's cooler here than inside the cave."

She examined his pulse.

"Your heart rate is spiking again."

Jin Ling looked away, embarrassed.

"I'll get you water," Kashi said, standing.

He watched her walk off, unable to calm the growing thump in his chest.

Moments later, Chow Chow tugged at Kashi's sleeve.

"Mama… Big Male isn't thirsty," she whispered. "He's… hungry."

Kashi blinked. "He just ate—what do you mean?"

Chow Chow's eyes were wide and innocent.

"He's looking at you like he wants to eat you."