Bai Qingqing flew into a shameful rage and slapped Parker on the head. She shouted, “Mate, my foot! Do you want me to freeze to death?”
She felt even more embarrassed after seeing the leopard cubs rolling around in the snow.
Was it really okay to say such things in front of the children?
Parker felt dejected, and the tent in his skirt went down.
“Why’d you squeeze me, then?”
Bai Qingqing sheepishly pulled her hand away and made a mental note to herself to try squeezing Winston’s tail once she reached home. What would be his reaction?
Parker tied the vine to the piece of bark, then threw it towards the leopard cubs.
“Quickly get on!” Parker was more stern towards the cubs after Bai Qingqing made him suffer.
Howl~
The cubs cheered and delightedly climbed onto the piece of bark. They then shook their bodies, causing snow to fall all over the bark.
Bai Qingqing giggled as she led the way while wearing her heavy “shoes”. Parker followed her and pulled the cubs along.
The leopard cubs were fascinated and excited to stand on the “cart”. They ran about happily on the piece of bark as if they were boys who were given new toys to play with.
One moment, they stood on the edge of the bark and drew lines in the snow with their claws; the next, they jumped on the spot, enjoying the feeling of their bodies landing on the back of the bark.
They played all the way back to the tree hole. Bai Qingqing brought her hands to her mouth and breathed into them. “It’s so cold.”
Parker hugged her so that her face was pressed against his warm chest. He patted her head and said, “I’ll make a fire here.”
“It’s just my skin that’s cold. I still feel warm inside,” Bai Qingqing said as she squirmed out from his arms and looked around the tree hole.
Parker followed behind her and reached into her clothes to touch her back. Seeing that her body was still warm, he let her go.
Specks of snow had drifted into the cave as well.
“Little snake?” Bai Qingqing called out softly as she poked the areas covered in snow with a stick.
“Roar?”
The cubs were dumbfounded. Mommy would only use that tone when calling out to them and An’an? What was that “little snake”? Why did Mommy call out to it just as gently as she would to them?
Jealous, the cubs ran over and mewled wheedlingly while rubbing themselves against her leg as if they had no bones.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Qingqing bent down and rubbed their backs, finding them really adorable.
The tender care and attention she gave to the leopard cubs caused them to rub themselves against her leg even harder.
Parker suddenly shushed them. His ears perked up as he looked for something. “Quiet,” he said softly.
“Mm?” Bai Qingqing followed his gaze and looked towards the innermost part of the cave. She quickly walked over to him and asked, “Is there something in there?”
“I’ll go in and see.” Parker pulled her behind him and stared into the cave. Without looking at the cubs, he said, “Protect Mommy.”
The sharp leopard cubs didn’t make a sound as they cautiously and seriously gathered around their mother like they were little adults.
Parker quietly walked into the dark part of the cave. Bai Qingqing lost sight of him due to her human vision, causing her to be so nervous that her heart leaped into her mouth.
There seemed to be something rubbing against the ground from underground. Feeling small vibrations in the mud with his feet, Parker bent down and lowered his upper body to sniff the ground.
The tip of his nose picked up the faint stench of a snake. Parker had an answer in his heart. It was the smell of the little snake.
For the little snake’s safety, he had masked its scent after entering the cave. Since the ground had its scent, it meant that it had come out before.
Parker found the source of the noise underground. His hands transformed into claws and he quickly dug into the ground.
