Chapter 2

Wu Yan was a cub who had joined the Hundred Feather Tribe with his father just a few days ago. Unlike most other cubs, he preferred to be by himself. Certain experiences from his childhood made him desperate to grow strong—stronger even than his father. To grow strong, one naturally had to practice; since he wasn't yet capable of training in hunting or combat, he started by practicing how to fly.

However, the wings of an underage Feather-kin cub were not as powerful as an adult's, and his flight was far from majestic. Wu Yan didn't want anyone to see, so whenever he had time, he would sneak off to secluded spots to practice. The area beneath the cliff had become his latest training ground.

Wu Yan never expected that, just as he took flight today, he would be struck by something falling from above. At first, he thought it was prey or a stone thrown by someone, but when he turned his head, he was stunned to see a small, snow-white bundle.

Wu Yan knew Bai Shuo. A few days ago, Bai Shuo had been brought down the mountain by Bai Le, only for a group of cubs who had just gained their human forms to scramble over him in an attempt to claim him for their own families, eventually spinning the poor thing until he fainted. That night, every cub involved in the scramble received a sound beating, and the base of the tribal mountain was filled with their wails.

Having witnessed the whole ordeal, Wu Yan had immediately categorized Bai Shuo as the most fragile existence in the Hundred Feather Tribe. Yet, even so, he heard the other cubs mention Bai Shuo every day, which only served to deepen his impression of him, making Bai Shuo seem increasingly dangerous and fragile in his mind.

Because the impression was so deep, Wu Yan recognized him the moment he saw him. Panic followed instantly; this cub was too delicate, and rumor had it that even a light touch could cause injury. Wu Yan held his breath, staring intensely at the cub with closed eyes, terrified that a heavy breath might hurt the other, leading to a thrashing from his own father.

Wu Yan didn't fear fighting—he actually loved it. He hoped to one day spar with his father, but not now. He wasn't grown yet, and his father could punch him into a tree with ease. Even if he wasn't afraid, being kicked into a tree by his father just because he breathed too hard would be a miserable fate. Thinking of this, Wu Yan slowly turned his head away, not daring to keep staring at Bai Shuo, fearing he might accidentally scare the life out of him.

He had heard the other cubs in the tribe say that Bai Shuo was softer than a freshly hatched cub. Now, he felt it for himself—he was indeed very soft and light. Aside from the initial impact, he could barely feel Bai Shuo's weight; only a small, warm patch signaled his presence.

Feeling the warmth on his back, Wu Yan began to wonder: Bai Shuo was asleep, so what should he do now? What had the other cubs said?

They seemed to say that Bai Shuo liked soft nests, didn't like staying in caves when the weather was hot, preferred being in trees, and that his eating, playing, and sleeping areas needed to be separate.

He and his father only had one nest, so he would need to build two more—one for the cub to eat in and one for him to play in, Wu Yan thought.

As his thoughts drifted, Wu Yan felt something wrong behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, the weight on his back surged to a point he could barely withstand.

To steady himself, his body automatically shifted into human form. The moment he transformed, Wu Yan hurriedly reached out to catch Bai Shuo, but what he touched wasn't a feathered cub—it was… a human?

A flurry of questions flashed through Wu Yan's mind. Wasn't he supposed to be unable to take human form? What was happening?

Bai Shuo himself was shocked by the sudden transformation, but he quickly realized he was on someone’s back and scrambled to climb down.

Looking down, he saw he wasn't wearing any clothes. Bai Shuo blushed, quickly grabbed a nearby fallen leaf to cover his front, and another for his back. With both sides covered, he finally felt a sense of security.

Having solved the problem of his exposure, Bai Shuo was just about to ask the Feather-kin child—who couldn't be much older than him—what was happening, when he suddenly heard a rush of urgent footsteps.

Bai Shuo looked behind him and saw that the person approaching was his mother, Bai Yun.

"Mother!" Bai Shuo exclaimed in delight. He stood up, ready to run toward her, but his foot stung. He looked down at his crude grass skirt—which would reveal everything if he moved too much—and his bare feet. He had to stay where he was and wait for his mother to come to him. He was still buzzing with excitement; he had successfully transformed! His family wouldn't have to worry about this anymore.

Bai Yun had never seen Bai Shuo in human form, but the moment she saw him, she knew it was her cub. She hurried over, reaching his side in a few strides, and began checking him for wounds. "Shuo, where are you hurt?" she asked, her eyes scanning him frantically.

Bai Yun didn't ask how he had suddenly transformed; in her heart, her cub's safety was far more important than his ability to change form.

She had just returned to the tribe with the foraging team when her younger son ran down, crying that his older brother had fallen off the cliff. Bai Yun had been so terrified her legs went weak. After handing the younger son to someone else, she had rushed to find her second son, and her heart was still pounding. She always felt an involuntary, protective tenderness toward this cub, who was much smaller than the others.

Worried, she checked him even more meticulously.

Seeing that Bai Yun was about to inspect every inch of him, Bai Shuo quickly clutched his leaves tighter.

"Mother, I'm okay, you don't need to look, I'm really fine, it's just..." Bai Shuo paused, gesturing with one hand toward the strange child beside him, "I think I landed on him." He wasn't light when he shifted into human form, and even if he was a bit thinner than his brother, he was still an eight-year-old child. He was worried he might have hurt the boy.

Hearing this, Bai Yun looked at the cub next to Bai Shuo and asked with concern, "Wu Yan, are you feeling any pain?"

Only then did Bai Shuo learn that the child who looked about the same height as his brother was named Wu Yan. He had heard the name. A few days ago, his family had mentioned a father and son who had newly joined the tribe. The father, Wu Cang, was very strong; if not for joining late, he might have been the captain of the hunting team. The boy, Wu Yan, was his age—eight years old.

Bai Shuo sized up Wu Yan, noting that he seemed about the same height as his brother, both a bit taller than himself.

Wu Yan, who was being pointed at, had already nimbly pulled on his beast hide. He shook his head, "I'm not hurt either."

Even though both children claimed to be uninjured, Bai Yun checked all their exposed skin, and only after confirming there were no wounds did she feel relieved. Once finished, Bai Yun picked up Bai Shuo and took Wu Yan's hand, leading both cubs back home.

Wu Yan looked at Bai Yun, who was holding his hand, then at Bai Shuo, and after a moment's hesitation, he didn't pull away.

Bai Shuo didn't notice Wu Yan's small reaction, as he was busy pondering his sudden success at transforming.

Recalling the moment, his most intense desire had been to be in human form. Immediately after, his whole body felt as if it were soaking in warm water, which was incredibly comfortable. When he opened his eyes, he had transformed.

Bai Shuo hadn't expected the process to be so simple. If he had known, he would have tried it days ago.

However, thinking of the nest in the tree, he realized a hidden danger. He was eight years old, and even if he was a bit thinner than his peers, he wasn't light. If he transformed into human form while in the tree, the nest would likely collapse instantly, and the injuries from falling in human form would definitely be different from falling in feathered form. Thinking of this, Bai Shuo felt fortunate that he had transformed at the bottom of the mountain.

But he hadn't yet fully mastered the method of transformation. Worried that he might accidentally turn into a human in the tree one day, he decided to move back to the cave for now. For safety, he must not live in the trees until he was proficient in the skill.

Both caves and nests were dwellings for the Feather-kin. When the weather was hot, a well-placed nest was more comfortable, but during the rainy and snowy seasons, the cave was warmer and safer. Many Feather-kin switched between the two, and Bai Shuo's family was no exception. They already had a cave, where they stored the food they saved, so they could move back tonight.

Having made up his mind, Bai Shuo discussed it with Bai Yun, "Mother, I want to sleep in the cave tonight."

"Alright, we'll go back to the cave." Having gone through such a scare and then such joy, Bai Yun was ready to grant her cub anything. Anywhere was fine as long as he was safe, and she too had been terrified by the incident of her cub falling from the nest.

With her consent, Bai Shuo felt reassured. He put the transformation aside and began to observe the surrounding scenery.

His family had never taken him far, so his activities had been limited to the mountain and the clearing below. This was his first time at the bottom of the cliff, and everything looked curious to him.

It was the peak growing season, and even at the bottom of the cliff, where little sunlight reached, there were plenty of flowers, plants, and trees.

Although he didn't go out often, Bai Shuo understood the seasonal changes of this world. The seasons here weren't as mild as in his past life; they were divided into the Dry Season, Rainy Season, Snowy Season, and the Growing Season.

The Growing Season was the longest, lasting half a year—its duration equal to the other three combined. It followed the Snowy Season, beginning as the ice and snow melted. Temperatures would rapidly rise to a range suitable for plant growth, during which both plants and animals would thrive and reproduce rapidly.

After the six-month Growing Season came the Dry Season, characterized by high temperatures and a lack of water, causing plants to wither and die.

The Rainy Season followed the Dry Season. During this time, the rains were continuous, lasting fifty to sixty days with few clear days. The rain would quickly fill the dried riverbeds, sometimes causing the water to overflow.

After the Rainy Season came the cold Snowy Season, with extremely low temperatures and snow piling up as high as a person. The duration of the cold was about the same as the Rainy Season. Two months later, the temperature would begin to rise, ushering in a new Growing Season, and the cycle would repeat.

Different seasons led to entirely different lifestyles. The Growing Season provided lush plants, and the Dry Season offered ripe fruits and mature prey; these were the happiest times of the year for the Feather-kin.

The remaining Rainy and Snowy seasons were the most difficult. During the Rainy Season, a Feather-kin's vision was obstructed, and the rain added weight, slowing their flight speed and making hunting harder. It was normal for the entire tribe to catch barely any prey for three or four days, so everyone relied on food saved before the rains.

During the cold Snowy Season, prey would hide away, making them hard to find, and since most of the food stored during the Dry Season was consumed during the rains, life became even harder.

Overall, the Feather-kin spent at least a third of the year hungry. But for the past few years, Bai Shuo had barely tasted hunger. No matter the season, his father and mother would always find food for him and his siblings. Later, his brother joined the hunting team. Even though they were the same age, his brother had always been looking after him.

Thinking of the past, Bai Shuo rested on his mother's shoulder, feeling a pang of heartache for his family.

Bai Yun keenly sensed that her cub’s mood had dipped and asked softly, "What's wrong, Shuo? Do you feel unwell?"

Bai Shuo shook his head and mumbled, "I don't feel unwell, I'm just hungry."

Hearing that her cub was hungry, Bai Yun smiled, "Mother picked a lot of food today. Shuo, eat a bit more, okay? Wu Yan, you eat plenty too." She hadn't forgotten the cub who had saved her son.

"Okay," Bai Shuo agreed. Seeing a river next to the path they were walking on, he became curious about his current appearance.

Bai Shuo pointed toward the water, "Mother, I want to go wash my hands."

Bai Yun naturally agreed to such a small request and took the two cubs toward the river.

There were several large stones laid out by the river for easier water access. Bai Yun sat Bai Shuo on the flattest one, letting the two cubs wash while she watched from the side, ready to help at any moment.

Crouching on the stone, Bai Shuo didn't rush to touch the water; instead, he observed his reflection.

His reflection was clearly visible on the river's surface. He looked seventy percent like his brother, Bai Su; the difference was that Bai Su resembled their father more, while he looked more like their mother.

He hadn't felt it so directly when looking at his parents and brother before, but now, looking at his own reflection, Bai Shuo realized he looked very much like he had as a child in his past life. Except for his hair, which was now silver-white, his features were almost identical. The only difference was that in his past life, at eight years old, he had been thin and malnourished, while in this primitive society with low productivity, he looked healthier thanks to the constant feeding from his parents and brother.

After comparing his past and present, Bai Shuo began to wash his hands and face. He would have liked to take a bath in the water, but his mother certainly wouldn't approve of him bathing in the evening, so he had to let that go.

After washing, Bai Shuo used some reeds from the riverbank to tie the leaves on his body more securely, so he wouldn't have to keep holding them in place.

Bai Yun brought Bai Shuo to the clearing in front of the tribal mountain. This was a dedicated space, cleared of trees, with almost no grass. There were piles of branches scattered about, brought back by the older cubs of the tribe.

In the Hundred Feather Tribe, the daily job of cubs between six and ten was to collect branches, preparing enough firewood for the return of the hunting and foraging teams.

After their work was done, they had free time. Most cubs would go to nearby trees to pick fruit; the fruit near the tribe was reserved for the cubs, and the foraging teams didn't touch it. Picking fruit was the cubs' favorite thing to do, and Bai Shuo had eaten many things that Bai Su had brought back.

Thinking of the various flavors of fruit, Bai Shuo felt truly hungry. The meat here didn't taste very good—especially the roasted meat, which was tough, dry, and gamey; it couldn't even compare to the steamed buns of his past life. The wild vegetables, called "leaf-greens," tasted no better than wild grass and were often bitter. The only redeeming things were the fruits.

The fruits on the God-Blessed Continent were exceptionally delicious. There was a wide variety, especially in the late Growing Season and the Dry Season, which were the peak harvest times for many fruits. It was a fruit lover's paradise, though the yields were low and they couldn't be stored for long, making them seasonal delicacies.

Just as Bai Shuo was reminiscing about those flavors, a chubby little child came tumbling over, threw himself onto Bai Shuo, and burst into tears.

Bai Shuo hadn't seen who it was, only feeling himself being wrapped up by something. He was about to dodge, but upon hearing that familiar, high-pitched wail, he paused in his tracks.

Well, with lungs like that, there was no one else in the tribe it could be. It was definitely his younger brother, little Bai Le.