Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 20: Roc Forest (II)

The rain finally subsided at dawn. Sisi woke up earlier than Jojo as the morning cold began to seep into her bones.

The bonfire had already gone out, and if she wanted to light another one to warm themselves after dusk, they needed to find dry wood or branches.

Besides...

Sisi pinched her flat stomach. She hadn’t eaten much since last night. Jojo had been so hungry that he ate almost everything, leaving her only the scraps.

Jojo had offered her the roasted mushroom many times, but Sisi insisted she wasn’t hungry. She preferred to let Jojo eat as much as he could; he was still growing and needed the nutrition to grow taller and bigger, while she was stuck with her shorter-than-average body as she had already reached adulthood.

Besides, Sisi had spent many days enduring hunger on the farm, so she had grown used to it.

The morning-after-rain fog was so thick that Sisi could barely see past the cave entrance, but through the surrounding plants she sensed no dangerous animals nearby. So, she gently tickled Jojo’s nose, waking the little wolf cub with a sneeze.

"Urff... Sisi, I’m sleepy..." Jojo complained. He sat on the ground after Sisi stood up, his head nodding a few times as he tried to fight the drowsiness.

"The sun is rising. It’s the best time to hunt. Don’t you want your breakfast?" Sisi asked.

Jojo opened his eyes instantly; his ears perked up, and so did his tail.

"Hunt! Let’s go hunt for breakfast!" he said excitedly. He had been thinking about catching something for Sisi to eat, but she had repeatedly told him not to leave the cave. So he had been forced to eat the roasted mushroom, much to his dismay. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’But the mushroom wasn’t so bad... Umm... maybe because Sisi made it,’ Jojo thought.

Never in his short four years had Jojo seen his father eat mushrooms. If his father ever saw him eating anything other than freshly killed prey, he would probably scold him.

’I’ll tell Daddy that eating mushrooms is not so bad once I meet him again, ’ Jojo wrestled with his own worldview. He had eaten salted fish, not-so-fresh meat, and now mushrooms.

It scared him that he might eventually stop eating fresh meat if he didn’t hunt soon.

Thus, armed with the determination to reclaim his roots as his father’s son, Jojo puffed out his chest and unsheathed his claws, ready for action outside the cave.

Sisi giggled, amused by how fired up Jojo was to hunt. She wasn’t sure whether the little wolf could actually catch something with his tiny legs, but she would sit and watch. If he truly needed help or risked hurting himself, then she would step in.

*

The morning fog slowly dissipated as they walked through the forest. Jojo hadn’t shifted into his beastman form for a while, so Sisi couldn’t help feeling curious.

"Do you feel more comfortable in your wolf form?"

"Mm," Jojo nodded. "It doesn’t take much energy. Besides, it’s a bit cold, so my fur keeps me warm. Daddy told me to use my beastman form more during spring and summer, and my wolf form during autumn and winter!"

"Oh, that’s very convenient. You won’t get too hot during summer or too cold during winter," Sisi commented. "Will you hunt in your wolf form too?"

"Yes! It’s easier to stalk prey like this!" Jojo said excitedly. He got giddy imagining himself catching a fat prey for Sisi. Maybe a hare they could share together!

They continued through the forest until Jojo suddenly froze, his ears slanting downward.

"Jojo?"

"Ssh. I can smell a hare not far from here," Jojo whispered, his eyes sharpening as if he were about to pounce. For a moment, Sisi truly thought he looked like a real predator worthy of being called a wolf. "Sisi, sit here for now. I’ll be back with breakfast."

Sisi had no objections. She was eager to see Jojo catch his prey.

She sat on a damp log and watched Jojo sneak through grass and slip behind trees so he wouldn’t alert his target.

Sisi spotted an adult hare nibbling on grass, occasionally lifting its head to check its surroundings.

Jojo’s steps were incredibly light, so light that even Sisi had trouble tracking him without using her powers. She watched with the pride of a mother, convinced that Jojo truly had the instincts of a predator.

It became hard for her to see Jojo as the whimpering, sulky wolf boy he had been when they first met.

’Maybe I was wrong. I don’t need to teach him how to hunt—he already knows the basics. Probably taught by his father,’ Sisi thought.

Unfortunately, her high opinion of Jojo’s hunting ability didn’t last long.

Jojo crept closer, carefully stalking, and when he was close enough, he pounced!

But he wasn’t fast enough. His legs were short, and his leap didn’t carry him as far as he expected. He managed only to bite the hare’s butt before being ruthlessly kicked by its back legs.

"Jojo, are you okay?" Sisi asked, worried as she saw him tumble and dirty his fur.

"I’m okay! Don’t worry, Jojo will catch that hare!" he shouted, quickly getting up and chasing after it.

Sisi was honestly impressed by Jojo’s speed. Despite his size, he managed to keep up with the hare.

But speed wasn’t the problem, endurance was. Sisi watched him run in circles after the hare, but as time went on, he started falling behind. The hare was about to escape.

Sisi was about to call him back, there was no point exhausting himself over a single hare. He could just hunt something smaller... or eat another roasted mushroom.

But the wolf cub didn’t give up, and Sisi finally realized that Jojo was truly determined to have this hare as their breakfast, even if it looked impossible.

She had no heart to stop Jojo now. She didn’t want to demoralize the wolf cub as it was necessary to build his confidence.

Thus, Sisi decided to give him a little help.