Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 41: Godfather (III)

"Yes, Uncle!"

Jojo helped Marik carry the bear pelt outside. Since it had already dried overnight, it wasn’t difficult for Marik to cut it using his claws to make a blanket for Sisi. The remaining pelt was fashioned into a cloak for her to use later, since she had ruined her original one while fighting the bear. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Jojo didn’t help much, but he watched closely as Uncle Marik cut through the pelt with ease. He glanced at his own claws and sighed. "Uncle, when will my nails be as sharp as yours?"

"Once you’ve hunted enough hares, your claws will grow stronger. After that, you’ll be able to hunt a bull with them," Marik replied nonchalantly.

There was still some bear pelt left after making the blanket and cloak, so Marik looked at the wolf boy, who was still in his beastman form.

Jojo wasn’t wearing anything, which wasn’t uncommon for a beastman toddler. Marik himself had only started wearing a loincloth when he was five, as it was a tradition among most beastmen, a sign that they were no longer a mere cub.

Judging by Jojo’s age, he didn’t need one yet. Still, Marik asked, "Do you know when you’ll turn five?"

"Uhm..." Jojo raised his fingers, trying to count. Since his father had never taught him how, he eventually gave up and said, "My Daddy said I’ll be five next summer!"

"So, six months from now. Hah, let’s just make you one now," Marik said.

He quickly fashioned a small loincloth and forced Jojo to wear it. "You know what this is, right?"

"Um! It’s a loincloth! My Daddy said he’d make me one from a fox pelt or a snow hare!" Jojo replied enthusiastically.

Then he realized he might have offended Uncle Marik, who had worked so hard to make it. "B-but the one you made makes me look strong! Thank you so much, Uncle!"

Marik smiled. Seeing how thoughtful Jojo was felt refreshing. When Marik himself had been that young, he had been willful and brash. This gentle, earnest cub was a pleasant change from his expectations.

"Now that you’re wearing a loincloth, that means you have shame."

"A shame?" Jojo tilted his head. "Oh! I always tell Sisi to look away when I’m using the bathroom, too."

"Well... that’s one way to put it," Marik said. "But more importantly, you’re no longer a baby. You’re a big boy now. That means you can’t just run back to Sisi and cry whenever you get upset."

Marik lectured Jojo the same way his late mother, whom Jojo’s father had killed, had once taught him.

The irony wasn’t lost on him, yet he found it oddly amusing that he was now the one passing down the lesson.

Jojo looked reluctant. Whenever he was distressed, Sisi’s embrace was the first thing he sought. Her warmth and comfort made it hard for him to imagine letting go.

Still, he nodded.

Whether he would truly follow Uncle Marik’s advice was a matter for another day. After all, Jojo had his fair share of tantrums and mischief when he was with his father and with Sisi.

"Also, if you want to make your own loincloth in the future, you’ll have to hunt the animal yourself. I’ll teach you how to make one later. Understood?"

"Understood!" Jojo nodded firmly. "Um, I think I’ll hunt a snow hare later!"

"I thought you said you like this one I made you," Marik chuckled as he teased Jojo.

"But I want to have more than one!"

*

Sisi woke up some time later when she realized Jojo was no longer in her arms. Her eyes snapped open, fear surging at the thought of another attack while they slept.

"J-Jojo?" she called out. "Jojo, where are you?"

Panic set in when she noticed the bonfire had gone out, sunlight was streaming through the cracks in the cave, and the snowstorm had subsided.

She rushed outside, only to stop short when she saw Marik and Jojo together, diligently cutting the bear pelt.

Jojo watched attentively, like a small apprentice listening to his master.

He might look ignorant to others, but Sisi knew better. The glimmer in his eyes meant he was memorizing every movement, every step, preparing to apply the knowledge someday.

Leaning against the cave wall, Sisi watched the unlikely tiger-and-wolf pair and thought that her gamble the night before had been worth it.

She had worried Marik might take offense at her request and leave. Finding someone else capable of teaching Jojo proper beastman survival skills would not have been easy.

’Even if your fate is unlucky, you’re still lucky enough to have someone willing to guide you,’ she thought. ’I’m so glad, Jojo.’

When they finished working with the pelt, Sisi finally walked toward them.

Although the snowstorm had ended and the sunlight warmed the land, the temperature was still below double digits. She rubbed her arms together for warmth and smiled.

"Did I miss something while I was asleep?" Sisi asked, breaking the silence between the big master and his little apprentice.

Jojo turned around, his face lighting up as he lifted the bear-pelt cloak toward her.

"Sisi! Uncle Marik and I made this for you!"

"Oh! That’s perfect," Sisi said, exaggerating a shiver. "Brrr, it’s so cold I might freeze to death!"

Her theatrics made Jojo puff up proudly, delighted to feel useful to his savior. Though, he didn’t do much, Jojo still felt that he was the one who made the cloak from scratch, with the help of Uncle Marik, of course!

Sisi accepted the cloak and thanked both of them, though she knew most of the work had been Marik’s. Still, encouraging a young beastman to take initiative was important—it would help him learn to care for himself and those he loved in the future.

Wasn’t that the most important lesson a mother could teach to her son?

"Whoa! It looks great on you, Sisi!" Jojo exclaimed. "You look like... um... a mama bear! You look strong!"