Chapter 3: Chapter 3: White Lion
The sky gradually darkened, and when Gloria looked outside, she immediately smiled and waved her tail at Clara. Clara knew she was going home, so she waved and said, "Goodbye, see you!"
Gloria happily raised her hand and waved as well, saying, "Goodbye!"
As Gloria left, Clara immediately packed the remaining grilled meat and some wild berries in animal hide, slung it on her back, and ran away. Thinking about the terrifying appearance of the lion, Clara's legs trembled.
The sky was painted with fiery red clouds, as if it was going to set the distant woods on fire. If she didn't leave soon, it would be too late. There weren't many residents here, and the huts were spaced far apart. She quickly ran into the woods. It was a primitive forest with underbrush on the ground, and encountering insects and snakes was unavoidable. Clara found some large leaves from the trees, wrapped her feet with them, and tied them with vines from old trees.
Her feet felt much more comfortable, and shoes were truly a great invention.
The forest was quiet, with occasional sounds of birds and animals. The tall trees blocked the last rays of the setting sun, casting a dark shadow over the forest. The further she went, the less certain she felt about what awaited her ahead. However, she didn't want to stay, as she would be crushed by a ferocious and terrifying monster. She refused to accept that.
Clara quickened her pace and started running, hoping to find a water source to take a break.
The night had fallen completely, and the forest gradually fell asleep. Everything was pitch black, with various tree shadows, which looked grotesque and terrifying, like a raging flood. Clara's heart thumped in her chest, beating faster and faster, as extreme fear prevented her from stopping for even a moment.
Suddenly, she collided with a tree, and Clara shouted in fear. It seemed like something was entangled around her feet, and she didn't dare to touch it with her hands. She just kept shaking her leg to get rid of it. Her movements were too violent, tearing all the leaves wrapped around one of her feet. Her foot was finally free, but she had lost her shoe, and the forest was still pitch black. There were strange and eerie howls like bird calls but not quite.
Could there be wild beasts here? The sudden realization left Clara in a state of panic.
Fire! She needed to start a fire immediately, but she didn't have a source of fire nearby.
Clara reached for two stones, gathered some dry grass, and started striking them. Her strength was nowhere near that of a boy, and the sound of her striking the stones in the pitch-black forest was eerily clear.
In the darkness, countless green lights suddenly lit up, each resembling a copper bell. The green lights slowly approached her, and a clear figure appeared in front of Clara.
A huge and fierce wolf!
Clara's hands and feet instantly turned cold, as if the end of the world had come. Her heart stopped beating, and she slumped to the ground. She was going to die. She had escaped being crushed by a lion but was now going to be devoured by a wolf.
A wolf pounced on her, and Clara screamed in terror. Just as the wolf leaped towards her, it was intercepted by a white animal, flung away. In the pitch-black forest, white stood out vividly. It was a lion, a white lion. The lion leaped towards her and flung Clara onto its back. Instinctively, she grabbed its mane tightly and clung to the lion's back.
A pack of wolves surged forward, and Clara continued to scream in fear. The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood. Another agile figure appeared, and another lion joined the scene. The pack of wolves finally retreated, and Clara was carried away by the lion, swiftly navigating through the forest. She quickly left the forest and arrived at a place she was familiar with, the Lion Tribe.
A large bonfire was burning in the tribe. Clara slid down from the lion's back, feeling grateful to this lion. She gently touched the lion's head and said, "Thank you! White Lion!"
Another lion in the form of a yellow lion blinked and transformed into a human shape. It was wearing a piece of animal hide wrapped around the waist, with a powerful and well-built physique. It was the kind of figure that would make a girl's heart race and face blush. Clara turned her eyes away, feeling a bit shy. In the firelight, she could see clearly that this beast person was quite good-looking.
The white lion, now in human form, also stood beside Clara. The sudden pressure made her take a few steps back, and she looked up into a pair of beautiful, deep-set eyes. The person had a head of silver-white hair, which was a bit messy but didn't detract from their beauty. A high and straight nose, thin lips, a bit of youthful charm on the face. If it weren't for a pair of furry ears and the tail wrapped around their waist, Clara would have thought this person had walked out of a storybook as a beautiful youth.
The transformation of a lion into a human form was so good-looking. The white lion said something to the yellow lion, and the yellow lion left. Clara looked around and saw no one, only herself and the unbelievably attractive white lion.
The white lion was tall, much taller than her. Clara instinctively took a few steps back, and suddenly, the white lion reached out and hoisted Clara onto their shoulder as if she were a bag of rice. It happened so suddenly that Clara felt dizzy and disoriented, constantly struggling and shouting, "Let me go!"
The white lion paid no attention and strode towards a familiar hut that Clara knew better than anything else.
Clara was thrown onto a mound of dirt with a splash. During the day, she had observed that this mound of dirt barely served as a makeshift bed, scattered with some animal hides. Could this beast person be the lion who had captured her? It was not what she had imagined, surpassing her expectations.
The white lion was actually Mateo, a young lion from the same tribe. Once lions like him grew up, they were supposed to find a mate. They could do this by joining the yearly mating ceremony or by finding wandering nomadic beast people in the forest. Clara ended up being brought back by him accidentally.
It was quite a scene back then. Mateo heard Jimmy shout, "Catch her," and he did just that. When he brought her back, everyone noticed that the female they'd brought was different. She had no ears, no tail, and seemed very weak, almost like the tailless animals in the tribe.
However, since he had brought her back, she naturally became his mate. It's just that this mate was too small and seemed quite clumsy. Today, she had run into the forest, and he had initially thought of just letting her go. He could find another mate. But then he reconsidered, realizing that venturing into the woods alone at night was dangerous. It would also hurt his pride. People might think that Mateo couldn't protect his mate.
"In the future, don't go into the forest alone; it's very dangerous there!" Mateo glanced at Clara, who was sitting on the bed with her knees curled up. She had black hair, a delicate body, and a tailless appearance, just like the tailless waste animals in the tribe.
Mateo's heart swelled with a strange emotion. He felt a little excited. Having a mate meant he could roast meat for himself and sleep with her at night.
"Are you hungry?" Mateo leaned closer to Clara, who looked like an undersized young animal in his eyes, in need of proper nourishment. He could teach her many life skills in the future, and once she learned them, she could roast meat by herself. Mateo thought it was a good idea and felt quite content.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone