The sound of Xin Yi’s tiny, soft knuckles connecting with Wan Ning’s rugged, dirt-caked jaw echoed across the entirely silent savanna.
For a second, nobody moved.
Xin Yi imdiately pulled her hand back, wincing internally. Her jaw is literally made of granite! My knuckles are definitely going to bruise.
But Wan Ning’s reaction was entirely worth the pain. The towering, heavily muscled lioness stumbled backward, her yellowish eyes crossing for a brief mont in disbelief. She reached up with a massive hand, touching her lip.
A tiny bead of blood appeared.
"You..." Wan Ning stamred, staring at the blood on her fingers. Then, her shock morphed into fury. "How dare you?! You little hairless twig! I am going to crush your skull!"
Wan Ning let out a deafening roar, raising a massive, muddy fist to squash Xin Yi into the dirt.
"Don’t you dare!" Hei Yan roared, dropping into a predatory crouch.
"I will sever your arm!" Sha Chen barked, his spear flashing.
"I will lt your face!" Qing Lin hissed, toxic venom dripping from his fangs.
"WE BITE YOUR KNEECAPS!" Gou Sheng, Er Gou, and Da Sha howled, the entire hyena pack lunging forward to snap their yellowed fangs at the lioness’s ankles.
Even Jin Xuan stepped forward, crossing his thick arms and glaring at his own tribemate. "Wan Ning, stop! If you squish my tiny female, I will throw you in the river!"
Wan Ning froze, completely surrounded by an impenetrable wall of apex predators and manic scavengers.
"Hold on!" Xin Yi shouted, raising her hands to stop her overprotective, highly lethal entourage. She rubbed her throbbing knuckles, stepping forward until she was chest-to-chest with the trembling lioness.
"No more fighting," Xin Yi declared, her voice ringing out so clearly that even Chief Jin Hai leaned in to listen. "No more kidnapping. No more throwing people into garbage pits because you don’t know how to process your jealousy!"
Wan Ning bared her fangs, but she didn’t step forward.
"You Lions claim to respect strength," Xin Yi continued, turning to address the entire camp. "But true strength isn’t sleeping in the dirt and eating raw at like mindless beasts! True strength is building a ho! It is protecting your people! It is cooking your food so you don’t get sick! If you want to be the Kings and Queens of the Plains, then start acting like it!"
[Ding!]
[(★ω★) Host is delivering a Legendary Speech! Charisma levels are off the charts!]
[Civilization Progress: 50 Points!]
Xin Yi pointed a stern finger directly at Wan Ning. "You want to show how strong you are, Wan Ning? Prove it! From now on, you are the Head of Construction! You will dig the latrines! You will gather the heaviest stones for the fire pits! You will carry the water!"
Wan Ning blinked, her aggressive posture deflating into utter confusion. "I... I will dig the what?"
"Latrines! Toilets! Because we are going to be civilized!" Xin Yi crossed her arms, projecting the absolute authority of a Chief Architect. "And if anyone here thinks they can just laze around in the sun all day while my team does all the work, you will have to answer to my hyenas!"
"Grrr! We bite the lazy cats!" Gou Sheng barked enthusiastically, puffing out his scrawny chest.
Chief Jin Hai scratched his thick beard. He looked at the tiny, pink-skinned female who had just commanded natural enemies to stand down, tad the un-taable garbage dogs, and punched his strongest lioness in the face.
"She is small," Jin Hai mumbled to himself, "but she has the spirit of a giant honey badger. Very well! The Golden Mane Tribe will learn this ’civilization’!"
"Yay! The tiny female is staying!" Jin Xuan cheered, completely oblivious to the murderous glares the other three Alphas imdiately shot him.
~
By the ti the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the savanna in shades of deep purple and gold, the Golden Mane camp had been completely transford into a chaotic construction site.
Under the terrifying supervision of the concussed but highly lethal Alphas, the Lions were forced to gather dry wood, organize flat stones, and begin digging foundations.
Wan Ning, too terrified of Sha Chen’s spear and Qing Lin’s venom to complain, was currently using her massive muscles to haul giant boulders from the riverbed.
Xin Yi was exhausted.
She sat near a newly constructed, properly contained fire pit, sipping hot water from her canteen. She had laid out a thick, woven blanket on the grass, successfully establishing her own safe zone.
The night air was cool, the crickets were chirping, and for the first ti in days, there was a semblance of peace.
Crunch.
Footsteps approached from the shadows.
Xin Yi looked up to see Hei Yan standing nervously at the edge of the firelight. The massive Black Panther Alpha looked completely out of his elent. He was fidgeting with the edge of his leather belt, his dark skin glowing in the firelight. His panther ears were flattened against his head, and the red lump from the glowing bone was still visibly throbbing on his forehead.
"Xin Yi," Hei Yan started, his deep voice incredibly soft. "I... I wish to speak with you."
Before Xin Yi could even open her mouth to reply, a smooth, freezing gust of wind swept across the fire.
Qing Lin smoothly stepped right in between Xin Yi and the panther, completely blocking Hei Yan from her view.
"No," Qing Lin stated coldly, his chin raised in disdain. "The female is resting. She has had a long, exhausting day managing you barbarians. She does not wish to speak with an overgrown stray cat right now. Go find a tree to scratch."
Hei Yan’s eyes instantly flashed purple. "Step aside, Snake. I am not talking to you."
"I am protecting her peace," Qing Lin hissed. "Sothing you clearly do not understand, considering you nearly crushed her this morning."
"That was an accident!" Hei Yan growled, his claws extending.
Xin Yi let out a long, heavy sigh. She massaged her temples, feeling the beginnings of a massive headache.
"Qing Lin," Xin Yi said.
The Azure Snake King glanced over his shoulder, his expression instantly softening into a mask of affection. "Yes, my light? Do you wish for to banish him from the fire?"
"You do not speak for , Qing Lin," Xin Yi stated firmly, locking eyes with him.
Qing Lin froze. The absolute devotion on his face cracked, replaced by bewildered shock.
"I can speak for myself," Xin Yi continued, not breaking eye contact. "I appreciate you wanting to protect my peace, but you don’t get to decide who I talk to. Stand down."
[Ding!]
[(⊙_⊙) System Notice: Host has successfully checked the Yandere Snake! Boundaries have been established!]
Qing Lin stared at her for a long, tense mont.
He opened his mouth to argue, to hiss, to assert his territorial dominance. But seeing the unyielding determination in her brown eyes, the Snake King simply deflated.
He lowered his head, his dark hair falling over his shoulders.
"Oh," Qing Lin murmured, looking thoroughly chastised. He pouted, his cool deanor entirely shattered by her scolding. "Hmm. Okay."
Without another word, Qing Lin lithered to the side, sitting down on a nearby rock and aggressively crossing his arms, glaring into the fire like a child.
Xin Yi shook her head, turning her attention back to the massive panther who was currently staring at her with wide, star-struck eyes.
"Alright, Hei Yan," Xin Yi smiled softly, patting the space on the blanket next to her. "Co sit down. What did you want to talk about?"
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