The river otter beastman imdiately looked suspicious. "Since when do those exist?"
Mu Qingyi looked at him. "Since I found them."
That answer was so simple that for one full second no one knew what to say.
Feng Yiren, who had been standing just behind Lin Huahua’s shoulder with his fox ears pricked high through the entire thing, had to turn his face away because if he did not, he would absolutely start grinning. Hu Baiyu, on the other hand, only looked at Mu Qingyi with silent lion approval, because as far as he was concerned, if the deer said magical pretty-making leaves existed, then they existed now and everyone else could shut up.
Lin Huahua herself almost wanted to hug Mu Qingyi.
What a wonderful deer.
What a beautiful, useful, lying deer.
Her mother still looked doubtful though. "What kind of leaves make a female look like this?"
Mu Qingyi opened his mouth again, clearly ready to invent more nonsense with his usual calm face, but before anyone could press him harder, a young mole beastman ca hurrying across the open path with a rolled hide strip in his hand and called out to the Rat King.
"My King, the western boundary markers have been moved. The patrol wants your word on whether to reset the traps now or after midday."
The interruption worked like a miracle.
The Rat King’s attention shifted at once, because no matter how important his daughter was, tribe matters still pulled at him hard, especially on a day like this.
Lin Huahua nearly sagged with relief.
Actually sagged.
Her little shoulders loosened, and her white rat ears slowly lifted again as the terrible pressure of the questioning finally eased.
Thank god.
Thank the heavens.
Thank whatever beast god was watching over confused girls trapped in suspiciously affectionate primitive worlds.
The Rat King gave her one last look that clearly promised this matter was not over, then turned and took the rolled hide strip from the ssenger.
The mont he stepped away, Lin Huahua let out a breath so quietly that only her own males noticed.
And of course they noticed.
Mu Qingyi’s hand ca lightly to the middle of her back again.
Hu Baiyu’s fingers brushed once against her wrist.
Feng Yiren leaned a little closer and murmured near her ear, "That was close, little rat."
Lin Huahua shot him a glare.
That fox only looked pleased.
Her mother, anwhile, did not seem fully ready to let Lin Huahua go just yet. The older rat beastwoman slipped one arm around her daughter’s shoulders and gently drew her a little aside, not far from the others, but enough to give the conversation a more private feeling. Her tail moved in a softer slower sway now, and there was real warmth in her face when she looked at Lin Huahua again.
"Fine," her mother said. "We will speak of your strange face later. Tell this instead."
The way she said that made Lin Huahua instantly suspicious.
Then her mother smiled.
A mother smile.
A dangerous mother smile.
"When are you going to mate with them properly?" she asked. "And when are you going to give babies? I also want to hold my grandchildren."
Lin Huahua froze.
Again.
Her little white rat ears went straight up in shock, then folded backward from pure embarrassnt.
The river otter beastman nearby burst into laughter so suddenly that one of the aunties turned to stare at him in offense before realizing the question really had been that direct.
Tu Xiaotao, who had absolutely no sha, gasped and scurried closer at once like a rabbit drawn to the sound of fresh gossip. Mao Qingyue also drifted just near enough to hear while pretending she was still minding her own business. Lang Yinzhi did not pretend at all. She simply stopped where she was and waited.
Lin Huahua opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing ca out.
How was she supposed to answer that?
She did want beast babies.
That was the truly embarrassing part.
Those little lion cubs from earlier had ruined her life. They had been too cute, far too cute, and now the thought of tiny beast babies with little ears and little tails and fat soft paws had already made itself a comfortable place inside her heart.
And the mating marks too.
She wanted those too.
Very much.
That thought made her face burn even hotter.
So, because she could not bear to look at her mother right then, Lin Huahua turned and looked at her males instead.
That was another mistake.
Because all three of them were already looking at her.
Expectantly.
Earnestly.
Warmly.
Their expressions were different, but none of them hid what they felt.
Mu Qingyi’s whole face had softened into that impossible nurturing look of his, the one that made it seem like he would gladly build her a nest with his bare hands and stand over it like a guard beast for the rest of his life if she asked. Hu Baiyu looked like his lion soul had suddenly sat up and started glowing. His blue eyes were so full of devotion and hope that Lin Huahua could hardly look at him for too long without her own chest aching. Feng Yiren, shaless and fiery as always, had gone still in that fox way that ant his thoughts were moving much faster than his body, and the bright hunger in his red eyes had beco mixed with sothing rougher and more tender.
If her males’ hearts had a way, they really would have burst from joy right there.
Lin Huahua felt that.
And because she felt it, because they all looked at her like that, because she herself wanted it too much to deny it honestly, she finally gave the smallest nod.
Just one.
But it was enough.
The reaction around her was imdiate.
Her mother’s eyes widened first, then lit up with such pure delight that her whole face changed. Tu Xiaotao made a sound so loud and scandalized-happy that two people farther away turned to look. The river otter beastman slapped his own thigh and laughed. Even the hawk beastman, who seed too serious for this sort of thing, actually smiled.
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