Chapter 880: Under the Eaves: Wolves, Squirrels and Medicinal Trials

The Alpha sauntered over and finished off all the meat and food Xia Qing had laid out, then wandered back to its spot beside the blower. Old Goat, having finished its dried Green Lantern shoots, sniffed at the bristling wolf pup beside Broken Back but had no desire to chat. It went inside, climbed onto the bicycle, and continued helping the Alpha with the blower.

Broken Back nosed its pup, but the little wolf was glued to the Handsome Huge Wolf’s side and refused to budge. Broken Back stayed under the eaves to guard it instead of going indoors.

Lame Wolf? He was in the yard, playing with a mole cricket he’d found.

Xia Qing leaned against the window, delight written all over her face as she gazed at the little wolf tucked beside the Handsome Huge Wolf. “Queen, look at that pup! Its eyes and nose look just like yours, but the ear color takes after Broken Back. It already looks so clever and strong—I bet it’ll grow up to rule the land one day. Say, Queen, is it a girl or a boy? Have you picked out a name yet?”

The Alpha lay back with its head in the breeze, clearly in a good mood.

When the pup squeezed behind the Handsome Huge Wolf and disappeared from sight, Xia Qing finally turned and asked, “Queen, does the little wolf need a medicinal bath too?”

The Alpha looked straight at Xia Qing, making its answer very clear.

Patiently, Xia Qing explained, “The medicinal bath helps heal skin and bone damage, but the pup’s only four or five months old. Its skin and bones are fine—no real injuries—so it probably wouldn’t do much good.”

But since the pack had made the effort to bring the little one here, why not? If both its parents can bear to watch it yowl in pain, what complaint could she have? When the pup passed out from pain, she might even sneak in a cuddle…

Only after Xia Qing herself was soaking in the medicinal mixture did pain finally dampen her excitement. Holding her breath, she sank to the bottom, trying to relax and soak in the healing.

After a full hour, Xia Qing rinsed off the medicine and climbed out of the bath barrel, letting the remaining liquid drain through the hose down into the first-floor bathroom.

By the time she shivered her way into clean clothes and went downstairs, the Alpha and Old Goat were already taking their turn with the second round of the medicinal bath.

She wondered why the little wolf wasn’t getting a second soak but was too sore to say anything. Hugging herself, she scooped out a small bowl of the concoction, then dug Little Fei Mao from the protective suit pocket hanging at the door.

Any squirrel daring enough to share a room with wolves without bolting—Little Fei Mao deserved a medal for bravery among his kind.

Xia Qing gently pressed Little Fei Mao into the bowl of medicinal mixture, then weighed him down with wire mesh and a rock.

Little Fei Mao, no fan of water, clung to the mesh with his nose just above the surface, squeaking frantically.

“Be good. Half an hour in the bath, and I’ll let you out. If you don’t soak those scars, you’ll never grow fur again.” After making sure there was no chance of escape, Xia Qing turned, steeling herself to deal with Monkey next.

According to Idol, Little Fei Mao could handle the medicinal bath—but only for half an hour, or it could hurt him. Monkey, on the other hand, could soak for a whole hour; it was even good for him.

Monkey had grown used to Xia Qing’s handling and was no stranger to baths. When she placed him in the mixture, he didn’t react at all.

Five minutes in, the little squirrel couldn’t take it anymore. His cries grew sharper and more urgent. Red Squirrel mom, out stealing grain on Xia Qing’s territory, heard her baby’s cries and shot over in a streak of red. Black Wolf, standing watch on the roof, noticed her and let out a deep warning growl.

Red Squirrel mom detoured widely around Black Wolf, only to see several more wolves in Xia Qing’s yard. Left with no choice, she darted back and forth from a distance, calling desperately to her baby.

“Squeak squeak—”

Little Fei Mao heard his mom and, despite his weakening voice, suddenly shrieked louder than ever. He gripped the mesh, stuck his nose out, and struggled frantically to escape.

Out in the yard, the little wolf heard the commotion. Sandwiched between its father and the Handsome Huge Wolf, it perked up, sniffing and listening for clues.

The Alpha, soaking in the bath barrel, shot only a passing glance at Little Fei Mao but kept his eyes fixed on Monkey.

Monkey, now lying in the medicinal bowl, started to feel the pain and slowly began to squirm.

Xia Qing, teeth clenched against her own pain and dizziness, pressed Monkey back down.

Monkey wasn’t much bigger than a housecat, but its front limbs and claws were over twenty centimeters long. Its black paws gripped Xia Qing’s snake skin armor, and its thick tail—almost as long as its body—snaked out of the bowl.

“I know it hurts, but this is for your own good. You have to soak.” As the Monk-faced Monkey’s pain grew, so did his struggle, but Xia Qing was in no mood for a showdown. She pinned all four limbs and his tail in the mixture, jammed a wooden board over the top, and weighed it down with a rock, leaving only his head above water.

Now stripped of his thick black fur, Monkey’s big ears—which looked almost human—were exposed for the first time. Add in his buzz-cut head and big pale face, and at first glance, he really did look like the village idler’s mutt.

Surrounded by a sheep, a wolf, a squirrel, and a monkey, Xia Qing leaned on the edge of the bath barrel and grumbled, “Queen, do you think I look like this Monkey?”

The Alpha shot Old Goat and Monkey a look to keep them in line, glanced at Monkey’s head sticking out of the bowl, then turned back to Xia Qing.

“I’m right, aren’t I? See, the Queen has taste—unlike Broken Back, who’s driving me crazy. I’ll have to lecture him later.” Xia Qing huffed, but gathered her strength to talk business. “Queen, the Red Fox cub has been coming in every day for medicine—thirty-seven days in a row now. It’s totally healed. No need to keep treating it. Could you let it know?”

Xia Qing always struggled to get through to the Red Fox family anyway. They never seemed to understand her.

“Squeak squeak—”

“Ooo…” Pinned under the board and drowning in pain, Monkey let out his first sound since arriving in Section Three.

Xia Qing had watched dozens of monkey documentaries with Broken Back, so she knew that since the Blue Star’s great evolution, Monk-faced Monkeys had gone from five to eight distinct vowel sounds. Their voices now rose and fell with much more expression. It didn’t surprise her that the little one would call out like that.

She reached over and gently rubbed Monkey’s buzz-cut head.

“Aaah…”

Monkey let out another slow moan. As a member of the ape family, its calls carried so much more pleading and fear—something Xia Qing, as a human, could easily understand. She soothed it softly, “Don’t be scared. Just a bit more and you’ll go numb. That’s when the pain fades.”

“…”

His brief cries sapped what little strength he had left. Now, when Monkey opened his mouth, only air came out. His eyes—so human—were filled with raw terror. Snot and tears streamed down his little face, so much more expressive than before.

Oddly, the pain seemed to speed up the little monkey’s recovery.

While Xia Qing was examining Monkey, she noticed Little Fei Mao had fainted, slowly sinking under the surface of the medicine.

Gritting her teeth, she moved the rock and mesh aside and lifted Little Fei Mao out, making sure his tiny nose was above the water again.

Monkey trembled. His eyes tried to follow Xia Qing, but soon lost focus altogether.

Finally, after a full half hour, Xia Qing rescued the unconscious Little Fei Mao from the medicinal bath, hands shaking as she dried and fluffed his fur with a towel and then the hair dryer.

The noise didn’t wake Monkey, who had long since passed out, but it did catch the attention of the Handsome Huge Wolf and the little wolf resting under the eaves. Seeing how relaxed Broken Back looked, the Handsome Huge Wolf nudged the pup off its side with a gentle paw.

Hot.