Chapter 59

A storm raged at sea with lightning, thunder, and towering waves. Even with a heavy tiger weighing down the boat, the giant waves nearly capsized it several times. The waves swept away anything not secured on the boat.

Song Xu, the lightest crew member, was almost swept away along with the empty fruit shells used for fresh water. As she was thrown off the boat, she felt like a bean tossed out of a frying pan. Fortunately, Wu Mu used his snake tail to bind her tightly, saving her from being swept away.

The rain, accompanied by waves that grew higher and higher, battered them. Song Xu was almost useless, feeling like a slippery noodle slipping down. Wu Mu tightened his grip instinctively.

The squirrel, who usually shut down during thunderstorms, barely managed to stay conscious. She shakily extended a hand and weakly said, “Too… tight…”

Wu Mu didn’t hear her, only feeling her moves. He circled the mast a few times, positioning his head to shield her from another incoming wave.

The giant tiger clung firmly to the boat. She was experienced, having weathered many storms at sea. Seeing Wu Mu coiled around Song Xu and the mast about to break, she roared at them.

Remembering she could speak, she shouted, “Come here!”

Just then, the mast broke. The slippery snake didn’t release his tail in time to bind to a new anchor, fearing that loosening his tail would also release the squirrel.

A wave hit, tilting the boat. Wu Mu and Song Xu rolled towards the giant tiger, who used her paw to push them under her belly. Her belly pressed tightly against the deck, acting like a furry safety belt for the two cubs. Her fur was soaked entirely, except for a bit of dry fur on her belly.

Song Xu felt dizzy from being spun around and nearly strangled. Suddenly, she fell into a dry, warm blanket, and the terrifying sounds and movements outside were muffled. Half of Wu Mu’s body was pressed under the tiger’s belly. He dared to loosen his grip on the squirrel slightly. Hesitantly, he left the squirrel with his mother and tried to crawl out, only to be pushed back by the tiger’s paw.

The tiger’s strong paws gripped the boat tightly. She raised her big head, looking ahead in the storm, her wet ears standing alert, and she looked both bedraggled and heroic.

Unfortunately, the storm was too fierce. Even more massive than before, a wave crashed over them, finally capsizing their boat. The tiger and the boat rolled several times in the waves, with seawater flooding their ears and noses.

Realizing something was wrong, Wu Mu swam out. This time, the tiger couldn’t care for him. Wu Mu became the safety belt, binding the tiger and the boat together, waiting for the wave to pass.

In the now murky water, a golden tiger head emerged first, followed by a corner of the boat. As the wave passed, the tiger flipped the boat back over and immediately checked if the squirrel under her belly was still there. Fortunately, she was. During the brief moment underwater, the tiger had left the boat, letting seawater wash over her belly. Song Xu quickly grabbed the long fur on the tiger’s belly, floating for a while before being bound together with the tiger by Wu Mu.

All three looked particularly bedraggled. The tiger’s fur was completely soaked, and she kept shaking her head and sneezing, seemingly having swallowed seawater. Wu Mu’s wounds hadn’t healed, and the leaves applied to them had been washed away, exposing the wounds and making them bleed again. Having used a lot of strength to secure himself in the sea, Wu Mu now lay on the boat, his body heaving as if panting.

The squirrel was no exception; she now looked no different from a small mouse. However, the crisis was far from over. The sky remained overcast, and the stormy seas showed no signs of calming. In the distance, more waves were visibly approaching. The boat repeatedly surged through the waves, capsizing and righting itself. Wave after wave crashed over them, and the resilient little boat eventually disappeared from sight.

In the latter half of the night, the storm-tossed sea calmed, the rain ceased, and the clouds parted to reveal a sky full of brilliant stars. A line of dawn light appeared on the horizon, painting a scene of gentle rebirth.
The squirrel, clutching a float made of empty fruit shells, floated in the sea. Her head, which had been drooping on the fruit shells, suddenly lifted as she woke up. The water rippled beneath her, and she instinctively clung to the fruit shells. Her newly awakened, confused eyes searched around, but there was no sign of the boat, the tiger, or the snake.

Last night’s chaos was too much to remember clearly. She only recalled feeling like she was in a blender, being tossed around, and then like she was in a washing machine, alternately submerged and exposed. Eventually, she was swept away by the sea in a daze, managing to grab onto a string of empty fruit shells hanging from the side of the boat.
Fortunately, she hadn’t drowned. Unfortunately, it seemed she was now alone.

Above her was the blazing sun, and around her was the sea. As for the island she was heading to…

Song Xu looked around, trying to stay calm as she rubbed her head and ears, then her arms, brushing off a layer of salt.

Why had one island turned into two?

Now, to her left, there was a faint outline of an island, and to her right, there was another island. The island on her right seemed particularly close, only a few thousand meters away.

So where was she now?
Which island was her destination?
Where were Wu Mu and Hei Sen?
Had they sunk, or had they been blown to the island?

With his excellent swimming skills, Song Xu firmly believed that Wu Mu would surely escape. With her experience at sea and ability to cling to the boat, the tiger wouldn’t drown either. They would both be fine.

The real problem was her. She had probably been soaking in the sea for a long time. Even a squirrel would be swollen by now, let alone her. She felt like she was about to fall apart. She had to get to shore. Deciding this, she didn’t care which island was her original destination and swam towards the nearest one with all her might. She kicked her legs vigorously, resting on the fruit shells when she got tired. Behind her, two large creatures, each over ten meters long, with round heads, long bodies, and upright dorsal fins, followed. They were black and white killer whales. These two creatures sneakily observed the slowly swimming squirrel, communicating in sounds only their kind could hear.

“What is that thing?”

“Obviously, it’s a beastman like us.”

“Of course, I know that, you idiot. I mean, I’ve never seen this kind of beastman before.”

“Clearly, she doesn’t live in the sea. She can’t even swim.”

“Of course, I know she doesn’t live in the sea, you idiot. How could a sea beastman have fur like that? I mean, what kind of beastman is she?”

Their conversation caught the attention of other family members several kilometers away. They were hunting and had just finished when they heard this conversation, so they sent an inquiry across the sea: “What’s happening? What are you talking about?”

“There’s a strange beastman we’ve never seen before approaching our island,” one of the killer whale beastmen said.

The other killer whale beastmen became excited immediately. It had been a long time since a stranger had come to their island. Usually, only half-beastmen seeking transformation would come here, and by the time they arrived, their transformations were already quite advanced, making them aggressive and irritable. Each time such a half-beastman strayed here, it would lead to a fight with the killer whale family.

This time, they assumed it was the same situation. A group of killer whales charged over aggressively, scaring away the passing fish. Then, a group of killer whales surrounded the squirrel.

“Is this the beastman you said was invading our island? She doesn’t even look as big as the fish I use to fill my teeth,” a ten-ton killer whale said, looking at the squirrel floating in the water.

Her upper body had dried, making her fur fluffy and giving her the appearance of a puffed-up furball, which made her look bigger. But to the killer whales, there was no difference—a tiny little creature.

“I didn’t say invading, just a strange beastman.”

“Then why didn’t you explain earlier? Your brain isn’t even as big as this beastman!”

“Don’t you think this little beastman is cute? I wonder if I can touch her.”

Song Xu was initially nervous when the killer whales appeared, but then she realized they were arguing among themselves. She also sensed that they were beastmen, but perhaps the languages of land and sea beastmen were different, as she couldn’t understand their argument.

“Hi? Hello, can you understand me?” Song Xu asked.

“She spoke!” exclaimed the killer whale who had called her cute.

Song Xu: You spoke too! I can understand that!

For the latter part of the journey to the island, Song Xu rode on the killer whale express. The speed was indeed fast but wasn’t very stable, and she often had to switch rides.

“Let me! Let me!”

“Alright, it’s my turn. Quickly switch, throw her to me!”

“You big-headed fool, how can you snatch her!”

The group of killer whales seemed to be playing with her like a ball of yarn, eagerly wanting to experience carrying the land furball. Despite this, the experience was quite good, as she didn’t have to exert herself swimming anymore, which was exhausting.

Song Xu landed on an island covered in gray reefs. There were no green plants in sight, only jagged rocks. Many strange rocks stood in the water. The noisy killer whales carried Song Xu past the outer reefs of the small islands and into the territory of the killer whale tribe.

They were sea beastmen, but when they transformed into beastman form, they would come to the island’s tribe for reproduction and living. This place was usually inaccessible to foreign beastmen. In the past, any strange beastmen who approached were torn to shreds by these fierce creatures.

However, the squirrel beastman was so small and looked completely non-threatening. The killer whale beastmen had never seen such a beastman and were extremely curious about her, not seeing her as a threat. They directly brought her to their base camp.

Song Xu easily arrived at this place that hadn’t seen outsiders for a long time and took the string of empty fruit shells pushed by another killer whale beastman. She had wanted to hold it herself, but the enthusiastic killer whale insisted on helping her. As a result, they played with it all the way, almost breaking the float. When they finally returned it to her, they still seemed reluctant to let it go.