Chapter 40 part 1

Miao Miao quickly noticed that the second cub had also opened its eyes, which immediately made her feel even happier.

Instinct told her that once the little tigers opened their eyes, she wouldn’t have to watch over them constantly and could leave them briefly to go out.

This immediately stirred Miao Miao’s long-suppressed patrolling instinct.

Every tiger knows its territory like the back of its paw, or at least is very familiar with it. After all, only in this way can they know where to find prey more quickly when they go out hunting. So, even though she wasn’t worried about food and drink, Miao Miao still instinctively wanted to understand everything within her territory.

This wasn’t about wanting to occupy more land, it was just her instincts at play. Most importantly, having nursed her cubs for several days, being able to go out for some fresh air felt like a vacation for Miao Miao. As a new mother, she couldn’t yet accurately grasp the state of her two cubs.

To what extent should fighting be stopped? How far should the cubs be allowed to wander out of their range before calling them back? Is it acceptable to hit the children when they play with your tail to the point of irritation?  

Although Miaomiao had somehow learned to care for the cubs on her own, she still struggled with certain nuances, especially since her two offspring were particularly lively.  

And after opening their eyes, instead of just eating and sleeping as before, they became even more rambunctious. They grew curious about every part of Miaomiao’s body and everything around them.  

On one hand, Miaomiao is pleased by their liveliness and health. On the other hand, Miaomiao is really annoyed and wants to get away for a bit.  Sometimes she couldn’t help thinking, if only the eldest cub could be as quiet as the second cub. Compared with the reckless eldest cub, the second cub was more cautious and knew how to protect himself. He would never rashly touch something he was not familiar with. For a mature predator, knowing how to examine moderation and be cautious are both essential.

However, if the little demon tiger really becomes like the second one, Miaomiao may be even more distressed. After all, while caution is perhaps indispensable for a predator, a lack of drive and fear of taking risks could also lead a predator into the predicament of going hungry.

Although this is not her territory, Miaomiao can’t help wanting to avoid the tiger cubs and go out for a short walk, so when Kongbi came to feed her, Miaomiao couldn’t help but pester Kongbi immediately, with a look of eagerness on her face.

Even if Kong Bi doesn’t understand its language, she can tell what Miaomiao is thinking from this behavior. After all, Miaomiao is being too obvious, constantly lingering near the door. You have to know that after giving birth to the two cubs, she wouldn’t even leave them too far to eat. At the slightest sound, she would immediately drop the food in her mouth and go to them. How could she be ‘welcoming’ her like this now?

Actually, it’s less of a welcome and more of a simple desire to squeeze out. Anyone who has kept cats at home knows that if you’re not careful when opening the door, rebellious kittens can easily take advantage of the gap and dart out.

Naturally, Miaomiao’s size prevents her from doing something like that, but she’s cleverly using her head to nudge Kong Bi, trying to squeeze out, while also subtly pawing at the door to prevent it from closing.

Having watched Kong Bi go in and out every day, Miaomiao has figured out that the tiger can only go out when the iron gate is opened.

However, Kong Bi still kept the gate closed, because if Miaomiao got out from here, it wouldn’t be for a stroll, but to scare people to death.  

Instead, Kong Bi opened the door connecting the inner den to the outer enclosure. This was the proper passage for Miaomiao to go out.  

Generally, each animal’s exhibit area was divided into an inner and outer section, making it easier to clean and manage the animals.  

Outside the tiger’s den was a modest patch of grassland. Compared to the green peacock garden, the environment here was rather bleak—the territory was small, lacking enrichment items, and there wasn’t even a pool for the tiger to bathe in.  

As one of the few felines that enjoy playing in water, a tiger’s living space absolutely cannot be without a pool.

Therefore, Kong Bi had already asked the designer to choose another location to build a tiger enclosure. However, because Miaomiao is still living here, the old tiger enclosure has also been urgently renovated, especially the surrounding fence, which has been carefully inspected several times, fearing that due to its age and disrepair, Miaomiao could easily knock it open with a swipe of her paw.

Because Kong Bi hadn’t approached the other door before, Miaomiao hadn’t realized there was another door there. She swatted the overly curious little tiger, which was trying to squeeze out directly through the doorway, back inside with a paw. Then, cautiously approaching, she poked her head out to observe.

No strange smells, just the fragrance of grass, and… sunshine!

“Roar!”

Miaomiao immediately called out behind her, and then rushed out impatiently.

Warm sunlight spilled over its beautiful fur, turning it into a gleaming gold. Miaomiao squinted in contentment. It had been cooped up for far too long, deprived of the sun for days!  

Many animals have a habit of sunbathing because ultraviolet rays help synthesize vitamin D. Plus, they don’t have to worry about getting a tan, they only feel the warmth the sun brings. 

Although Miaomiao actually dislikes the summer sun – tigers, due to their fur coats, generally suffer in the summer, otherwise they wouldn’t enjoy staying in the water during that time – anyone who hasn’t seen the sun for many days will find the once-disliked sunlight suddenly becoming pleasing.

Kong Bi watched with a smile. As a young adult tiger who hasn’t been fully grown for long, Miaomiao is clearly the more active type. So, although it’s normal for tigers to stay in the den day and night, taking care of their newborns without leaving for even a moment in the first few days, for Miaomiao, such a time was obviously quite difficult to endure.

Seeing their mother disappear from their sight in the blink of an eye, the little tiger immediately followed and ran out. Miaomiao’s roar just now wasn’t telling them not to come out, but rather assuring them that it was safe outside.

In fact, as long as there are no large predators outside the den, even if other animals are present, tigers are not afraid to bring their cubs out to see the world. This is the composure of a top predator, confident that as long as they are there, no other animal can harm their offspring.

Today the weather outside is very nice. The little tiger, running out after Miaomiao, stepped its paws onto the lawn and raised a front paw in slight confusion.

The lawn, still carrying a bit of dew, transmitted a slight coolness through its paw pads. For the little tiger, this was an unprecedented experience.

Instinctively, it lowered its body, feeling a little scared.

Why is the sky so high? Why are the surrounding smells so complex? Why is this place different from home?

Faced with the unknown, it instinctively became alert

After Miaomiao ran around for a bit to vent her pent-up feelings, she quickly turned her attention to her cub. Her gentle amber eyes rested on the little demon tigers as she let out a soft, encouraging call, urging the cub to come closer.  

“Rawr?”  

The little demon tiger twitched its ears, its eyes, still with a hint of blue from the nictitating membrane, looked towards Miaomiao. Encouraged by her, it finally overcame its fear of the unknown and cautiously took a small step.

After that single step, it paused, cautiously scanning its surroundings. When nothing seemed amiss, its earlier curiosity and excitement quickly resurfaced. With a happy chirp, it bounded toward Miaomiao.  

The cub was remarkably well-developed—while other tiger cubs its age could barely wobble along, this one was already running with ease. Tipping its head up at Miaomiao, it let out a series of eager chirrups, almost as if proudly showing off its achievement. 

Miaomiao lowered her head, licked it gently, and then held it under her body.

Although the cubs, who were born not long ago, can already come out to bask in the sun, the slightly damp land can still make the cubs, who cannot maintain their body temperature normally, catch a cold if they are not careful, so Miaomiao instinctively brought it with her to keep warm, and her tiger eyes could not help but look in the direction they came from.

She could already hear the second cub’s frantic cries.  

“Waaah—!”

Left behind abruptly by its mother and sibling, the little one was clearly panicked, pacing anxiously in place and yowling—yet it made no move to venture out after them.  

Part of it was its inherently cautious nature, but there was more to it: when Kong Bi had entered earlier, the cub had still been asleep. It was only roused by Miaomiao’s sudden call, and in its bleary-eyed state, it could sense the light streaming through the open door—yet it dared not approach.  

Instinct warned it that wandering off alone when its mother disappeared might turn it into prey in an instant.  

Although they will be the kings of all beasts when they grow up, newborn cubs are not taken seriously by anyone. Owls in the sky, wolves on the ground, and snakes dare to come and hunt them when their tiger mother is not around. Therefore, if they don’t learn to restrain their desire to explore and their calls when their mother is away, they are simply courting death.

Kong Bi originally wanted to let it go out on its own, but seeing it like this, she had no choice but to pick it up.

Suddenly being lifted into the air made the younger cub instinctively cry out, but it quickly sensed Kong Bi’s scent and became quiet.

It had been born for some time now and was starting to become sensitive to sounds and smells, unlike when it was first born and had nothing to do but eat and sleep.

The younger cub wriggled in Kong Bi’s arms, subconsciously searching for a milk bottle. Every time Kong Bi picked it up, it was feeding time. Although it wasn’t hungry yet, it wouldn’t mind eating a little more.

But soon, the younger cub realized something was wrong.

Because of the nictitating membrane, the younger cub couldn’t see things clearly, only perceiving blurry outlines. However, it could immediately detect changes in light intensity. At this moment, it clearly felt the surrounding light becoming stronger.

“Waaah~”

The younger cub instinctively let out a soft cry, a sound quiet enough to be caught by someone nearby but unlikely to attract the attention of distant ‘killers’ – an instinctive self-preservation behavior for cubs.

Kong Bi scratched its chin and placed the younger cub on the ground, then walked directly to Miaomiao’s side.

“Waaah?!”

The unfamiliar environment immediately made the younger cub tense, and it let out a panicked cry.

Don’t be afraid, come here, come to Mama.” Kong Bi crouched down next to Miaomiao, encouraging it to come over on its own.

Though strictly speaking, she probably deserved the title of “grandma” or “grandmother” by family hierarchy, everyone had their own way of addressing things, and Kong Bi saw no problem with that.  

Miaomiao too let out gentle calls to summon her cub.