“Huff huff—”

In the overgrown field, little Long Yao wiggled his dragon tail, eating happily, completely unaware that danger was closing in.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by.

The grass around was blown against each other, making a rustling sound. Long Yao, having finished his meal, rubbed his round belly with his short little dragon claws and flopped down onto the grass, ready to rest before heading home.

Just as he lay down, he looked up and found himself staring into a pair of green eyes.

“!!”

Startled, Long Yao froze, his body tensed. His natural instincts kicked in, and instead of immediately jumping up, he cautiously scanned his surroundings.

One pair, two pairs, three pairs…

At some point, countless pairs of glowing green eyes had surrounded him!

It was a pack of wolves!

The wind had muffled their approach, and if Long Yao hadn’t laid down just then, he wouldn’t have noticed the approaching wolves at all.

Long Yao had eaten wolf meat before, but he had never seen this many wolves. His little heart was pounding.

“Swish…”

The wind stopped, and the next second, the silent, lurking wolves seemed to receive a signal and leaped toward Long Yao.

Long Yao used all his strength, zooming into the sky with a “whoosh,” but the hungry wolves weren’t about to let their prey get away. They chased after him relentlessly, not willing to give up.

The little dragon, who had only been eating properly for two days, couldn’t match the speed of the adult wolves.

In an instant, the pack leader was right behind him, jaws wide open, saliva dripping from its fangs. Just a little closer, and it would bite Long Yao in half.

After flying at full speed for such a long time, Long Yao’s speed gradually slowed down…

“Awooo!”

A wolf’s howl echoed right next to his dragon body.

Long Yao’s heart sank. This is it! He was going to be eaten by the wolves! He’d never see his brother, sisters, or mother again, and he’d never get to taste his mother’s delicious cooking again!

Boohoo… If he had known, he wouldn’t have been greedy for that piece of meat. Now he’d lose out on all of his mother’s food…

He felt something wet drop onto his back—sticky and foul-smelling. It was the pack leader’s saliva. He turned his head just in time to see the sharp fangs closing in on him.

“Watch out!”

Just as Long Yao was about to give up and accept his fate, a shadow suddenly darted over, snatching him away from the jaws of the wolf.

“You little brat, do you have a death wish? This is a wolf pack! What are you doing here alone?”

Hou (Monkey) Xiaotiao grabbed Long Yao in his arms and started sprinting through the overgrown field.

He had just finished hunting and was taking a shortcut home. But who would have thought that a group of wolves suddenly appeared in the previously barren grass field today. He was about to avoid them when he saw the wolves chasing a cub. Without thinking, he had rushed in to help.

“Whimper~” Long Yao whimpered pitifully in Hou Xiaotiao’s arms.

He craned his neck to look behind them.

Just as a wolf claw swiped toward them, Long Yao bit Hou Xiaotiao’s arm and yanked hard, causing them to dodge just in time.

“Ow! You ungrateful brat! I just saved you, and you bite me?”

Hou Xiaotiao cursed in anger, but as soon as he saw the wolf that had missed its swipe and fell, his voice trailed off.

He was suddenly relieved that it was the cub that bit him and not the wolf.

“Ah! Ah!”

Before he could relax, Long Yao let out a loud cry from his arms.

Hou Xiaotiao turned around and nearly lost his mind in fear.

Dozens of wolves were chasing them, some of them so close they were snapping at his heels. One wolf even had its jaws open, aiming for his rear. If he hadn’t dodged in time, he’d be missing half of it!

“You little brat, you’re going to be the death of me! When we reach the river, you fly home fast, and don’t look back, got it?”

Hou Xiaotiao, on the verge of tears, ran with all his might while warning Long Yao in his arms.

The little dragon could at least fly, and once they crossed the river, they’d be safe. But the river’s current was fast. Monkey Xiaotiao usually waded across carefully. Jumping in without thinking could sweep them far downstream…

There was no choice. If one of them could survive, that would be enough.

Long Yao whimpered and nodded.

Just then, a grey wolf quietly cut in from the side, blocking their path.

“Not good!”

Hou Xiaotiao couldn’t stop in time, and the grey wolf lunged at him with a howl. He quickly threw himself to the side, glancing back to see the rest of the pack closing in fast.

“Run, kid!”

Using the last of his strength, he hurled Long Yao into the air.

The little dragon, still young, could only fly low. He tumbled in the air a few times before stopping, watching anxiously as Hou Xiaotiao wrestled with the grey wolf. His red eyes filled with worry, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

“Go! What are you waiting for?” Hou Xiaotiao shouted at him. Just then, another grey wolf leaped toward Long Yao, its fangs bared.

Hou Xiaotiao groaned in despair. He wanted to make one last effort to help the cub, but in that moment of distraction, the wolf he was fighting sank its teeth into his leg.

It’s over!

They were both done for.

The grey wolf was too fast, and Long Yao couldn’t dodge in time. The icy teeth grazed his dragon scales, and just as he braced for the worst, a cold flash of light streaked by.

The pain he expected never came. Instead, the grey wolf behind him fell dead.

A slender and delicate female appeared behind the grey wolf. Long Yao’s pupils widened, and his eyes welled up as he rushed toward her.

“Yao’er, are you alright? Don’t worry, I’m here now. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Hu Jiao Jiao soothed him softly, cradling a bloodied machete in one hand and gently patting Long Yao with the other. Her calm expression made it hard to believe she had just slain a wolf moments ago.

Long Yao whimpered twice, then suddenly struggled out of her arms and took off into the air.

“Ah! Ah…”

He bit her clothes, trying to lead her somewhere. Hu Jiao Jiao followed his gaze and saw Hou Xiaotiao still wrestling with the grey wolf.

Without hesitation, she rushed over, gripping her machete with both hands, and swung it down hard on the wolf’s head.

With a sickening crunch, the wolf’s skull shattered.

The grey wolf slumped to the ground, and Hou Xiaotiao, groaning in pain, kicked it away. He gasped, “Thank you… thank you for saving me… Wait, it’s you!”

He looked up, astonished to see Hu Jiao Jiao, supposedly the most useless female in their tribe!

He glanced down at the two grey wolves with their heads crushed in disbelief.

She killed these wolves?

When did she become so strong?

“There’s no time to explain, run!” Hu Jiao Jiao glanced behind him at the approaching wolves. Grabbing both of them, she sprinted away.

Hou Xiaotiao’s injured leg slowed him down.

“I-I can’t keep up, you two go ahead, don’t worry about me…” He knew he was a burden and planned to hold off the wolves while Hu Jiao Jiao and Long Yao escaped.

As a male, it was his duty to protect the females and the cubs.

They reached the riverbank. The rushing water seems to be capable of sweeping away even a boulder. Next to the river stood a large tree. Hu Jiao Jiao grabbed Hou Xiaotiao’s arm and urged him to hold on.

“Stop talking and grab the rope!”

Hi readers! Let me know what you think of my translation—whether you like it or think it needs improvement. Your feedback means a lot, so please comment!