My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Soapberry Fruit

After Taylor left. Jaden sat by the fire, occasionally adding firewood to the pit.

He didn’t talk much, which made the cave feel even quieter.

Zachary picked up the meat Taylor had brought and sat down beside Jaden. Then, he asked, “Do you know what kind of meat this is?”

Jaden leaned closer, sniffed it, and replied, “It’s a moo beast.”

Hearing such an onomatopoeic name spoken so seriously by Jaden, Zachary found it incredibly cute. He laughed and teased. “In that case, are there also quacking beasts and baa beasts?”

Jaden nodded.

“Really?” Zachary chuckled. Then, he asked, “Do moo beasts have two big, sharp horns on their head?”

“Yes.” Jaden poked at the fire with a stick and explained, “Their horns are dangerous, so you can’t let them gore you. However, their horns can be used as weapons. They are sharp once polished.”

Zachary asked, “Do you want to roast this moo beast or make it into soup tomorrow?”

“Either is fine.” Jaden instinctively replied.

Zachary thought Jaden was good in every way, except that he was too sensible and thoughtful. After all, Jaden was only eight years old, so he should have a bit of childishness like Taylor.

“Pick one.” Zachary tilted his head slightly and looked at Jaden’s side profile that was illuminated by the firelight.

Jaden thought for a moment before saying. “Is roasted meat okay?”

“Of course.” Zachary reached out and ruffled the child’s hair.

After running around all day, he felt sticky all over and wanted to take a bath. Then, he added more firewood to the fire, filled the stone pot with water, and set it over the flames.

wasn’t like the large iron cauldrons used in rural kitchens before–those were heavy and held a lot more water. The stone didn’t conduct heat well either, so it wasn’t very convenient to use.

The pot

Initially, Zachary planned to boil two pots of water to simply wipe down his body. Besides the stone vat and a wooden bucket, there didn’t seem to be any larger containers in the cave.

Seeing Zachary getting busy again, Jaden looked puzzled./

“I want to heat some water to take a bath,” Zachary explained. Then, he asked curiously, “Jaden, how do you usually bathe?”

Jaden answered, “We do it by the river or in the stream.”

Every therian or sub–therian in!

the Black Panther Tribe was born knowing how to swim.

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Moonstories

Chapter 14 Soapberry Fruit

“What about when it’s cold?”

“There’s a hot spring in the mountains.

“A hot spring?” Zachary was surprised, though given the terrain, he felt that it made sense.

“Where is it? Is it far away from here?” he asked eagerly. “How long does it usually take to get there?”

Jaden replied, “It’s halfway up this mountain. If you walk there, it takes quite a while. Plus, the mountains. are dangerous at night. Sub–therians would need a therian to accompany them if they want to go there!

“I guess I’d better just wash at home then.” After hearing what Jaden said, Zachary immediately gave up the idea of heading there.

After all, running up a mountain where wild beasts might appear in the middle of the night was too frightening. Although washing at home might be troublesome, at least it was safe.

The water in the stone pot began to bubble and boil, white steam curling into the air.

Zachary moved the stone basin from the cave entrance. It was already heavy. Once it was filled with water, it became even harder to move.

He had once asked Jaden why they didn’t make bowls or basins out of wood, and the latter responded by saying that said wooden items cracked and leaked easily, causing them to rot over time.

Zachary guessed they probably hadn’t treated wooden utensils with carbonization for waterproofing.

When he was young, an elderly neighbor of Zachary’s was a carpenter. Zachary had often visited him and had picked up a little knowledge.

He first carried the stone basin into the cave where he slept, then used the wooden bucket to pour in water mixed to a comfortable temperature. After that, he picked up a slightly smaller beast–hide and began wiping himself clean.

Without a calendar or sense of time, Zachary could only guess the season by how the climate felt and by observing the plants in the mountains. He estimated it was around late autumn.

The temperature difference between morning and night here was huge, and the cave was damp and cold. In no time, goosebumps rose on Zachary’s skin. He quickly finished washing before grabbing a beast–hide from the rack and putting it on.

The second pot of water he had boiled was for washing his hair.

At that moment, Jaden handed him a thumb–sized, yellow, round fruit.

“What’s this?”

“Soapberry fruit,” Jaden answered. “You rub it in water to wash your hair.”

Zachary took it and examined it carefully. Then, he noticed that it was the same soapberry he knew in his world before, which was a natural cleanser. “Jaden, where did these soapberries come from?”

“Alpha traded for them with

h other sub–therians from the tribe. They picked them in the southern valley.”

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Moonstories

Chapter 14 Soapberry Fruit

“Are there a lot of soapberries there?”

Jaden nodded and replied, “Right now is when the soapberries are ripe.”

Upon hearing that, an idea popped into Zachary’s mind. He planned to ask Quincy tomorrow whether they could go pick a lot more together.

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After washing his hair, Zachary came out but didn’t see Jaden. Then, he sat by the fire, drying his hair whi waiting for the child.

After a while, Jaden finally walked back into the cave while carrying a trace of misty steamy with him.

Looking at his wet hair, Zachary asked in surprise, “Did you go and take a bath?”

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寄倉

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