My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 181

Chapter 181 The Rock Sheep Hunt

Finished

Everyone pitched in, working together to set traps while also helping the shaman search for medicinal herbs scattered across the area.

Donald had more field experience than the rest of

group, but for some reason he kept drifting away from Bruce–sometimes on purpose, sometimes not so much.

Bruce finally got fed up with it. He walked casually and, when no one was paying attention, stuck out a leg and tripped him.

Donald went straight down into the snow, landing face–first like he was bowing to the entire mountain.

He snapped his head up immediately, ready to argue until he saw Bruce standing there. His anger disappeared on the spot. “What’s going on?” he asked instead.

Bruce answered in a deadpan tone. “You slipped.

Donald’s face twisted like he had a lot to say, but in the end he stayed quiet and just pushed himself up, shaking snow off his knees.

By late afternoon, everyone was preparing to return to the cave and wait for the traps to hopefully catch something overnight–when a large animal with thick gray–brown horns suddenly appeared.

Zachary looked closer and confirmed it was a rock sheep–big, solid, and built like it had been carved out of

stone.

Donald and Henry exchanged a glance. Without a word, the black panthers split into two groups and began creeping forward through the snow.

However, their dark fur stood out too much against the white landscape. The rock sheep, high up on the cliff, spotted them instantly and bounded up onto a rock ledge in a few quick hops, staring down at them like they were completely ridiculous.

It even bleated a couple of times in a mocking way, twisting its mouth as if it were taunting them.

Daniel got irritated immediately and let out a loud roar in response.

More rock sheep soon came into view, moving effortlessly along the cliff like they owned the place.

The panthers could only look on helplessly, unable to reach them, clearly frustrated.

Meanwhile, Zachary, using his lynx–like camouflage, had already slipped around to the back–left side of the cliff where the herd was gathered.

Lynxes from snowy regions were naturally built for rough terrain, and he climbed through the cracks and ledges with impressive speed..

Down below, the panthers noticed him getting closer to the herd.

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Chapter 181 The Rock Sheep Hunt

Matthew in particular felt his stomach tighten when he saw how high Zachary had climbed.

Finished

Zachary was completely locked in now, excitement sharpening all his senses. He held his breath, waiting until he was close enough–then pushed off hard with his back legs and launched himself toward a rock sheep.

The sheep never saw it coming. It cried out in shock and lost its footing, tumbling down the slope. “Baa!”

The panthers below reacted instantly, rushing in to

Zachary kept moving along the cliff, leaping from point to point with incredible agility as the chase escalated.

The herd panicked, scattering in every direction, and several of them slipped off the edge in the chaos.

Matthew tore into one of the fallen animals quickly, then shifted his position left and right, tracking Zachary’s movement and ready to catch him if things went wrong.

Eventually, Zachary fixed his attention on a young rock sheep lagging behind the rest.

The two of them broke into a full chase along the cliffside, one pursuing the other at full speed.

As they moved farther from safe ground, Matthew grew increasingly anxious and roared repeatedly, trying to get Zachary to retreat.

But Zachary was completely absorbed in the hunt. His instincts had taken over, and every muscle in his body was running hot with adrenaline.

His claws gripped the rock easily, and unlike the sheep’s careful step–by–step footing, his long leaps gave him a clear advantage. After a short struggle, he started gaining ground.

Then, with a sudden twist, he dropped from above and went for the kill.

But the sheep, desperate and fueled by panic, fought back harder than expected. Its massive horns swung wildly, trying to smash into Zachary.

Zachary attempted to pin it down, but the force of the struggle dragged both of them toward the edge.

Matthew’s whole body stiffened. “Awoo!”

Zachary shouted back instinctively, “Awoo!”

Move out of the way!

However, Matthew didn’t move an inch.

Realizing he was about to crash into him, Zachary quickly hooked his claws deeper into the sheep and yanked hard to the side.

A heavy impact followed as both the animal and snow collapsed into a deep crater.

Matthew rushed forward instantly, with the rest of the group right behind him.

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Chapter 181 The Rock Sheep Hunt

Snow burst into the air. From inside the pit, a fluffy paw suddenly poked out.

“Meow!”

The dramatic entrance was complete.

Zachary shook the snow off his head with a vigorous flick. Before he could even act smug about it, Matthew grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him out.

Zachary was already preparing to explain himself when he saw Matthew’s expression–cold and completely unreadable, “Meow…” He quickly motioned toward the pit. I didn’t hit the ground. I used it as a landing buffer.

To prove his point, he bounced lightly in place a couple of times to show he was fine.

Matthew checked him over briefly, then turned and walked away without saying anything.

Zachary hurried after him, calling out repeatedly. “Meow! Meow…”

Seeing Matthew’s reaction, everyone else figured Zachary was okay. Yael and the others relaxed and went back to handling the hunt.

Back in the cave, the fire crackled while Matthew stood against the wall with his arms crossed, his expression still hard to read.

Zachary knew he was in trouble and kept brushing against Matthew’s legs, trying to soften him up.

Matthew stayed completely unmoved.

He stood up, wrapped his front paws around Matthew’s waist, and let out a soft “Meow.”

Matthew gave him absolutely nothing in return.

Then, he got bolder, licking Matthew’s palm and lightly nibbling at his finger in a playful attempt to get

attention.

Footsteps came from the cave entrance–Yael and the others returning with the prey. They immediately started praising the successful hunt.

With everyone watching, Zachary got too embarrassed to continue and instead stood right beside Matthew like he was serving a silent punishment.

Dinner that night was roasted mutton, rich and fragrant. Zachary ended up curled quietly in Matthew’s arms, staring longingly at the meat in his hand.

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