My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 199

Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs

Chapter 199 Bruce Falls

Finished

When the game finally ended, Zachary took a burnt twig from the firepit and began teaching Jaden to draw strokes and write characters on the stone wall.

Jaden learned frighteningly fast. Once a character entered his head, it stayed there. Even his handwriting looked unexpectedly good.

It suited him perfectly–clean, disciplined, and balanced, yet not rigid. There was a light elegance to it.

A thick sheet of ice had locked the river valley in place. Breaking through it was exhausting work. Matthew and the others spent ages hacking at it before they finally dragged the fish cages up.

After that, they went through the traps one after another. The result was disappointing–the catch had dropped by almost half.

The herbs Bruce needed grew along a steep slope. First, they had to clear away the heavy snow. Only then did the yellow–brown plants underneath show themselves.

Since Bruce needed the roots, every plant had to be dug out carefully, which made the work slow and frustrating.

Donald and two other therians stayed behind to help with that.

Bruce left that patch to them and went nearby to search for other useful herbs.

In the narrow gaps of a cliff grew a plant with long, slender leaves clustered together. It worked very well as medicine, and many tribes used it to brew concoctions for the ill.

Bruce raised his head and soon spotted a small cluster.

His claws were too rough for delicate harvesting. After climbing up, he shifted back into human form and put his clothes on. Then he leaned half his body over the ledge, stretching down to pick the plants.

He quickly collected the upper leaves, but the ones lower down were too useful to abandon. So Bruce stepped carefully onto the jutting stones and began climbing down little by little.

One hand gripped branches or firm rocks while the other kept gathering the herbs. One hand gripped branches or firm rocks w

ckground.

Against the gray–brown cliffside dusted with snow, Bruce’s figure almost disappeared into the back Before long, he had collected quite

a lot.

Just as he prepared to climb

down, the stone beneath his foot cracked loose. The instant he put weight

on it, it crumbled apart.

Bruce had no time to react before his body dropped.

Fortunately, the fall was not very high, and the thick snow below softened the impact. It was not as bad as it

could have been

Bruce tested his arms and legs. Nothing seemed broken, th

thankfully, but standing up was another matter.

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16:27 Fri, Jun 5 M

Chapter 199 Bruce Falls

Pain tore through his lower back. He must have hit a rock during the fall. When he tried to push himself upright, a heavy, grinding ache scraped through his spine like a blunt blade. Bruce sucked in a sharp breath.

In the end, he stopped struggling and lay flat in the snow, staring at the pale, empty sky while waiting for the pain to ease.

Donald had just finished digging up the roots. When he realized Bruce was missing, he followed the footprints and found him lying there.

“Why are you on the ground?” Donald walked over with a frown. “Aren’t you cold?”

Bruce shifted his eyes toward him and answered lightly, “I fell.”

“You fell?” Donald’s brows tightened at once. He crouched down and reached for him. “Where did you hit? Is it serious? How did you fall?”

Bruce raised a hand and pointed to the middle of the cliff. “That rock gave way. I stepped on it and slipped.”

“You fell from up there?” Donald’s face changed. He hurriedly checked him over. “Where does it hurt? Can you move?”

“It’s nothing major.” Bruce tugged at Donald’s clothes. “My back hurts, that’s all. Help me sit up. I can’t quite get my strength.”

“Don’t rush. Let me see first.” Donald supported him carefully and lifted the back of his shirt.

The icy wind struck Bruce’s bare skin. He immediately complained, “That’s freezing.”

Donald’s voice dropped. “It’s swollen. The bruise is already turning purple.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Bruce said without much concern. “If I can still move, it’s not a big problem.”

Donald said, “I’m taking you back.”

“The herbs too.” Bruce was not willing

to

abandon what he had worked so hard to gather.

“I know.”

Donald lifted Bruce onto his back

great care and started walking through the deep snow.

Bruce leaned against him. His fingers, red from the cold, slid down Donald’s neck. Even though the answer

“Why the long face? Are you angry?”

was obvious, he st

Donald’s voice was heavy. “Why did you climb somewhere that dangerous?”

“It’s snowing. The rocks are slippery. You knew that.”

Bruce looked perfectly innocent as he slipped his frozen hand straight into Donald’s clothes to warm it. “But the herbs were growing there.”

Donald adjusted his hold and lifted him higher, surprisingly gentle despite his stern expression. “You could have asked us to get them.”

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16:27 Fri, Jun 5 M

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Chapter 19 Bruce Falls

“You were all busy.”

“And after you fell, you didn’t even shout?”

“I thought if I rested for a while and the pain passed, I could get up on my own.

“What if a beast had come by?”

“The whole area smells like black panthers. They’re not stupid enough to come close.”

No matter what Donald said, Bruce had an answer ready, and somehow, every answer sounded reasonable.

When Donald carried Bruce back to the others, the surrounding therians immediately gathered around. “Mr. Bruce, what happened?”

“He fell. I’m taking him back first,” Donald said, then continued toward the tribe without stopping.

Bruce said, “Shift into your beast form. It’ll be easier for you.”

Donald asked. “Can you climb onto my back?”

Bruce was speechless. “I’m hurt, not paralyzed.”

Donald’s gaze lowered to Bruce’s swollen left wrist. “Can you hold on properly?”

Bruce blurted out, “I’ve ridden you plenty of times before.”

The sentence itself was perfectly normal in context, yet both of them fell silent at the same time. The air suddenly turned strange.

Without another word, Donald shifted into a black panther and lay flat against the snow.

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