My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Digging New Caves

Zachary filled a bowl of fish soup for Bruce, while Jaden had already dashed off to get some eating sticks.

Bruce smiled faintly. “Being able to eat food made by Zachary is a really happy thing.”

As he said that, he gläfreed at Matthew and added slowly, “Isn’t it?”

Matthew nodded in agreement.

After learning that Matthew would be staying in the tribe for the next few days, Zachary started talking to him about digging more caves.

According to Zachary’s plan, he wanted to dig a small cave on the left side near the entrance. He’d carve drainage channel there and turn it into a bathroom.

The cave on the right side of the entrance would stay as it was and continue being used to store food. Then, beside the cave he lived in, he planned to dig two new caves. One would be for Matthew, and the other would be for Jaden.

As for the cooking area, he wanted to carve several storage spaces into the stone wall behind it.

Matthew listened in silence while Zachary explained, his eyes falling on the rough sketch Zachary had drawn on the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Zachary noticed him staring. “Is there a problem?”

Matthew replied calmly, “Digging three caves at the same time is too much work. We won’t finish in just a few days.”

“Then let’s do these two first.” Zachary crossed out Jaden’s room on the drawing. He was still young, so it could wait.

Matthew nodded and looked away. “I’ll have Yael and the others come help tomorrow.”

Then he added, “But you’ll probably have to work harder preparing food.”

After a pause, he said, “Don’t worry about the food at home.”

Zachary nodded. If people were coming to help, then feeding them was the most basic courtesy.

Early the next morning, Zachary was awakened by the noise of voices outside the cave. He stretched, got up, and peeked through the crack in the door. A large group of therians was already gathered outside.

Besides Yael, Ethan, Kyle, and Daniel were there too. There were even a few unfamiliar faces.

Ethan and Yael had already tasted Zachary’s cooking before. They’d rushed over faster than anyone, and no one could stop them.

As for Kyle and the others, they’d only heard Yael describe Zachary’s cooking, but that alone had been enough to make them drool. They’d wanted to try his amazing food for a long time..

So when they heard Matthew was going to dig two more caves at his place, they immediately came over to

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Chapter 39 Digging New Caves

help. Their attitude was completely different from their usual one.

In the tribe, if you asked others for help, you had to prepare food for them. Quincy and Elias heard about it and came to help Zachary as well. They even brought their own pots and bowls.

Matthew had gone out before dawn. He’d hunted, processed, and cleaned everything in one go. Now the cut-up grunt-beast meat was neatly arranged beside the stove.

Jaden knew there’d be work to do today, so he didn’t want to wear the new clothes Zachary had made for him. Instead, he put on his old beast-hide outfit and stayed outside with Taylor, ready to help at any

moment.

Once the therians arrived, they didn’t just stand around. First, they curiously examined the wild scallions Zachary had planted outside. Then their attention shifted excitedly to the cave door.

Kyle and Daniel, who had learned how to make doors, instantly became the center of attention. Full of pride, they explained how clever the design was and how convenient it was to use.

“Are you awake?” Matthew’s voice sounded from outside the wooden door.

“Coming!” Zachary was impressed by how efficient Matthew was. He hurriedly got himself together and opened the door.

After greeting everyone, he picked up a piece of charcoal and drew a floor plan on the ground. Carefully, he explained where the caves should be dug and how large each one needed to be.

There was no need to say much about the heavy work. With Matthew overseeing the important parts, Zachary felt completely at ease.

Elias came over and blinked at him. “Zachary, the food yesterday was really good. If you have time later, can you teach us how to cook?”

Zachary smiled. “Of course.”

Since the construction was happening inside the cave, they had to cook outside. Luckily, the weather was nice. The red sun rose above the forest, and the morning chill had already faded quite a bit.

Matthew helped move the cooking tools outside, while Yael had already begun building a temporary stove. When it came to food, there was no time to waste.

Elias and Taylor carried firewood back and forth, and other kids from the tribe wandered over to join the excitement. They helped carry wood and gather stones, all of them busy and cheerful.

Zachary took out some honey lollipops and handed them around. Smiling, he said, “Thank you!”

Kids were easy to encourage. They lifted their flushed little faces and said, “We can do more!”

“Can you help me make some eating sticks?”

“Yes!” they answered in bright, clear voices, sounding especially excited.

Looking at their young faces, Zachary felt his heart soften.

“So good!”

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10:43 Fri, Jun 5

KAM

Chapter 39 Digging New Caves

“So sweet!”

“So good!”

Other than Taylor and Jaden, the kids had never eaten anything this delicious before. Their eyes sparkled with excitement, and they treasured the candy so much that they only licked it lightly.

Taylor looked especially proud, like a tiny grown-up. “Jaden’s dad made this himself. Pretty amazing, right?

He said it as if Zachary were his own dad.

“Mhm, mhm!” All the kids nodded together. “Jaden’s dad is amazing!”

Taylor felt deeply satisfied.

No one would dare say anymore that Zachary treated Jaden badly.

Jaden felt a little embarrassed. He turned his face away, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

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Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs