Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs novel Chapter 256

Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs

Chapter 256 Lunch in the Shade, Bath in the Cold River

* Pearls

Matthew looked at the food Zachary had laid out beneath the tree, and his gaze softened. “Was it hard carrying all of this over?”

“Not really.” Zachary passed him a pair of wooden eating sticks. “Eat first. You still have work to do later.”

Matthew looked down at the meal. “I can skip lunch. We will be home before dark anyway. That is what everyone else does.”

“I was free at home.” Zachary filled Matthew’s bowl and pushed it toward him with a smile. “Eat while it is still warm.”

Matthew did not move right away. “Have you eaten?”

Zachary nodded. “I have.”

“Do you want some more?” Matthew began scooping rice for him.

“I am already full.” Zachary pressed his hand down, then picked up a piece of beef and brought it to Matthew’s mouth. “You just focus on eating.”

The other therians did not have the habit of eating lunch, yet the smell was impossible to ignore.

After working hard under the sun all morning, even though Zachary and Matthew sat in a quiet corner beneath a tree, the aroma still drifted over.

Several therians swallowed while trying very hard not to stare.

Yael and a few others slowly edged closer. The large males squatted nearby in a row, not daring to crowd too close, though their necks kept stretching toward the food.

Zachary felt their eager gazes and almost laughed. Since he had brought plenty, he waved them over to share the food.

They had clearly been waiting for that invitation. Within moments, they snapped off small branches to use as eating sticks and joined the meal with bright grins.

A little later, Quincy and Elias arrived with the fruit drink they had made. Yael and the others leaned over at once. The moment they saw the bamboo tubes in the basket, their eyes lit up.

Quincy smiled. “Jaden and Taylor are right behind us. We made enough for everyone.”

Kyle barely noticed the drink. He hurried to Elias‘ side and helped him sit down, his questions coming one after another. “Why did you come all the way here? Are you hot? Are you tired?”

“Staying home alone is boring.” Elias gave him a light push, both amused and helpless. “Stop fussing over me. I am fine, really. I can walk back by myself later.”

Kyle still looked worried. “I will take you back.”

Josh glanced over. “Elias, do you want me to send you home?”

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11:16 am

PP

Chapter 256 Lunch in the Shade, Bath in the Cold River

45 Pearls

“No.” Elias refused without hesitation. “Both of you should rest.”

Kyle reminded him, “Then stay here. Do not wander off. Stay with Quincy and Zachary.”

“I know.” Elias shoved a bamboo tube into Kyle’s hand, then gave another to Josh. His voice carried a bit of helplessness. “I am not a cub. I will not get lost.”

After everyone finished eating, Zachary stayed beside Matthew for a while. He rubbed Matthew’s wrists and kneaded his arms, though it was not exactly a proper massage. Half the time, he seemed to be playing with Matthew’s fingers instead.

When the therians returned to work, Zachary left with Quincy and Elias. The basket had already been taken home by the two cubs, so the three of them walked back empty–handed.

Recently, Kyle had been watching Elias far too closely.

From the moment Elias woke up, Kyle hovered nearby, warning him not to touch this and not to do that. Now that Elias finally had a chance to get out, he naturally wanted to wander around a little.

Zachary went to check the fish traps in the creek. Elias was more excited than the cubs, rolling up his sleeves and pant legs before stepping into the shallow water with Taylor and Jaden. He eagerly felt around, and even a few crabs kept him thoroughly entertained.

“The water is cold. Do not stay in there too long.” Quincy stood on the bank and called out, “Elias, come up.”

“Alright,” Elias answered, though his expression clearly showed he had not played enough.

When they returned to the cave, Elias noticed the hammock hanging between two trees. He stopped and looked at it curiously.

Taylor immediately introduced it to him. “That is a hammock. It is really fun.”

Zachary smiled. “You can try sitting on it.”

Jaden looked eager. “Elias, we can push you.”

Zachary reminded them, “Push gently.”

The three of them soon began playing together.

Zachary sat near the cave entrance and showed Quincy how to make a swing using leftover vines and beast hide. Once it was finished, they could hang it beneath a tree for the cubs to play on.

Near sunset, Matthew finally returned.

Sweat covered his body. It slid down the firm lines of his muscles, and his skin was still flushed from the heat of the day’s labor.

He entered the cave first, stood beside the water jar, and drank a large bowl of cold water in one breath. Then he took a piece of beast hide from the wooden rack and turned to leave again.

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11:16 am Pp

Chapter 256 tunch in the Shade, Bath in the Cold River

+5 Rearts

Zachary had just found a cluster of dark tree mushrooms on a dead tree trunk nearby. He and Jaden had finished picking them and were walking back when they saw Matthew.

Matthew looked at his hate and the cub. “I am going to wash.”

Zachary glanced toward the mountain path. “The hot spring?”

Matthew replied, “No, the river nearby.”

Zachary had been planning to pick some wild perilla leaves to pair with grilled meat for dinner, so he went with him.

The river was deep in the middle and shallow near the bank. Matthew took off his clothes and stepped into the water, stopping when it reached his waist.

By evening, the sun had already begun to fade, and the river had cooled with it. Zachary crouched on the bank and dipped his hand into the water. It was not icy, yet it was cold enough to make him frown.

Zachary asked, “Are you sure you are not cold?”

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“No.” Matthew wiped the water from his face, pushed his wet hair back, and moved a little closer to shore. “Do not stand too close to the edge.”

“Wash quickly.” Zachary still felt that soaking in cold river water for too long was a bad idea. “I will pick the wild perilla leaves nearby.”

“Mm.” Matthew crushed soapberries in his palm and rubbed the foam into his hair and over his body. Even while washing, his eyes kept following Zachary.

Carving out caves was exhausting work. Matthew had also woken up early, and once he finished bathing, the fatigue finally caught up with him.

He told Zachary he would lie down for a while. Yet the moment he returned to the cave and dropped onto the bed, he fell asleep and did not wake again until the sky had turned completely dark.

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