Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53 After the Rain

Life seemed washed clean by the storm.

At daybreak, birds began to sing, and the long stretch of rain finally came to an end.

The instant Zachary opened his eyes, he jerked violently, sending his entire body into a violent shake. He swiftly pulled away from Matthew and nearly buried his heated face in the beast-hide bedding.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice muffled through the covers.

Matthew remained calm. “It’s fine.”

Zachary stayed in place, still as a fish on the shore.

Matthew spoke again after a moment, saying, “The rain has stopped.”

“It stopped?” Zachary suddenly forgot his embarrassment. He sat upright immediately, with his silver-gray hair on top of his head standing up in disheveled tufts.

“Yes.” Matthew maintained a steady tone, though the corners of his mouth nearly lifted. “I’ll get your clothes.”

“N-No, that’s okay.” Zachary would definitely not risk bothering him again. He quickly jumped off the bed. “1

He suddenly halted, which made Matthew’s face shift. A quick flash of discomfort appeared in his eyes, and he looked away before he could hide it.

“What is it?”

“No… Nothing,” Zachary replied, shaking his head and glancing suspiciously at his thigh. Faint pink marks were visible beneath the edge of his beast-hide shorts.

After returning to his room, he pulled down his pants and examined himself. The side of his leg was slightly reddened, and it itched a little when touched.

He believed it was likely caused by the rough hide rubbing against him.

Having settled on that explanation, he ceased worrying about it. He swiftly changed his clothes, and as he approached the doorway, his eyes noticed the large stone leaning nearby.

Earlier that morning, Jaden had already boiled some water.

“Did I move this rock? Zachary was surprised by how much strength he had while sleepwalking.

Jaden nodded from the side as he heard him speak.

Zachary was muttering to himself, and when Jaden finally replied, he suddenly tensed up. “You know about

it?”

Jaden replied honestly, “Yeah, I heard something during the night, so I checked on it.”

10:45 Fri, Jun 5

Chapter 53 After the Rain

Zachary pressed further, “What else did you see?”

Jaden’s face filled with confusion.

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Noticing the blank expression, Zachary quietly let out a breath of relief before smiling and saying, “Nothing Forget it.”

The air after the rain was filled with the scent of damp earth and crushed plants, carried by a cool breeze. It was fresh and clean-smelling.

The outside remained damp.

Zachary’s first action was to inspect the wild onions near the entrance. They were surrounded by stones and covered with branches, making it appear as though they had survived.

The open space in front of the cave gently sloped and was paved with stones, letting rainwater drain/off. The ground was damp but not muddy.

Zachary lazily stretched, and with the sunrise, his mood improved.

Matthew prepared breakfast. He made omelets, fried moo beast meat, and steamed several large red fruits for Zachary.

After finishing his meal, Zachary saw the fish basket trap he had woven earlier out of boredom. It was still in the corner, and his interest was quickly reignited when he saw it. “Let’s go catch fish today.”

Matthew looked at him. “I need to see the chief. We can go this afternoon.”

“That’s okay. Go ahead and do what you need to. Jaden and I can handle it on our own,” Zachary replied with a smile, picking up the basket trap and already imagining a successful catch.

Matthew hesitated. “It just rained so that the ground will be slippery, and the current might be strong.”

“We’re just heading to the small stream near the cave,” Zachary answered, knowing the exact depth of that stream. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Jaden stays safe.”

A black panther therian might swim instinctively, and since there were no dangerous beasts in that stream, Jaden’s safety wasn’t what Matthew was worried about.

He looked at Zachary and spoke seriously, “You are the one who cannot swim well.”

“Me?” Only then did Zachary realize what he meant. He lifted the basket trap and stated, “The stream is shallow, and I’m using this to catch fish.”

Then he quickly added, “Don’t worry. I genuinely care about staying alive.”

Matthew could see how determined he was. Since he did not know when he himself would return, he finally relented, “Then take Quincy with you.”

“Okay,” Zachary agreed at once and began preparing the bait.

Once everything was ready, Zachary and Jaden headed off to find Quincy. When Taylor heard they planned to catch fish, he became very excited. He swiftly took the two basket traps from Zachary, curiosity clear on his face.

Chapter 53 After the Rain

Elias was already bored to death after being stuck inside for two full days. As soon as he finished breakfast he went outside to look for Quincy and Zachary, only to run right into them outside the cave.

Zachary knew Elias would be interested, so he asked with a grin, “Want to come catch fish?”

Elias walked straight over. “Yeah.”

There was still plenty of water clinging to the tall plants in the forest. Whenever the wind blew, droplet to in a gentle patter, almost like another round of rain had started. The grass, which reached their knees, way soaked through, and muddy puddles had formed near the roots in scattered patches.

Fortunately, the stream was nearby. The idea of catching fish made the tough footing easy to overlook. Barefoot and with their pant legs rolled up, the group quickly reached the water.

The stream had risen sufficiently to submerge the taller grass along both banks, and the current was much faster than before. Water crashed loudly against the green-brown rocks, rushing.

Even from the edge, they could already see fish and shrimp hiding in the corners.

Zachary immediately started looking for spots to put the basket traps.

Dense water grass, gaps between large rocks, and bends where the current slowed-drawing on childhood memories of following adults to catch fish, he finally found several promising spots.

Crouching to show, Zachary instructed, “Place a chunk of chopped meat and mashed fruit inside the trap, then set the basket sideways with the opening facing outward like this.”

He/indicated the nearby bank and continued, “After that, use vines to secure it to a large rock or a strong plant so that the water won’t wash it away.”

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Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs