Free Web NovelChapter 27: The Cheetah Who Chose Life
Nuan reached out and slid the tent’s heavy fabric cloth aside to step inside. But just as she crossed the threshold, someone else was stepping out.
Nuan bumped straight into a slender, surprisingly firm, muscular chest.
Purrrrrr...
The chest literally started vibrating with a low, deep purr.
"Hn?" Nuan stepped back, rubbing her shoulder. "Oh, I’m sorry—"
She looked up, only to find a remarkably cute-looking Cheetah beastman staring right down at her. He blinked his big, soulful feline eyes and gave her a sudden, dazzling smile.
But before Nuan could even appreciate the aesthetics, Kael loomed up directly behind her like a giant shadow.
His terrifying predatory gaze locked instantly onto the cheetah’s eyes.
Kael let out a low, incredibly aggressive growl of pure, unadulterated possessiveness, slamming his heavy hand firmly onto Nuan’s shoulder to pull her against him.
The poor Cheetah beastman’s soul practically left his body the moment Kael gave him that lethal alpha death stare.
His ears flattened completely, and in a literal fraction of a second, he launched himself backward, turning into a high-speed blur that instantly disappeared into the thick market crowd.
"Wow... okay, way too fast!" Nuan muttered, her jaw dropping slightly.
Her inner wildlife expert brain instantly started overanalyzing the situation.
A wolf, a cheetah, and a gorilla all hanging out in the same plain?!
This world isn’t following any proper rules of real geographical habitats and ecosystem distribution! She let out a frustrated sigh.
Ugh... I absolutely hate illogical worldbuilding! The logistics are completely broken!
Shaking her head to clear the academic rant from her mind, Nuan stepped deeper into the tent with Kael right at her heels.
The moment they walked in, the shop vendor—a chubby, striped-tailed Raccoon beastman sitting behind a pile of neatly folded textiles—let out a tiny, pitiful, trembling mrrrhhh... and instantly hugged his own fluffy tail tightly against his chest, terrified that the angry wolf alpha was going to demolish his shop next.
Nuan looked at the whining raccoon guy and quickly limped toward him, placing her hunted hare onto the stone slab between them. "Are you okay, mister?"
"...No... that customer earlier didn’t pay me well..." he sniffled.
But as Nuan leaned over the counter, she spotted a bundle hidden behind him, neatly covered in a nice, wet silk sheet to keep things fresh. Poking out from underneath were bright, exotic fruits.
The raccoon let out a tiny, pitiful mrrrhhh... and hugged his tail tighter. freewebnσvel.cøm
Nobody felt sorry for him. He was clearly acting.
"Yeah? Is that so?" Nuan asked, totally not buying his little sob story. As a survival show host, she had dealt with enough scripted drama to spot a fake breakdown from a mile away.
"Kiiiii..." he whined, his raccoon ears drooping with theatrical sadness.
"Don’t ’kiii’ at me," Nuan said, crossing her arms.
"Kiiii..." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"Shut up!!!" Nuan snapped, pointing a strict finger behind him. "What are those?! I bet that cute cheetah guy actually did pay you, and he paid you with premium fruits he must have freshly collected from the trees! You’re just trying to hide the smell under that wet sheet so no one asks for a discount! You are worse than the fox vendor!"
"Kiii..." he squeaked, his cover completely blown.
Tired of the delay, Kael reached across the slab, grabbed the raccoon by the back of his neck, and placed him firmly onto the stone table. "Hurry up. I need warm clothes for her, not your crying."
"KYAAAA!"
The raccoon beastman dove straight behind a large stone pillar in his tent. "HE’S GOING TO EAT ME!"
Kael blinked, looking down at his empty fist. "I asked you show clothes."
Realizing he wasn’t about to become wolf food, the raccoon nodded frantically. He stepped back up to the counter, finally letting go of his tragic act, and stared Nuan up and down. "What kind of clothes?!"
"Oh, you see, a length like this," Nuan explained, gesturing to a spot just above her knee level. "Something that is easy to move in for running through the brush, and something to fully cover my upper body."
The raccoon nodded, his gaze lingering over her bare arms. "Furless..." he murmured.
"Say that again," Kael barked, leaning his heavy frame over the counter.
"Ack! Furless she is, Alpha... sure! Full coverage clothes, right!" The vendor quickly scrambled backward, pulling out a couple of simple loincloths from his storage.
They were nothing special, just basic pieces made of standard animal skin.
"Too thin," Nuan murmured, checking the structural integrity of the hide. "Show me something warm and fluffy. Something like him," she added, gesturing with her thumb toward Kael, who proudly puffed out his chest at the comparison.
The raccoon nodded and pulled out two pairs of tops made from thick wool.
They looked like sleeveless t-shirts, but they were cropped short, only long enough to cover down to her belly area. Nuan felt the fabric. Uhmm, soft and fluffy.
"Do you have an M size?" she asked out of habit.
The raccoon looked at her in pure confusion. Nuan sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind. These two seem good enough. What about skirts? Do you have a matching wool skirt?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Sucks!" Nuan muttered. She looked around the stall and picked out a few of the sturdier skin-made skirts instead.
"Alright, I’ll take these five skirts and these two wool tops. Tell me the price... no, wait. I’ll give you three hares for the lot."
"It costs five hares!" the raccoon said instantly, his dark eyes flashing with sudden greed.
"Huh? Just because you see five hares in our hands, you’re gonna ask for five?" Nuan scoffed, tapping the counter. "These are premium, very fresh, still-warm hares. Three are more than enough for a bulk trade like this. Are you taking them or not? Because if not, I’ll just take my business somewhere else." She turned around, making a show of walking away on her good leg.
"Wait! Wait! Three hares! Three hares is fine! Please don’t leave!" he called out, stopping her in her tracks as he quickly started folding the clothes into a neat pile.
Nuan smirked over her shoulder, completely thrilled. Oh, bless my mother’s retail bargaining tricks! Works like a charm in every universe.
