Nance was lost in his daydreams, imagining how wonderful it would be if he could always watch over her and stay by her side.
Unfortunately...
It was just his wishful thinking.
"Hmm, why haven't you rested? You have wounds, and resting more will help you recover faster," Si Lu said, looking at the rabbit.
Seeing the rabbit's white fur stained with blood, she couldn't help but frown slightly, feeling a bit concerned.
She hadn't expected that the rabbit could endure so much!
The wounds, both on his back and abdomen, were claw marks. Since his body was small, the wounds appeared smaller but were still significant.
Who knew how long it would take for these injuries to heal?
It looked painful.
"I'm not sleepy."
"Don't worry. Male beastmen recover quickly, especially in beast form. In a few days, I'll be able to move around again," Nance assured her, his gaze serious.
He could clearly see the concern and sympathy in her eyes, which made him feel a little happier.
"Alright, rest well these next few days and try to recover quickly. I don't want to see such a cute rabbit looking so pitiful all the time," Si Lu said.
She stood up and walked over to the basket, still eyeing the pink-eared rabbit with joy in her eyes.
As she said before, how could anyone not like such an adorable creature?
Especially one with pink ears! It was truly unique.
Si Lu's gaze was filled with happiness as she looked at the rabbit, and before she realized it, she reached out to stroke his pink ears.
When she realized what she had done, she quickly recovered.
"Ahem, I just thought you were really cute and wanted to pet your ears. Is that alright?" Si Lu said, half asking, half talking to herself.
She didn't think petting a rabbit's ear would be a big deal.
Besides, Nance was in his beast form, just a cute rabbit at the moment.
"Can I call you Lu Lu?" Nance asked nervously, his eyes fixed on her.
He really wanted to call her that.
"Sure, we're friends now after all," Si Lu nodded.
"Lu Lu, you can pet me as much as you want. You saved my life. My life is yours, so touching my ears is nothing," Nance said earnestly, his eyes glowing.
Yes, she had saved his life, so his life belonged to her now.
But...
"No, no, there's no need for that. It wasn't me who saved you; it was my beast husbands. And once you recover, you're free to leave whenever you like. We won't force you to repay us," Si Lu explained.
She didn't want to come across as overbearing.
Saving someone didn't mean they had to repay with their life.
Plus, Nance might have family somewhere, and she didn't want to force someone to stay separated from them.
After all, saving him was just something anyone else would have done too, so there was no need to make a big deal out of it.
"No, your husbands saved me, which means you saved me. My life is yours now. I don't have any family, so returning to the tribe doesn't matter to me. Besides, I want to follow you," Nance said, his eyes filled with sincerity as he looked at Si Lu.
Yes!
He had no family, so it didn't matter if he returned to the tribe or not.
He wanted to follow his heart.
"I want to be your follower!" Nance spoke again, his voice cautious and filled with hope.
After saying this, he became nervous and didn't dare to look at Si Lu's expression.
He was afraid she would get angry, or worse, disgusted with him. But he had no other choice.
He didn't want to leave her.
Si Lu finally understood.
This guy wanted to become her beast husband and mate with her.
But why? Was it because they had saved him?
But it wasn't even her who saved him—it was Song Zhan, Cheng Mo, Hei Yao, and the others.
In fact, it wasn't really a rescue. They just dealt with a threat that had appeared near them and saved him in passing.
There was no need to offer his life just to repay them.
She liked this unique rabbit, but she didn't want to keep him as a pet through this kind of arrangement! It just didn't feel right.
"Honestly, there's no need for this. My husbands saved you as part of their duty, and just because I like rabbits doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself to become my pet. That wouldn't be fair to you."
"You don't need to worry about repaying us. Just consider it a simple act of kindness. Once you're fully healed, you can decide whatever you want to do. For now, focus on getting better, okay? I'll go check on Bai Di," Si Lu said, and then left the cave.
Outside, she saw Bai Di busy around the campfire, her heart filling with affection.
"Bai Di, you're working so hard. Actually, all of you have been working so hard," Si Lu said, feeling grateful.
They were always taking care of everything, while she hardly had to lift a finger.
"You shouldn't say that. We're family, and we're your mates. It's our duty. Besides, I enjoy doing this. The ones who really work hard are Hei Yao, Cheng Mo, and Song Zhan, out there hunting. They're the ones in danger," Bai Di said with a smile.
Indeed.
All he did was cook and start a fire, which was easy compared to hunting.
"You're right. I'm so lucky to have all of you!" Si Lu said, her smile radiating joy.
After all, with them around, everything was taken care of perfectly. She didn't have to worry about anything.
"What about the rabbit? What do you plan to do with him?" Bai Di asked.
He had overheard their conversation in the cave earlier but still wanted to ask.
"What do you mean? Once he's healed, he can make his own decision," Si Lu replied.
She sat on the fur Bai Di had laid out for her, warming herself by the fire as she spoke.
"What if he wants to follow us?" Bai Di asked again.
He wanted to know what Si Lu really thought.
Did she like the rabbit? Did she want to keep him?
"If he wants to follow us, then let him. It's his choice. I don't mind either way," Si Lu said while eating some dried shrimp.
She didn't think much of it.
If Nance wanted to follow them, it was fine. She wouldn't chase him away.
In fact, if he stuck around, he might be able to help Cheng Mo and the others, making their lives a little easier.
Besides, she did like petting his pink ears. They were soft and fluffy, and she found them quite adorable.
She looked at her hand, remembering how it had felt to touch his ears earlier, and a small smile played on her lips.