| GB | Spring Is Coming | 40
The firewood in the stone basin had been replenished once and was now burning vigorously, continuously sending warmth toward the bedside.
Yu Bai was already awake. After Huo Duo'er returned, he had been unusually lazy, comfortably lounging in bed. Sharing his laziness was the orc who held him close.
Through several layers of animal hides, his leg was pinned by Huo Duo'er, and the large hand resting on his waist and abdomen couldn't help but knead, seemingly wanting to venture deeper.
Huo Duo'er lowered his head, repeatedly nuzzling his mate's ear, smooth and tender, then couldn't resist opening his mouth to nibble on it. Just as he sucked on the soft earlobe, he was immediately pushed away by a small, delicate hand.
Yu Bai pushed Huo Duo'er's face, his palm filled with the hot breath the other exhaled.
In the past, he would always avoid such situations, but this time he didn't...
His heart was in turmoil, somewhat irritable, and filled with an indescribable joy.
But shame ultimately took over, and whenever Huo Duo'er got close, he trembled as if scalded.
Yu Bai had no choice but to burrow into the animal hides, wrapping himself tightly like a cocoon, wriggling a few times.
After a while, his voice muffled and hoarse, he spoke: "If... if you keep doing this, I won't sleep with you anymore..."
Perhaps this threat worked on Huo Duo'er, as the other remained motionless.
Yu Bai glanced toward the obvious bulge, then immediately hid his face in the animal hides.
Huo Duo'er wasn't even wearing the shorts he had made.
Blushing, he almost shouted in urging: "Go take care of it yourself!"
Huo Duo'er's beastly eyes stared at his curled-up mate, intense and fierce, filled with a domineering air, but eventually, it all receded like a tide.
Suddenly, he lowered his head, pulled aside the animal hides, and nuzzled Yu Bai's neck, his nose pressing against the slender neck as he took a deep breath, as if venting.
Yu Bai was stunned. Huo Duo'er released him, turned around, and picked up the neatly folded square of animal hide, wrapping it in his palm.
The tall giant sat at the head of the bed, legs spread wide, his breathing growing heavier, his gaze fixed intently on him.
Yu Bai felt like he was being cooked under that stare...
Until a lingering scent filled the air, and the orc let out a heavy breath, then got up to fetch water.
Yu Bai...
He was dazed and didn't dare to look around. When the sound of water stopped, Huo Duo'er picked up the shorts at the foot of the bed and put them on.
His large hand patted his cocooned mate, his voice deep and dark, carrying a sense of unfulfilled desire: "Bai, get up and eat something."
Yu Bai let out a muffled sound, waiting until the surroundings were quiet before revealing his dark, watery eyes.
Huo Duo'er hadn't left; he was sitting at the head of the bed, waiting for him.
Yu Bai's eyelashes fluttered as he noticed the bloodshot eyes of the giant: "You... you're done, right?"
The fire in the stone basin burned brightly, but the giant who had just returned from the winter hunt had a fire within him that was even fiercer.
He had been frightened by Huo Duo'er earlier.
In the past, there had been some restraint, but now...
Yu Bai felt both embarrassed and a little guilty.
He didn't say a word even after finishing the meal. Huo Duo'er, being a man of few words, made the room even quieter.
"Woo—woo—"
A tender cry came from the corner, breaking the tense atmosphere between the two.
Yu Bai picked up the yak-wolf cub that had rolled down from the haystack.
The little cub could now open its eyes. After resting in the shelter overnight and eating some meat, its strength had partially recovered.
Yu Bai flipped over the wolf pup's limbs to examine them when suddenly his finger felt wet—the pup had bitten down on the tip of his finger.
His mind went blank, but before he could react, Huo Duo'er acted faster. He pressed his thumb and index finger together and forced them into the pup's mouth to make it open wide.
The pup whimpered a few times, drool spilling all over the ground.
Huo Duo'er tossed the pup aside and picked up Yu Bai's bitten finger to inspect it.
"Are you hurt?"
Yu Bai: "...I'm fine."
The pad of his finger, which had been in the pup's mouth, was just a bit wet with no other wounds. When the pup had opened its mouth, its tender teeth had lightly pressed against him but hadn't bitten down.
Seeing the giant's tense expression, Yu Bai felt a warmth in his heart. He had always been good-natured, and the awkwardness he had felt earlier in the morning vanished in an instant.
Huo Duo'er still held his finger, his gaze turning cold as it swept toward the pup lying beside the haystack.
Seeing that Huo Duo'er seemed to have murderous intent, Yu Bai quickly went over, picked up the pup, and patted its head. "It's still young, and it didn't bite me just now. If we give it some food and water, there's still a chance to tame it."
The yak wolf pup had only been brought back a day ago, and Yu Bai would feel it was a pity if it were killed.
Huo Duo'er said, "It can't be tamed."
Yu Bai smiled softly. "We've only been together for less than a night."
He added, "If it really tries to bite someone, then you can deal with it, and I won't say a word. I promise I won't interfere."
Yu Bai moved closer to Huo Duo'er, his eyes sparkling.
"After all, it's a gift you gave me."
Hearing his mate say this, even Huo Duo'er's hardened heart softened.
He nodded slightly, his gaze seemingly drawn to the shimmering light in Yu Bai's eyes.
It was at this moment that Huo Duo'er said, "Bai, you've grown taller."
Yu Bai looked a bit silly. "Huh?!"
He bent down to put the pup on the ground, then circled around the giant a few times before raising his arm to measure.
"I really have grown a bit taller."
Yu Bai's eyes were filled with a smile, unable to hide his joy.
He thought for a moment. "Could it be that the leg pain I felt recently was just me overthinking? Maybe it wasn't because of an illness but... because I was growing taller?"
Although the increase in height wasn't very noticeable, after Huo Duo'er mentioned it, Yu Bai paid special attention and felt quite satisfied with the current situation.
His current height was probably around 174 cm. If he could just grow a few more centimeters, even though this height wouldn't stand out in the orc world, this small change had already fulfilled his wish.
Yu Bai picked up a piece of burnt charcoal from under the stove, then walked over to a smooth corner of the wall. He marked a line at the height of his head to measure his growth.
In the half-month that Huo Duo'er had been away, Yu Bai had kept the house clean and tidy.
The giant looked puzzled, stomping his foot on the dirt floor a few times.
"Bai, what is this?"
"In winter, it's inconvenient to go outside, and I had nothing better to do. I used stones to compact the dirt floor inside the house. Even if it gets wet, the floor won't turn too muddy."
He added, "When the weather gets warmer and conditions improve, I'll prepare some wooden planks, cut them to the right size, and lay them on the floor. Then, when winter comes, we can even put a layer of carpet on the wooden floor."
Huo Duo'er had never thought of doing something like this. His eyes burned with intensity, and he felt a strong urge to pick up his mate and do something.
Yu Bai met the giant's gaze, his chest tightening. "You..."
Before he could finish speaking, a series of horn sounds echoed through the tribe, sounding five times before stopping.
Huo Duo'er: "That's the chief's signal to summon the warriors."
Yu Bai wrapped himself in the wolf fur cloak and was carried out the door in the other's arms.
It wasn't snowing, just a bit of wind was blowing.
The chief had already ordered the hunted prey to be butchered. The orc party that went out received their rewards first, each obtaining forty stones of meat. After deducting the five stones of meat they had to pay each month, they ended up with thirty-five stones of meat in total.
The rest of the meat was mostly allocated to the tribe, with the other orcs only receiving a small portion.
The watching orcs were filled with envy, while the female orcs who came with their males to collect the meat straightened their backs, proudly showing off the strength and bravery of their males.
The chief smiled and said, "I hope the tribe will produce more warriors."
The horn blasts gathered all the orcs to the center, letting them witness the distribution of meat to the returning orcs, all to stimulate their competitive spirit.
With jealousy and competition, they could become stronger, forming an indestructible force within the tribe.
The strength of the males meant that other orc tribes would not dare to invade, and their tribe could take in more tribes seeking protection, or even conquer and seize more resources.
Yu Bai's gaze shifted from the chief's smiling face. At that moment, Huo Duo'er was carrying a large piece of meat, fresh blood and grease dripping from it, making it inconvenient to continue holding him.
Yu Bai followed by his side, returning to the courtyard. First, he collected the remaining blood from the pork in a jar, processed it slightly, and stored the entire piece of meat in the cellar.
Huo Duo'er rubbed his hands with pig pancreas soap, splashing cold water on the back of his hands, causing his knuckles to turn red immediately.
Yu Bai said, "There's hot water in the pot."
He brought some, mixed it with cold water, and when it felt warm, he let Huo Duo'er wash with the warm water.
"Huo Duo'er, your hair has grown again."
After the trip, Huo Duo'er's hair and beard had grown significantly, making him look quite rough and wild.
Yu Bai found the stone knife with a handle: "Let's trim your hair, or you'll look like a savage."
Huo Duo'er had no objections, casually pulling some dry grass to spread on the ground, bending one leg to make it easier for Yu Bai to approach him.
The wolf cub was rolling around in the pile of dry grass, having lost a small portion of it, it didn't dare to growl or protest, it hid far away and peeking at the two-legged creatures with its small eyes.
The larger two-legged creature rarely made a sound, but he was strong, capable of snapping its neck with a single finger.
The smaller two-legged creature was holding something, touching the larger one's head, muttering words it couldn't understand.
Huo Duo'er half-crouched, as if yielding to Yu Bai, his arms wrapping around the soft and slender waist, letting the stone knife cut his hair, revealing sharp and deep features.
Yu Bai touched the back of Huo Duo'er's neck, blowing on it: "I accidentally nicked the skin, it's bleeding."
Huo Duo'er: "It doesn't hurt."
But the warm breaths caused the muscles on his arms to bulge.
Without the messy black hair and beard to obscure his face, Huo Duo'er's eyes revealed a more predatory gaze, making Yu Bai's heart skip a beat. He pushed away the arm around his waist and ran off to cut some meat scraps to feed the wolf cub.
He crouched in the corner, not daring to look around.
After returning from the winter hunt, Huo Duo'er seemed ready to devour him at any moment.
The last remnants of winter quietly slipped away, and the wind blowing into the tribe gradually carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, along with the lingering smell of beasts after expending their energy.
The ice along the riverbank had melted, and the water flowing from the distant mountains was dotted with green leaves.
Spring had arrived.
The first few days of spring were also the most restless time for the orc tribe.
As the sky brightened with a grayish hue, Yu Bai woke up in pain.
Without even opening his eyes, he patted the arm wrapped tightly around him.
In recent days, Huo Duo'er had been holding him with increasing strength, and each time Yu Bai mentioned it, he would let go.
But today, after Yu Bai spoke, Huo Duo'er did release him, yet the animal hide blanket covering his feet suddenly lifted, and the arm that had been around his waist shifted to a new position.
Yu Bai moved his foot but couldn’t pull it back in time, and instead they were bent into a straight line.
His heart tightened, and he lifted the animal blanket, sitting up halfway with his legs tense.
The room was dim, and Huo Duo'er rarely wore animal robes when resting with him, preferring to warm him with his hot chest.
At this moment, Huo Duo'er’s shoulders and back resembled undulating hills, and with his nose sniffing, Yu Bai found himself unable to move.
Outside, faint, embarrassing sounds could be heard, and Yu Bai felt dazed and hot.
When he tried to kick Huo Duo'er away, he swallowed a moan.
Yu Bai trembled in his restrained body, feeling as though a piece of flesh might have been torn from his leg.
“Mmm…”
The yak-wolf cub nestled in the haystack lifted its small head, unable to understand what the two-legged creature was doing.
In spring, its wolf father would grab the back of its mother’s neck, and many others would do the same.
But the big two-legged creature wasn’t grabbing the small one’s neck.
The wolf cub licked its soft belly, wondering what there was to grab underneath.
The big two-legged creature pressed down on the smaller one, sniffing and licking at a soft, pink-like crevice.
--
Yu Bai kicked hard, his foot landing on Huo Duo'er's face.
Huo Duo'er turned his head, his body drenched in sweat, but he didn’t dodge or get angry. Instead, he silently stared at Yu Bai, swallowing repeatedly.
Yu Bai was both angry and scared, yet he had no strength left.
He tried to curl his damp legs back, tightening his hips, his entire body enveloped in a strong scent.
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