| GB | Like a Beast Guarding a Cub | 54
Yu Bai felt something in his palm twitch, and a flush of heat spread across his cheeks, turning his slender neck a deep red.
He withdrew his hand in a fluster and clung to Huo Duo'er's shoulders, stammering, "You... you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his pure and bashful demeanor only made Huo Duo'er's breathing grow heavier.
Sweat rolled down Huo Duo'er's neck and face as he held his mate in his arms, he lowered his head to nuzzle his tall, straight nose against the smooth skin of Yu Bai's neck.
Yu Bai, tickled by the touch, who had been shy just moments ago, now pursed his lips tightly, his eyes and brows brimming with a hint of laughter.
"It tickles..."
Huo Duo'er took a deep breath, his orc eyes blazing with intensity, his voice low and husky.
"Bai, you smell so good."
Yu Bai lowered his face, both shy and obedient. "What do I smell like? I handle herbs often, so I probably smell more like medicine."
In the orc culture, there was no place for subtlety. Huo Duo'er openly expressed his possessiveness and desire for his mate.
Their actions drew cheers and laughter from the surrounding orcs, with some single orcs even adjusting their short loincloths.
One orc reached out and casually scratched inside his loincloth, exclaiming, "Seeing the giant and Bai like this, I can't take it anymore!"
The nearby male orcs nodded in deep agreement.
The weather was hot, and they were sweating profusely, feeling restless. Those with mates had already pulled their partners behind the trees to embrace, while the single ones had no choice but to head to the riverbank to wash themselves.
Yu Bai, his face red, couldn't bear to look. "..."
This world was just too unrestrained.
—
After a brief rest along the way, the orc party continued their journey.
The forest grew denser, and Huo Duo'er still carried Yu Bai as they moved forward.
Taking advantage of his elevated view, Yu Bai could clearly see the colorful insects resting on the leaves. When they encountered thick undergrowth that needed clearing, they proceeded with caution, avoiding as much as possible to prevent disturbing the insect nests hidden within.
Using the position of the sun to estimate the time, Huo Duo'er had the orcs carrying the wooden planks switch places with those guarding the outermost perimeter.
The journey was expected to take about three days. To prepare for any potential dangers along the way, Huo Duo'er wanted the orcs to take turns resting, ensuring that all the males could catch their breath and conserve their strength for any unexpected situations.
At first, all the orcs were chatting and laughing, but as the day progressed, many of them were too busy to talk, focusing on eating and drinking during their breaks.
The sky gradually turned a shade of orange, signaling the approach of evening. They needed to quickly find a suitable place to rest.
Huo Duo'er listened carefully to determine their direction and roughly deduced the location of a nearby water source.
The orcs leading the way suddenly swung their wooden sticks, as if they had punctured something. A buzzing sound filled the air, and dense swarms of black dots began to fly up, indiscriminately attacking the orcs.
"Not good, it's the flying insects!"
"Run, the flying insects are coming—!"
Yu Bai, who had been resting with his eyes closed on Huo Duo'er's shoulder, immediately opened his eyes. He saw swarms of insects flying around, resembling wasps but at least twice as large.
His scalp tingled, and before he could react, Huo Duo'er had already cradled his head and held him close, running while shielding him.
Huo Duo'er shouted, "Don't stop! Drop everything and run forward—!"
The orcs desperately followed the commands and sprinted forward. Some of the males hesitated for a moment, reluctant to leave their belongings behind, and were soon swarmed by a horde of flying insects. They ran around, protecting their heads, tumbling to the ground, and howling in pain.
A large group of flying insects continued to chase the fleeing orcs. The sound of water grew closer. Huo Duo'er observed the surroundings of the water surface and immediately ordered, "Everyone, take cover in the shallow waters of the river! Form small groups of orcs, and don’t let anyone fall behind!"
As the orcs collectively rushed into the riverbank, they used the water to evade the attacks of the flying insects. The waterfowl nearby, drinking and pecking at the water, flapped their wings and flew away.
An orc hiding in the water choked out, "Cha Cha is still over there. What about him? I want to go save him!"
"Don’t talk nonsense! If you go out now, those insects will bite you to death!"
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch Cha Cha and the others die…?"
The flying insects weren’t poisonous, but their bite force was terrifying. If attacked by a swarm, they could easily tear chunks of flesh off, and the insects would burrow relentlessly into the flesh!
Huo Duo'er emerged halfway from the water, his eyes observing the movements of the flying insects.
Worried that Yu Bai couldn’t hold his breath for long, Huo Duo'er occasionally adjusted to a safer position. He moved behind a large rock, lifted his orc partner slightly out of the water, and let him catch his breath.
"Bai, are you okay?" Huo Duo'er couldn’t hide his concern.
Yu Bai struggled to catch his breath. "I-I can still manage."
He swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the flying insects patrolling along the riverbank.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. He grabbed Huo Duo'er’s fingers and said, "I have an idea that might work."
After listening, Huo Duo'er nodded slightly.
He wasn’t comfortable leaving Yu Bai behind, but the urgent task was to find a way to rescue the orcs stranded on the shore.
Yu Bai leaned against the rock, repeatedly testing his ability to hold his breath. His cheeks were wet, looking somewhat pitiful, but his eyes revealed a firm determination.
"First, gather a few fast-moving orcs and go over there. I’ll wait here for you."
The river’s current was gentle, and as long as he didn’t move recklessly, he would be fine for a while.
Huo Duo'er nodded slightly. He called over A’Lin and instructed him to temporarily look after Yu Bai. Then he summoned Mao Mao and a few other males from the hunting team. They grabbed wet mud from the shore and rubbed it on their skin, then used their animal hides to carry large amounts of wet mud as they hurried back the way they came.
Just as Yu Bai had guessed, the flying insects didn’t swarm Huo Duo'er, who was now covered in wet mud. The other males followed suit, smearing mud on themselves and returning to the stranded orcs, covering them with the mud they had brought.
The flying insects reduced their attacks, and Huo Duo'er and the others successfully brought the stranded orcs near the riverbank.
Only when all the flying insects had left did the orcs hiding in the water emerge one by one, dragging their exhausted bodies to rest by the shore.
Night had already fallen, and the sky was pale gray.
As the wind blew, Yu Bai’s hands and feet grew cold.
Huo Duo'er rubbed his hands and blew warm air on them.
His eyes scanned the surroundings, and he said, "Light a fire immediately. A’Lin, take some people to gather firewood nearby. Mao Mao, lead a few orcs to guard the perimeter. Switch shifts between the first and second half of the night, and be on high alert for any movement."
A’Lin and Mao Mao immediately led the orcs away.
Ever since that incident when A’Sen was injured and Huo Duo'er led them back to the tribe, this group of orc warriors had accompanied Huo Duo'er on several hunting expeditions.
They had witnessed the abilities of the giants firsthand and now regarded Huo Duo'er as their leader, following his instructions obediently.
After the fire was lit, Huo Duo'er carried Yu Bai to the side to warm him up.
With the fire, the orcs, who had been in chaos earlier, gradually calmed down, and the coldness in their bodies began to dissipate.
Yu Bai said, "Let's first count the number of people and check the condition of the injured orcs."
Huo Duo'er nodded slightly.
Since few in the tribe knew how to count, Yu Bai planned to rest for a while longer and then take on the task himself.
On the other side, A’Li, who had been organizing things, ran over. A’Li had also smeared mud on himself earlier to go out and rescue people, and he hadn't had time to clean up yet, his face still covered in mud.
"Bai, are you all okay?!" Ali asked.
Yu Bai smiled faintly, "We're fine. How about you?"
A’Li shook his head, grinning, "I followed Huo Duo'er back to rescue our tribesmen!"
When he heard about the need to count the people, he volunteered, "I'll do it!"
A’Li was the orc who had been in contact with Yu Bai the longest in the tribe. Not only had he learned pottery-making and how to cook delicious roasted meat from Yu Bai, but he had also picked up some simple counting.
Huo Duo'er nodded slightly, "Take two familiar tribesmen with you to handle this."
A’Li nodded and hurried off to do it.
—
The firelight illuminated the clearing, and the surrounding darkness was dense. Even if there were predatory beasts lurking, they wouldn't dare to attack rashly, they would be deterred by the fire and the considerable number of orcs.
The thin linen clothes Yu Bai wore in summer dried quickly, and his cheeks were flushed from the heat.
Huo Duo'er had been staying by his side since they returned. After roasting the meat in his hand, he blew on it to cool it slightly and handed the tenderest piece to Yu Bai.
Yu Bai bit into the meat and, after eating half of it, said, "You should eat too, don't just watch me."
He was perceptive and could easily see the worry and self-reproach hidden beneath Huo Duo'er's silent demeanor.
"I'm fine, don't overthink it," he added.
He continued, "Thanks to your protection earlier, the flying insects didn't bite me. And I'm not as weak as you think, okay?"
Huo Duo'er still gazed at him intently and nodded.
Yes, his little mate more resilient and composed than he had imagined. If it hadn't been for Yu Bai's quick thinking, Huo Duo'er wouldn't have immediately thought of smearing wet mud on himself to rescue the stranded orcs.
Huo Duo'er's unsettled emotions gradually calmed under Yu Bai's reassurance.
—
Not long after, A’Li returned and reported the count to them. All the orcs who had gone out were accounted for, and he also updated them on the injuries of the few stranded orcs.
Those orcs had been bitten on their backs and arms by the flying insects, and the wounds were quite extensive and required treatment.
Yu Bai put down his roasted meat, "I'll go check on their condition."
Huo Duo'er followed closely behind him.
Yu Bai found it amusing but let him be.
After the escape earlier that evening, the orcs were exhausted, lying on grass mats, half-asleep, while those who couldn't sleep chatted idly.
They knew that the idea of smearing wet mud on themselves to rescue their tribesmen had come from Yu Bai in a critical moment, and Huo Duo'er had led by example, rushing back to save their people.
Now, the orcs trusted Huo Duo'er and Yu Bai deeply, almost treating them as their leaders.
"Bai, thank you!"
"If Huo Duo'er hadn't rushed back first, Cha Cha might not have made it."
"Those flying insects really hurt when they bit…"
Yu Bai walked up to the injured orcs and, by the light of the fire, first checked to see if their wounds showed any signs of infection.
Fortunately, the orc's robust constitution meant that the wound had only festered slightly from being soaked in water.
When Huo Duo'er went back to rescue the orc, he also brought along the orc's linen bag, which contained some commonly used emergency medicines.
Yu Bai applied anti-inflammatory and hemostatic powder to the wound, gave a few instructions, and was soon picked up by Huo Duo'er.
As it was getting late, Huo Duo'er placed him in his arms, letting him rest his head on his thigh.
The orc's firm and elastic muscles provided a relatively comfortable pillow, and Yu Bai lay down, half-curled in the other's embrace.
Soon, Huo Duo'er covered his belly with a small animal pelt, his large frame forming a protective circle.
Yu Bai felt warmth on his back, and a rough hand gently patted his spine. The orc's eyes, reflecting the firelight, remained lowered, watching him intently.
Soothed into a drowsy state, Yu Bai murmured sleepily, "You should also take some time to rest..."
Huo Duo'er responded in a low voice.
After Yu Bai fell asleep, this giant orc remained awake all night, like a beast guarding its cub, unable to tear his gaze away for even a moment.
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