The leopard cubs were just playing in the vicinity. While Bai Qingqing rubbed Parker’s bruises, she berated them angrily. “You’re not to bite family in the future. If you bite one of them again, you won’t be given food!”
Gazing at their daddy, the leopard cubs made an appearance of washing their faces with their paws. Although it looked like that was indeed what they were doing, the three of them… were actually acting cute.
Bai Qingqing’s mouth twitched a little, but she forced herself to hold back a smile. Putting on a fierce look, she shouted, “Do you hear me?”
Roar~ The cubs buried their faces in their paws in unison.
Cheered up by the rubbing, Parker said as he groaned, “You can just be in charge of doting on them. Leave the disciplining to me.”
The cubs froze in their actions, alarm bells going off in their hearts.
Parker cast a glance at them and said, “In the future, you three will stay on the top of the tree. If you get in the way of Daddy fighting with Winston again, you will go live on another tree!”
Little cubs of several months old felt a closeness to and strong dependency upon their mothers, and this was especially so since they had been breastfed for several months by her. Upon hearing this, all of them wore funeral expressions as though newly bereft of both parents, whimpering pitifully.
The corners of Bai Qingqing’s lips twitched, finding it wondrous that a leopard could actually wear such an expression.
From this day onwards, Parker and Winston were official “enemies.” Whenever they bumped into each other, intense emotions brewed beneath the calm facade. The minute Bai Qingqing turned around, the two beasts would get into a fight. And every time, it ended with Parker becoming nearly crippled.
But sparring with a formidable beastman did benefit him greatly. At least now he was experienced in being beaten up. If in the future he came across an opponent with abilities that rival Winston, he would have greater chances of survival.
Bai Qingqing started building up her body constitution by eating beneficial foods. But after ten-odd days had passed, only her waist appeared thicker, but her belly didn’t much puff up, only seeming meatier.
Perhaps this was because it had only been a short period since her last pregnancy. Her latest possible conception date was one month after she stopped the breastfeeding (Because any later and her period would have come). And it had been more than two months since then.
Ooh… Even if it was Parker’s baby, something seemed off.
Bai Qingqing started worrying. Her gaze fell upon her belly. Although she couldn’t see anything wrong with it, she could indistinctly feel the existence of a little life inside of her.
Curtis watched Bai Qingqing at the tree hole entrance for a long time, before quietly slithering down the tree. Ssss~
“Curtis?” Bai Qingqing looked up at him.
Curtis’s upper body transformed into a human and sat down on the floor. His snake tail landed and went two circles around the tree trunk.
“Don’t worry, it should be mine. Perhaps it’s because you gave birth to the leopard cubs not too long ago, and your body hasn’t yet been restored to its prime condition. Sensing that you don’t have sufficient nutrition in your body to nourish them, the babies will temporarily stop growing.”
Bai Qingqing was stunned to learn about this. “Can that happen?”
Peculiar.
“Then, how long can it be delayed for?”
“Several months, perhaps even several years. When you’re ready, they will be born,” Curtis said. He then pinched the flab at Bai Qingqing’s waist. Usually, when fetuses stopped growing, it was because their mothers were too thin. Clearly, it was not the case with his Snow.
Curtis added, “There’s another possibility.”
“What?” asked Bai Qingqing immediately.
“This is a female baby,” said Curtis.
Bai Qingqing bolted upright instantly, feeling invigorated by this suggestion. “What? Female baby? You mean those that are born in their human forms?”
“Mm.”
Bai Qingqing beamed and caressed her tummy, saying delightedly, “Then, how long will the pregnancy last if it’s a female?”
“Nearly a year.”
“That’s the same for us.” Bai Qingqing said, “But for us, the pregnancy period of a baby boy and girl differ only by a few days. And male babies are frail and delicate as female babies.”
Joy was evident in Bai Qingqing’s voice as she said with a grin, “Great. I’ll finally be able to give birth to a baby that can speak with me.”
After a halt, Bai Qingqing smacked her own head and said, “Oh, shucks!”