Patting the little chubby cub, the Shaman sighed, "This cub’s three legs are broken. You must understand, cubs cannot transform if their bones are injured. You really need to consider his future!"
Ge Xing fell silent.
The little lion cub was seriously injured. If no Orc family took him in, he wouldn’t survive.
But no Orc family would be willing to adopt a cub that could not transform, for a life stuck in beast form was no different from a real beast.
Lei Er and Xiu Li arrived quickly, even Aunt Ge Rou followed them. They had heard from Lei Er about the little lion on their way.
The first thing Xiu Li did upon entering the cave was to approach the little lion cub. He carefully sniffed the scent on the cub, his eyes complex, "This cub truly has Xiu Yan’s scent, but it’s already faint."
Looking at the cub’s injured hind leg, "Xiu Yan Jr. must have rescued him from the Sharp-Toothed Beast Group," he suggested.
He didn’t glance at the cub again, pulling Ge Rou aside and walking away.
Their own cub is dead, and seeing the little Orc who was likely saved by their own son would only bring them pain. It’s best to keep such things out of sight, out of mind.
The beasts failed to notice the sadness in the little lion’s eyes. His freshly cleaned, slightly damp ears drooped disconsolately on his round head.
Ge Xing and the Shaman exchanged glances. Coughing lightly, Ge Xing tentatively asked, "What if I take the cub back to where Ji Nuan found him? His beast parents might be looking for him."
The Shaman shook her head: "Given how chubby this cub is, he was well taken care of. His parents must have cared for him deeply. The injury looks at least a day old, and given the excellent sense of smell of the Orcs, it’s impossible they haven’t found him yet."
Everyone understood the likely truth: this cub’s beast parents were probably no longer alive.
But it was impossible for the little Orc to stay in the tribe. Every family in the tribe was barely making ends meet, even Clan Leader’s family only had just enough food to get through the winter. Most Orc families were going hungry.
Without anyone to take him in, how could this cub survive?
Neither Lei Yun nor Lei Er spoke. The food was allocated by Lei Er’s mother, who had more than one mate, and couldn’t allow him to bring home an Orc cub that would never transform.
The cub listened to the conversation among the Orcs. He attempted to stand but was interrupted by a soft voice, "Grandma Shaman, Uncle Tribal Chief, if possible, let me adopt the little lion."
Ji Nuan’s voice rang out at that moment, causing everyone to look at her in shock.
The Shaman puckered her brows: "Shan Zaizai, you are not even sure if you can survive the winter and now you want to raise this cub, what about your food..."
Ji Nuan knew what Grandma Shaman was worried about. Gently stroking the cub’s round head, she quietly said, "I don’t know if I can survive this winter, and Grandma Shaman, you know I can’t bear children and will never have a mate."
"So I thought, I might as well adopt this cub. He can keep me company, and if one day I go meet the Beast God, at least he will be there with me. That way, I will not become a burden to others in the tribe."