Jojo scouted his surroundings the moment he slipped out of the shed. Since his savior told him not to go outside, the least he could do was avoid alerting any enemies.
Once the path was clear, Jojo dashed away with all his might. His sharp nose made it easy to pick up the scent of berries. He still remembered the smell of the ones his father gave him, so he carefully chose the black berries, as they had the same scent and taste from the ones his father gave him.
After gathering enough in his mouth, he sprinted back toward the shed. He leaped onto the haystack, spat the berries out, and shapeshifted back into his human form.
Before squeezing the juice, Jojo picked one berry and ate it, just in case it was poisonous.
His father had taught him never to feed his family anything he hadn't eaten first, hurting a loved one was the worst sin for a beastman.
"Mm, no poison!" Jojo nodded approvingly. He gathered the berries in his hands, gently opened his savior's mouth, and squeezed out the juice, making sure she drank it all.
It didn't take long for Sisi's fever to dissipate, and her complexion already looked much better.
But the bruises remained, and they distressed Jojo deeply. His father had never taught him how to treat injuries. As beastmen, they healed quickly. If they were hurt, they simply licked their wounds, and if something was too severe, his father said he would take him to a beastman healer.
Unfortunately, his father had never actually taken him to one, so Jojo had no idea what a healer would do.
Jojo hesitated, pacing restlessly in his little mind as he tried to figure out how to help.
In the end, he decided to shift back into his wolf form and gently lick the fresh wounds on her face. He didn't know whether it would work for a human, but it was the only method he knew of.
Once her face was thoroughly coated with his saliva, Jojo finally felt relieved. He curled up beside her, hoping his presence would soothe her pain, just as his father had once told him:
You don't need to treat my wound, Jojo. Just stay by my side, and I'll feel better.
**
Sisi woke earlier than usual. She felt far better than she had the previous nights; the fever was mild, and the pain from her wounds had lessened.
But her face felt sticky, so the first thing that came to her mind after she woke up was, 'Did I just drool all over my face? I hope Jojo didn't see it, so embarrassing…'
After regaining clarity, she immediately scanned the shed, searching for the wolf boy.
"Ah, there you are!" Sisi found the little cub curled up asleep beside her. She patted his head, and he whimpered softly, curling up even tighter. It was obvious he hadn't gotten enough sleep.
Sisi smiled and wanted to pat him more, but her smile froze when she tasted something sour and slightly sweet in her mouth. She noticed crushed berries scattered on the haystack.
She raised her brows. Those berries were commonly used to treat fevers. Her orphanage often relied on them because medicine was scarce, so they used herbal remedies unless the illness was severe.
'Did he go out last night to get these for me?' Sisi wondered. She felt a little upset that the wolf cub disobeyed her, but also grateful that he had gone out just to treat her.
She was also startled to realize that beastmen's herbal remedies weren't that different from humans'.
'That means I can use the medicine Mr. Piker has, if Jojo ever gets sick. I can use regular herbal treatments on him too,' Sisi thought.
Sisi had learned a great deal about herbal medicine in the orphanage, sick toddlers required delicate care, and the nurses had taught her everything they could.
She looked up. Dawn hadn't arrived yet, but she needed to move quickly. She had to complete her chores and return to the shed with breakfast for the little wolf boy.
**
Mr. Piker woke much earlier than usual. Typically, he rose an hour after dawn, yet today he was awake at dawn.
He stared at Sisi with bloodshot eyes, suspicious and irritable, as she prepared breakfast. It looked as though he had barely slept.
Sisi stiffened. Seeing him looming menacingly while she worked put her instinctively on guard. She didn't want to appear suspicious, so she asked carefully, "I-Is something wrong, Sir?"
"Bruno barked all night near my window. Thought it was an intruder, but there was nothing there. Damn dog must be getting old," Mr. Piker muttered.
Sisi's body went rigid.
Bruno was one of the farm dogs, excellent at detecting intruders, especially foxes and wolves.
He had detected an intruder last night.
But that intruder was Jojo.
The dog must've caught the scent when Jojo slipped outside for the berries. Since Jojo was hiding inside the horse shed, Bruno hadn't gone in, because predators like foxes and wolves usually targeted sheep and chickens, not horses.
"M-Maybe he was just hungry, Sir," Sisi suggested, trying to divert suspicion.
But Mr. Piker suddenly narrowed his eyes on her. "Did something happen while I was asleep?"
"I don't know, Sir. Don't you remember? I fainted the whole night. You saw it yourself."
"Hrm… you're right," Mr. Piker grunted. He remembered seeing her passed out after beating her to a pulp, yet the feeling of suspicion nagged at him anyway.
Especially after he noticed a few strands of white fur tangled in Sisi's hair.
Mr. Piker smirked suddenly and turned away. "Make me a coffee. I've got something to do today."