Rowan stared blankly for a moment as Leo transformed; the fur of the big cat shimmered under the sunlight.
Rowan's expression twisted briefly. It turned out this world was full of animals turning into humans, and he was the only normal person.
At this moment, Rowan truly realized that he had left the Empire, the place that had raised him, a place he could never return to.
Rowan watched indifferently as the two figures fought fiercely, observing coldly from the side. This was also a point he found baffling; he didn't know why these two men were so enthusiastic about him, even though it was clearly their first meeting.
He really couldn't understand, but one thing was certain: he had some value to them, and this point needed further investigation.
Owen and Leo, two beasts, rushed into a life-and-death struggle, every move aiming for vital points. Before long, wounds on both became increasingly visible, fresh blood flowing all over the ground.
As time passed, the disparity became more apparent; Leo's combat experience was clearly a notch below Owen's, and he soon fell into a disadvantage.
Owen didn't want to drag things out with him, so he unleashed a "Death Twist" move, instantly depriving Leo of his combat ability. The air in his lungs was compressed suddenly, suffocating the beast.
At this moment, Beastmen rushing over from behind charged up to rescue him. Owen had to let go of Leo, distracted to deal with them.
Actually, today Leo had led other Beastmen out to stock up on prey for the Snow Season. Because his speed was too fast, the other Beastmen couldn't keep up, so they let him go ahead to scout the path.
In this situation, Owen didn't want to get entangled with them, so he looked for an opportunity to break the encirclement, quickly taking Rowan, who was standing aside, away.
Seeing this, Leo shouted: "Save the Omegina first, don't let him get his way."
Only then did the other Beastmen see that small and weak Omegina, immediately sparking everyone's outrage.
Unfortunately, in the face of racial advantages, the Snow Leopard Clan was still a bit inferior. By the time they reacted, Owen had already flown Rowan towards the Lost Forest.
The Beastmen chased frantically on the ground, hearts aching as if cut; another Omegina had fallen into the hands of the Silver-Winged Snake Clan.
Leo's speed barely kept up, but looking at Owen's route, he felt something was wrong.
Sure enough, when Owen entered the Lost Forest, Leo had to give up, watching with a heavy expression as Owen took Rowan further away.
He turned and left, bringing the news back to the tribe.
Owen confirmed that the troublesome group of Beastmen was no longer chasing, so he circled a few times in the Lost Forest before taking Rowan back to the cave.
Rowan was helpless; for the first time, he became a fat piece of meat that everyone wanted to snatch, while he hadn't even understood the reason yet.
Back at the cave, Owen blocked the entrance tightly again in frustration, not giving Rowan any chance to leave him.
Owen stared at Rowan: "Did you want to go back to their tribe with him just now?"
"A little bit, but I was just curious." Rowan indeed wanted to learn about the tribe Leo mentioned, but not to go there to live.
To him, Leo was even more of a stranger than Owen. He wasn't naive enough to follow anyone just because they looked human.
Moreover, he now understood that there were basically no humans here, all were beasts.
Staying with Owen was actually safer; after all, he was the first Beastman he met here and treated him quite well.
Seeing Rowan hadn't given up the idea, Owen didn't know what to do for a moment. He paced back and forth in the cave restlessly, thinking of ways to make Rowan give up the idea of returning to the tribe.
Finally, he still said firmly to Rowan: "I won't let you go anywhere, don't even dream about it. Be obedient and stay here, otherwise, you won't step outside for the rest of your life."
Regardless of what Rowan thought, Owen would not give up the Omegina he had picked up with such difficulty. He could only be his.
"I'm not following him, just curious, don't overreact like that."
Rowan didn't care at all about Owen's threat; he had never been controlled by anyone before. What he wanted to do depended only on whether he wanted to or not.
However, for now, he still wanted to stay here first. Having someone willing to feed him for free, he also wanted to see what Owen intended to do.
After all, he still didn't fully understand this world; having a familiar local by his side was quite convenient. He glanced at the bunch of Dragon Claw Vegetables he brought back.
He forgave the Beastman for being unreasonable with him right now, although having his personal freedom restricted was indeed very annoying.
Rowan turned and told Owen to process this bunch of freshly picked Dragon Claw Vegetables, to try and see if they were edible.
Seeing this, Owen felt somewhat relieved, but wasn't very sure about the Dragon Claw Vegetables in his hand. He knew this thing wasn't poisonous, but he didn't know how to cook it.
Owen put the washed Dragon Claw Vegetables into the meat soup pot to cook together. After it was cooked, he tasted a piece, found it passable, and scooped some into a stone bowl for Rowan.
Rowan tasted it; although not as surprising as the last time, the crunchy texture was quite delicious. Eating it with cotton fruit also had a unique flavor.
Finally getting a meal that suited his taste, he didn't bicker with Owen anymore.
These past few days, he had obediently stayed in the cave watching Owen busy back and forth. Seeing Rowan obedient every day, Owen became even more enthusiastic.
However, Rowan still wanted to go see what that tribe looked like.
Meanwhile, at the Snow Leopard tribe, the news Leo brought back had shrouded the entire tribe in a layer of gloom.
"Everyone, speak your thoughts." A deep, hoarse voice tinged with faint weathering rang out. The Snow Leopard Clan Chief, Raison, was the most respected person in the tribe.
In his youth, Raison was the strongest warrior in the tribe, not only powerful but also possessing extraordinary leadership abilities, leading the tribe to grow to its current scale.
Now that the chief was old, his son Leo would very likely inherit the position of chief.
"The Omegina must certainly be saved, but the Silver-Winged Snake Clan hides very well, and moreover, they live in no fixed place; we might not necessarily find them," Elder Kain said worriedly.
"Leo has been searching in the Lost Forest for four or five days without seeing any trace of them; there is still no news back." The tribe's only Shaman, Tis, thought of the Omeginas deceived from the tribe in the past and couldn't help but feel heartache.
"Who knows, maybe that hateful Silver-Winged Snake Clan member has already taken the Omegina away from there." A young Beastman said.
Thinking of the slim possibility of searching, the Beastmen summoned to discuss rescuing the Omegina fell silent, everyone immersed in the pain of losing an Omegina.
"Then let's wait for Leo to return and discuss further." Chief Raison also had no better way; the tribe had clashed with the Silver-Winged Snake Clan several times.
Mainly because the Silver-Winged Snake Clan was too cunning and good at hiding; since ancient times, their ancestors had wandered on the fringes of tribes, making the four seas their home.
They also didn't have their own tribal civilization, but that created a generation of Beastmen where any survivor was a strong individual.
No one knew the numbers of this clan; wanting to exterminate them was also extremely difficult.
At this time, Leo returned covered in dust after searching outside for a long time; everyone surrounded him to ask.
The Beastmen who returned with him were not happy at all; on the contrary, they wore heavy expressions.
It seemed they hadn't found them; everyone lowered their heads in disappointment.