Thread on the Tree

第4話 Inside the cave

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Deafening tiger roars continued to emanate from outside the cave but quickly subsided. Inside the cave, beside the belly of a large, fiery red tiger, lay four newly born tiger cubs. Three of them had fur as fiery red as their mother’s, but one was black and white. This black and white cub emitted an ancient aura that kept the other three cubs from approaching it. The mother tiger was so weak that she could only lie on the ground, unable to muster any strength to care about giving birth to a black and white cub.

Outside the cave, Chen Hu witnessed the birth of the four cubs and informed Li Shu and about it.

"Village Chief, should we lure the weakened tiger out now?" Chen Hu jumped down from the tree and asked Li Shu and softly. The tiger was now extremely weak and posed no threat to them, making it the perfect time to kill it.

"Yes, lead the hunting party to kill it now, but make sure not to harm the newly born cubs," Li Shu and said as he looked towards the cave. He could clearly sense that the tiger’s aura had weakened to an extreme.

"Alright, let's go," Chen Hu received permission from Li Shu and, then quietly led the hunting party with their big knives towards the cave, planning to take the tiger by surprise and kill it.

"Uncle Chen, be careful!" Little Qin Sa watched as the hunting party, each holding a big knife, quietly approached the cave and shouted. Now, only he and Li Shu and were left at the original spot.

"Don't worry, your Uncle Chen and the others will be fine," Li Shu and gently stroked Qin Sa’s head and said softly. He then turned his gaze towards the cave, constantly praying that no accidents would happen, as this was a demon beast they were dealing with.

Outside the cave, Chen Hu and the six others hid to the side of the cave, observing the tiger inside. Time passed, but they only heard weak breathing, not a single roar.

"Chief, it seems the beast is asleep. We can take this opportunity to kill it and take away its four cubs," a strong man in grey clothes whispered, holding his big knife tightly.

"Alright, everyone be careful. I’m worried it might launch a sudden attack," Chen Hu whispered, seeing the cave was very quiet. He then took the lead, slowly moving forward.

Inside the cave, they saw various animal bones and blood stains, indicating that the tiger had been there for a long time without being discovered.

"Chief, look, they’re sleeping over there," a man in grey clothes whispered, pointing to the tiger and its cubs nursing under its belly.

"Alright, everyone keep quiet and be careful. We’ll move slowly," Chen Hu said softly, gripping his big knife as he moved forward, with the others following closely.

Crack!

One of the men accidentally stepped on a bone, sending chills down everyone’s spines. They turned to glare at him, cold sweat dripping down their faces.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It was an accident," the man kept whispering apologies, his face twisted with fear as he saw a ferocious tiger behind them, its eyes filled with bloodlust and its mouth full of sharp teeth.

"Be-be-be-be-be… behind you," the man stuttered in terror, pointing behind them, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Everyone felt a cold chill down their spines as if they were being watched by something terrifying.

"Slash!!!" Chen Hu roared, turning swiftly to swing his big knife, sensing the tiger was just a few meters behind him.

Splat! Roar! Roar! Roar!

Chen Hu’s knife struck the tiger's chest, making it howl in pain as blood gushed from the wound, shocking the hunting party.

"Run!!!" Chen Hu shouted, urging everyone to flee the cave. The weakened but still ferocious tiger chased them, driven by its maternal instinct to protect its cubs despite its exhaustion.

Outside the cave, Qin Sa and Li Shu and heard the tiger’s roar and quickly hid in the bushes. They saw Chen Hu and the hunting party running out, heading towards the traps they had set earlier.

"Everyone, head to the traps, quick!!!" Chen Hu shouted, leading the way. The hunting party followed, running towards the trap zone.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

The tiger emerged from the cave, its gaze locking onto Chen Hu as it charged forward, oblivious to Qin Sa and Li Shu and hiding in the bushes.

"Grandpa, the tiger is chasing Uncle Chen and the others. We should help them," Qin Sa said, watching the tiger chase after Chen Hu and the others.

"Silly child, you’re too small to help. Let’s go to the cave and take the tiger cubs," Li Shu and said gently, taking Qin Sa’s hand and heading to the cave. The area was now safe as the tiger had driven away all the beasts within a few miles.

Inside the cave, Li Shu and and Qin Sa quickly found the newly born cubs.

"Wow! Grandpa, they’re so cute, especially this black and white one," Qin Sa said excitedly, holding the small black and white cub in his arms.

As he held the small cub, the dragon-shaped jade pendant around his neck began to vibrate slightly, and a golden light silently entered the cub's forehead.

"Qin Sa, let’s take them away quickly. It won’t be good if the big tiger comes back," Li Shu and said softly, carefully wrapping the other three red cubs in a rough cloth and preparing to leave.

"Okay, Grandpa," Qin Sa replied, following Li Shu and out of the cave. They planned to meet up with Chen Hu from another direction, unaware of the light from the jade pendant.

Three hundred meters away, the weakened tiger, bleeding from its chest, continued chasing Chen Hu and the others. Every time it almost caught them, it would be hit by a large stick from the side, further enraging it.

"Keep going! The beast is almost done for. Keep pushing!" Chen Hu shouted, seeing the tiger’s slowing pace, urging everyone towards the trap.

The tiger, blinded by rage and bloodlust, didn’t notice the trap ahead and leapt after them, falling into the pit filled with sharpened bamboo stakes. The stakes pierced its massive body, and it roared in agony before collapsing in a pool of its own blood, dead.