Chapter 9: Reduced to a Plaything?

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Sally hadn't eaten this well or with such gusto in a very long time.

She even sneakily bit off a few large chunks of meat, hiding them away in the System Space for later feasts.

It wasn't until she almost felt stuffed that she came out of the fish's belly, only to look up and see the Black Panther.

A pair of golden vertical pupils, indeed excessively luxurious, noble, and beautiful.

"What is your name?" the Black Panther said in human speech, its voice deep and low, carrying a captivatingly husky and languid tone.

It can talk!

Sally was shocked. Beastman Clan?

At first, she thought it was a Demon Beast.

But a Black Panther from the Beastman Clan should belong to the Eastern Tribe.

Although she had been travelling from the Western District towards the East since entering the Senyu Beast Forest, she hadn't felt like she had gone very far. Moreover, she had not yet encountered the natural moat that marked the division between the Eastern and Western District, so how could she have already come across a member of the Eastern Tribe?

How did he cross the moat?

It was said that the chasm constantly spewed fire and magma, and no beast, except those that flew, could cross it. However, birds from the Eastern District were also rarely seen in the West.

In comparison to the hustle and bustle of the Eastern District, the Western District was indeed much poorer.

Sally pretended not to understand, making every effort to act like an ordinary little white mouse.

The huge head of the Black Panther tilted slightly towards her, its golden vertical pupils scrutinizing her.

The hair on Sally's tail bristled.

Seeing that she didn't intend to answer, the Black Panther stood up and ate all of the fish meat that she had left behind. Then, it picked her up in its mouth and started walking back towards the direction of the Western District of the Beast Forest.

Sally was a bit curious; why was it carrying her in its mouth? She was hardly enough to fill a gap in its teeth.

Wait a second... could it be looking for a female to bear offspring?

Her significantly enlarged belly certainly fit the bill. That question it asked her before must have been a probe.

But she hadn't admitted to being a female beastman, and it was still carrying her. Could it be planning to use her as a toy?

Just like a cat plays with a mouse, a Black Panther was, after all, part of the feline family.

Having figured out the problem, Sally felt wronged, never having expected to face a day when she would be reduced to a plaything.

The Black Panther carried her throughout the day, and it wasn't until nightfall that it easily leapt into a tree.

And that tree happened to have a hollow.

Sally willingly crawled into the hollow.

The Black Panther stayed at the entrance of the hollow.

Sally: ... Is it afraid that I'll run away?

There was peace throughout the night.

Over the next three days, Sally was either carried or held in the Black Panther's mouth. She stayed in her mouse form the whole time, refusing to change back into a human.

The Black Panther didn't speak again.

It wasn't until they left the Beast Forest that Sally saw the giant tree where she had waited for Lin Lang before.

She struggled a little.

The Black Panther opened its mouth and let her down.

Sally wanted to climb up the tree to check on the Rat Tribe's situation.

But her belly was too big, and she couldn't climb at all.

The Black Panther figured out her intention, picked her up, and leapt into the tree with ease.

"Thank you," Sally said out of habit.

Yet, those two words exposed her identity as a female beastman!

Her mind buzzed.

The Black Panther didn't seem surprised. "How's your belly? Are you about to give birth?"

"Oh," Sally stood and looked down at her belly, unable to see her feet at all. Suddenly, her belly thumped.

Both Sally and the Black Panther saw it.

The eyes of the Black Panther suddenly gleamed.

Sally noticed its reaction and felt a jolt of fear in her heart. Could it be that it wanted to eat her child?

"Why, why are you looking at my belly?" she asked, warily hugging her belly. But her mouse's front paws were too short to wrap around it.

To the Black Panther, her attempt probably looked a bit comical.