After Crossing the Grasslands, I Became the Leopardess’s Cherished Mate - Chapter 5

The leopard’s massive claws dug into her back. Driven by survival instinct, the Hyena Queen rolled to the ground. The sudden turn of events threw the hyena pack into chaos, and several high-ranking hyenas, fiercely loyal to their queen, launched a coordinated attack on the leopard.

The Hyena Queen’s cries were choked and broken, her throat clamped tight in the leopard’s jaws. The once-silent grasslands erupted into a cacophony of howls and snarls. Through the swirling dust, Zhou Mingwu caught a glimpse of the leopard’s golden eyes.

The leopard’s objective was clear: it held the Hyena Queen in a death grip. Blood seeped from the hyena’s mouth, but the sheer number of attackers soon turned the tide. The other hyenas rallied, swarming the leopard from all sides. Only after a deep gash tore through its thigh, exposing raw flesh, did the leopard finally release the Hyena Queen’s throat to retaliate against the male hyena that had wounded it.

Though hyenas were known for their tough hides, the Hyena Queen had suffered severe injuries. She lay half-collapsed, panting heavily, before slowly struggling to her feet. Thick, dark-red blood dripped onto the grass.

A golden figure with black rosettes darted effortlessly through the hyena pack. Zhou Mingwu watched, stunned, as the true extent of the leopard’s terrifying power dawned on her.

She could fend off a lone lioness or hold her own against a pack of hyenas. The male hyena that had just bitten her leg was now pinned down, the leopard biting into its hind leg and tearing relentlessly.

The hyena let out a wretched shriek, but with its hind leg clamped in the leopard’s jaws, its struggles were futile.

The few hyenas that had evolved into humanoid forms reverted to their animal shapes and joined the fray.

But a low-ranking male hyena wasn’t worth risking their lives for.

As the pack gathered around the Hyena Queen, Zhou Mingwu forced herself to endure the pain. She dropped to her knees and crawled forward, grabbing the bag that had been carelessly tossed aside. Friday, understanding her intent, stayed close, desperate to escape this blood-soaked battlefield with her.

Once they had retreated to a safe distance, she stumbled to her feet and fled with the monkey in the opposite direction. Before running, she glanced back instinctively. The male hyena’s left leg hung at an awkward angle. No other hyenas came to its rescue. The leopard snapped its neck.

A shiver ran down Zhou Mingwu’s spine, and she instinctively touched the back of her own neck.

The Hyena Queen noticed Zhou Mingwu fleeing but didn’t give chase. Geslan, that mad leopard, had nearly ripped her throat out. Even with her pack, she hadn’t gained the upper hand. They had already been away from their den for too long, and she feared for the cubs left behind.

The Hyena Queen glared at the leopard, which was still tearing at the male hyena’s flesh in a provocative display of dominance. With no other choice, she led her clan away, retreating in disgrace.

Only when she was certain the leopard and the hyenas were long gone did Zhou Mingwu finally collapse. Her body and mind were utterly spent. She sank to the ground, gasping for breath, her throat burning from the exertion. She fumbled for her water bottle and took a few desperate gulps.

As the thirst subsided, Zhou Mingwu leaned back against the earth. Above, the moon still bathed the land in its serene, silver light.

Everything that had just happened—the violence, the terror, couldn’t touch it.

She stared silently at the moon, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. The same sun, the same moon… so why is the world I’m in so different now?

She closed her eyes, letting her mind go blank.

A cool breeze brushed across her face, and the reality of it all finally sank in. This isn’t a dream.

Zhou Mingwu allowed herself a moment of despair, but she refused to drown in it.

She had just escaped the hyena clan. She had survived another day.

Wiping her tears, she turned to “Friday” beside her. “It looks like we can’t go back. We need to find a new place to call home.”

Friday let out a low chuff in response.

“A shame,” Zhou Mingwu murmured to herself. “I’d just finally managed to get that fire started.”

Wandering aimlessly across the grassland, Zhou Mingwu felt like a herbivore marked for slaughter. No, she was even worse off than a herbivore, for her injured leg robbed her of the agility other animals possessed.

Still, as she watched the blood slowly seep from her calf, she knew the self-inflicted wound had served its purpose: it had bought her precious time.

When the hyenas had captured her, they had called humans a “gift to the Mengbabi Grassland.” This meant she must have some value to the pack.

Her thoughts drifted to the leopard. In just a few days, she had encountered it multiple times. From these “chance meetings,” she had observed that the leopard was vindictive, yet it seemed to hold no grudge against her. If the leopard truly wanted her dead, it could easily track her scent and kill her at any moment.

The leopard’s utter indifference left Zhou Mingwu deeply perplexed.

The legends were true. The archaeological team must have lived on the grassland for a long time, passing down their language. These “civilized” traits hadn’t vanished with the team’s death but had been preserved by the carnivores. Yet, the beasts’ primal instincts had never been tamed.

They recognized some of the “civilized” advantages of humans.

But what “advantages” were they talking about?

After walking for a while, the sky began to lighten. Humans favored the light, as it signaled a significant increase in safety. Zhou Mingwu stopped to rest for a moment, found a low slope, and casually used her backpack as a pillow before falling into a deep sleep.

She was so exhausted that by the time she woke up, waves of heat were washing over her.

Judging by the sun’s position, she estimated it was already noon.

In the few days since arriving on the Another World Continent, her leg injury had been steadily worsening. Zhou Mingwu worried she wouldn’t die at the jaws of a carnivore, but from an infected wound instead.

The scorching sun left her head throbbing. After resting for a short while, Zhou Mingwu took an Amoxicillin pill from her backpack and redressed her wound.

The fragile layer of new red flesh that had just formed over the past few days had been torn open again.

“Friday” crouched beside her, staring intently at the wound on her calf.

After finishing up, Zhou Mingwu sighed deeply. Finding a shelter was proving to be a real challenge. After eating a bit to regain her strength, she continued on her journey.

To the savanna, Zhou Mingwu was an outsider—an alien. She lacked the keen sense of smell that animals possessed. If she could only detect the scent marks left by predators, she could easily avoid them. But she had no desire to conquer the savanna, nor did she want to challenge the law of the jungle as her predecessors had tried.

She was a human with no advantages. All she wanted now was to survive in the savanna and find a way back to the modern world.

May hope not become a luxury, she prayed.

She walked and rested, encountering only small herbivores and a few young warthogs along the way.

Though she had traveled far, Zhou Mingwu still doubted whether she had truly left the leopard’s territory.

As another night fell, she dared not light a fire for fear of becoming too visible. She curled up beneath a large tree, clutching her stun gun.

In just a few days, her body had been forced to adapt to the savanna’s heat. Her exposed skin, scorched by the direct sun, was red and burning. In the quiet of the night, she felt intermittent, needle-like stings and itches creeping through her skin.

Zhou Mingwu gently rubbed her arm with her fingertips, hoping to soothe the itch. Unexpectedly, she tore off a small piece of her peeling, sunburnt skin.

She shifted her position and pressed her lips together.

Her backpack contained only a thin jacket and a few short-sleeved shirts and denim shorts. It had been too hot for her to even think about putting on the jacket, but she knew she had to wear it tomorrow, if only for sun protection.

Severe sunburns took a long time to heal.

As she lay there with her eyes closed, lost in thought, Friday suddenly grew restless beside her. The monkey scrambled onto Zhou Mingwu’s outstretched legs and bared its teeth at something in the distance.

Zhou Mingwu’s eyes snapped open, alert.

Instinctively, she pulled the monkey close to her legs and pushed herself up against the tree trunk. She quickly packed her bag and began to back away, step by step.

About two hundred meters away, something rustled through the taller grass. It wasn’t even trying to hide its presence, advancing brazenly toward her.

Zhou Mingwu grabbed her bag and immediately retreated. She refused to let herself fall into the same predicament she’d faced the day before.

She limped away, and the monkey behind her limped in perfect, almost comical, synchronization.

Lia emerged from the grass just in time to witness the scene.

She paused for a moment, watching them. Then, without even breaking a sweat, she bounded forward, easily catching up to Zhou Mingwu with a few effortless leaps.

Lia flicked her tail and stepped in front of Zhou Mingwu.

Friday’s leg had been broken by her, and now he cowered behind Zhou Mingwu, his hatred and fear warring within him. But the power gap was too great, and he could only hide in humiliated submission.

Zhou Mingwu held the stun baton with both hands, her throat trembling as she swallowed hard. “Don’t come any closer!”

Lia crouched in place, her amber eyes fixed on Zhou Mingwu.

A fragile human. If she weren’t holding that mysterious black object, her threat level would be zero.

But Lia hadn’t gone to all this trouble to find her just to kill or eat her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you,” the lioness said, her voice making Zhou Mingwu’s hands shake. “Or perhaps I should be more sincere: I won’t try to drag you back to my den like that despicable Guwa did yesterday.”

After everything she’d been through these past few days, Zhou Mingwu was no longer surprised that animals could talk.

This lioness’s casual, almost insolent manner seemed familiar. Then she noticed the missing section of its leisurely wagging tail and the raw, newly exposed flesh where several claw marks had stripped away the fur on its front left leg.

Zhou Mingwu frowned, her voice hesitant. “You’re the lion who broke Friday’s leg that day.”

“Friday?” The lioness looked puzzled, her mouth hanging slightly open. In the dim light, her white fangs gleamed.

The expression made her look remarkably silly, and it also diminished her intimidating presence.

Once the lioness realized “Friday” referred to the Emerald Monkey by Zhou Mingwu’s side, she licked her paw. “What a strange name.”

“Cunning, cowardly monkeys,” Lia said disdainfully. “Only you humans would take them in.”

After a moment of silence, Zhou Mingwu replied, “And you’re not cowardly?” She vividly remembered this lioness fleeing in terror from a leopard’s attack.

Lia, banking on Zhou Mingwu’s ignorance of her past, began to boast.

“My lineage comes from the Beruiwei Lion Pride, the fiercest and largest pride on the Mengbabi Grassland. I simply didn’t want to waste my energy fighting Geslan that day. He’s a madman, a notorious lunatic on the plains. Who would tangle with a madman?”

“If it had been a normal leopard, I would have torn its throat out,” Lia declared confidently, her head held high with pride in her “noble” bloodline.

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