gentle beast

23

【修 – Repair】

 
The panther was tall, taller than the threshold of the cabin, but he leaned over to peer at Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu with bright yellow eyes.

From this angle, she could only see his slim chin and his facial features were hidden by back light, his posture tense with accumulated power.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu held her head high, her smile not slipping away, but her eyes wet with surprise.

Shortly after, she hesitated to ask, “May I ask. . . who are you looking for?”

The panther turned his gaze and didn’t reply to her words, stepping into the house on his two long legs.

The house was small and could be seen in a single glance. Behind the shabby wooden table was a humble bed with many colorful “blankets” on the bed. A beech cabinet stood by the bedside, and a few chipped pottery pots and bowls were stacked inside.

Aside from this, there was nothing else.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu followed after him, but there wasn’t enough time to stop him, “Who are you looking for?”

“Where’s Ryan?” the panther’s throat rolled downward, his voice cold and monotonous.

“. . .”

This was the second time since Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu came to this world that she heard that name.

The last time, it was at Eric’s village, there the two leopards took her without explanation and questioned her on the whereabouts of some Ryan.

She had no idea who “Ryan” was, why would they ask her about his location?

Was it possible that. . . the former owner of this house was called Ryan?

This actually explained why the house was abandoned.

Aware of this issue, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu quickly explained, “I don’t know where he is. . . I found this house yesterday, and the people here were already gone. If he was the owner, I’m sorry I used his house without permission. Are you his friend? If you see him, can you help pass on . . .”

The girl chattered on endlessly.

The panther dropped his gaze for the first time since the door to look at her.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu wore a loose autumn sweater and it was loose on her, so it hung off a shoulder, like a child wearing her parent’s clothes.

She hid her two hands in the sleeves, exposing only the tips of her fingers where they pinched the hem of her clothes, feeling ill at ease.

The panther shifted his line of sight slightly from Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s pretty face, but did not acknowledge her remarks, neither admitting or denying anything.

Not only was his voice cold, but so were his eyes.

His gaze fell on Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s body and she felt a frosty chill up her spine.

“Who do you live with?” he spoke again, plainly and straightforwardly.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stared blankly, but she still thought this was someone else’s property. And to take liberty to stay in someone else’s house, she ought to have some kind of explanation, so she said, “No one, just me.”