Would You Still Be Willing to Have Cubs with Me?

--Really, I really, really want to.

"Chirp chirp?"

--Why?

Black Rabbit roared.

--Initially, I wanted to trade you for some stinky fruit with your dad, but after meeting you, I thought you were a good little bird, which strengthened my resolve to take care of you.

The Third Cub were puzzled and kept asking questions.

--I threw stones at you, pecked and scratched you, made you leave my house, and you still complained about how smelly you were. These past few days you've come and I haven't even gone out to see you, and you still think I'm a good little bird?

Black Rabbit retorted, "Roar?"

--Me? I stink up to you, and I keep bothering you every day, I can't get rid of me, so do you think I'm a bad rabbit?

The Third Cub shook their heads. "Chirp, chirp."

--You're just stubborn, but not bad.

His words warmed Black Rabbit's heart, and the irritation from being soaked by the rain gradually dissipated.

Black Rabbit's tone held a hint of amusement. "Roar..."

--Hello, me too? We're neither bad birds nor bad rabbits to each other.

The Third Cub's tone also became a bit more excited.

"You're right. But why do you insist on taking care of me to trade crops with my father, instead of exchanging food like the Green Python and the foxes?"

The Black Rabbit patiently replied, "Roar..."

--They all trade prey for food, so your family shouldn't be short of prey. I happen to have experience raising cubs, so I thought of using this method to trade.

"Chirp chirp." The Third Cub exclaimed in surprise, "Chirp chirp?"

--Do you have experience raising kids? Do you have kids too?

Black Rabbit shook its head. "Roar."

--Me? No, but many years ago, when my parents were still alive, they had many baby rabbits. They couldn't take care of them all, so I was the oldest of the babies and helped feed my younger siblings.

Black Rabbit's parents were low to mid-level mutated monsters, and coupled with the characteristics of their race, their fertility was not significantly affected.

The fact that he was born as a mid-to-high-level offspring is purely a matter of good luck. There are just too many of them, so it wouldn't be surprising if one of them turned out to be powerful.

It's inaccurate to say that Black Rabbit was the largest; he should be said to have been the first litter to be born. However, the offspring of mutated monsters are prone to death, coupled with acquired diseases and the presence of predators.

Of his entire litter, only his smartest and strongest son remained.

Black Rabbit himself couldn't remember how many litters of rabbits his parents had afterward. Although he tried his best to take care of them, he was still just a cub at that time. In addition, the two rabbit parents in the vicinity weren't considered any powerful mutated monsters, so the mortality rate of the baby rabbits was extremely high.

Didn't Third Cub hear Tao Qiu talk about the Black Rabbit family? Hearing him say that, he subconsciously asked, "Chirp, chirp?"

--If you come here every day, aren't they worried about you?

Black Rabbit roared.

--They are all dead.

The Third Cub were surprised, but quickly realized what was happening and cried out, "Chirp, chirp!"

--I'm sorry, I don't know.

Black Rabbit comforted her, "Roar."

--It's okay, after all these years, I've already let it go.

In nature, the strong prey on the weak, and this applies to mutated monsters as well. The rabbit parents had low mutation levels, so they became food for higher-level mutated monsters. The Black Rabbit was too weak at the time, barely surviving by hiding and running away, so how could it protect its younger siblings?

Black Rabbit doesn't resent or hate anyone; after all, when he grew up, he treated lower-level mutated monsters the same way.

To put it bluntly, if Tao Qiu weren't a high-level mutated monster, and his strength wasn't strong enough, the Green Python, the Fox Clan, the Black Rabbit, and even those humans would have ruthlessly seized his hard-earned achievements, controlled him, imprisoned him, and even killed him.

All the talk of exchanging things, making friends, and Xue Lou Yu coming to him to show weakness and beg for pity were all compromises made out of fear of his power.

Their equality is based on power, not on a sufficiently noble level of thought.

However, Black Rabbit genuinely meant no harm to Tao Qiu others; she genuinely liked the adorable little bird and wanted to take care of and keep her company.

To distract the Xiao Xue snowbird from her guilt and cheer her up, Black Rabbit brought up other topics.

"Roar."

--You and your dad looked quite alike when you were little.

The Third Cub's favorite and most cherished person is Tao Qiu, so these words definitely caught her attention.

Black Rabbit continued.

--Your father was born a high-level mutated monster, and his parents are also very powerful, so they are quite famous in this area. He was able to hunt on his own when he was one year old.

--However, his parents treated him far less well than he treated you and the Green Python treated the Little Snake. They only had him because animals have the instinct to reproduce. My parents were similar; the reason they had so many little rabbits was simply because they needed to mate.

--So, your dad and I are both the type who were forced to become independent as soon as possible, but he was worse off than me. At least I stayed with my parents until they passed away, while your dad was kicked out of the nest when he was only two years old.

--This is the nature of your Snow Bird clan. When the chicks reach a certain age, they are driven out of the nest by their parents and forced to fend for themselves.

--But don't worry, your dad is different. You can definitely feel it. He loves you very much, so he won't kick you out.

--Your father was driven out of his parents' territory. All the good land was occupied by other mutated monsters. Since he wasn't strong enough to take over territory, he could only wander between the territories of various mutated monsters and unclaimed territories, strengthening himself while also preventing himself from being preyed upon.

--Me? I was also struggling to survive back then, and I didn't actually run into your father many times. But I saw his proud and arrogant look when he caught his prey, and I also saw him covered in blood fighting against other mutated monsters.

--This valley you live in was seized by him from a very powerful mutated monster after he grew up. Most of the territory outside the valley was also conquered by him little by little. His growth and strength are obvious to all the mutated monsters around us.

--You and your father are both high-level mutated monsters. They look alike and have similar personalities. On the surface, they appear arrogant and fierce, but in reality, they are kind-hearted, intelligent, quick-witted, and tolerant.

If the earlier account of Tao Qiu's experiences made Third Cub feel sorry for her father while also being proud of his strength, then being praised by Black Rabbit for resembling her father brought her pure joy.

The Third Cub looked at the Black Rabbit with bright, sparkling eyes and twittered, "Chirp chirp!"

Do I really look a lot like my dad?

Black Rabbit: "Roar."

--Really, you can ask your dad if you don't believe me.

The Third Cub, both shy and excited, said to the Black Rabbit, "Chirp chirp."

--Thank you for telling me this.

Black Rabbit roared.

--It's nothing, just consider it a return gift for the food you gave me.

The Third Cub already had a plan in mind. She said, "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."

--I'll head back now. You should go home soon too; you got caught in the rain, be careful not to catch a cold.

Although high-level mutated monsters are very powerful, they are not immune to the possibility of getting sick.

The Third Cub flew to Tao Qiu and nodded to him.

Tao Qiu? The interviewer, Third Cub, was very satisfied with the applicant Black Rabbit.

He told the Third Cub to go back to the cave first, while he went to talk to Black Rabbit.

He gave the Black Rabbit a whole carrot and said to it, "Chirp, chirp."

--Take this and eat it. Remember to come early tomorrow.

Black Rabbit was about to politely refuse when he heard the first half of the sentence, but the second half completely stunned him.

He hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Huh?"

--You've agreed to let me take care of the baby birds?

Chapter 58 Would you still be willing to have children with me?

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp chirp."

--We'll talk about it tomorrow.

Black Rabbit roared anxiously.

Can't you just tell me now?

Tao Qiu: "Chirp chirp."

--If you ask again tomorrow, you don't need to come.

Black Rabbit: "..."

Afraid that Tao Qiu would seek justice and change her mind, Black Rabbit quickly grabbed the carrot and ran away.

Inside the cave, the Third Cub was telling the Eldest Cub and Second Cub the story the Black Rabbit had told them about their father's past.

Eldest Cub: "Still want to hear more."

The Second Cub nodded vigorously.

The Third Cub chirped, "Chirp, chirp."

--He'll come again tomorrow, then we'll let him explain in detail.

Actually, if the kids want to hear it, they can ask Tao Qiu, but the feeling is different from the perspective of an observer.

In Black Rabbit's description, Tao Qiu is just like the protagonist in an animated film, overcoming one obstacle after another, with a difficult process but always a happy ending.

Who wouldn't love to hear a story like this, especially when the protagonist is their beloved father?

When Tao Qiu returned to the cave, he saw his three cubs huddled together, excitedly discussing something. As Tao Qiu walked over, he laughed and said, "Daddy's big ears heard that, didn't they? Are you talking about me?"

When Third Cub and Black Rabbit were talking, Tao Qiu was not far from them. In addition, he had keen hearing. If he deliberately listened, he could hear not only the content of their conversation, but also their breathing.

The Third Cub ran over and hugged Tao Qiu's leg, looking up at him with their fair and tender little faces, smiling brightly, their big eyes shining as if they had been given a highlighter.

"Papa! You're awesome! The best!"

The Eldest Cub and Third Cub left too? Come over here.

The Eldest Cub said, "Dad, when I was little, I was strong."

The Third Cub flew up and landed on Tao Qiu's shoulder, chirping sweetly.

--Was Dad really kicked out of the house by Mom and Dad when he was very young, just like Uncle Black Rabbit said?

Tao Qiu led them to the table and sat them down, nodding and saying, "Yes, that's how the Snow Bird clan works. When the chicks are about two years old and can basically hunt independently, they are driven out of their parents' territory to make a living elsewhere."