The Bird Chicks' First Hunt "Chirp, chirp."

"Chirp chirp."

--You should tell me why you asked this in the first place.

Black Rabbit was too embarrassed to admit that she coveted someone else's cub, so she lied and said, "Roar."

--I'm just curious. I've never seen your mate. Judging from the color of the chicks' hair and eyes, she should be a black-feathered bird with purple eyes. Such a special bird, if it lived nearby, there's no reason I wouldn't know.

Black Rabbit lied, Tao Qiu didn't tell the truth either, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--My situation with him is a bit special, and we don't see each other often, so please don't mention this in front of the kids.

Hearing this, Black Rabbit assumed that Snow Bird and his mate were having relationship problems and were worried that living together and arguing would affect their offspring, which was why they were living separately.

As for where the black bird lived and why he had never seen it, Black Rabbit didn't bother to investigate. That wasn't the main point he wanted to make to the Snow Bird today.

"Roar?"

--Will you have more Xiao Xue snowbirds in the future?

Tao Qiu shook her head. "Chirp chirp."

--Not having children anymore?

He certainly loves his three kids very much, but the process of carrying and laying the eggs took a lot of effort on him, and he never wants to go through it again.

Black Rabbit got anxious upon hearing this. "Roar!"

--How can you not have any more? Wow! Look at other high-level mutated monsters, they can't even reproduce if they want to! You two had three in one go, and they're not only the same level as you, but they're all so healthy and strong! We're so envious! Wouldn't it be great to have a few more well-behaved little ones? If you can't manage them all, I'll help you!

Tao Qiu squinted at him. "Chirp, chirp?"

--That last sentence is what you really wanted to say, isn't it? You want to take my baby away from me?

Black Rabbit, its thoughts exposed, darted around, avoiding Tao Qiu's gaze. "Roar..."

--How dare you talk like that! What kind of snatching is that? It sounds awful. I just wanted to help you relieve some of your stress.

Tao Qiu watched his performance quietly, then ruthlessly shattered his illusions, "Chirp, chirp."

--I don't need you to share the burden. He and I will definitely not have any more children in the future.

Black Rabbit wanted to curse the bird, but thinking of his chicks taking a nap behind him, he held back.

"Roar..."

--If you don't want to have children, you don't want to have children. It's not like anyone cares.

Black Rabbit walked away grumbling.

Black Rabbit was heartbroken after his plan to steal the cubs failed. Luckily, he had his adorable cubs to keep him company, otherwise he would have definitely fought with Snow Bird.

Even if the children don't revert to their bird forms, Black Rabbit can understand some of what they say now, especially their most frequent cry of "Uncle Black Rabbit."

Every time the kids called him that, he was so happy, it was like they were calling him "Dad," which made Tao Qiu speechless and amused.

However, Black Rabbit has his own territory to manage, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't stay with Tao Qiu every single day.

After discussing it with Tao Qiu, Black Rabbit decided to come every two days and spend the whole day with the kids.

Black Rabbit was always overjoyed when he came, but left as if he had lost his parents, especially when the cubs said goodbye to him in their childish voices; he was so sad that he almost cried.

Watching the Black Rabbit keep looking back, Tao Qiu had no doubt that if she hadn't been keeping an eye on things, the rabbit would have definitely run off with all the cubs.

The news that Black Rabbit had become the bird cubs' playmate was quickly discovered by Green Python. She specifically chose two days when Black Rabbit was away to bring her Little Snake to play with the bird cubs.

The Green Python hissed.

--As long as he doesn't have any ulterior motives, it's fine to let him keep the baby birds company. My Little Snake, for example, can't find any playmates except for the Xiao Xue snowbirds.

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp, chirp."

--He might have a short temper, but he's incredibly patient and gentle with the kids, almost as much as I am as their biological father.

Green Python: "Hiss..."

That's good.

The kids are talking about Black Rabbit too.

Third Cub recounted all the games they played with Black Rabbit, emphasizing that Black Rabbit would tell them stories about Tao Qiu's past.

The Little Snake came too after hearing this? Showing interest. "Hiss..."

Does he know about my mother's past?

The Third Cub: "Chirp, chirp."

--You should know, your two families live very close to each other.

The Little Snake hissed...

--When he comes next time, could you ask him to tell me his mother's story too? After you hear it, please relay it to me.

The Third Cub responded, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--Wow, your mom is amazing! Her past experiences must have been quite fascinating.

True to their word, the chicks asked Black Rabbit Green Python about his past deeds the next day when he returned.

The Green Python's mother died of illness when she was young. She was able to grow up successfully and now occupies such a large territory, with a formidable reputation that makes most mutated monsters tremble in fear. She must have gone through a lot during that time.

It can only be said that none of the mutated monsters that are currently ruling over their own territories are simple characters.

However, Black Rabbit is smaller than Green Python. Most of her stories are from other mutated monsters. She only knows the general plot and not the specific details. So her stories are not as dramatic and epic as Snow Bird's.

But the Xiao Xue snowbirds were so sensible. Even though the story wasn't as good as they had expected, they still clapped their chubby little hands enthusiastically, their bright, watery eyes looking at the Black Rabbit with admiration.

Black Rabbit's confidence swelled with each round of applause, and she almost flew away in front of her cubs!

The baby birds turned and told the story to the Little Snake was very excited; she knew that her mother was the most powerful mutated monster in the world.

To thank the baby birds, the Little Snake specially gave them the prey it had caught.

She didn't use poison when she hunted, so the cubs can eat without worry.

Although the prey was small, it represented the Little Snake's good intentions, and the baby birds accepted it.

Tao Qiu looked at the prey caught by the Little Snake, stroked his chin, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Before they knew it, it was the end of August, and the temperature had dropped. Tao Qiu and the others also had good news: Eldest Cub and Second Cub had finally learned to transform back into bird form!

Their current state is similar to that of the Third Cub at the beginning; the switching success rate is low, and they need several hours of cooldown period.

But learning it is a good thing. It's not difficult to become proficient. Third Cub can now switch between them freely anytime, anywhere.

So, Black Rabbit gained another play activity: helping the Xiao Xue snowbirds practice "battles."

Unlike the "Eagle Catches Chicks" game that Tao Qiu taught them before, where the game involved both eagles and chicks learning attack and defense techniques from birds.

Black Rabbit is a pure ground-based mutated monster, and the offspring will mainly hunt this type of animal in the future, so fighting against it is actually closer to a realistic hunting scene.

First, the three offspring took turns attacking the Black Rabbit, while the Black Rabbit defended and counterattacked.

The Black Rabbit is tall and large. Standing on its hind legs, it can easily touch the baby birds in mid-air. So what is practice for the baby birds is easier for the Black Rabbit than play.

Tao Qiu had specifically instructed that as long as the chicks were not harmed, Black Rabbit should not deliberately let them win; he was determined to make them lose every time.

Even though Black Rabbit dotes on her cubs, she understands that hunting is a skill for survival in the future, so she actively cooperates with Tao Qiu and manages to make her ambitious cubs suffer a crushing defeat every time.

The kids lost? They weren't discouraged; instead, their fighting spirit grew even stronger with each defeat.

Black Rabbit is, after all, an adult mutated monster. Even though she deliberately uses less force during practice, it's still inevitable that the kids will occasionally bump into things.

When they were in bird form, their feathers would obscure their view, but after they transformed into human form, you could see that their soft, pinkish bodies had many more bluish-purple marks.

If someone who didn't know the situation saw this, they would probably call the police and accuse the adults in the family of child abuse.

Tao Qiu and Black Rabbit felt sorry for him and suggested that he rest for a while and continue practicing after he recovered.

But the kids disagreed. The Second Cub, with a serious expression on her delicate, chubby face, clenched her little hands and shouted, "To become awesome, you can't! No training!"

The Eldest Cub exuded the aura of a big brother. "Heroes endure hardship first, then grow strong."

The Third Cub looked at Tao Qiu, his clear purple eyes filled with determination. "We want to be as awesome as Daddy."

After hearing about their father being kicked out of his home at the age of two and struggling to make a living on his own, the children felt sorry for him and also realized how terrible the dangers of the outside world could be for a little kid.

Dad is willing to risk his life to protect them, but they don't want to hide under his wing forever. They also want to become Dad's support and protect him in return.

My dad could hunt independently when he was one year old, while they were still learning skills—the difference is enormous.

They are their father's children. If their father can do it, they can do it too. They don't want to embarrass their father.

Tao Qiu felt both proud and tender towards his children's well-behaved and sensible nature. He hugged his three children and said softly with a smile, "No matter what happens in the future, whether you are strong or weak, you will always be Dad's most beloved children. That will never change."

We love Daddy too, forever.

The children kissed Tao Qiu's face, their voices and words like soft, sweet little cakes, melting into her heart.

The Black Rabbit watching nearby had its eyes redden again.

Congratulations to Snow Bird! He has three such considerate and filial children!

The kids are still young, and there's a limit to how much they can practice. After individual training, Tao Qiu started cultivating their teamwork skills.

He was the only chick in his family, and after being driven out, he had to survive alone. But if he had brothers and sisters, they could have worked together to hunt and live, which would have greatly increased his early survival rate.