CHAPTER 224: CHAPTER 224: HIS NICKNAME

Right. He had never said his name. From the beginning to the end, even the other cubs only called him a stinky cub.

She was a little careless.

What to do? Her little brain tried to find an explanation.

"I-I asked them about your name before on the way here, and they told me," she furrowed her brows. "Is that not your name?"

Little Cassias stared at her for a long time, making her feel jittery. She squirmed under his gaze, her tail swaying back and forth due to nervousness.

Judging from the way these cubs had reacted, he might be a spiritual beast cub, not a human. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have acted so civilized.

Although they couldn’t be considered enemies, spiritual beasts usually avoided humans. Once they spotted one, the spiritual beasts would run away from them.

What kind of spiritual beast was he? A bird?

"Kaz."

The little fox snapped out of her daze, staring at Cassias in bewilderment. "What did you say?"

"You should call me Kaz."

Was that his nickname? It wasn’t a big deal, so with a beaming face, she called out his new nickname, "Kaz."

The little boy’s mouth curved up imperceptibly. He didn’t look as cold anymore. He wasn’t even looking at her, his gaze elsewhere.

He cleared his throat, his hand reached out to her paws and pinched the pink pads. "It’s already dark, so you should stay here."

Zerra didn’t refuse. "Thank you, Kaz."

She had nowhere to go, anyway.

As he left her alone in the room, she spent her time pondering. Inside the shack was a bit decent compared to how it looked on the outside. There were still necessities like the kitchen, bedroom, and even some furniture.

She jumped down from the chair and approached a mirror. It looked like a massive fragment of a broken mirror, but it was fine as long as she could use it.

When she took a look at her own appearance, she was stunned into silence. What was this? Her eyes widened, and she became a little panicked.

At first, she couldn’t feel it, but now she could sense that she was missing something. Her two tails were gone. She had only one tail!

On top of that, her appearance was a little strange. Originally, her fox form was the size of a half-grown cat. Now, she was a bit smaller. The color of her fur was also a little odd.

Her fur wasn’t completely white. There were some pink shades on her ears and the tip of her tail. Some parts also had a hint of pink color.

She thought about it for a moment, and her fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down. She was in a world created by Cassias’ memory, so it shouldn’t matter, anyway. It wasn’t her real appearance.

"What are you doing there?" Little Cassias appeared from the kitchen, bringing the basket of berries they had picked earlier. He also brought a bowl of soup.

Zerra fell silent. This should be the reason he was so skilled at cooking, right? It was a self-taught skill, a means of survival ever since he was a kid.

"I want to see whether I am already clean enough," she mumbled, trotting toward the chair, and jumped back there.

Little Cassias put the bowl of soup in front of her, then he grabbed the smaller bowl on the tray. After putting the berries from the basket into the smaller bowl, he also gave it to Zerra.

"Do you think you are not clean enough?" He raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to take another bath?"

Her tiny figure trembled, and she shook her head furiously. "No, no, I am already very clean! You did a great job!" She wanted to give him a thumbs up, but she forgot she was still in her fox form. She ended up waving her paw rather awkwardly.

He also nodded with satisfaction. "Then, now eat."

With that, he returned to the kitchen and left the troubled fox behind. Zerra stared at the food in front of her and hesitated. Could she eat these? She was currently in her fox form.

She sniffed and licked the berries in front of her. He even washed the fruit using spring water. The soup too... she licked it and a familiar taste instantly greeted her. Another bowl of spring water.

The soup was filled with vegetables and some mushrooms. He must have found the ingredients by searching the forest.

Little Cassias returned not long after, bringing another bowl of soup for himself. He stared at Zerra. "Why don’t you eat? Is the taste not to your liking?"

She had a tangled look on her face. Was it really safe for her to eat human food? She could only eat crystal cores in her fox form, and maybe drank the spring water too, so... she gritted her teeth and began to eat.

The soup was rather tasteless, but it was better for her. Her fox tongue didn’t reject it. Zerra kept on licking the soup in front of her, occasionally taking a bite of the berries.

She found out she could really eat them in her fox form. The berries were absolutely sweet.

"Little fox, where do you live?" He suddenly asked her.

Zerra pursed her lips. She didn’t want to lie to him, so she vaguely answered, "Somewhere far away..."

She hurriedly changed the topic. "How about you? Is this your only home?"

Little Cassias didn’t answer for a while until he nodded at her question. "I just moved here not too long ago."

"Do you live alone?" She continued to ask.

"Yes," he nodded. His tone was rather nonchalant. "I am now all alone."

However, she could see the looming darkness in his eyes. Gloomy yet full of melancholy. He was in sorrow.

Her heart tightened. She instinctively jumped out of the chair and approached him, rubbing her head on his wrist. Before she could control herself, she found herself telling him. "I am actually also living alone... I have nowhere to go."

Little Cassias lifted his hollow eyes, which now had some spark in them. "How about you live with me from now on?"

It was like a devil’s whisper beguiling her.