Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 365: A Dead End

Hu Yan’s paws hit the ground with full force. He was running at his absolute limit, his tiger body blurring through the trees. Su Qinglan clung to his neck, her fingers buried deep in his orange fur.

The wind was so sharp against her face that she had to squint her eyes just to see a few inches ahead.

Every second felt like an eternity. Her heart was clenching so hard it felt like it would burst.

"Hu Yan... Hu Yan, let’s go back! We can’t abandon them!" The words were right at the tip of her tongue.

She wanted to scream at them.

She thought of her father facing that wall of evil monsters. She thought of Han Jue, Rong Ye, and Shi Feng throwing themselves into a fight they might not survive.

How could she leave them?

But then, she felt the slight weight of the basket pressed against her chest. She looked down and saw the three pairs of innocent, wide eyes looking back at her.

The cubs were quiet, sensing the life-or-death tension.

If she went back, she would be taking these three babies into a slaughterhouse.

If something happened to any cub, Han Jue and Rong Ye would never forgive themselves, and she would never be able to look at Hu Yan or Xuan Long again.

She was trapped in a nightmare of a dilemma. Her heart wanted to fight, but her soul as a mother demanded she run.

"I have to save the cubs," she whispered through her tears. "I also have to find a way to save everyone...running alone will not save them at all."

They had already traveled far from the place where the tribe had split. The sounds of the battle behind them were becoming muffled by the distance.

Elder Bao was just ahead, leading the panicked group of females and the elderly. They were almost at the opening of the valley. Hope was a tiny light in the distance.

But suddenly, the world tilted.

Hu Yan let out a sharp, lung-bursting growl and slammed his paws into the dirt, skidding to a violent halt.

Su Qinglan was nearly thrown over his head, but she instinctively curled her body around the cub basket, shielding them with her own body.

"Hu Yan? What..."

The words died in her throat. Everyone in the front of the line stopped dead, their faces turning full of pure horror.

The opening of the valley...the only way out was gone.

Instead of an open path to the Beast City, there was a solid wall of red eyes glinting in the darkness. Thousands of evil ferocious beasts were standing there in perfect formation, blocking the exit.

They weren’t roaring or running; they were standing still, watching the Fox Tribe arrive like they were a delivery of fresh meat.

"A trap..." Elder Bao gasped, his legs shaking. "It’s an ambush."

Su Qinglan’s blood ran cold. These beasts were supposed to be mindless. They were supposed to be driven by hunger and rage. But this move was too calculated to be a mere coincidence.

"How?" Su Qinglan whispered, her eyes darting across the sea of monsters. "When did they become so smart?"

The realization hit her like a lightning bolt.

The witch doctor hadn’t just led the tide from behind. He had sent a separate force to circle around and cut them off. They were caught in a pincer movement.

And it did not look like a simple beast tide moving; it felt more deliberate. Most importantly, why were these beasts all listening to the witch doctor?

She refused to believe that they had suddenly grown a conscience and decided to surround them. It was impossible...was that witch doctor so powerful that he could even command thousands of evil ferocious beasts?

The man was really something...he was definitely not a simple opponent.

The Fox Tribe was trapped. Behind them was the main beast tide, and in front of them was this silent, waiting army. There was nowhere left to run.

The evil beasts at the front of the ambush stepped forward, their saliva dripping onto the grass. They let out a low, synchronized hiss that sounded like a death knell.

Hu Yan stood his ground, his fur bristling and his teeth bared.

Xuan Long glided to her side, his scales glowing with a deadly light.

The elite warriors—the strongest fathers, brothers, and husbands—were miles behind, already covered in blood to buy them time. Now, the only people left to fight were the elderly, the very young, and a few powerful beastmen like Hu Yan and Xuan Long.

"Is this it?" a young fox girl whispered, her voice trembling. "Are we going to die here?"

Elder Bao’s face was etched with a deep, tragic sadness, but his eyes remained sharp. He knew he couldn’t let them panic. If they broke rank, the cubs would be the first to die.

"Form a ring!" Elder Bao’s voice cracked like a whip through the cold air.

"Females and cubs in the center! All males who can still stand, get to the outside! We fight for every breath!"

The tribe moved in a blur of desperation. Su Qinglan immediately jumped down from Hu Yan’s back.

She knew he needed to be in his best form, free to leap and strike without worrying about her falling off. She clutched the basket with her three cubs against her chest, her knuckles white.

In the middle of the circle, the scene was heart-wrenching. There were nearly twenty newborn cubs huddled among the females. Rabbit beastwomen, fox females, and lionesses were all pressed together, their breathing shallow and fast.

Bai Ling was sobbing openly, her face buried in Lin Muyu’s shoulder. She held her three tiny fox babies so tightly it looked like she wanted to pull them back into her own body to keep them safe.

"They’re going to eat them," she wailed quietly. "My babies..."

Lin Muyu stood strangely still.

At first glance, she looked calm, but if anyone looked closer, they could see the dried salt of tears on her eyelashes.

Her husband, Wang Mo, had gone back with the tribe leader. Only Shi Kuang was here to protect her.

She felt a cold, paralyzing numbness spreading through her limbs.

To Lin Muyu, this felt like a cruel repeat of history.

A year ago, she had been pregnant and watched as her husband was torn apart by beasts.

She had lost her beast husband and her child in the trauma that followed.

Now, she was pregnant again, and the same red eyes were staring at her from the dark. She was so stiff with terror that her body wouldn’t even allow her to cry.

She just stared at the horizon, her hand resting over her stomach in a silent, desperate prayer.

Hu Yan let out a roar that shook the trees, his orange fur standing on end.

Xuan Long uncoiled his massive body, his green scales flashing like emeralds in the moonlight. They were the two pillars of strength in a circle of trembling survivors.

The evil beasts let out a unified growl. They knew their prey was trapped. They didn’t have to rush; they just had to close the gap. The smell of fear from the females was like an invitation to the monsters.

It was so addicting, like their saliva was dripping in hunger.