Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 17: Into the Forest

Jojo and Sisi were staring at the cooking pot as the beef broth simmered slowly. Sisi fed him a chunk of raw meat, and Jojo ate it reluctantly.

Sisi noticed and asked, "What’s wrong? It’s meat, you know. You should like it."

"It’s not fresh enough," Jojo said honestly. He still had complaints, but he ate anyway.

"Then do you want to eat cooked meat like me?" Sisi asked.

"No, I like meat when it still has blood!" Jojo replied enthusiastically. He remembered his last meal with his father before they were ambushed by a pack of tiger beastmen. It was a freshly hunted deer. Jojo still remembered the taste, and couldn’t help to salivate as he imagined eating another fresh hunt. "Mm! My Daddy and I like to eat our prey right after we catch it! I love sucking the blood from my prey too! Oh, oh, Savior! When I catch something later, I’ll rip the neck and let you have the first taste!"

Jojo retold such horrifying details with glee, and Sisi could only sigh. It seemed this little wolf cub kept forgetting she couldn’t eat raw meat.

Once inside the forest, she would probably rely more on edible mushrooms and fruits rather than meat. She didn’t want to eat anything Jojo had mentioned earlier; squirrels, moles, baby foxes... maybe a rabbit would be fine, but she doubted he could catch a rabbit with his tiny legs.

Jojo looked up at her and raised his voice, "Savior, Savior!"

"Hmm?"

"Is your name really Sisi?"

"Yep. You can call me Sisi instead of Savior," Sisi said with a smile.

"Then what does Sisi mean?"

"No meaning. When I was a baby, I kept saying si-si, so that became my name."

"But that’s a stupid name!" Jojo complained innocently.

"Really? Why is it stupid?" Sisi asked. She had dealt with babies and toddlers for years in the orphanage, so she had the patience of a saint. She knew Jojo didn’t mean harm, as toddlers were naturally blunt.

"Because uhm... because it doesn’t sound cool! You’re my savior, so your name should be cool and strong, like..." Jojo paused, thinking. He couldn’t come up with anything until he noticed the full moon in the sky and yelled, "Oh! Your name should be Selene!"

"Selene?"

"Mm! That’s the Moon Goddess’s name!" Jojo nodded enthusiastically. "My Daddy told me that beastmen pray to the Moon Goddess for protection, since she is our savior! Your name should be Selene, because you’re my savior!"

"Maybe once I meet the Moon Goddess, I’ll ask if I can borrow her name," Sisi chuckled. She ruffled his head and asked, "Then what about you? Is your name really Jojo?"

"Mm! My Daddy gave it to me!"

"What does Jojo mean?"

"I don’t know," Jojo replied simply. "But I know it must mean something strong, like me!"

Sisi laughed again. As she expected, she was most at ease when taking care of children. Just listening to Jojo was enough to calm her.

"Well, for now you call me Sisi, and I’ll call you Jojo, alright? Once we meet your Daddy, I’ll ask him about your real name, okay?"

Jojo’s expression immediately changed. He lowered his head and asked softly, "Is he still alive?"

...

Sisi didn’t want to ask too many questions about Jojo’s family. For him to escape Roc Forest alone and wounded meant they had been separated, and the fate of his family was likely grim. She didn’t want to cause him distress, not until he was older and strong enough to face the memories.

She could have lied and said his father was alive, but giving a child false hope was cruel. Children clung to those hopes as they grew up, she knew it firsthand.

At the orphanage, the Matriarch and nurses told her she would be adopted by a good family. Sisi clung to that hope day and night. She was always disheartened when she wasn’t chosen, and cried alone when every child she grew up with had been adopted except for her.

It was heartbreaking. She didn’t want Jojo to experience that.

Thus, she said gently:

"Since you’re a strong cub, that means your Daddy must be strong too. I believe he’s still alive somewhere in the forest." She paused, then added, "But even if he’s not... you still have me, right? You’re not alone, Jojo."

Jojo was sad when she mentioned his father’s uncertain fate, but he felt a little better when she mentioned herself. Indeed, he wasn’t alone.

His father always told him to become a strong wolf, one who could protect the people he loved.

Since his savior had cared for him and saved him many times, he would do the same for her in the future. They would share food, share warmth at night, and protect each other from their enemies.

With his tail wagging, Jojo declared, "Don’t worry! Jojo will grow up faster and protect you, Sisi!"

"Alright, alright. Now eat your fill before we go," Sisi said, feeding him another chunk of meat.

It was already nearing dawn by the time they finished, perfect timing to enter the forest. It would be best to find a safe place to rest before dusk so they could sleep soundly tomorrow night.

Sisi grabbed her pouch and smiled at the yawning little wolf cub in her arms.

"Are you ready to leave, Jojo?"

"Mm... I’ll keep watch... so no enemy will catch... us..." Jojo muttered, drifting off to the dreamland. He fell asleep moments later, nestling comfortably against her chest.

"You can do that once you wake up, alright?" Sisi giggled as she walked toward the edge of the forest.

She turned her head toward the farm one last time, looking at the ruined house. The farmland was still intact, so someone else would eventually take care of the dogs and animals once they had discovered the mess. .

No, she didn’t feel sad leaving this place, nor did she feel bad for destroying the home. Her life had been bitter from the moment she stepped onto this farm, even Mrs. Piker basically turned her into a free nurse and maid the moment she stepped into the house.

She was only sad that she didn’t feel anything more while looking at it.

All she felt now was indifference.

’I think I’ve done enough to repay my debt of gratitude, Mrs. Piker,’ Sisi thought. ’But... I should thank you, for feeding me and giving me shelter for seven years.’

Thus, she turned away and disappeared into the depths of Roc Forest, embarking on a new journey with a little wolf beastman as her companion, never to be seen again by anyone who once knew her.