"Ouch! My back!" she winced. Her butt fell first and it freaking hurts, ah!
Anyway, what was that? Something had tugged at the hem of her clothes, causing her to be out of balanced. In the end, she flailed before catching herself just in time.
Blinking, she looked down and saw the perpetrator. A pair of large, round, dewy eyes stared up at her and bumped on her like a wrecking ball.
Uff!
Hyerin felt her guts making loud protest to throw away the little ball of trouble.
"Sister!"
"L-Little Fluff… and—"
Tweet! Tweet!
"I see… it's just you two." Hyerin groaned and let out a breath of relief.She thought some wild boar appeared and lunge at her.
Hyerin raise her hands and let the snowy white bird perch down on her open palms.
It was a small white bird no bigger than a cotton puff. Its feather looked like a newly hatch baby chick's but was as white as a blanket of snow during winter with black-streaked feather on its small wings.
"Is this what they call wilderness therapy?" she murmured, eyes twinkling like stars.
Aww, so cute, so soft, so pure and pinchy!
Hyerin wanted to pinch it but was afraid it would be hurt so she just gently patted its head and rubbed it gently against her cheek like Gua Sha, giving her more glow than the actual jade.
She then placed the little fellow on her shoulder, making her mood lifted in a second. Hyerin slowly rose and dusted off her clothes. And then, she scooped the small cub in her arms and hugged it like a stuffed toy.
"Little Fluff, sister missed you! You're becoming more and more squishy by the day, Sister just wants to hold you closer."
"Sis... Sister, tight. Not so tight."
"I-I can't breathe! Boohoo!"
"Big... Sister, I'm dying. You're breaking Konkon's bones!"
The small red cub struggled and gasped. Konkon howled in panic and desperately tried to break free from her vice-like hug.
"O-Oh, my!" Hyerin flinched and quickly loosened her grip. Her eyes turned extremely apologetic and filled with worries.
"Oh my gosh. Konkon are you hurt?"
"K-Konkon is fine, sister. Don't blame yourself," he replied weakly.
In reality, he actually thought his bones would be snapped into fragments and that made him shudder.
"It's just that, Konkon feel really weak after getting a big hug from Sister. It hurts here, here and here."
Whimper.
Sniff.
"Sister... Konkon's head is shaking. I even see two of your beautiful face. Will I be okay?"
The little cub replied pitifully and Hyerin's heart felt undoubtedly responsible.
Seeing this, the cub thought of something.
"Ah, sister. Konkon is not feeling good. Will you carry me until I get better?"
"O-Of course!"
"Sister will carry you like a baby as long as you like," she readily replied and this this made the red cub smiled widely in secret.
Konkon blinked innocently while acting very obedient. This tugged Hyerin's heart.
She heaved and caressed the little cub's smooth fur before speaking, "I'm really sorry, Little Fluff. Sister went overboard, aren't I? I just couldn't help myself for a second. You guys were just too cute and soft. Especially you, Sister felt healed hugging you, Konkon."
"You, you feel healed because you hug me? Is it really true?" Konkon stuttered and even blushed a little, making his snot bright and red. "Sister, feel free to hug me, kiss me, I don't mind at all. We can always become mate—uff!"
Little Bird's POV
"Konkon feel really weak. It hurts here, here, and here," the bear cub whimpered, poking his paw pitifully across his belly and chest.
"Sister… Konkon is dizzy. I can even see two of your beautiful face. Will I be okay? Will you carry Konkon until Konkon becomes fine, sister?" he added, voice barely above a breath, painting himself the pitiful picture of a dying prince.
From his perch high on the woman's shoulder, Snowy watched this absurd performance with the expressionless disdain only a tiny bird could manage. His tiny talons curled tighter into the fabric.
Hell, just watching the lousy act of that conniving furball trying to fish sympathy from their kind-hearted sister made his small feathers stand on end.
This plastic bastard. He's so fake! Faker than a wax-basket in a funeral!
Snowy grit his beak, his entire face twitching in silent agony. The sheer audacity of the crimson puffball playing victim in such a transparent ploy—it was almost criminal. Even so, he held back. For now.
That was, until—
Right before his round, unblinking eyes, the woman's face melted into a pool of affection, her voice a sugar-soaked coo.
"Of course," she said gently. "Sister will carry you like a baby for as long as you want. I'm sorry, Little Fluff. Sister went overboard, didn't she? I just couldn't help myself. You kids are too soft and too cute… especially our Little Fluff. I felt healed just hugging you."
Snowy flinched as if struck by lightning. His feathers stood on end. Healed? He turned a sickly shade of greenish-grey, which was a remarkable feat for a bird already dressed in white.
What in the great feathered abyss were they doing? Were they… were they flirting? In front of him? Without shame? Without fear? Without basic decency?!
Are they for real?
Shameless. Absolutely shameless. Are they seriously flirting right under his majestic beak?
"You… you feel healed when hugging me? Really?" Konkon stuttered, his ears flushing pink and his snout twitching with embarrassment. That little weasel had the gall to blush. To beam. As though basking on some cloud of euphoria.
Snowy wanted nothing more than to rip that cloud out from under him and watch him crash face-first into the dirt.
But still, that was him not the red luster of soft fur.
Her words— Ashta's words—must have melted the last of his common sense.
So, Konkon, mustering every ounce of clumsy courage in his chest, turned to look directly into her gentle, unguarded gaze. He swallowed thickly and began to speak.
"Sister can hug me for free. I don't mind at all even if you snuggle and kiss me. So, then… will Sister accept me as her ma—"
WHACK!
Before the word could escape, Snowy, unable to endure another syllable of this indecency, struck the top of Konkon's head like a divine hammer smashing a watermelon.
**