Chapter 373: What Even Are You?

Caius moved through the jungle like he was born in it, silent, purposeful, not a single twig snapping beneath his boots. In contrast, Arian was a walking noise machine. Every other step was accompanied by the sound of a leaf crunching, a branch snapping, or him dramatically sighing about how "nature was trying to kill him."Sometimes, he flinched at the sounds HE made.

The sun peeked through the canopy, spilling patches of light onto the mossy floor, and Arian hopped over a root to keep up. "How are you still walking after the injuries you sustained?" he asked, voice full of genuine confusion. "Aren't you in pain?"

Caius didn't even look back. "I'm used to pain," he said flatly. "And these injuries are not that bad."

Arian's jaw dropped. "Not that bad?" He hurried to walk beside him, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Blood was gushing out of the wound on your head! I had to sacrifice a part of my shirt to stop the bleeding." He gestured dramatically to his midriff, which was now exposed thanks to the strip of fabric missing. "Do you know how uncomfortable crop tops are in a forest? I'm basically a walking snack for mosquitoes now."

Caius flicked his eyes toward him just once. His gaze trailed unintentionally to Arian's narrow waist before his jaw tightened. He turned back to the path wordlessly. "Can you stop talking for some time?"

Arian gasped. "You mean… Like silence?"

"Yes. Silence."

Arian sighed dramatically, hands dropping to his sides. "Fine…"

For a blissful few seconds, only the rustle of leaves filled the air. Caius finally felt his headache ease, until Arian spoke again.

"Define some time," he asked innocently. "Because not talking for an hour is just torture. It's so boring here! Are you even sure we're going the right way? What if you're lost and we just die here? Actually, if we do die here, will anyone even come for us, I do not believe I am worth the risk!" Therefore, he had to make it out of here alive!

Caius exhaled through his nose, sharp and dangerous. "If you keep talking," he muttered, "you will die."

Arian's lips parted in mock horror. "You'd kill your only companion in the wilderness? Your saviour?"

"Very easily."

He muttered something under his breath, 'Tsk, no fun,' Caius couldn't make out what he said, though.

"You don't get it, I am good company, I can talk and keep you entertained, all day..." and then he added, "all night."

Caius froze and turned around. Arian was smiling innocently, clearly, he did not mean anything by that. So why was he overthinking this?

"I noticed."

Caius briefly considered whether getting lost alone would actually be worse than this.

It would be, he admitted reluctantly. So, he kept walking, and Arian kept talking, and the jungle echoed with the unlikely sound of two people: one a stoic survivor, the other an amnesiac chatterbox in a torn shirt, somehow making it through the wild together.

Arian dragged his feet through the thick undergrowth, his hair sticking to his forehead from the humid air. His once cheerful humming had died out about twenty minutes ago, replaced by the occasional groan or dramatic sigh. He was running purely on stubbornness and sarcasm at this point.

"Hey," he finally piped up, his voice hoarse but still annoyingly chipper, "here's an idea."

Caius didn't slow his pace. "No."

"You didn't even hear it yet!" Arian protested. "I climb on you, and I can see how much farther we have to go. It's called strategy." Honestly, he just wanted rest. And since there is nothing to sit on, he might as well try this.

Caius stopped and turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing like a predator spotting prey. That look could've frozen rivers.

Arian gulped. "O-or," he said quickly, raising his hands, "you could climb on me… but I can't promise I won't fold instantly. I mean, you're heavy with all that muscle—"

"Enough," Caius growled, running a hand down his face. This boy was going to give him grey hairs before sunset.

Without another word, Caius told him to stand back. Arian obeyed, taking two exaggerated steps back with both hands raised as if Caius might explode.

Then Caius shifted.

It was the first time Arian had seen it, the way Caius' form rippled and melted into something sleek and powerful. His body elongated, bones rearranging with fluid grace until a massive black panther stood in his place, its coat shimmering faintly under the dappled sunlight. Golden eyes flicked toward Arian, calm but commanding.

Arian's jaw dropped. "Wha-" He blinked. He looked around as if to say, Is anyone else seeing this?!

The panther huffed, a sound suspiciously like a sigh. before leaping effortlessly up the nearest tree. Claws dug into bark with silent precision, and within seconds, Caius was perched high above, scanning the horizon.

Arian shielded his eyes, peering up. The panther's tail flicked sharply.

A few moments later, Caius dropped down, landing with the kind of grace that would've made any cat jealous. The impact barely stirred the leaves.

Arian's jaw dropped as Caius shifted back to his human form — sleek black fur fading into tanned skin, muscles moving under his shirt like liquid steel. The sight was way too much for Arian's tired brain to process.

He instinctively took a step back, pointing an accusatory finger. "What— What are you??"

Caius raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "I'm a black panther."

"No, I mean—how—what—you—" Arian stammered, waving his hands as though trying to rearrange his words into a proper sentence. "You were—fur—and then—human! How does that even—?!"

Caius frowned, his golden eyes narrowing. "You don't know?"

Arian blinked. "Know what? That people can just casually turn into jungle predators?"

The panther man took a step forward, and Arian instinctively stepped back. Again. And again. Until his back hit a tree with a soft thud.

Caius stopped right in front of him, the air thick between them. Then, without warning, he reached up and, to Arian's utter horror, started rubbing his ears.

"Wha—hey! What are you—?!"

"These," Caius said calmly, examining the fluffy things at the top of Arian's head, "are wolf ears."

Arian froze. "...What?"