The Game Heroine's Cannon Fodder Leopard Cub - Chapter 9

Yi’an immediately began meowing loudly.

Nora stood in tense confrontation, dagger and vine locked in a tight standoff. Though she sensed the Little Leopard’s unease, she assumed it was due to the vine before them.

When Nora didn’t respond, Yi’an paced anxiously in circles, her agitation growing.

If only I could speak!

Instinctively, she crouched low, pressing her ears to the ground to feel for vibrations.

The approaching creature wasn’t moving particularly fast, but it would be upon them within ten minutes at most. Moreover, with no way to determine if it was friend or foe, they needed to resolve the current threat within that timeframe.

Yi’an lay flat against the earth, ears pricked high, her leopard eyes fixed intently on the seemingly calm vine.

The moment she settled into a battle stance, the vine moved.

As if dismissing her as insignificant, the vine’s tip transformed into a blade-like shape in an instant, lunging straight for Nora’s throat with such speed that it kicked up clouds of dust.

Even though Nora was prepared, she didn’t have time to adjust her defense. Instinctively, she raised her arm, and the leaf struck the tip of her dagger with a clang. A fraction of an inch off, and her throat would have suffered the same fate as a horse’s belly.

It was truly too fast.

The seemingly soft foliage had become as rigid as iron in its clash against the dagger.

Now, having missed its initial strike, the vine didn’t press its attack. Instead, it retracted its leaf and began swaying wildly in all directions, like a mischievous child.

Yi’an narrowed her eyes. This strange vine seemed almost sentient.

We can’t keep just defending passively, she thought. At this rate, we’ll be overwhelmed long before ten minutes are up.

What could they do?

Were they just going to sit here and wait to die?

Yi’an felt a moment of despair.

“It’s up to you, Little Leopard,” Nora suddenly said, cutting through her thoughts.

Before Yi’an could respond, Nora drew another dagger and charged at the vine with both blades, leaving her throat, abdomen, and chest completely exposed.

Yi’an finally understood. Even without knowing about the unknown creature in the distance, Nora refused to wait passively for death. Rather than remain on the defensive, she was going for one final, desperate strike.

No sooner said than done, Yi’an twisted her hips a few times, then pushed off powerfully with her hind legs. Like an arrow released from its bow, she charged toward the vine from the side with lightning speed.

The vine, still basking in its arrogance, froze for a split second as two “prey” charged from opposite directions simultaneously.

Yi’an lunged forward, her forelimbs striking the vine with savage force. Seizing this moment of hesitation, she extended her razor-sharp claws and clamped them tightly around the vine’s main stem. Using the momentum of her charge, she slammed the vine to the ground, opened her jaws, and sank her teeth into it, refusing to release her grip no matter how violently it struggled.

At the same moment, Nora swiftly arrived. Raising her right hand high, she plunged her dagger downward, the blade piercing the vine’s undefended main stem and embedding itself in the hard gravelly crevice below.

As if writhing in agony, the vine twisted its main stem like a snake, sending countless gusts of sand and gravel flying in all directions, pelting their faces and bodies. Yet Yi’an clung stubbornly to the vine’s head, her jaws clamped tight, while Nora pressed down with all her weight, pinning the dagger firmly in place.

After a desperate struggle, the vine finally arched its bl00d-red, bulbous root upward like a swollen mass.

This was the moment Nora had been waiting for. Her mind focused with laser-like intensity, her right hand maintained its relentless pressure on the dagger while her left hand shot out in a desperate, sweeping motion toward the exposed root.

She poured every ounce of her strength into the strike, but whether it would hit its mark remained uncertain.

From formulating the plan to executing it, barely seconds had elapsed. Judging by her usual temperament, this reckless move would have earned her a perfect score in the “impulsiveness” category. Yet she had still gone through with it, even entrusting part of the initiative to a small animal whose sentience remained unconfirmed.

Shriiiick!

Nora didn’t miss the sharp, fleeting sound. Beneath her, the vine instantly lost all its struggling force.

Her gamble had paid off.

After a few final death throes, the vine went completely still.

Nora straightened up, her palm bruised purple from the exertion. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her exposed skin was covered in cuts and scrapes from the gravel and sand.

But she couldn’t afford to check her injuries.

The Little Leopard had stopped moving.

Clenching her teeth, Nora crawled toward Little Leopard on all fours, calling out loudly, “Little Leopard! Little Leopard!”

A faint whimper answered her.

Nora’s eyes lit up. She scrambled to Little Leopard’s side and tried to turn her over. “Little Leopard, are you okay?”

Yi’an was inwardly weeping. Heaven knows what adrenaline she’d pumped herself with, or how much strength she’d mustered.

Now look at you—teeth stuck fast, claws stuck fast.

Waaah, come save me! My jaw aches so much!

It wasn’t until Nora tried to turn Little Leopard over that she discovered the reason for her silence, leaving her both amused and exasperated.

She retrieved the dagger from the crevice, gently severed the vine suspending Little Leopard, and painstakingly separated her tiny claws and teeth from the tangled tendrils.

Finally freed from the monstrous vine, Yi’an wanted to close her mouth immediately, but her jaw, stretched open for too long, now refused to cooperate, saliva drooling uncontrollably.

Fortunately, Nora was there.

Kneeling beside her, Nora slowly lifted Little Leopard into her arms. With one hand, she gently massaged her cheeks, gradually coaxing her mouth closed.

Seeing Little Leopard’s patchy, dirty fur, Nora frowned as she carefully combed through the matted tangles. Her heart ached with a bittersweet emotion she couldn’t quite articulate.

Yi’an, oblivious to Nora’s complex thoughts, reveled in the gentle strokes, her fur practically standing on end with contentment. She nearly purred herself to sleep.

If not for the sudden memory of the earlier disturbance.

Her ears perked up instantly. Sure enough, it was approaching!

Nora didn’t miss the sudden alertness in Little Leopard’s furry face. “What’s wrong?”

Yi’an turned to Nora, conveying the sound she had heard with a series of meows.

Now that Nora was no longer caught up in the tension of battle, she understood the message immediately.

Nora pushed herself to her feet, scanning the surroundings. Apart from a rugged, rocky plateau to the right, the landscape was a barren wasteland devoid of vegetation.

Ignoring the pain in her leg, she limped over to the fallen horse and gathered the scattered luggage, slinging it over her shoulder.

“We don’t know if it’s friend or foe yet. Let’s hide first and assess the situation,” Nora said.

Yi’an nodded in agreement, taking two steps back to avoid Nora’s attempt to pick her up, signaling that she could run on her own.

Her disheveled fur and a few broken whiskers contrasted sharply with her bright, determined eyes. Nora’s gaze lingered on Yi’an, her thoughts unreadable.

Respecting the little leopard’s wishes, Nora withdrew her hand and strode toward the gravel pile, her peripheral vision constantly monitoring the small creature behind her.

Watching Yi’an trot after her, tail held high and not falling behind, Nora’s heart swelled with conflicting emotions.

But now wasn’t the time to sort through her feelings.

She exhaled sharply and quickened her pace.

Soon, they reached the gravel pile.

Just as they concealed themselves, heavy footsteps carried on the wind reached their ears.

It was coming.