"This Golden Acorn can help Ester recover. This single small acorn is probably equivalent to sixty Sage Apples. It also has unknown effects that might make it more than that amount." Vincent explained. He tried to imagine what the unknown effects were. Like the Sage Apple, someone needed to taste test first.

Lupa held the Golden Acorn in her hand. Her nose approach while taking a long whiff. Suddenly, her belly growled while her lips leaked. Soon, the intention of devouring it in a single bite felt hard to resist.

From the Golden Acorn, an inviting aroma entered her sensitive nose. A signal of hunger rushed to her brain, causing her to act this way. Lupa gave Vincent the Golden Acron, then slapped her belly while saying, "It's for Ester, stop growling."

Vincent understood why she wanted to devour it, but unlike her, he had smelled and ate many sweets on Earth. The fragrance level was at the top of the sweets industry, but he could resit. However, his mouth drooled for a taste as if it had a mind of its own.

Time swiftly passed while all this transpired, but time waits for no one, and the gray clouds waited for no one either. With the acorns safely in Vincent's pockets, both resumed moving the cart to the small cave.

Later, they finally arrived at the entrance. The cave had a small entrance, enough to barely pull the cart inside. However, inside was spacious unlike the entrance. It was around ten meters wide and five meters high. It looked comfy to rest in and didn't appear excessively humid either.

As Lupa said, there weren't any traces of animals living inside. It was safe. They were far from a water source, but beggars can't be choosers.

While Lupa scouted their soundings, Vincent crushed the Golden Acorn into a paste. He then tasted a tiny amount, but other than mana regen buff for a few seconds, no harmful condition could be seen.

As it was time for a Sage Apple puree, Vincent mixed both of them and went to feed Ester this mana rich food.

Ester slowly opened her eyes while her lips shivered from cold. Her pale face appeared terrible as if she was worse than before.

"Eat this. We found a special acorn that should help. Chew slowly." Vincent carefully approached a spoonful beside her lips. It took a few seconds for Ester to understand his intention.

Ester slowly opened her delicate mouth. The spoon deposited the mana rich nutrients in her mouth. As she gulped, her crimson eyes shone a light red hue. Her pale face also began regaining a bit of life and warmth. She raised a faint smile from its pleasant taste.

"It's very effective." Vincent happily chuckled at the result. Then proceeded to feed her the puree mix while Lupa returned.

When Lupa saw Ester looking healthier, she rushed beside them while boasting how she found the Golden Acron. Ester's healthy smile felt enough as a reward to the happy wolf.

"I will reward you later. Now help me place the rags and cloth on the ground. We need to sleep on the ground since we might need to use the cart to block the entrance." Vincent said while he planned.

Vincent thought of a way to protect themselves. If it rained, the cart could protect them from the wind carrying the rain. Their fire to heat their cave could last longer. It could also protect them from hostile life forms.

A few hours later, the preparations Vincent wanted were achieved. The cart parked at the entrance while the campfire stood next to it. After many trials and errors, they made the smoke exit the cave without filling the cave with smoke.

Vincent took two empty barrels outside. He placed them in a stable spot where the barrels wouldn't tumble from the wind. He planned to use the blessing of the sky to fill their reserves from the potential incoming rain.

Vincent and Lupa rolled three rocks beside each other to sit on. Then they finished with a three-person cloth bed on the ground beside the resting Ester. Her condition became better, but it was a five-hour temporary beneficial effect.

"I checked our supplies. We have enough water for around three to four days and food for maybe a week." Vincent sat on a rock while explaining their situation. However, if Ester could heal the next day, their journey could continue.

Lupa nodded while she sat in front of him. The nearby small campfire burning next to the entrance warmed the cave while some boar meat slowly cooked.

There was still around half a day to go and nothing to do. Lupa approached as she sat beside Vincent. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, "I lived with my parents in a cave, one similar to this."

"They would take me to the river and catch fish for me. They would play with me to teach me how to hunt." Lupa reminisced about her past with a warm smile. However, not long after, Lupa pushed her body against his with a sad expression.

Vincent could feel a bad memory appeared in her mind. He raised his hand, gentility brushing her hair and fluffy ears.

Lupa could feel how much kindess Vincent had. With this fuzzy warm feeling, she decided to continue the story by his side, a story she didn't say when they first met.

"A group of four greys wolves attacked us. But my father, a strong white wolf purebred, easily defeated three of them. The last one was strong and looked cunning. It kept ordering the gray wolves until they almost died." Lupa said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"It's fine. You can stop if you don't want to remember." Vincent knew how much bad memories could be traumatizing. He was a victim of such memories for a long time and still is.

Lupa lightly shook her head. She wanted to continue with the encouragement of Vincent's presence, "The last grey wolf soon killed my exhausted father. My mother was the next target of its fangs while she tried to protect me."

"Then... The gray wolf began to change. It lit so brightly we couldn't watch. The next thing I saw was a gray wolf double of my current white wolf size." Lupa explained how the cunning Great Gray Wolf awakened after killing her parents.

"You know the rest of the story... They collected many like me. Left us alive and used us as bait to lure humans for the pleasure of the perverted Leader. That is the story of my five years of life." Lupa soon finished her story.

"Thank you for saving me and giving me a new life. I love you, hehe." Lupa giggled.

Her white wolf story found a happy ending after five years. How the new beginning of the beastman Lupa begun with people she could trust and care for.

"I feel the same, my little wolf." Vincent tactfully said.

Vincent decided not to say the love word. It was a new word for him. His mind was filled to the brim with worry. With Ester sick and living in the forest of a new world, he wondered how long they could survive.

"Can you reward me since you love me? I heard humans like to cuddle." Lupa raised a cheeky grin while her tail joyfully wagged.

Vincent gasped. Then he started sweating bullets. The straight forward Lupa made his heart jump a few times. At first, he started to panic, but then a sudden idea about popped up.

Some stories about shapeshifting beings could have clothing made by their fur. If it could work for Lupa, then she wouldn't be naked every time.

'A great reward indeed,' he thought.

"I want to try something. But I don't know if it would work. If it works, then you don't need to worry about undressing to shapeshift. Want to try?" Vincent asked with a sharp knife in his hand.

"Umm... You won't hurt me, right?" Lupa asked with a hint of trembling voice.

Lupa stared with worry at the knife he picked up. She never saw a human holding a blade with good intentions other than Vincent and Ester to cut food. She trusted him, but it was still a scary sight.

"Try turning your arms with wolf fur. I will cut some fur and see what happens when you shapeshift your arms back and forth." Vincent explained while he wanted her confirmation. As a wolf, he didn't know if Lupa would like the idea of having her fur cut.

However, Lupa blindly trusted Vincent. She shapeshifted her arms, raised them close to Vincent, and closed her eyes as if he was about to chop them.

"Ok, done." Vincent did this as quickly as possible. In his hand was a small piece of her soft white fur.

Lupa opened her eyes, surprised from not feeling any pain. As such, she felt a bit pleased for his gentile and caring touch. Her arms returned to normal without fur, but the fur in Vincent's hand remained there.

It was a failure, but another idea rushed to his mind. 'What if the fur is touching Lupa while she shapeshifts back and forth?' he thought.

Vincent placed the fur on her shoulder and asked to do the same thing. This time he wasn't going to cut another piece of fur. Instead, he stared at the fur placed on her shoulder.

When the shapeshifting turned her arms into that of a werewolf and back. The piece of fur on her shoulder disappeared and appeared along with the shapeshifting glowing light. It was a success.

Lupa went behind the cart, undressed, and checked if it would work in wolf form. The piece of fur from the werewolf arms disappeared, but it didn't appear back unless she changed her arms once more.

Lupa wore her clothes. She later explained with a defeated expression. The cool shapeshifting clothes she imagined sadly disappeared. However, it was a small problem the ingenious Vincent could solve.

"Can I try with the fur on your tail?" Vincent thought of a possible solution. However, Lupa seemed extremely embarrassed by these words.

Lupa swiftly stole the knife from his hand with a blushed face. She ran behind the cart to try by herself.

Vincent became mystified about why she became embarrassed. Teasing him so much and continuously asking to mate yet shaving her tail seemed more embarrassing to her.

The shapeshifting light illuminated the cart multiple times. Afterward, the result was clear. Lupa approached with a lowered sad tail and said in a grumpy tone, "Sadly... It worked as you said."

"Hmm... It's interesting. If we make clothes from your tail fur, it would be possible to have clothes on every shapeshift. At the same time, you could have new clothes appear when you change your arms." Vincent said his theories with a bright smile. This felt like a fantasy adventure he always read.

"It's nice but... I feel embarrassed with a naked tail." Lupa said this with sadness. She slyly took this opportunity to sit on his lap. Then rested her head on his shoulder like the spoiled wolf she is.

"I'm your mate, right? Don't be embarrassed; you will look cute with a shaved tail..." While Vincent flirted with Lupa, nature interrupted this special occasion with a loud and close lightning strike.

*RUMBLE