The cold splash of water he expected never came. Instead, a surprised and delighted voice called out, "Han Li Beast Father!"
Han Li opened his eyes to see Xiao Yu in the lake, his chubby tail wagging back and forth in excitement.
"Xiao Yu," he said, quickly crouching down. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt? And what about Da Hu and the others? Aren't they with you?"
Xiao Yu shook his head, fighting back tears. "Han Li Beast Father, some bad people brought my brothers and me here. When we passed this lake, a giant clam swallowed me. By the time I got out and swam to shore, the bad people and my brothers were gone..."
"Beast Father understands," Han Li said, reaching out to pick him up. "It's okay. Beast Father is here now. Don't be afraid."
Xiao Yu said his tail wouldn't change back, so Han Li decided to carry him out of the forest first and figure things out from there.
His intuition told him this place was dangerous.
