Owen led Rowan deep into the forest, where indeed, there were many Dragon Claw Vegetables.
Rowan chose to pick the newly sprouted tender tips, poured out all the weeds in the beast-skin bag, and carefully put the Dragon Claw Vegetables inside.
Having filled a bag with the wild vegetables he wanted, he prepared to return to the cave.
Owen also wanted to hunt along the way, so he carried Rowan on his back and flew towards an area abundant with prey.
Rowan had now started getting used to Owen's beast form; looking at it for a long time, he even found it quite cool. Human adaptability was indeed superb; Rowan could already sit steadily on the snake body.
The Snow Season was approaching, and prey would become increasingly scarce; flying very far might not reveal any trace of them. The weather wasn't cold now, the temperature almost like summer. But the Snow Season would arrive very abruptly; heavy snow could fall in just one day.
Owen had tasted bitterness when the Snow Season arrived unexpectedly. When he first lived independently, he completely didn't understand the harshness of the Snow Season. Unaccustomed to the sudden temperature drop, coupled with a lack of food, he almost didn't survive. When spring came, his snake body was emaciated to the point of deformation.
Rowan noticed Owen had flown off course, completely not the way back to the cave, so he patted his scales hard to remind him. As a result, Owen thought flying for too long made Rowan uncomfortable, so he put him down.
"I'm fine, where do you intend to go?" Rowan was quite looking forward to quickly returning to cook the Dragon Claw Vegetables to taste.
"Hunting a few Iron-Horned Beasts; perhaps we have to go very far. It's good that you're fine; let me take you back first." Owen was a bit worried about the Omegina's health; hunting was inherently unsuitable for bringing an Omegina along.
"I'll go with you, let's go." Rowan rarely got to go out and couldn't bear to miss the opportunity to explore this new land. Moreover, he was very interested in Owen's hunting method; if possible, he also wanted to practice his skills.
Idle for so long, Rowan almost missed the thrill of poking insect nests every day in the Empire.
Owen couldn't withstand Rowan's shining eyes looking at him; he was very confident he could protect him well. Incidentally, he could also show Rowan his ability to take care of the family.
Prey here had decreased, probably all migrated south. Following the migration direction would likely make encountering them easier, but Owen didn't really want to go south.
He didn't want to meet other Beastmen coming to hunt. Beastmen of other tribes hated the Silver-Winged Snake Clan wandering outside.
It could even be said to be hatred; every year, people from the Silver-Winged Snake Clan might kidnap Omeginas. This despicable behavior made many tribes extremely hateful. Almost upon seeing a Silver-Winged Snake Clan member, they would swarm to attack.
Previously, when Owen went hunting, he was often maliciously surrounded and beaten by them. At first, he was very willing to fight back, but gradually, after becoming stronger, he didn't bother playing with them anymore.
Owen never actively provoked, nor had he ever killed another Beastman. But he loathed the disturbance and hostile attitude of those Beastmen, so he tried to avoid them.
Flying further south, sure enough, prey was sighted. Not only Iron-Horned Beasts and other herbivores but also the wild boar-like beast that had attacked Rowan.
However, Owen's main target was still the Iron-Horned Beast's fur; this was excellent material for keeping warm, which an Omegina needed very much.
He hid Rowan in a dense bush nearby, yet still within his line of sight; any danger could be detected immediately.
Rowan was very annoyed by Owen's behavior of looking down on him, but he also knew this wasn't the time to argue, so he rarely obediently hid here.
This feeling was truly magical; this was the first time someone protected him.
After settling Rowan, Owen transformed directly into his beast form and rushed into the herd of Iron-Horned Beasts, soon hunting down a few easily.
Rowan watched Owen's primitive and wild hunting method, feeling his blood boil, his limbs starting to itch.
It had been a long time since he felt the joy of slaughter on the battlefield like this.
Just as Owen was passionately hunting, the herd of Iron-Horned Beasts was startled and fled in panic; a few rushed straight towards Rowan, the situation spiraling out of control.
Rowan faced the rushing Iron-Horned Beasts without panic, exactly what he wanted; swinging his fists, he directly joined the battle.
He had just observed that the Iron-Horned Beast's weapon was its pair of sharp horns; as long as he dodged them, they weren't difficult to deal with. Attacking their weak abdomen and eyes would almost guarantee victory.
Owen was preparing to come to the rescue when he was astonished by the figure nimbly dodging amidst the herd of Iron-Horned Beasts, fighting fiercely with them yet still gaining the upper hand.
Was this still the weak Omegina in his perception?
Although they had fought before and he knew Rowan had some martial skills, he was still momentarily shocked by his explosive power. Worthy of being the Omegina he chose, truly a treasure.
Rowan was fighting vigorously when suddenly he was tightly embraced by a pair of large hands and taken out of the chaotic battlefield. He instantly became angry; he hated this posture of being seen as a weakling.
Just about to scold Owen, as soon as he turned his head, he saw a stranger and was stunned for a moment.
Rowan forcefully broke free from that man's embrace, stepping back a few paces. He frowned, asking impatiently: "Who are you?"
That man hurriedly checked if Rowan was injured; seeing no bleeding wounds, he was relieved enough to answer his question.
"I am a Beastman of the Snow Leopard Clan; my name is Leo. Where are your clansmen? How could they leave an Omegina in such a dangerous place?"
As soon as the words fell, Owen blocked in front of Rowan: "He is mine."
His face was full of solemnity looking at this Beastman who had popped out of nowhere.
"Silver-Winged Snake Clan!" Leo recognized Owen's identity very quickly.
The cold aura of a cold-blooded animal and the distinctive vertical blue pupils of the Silver-Winged Snake Clan were very recognizable.
Leo's whole body instantly tensed up, preparing a combat stance: "Is he someone you deceived from which tribe? I advise you to be sensible and release him."
Owen did not yield at all, saying no more, preparing to take Rowan away.
At this moment, Rowan stood behind Owen silently assessing Leo, then stepped out: "Tribe? Clansmen?"
Rowan stared at Leo.
Leo was overjoyed: "That's right, I can take you back."
Hearing this, Owen immediately pulled Rowan back to his side, looking afraid that Rowan would follow him; his expression became even more tense.
Rowan ignored Owen; on the contrary, he appeared enthusiastic to extract information from Leo.
"I don't have a tribe; is your tribe nearby?"
"Our Snow Leopard Clan tribe is on that mountain not far away. Since you don't have a tribe, you can join us. Our tribe welcomes Omeginas very much and will also save you from this terrifying Silver-Winged Snake Clan Beastman." Leo looked at Rowan with a sincere face, promising earnestly.
Receiving a definite answer, Rowan actually somewhat wanted to go investigate. He also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart; having a tribe meant there was human civilization.
At least this bizarre world didn't just have him and Owen existing. Otherwise, it would be truly hard to accept.
Seeing Rowan react to Leo's words, Owen finally couldn't maintain his calm, directly transforming into his original form and rushing to fight Leo.
He absolutely had to kill this guy who wanted to steal his Omegina right here.
Leo was the strongest warrior in the Snow Leopard Clan; his strength could not be underestimated. He completely didn't fear the Silver-Winged Snake Clan member, directly transforming into a beast to meet the attack.