After the Silly Little Mute Wolf Mistook Someone Else for Its Master

Liu Su had been a good-for-nothing since childhood, and he was mute, too.

As a wolf demon, he was told by the clan leader, "You've brought shame on every wolf in the clan."

Every ten years, the wolf clan chose a young wolf demon to send to the grasslands, where humans could select one to keep.

Only the best wolves were kept and raised. Those who weren't good enough ended up dead beneath a blade.

The lowest-ranked of them all, Liu Su was forced to become the wolf clan's sacrificial offering and dumped on the grasslands.

And the one he encountered was the finest hunter on the entire grassland: Qing Jing.

Qing Jing was tall and powerfully built. He kept the largest wolf pack on the grasslands and hunted with deadly precision, using survival of the fittest to bring out the wolves' wild instincts.

To survive under his command, it was kill or be killed.

That was how Qing Jing had always raised wolves, until Liu Su came along that year.

Liu Su couldn't fight or bite, and he was timid, too. The moment he entered, he simply lay down, eyes closed, tail wagging, ears twitching, waiting for someone to rub his belly.

Qing Jing: "…"

Was this really a wild wolf?

Whether he was wild or even a wolf didn't matter. What mattered was that Qing Jing really did keep Liu Su!

All the wolves had been waiting for Liu Su to return in defeat, or to be killed on the spot. They had been looking forward to laughing at him.

But instead, Liu Su became the first wolf demon in decades to be kept by a human!

His status suddenly soared!

And best of all, Liu Su didn't even have to work!

The other wolves were kept in the yard, but Liu Su only had to roll around on the ground for Qing Jing to let him into the house and up onto the bed, where he could sleep under the covers.

The other wolves chewed on raw bones, fighting over them. Liu Su only had to rub against Qing Jing's leg, and Qing Jing would bring him hot sheep's milk and stewed meat.

The other wolves got locked in cages if they dared to bare their teeth. When Liu Su threw a tantrum and bit people, Qing Jing had to run after him and comfort him instead.

Other wolves: That's not fair!

*Nomadic, uncivilized, dark-skinned, muscular human x mute, adorable, pale, delicate wolf demon

Silly comedy * rural life * mutually devoted * adorable little wolf pup

(Neither character is perfect. There is angst along the way. The region is fictional, and there is a minor secondary pairing.)

Theme: Developing rural communities and caring for pets' mental health