It Didn't Want to Be a Burden

Tu Ran leaned against a tree trunk and slowly sank down, lifting a hand to peel off her helmet and revealing a face utterly devoid of color.

She wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, pulled a nutrient solution from her bag, and gulped down several large mouthfuls. "I need to sleep for a bit. You keep watch, and call me if anything happens."

"Okay, Boss, go to sleep. Fatty will definitely keep watch well," Fatty said obediently.

Tu Ran slowly closed her eyes and sank into sleep.

Fatty gazed at Tu Ran's haggard face, its heart feeling uneasy.

It was all because it was too fat. If it were lighter, Boss wouldn't have had to exhaust herself like this.

It needed to lose weight!

Fatty made a silent vow.

It sat obediently beside Tu Ran. With no one to talk to, it grew bored, so it began thinking about its specific weight-loss plan.

Where should it start?

Eat less?

It immediately vetoed that.

That way of losing weight wasn't healthy. It wanted to be a healthy Danghu bird, not go on a starvation diet.

Then, exercise more?

Fatty nodded its little head. That was doable.

From now on, when it led the way for Boss, it would run—run everywhere it went. That way, it could shed some pounds.

Also, it shouldn't go straight to sleep after eating. It should run a few laps to digest the food first, then sleep.

Fatty had its weight-loss plan all mapped out, then turned its gaze back to Tu Ran.

Tu Ran was leaning against the tree trunk, head tilted to one side, breathing softly.

Fatty thought this was an uncomfortable way to sleep.

It never liked sleeping sitting up.

Actually, it never liked sitting at all—if it could lie down, it absolutely wouldn't sit.

And Boss didn't usually sleep like this either.

She must have been so tired today that she didn't have time to adjust her posture.

It immediately stood up, gently laid Tu Ran's body flat, and thoughtfully tucked her backpack under her head as a pillow.

That was much more comfortable.

Fatty shook its little head with satisfaction.

Oh, right—it remembered the task Boss had given it before she fell asleep.

Keep watch, and wake Boss if there was danger.

Fatty immediately snapped into alert mode, scanning its surroundings with a serious expression, its two little eyes full of vigilance.

It absolutely wouldn't miss a single... huh?! There are fish in the river?!

Fatty scurried into the water.

The river wasn't deep—it only came up to its belly.

Zhu fish! Nothing but zhu fish!

Fatty stared excitedly at everything around it.

The zhu fish here weren't even afraid of it; they circled around it, darting about.

Fatty's mouth watered.

It was going to feast.

Fatty immediately locked onto a plump zhu fish and struck with speed and precision.

Missed.

It wasn't very good at catching fish.

Especially cunning zhu fish.

In all its previous wanderings, it had never caught one.

The zhu fish seemed to sense that this big, clumsy bird was a fool, and they circled around it even more energetically.

Almost as if mocking it.

Fatty felt insulted.

It immediately regained its birdly dignity, using its long beak as a weapon, and jabbed at the zhu fish closest to it.

Just barely—its beak grazed past the fish's slippery body.

Fatty didn't get discouraged and kept trying.

After seven or eight attempts, it finally succeeded.

Its beak pierced through the zhu fish's tail, and as the fish struggled, Fatty hoisted it out of the water, droplets sparkling off the tail fin.

The other zhu fish immediately scattered at the sight.

With that experience under its belt, Fatty was brimming with confidence.

Instead of eating the fish on the spot, it tossed its head and flung the fish onto the bank.

It would catch several more fish, and when Boss woke up, she could roast them for it.

Zhu fish were nutritious. Eating them would definitely replenish tons of energy—far better than the sugary water Boss always drank or those bland protein biscuits she ate.

With the success of its first catch, Fatty quickly caught a second, then a third...

It caught eight in total.

Because the zhu fish here weren't very big.

It tossed them ashore one by one.

Fatty waddled back to the bank, thoroughly satisfied.

The zhu fish gaped their mouths, gasping for air, and slapped their tails desperately, trying to flop back into the water.

But it was all in vain.

Fatty grabbed the one that was struggling the most and started chomping down.

Even though they were the same zhu fish, the taste in its mouth now was worlds apart from the zhu fish Boss had roasted that time.

Fatty took a few bites, then lost all interest.

Not tasty!

It tossed the fish to the ground.

It wanted the roasted zhu fish that Boss made.

But... it glanced at Tu Ran, still fast asleep. Boss was still sleeping. It couldn't wake her up—that just wouldn't be right.

But it wanted roasted fish.

What to do?

Fatty racked its brain for a solution.

Maybe it could roast it itself.

But it didn't know how to make fire.

It only knew that Fire Lizard beasts could breathe fire, but Fire Lizard beasts didn't live around here.

Two-legged creatures could make fire too, but the two-legged one was sleeping.

Fatty was deeply troubled, its orange feathers drooping on top of its head, looking exactly like a drowned bird.

After thinking it over, it decided to prepare all the ingredients first, then have Boss roast them when she woke up.

It thought this was a wise plan, so it got to work.

It gathered a pile of dry wood, cleaned the fish's innards, skewered them on sturdy sticks, and propped them over the wood.

Everything was ready three hours later. It looked at its handiwork with satisfaction and patted its belly.

Now, all that was left was for Boss to wake up.

It crouched in front of Tu Ran, staring unblinkingly at her closed eyes.

It chanted in its mind: Wake up, wake up, wake up...

When Tu Ran opened her eyes, this was the scene she saw—a round, fluffy chicken head right in her face, with glossy black eyes staring at her without blinking.

For an instant, Tu Ran flashed back to her first awakening in this world—the Gu Diao had been at the exact same angle, the exact same posture, pecking at her belly.

"Ahh!!" Tu Ran yelped, shoving the head in front of her away.

Caught off guard by her push, Fatty tumbled two rolls before barely stopping.

It quickly checked the grill—relieved to see it hadn't been affected—and then turned to Tu Ran with a hurt look. "Why did Boss push Fatty? Fatty was just checking if you were awake."

Tu Ran had already sat up, taking in her surroundings as her mind slowly cleared.

"Sorry, Fatty," she said, glancing down at her watch. "I didn't sleep that long today."

"It's been ages. Fatty's gotten skinny from hunger."

Tu Ran shot it a look and said nothing, but she recalled the scene of carrying it on her shoulders, panting for breath, and irritation flared. "Eat less from now on! And lose weight!"

"Fatty's already decided to lose weight, Boss. Don't worry," Fatty said, its mind now entirely on roasted fish. "Boss, light the fire first—let's eat roasted fish."

Tu Ran followed its gaze and finally noticed the zhu fish skewered over a pile of branches.

Then she saw the neat row of zhu fish stuck in the ground around her, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"You actually caught fish?" she marveled, pulling a lighter from her bag. She crouched by the fish, lit the dry branches underneath.

"Of course. Fatty's so agile—Fatty's a nimble fatty."

With roasted fish on the horizon, its tail was practically wagging to the sky.

As the flames began to leap, Tu Ran reached out and ruffled its fluffy head.