I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – The Names of Fairy Cubs

Siet casually tossed the small wooden plaques into the air, where they floated in a neat row, the characters carved into them shimmering with brilliant light.

All Fairy Cubs loved shiny, glittering things.

Shu Li was no exception.

A plaque drifted toward him, and he reached out curiously to grab it. But before his fingers could touch it, the plaque darted backward as if alive, leaving him grasping at empty air.

“Uh?” Shu Li awkwardly withdrew his hand. Had he been rejected by a wooden plaque?

Reddy, sitting to his left, frowned at the plaque’s disrespect toward his “big brother.” He lunged fiercely at the plaque.

Seemingly intimidated by Reddy’s aggression, the plaque froze in place. Reddy easily snatched it, proudly jutting out his chin, utterly triumphant.

Shu Li gave him a thumbs-up. “Impressive!”

Reddy grinned, offering the plaque to Shu Li.

“Keep it. What you grabbed is yours,” Shu Li said, shaking his head.

“Eeyah!” Reddy pouted, displeased. Didn’t you want it? I even got it for you. Why are you refusing?

He stubbornly tried to shove the plaque into Shu Li’s arms, but before he could release it, the plaque transformed into a chain that automatically fastened around his neck.

Reddy and Shu Li stared in stunned silence.

Siet and Aisha exchanged amused glances.

Reddy puzzledly touched the chain around his neck. The small wooden tag had shrunk, transforming into a delicate pendant, its glowing characters now dimmed.

“Decio, your name,” Siet said, pointing at Reddy with a smile. “Remember, from today onward, you’re Decio. Come, repeat after me—De-ci-o.”

Siet repeated the name twice. Reddy tilted his head and mimicked, “De-ci-o.”

“Excellent! Your pronunciation is perfect,” Siet praised. He pointed to himself and the others, introducing them one by one. “I’m Siet. She’s Aisha… and he’s Sperien.”

When the adult Fairy pointed at him, Shu Li immediately straightened his posture.

After hearing them repeat the names, he finally understood what these terms represented:

Fairy names.

Each character on the wooden tag represented a name. By grasping the tag, a cub could claim a name of their own.

Reddy, being a native-born Fairy Cub, possessed innate linguistic talent. He learned the name after hearing it just once from the adult Fairies.

Shu Li watched Reddy with intense envy.

He had tried to quietly repeat the name earlier, but his tongue refused to cooperate, unable to curl properly. His pronunciation was worlds apart from Reddy’s.

If he couldn’t even pronounce the simplest names correctly, how would he ever learn the more complex Elven language?

Shu Li began to feel anxious.

Whitey watched as Reddy not only received a beautiful necklace after grabbing the wooden tag, but also gained a name. Instantly seized by competitive spirit, he spread his wings and lunged at the wooden tag hovering above his head.

He was fast, but the tag was faster, dodging his grasp in an instant and darting upward.

Whitey’s pounce missed its mark. His amber eyes flickered, and he spun around to pounce on another tag.

This tag was closest to him, and caught off guard, it was snagged by Whitey’s claws.

Whitey let out a triumphant “Yay!” and landed lightly on his toes in front of Siet, holding up the tag to show him.

Siet bent down, gently ruffled Whitey’s soft silver hair, and said warmly, “Angele, your name.”

As he spoke, the tag transformed into a necklace and settled around Whitey’s neck.

Whitey’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he clutched the pendant, pronouncing each syllable carefully: “An-ge-le… your… name.”

“Wrong. It’s not ‘your,’ it’s ‘my,'” Siet patiently corrected. “When you introduce yourself, you should say… ‘My name is Angele.'”

Whitey, understanding only vaguely, stumbled through the pronunciation.

After four repetitions, he finally managed to say his name clearly.

“Angele! Angele! My name is Angele!” Whitey danced with joy, proclaiming his name loudly to all the fairies.

Reddy, not wanting to be outdone, thumped his tiny chest. “Me! Decio! Decio—”

Shu Li watched Reddy and Whitey, marveling at their baby-like voices. He was deeply impressed.

They’re both language prodigies!

They learned their names in such a short time!

Meanwhile, he was still silently struggling with the pronunciation.

The other Fairy Cubs had been eyeing the wooden name tags eagerly. When Whitey announced his name, they swarmed the tags, desperate to grab one before they were gone.

Wings fluttered wildly, creating chaos on the vine-covered table.

Siet and Aisha didn’t intervene, letting the cubs play their chasing game with the name tags.

The tags were imbued with advanced magic, only allowing themselves to be caught by the Fairy Cub whose name matched.

Unaware of this, the cubs grabbed whichever tags they liked, often two or three cubs fighting over a single tag, leading to chaotic scrambles.

When multiple cubs started fighting, Aisha and Siet intervened promptly to prevent injuries.

Shu Li sat listlessly on a small stool, resting his cheek in his hand.

The excitement is theirs; I have nothing.

The fairies who already had names wouldn’t even let him touch their wooden tags. Before he could reach out, the tags would dart away as if equipped with radar.

He didn’t even know when he had gotten his name.

Could it have been the day I woke up in the Flower Bed?

Shu Li raised a hand to touch his forehead.

That day, the melodious-voiced, handsome golden-haired Elf had gently touched his forehead, and a string of strange symbols had appeared in his mind.

Since then, he had frequently heard the same term from the Red-haired Elf, the Silver-haired Fairy, and the Brown-haired Fairy.

This term might be his name.

The Brown-haired Fairy’s lesson to Reddy earlier had confirmed his suspicion.

Spi… jit… hmm?

No! No!

It should be… Sbejit?

Still wrong!

Shu Li repeated the name silently over and over, unable to get the pronunciation right. He habitually scratched his head, his fingers brushing against the small flower crown nestled in his hair.

This small floral crown was also a gift from the Golden-Haired Elf.

Made of an unknown material, it was inlaid with a row of emerald-green gemstones. Each gem was crystal-clear, with a warm, lustrous hue, making it exceptionally beautiful.

Every night before bed, Shu Li would remove the crown and set it aside. Yet, upon waking, it would invariably return to his head.

In essence, the crown seemed to possess a consciousness of its own. No matter how far Shu Li threw it, it would silently reappear the next day.

After a while, he grew too lazy to bother removing it.

Besides, he was just a cub now—a little green on his head didn’t matter.

Shu Li was an optimist. Once he resolved a troubling issue, he never dwelled on it.

Currently, his only real concern was how to master a new language when he knew absolutely nothing about it.

He wasn’t like the other Fairy Cubs.

If the other Fairy Cubs were blank canvases, ready to be painted on, he was like a finished painting. Adding new elements felt jarring, even causing a sense of rejection.

Chinese was his native tongue, deeply ingrained from childhood. Learning another language now presented formidable challenges.

Shu Li had always believed his brain had limited capacity. Once it had absorbed one language, it couldn’t accommodate another without causing a conflict that would harm both.

To preserve the primacy of Chinese, his brain instinctively rejected new languages.

As a result, his English was a complete disaster.

Shu Li effortlessly concocted a perfect excuse for himself.

However, in his original world, his parents and brothers had shielded him from all hardship. Now, stranded in the Otherworld, he was utterly alone, forced to rely entirely on himself.

Learning a new language had become urgently necessary.

Yet his brain and mouth stubbornly refused to cooperate, no matter how hard he tried.

Shu Li curled up in frustration, a stark contrast to the other lively Fairy Cubs.

Noticing his unusual behavior, Aisha approached him with concern. “Sperien, what’s wrong?”

Hearing his name, Shu Li’s eyes lit up.

So it’s Sperien, not Spi-something or Sbejit!

To avoid raising Aisha’s suspicions, Shu Li pointed at the chaotic mid-air, then straightened his posture like a well-behaved child, indicating he was waiting for them to catch the wooden tokens.

Seeing Siet regain his energy, Aisha turned her attention to the other Fairy Cubs.

The first cub to grab a wooden tag rushed to Siet, asking him to read the name aloud.

Siet patiently taught him, repeating the name again and again without tiring, until the cub finally learned it.

As more and more cubs caught wooden tags, Siet was quickly surrounded. Aisha hurried to help him manage the crowd.

Soon, the cubs holding wooden tags formed long lines in front of both Siet and Aisha.

Only Shu Li, Reddy, and Whitey—the three Little Fairies who had already received their names—sat quietly on small stools, waiting.

Shu Li perked up his small, pointed ears, focusing with all his might to memorize the names of the other Fairy Cubs.

They were all from the same batch, practically siblings born together. He needed to know their names; otherwise, how awkward would it be to call them by the wrong ones later?

After memorizing four names in a row, Shu Li wore a pained expression.

I’m sorry, I really tried my best!

His mind drifted despite his efforts. He lost focus without realizing it, and then… there was no then.

Shu Li puffed out his cheeks in exasperation.

Fine, I’ll admit I’m a language disaster. There’s no shame in that.

At least he remembered his own name and those of Reddy and Whitey.

Wait, what was Reddy’s name again?

Shu Li poked Reddy’s shoulder and opened his mouth to speak. “You’re Di… Di…”

“Decio!” Reddy shouted proudly. Now that he had a name, he wanted the whole world to know it.

Shu Li nodded and poked Whitey’s shoulder.

This time, Whitey didn’t need prompting. He eagerly announced, “Me, Angele! Angele!”

This time, Shu Li firmly memorized their names.

“I’m Sperit,” he said, pointing to his own nose.

Decio frowned and corrected him. “Sperien.”

Shu Li’s face flushed crimson.

How could a high school senior be worse at this than a baby?

With drooping pointed ears and folded wings, Shu Li silently turned away, curling into a tiny mushroom of self-imposed isolation.

Throughout the morning, Aisha and Siet diligently taught the Fairy Cubs their names, pausing only to feed them Flower Nectar and dew. The little ones were remarkably enthusiastic and persistent, not only learning their own names but also those of their companions.

After lunch, Aisha shook the bell in her hand, urging, “Little darlings, it’s time for your nap.”

Only with sufficient sleep could the cubs grow strong and healthy.

The bell for meals and the bell for sleep were different. Upon hearing the short, sharp ring, the cubs knew it was time to sleep.

Already drowsy, the little ones yawned one by one and flew back to their Flower Beds.

Siet, holding his harp, plucked a soothing lullaby.

Suddenly, someone tugged at the hem of his robe. Surprised, he looked down and met a pair of large, tender green eyes.

It was Sperien.

Isn’t he going back to his Flower Bed to sleep?

The little one looked urgent, as if he needed something.

“Floor Mop, you promised to help me spin silk thread!” Shu Li tilted his face up, asking earnestly.

Siet stopped strumming, wiggled his pointed ears, and wondered if his hearing was failing him.

“Floor Mop?”

Is that what he’s calling me?

“It’s Siet, not Floor Mop,” he corrected gently, smiling warmly to correct the little cub’s mispronunciation without being rude.