"Whimper—"
The fox's miserable whimper startled Aqing awake. She opened her eyes to find a fluffy arm draped across her cheek. But upon closer inspection, she was surprised to see the little fox sitting on the bed, leaning back as if in a tug of war, its face showing great strain.
Tug of war?
Aqing was momentarily dazed and suddenly realized there was something in her mouth. When she let go, she was shocked to find she had been gnawing on the little fox's finger.
In that moment of realization.
Aqing quickly covered the little fox's mouth.
"Shhh!" Aqing looked around nervously, quickly gesturing for silence as if she'd committed a crime, instructing Little An to lower its volume. She reached out and gently kneaded the small paw of the fox she'd just bitten:
"Go back to sleep! You were just having a nightmare. Aqing never bit your hand. Hurry and go back to sleep. How about I treat you to shrimp dumplings tomorrow morning?"
