It hid deep in the cave, painfully licking the wound on its left hind leg. It knew that if the bleeding didn't stop, it would be the end of its life.
But now…
Listening to the relentless howling of the wind, it imagined what would happen if it ventured outside. The blizzard would surely crush and bury it without mercy.
If it went out, it would certainly be swallowed by the ferocious storm. The blizzard was so fierce that even escaping unscathed was impossible. Yet, this cave, barely shielding it from the wind and snow, might hold out until the storm passed, offering a sliver of hope.
Originally, it was just hungry, hoping to find food to fill its stomach and regain strength before the blizzard hit. But what it hadn't expected was encountering humans hunting in the mountains, oblivious to the approaching storm. They were trained hunters, specifically targeting the snow fox tribe!
If it hadn't been weakened by hunger, it would never have been caught by those arrogant, incompetent humans trying to hunt it.
Recalling the excitement and greed in the humans' eyes when they spotted it, it let out a mournful cry. Why did humans hunt them for their pristine, snow-white fur?
Because of this, humans had driven the snow fox tribe to the brink of extinction. It seemed that snow foxes and humans would forever be enemies…
Crack!
A sound, distinct from the blizzard's roar, snapped it to attention. Its body was stiff from blood loss, but its unyielding pride, refusing to submit to its enemies even in death, sustained it.
It sensed something blocking the cold wind blowing into the cave. Its keen sense of smell alerted it to an approaching enemy, and it quickly scanned its surroundings. It was the snow fox's sworn enemy—a human!
Perhaps the human had noticed its injury and seized the chance to brave the raging storm to capture it?
Humans…
A woman entered the cave where it resided. Gravely injured, it couldn't attack immediately and could only retreat slowly.
Though unable to strike first, it had no intention of sitting idly by and waiting for death. The proud snow fox tribe would take down its enemies before succumbing.
The cave was dimly lit, and the intruder didn't notice it until she was close to the danger zone.
"Oh? This cave already has an owner?" the woman asked in a trembling, hoarse voice. She met its ferocious gaze and, after a moment, gave a gentle smile in the dim light. "Sorry for disturbing you. It's freezing out there with the wind and snow—might bury me in no time. I just want to stay here for a bit. Once the storm passes, I'll leave."
The woman brushed the snow off her body, muttering to herself, completely unconcerned with whether the fox understood or responded. After shaking off the snow, she leaned against the cave wall and sat down.
Once all her movements had ceased, she looked at the fox in the distance. The fox was still watching her warily. "It's so cold here; I'm practically frozen to death. But finding this cave to shelter from the storm and meeting you—I'm truly lucky. Do you think this is fate? Oh, you're injured…"
What's wrong with this human? Why does she keep talking to me? Don't forget, it's just a fox—even the noblest of foxes can't speak human language.
"Oh, your wound is still bleeding…!"
Startled by the woman's sudden approach, the fox panicked, opened its jaws, and bit down hard on her outstretched hand.
"Ow!" The woman cried out in pain as the fox tore into her arm. "This is absurd! It's already killed countless humans who tried to hunt it."
Starving and ravenous, the fox felt a warm liquid flow into its mouth. Like cool rain falling on parched earth, it instinctively sucked on the blood, finding solace in it.
If it could, it would have wanted to devour this human's flesh and blood to survive.
"Hmm!" Strangely, despite the icy pain, the woman didn't resist, letting the snow fox continue to drink the blood from her arm. "If drinking my blood makes you feel better, then go ahead. I won't fight back. Even if I die, if I can help you, that's enough…"
What did she just say? The snow fox sensed something was off and lifted its head to look at the woman, who was half-kneeling on the ground.
To its astonishment, it saw a pair of clear eyes, pupils deeper than the night, pure in their hue. Those eyes, with their extraordinary darkness and radiance, were strikingly vivid to anyone, even to the fox itself. In a single glance, it understood her heart—there was no greed, cruelty, calculation, or deceit in her gaze, only unwavering resolve and a deep acceptance of fate…
Unable to restrain itself any longer, the fox released her arm.
It silently gazed into her eyes. It had never seen a human's pupils so clear!
"Why didn't you stop biting me? Do you think I'm useless too? Are you going to abandon me?" the woman asked, her voice filled with boundless sorrow.
No, the fox was too weak from blood loss to move.
It let out a soft whimper, returned to its original spot, and continued licking its still-bleeding wound.