William lived near the First Men's Fist, in a small village with only a few households. Such clustered settlements were nothing unusual among the Free Folk; the only difference was that William's family lived a bit more remotely. The reason was partly to avoid trouble, and partly to make it easier for Reynard to go out hunting.
Sophia had never lacked admirers. In the early days, she had worried endlessly about how to avoid those overly fervent suitors. But after she and Reynard became a couple, those admirers—bound by the traditions of the Free Folk—gradually faded away. From then on, Sophia was finally able to live in peace.
This time, when Reynard led everyone out, he was heading north, farther away from the First Men's Fist. After traveling a long distance northward, they were now close to the place where Reynard had discovered the shadow mountain lynx. It was only after truly reaching their destination that William realized just how astonishing his cheap old man's stamina was.
Being able to carry a shadow mountain lynx the size of a pony over such a long distance—his physical strength was truly extraordinary. It could only be said that Reynard's snow-bear-like build wasn't for nothing. By the time William reached this point, he was already panting heavily. His little brother was a bit better off, but he too was drenched in sweat.
Henry suddenly reacted and asked, "Father… you carried the shadow mountain lynx back from here?"
Reynard looked confused. "What's wrong?"
Seeing the puzzled expression on his father's face, Henry didn't quite know what to say. This place was already extremely far from home. In the end, he could only squeeze out, "Nothing!"
William, however, knew exactly what Henry wanted to say. Roughly estimating it, this place was nearly thirty li from home. Add in the mountain paths, and the three of them had already spent more than four hours on the road. To cover such a distance while carrying several hundred jin of weight and still make it back—Reynard truly had the physique of a wild beast!
William couldn't help feeling puzzled. Reynard was this strong, and from his words it was clear his combat ability wasn't weak either—so how did he end up being so obscure among the wildlings in the original story? No matter how William thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. In the end, he guessed that perhaps, in the original timeline, Reynard's family had the misfortune of encountering the Others.
Only those magical creatures could possibly injure this "snow bear"!
William looked at his father, feeling an uncontrollable sense of envy for his strength. One day, I'll become someone just like him—a powerful man. William silently made up his mind.
Reynard returned to the spot where he had first discovered the shadow mountain lynx and carefully examined the surroundings before speaking.
"Luckily, the wind and snow haven't been too strong lately. The tracks of this beast haven't been completely covered… and since it was injured, it left behind bloodstains. We can track it in reverse and follow these traces back to where it came from.
"But what we're looking for is its den. Just as Sophia said, it was a female shadow mountain lynx. After being injured, unless it's trying to lure enemies away to protect its cubs, an animal will instinctively return to its nest…
"Especially now, when most shadow mountain lynxes are raising their young. That means if we follow the direction this big one originally went, there's a high chance we'll find its den."
Reynard's seasoned experience left no doubt that he was a true expert. William and Henry listened intently, doing their best to memorize this precious knowledge from their father.
Reynard continued explaining, "Shadow mountain lynxes are solitary animals. Every adult has its own territory, and they usually act alone. Only during the breeding season do males and females live together. After giving birth, the female will leave the male and raise the cubs on her own."
William listened carefully. Henry, on the other hand, curiously asked question after question. Even though many of them were childish, Reynard answered each one patiently, teaching him with great care. Reynard had always been like this—patient by nature, and especially gentle with his family.
The three of them searched cave after cave. Most were empty. Some contained suitable prey, but Reynard didn't make a move. He had to consider William and Henry. He never forgot that the main purpose of bringing them out this time was to broaden their horizons and teach them wilderness survival skills and common sense.
He never took risks.
As soon as he confirmed that a cave didn't belong to a shadow mountain lynx, he would take William and Henry away. Along the way, he kept explaining various bits of knowledge—some very simple, yet extremely useful, mostly lessons learned from experience.
Lunch was settled on the mountain. They ate dried meat prepared by Sophia—hard, dry strips soaked in water until they softened enough to chew.
They didn't light a fire. They didn't want to take unnecessary risks. Starting a fire in the wilderness was a serious matter; it was extremely easy to expose one's position. If enemies were nearby, lighting a fire was no different from courting death. But if one had to spend the night outdoors, without a source of heat, death was almost guaranteed.
So fire had to be used with extreme caution.
Hearing Reynard talk about these things, William nodded in agreement. Rough food was tolerable. Fortunately, they had water with them to quench their thirst, and they didn't absolutely need to start a fire.
Henry asked in confusion, "But Father, there are hardly any crows that come to this area. If those enemies aren't around, what's wrong with making a fire?"
William couldn't help curling his lips. "The Free Folk aren't a single, united whole. The Thenns, the Hornfoot men, the giants, and all the large and small tribes—maybe there aren't major conflicts on ordinary days, but minor frictions are inevitable."
Reynard laughed. "Henry, you're still too naive. William is right. There's no such thing as absolute safety. Even when you meet your own people, danger is still possible. Our enemies aren't just those black-clad crows. Danger can also come from within."
William truly felt enlightened. Although his father could seem careless about some things, when it came to survival and daily life, he was never the slightest bit sloppy. This kind of rough-yet-meticulous personality had its own unique charm. No wonder Mother had fallen for him.
After a simple lunch and a short rest, the three of them continued searching for caves.
The process was tedious, and the distance they had to cover was immense. Still, their efforts weren't in vain. After Reynard found familiar footprints and tufts of fur, he finally confirmed the location of the shadow mountain lynx's den.
Filled with anticipation, William and Henry followed Reynard toward the cave to investigate. They hid first, then threw stones inside to test the waters, checking whether a big creature was still within. Only after hearing several weak cries did the three of them enter the cave.
Inside were three little kittens, already starved thin. Cute little creatures adorned with black stripes and spots, fluffy and irresistibly adorable. William and Henry couldn't withstand the temptation at all. Excitedly, each of them picked up a cub and started petting it.
The lynx cubs were desperately hungry, urgently searching for something to fill their bellies. Even though tiny teeth had already grown in, it was obvious they weren't ready to eat meat yet. William and Henry were completely helpless—they didn't exactly have milk to feed them. All they could do was look to Reynard for help.
Reynard was helpless as well. "Then we'd better hurry back. They're hungry, but not so weak that they'll die immediately. If we move quickly, they'll have a chance to drink sheep's milk. One of the ewes at home is still lactating."
William and Henry knew this was the best option. They immediately set off for home.
On the way back, William and Henry felt their pace slow. Each of them cradled a kitten in their arms, treating it like an absolute treasure. Reynard, of course, was carrying one as well. Watching his two sons panting as they tried to speed up, Reynard became even more careful in looking after them.
That was fine too. Children of the Free Folk should run the mountains more often—only then would they grow strong enough. Reynard stubbornly believed that the reason he was so strong was because he ran wild everywhere as a child. Back then, he'd done every kind of mischievous thing imaginable.
Maybe there was some truth to that.
But William and Henry were already drenched in sweat. Even so, they merely slowed down and continued steadfastly toward home.
From time to time, the lynx cubs in their arms let out little cries, as if urging them to hurry.
Only after returning home and seeing the kittens finally drink sheep's milk did a wave of exhaustion crash over William and Henry. For them, this level of exertion was simply too much. Seeing the two boys sprawled out in utter fatigue, Reynard couldn't help but laugh. When they'd been rushing back earlier, they'd looked so eager—who would have thought they'd be this tired afterward?
The three kittens—one slightly lighter in color, one a bit darker, and one with a more balanced pattern—fell asleep after drinking their fill of milk. They were exhausted too. These little ones didn't yet know that their mother was already dead. If William and the others had found the den even one day later, they likely wouldn't have survived the night.
Still, looking at the three adorable creatures sleeping peacefully, William felt happiness from the bottom of his heart. He wondered if one of them might someday become his animal companion.
Sophia couldn't help laughing when she saw her sons, exhausted yet still wanting to play with the kittens.
As their mother, all Sophia could do now was prepare a steaming hot meal—some proper nourishment for these two little men. They were still growing, after all. Going hungry wouldn't do.
William and Henry soon fell into deep sleep, their tired bodies finally giving in.
Reynard, however, said uneasily, "Sophia, I noticed something else today."
While preparing dinner, Sophia asked, "What did you notice?"
Reynard replied, "It seems like there are more animals around here lately. We used to rarely see so many traces of animals." As he spoke, he smiled and shook his head. "I hope I'm just overthinking it. More prey is always a good thing."