At the Northern Fort

Mmm… Hot…

Why is it so hot. It is winter, right?

Unpleasant. So very unpleasant.

I slowly opened my eyes with a frown.

Huh? Was I sleeping?

The moment I woke, I tensed up.

I was in what seemed to be an unfamiliar lounge. The room was dyed in soft shades of orange due to the flickering fireplace.

Being near that fireplace was probably why I was hot and displeased.

However, it wasn't why I was tense.

I had woken to find myself on the lap of someone sitting on a sofa.

I was wrapped in a big towel and could only move my head freely, but even without raising my head I could tell from the scent. The person was a complete stranger.

At the very least, it wasn't the one-eyed knight who saved from the pond.

Through the towel, I could feel the stranger's body heat. I instinctively held my breath. I was scared because I didn't know who this was. I didn't want them to realise that I had awoken.

However, my nose itched. I couldn't hold it in, and ended up sneezing helplessly.

"…kushi!"

"Oh, are you awake?"

From above my head, I heard an unknown voice.

However, the voice wasn't that of a man's but the soft voice of a woman's instead. It was a little less scary. Come to think of it, she smelled nice and sweet.

I looked up at her.

"Oh, oh gosh…! It's staring! How cute! What should I do!"

The person who had me on her lap was a female knight in a neat uniform. Her hair was the colour of milk tea and worn in a long pony tail. Her face had both dignified beauty, as well as the cuteness of a young girl.

It was my first time seeing a female knight here.

"Are you cold? We're right next to the fireplace but you just won't warm up" she said as she rubbed my back in concern.

Although it was through the towel, my hairs stood on end from the foreign touch. I wasn't disgusted. I was just wary, or tense.

As a human, I would have welcomed cute women, but my foxy self didn't seem to. The female knight looked kind, but she was a stranger, so I couldn't rest easy on her lap.

I had the impulse to jump off and run off into a corner, but I didn't have the guts to. Instead, I just turned to stone on her lap.

The one-eyed knight should have been here.

I darted my eyes about and searched around the room, but there was no one else in the room but me and the female knight. I could smell the trace of the men who used this room, but the few sofas were all empty.

My heart beat fast, and my wish that she would let me go seemed to have been conveyed.

"Don't be so scared. Your heart feels like it's going to burst. I'm not going to hurt you," she said with worry.

I guess she could feel my heartbeat.

Her soft voice calmed me, and I could understand what she was saying.

But, my instincts didn't allow humans to approach so easily.

Unknown voice, unknown smell, unknown person, scary.

My instincts kept urging me to be wary, and my body kept stiffening.

Moreover, I was bothered about the flame from the fireplace. It was my first time seeing fire, but apparently it didn't bode well with me. Humans might have felt warmth from this distance, but for me it was too hot.

She probably meant to warm my cold body, but I'd have preferred diving back into that snow-filled pond. It's hot!

I couldn't bear it anymore, so I forced my way out and took some distance from the fireplace.

"Ah…"

The female knight stared at me and looked at the towel I shed in disappointment.

"Come here. Isn't it cold over there?"

No, it's not cold.

My body was still wet, but I don't think a snow spirit would catch a cold from this.

I shook my small body like a dog, letting in air to my fur which was sunk.

However, because I was being covered in a towel, the fur was still stuck to my body. My pride and joy, my fur…

Oh well, once it dried I was back to my usual fluffy fur.

"Come here."

While I was crouching down and licking my front feet to do my fur, the female knight stood up and approached.

Her footsteps were very light, maybe to avoid surprising me, but her figure grew larger and larger, and I couldn't help but run away.

She wasn't particularly tall, but for a baby fox like me all humans were big.

I quickly ran away to a dark corner in the room. The female knight looked shocked.

"Am I that scary?"

I felt sorry when I saw her face sink.

Sorry, sorry. I'm not scared of you, but I'm scared of strangers.

When I leaned up against the wall, the female knight stopped approaching.

"Right, it is a wild animal. Of course it would be afraid of people."

At distance, she crouched down, lowering her eye level.

"I'm not scary. I'm just going to touch you a bit~"

She beckoned me over.

However, seeing that I didn't budge in the slightest, she changed her plan.

"Hm, I'll need some food to let her guard down," she murmured before standing up.

At the same moment, a heavy looking door opened and one man came in.

He had short grey hair, and a long scar down his left eye.

When I realised the man was the one-eyed knight, I felt so relieved that the tension left my body.

So much that I was surprised by it.

Though she was a beautiful woman, I was more anxious than I thought at being alone in a room with a stranger.

The female knight turned around and talked to the one-eyed knight with a crestfallen expression.

"Vice-Captain, it's afraid of women as well. It was impossible for me."

"…I see. I thought it would be better than rough men, but it looks like people's sex doesn't matter to wild animals."

The two spoke while staring at me. I was wondering about why I was with a stranger instead of the one-eyed knight who saved me, but it seems that he was being considerate.

"I was planning on keeping her here until it could grow independent, but it's sad to see her shivering like that. Maybe it might be better to let her out."

"But what if she's attacked by wild dogs again… Right, Vice-Captain, you were giving food to her, weren't you? Wouldn't she open up a bit to you then?"

"…No, not really. She just ate the food I gave her, but she never opened up to me."

The one-eyed knight said that without changing his expression too much, but seemed a bit sad.

Indeed, I was attracted by the tasty food, and never followed him for real.

However, it was different now.

I was confident that he wouldn't hurt me now. Because the one-eyed knight dived into a cold pond to save me.

To think, 'Won't he hurt me?' to person who saved me would be contradictory and strange.

From the beginning, he didn't feel like a bad person, but from this incident my trust for him rose greatly. My animalistic guard towards him too was almost gone.

With a light 'tatata' footstep sound, I trotted towards the one-eyed knight past the female knight.

I felt him flinch slightly, but I paid it no mind and put my nose at this feet. It seems that he changed his clothes after he went into the pond, since his trousers and his boots were dry, and didn't smell of water. I could only smell the warm reassuring scent.

I wagged my tail unconsciously.

"…You said that it didn't open up to you, but what's this! Vice-Captain, it's unfair! I'm jealous!"

Behind me, I could hear the female knight's angry voice.

"No… I think she just thinks that I'll give her food…"

Even as he said that, he looked surprised to see me wag my tail.

His voice was shaking. It was the first time I approached him this closely when he didn't have food or jerky on him.

He already helped me at the pond. Those rough hands weren't scary anymore. It wasn't too hard after that first contact.

The one-eyed knight's big hands wouldn't hurt me. Rather, they would protect me.

I shook my tail which was half as fluffy as usual because it was still wet. I raised my head and stared into his eyes. My neck hurt.

The one-eyed knight stared at me absent-mindedly for a bit, then started rummaging through his pockets as though he thought up something.

Then he brought out a piece of jerky, then he held that out. Because he crouched down, his face came closer.

"I see, you came because you could smell this."

Though he was smiling, he looked a little disappointed when he said that.

However, the jerky that was held out didn't stimulate my appetite. I wasn't hungry now.

Rather, I was surprised that he thought it was because of the food. I didn't come because I was attracted by the jerky.

I just thought I would feel relaxed around him. Also, I wanted to thank him.

Seeing me not go for the jerky, the one-eyed knight looked puzzled. "What's wrong? You like this, don't you?"

He poked it at my nose to make me confirm the smell.

I know! I know it's a tasty piece of jerky!

I ignored that jerky and stared at the one-eyed knight.

"Vice-Captain… she's not attracted to the food. She's grown attached to you," said the female knight from behind me.

Good, explain that well to this dense man.

"But, she wasn't this this morning. Why would she suddenly like me now?"

"She understands that you helped her. Isn't she saying thank you?"

Amazing! The female knight spoke for me so well!

'Thank you for helping me back then,' or so I wanted to convey, so I licked his fingers.

Get across, my feelings! After licking his fingers intently, I ended up licking my nose from habit.

Then, I looked up at the one-eyed knight.

For a moment, he looked astounded and was frozen in place. He then brushed back his short hair and hid his hair.

But I saw. I saw his expression loosen up into a happy one. It was a rare expression.

"How nice, I'm jealous," the female knight suddenly said.

She didn't seem like a bad person.

I think I can open up to her after some time. Let's get to know each other slowly. Please wait a bit more until my instincts are no longer wary of you.

"It's already late today. It doesn't seem to be hungry, so we should get her to sleep."

Having regained his composure, the one-eyed knight said that while looking at me. I was unconscious until just now but I was still sleepy.

"It's dangerous outside. Even though this is a base for knights, there are still many dangers around. Like today, there might be more wild dogs that came for food."

Though he probably saw me as just a baby fox, not a spirit that could understand human words, he stared straight at me and said that. I was so happy about that, that my tail wagged faster.

Seeing this, the two knights laughed.

"What is she so happy about?"

"Too cute. She shouldn't wag her tail when she's being told that it's dangerous."

"Anyhow, I don't think it would be good for a wild animal to be raised by a human, but I have no plans to turn you into wild dog food. Until you grow up, I'll raise you."

I was happy to hear his declaration.

The wild dogs were still scary. It was much better to be protected and safe inside the buildings.

However, I think I could only stay for about ten more days. Mother was coming back soon

I couldn't stay here 'until I grew up'.

I was happy that Mother was coming back, but it would be sad to part from the one-eyed knight.

Then, at least until then, I'll get spoiled by him and enjoy the life here.

I thought that and wagged my tail wildly.

Since the one-eyed knight waved his hand in beckoning, I parted with the female knight and followed him out of the room.

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