Chapter Text
She doesn't realize when she dozes off. She is unsure of how long it's been since Miko left, when her fox ears pick up the sound of heavy steps approaching. She opens her eyes, her vision bleary. Fubuki pushes herself up with a groan, shaking off snowflakes from her clothes.
"Miko-san?" She calls. There was no familiar torchlight in sight and the fox-girl frowns. She had an inkling she was in danger. She glowers at the top of the slope, her heartbeat quickening. Two pointy ears poke over the edge and Fubuki instinctively says, "Okayu?..." But a pair of amber eyes follow and her throat goes dry. She nearly falls back, managing to stand on shaky legs with her back against the wall.
Oh crap. The silhouette of a wolf stands out against the moonlight. Despite the distance, Fubuki could make out its build: muscular shoulders swimming under midnight fur, a strong jaw that could certainly maul her, and piercing eyes with scrutinizing pupils. The figure was unmoving, only looming over the ravine with quiet dominance. Fubuki knew, and figured that the beast knew as well, that she was easy prey here. She was alone and freezing. She was injured, though she tried not to show it, and couldn't possibly run. Even if she could run, the wolf would easily catch up on her. She only had her sword to defend herself but with the tremor beginning to creep on her, she wouldn't be able to wield it properly. Basically, Fubuki was doomed and if the wolf decided to jump her right there and then, it'd be over.
Oh shit... Fubuki swallows. A shiver runs down her spine. Her tail goes rigid before flicking anxiously. Her breath comes in short rasps and shows up as mist in front of her. She unsheathes her sword and points it at the unfazed animal. The latter tilts its head. Fubuki glares. She shouts, "G-Go away!" and hopes to look threatening enough.
Surprisingly, the wolf does leave, its head retreating from the edge. Fubuki stands in her stance for a few extra seconds, processing what just happened. It... It worked? Her breathing evens out and she allows herself to relax. But her relief doesn't last long when the crunching of snow resumes and out of nowhere, approaching from her left, is the wolf. The black wolf. Large and imposing. In the ravine. With Fubuki. Her brain scrambles for something to do but all her thoughts are filled with panic. She hops away using the wall as a lifeline, her clean leg beginning to fatigue from holding her weight. Behind her, the beast is marching slowly. And Fubuki doesn't know if it's playing with her or not but she feels humiliated either way. Damn it all! She abruptly turns to the wolf, her short sword directed at it again.
"Don't play with your food, beast! Just fight me, already!" She feels stupid, talking to a wild animal. And said wild animal keeps acting nothing like the tales she was told.
They were told that the predator was cunning and dangerous. That it had attacked people and gravely injured them. That it was wreaking havoc like a tornado. But here it was: passive and observing, looking at her, studying her with its warm eyes. And Fubuki was tired. The chilling night was getting to her bones and her nerves were wracked from interacting with the reputed man-eater for the past few minutes. The adrenaline was dyin. Her vision blurs for a beat and her sword slips from her hand. She doesn't bother picking it up. Defenseless, she expects the wolf to finish the job. But the latter seems to love surprising Fubuki with unforeseen behaviors.
One second, her body is shivering from the breeze. The next, a black mass presses itself against her abdomen and Fubuki thinks she's dreaming. She startles. She blinks once. Twice. Looks down at the wolf that was almost nuzzling her. The warmth she felt, despite the coat of snow covering the dark fur, was real. Her gloved hands hesitantly come up to pet the wolf like she'd do with a dog. The canid leans in her touch. She sighs. What in the king's name is going on...? She was petting the black wolf. Their target. The creature they were supposed to drive off or get rid off someway. What happened to the rumored deadly wolf that ventured Wetpine? Up close, it was barely bigger than previous wolves they'd encountered. Up close... it was attempting to warm her up against the cold?
"... You're not going to kill me." Fubuki says out loud, gently scratching behind one of its ears. The wolf gives a low growl and withdraws from her touch. The fox-girl lets it happen, she was at the wolf's mercy at this point.
It walks away for a short distance. Then, throws its head back at Fubuki expectantly. It stares. Fubuki stares back, confused. The wolf takes another step, looks back again and waits. Was it beckoning her to follow?
She admits, "I can't walk, my leg got hurt when I fell in here."
Wait. Was she communicating with a wild animal, now? She can't suppress the snort that escapes her as she realizes that. Oh, where are the others? I got to be losing it. The wolf rotates towards her and draws near again. It comes to her side and crouches down. When Fubuki doesn't do anything for a second too long, the canid growls. It looks back at her with what could be perceived as frustration, rolling its shoulders like one would readjust baggage on their back. Fubuki did get the cue she was given. Yet, she didn't want to believe that - if she read the action correctly - the wolf would willingly let her ride on its back. Hesitantly, she places a hand on its scruff.
"Are you serious?" she asks incredulously. The wolf hugs her side in affirmative and she winces, it's serious.
Fubuki concedes, cautiously setting her weight on the wolf. When she's fully seated, her mount comes to a stand and her legs dangle on its sides, nearly touching the ground. As the wolf begins moving, the fox-girl automatically fists its fur, not wanting to fall. The canid brings them out of the ravine, powerful paws climbing the closest and least steep incline, the one it probably took earlier to get down there in the first place. Once they're out, the wolf immediately heads in a direction, carrying a bemused hunter on its back. After some time, Fubuki notices a familiar fabric wafted by the wind: it was one of their landmark flags.
Oh, she realizes, is it... taking me to camp? Feeling grateful, Fubuki leans forward and caresses its head. She's about to thank it out loud when the wolf abruptly comes to a halt. The hunter pauses as well. She looks up and catches sight of torchlights in the distance, sticking out like a sore thumb in the shadows. Her face lits up. Her friends were here. She's about to throw herself off the wolf when the latter suddenly backtracks, stopping next to a naked tree. The canid allows her to get off. The fox-girl uses the bark as support and calls out to her companions.
In less than ten seconds, they'd rushed over upon spotting her. Fubuki was quickly encircled and flooded by comments of worry and relief. Subaru was pulling out an extra layer to cover Fubuki with, holding a torch close for warmth. Miko was apologizing for taking too long, brushing snowflakes off of her. Korone was shouldering her, which helped tremendously with the strain on her clean leg. And Okayu...
"How did you get out?" she asked, curious. "Mikochi told us it was bad bad in the ravine."
"Oh, right!" Fubuki is about to tell them about how the wolf had helped her. But as she opens her mouth and thinks: the wolf carried me on its back all the way here!... She's struck. Would they believe her? She looks around and registers the wolf's absence. She peers over her shoulder and there are no pawprints in the snow. Any visible trace seemed to have been brushed over, like a broom on a dusty floor. She frowns. What?
"Fubunya?"
Her attention snaps back to the four pairs of eyes looking at her questioningly. All that comes out is, "Uh..."
"Did you crawl out and limp all the way back?" Korone guesses. And Fubuki takes this chance to lie.
She smiles as best as she can. "How did you know?"
The dog-girl snorts. "How else would you get out of a ravine with a bad leg?" And Fubuki's feign smile wavers.
"Nyeh?" Miko points out, "But isn't the ravine pretty far? Even from here..."
"My legs are jelly, Miko-san." Which was not a lie, technically. But she wouldn't exactly be here if she had, in fact, trudged through the forest, especially in the darkness. "If Korone wasn't helping me right now, I'd be talking from the ground."
"Happy to be your crutch, Fubu-chan!"
Thankfully, the interview diverts to unrelated topics afterwards. By the time they make it to camp, the moon was rising to its highest point and Fubuki was sagging against Korone. Her friends help her set down in her tent, checking her injury - no fracture - and agreeing that she should rest until her limp is gone. Which meant about a few days, much to her displeasure. She really wanted to help out with their mission but she had to stay put for her own good. And with her earlier encounter with the wolf, she wasn't even confident about her approach anymore. In the late morning, Fubuki had suggested that her friends go scouting in duos. The other hunters shared a look and seemed to engage in a silent agreement.
Subaru, Korone and Miko had set off to the village to replenish their supplies. So here was Okayu sitting across from her by the dying campfire. She was throwing their remaining kindling in it, her tail leisurely swishing behind her and catching snowflakes. Now not only did Fubuki feel extremely useless, delaying their work, she also felt terribly uncomfortable because she could feel Okayu peep at her from time to time like the cat-girl was waiting for something from her. And the lie she told last night was making her feel even more awkward about this. She hopes the others come back soon so the unnerving tension subsides.
"I can hear your thoughts, Fubunya."
Fubuki startles. "What?"
Okayu spares her a glance. "You're thinking so much, you're going to get brain damage on top of your leg injury. What's up?"
Play it off. "Nothing," she says curtly. And a little too fast. Okayu squints at her, her ears swiveling backwards in suspicion. Fubuki forces hers not to droop in shame.
"You're nervous."
"I'm not."
"Your tail says otherwise."
Fubuki looks back down at her appendage. It was giving distressed flicks she couldn't control. Crap. She shrugs, "Mind of its own. Nothing to do with me."
"I've never seen you this..." She huffs a laugh and gestures vaguely at how antsy the fox-girl was acting. "... Jumpy. Did you kill someone, Fubunya?"
"What? No!"
"What is it, then?
Fubuki meshes her lips in a thin line. Okayu wasn't going to let her off the hook anytime soon. The cat was good at making others speak their mind. Frustratingly good. Fubuki sighs and admits, "I lied about how I got to you guys yesterday." The confession took a load off her chest. "I didn't crawl out of the ravine. And I didn't limp on the way back either."
"So, how?"
Fubuki grimaces. "You wouldn't believe me."
"Shoot."
"The wolf helped me the whole way." She marks a pause. She must sound crazy. And if not, she feels so. She keeps going nonetheless. "It... It warmed me a bit and let me ride on its back. It followed our landmark flags to bring me where you found me." Okayu looks skeptical and she couldn't blame her in the slightest. "I can swear on the king's name that's what happened."
"... You wouldn't make something that insane up. But why would the wolf do any of that? We've been trying to get its hide and it still decided to help you?"
"Yeah, I don't get it either." She remembers how she'd interacted with the canid, how she'd communicated with it, how it understood her beyond reason. Fubuki blurts out, "Maybe we can ask it directly?"
It sounds so absurd that the two just stare at each other for a moment.
"What."
"I- I think, the black wolf is way smarter than we think. It doesn't act like a wild animal. I'm serious."
"... You want to go up to it and talk to it?"
"I know it's dumb! But indulge me here, maybe we won't have to kill it." She really didn't want to kill it. On every hunting mission they'd gone on, their targets always ended lifeless, so was the job requiring. But in this case, the king just wanted the threat gone from Wetpine, which meant the black wolf could live. The latter had saved her life. The cold is cruel. Hypothermia could have gotten to her before her friends did that night. She adds, "It understood what I said at the time. I'm sure of it."
Okayu looks at her with dry amusement. "Okay, okay. So once your leg is healed, we'll go looking for it... And try convincing it to leave the forest? Is that it?"
"Well, when you put it like that..." She scratches her nape, sheepish. "But yes, I'll show you that the wolf isn't what we think it is."
Fubuki insists not to tell the others about it just yet. Lest her judgment was wrong, she'd rather have one person thinking she's lost her marbles than four. Okayu tells her she's being dramatic but goes along with her wish anyway. They keep their plan to themselves when the other hunters return with bags full of supplies. Casual chats and banter soon explode amongst them. Fubuki barely registers any topic when her mind is focused on the black wolf.
It takes two more days for her strain to heal. Two days she spends guiltily lolling in camp while her friends patrol northwest and east by taking turns. Days during which they, expectantly, find no sign of the beast. She has received a new sword to replace the one she'd lost, and has turned down the offering of a new bow. As soon as her leg recovered, she got the blood flowing and snatched Okayu for the evening outing.
"Don't overdo it, Fubu-chan!" Subaru reminded for the seventh time. "Nekomata! You better keep her safe."
She raised an eyebrow at the girl and glanced at Fubuki. Technically, they were both looking forward to doing something unsafe. With mirth dancing behind her purple eyes, she replies, "Aye aye, captain." The duo watches the trio leave camp first. Then, once they're positive the others are out of range, Okayu turns to her. "So. Where to, boss?"
"Don't call me that."
"Okay. Where to, lil' sis?"
Fubuki groans and starts walking. Okayu laughs and falls into her step.
She brings them to the ravine. It's a wild guess but she's had time to think about where to look for the canid. Her reasoning went as such: if that's where she first encountered the wolf, maybe they could come across it again. That is, if the wolf wants to appear. Fubuki wouldn't be surprised if, all this time, the wolf had been watching them from afar and simply kept its distance. She was hopeful that it might show up. But as the moon began to rise higher up overhead and the cold breeze picked up, waiting seemed futile.
Fubuki sighs, hugging herself for warmth. "We should head back."
"Mhm."
They proceed to turn back when a crunch of snow stops them dead in their tracks, ears simultaneously perked up in alert. They both look back and, across the ravine, two amber eyes stare back at them. The outline of a majestic creature draws itself, midnight fur brushed by cool air. It sits there, on the opposite side. After her first meeting with the wolf, the latter looked less like a killer and more like a friend-shaped predator to her. She glances at her comrade. Okayu had frozen, she had her hand on her scabbard, ready to draw her sword. Fubuki catches her eye.
"Don't," she mutters.
"But it's right there," the feline whispers back, ears flat against her skull. "What if it pounces on us?"
She shakes her head and takes a cautious step forward. "It won't."
Fubuki senses her friend tense in her peripheral vision but the latter doesn't stop her. The fox-girl makes it to the slope, maintaining a good distance, not risking to revive her injury. Knowing how unpredictable the wolf could be, stress was making her feel warmer. She exhales in an attempt to still her nerves.
"Hi," she greets. "Uhm... Thank you. For getting me out of here last time. And for taking me to my friends. You vanished when they came so I didn't get the chance to express my gratitude."
The wolf blinks at her. Crazy one-sided conversation. Okayu must be looking at her weird. Either way, the black wolf had shown up in the end, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity slide.
"My name is Shirakami Fubuki." She points at her fellow hunter. "This is Nekomata Okayu. We're not here for trouble. We'd like to... discuss."
The canid stares at them. Then, it shakes snow off its coat and disappears shortly. The second it reappears, it's making a jump over the ravine and landing at a respectable distance from Fubuki. She would be lying if she said her heart didn't skip a beat right there and then. But as the wolf pads over with its all too docile look in its warm eyes, her fear recedes. Okayu had approached too, visibly mesmerized and wary in the way her eyes were flickering between them. The wolf lifts one of its front paw and draws in the snow amid them. The two hunters watch quietly, looking down at the wolf's art.
"Mio?" Okayu says. The canid coos, low and pleased. "Is that... your name?" It offers a nod in response. "Huh." She turns to Fubuki. "It really does understand our speech."
"Told you! This wolf is like no other."
"Are you a male or a female?" the cat-girl queries.
The wolf makes a chuffing noise, sounding close to a laugh.
"What are you even asking, Okayu?" Fubuki deadpans, baffled.
"Hey, I'm only asking a fair question here," she argues, but she's smiling. "If they have a name, they have more than hunting and howling to them, right?" Okayu's eyes narrow at the canid. "There's no way you're just a wolf. No wild animal would be communicating with us like this. So, male? You're a bit larger than our usual wolves." Mio gives a sharp head shake. "Oh, big female."
Fubuki wants to facepalm. At least, Mio - as she'd hoped - wasn't being hostile towards them and Okayu was loosening up. The two seemed to appreciate the moment somehow. And that was a double win in her book. Still, there were things to talk about.
"Listen, Mio," she addresses firmly. "Our king sent us at you and he wants you gone one way or another. I... personally do not wish to kill you-"
"Me neither. You saved Fubunya and you're really nice and fluffy."
"-so we'd like you to leave Wetpine as soon as possible."
Mio took a moment to consider the request. But she ultimately shook her head, a clear refusal to the demand.
"No?" A nod, which said: Yes, I won't leave. Fubuki frowned despite herself. "Why?" Silence. She sheepishly scratches her nape. "Ah, right..."
"What do we do? Mio doesn't want to leave, and we don't want to harm her," Okayu says pointedly.
Fubuki ponders. She'd rather avoid having to forcefully drive Mio out of Wetpine. The latter had saved her from a cold death and Fubuki wished to return the favor. Wasn't that the least she could do? Let the wolf live? But what options did they have when Mio did not want to leave the forest?... An idea strikes her like an arrow hitting a bull's eye. What if...? The fox-girl clears her throat. It catches Okayu and Mio's attention.
"What if we kept Mio around camp?" The wolf makes an inquisitive noise. Fubuki explains, "That way, villagers won't encounter her anymore, right? No more rumors and fears about traveling through Wetpine."
Okayu opens her mouth, pauses, closes it, figures having a wolf in camp is pretty funny, and says, "You're not wrong, Fubunya."
The fox-girl smiles upon the validation. She turns to the wolf. "What do you say, Mio?" The latter nods slowly, hesitant but approving. "Great!"
Okayu worries, "But how are we going to do that? We're going to give the others a cardiac arrest if we barge in camp with Mio on our tails."
Fubuki grins. "I know someone who's going to be excited more than anything." Okayu meets her eye and understands exactly who she's referring to.
.
.
"Eh? The ravine?"
"Mhm! The surprise will be worth it, Korone."
"The surprise?" she parrots, her tail giving intrigued wags.
"Fubunya's right. I was surprised too, but good surprised."
"Really? Now you're getting me hyped up!"
They were making their way through the pale woods. Their destination for the evening stroll: the ravine, where they'd meet up with Mio. Fubuki and Okayu had agreed, yesterday, that Miko and Subaru would most definitely freak out if the black wolf stepped into camp unprompted. So, first, they'd get Korone to warm up to Mio. Then, the three hunters would introduce her to Miko and Subaru together. That would limit the panic best.
The trio comes to a halt. Fubuki lights a torch up. She swings it towards the other side of the ravine, eyes narrowed, checking for Mio's presence. Growing darkness and silence greet her efforts. Korone cocks an eyebrow at her, did you see something? The fox-girl shakes her head, don't worry. They pace around for some time. Eventually, Korone voices her confusion.
"So uhm... What are we doing, exactly?"
"Waiting," Fubuki answers unhelpfully.
"Cool. Waiting is my favorite activity! I thought you guys had prepared a bigger thing, though."
Fubuki and Okayu share a look. Now sounded like a good opportunity to foreshadow the surprise.
"About that, what's your opinion on the wolf, Koro-san?" Okayu asks, ever so discreet, ever so direct.
"Eh, what do you mean?" A quick reflection. "It's a wild beast. We're hunting it down, aren't we?"
"Fair angle. But Fubunya and I will have to confess that killing her isn't in our plans."
"Neither is harming her at all," Fubuki adds.
Korone looks between the two of them with furrowed brows, not enjoying the secrecy and suspense. "Okay, spill it."
Cue given, Fubuki and Okayu elaborate. From Fubuki's first meeting with the wolf to yesterday's discussion. Korone listens diligently, floppy ears tensed up. Surprisingly, her perplexed expression relaxed over time. It wasn't like she didn't trust Fubuki's words, but having Okayu backing the statements up made it easier to convince her that, perhaps, the wolf - Mio - was a friend. And now that Korone was aware of why they were at the ravine, the waiting game could go on. It took a few more minutes before Fubuki caught movement in her vision. This time, the midnight figure had reached the hunters using the very path they took. The fox-girl perks up, her torch illuminating the dark fur in dawn shades as she approaches.
"Mio!" She looks over her shoulder to see Okayu pulling Korone along to come forth. It's funny enough to make her crack a smile.
"Come on, Koro-san~ Mio-chan doesn't bite."
"Why are you specifying that?" Her eyes were darting around nervously. "You're sure she's safe?"
"Absolutely," claimed Fubuki and Okayu at the same time.
To prove their point, Fubuki's free hand slowly reached out, hovering above Mio's head. A silent question - may I? - that was answered by a soft headbutt against her gloved palm. Fubuki thinks it's a shame winter forces coverage, because she would love to feel the real fluffiness beneath her gauntlet. Okayu approaches to pet Mio as well, then comes Korone's turn.
Trust builds itself in the cautious hand and the proximity. A touch and a light ruffle on Mio's pelt is all it takes to make Korone's tail resume its excited wag.
"Subaru and Mikomiko are going to be so jealous," she says as she aggressively pampers Mio in affectionate strokes, the latter growling contentedly in return.
"Agreed." Okayu turns to Fubuki. "Is now a good time to introduce Mio to them?"
The fox-girl looks at her friends. Okayu, who, despite her doubts, had trusted Fubuki. Korone and Mio, who were now having a staring contest, had grown close in a flash. She doesn't think twice, grinning.
"Yeah."
.
.
They make it back to camp quite some time past their curfew, the crescent was halfway to reaching its summit amongst the stars above. Fubuki was leading the escort with her torch. Once they were close enough to catch the undecipherable chats of Subaru and Miko, they beckoned Mio to stay put for a moment.
"-got lost?"
"Nah." Subaru was munching on her dinner. "There's no way."
"We're here!" Fubuki chimes.
They perk up in unison. "Welcome back!"
"Mikochi thought that you guys had gotten lost."
"It's super late! Where were you three?"
Korone comments, "You sound like a mom scolding her kids." Miko shoots her a dirty look. The dog-girl laughs despite herself. "Sorry, sorry. We'll tell you!"
"We found the wolf," Fubuki reveals. Though, to be honest, the real statement would rather be that Mio was the one who found them.
They exclaim, "What?! Really?"
Subaru asks, "What it as big as Mikochi said? Where did you see it?"
Fubuki glances at Okayu. The cat-girl smirks.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" She turns to the trees behind and calls, "Mio-chan!"
Subaru and Miko stare at each other, echoing the name questioningly. When Mio entered their field of view, their confusion turned into shock. Bewilderment was written across their face: eyes wide, mouth agape, frozen.
"Okay, now..." Fubuki raises her hands placatingly. "Don't freak out, we'll explain everything."
And so, they did. All the while, Mio kept her distance as they spoke. She was just sitting there, passive and waiting. During their conversation, Subaru looked like she was trying to decipher what was being said to her, as if they spoke a foreign language. Miko was eyeing Mio nervously the whole time, she was almost using Subaru as a meat shield.
Though the two remained rather skeptical of their newfound companion, they didn't mind letting her around camp. Especially because Fubuki, Okayu and Korone were advocating for her stay. They didn't have much faith in Mio just yet, but trusting their friends was second nature.
They wind down for the night. Subaru and Miko head to bed first, having finished their meal and needing to process. The rest of the group take place near the campfire. The hunters pull out food to chew down on. Mio comes to lie down next to Fubuki. No one comments. Okayu and Korone converse on silly topics and absurd dilemmas.
The fox-girl swallows her last bite, crumpling the paper in her hand. She brushes snow off Mio's pelt, feeling her chest rising and falling steadily. Fubuki pauses her petting.
"Mio?" Wolf ears spring upwards. "Are you hungry?" Silence. Then, a noncommittal growl. Fubuki smiles. "It was a rhetorical question."
She gets up, ignores the curious looks her friends throw at her, and fetches a piece of game from the meat sack. Okayu and Korone exchange a sly look that has Fubuki's ear twitching in annoyance. Whatever remark they had was replaced by a goodnight and sweet dreams. The couple joins their tent, leaving Fubuki with Mio at the campfire.
"Mio, eat up!"
The wolf opens her eyes, rising her head to see Fubuki crouched in front of her, an alluring piece of meat dangling from her hand. Fubuki's tail wags expectedly. Mio stares at the flesh lengthily before letting her head fall back onto her paws, grunting.
"Oh..." The fox-girl intently places the meat in front of Mio's muzzle, blood turning the snow pinkish. "Come on, I know you're hungry. It's hard to find prey in winter, isn't it?"
A few seconds pass before Mio gives in. Huffing, she sinks her teeth into the game and begins gnawing. Fubuki watches in awe, strangely aware that such fangs would never hurt her.
"...You really don't want to leave Wetpine?" she asks, her voice small.
Mio nods between two chomps, devouring her meal. Once she's done, Fubuki stands up and walks to her tent. Mio follows. Fubuki gives her a headpat, sighing.
"I wish you could explain why. It's hard to find a solution when we don't know what's holding you back."
Mio whines, a wounded noise that goes right through Fubuki's heart.
"Sorry," she says reflexively. "We'll figure something out. Goodnight, Mio."