Chapter Text
Wetpine Forest is a valued area for merchants and travelers can easily navigate between different villages.
Rumors have begun to spread like wildfire when many folks state to have seen a large shadow moving through the dense growth. Most are confident about the existence of a wolf. Some report about attacks and injuries.. Consequently, traders are afraid of making a trip through Wetpine and transactions are getting scarce. The king, with his great interest in business, put Fubuki's group in charge of getting rid of the wolf so commerce could resume.
Fubuki had received the letter in the morning, wax-sealed and stamped with the kingdom's emblem. She'd opened it like a child eager to consume sweets and was honored to go on a mission per royal demand. She had then proceeded to zoom through her town to announce the news to her companions. So here was the fox-girl with her friends: Okayu, Korone, Subaru and Miko, standing at the edge of the forest of Wetpine with cost-free supplies given by the king in order to complete their task. They were all dressed in a similar attire composed of a leather jerkin atop a colored tunic with a hood, breeches and ankle-high boots. The village they were at had apparently witnessed disruptions from the wolf the most, with the most recent report being broken fences and missing chickens.
"We're going to face a wolf?" Miko queried, sharing a concerned look with Subaru.
"Yeah," Fubuki replied casually, adjusting her backpack.
"I don't want to get eaten.."
Korone cackled, "You'd be my last pick if I were the wolf, Mikomiko."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
They followed the road ahead and took a turn to enter the forest once the village had grown small in their vision. The group walked three good miles before setting up camp, close enough to the village if they needed to refill their stuff, but far enough so they wouldn't disturb the locals with their plans. They put four wedge tents up in a circular layout, Okayu using laziness as an excuse not to raise hers and inviting herself in Korone's tent instead. The cat-girl had gotten a scold from Subaru and chuckles from the others. By the time they were done with their usual antics, the sky was darkening and they were lighting a fire up at the center of the camp.
They settle in friendly banter, chewing their dinner down and mentally preparing themselves for tactics. Letting the conversations drown around her, Fubuki was flipping through her notes concerning the wolf. She'd collected what she could from testimonies of villagers. Tales warn about the nightmare monstrosity, its piercing amber eyes and large maw. It seemed like it mostly moved at night but had been seen during daytime and could be tracked down somehow. Finding the wolf's den would be challenging but would reveal itself promising if they could ambush the beast there. Regardless, the hunters had planned to scout the forest first, get familiar with the zone and set traps down. As their surroundings lost more brightness, they refueled the fire before going to bed.
Subaru, early bird as she is, was stretching in the center when Fubuki emerged from her tent. The fox-girl greeted her friend and rubbed the last bits of drowsiness away. She sat by the dead fire and sipped at her tea-filled costrel blissfully. Subaru soon joined her side.
"So what are we doing today?" she asked.
"Mainly exploring the area, watch for any trace of the wolf like pawprints and claw marks," Fubuki answered. "We'll probably be doing that for a couple of weeks and add landmarks so we don't get lost in here."
"Fair." Subaru's gaze drifted between the remaining tents, in which their comrades were still sleeping. "Team split?"
"Yup, that way we will be able to cover more ground and really get to the hunting part of our job." She stood up and walked over to Miko's tent. "I'll wake Miko-san."
Subaru nodded then made a face when she approached Korone's - and by extension Okayu's - tent. "Wait, why do I have to wake the lovebirds up?" When Fubuki's reply consisted of a smirk, she groaned exasperatedly. "You guys just love doing this to me." And Fubuki couldn't agree more.
Once their teammates were up. Well, as up as they could be when Miko looked half-asleep and Okayu was noticeably leaning on whoever was closest to stay somewhat upright - Subaru did not consent to become her crutch. Fubuki routinely strapped her flasks and sheathed her sword on her belt, soon mirrored by the others. Okayu and Subaru also grabbed a bow and arrows, the quiver hugging their back. The leader explained their plan for today, and for the following days: scout, set landmarks, note anything useful. And most importantly..
"We stay close, in voice range."
"Been the same for every mission." Korone pointed out.
"I know. But the last thing I want is to lose someone in these woods," she finished.
They split into two groups. Okayu and Korone would navigate east from camp while the rest would go northwest. They would meet up at noon to eat lunch and discuss any discoveries before resuming their exploration in the afternoon. The two teams wished each other good luck and vigilance as they set off in their respective direction.
Fubuki lead the way through the forest with Subaru and Miko following close behind. They'd stop and tie red ribbons on low branches or bulgy roots every few kilometers, staying alert for any suspicious noise or movement and finding none, only bird calls and wind blows filling their environment. They split shortly to examine a larger area were trees were scarce and opening on different paths, probably used by hikers considering the beaten state of the weeds. Or..
"Hey! Come check this out," Subaru calls, a hint of disgust in her voice. Fubuki and Miko join her, peeking over the bush that Subaru was pointing over. They collectively stare at the carcass of what once was a hen: neck snapped at an awkward angle, missing limbs, dry blood on its remaining feathers. It was very much starting to smell like carrion. "Found one of the stolen chickens.."
The sight has Miko wrinkling her nose and gagging dramatically. The pink-haired girl pulled away from the corpse, shuddering at the thought of finishing like the bird had if she encountered the predator. Fubuki gave Miko a supportive pat and commended Subaru on her find. Looking closely, she was positive the wolf was responsible of this kill, and scanning the thickets around, Fubuki finds a clump of black fur caught in the twigs. She retrieves the tuft and grins. They had a track.
The group heads back without trouble. Fubuki makes a mental note to tell the poultryman about the expected end of one of his livestock. Back at camp, Okayu and Korone were already preparing lunch over the revived campfire, taking out bread and game from bags. Once everyone had settled down, they began reviewing their expedition. The duo hadn't found anything interesting: besides fleeing deers, not a trail of the wolf. The trio, however, proudly revealed their discoveries which, Fubuki thinks, were truly fortuitous. Subaru preened under her friends' praises. The dead chicken was a rather fresh kill considering its state of decomposition and the clot of black thick fur was proof of the wolf's passage. The change in plans was quick, the hunters agreed on exploring the northwest region further and try to track the beast there. Were they lucky enough, they may not have to chase their target for months.
That was the hopeful part of their hunting. But as the following days went on without real progress, they were arguably in for a long game of cat and mouse. They did find claw marks on tree barks and more clumps of fur similar to the one Fubuki had found. They began placing snare traps in strategic zones where dark matted fur had been recovered, though they never found a wolf seized in any of them. They had heard twigs snap under none of their weight and the sudden rustle of leaves. They had even felt watched sometimes. Nonetheless, they hardly ever caught a glimpse of the beast they were looking for. And the hunters lost count of the endless weeks they'd spent surveying Wetpine.
"Maybe it has moved away from there? How old were these marks anyway?" Korone had questioned one evening as they were walking back to camp. Everyone gave a shrug. She nudged Fubuki. "Should we try going east again?"
The fox-girl thought about it for a moment. It felt counterproductive to head in the direction where no hint of the wolf was found but she couldn't just toss the possibility away. So eventually, they split again into two groups: a duo would keep checking northwest and a trio would explore the east part of the forest deeper. It goes without saying that it didn't change their situation much at first. But that was until one day, as the first snow coated the undergrowth in a thin layer, Fubuki and Korone were heading back after an uneventful expedition, hoods up against the snowflakes. The two were greeted by the panicked shrills of Subaru and Miko.
"It was huge!"
"Wolves aren't that big, Mikochi.." Okayu argued, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "They're tall enough to go past our hip. Chest-level at best."
"Chest-level is scary!" Subaru countered.
"What I'm trying to say, is that wolves don't tower us." Her friends shared a dubious look. The cat-girl added pointedly, "On all fours."
"What's going on?" Fubuki asked, walking towards the rest of the group with Korone.
"Fubu-san!" Miko rushed over. "The wolf! We saw it!" She gestures vaguely and expends her arms diagonally. "It was massive!"
The fox-girl blinked, then met Okayu's eyes over Miko's shoulder. The purple-haired girl shook her head and calmly corrected, "Only Mikochi saw it." She pointed at Subaru. "Shuba was near. And again, wolves aren't that large."
"Okayun doesn't believe me!" Miko whined and Korone barked a laugh at their squabble.
They sat down near the fire. Miko stood and paced around as she recounted the episode. There is a stream in the east and Miko had decided to follow the counter-current out of curiosity. After following the flow for a few minutes, she spotted an animal on the opposite side: a black wolf lapping at the running water. The maiden admits that, thinking back at the chicken and all the stories, she may have made a startled noise that alerted the beast, which made it flee. But she'd made a fleeting eye contact with it and remembers the predatory orange eyes it held. Afterwards, she'd bolted back to the others and told them this very same chain of events. They took the information in.
"This is good!" Fubuki beamed. "At least we know it's still wandering in Wetpine."
"And we're going to make it pay for messing around." Subaru chimed in, clasping her scabbard with anticipation.
She looked through her eyelashes up at the snowy air surrounding them. "Plus, winter is coming. The black wolf won't have much coverage without all the green."
"And you're going to disappear in plain sight," Okayu said. "Become one with the snow, Fubunya."
Before she could question the direction this conversation was taking, Korone inferred, "Arctic fox blends in the white!"
She opens her mouth, considers it, closes her mouth and settles on shaking her head fondly. Subaru ends up being the one reacting, much to Okayu's amusement. Fubuki thanks Miko for making this encounter, and the latter nearly prances on the spot. With the cold season ahead, days will get shorter and they would have to be extra careful when scouting in the dark. The pink-haired maiden had, ultimately, been the unique hunter to have seen the black wolf with her own eyes. While the others didn't doubt so, they hadn't yet experienced the same satisfaction. Fubuki didn't exactly envisage being the next one doing a face-to-face.
It had been a week since then. Everyone wore additional layers against the shivering: two extra wool clothing, heavy leather leggings replacing their breeches, thick gloves and sometimes a scarf. She was in the northwest region with Miko, fully geared. The beast seemingly moved a lot, considering the hunters believe they did spot a shadowy mass cut and run in the distance. And that in both areas they'd been investigating for two months. None had the chance to strike an arrow at it. The snow never stopped dropping from the sky, coating their vicinity in the purest white, if only receding at random times. As time passed and the sun declined in the horizon, Fubuki and Miko were going off their usual track, heading east instead of directly southeast back to camp. Miko had lit a torch up to help with the ominous darkness beginning to eat the land.
These parts were less visited by the hunters. Precisely because the earth was uncanny and they didn't see much point going here when the wolf was clearly meandering in other parts. Fubuki should have guessed going here was a bad idea, especially with the meager natural light they had. But her instinct told her the thing she saw moving in her vision earlier wasn't any animal. Reckless behavior is rewarded with deserved consequences. It begins with the uneven crunching of snow under their boots. It ends in Fubuki taking an askew step forward, squinting, and the ground suddenly gives beneath her. A yelp escapes her throat as she stumbles down, followed by a crack and silence.
"F-Fubu-san?!" Miko exclaims in horror. "Where- What- Can you hear me? Fubu-san!"
The fox-girl forces her face out of the snow she'd disgracefully faceplanted in. She grunts and wipes the ice out of her face. She weakly replies, "I'm here.."
"Thank goodness!" Fubuki looks up, where Miko's colorful hair pokes over the slope. "Are you okay? I heard something break.."
She makes a move to stand but her left leg protests. Ah. She manages to save the last of her dignity by not crashing back into the cold. In the dim light offered by Miko's torch, she notices something in arm-reach: her bow had snapped in half in her fall. Fubuki sighs.
"I'm fine." Miko's looking at her with a raised eyebrow that has her adding, "My leg's hurt. I didn't break anything but my bow is done for."
The other girl frowns. "Do you think you can get out?"
Fubuki winces. She heavily doubted her injured leg would allow her to walk, let alone climb out of a ravine. She asks back, "Do you have a rope on you?"
Miko disappears above her. She hears her friend rummage through her bag excessively. When she returns, there's apologetic sourness in her expression.
"I think I gave it to Subaru on our last outing.."
What a sequence of events Fubuki brought upon herself. She should just have went back to camp the ordinary way with Miko, that would have avoided many ongoing problems. And now with the moon beginning to rise, Fubuki had trapped them both in a dreadful situation. Still, they couldn't stall too much. The temperature drops to dangerous levels at night and Miko's torch hardly competes with the heat of their campfire.
"You should go get the others, Miko-san."
Miko stutters, "A-And leave you here? Alone? Aren't we supposed to stick together at all times?"
"I'm taking responsibility, this is my fault." She pulls herself up using the opposite side of the slope as support, feeling soil and roots through her gloves. "If something happens to me, I had it coming. But we have to try something, right? Can't have the both of us frozen to death."
Miko looks conflicted. She clumsily pulls out a scarf out of her backpack and throws it down. Fubuki catches it with a one-legged hop. She wraps it around her neck, the fabric working its magic against the night breeze. Miko says with renewed resolve, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Stay safe, Fubu-san."
"Back at you. Don't get lost!"
And with that, her friend scampers off to camp. Fubuki listens to her fading steps with a wistful smile. She takes a sip out of her water costrel and lets her body settle on the frosty ground.