Lord Snow Bird, Please Take Pity on Me~ (Continued)

"Mmm..." The little Gray Fox endured the stinging pain and recounted its experiences over the past two days.

The little Gray Fox wasn't a mutant fox; it was the size of a normal fox. However, it was highly intelligent, smarter than many mutant foxes.

The Red Fox had saved its life from other mutated monsters, and it swore to follow the Red Fox for life.

Previously, the Green Python and the Snow Bird had a conflict and then made up. The Red Fox wanted to know what was going on, so it planned to send a fox down to investigate. The Gray Fox volunteered, saying that it was the most suitable.

It's not a mutated fox, so it won't attract the attention of other mutated monsters, especially the Green Python; it's very clever, guaranteed to find out the information the Red Fox wants, and given the Red Fox's reputation for protecting its own, the monsters probably won't harm it easily.

The Gray Fox persuaded the Red Fox, and afterwards, he repeatedly traveled up and down the mountain in order to find out the truth.

The Gray Fox gave the Red Fox a guarantee, and it certainly kept its word.

The Gray Fox noticed that the Green Python seemed to be exchanging prey for something with the Snow Bird, but fearing Green Python, it stayed far away and couldn't see what the Green Python brought back each time.

Like many mutated foxes, the Green Python had difficulty producing offspring, and her last remaining Little Snake was also dying—this was no secret to the Fox Clan and many of the mutated monsters in the vicinity.

But the Gray Fox saw the Green Python take the Little Snake with it twice when it went to Snow Bird Valley.

If the Little Snake was truly dying, why would the Green Python just casually take it out with it?

Later, the Gray Fox noticed that the Little Snake would often hide in the shadows and observe other mutated monster cubs playing, and that it was always a snake coming out on its own!

The Gray Fox crept closer and secretly observed the Little Snake for a long time. Although the Little Snake still looked very thin, it could run around by itself and showed no signs of dying.

Gray Fox told Red Fox about it, and Red Fox roughly guessed what had happened, but didn't tell Gray Fox.

Later, when winter came, the Red Fox, fearing that the Gray Fox might encounter that mutated monster that would rather die than eat, forbade it from going down the mountain again.

This is the first time the Gray Fox has come down from the mountain since spring arrived.

Then it saw a small, strong Little Snake that had grown thicker and longer, with brightly colored scales, capable of hunting small prey on its own.

Remembering that he had told Red Fox that the Little Snake had escaped death, possibly because it was related to something the Green Python had traded with the Snow Bird, Red Fox didn't seem inclined to pry into that thing, as if he was worried about something.

The Gray Fox then planned to find the actual item and personally deliver it to the Red Fox.

Letting the Red Fox see things clearly will allow it to better plan its next move.

It knew exactly where the snake den was, but the Green Python only left its den when hunting, and it was very fast at hunting. The Gray Fox was worried that if it went there at this time, it would easily be caught red-handed.

So it lay dormant, preparing to slip into the cave again while the Green Python went to find the Snow Bird.

But perhaps the Gray Fox was lucky; before the Green Python went to find the Snow Bird, it learned ahead of time what the Green Python brought back and even obtained it.

In spring, the mutated monsters need to reproduce, and to reproduce, they need to find mates. So, two boars got into a fight in the mountains over the right to mate with a sow, making quite a commotion.

The Little Snake was probably eating when it heard the commotion. It ran out with half a big red berry that the Gray Fox had never seen before, and scurried up the tree. It munched on the berry while watching the boars fight.

The fruit was juicy and fragrant, and the Gray Fox subconsciously swallowed its saliva upon smelling it.

The Gray Fox likes to eat meat and also nibbles on fruit, but the fruit on the mountain doesn't taste good, so it doesn't really like to eat it.

This was the first time it had ever craved fruit so much.

The fruit attracted more than just the Gray Fox, but intimidated by the Green Python, they all only dared to observe from afar. They didn't even dare to approach Little Snake, let alone snatch it from its mouth.

But unexpectedly, it was those two crazed wild boars who ultimately granted their wish.

The Little Snake was coiled on a tree branch, and the tree was some distance from the two pigs. Who knows what the two pigs were thinking? Anyway, while they were fighting, they suddenly crashed into the Little Snake.

The tree wasn't very thick, and it couldn't withstand the power of the two mutated wild boars at all.

Just as the Little Snake put the last red berry into its mouth, the tree was suddenly snapped in two with a crack.

She fell from the tree, and the piece of fruit she hadn't swallowed rolled into the grass beside her.

The two boars continued fighting even after crashing into the tree. The Little Snake, afraid of being crushed, didn't bother looking for the fallen fruit and quickly ran to the side, calling over the Green Python.

The Green Python came over to hear the Little Snake's complaint, saying that two wild boars had almost killed her. Enraged, the Green Python swatted both wild boars away with its tail.

The Little Snake, having avenged its great grudge, was probably too happy to remember where it had flown off to—the red berries—and happily went home with the Green Python.

Before they left, Gray Fox vaguely heard the Little Snake say things like "So delicious" and "Let's go to Snow Bird's house." Combined with the special aroma of the red berry, Gray Fox guessed that the red berry was most likely the thing that Green Python had traded for with its prey and used to heal the Little Snake.

Otherwise, why would a carnivorous snake suddenly start eating fruit?

The arrival of the Green Python scared away most of the mutated monsters, but some animals, like the Gray Fox, remained, still obsessed with that red berry.

As soon as the Green Python disappeared, all the animals rushed to where the fruit pieces had fallen.

The Gray Fox managed to snatch just a tiny bit of food thanks to its agility and intelligence, and it suffered quite a few injuries in the process. If it hadn't run fast, it almost wouldn't have made it back.

After the Gray Fox finished speaking, the Red Fox licked it clean.

Besides washing away dirt from wounds, licking also helps mutated monsters heal themselves better than ordinary animals, as their saliva can aid in the recovery of injuries in ordinary animals.

However, because the Red Fox was too big and the Gray Fox was too small, even though the Red Fox was very careful, the Gray Fox was still soaked in the Red Fox's saliva, as if it had been rolling in water.

The Gray Fox didn't seem to mind. It rubbed against the Red Fox's leg and looked up at her expectantly.

"Mmm..."

--I acted without informing the clan leader. I was wrong, clan leader. Please punish me.

The Red Fox sighed, "Mmm..."

--You know I won't punish you, that's why you're so bold.

The Gray Fox looked around, making sure that apart from the White Fox beside it, the other foxes couldn't hear them, before it whispered, "Ugh, ugh?"

--The fruit can save the little fox cub, and perhaps even the old chieftain? Why, chieftain, don't you want to go ask the Snow Bird for it? What are you afraid of?

The Red Fox remained silent.

What are they afraid of? They're naturally afraid that the fruit they traded with the Snow Bird won't save the fox cubs and the old fox, and might even harm them.

Or perhaps, they might be saved at first, but things could end up worse later.

As one of the mutated monsters who fought with the Snow Bird for that glowing fruit, Red Fox still feels more fear than longing when she thinks back on that fruit.

The Red Fox couldn't understand why a single fruit could simultaneously bring it both the extremely contradictory feelings of new life and death.

The aroma of the fruit tempted him to devour it, but his body's instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm prevented him from getting as far away from the fruit as possible.

Red Fox believed that many mutated monsters shared his thoughts, because he saw greed and struggle in their eyes.

Only the Snow Bird remained steadfast, seemingly oblivious to any danger, risking its life even when severely injured to snatch the fruit.

Hesitation leads to defeat; in the end, it was the Snow Bird that obtained the fruit.

Red Fox did hate Snow Bird at the time, but after he recovered from the emotional turmoil caused by the fruit, he felt more relieved and fearful.

He has the entire fox clan behind him; he's not qualified to gamble on that 50% chance of success.

So, despite being known by the mutated monsters as petty and vengeful, he surprisingly refrained from seeking revenge against the Snow Bird this time.

He later observed the Snow Bird for a period of time and found that apart from that one sudden outburst, there was nothing else suspicious about them.

It wasn't until the Green Python went to fight the Snow Bird that he turned his attention back to the Snow Bird.

From the outside, the fruit didn't seem to have any effect on the Snow Bird, but the Red Fox's intuition told him that the Little Snake's recovery and the appearance of that fragrant red fruit must be related to the Snow Bird eating that glowing fruit.

Actually, after the Gray Fox told him about the Little Snake's transformation, he wanted to go and ask the Snow Bird for the method, but the sense of danger that fruit brought him still made him lingering fear.

He feared that what he was bringing to the old patriarch and the little fox cubs would not be a way out, but a dead end.

The Chinese idiom "drinking poison to quench thirst" aptly describes the Red Fox's anxiety.

Red Fox is a responsible clan leader, so he is very afraid of making a mistake and causing the Fox Clan to suffer a disaster that they should not have to endure.

But now, everything that has happened is forcing him to make a choice, and the only option he can choose is to go to the Snow Bird for help.

After the little fox cub ate those bits of fruit, its fever subsided by noon, and its body stopped trembling; it simply remained drowsy.

The fruit seems to be useful, but such a small amount is clearly not enough.

All the foxes present witnessed the fruit's miraculous effects and quickly spread the word.

A fox went to find the Gray Fox, wanting to ask it where the broken fruit came from, but the Gray Fox coldly yelled "Get lost!" and said it would only tell the White Fox and the red Fox Clan.

The Gray Fox is inherently a proud fox, only revealing its cute and gentle side in front of White Fox Red Fox.

The foxes, after being scolded, left crying and ran to complain to the Red Fox, saying that the Gray Fox showed no respect for its kind.

Actually, I mainly wanted to know the source of the fruit pieces.

Among the foxes who came to inquire, the brown fox family saw the effect of the crushed fruit most clearly. Such a small amount of fruit could stabilize the cub's condition; if they could get more, wouldn't their children be saved?