16. The Gem

16. The Gem

“Hey, fox.”

“Kkang.”

The snowstorm, so heavy it turned the world white, kept covering the burrow entrance with snow. Each time, I cleared the snow to keep the entrance open, but soon it was blocked by snow again.

It’s fortunate that the entrance faces away from the wind. Otherwise, the snow would have rushed into the burrow, and we would have been buried in it too. Then, only my big fluffy tail would have been sticking out of the snow.

I spoke to the fox, which was gazing at me, held tightly in my arms.

“When will the snow stop?”

“Kkang.”

“You don’t know?”

“Kkang!”

I have no idea what it’s saying.

Sigh, what am I even doing with an animal? Even though this fox is considered relatively smart among animals, it’s impossible to have a conversation. I hugged the fox even tighter for no reason.

“You can be proud of your friends. You’re a fox who received gratitude from a magnificent wolf.”

“Kkang?”

“… Fool, hmph.”

The Arctic fox tilted its head as if my words were puzzling. Although it can’t speak, it seems to understand what I’m saying, but it’s a bit clumsy. I don’t like it.

The fox licked my cheek. I stroked the fox’s head and looked outside the burrow. The snow was still falling heavily. There was no sign of it stopping.

The weather in the north is unpredictable. In fact, weather like the light snow a while ago was actually rare. Usually, it’s either heavy snowfall or strong winds.

Of course, that doesn’t mean days like today, with both wind and snow raging, are common. It seems I was just very unlucky to have embarked on my solo adventure on a day like this.

“Fox, I need to go to the house next door, next door, next door, next door, next door.”

“Kkang!”

“No, not next door, next door, next door, next door, next door… wait, is it next door, next door, next door, next door, next door?”

There are too many “nexts,” so it’s confusing. Uncle Cheol-su’s house is five doors down…

“Next, next, next, next, next house. Ah! Yes, it’s next, next, next, next, next house!”

A big realization brought a smile to my face. My tail puffed up. Unable to contain my joy, I rubbed my face all over the white fox’s tail. It was fluffy, plump, and soft. I can see why Sister often strokes my tail.

I looked directly at the fox’s face and asked.

“Can you help me?”

This fox is strange. I don’t know the details, but there’s definitely something about this fox. So, maybe it can lead me to Uncle Cheol-su’s house.

“Kkang….”

“You can’t…?”

But the fox whined weakly and shook its head. Then, it pointed outside with its nose, probably meaning it wasn’t safe right now.

“Mmm, but it’s boring here.”

I certainly like snow. But that doesn’t mean I want to sit in this cramped burrow for tens of minutes, watching the snow fall and waiting for the weather to clear.

And this thick clothing is so uncomfortable!

“Kkang-kkang.”

“Huh? You mean I can go out?”

The fox, hearing my complaints, moved its body slightly towards the outside with a worried expression. The weather hasn’t cleared yet, but it seems to be willing to help me despite the risk.

The fox, sticking its body out, extended its large fluffy tail towards me. I couldn’t understand its words, but it seemed like a signal to grab on.

“Grab its tail?”

“Kkang!”

“Okay!”

I firmly grasped the fox’s tail and stepped out of the burrow. As expected, as soon as I stepped outside, the strong wind and snow began to push me. I braced myself firmly on the ground.

The fierce snowstorm made it difficult even to open my eyes. I slowly took one step at a time, using the fox’s tail in my hand as a guide.

One, two, one, two. When the fox took a step, I took a step, and when I took a step, the fox took a step. We moved forward simultaneously, as if our minds were connected.

“Ugh!”

“Kkang!”

Then, when I lost my balance due to the external force and fell, the fox I was holding also fell. My body was swept away by the wind helplessly. I managed to stop by sticking my hands into the ground.

My other hand was still holding the fox’s tail. I hadn’t let go. I straightened my posture and started moving forward again.

A strong and powerful wolf suin doesn’t lose to things like this. I let out a magnificent “Kkang!” towards the sky and continued forward.

——

“We’ve arrived!!”

“Kkang!”

After pushing through the storm, I finally saw the door of the house next door, next door, next door, next door, next door, and high-fived the fox in victory. Even though the fox doesn’t have hands, anyway.

As a result of moving my body so suddenly, I fell with a “Kkang!”, but that was a small matter compared to how far I had come.

“Uncle!!!! I’m here!!!!!!”

I pounded on the firmly closed wooden door and shouted. Just as I was starting to get chills, wondering if there was no one inside, the door finally opened.

“What on earth… Seol-ah?!”

“Uncle!”

As I pounded on the door with all my might, the door opened, and I couldn’t help but fall inside with a “Kwadang!” As the snowstorm raged, I crawled inside with a silly grin.

“Y-you walked all the way here in this weather?”

“Yes!”

Uncle Cheol-su, as always, was a skinny man with large round glasses. Seeing me covered in snow, he said in surprise.

“No… come in first.”

I shook my body vigorously to shake off the snow. As a result, snow flew everywhere inside the house, but Uncle Cheol-su was a kind uncle and didn’t say anything about it.

When I looked back, the fox was gone, as expected. Only the small footprints, disappearing into the snow, proved that the fox had been here.

“Why would you come out in weather like this? What if you get hurt?”

“But once I came out, what could I do about the weather turning out like this! Still, the fox helped me get here safely.”

I took off my penguin-like clothes and jumped onto a chair by the warm fireplace. My body, stiff from the cold, began to melt away cozily.

“A fox?”

“There’s an Arctic fox that I’ve been meeting often lately, and that fox showed me the way.”

Next time I meet it, I want to give it some meat as a token of my gratitude. At my words, Uncle adjusted his glasses and then tilted his head, saying.

“Arctic foxes disappeared 8 years ago, child. It probably wasn’t a fox.”

“What?”

I turned my head from the chair and looked at Uncle. Uncle was looking at me with a fond smile, the kind reserved for energetic children. I opened my mouth.

“It was a fox! I saw it clearly. Maybe it wasn’t extinct!”

After all, I wouldn’t mistake a fox for another animal. Rediscovering a species thought to be extinct has happened before, even in my past life.

Huk, then does that make me a great wolf suin who rediscovered a supposedly extinct Arctic fox?

I’m so amazing!

Putting my hands on my hips and proudly lifting my head, Uncle Cheol-su shook his head and denied it.

“It’s not like that. The Arctic fox… no, no. Anyway, just know that it wasn’t a fox.”

Ugh.

I dislike how stubborn Uncle is. He never accepts possibilities and always sticks to his existing beliefs! I puffed out my tail and cheeks to show my great discomfort.

“Haha… So, Seol-ah, why did you come here?”

“Of course, to play… Ah, no! This!”

For a moment, I almost forgot my purpose. I reached into my tail and showed Uncle Cheol-su the still transparent and sparkling stone.

“This?”

“I came to ask what kind of stone this is!”

“Hmm….”

Uncle Cheol-su took the stone I offered. As expected, the stone turned gray and became like an ordinary stone, and Uncle Cheol-su’s eyes widened.

“Why is this….”

“It’s super weird, right! I asked Father, but he said he didn’t know either!”

When I held the stone in my hand, it became transparent again. Seeing that, Uncle Cheol-su hummed and pondered. When an intelligent-looking person with glasses does that, I feel like they might come up with a useful answer.

“I don’t know either.”

“What?!”

“I’ve never seen anything like this before… It doesn’t seem like ice crystal, nor quartz, and definitely not silver.”

If Sister doesn’t know, Father doesn’t know, and Uncle Cheol-su doesn’t know, then who on earth knows the identity of this strange stone! It was truly lamentable. I drooped my tail and wore a dejected expression.

“Ah, no. It’s possible Uncle just doesn’t remember. I’ll look through some books. Wait here.”

“Yes….”

“Would you like to play with the children while you wait?”

“Yes!”

Believe it or not, Uncle Cheol-su is married. He has twin daughters, both of whom are around my age and are friends with me.

“They’re probably in their room. While you’re here, I’ll try to find out what that stone is… She’s already gone.”

Without even waiting for Uncle to finish speaking, I ran out and forcefully opened the bedroom door. There, lying on the bed, were two children wagging their tails.

Four white ears, two white tails.

Then, two pairs of blue eyes looked at me.

“I’m here!”

“”Huh?””

The twin sisters reacted simultaneously.

It’s Yura and Yuri!