43. Polar Night

43. Polar Night

“Seol-gu?”

“Yes.”

Sister looked at me intently as she said that. I wondered if she really needed to have such a serious expression just to ask about a fox’s gender.

I crossed my arms and thought deeply. Seol-gu’s gender.

“Ummm….”

Naturally, I had never thought about Seol-gu’s gender before. Of course, there was no reason to. But since Sister asked, it would be best to answer to the best of my ability.

I closed my eyes and recalled Seol-gu’s appearance.

First, Seol-gu is fluffy. He has white, soft fur and a foolish-looking face, small but soft paws, short, stubby legs, and a fluffy, bushy tail similar to mine… Come to think of it, Seol-gu’s tail feels so good to hug….

Yes, just like Dad’s sofa I’m sitting on now… if I lean into it, I sink right in… and before I know it, I’m off to dreamland…….

“Yawn….”

“Seol-ah.”

“Kkang!”

Gasp!

Dad’s sofa was so comfortable that I almost drifted off to dreamland. I quickly straightened my back and sat up.

If Sister hadn’t whispered in my ear, I wouldn’t have woken up. I perked my ears a few times and wagged my tail to shake off the sleepiness, then said to Sister.

“D-don’t pull my cheeks….”

“Huhu.”

Sister not only whispered in my ear but was also pulling my cheeks. I don’t know if it was to wake me up or just because I was cute, but what’s certain is that having my cheeks stretched isn’t a pleasant feeling for the one experiencing it.

Sister lightly laughed at me, who was shaking my arm and telling her to let go.

After a moment, when Sister let go, I touched my sore cheeks and pouted. My white and soft skin was red from the shape of Sister’s index finger and thumb.

If Sister keeps pulling my cheeks like this, my cheeks might sag and droop forever. I don’t want to experience such a future.

“So Seol-ah, is Seol-gu female or male?”

“Hmph… I don’t know.”

Even if I knew, I wouldn’t want to say. The reasons for not wanting to say are very complex, but the main reason is disappointment in Sister.

She pulls my cheeks relentlessly and then, without apologizing, only demands to get her own business done. This is a very rude behavior, both wolf-like and human-like. Even a fox wouldn’t do this.

I didn’t want to talk to this bad Sister. The Sister I know is a kind and wonderful Sister. I want to see the kind Sister soon.

I hid my face in my tail.

“Seol-ah?”

“Hmph.”

I deliberately made a louder sound and turned away from Sister. Thinking of Sister sweating profusely to appease me, I couldn’t help but giggle.

But this is also a result of Sister’s actions. Sister must bear the consequences of her deeds.

However, no matter how long I waited, I received no answer from Sister. At first, I thought Sister was just flustered and at a loss, but Sister remained silent for much longer than I expected.

“Huh….”

The living room was eerily silent. Only the sound of the crackling fireplace could be heard.

Following that, when I heard the sound of the window rattling in the wind, I couldn’t bear the ominousness and became frightened. I murmured softly.

“Uh, Sister…?”

No voice answered. I called out to Sister a little louder.

“Sister…?”

When I call like this, Sister always answers me.

Could it be that while I was hiding in my tail, Sister sank into the ground…!

It’s not an impossible scenario. Considering that dragons roam the snowy fields, it’s entirely possible for someone to disappear into the ground.

“Sister!”

I quickly lifted my head to rescue Sister. I only wanted to give Sister a chance to repent, not to trap her under a glacier!

The long sofa where Sister had been sitting was now empty. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t even see Sister’s tail fur. Filled with indescribable fear, I trembled and called out to Sister anxiously.

“Ah…!”

Then, behind the sofa I was sitting on, I spotted two ears popping out. They were familiar white, fluffy wolf ears.

“Sister!!!”

I kicked over the chair and rushed towards the source. Below the familiar wolf ears was familiar hair, and a familiar scent.

It’s Sister!

“Uaaaaang!!!”

Sobbing, I clung tightly to the top of Sister’s head. I was so scared that I might never see Sister again.

I didn’t want the last image of Sister to be me being sulky and not talking to her. I held onto Sister’s head with my whole body, afraid she might disappear somewhere.

“Mmph, mmph…!”

I decided this wouldn’t do and tried to put Sister into my tail. My tail, where my precious things are safely kept. Inside here, Sister wouldn’t disappear anywhere.

But she wouldn’t fit. Sister’s face would fit, but her body wouldn’t. I tried for a long time to put Sister into my tail, but eventually, I ran out of strength and was pulled away by Sister’s hand.

“S-Seol-ah, it’s okay, Sister is here… Ptoo. Here.”

“Sister….”

Sister’s face was covered in white fur. Sister spat out the fur that had gotten into her mouth and looked at me, saying.

“Sister is here…?”

“Of course, I’m right in front of you.”

“You’re not going to disappear…?”

“Of course, where would Sister go without Seol-ah? I’m sorry for playing a trick. I won’t do it again.”

I hugged Sister tightly. The familiar body shape and warmth told me that the Sister in front of me was real.

Sniffle, sniffle, I inhaled my runny nose. But my face was already covered in tears and snot. Sister took out a handkerchief from somewhere and wiped my face.

“Are you a little calmer now?”

“Yes….”

“Okay… Then, Seol-ah, shall we eat some delicious fruit together?”

Sister hugged me tightly again and continued. Fruit, perhaps she meant ice fruit?

“No. It’s not ice fruit, but… it’s delicious fruit. Seol-ah has probably never seen it before.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. It’s sour and sweet, and it’s red. It’s about the size of Seol-ah’s hand.”

“My hand….”

I reached out my hand. I’m 8 years old now, and my hands are as small as my short stature.

Of course, someday I’ll be as tall and have hands as big as Sister’s!

“Do you want to try it?”

“Yes!”

It’s a relief that Sister seems to have returned to being a good sister. Forgetting that I had just been crying, I followed Sister to the kitchen.

——

“Ta-da.”

“This is….”

What Sister took out from the storage room… was strawberries.

The strawberries I know. They don’t grow in the North, so I definitely haven’t seen them as Rang Seol-ah….

Seeing my lukewarm reaction, Sister asked, slightly flustered.

“D-doesn’t it look delicious? This is delicious….”

“Uh… I’ll try it once.”

But I don’t know what strawberries are called in the wolf tribe’s language. Perhaps, it looks like a strawberry on the outside, but the contents might not be strawberries. I shook my head and, recharging my anticipation, took a bite of the strawberry.

“Hap.”

“How is it?”

Sister’s eyes were full of anticipation. She probably expected me to be surprised by the fruit I was eating for the first time.

But… it tasted too familiar.

The sweet and sour taste of a ripe strawberry.

It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just that the taste was familiar, so I wasn’t surprised. I chewed the strawberry and swallowed it down my throat. The sourness that made my eyes close involuntarily pierced my body.

Seeing my faint reaction, Sister asked again.

“Don’t you like it…?”

“No! It’s delicious!”

I liked all sour and sweet fruits. It’s just that there are few fruits available in the North, so I couldn’t eat them. Strawberries are no exception.

As I chewed and swallowed a few more strawberries, Sister finally showed a slightly relieved expression.

Lost in the sweet and sour taste, I was emptying the plate of strawberries when I noticed Sister watching me. I picked up a large strawberry and offered it to Sister.

“Sister, you eat too!”

“Huhu, thank you.”

We shared strawberries like that for a long time.

After some time had passed. The strawberries that had piled up on the plate had disappeared without a trace.

My belly felt full.

I leaned against my tail and exhaled. Sister wiped the corners of my mouth with a handkerchief.

“Ah. Come to think of it, Seol-ah.”

“Yes?”

“What is Seol-gu’s gender?”

“Ah.”

That’s what we were talking about, right.

How did the conversation stray so far to end up like this? I crossed my arms and pondered deeply again.

Seol-gu is fluffy and… hmm.

I brought up Seol-gu’s 3D model in my mind and rotated it, but nothing particularly stood out. So, perhaps… she’s female?

I said to Sister.

“I think it’s a girl!”

“Is that so….”

Sister’s reaction wasn’t significant. Not because the information was unimportant, but because she seemed to have expected it.

I tilted my head and asked Sister.