78. Travel

78. Travel

“Huk!”

The bright red randoseru. Seol-gu settled inside it.

I thought this alone was a considerable amount of luggage, but Sister’s and Father’s luggage were unimaginably larger compared to mine.

An enormous backpack with a rolled-up tent placed on top, and small bundles tied in every available space.

It was luggage large enough to fit five Rang Seol-ahs comfortably.

Adult wolves are truly different.

Someday, I too will grow into a wolf who can carry such loads without a problem. I’m really looking forward to that day.

“Seol-ah, you must follow Sister and Father closely. Okay? Don’t wander off to strange places.”

“Yes.”

“Still, I feel relieved that Seol-gu is with you.”

Sister smiled, looking at my bag. But I couldn’t feel that way at all.

Sister’s words made it sound as if Seol-gu was my guardian.

A fox taking care of a wolf, what kind of foolishness is that in the world? Of course, it’s the opposite. I am the one who takes care of Seol-gu.

Even if Seol-gu is a fox who finds his way well, he’s still a fox. Seol-gu needs the help of a wolf like me. Just like during the worm hunt last time!

I put my hands on my hips and shouted at Sister in a confident tone.

“That’s not it, Sister. You should say you feel relieved because I’m here for Seol-gu!”

“Kkang?”

“Hey, Seol-gu! Don’t come out, stay inside!”

Look, Seol-gu is always trying to get out of the bag, so where else in the world could you find such a precarious fox?

Without me, Seol-gu would run around in all directions and cause trouble. I pushed Seol-gu into the bag with my hands, acting like a guardian, and then looked at Sister with a triumphant pose.

It meant I wanted praise for taking such good care of Seol-gu.

Instead of praising me with words, Sister smiled and reached out to stroke my head. I expressed my joy by wagging my tail vigorously.

“Then let’s start now.”

“Yes.”

After waving goodbye to Mom through the window, Sister, I, and Father began to walk endlessly across the dazzlingly white snowfield.

Father walking with long strides. Sister walking with normal steps. And me following behind with short steps.

You could tell our walking styles just by looking at the footprints left in the snow.

Sister occasionally looked back while walking to check my position. If she saw I was falling too far behind, she would slow down slightly to let me catch up.

Father didn’t outwardly show it by looking back, but his eyes twitched subtly towards us, indicating he was paying as much attention to me as Sister was.

I waved enthusiastically at Father, but he pretended not to see and looked forward.

“Hee hee….”

The softly piled snow made a crunching sound under my feet.

Even though snow was everywhere and it wasn’t the first time I’d experienced it, it felt somehow fun because of the special circumstance of going on a trip.

Since I was getting bored of walking normally, I tried a slightly different way of walking.

I brought my two feet together and jumped with all my might!

“Kkang!”

The snow crunched under my feet, and Seol-gu, who was in the bag, cried out.

It seemed the bag swayed significantly due to the rebound of my jump.

Hoo hoo hoo….

Jump again!

“Kkae-aeng!”

“Seol-ah. Don’t get distracted.”

Huk.

I got scolded by Sister.

It’s all Seol-gu’s fault. This wicked fox lured me into getting scolded by Sister.

Hmph, I won’t look for Seol-gu if he gets lost later.

… Ah, no. Not looking for him at all seems a bit much. Seol-gu only has me as a friend.

In that case, I’ll look for him after waiting a bit.

Yes!

If Seol-gu gets lost later, I’ll give him one minute to reflect before looking for him. This should be enough punishment!

“Kkang kkang.”

“Yes, yes.”

I shoved Seol-gu’s head back into the bag, protesting his reckless driving. Then, looking ahead, I saw Sister and Father waiting for me.

“Huk!”

I hurried towards Sister.

Seeing me approach, Sister and Father started walking forward again.

Ugh….

I felt a little embarrassed thinking I had made my family wait because of my prank. Now, I should really just follow Sister without getting distracted.

I am a strong and powerful wolf. I’m good at following behind Sister.

If I get distracted again, then I’ll become a fox, a fox.

– Sssshhh.

“Huk.”

However, at that moment, something stopped me.

It was the sound of a small rodent moving underground.

I had promised myself in my heart not to get distracted, but I couldn’t help my wolf hunting instincts.

No matter how hard I grit my teeth and tried to look only at Sister’s tail, my ears kept perking up towards the source of the sound.

Still, if I endure it, it will probably run away on its own.

Even if an Arctic hamster is a small and foolish mouse, it must have survival instincts. With three wolves and a fox who could easily prey on it, it wouldn’t dare leave this area.

– Sssshhh.

“Kkang.”

“I, I know…!”

But the hamster was more foolish than I thought and kept moving in the same direction as us. Eventually, even Seol-gu, who was resting comfortably in the bag, reacted, and I twisted my body uncontrollably due to my unbearable instincts.

Go away, you foolish hamster…!

Did Sister and Father not hear it?

I glanced at Sister and Father’s faces, but except for occasionally turning to check if I was following properly, they showed no signs of hearing or noticing anything.

It wasn’t strange, as hearing the sounds of animals passing underfoot was my specialty, but the problem was that I felt like I was about to leap into the snow as I am.

I promised to follow Sister properly without playing any pranks.

If I continue like this, I feel like I’ll really become a fox.

I deliberately stomped my feet, pressing down on the snow, hoping the hamster would run away upon hearing the sound of my footsteps.

– Sssshhh.

You stupid hamster.

I can’t stand it anymore. If it keeps passing by me after I’ve given it so many chances….

“Kkang!!”

I ended up leaping high into the air.

Sparkling sunlight, a dazzlingly white snowfield. And Sister, looking at me with wide eyes. I now look down at the world I always looked up at from below.

At the peak, time slows down.

The randoseru, whose lid wasn’t properly closed, opened due to inertia, and the white furball inside popped out.

Seol-gu glared at me with resentment, but we had already crossed the river of no return.

I used my tail to adjust my posture and then plunged my face deep into the snow, heading towards the source of the sound.

Plop.

With a slightly anticlimactic sound, Seol-gu and I were stuck in the snow, leaving only our tails visible.

“Gotcha!”

Still, the good news is that I succeeded in hunting the hamster. I wriggled, holding the hamster in my mouth.

I couldn’t… get myself out.

“Uh, Sister…!!”

“Seol-ah.”

A moment later, I felt my tail being grabbed, and I was pulled out like a weed. I shook my snow-covered body vigorously.

“… Seol-ah.”

“Huk…!”

And the snow that fell from me had to be completely covered by Sister, who was closest to me. Although it was unintentional, I felt ashamed to see Sister’s clothes turned as white as her hair.

Sister quietly pulled Seol-gu out as well.

Seol-gu, held by the tail just like me, dangled in the air and shook off the snow like I did.

“Kkae-aeng!”

“….”

Naturally, that snow flew towards Sister.

Sister, now covered in twice the amount of snow, silently put us down on the floor and shook her body.

I cautiously looked at Sister and then opened my mouth.

“S-sorry….”

“It’s okay.”

“This is what I hunted….”

As a token of apology, I offered the hamster I had just caught to Sister. The hamster squeaked and tried to escape, but once caught, it couldn’t get out of my grasp.

Sister accepted my hamster and stroked my head with a smile.

… I think she stroked it a bit too much. My hair is sticking out tremendously.

“Don’t worry, Seol-ah. Getting a little snow on you is no big deal. It just shakes off.”

“Yeah….”

“Now, put Seol-gu in the bag. Let’s start again. We still have a long way to go.”

“Yeah!”

Father was waiting for us silently. As we gathered, we began walking towards our destination again.

Phew….

Okay, now I really, really, really won’t get distracted.

I said “really” three times. I’m making an even firmer resolution than before. The previous time was a practice for making resolutions, and this is the real deal.

I pulled Sister’s tail to call her and conveyed my vow to Sister.

“Sister, Sister, if I get distracted again, you can call me a fox! Okay?”

“Kkhuh.”

Then, for some reason, Sister burst into laughter. Perhaps she found it funny that a wolf would call herself a fox.

I thought it was funny too. Calling me a fox when I’m clearly a wolf.

Sister quickly covered her mouth to compose herself, but her trembling tail betrayed her emotions. After a moment, Sister said.

“O-okay.”

“Of course, that won’t really happen! I’ve made a very firm resolution right now!”

This is the reborn Rang Seol-ah. A good, strong, and powerful magic wolf Rang Seol-ah who doesn’t get distracted on trips.

I thumped my chest, telling Sister to trust me.

As we walked endlessly like that….

We happened to encounter an animal.

“Beeeep?”

It was an Emperor Penguin.