Нэйко
The request for tea turned out to be absurd. The girl regularly came across mentions in books of a delightful brew made from tea leaves, capable not only of quenching thirst but sometimes of healing the soul. She naively hoped that the old man might have some hidden supplies that he would generously share. But alas, the attempt was futile.
Before Ida could try, Sarabas had stopped by the old man's place and briefly recounted a rather interesting and extremely risqué interpretation of the interaction between a human and a fox. It was unusual and expressive. It would be hard to compete with that. But this wasn't exactly a storytelling contest, it seemed.
As a farewell, Sarabas gave a double thumbs-up, and the girl mechanically repeated the gesture, as if telling herself — or him: "Don't give up!"
— This is a story about a brave girl and a lost fox cub. — Ida began:
The described events took place long ago, when the empire was still flourishing, and nothing foreshadowed the coming calamities. The future Viscountess Lorn, but for now just the young blonde Lady Mirabella Geist, having dressed warmly, once again ran away from the estate.
Her family's lands were surrounded by a dense but relatively safe forest, where dangerous predators were rarely encountered. So the girl confidently strolled around its vicinity, carrying only a small camping knife and a basket for gathering medicinal plants. A little hobby that her parents didn't particularly approve of.
At the moment, the girl was enthusiastically collecting snowdrops of the Valrus variety. Their double petals had many uses: boosting immunity, sharpening attention, enhancing attractiveness — everything you could want! The main thing was to pick them on time and dry them properly.
The clearing, which had lost much of its snowy cover, seemed like the calmest and safest place in the world — until Mirabella heard what sounded like either a cry or a squeaky howl. It made her flinch, and she nearly dropped the basket with her gathered materials. However, the girl quickly pulled herself together and began looking for the source of the noise. And soon, not far from the clearing, she discovered a little snow fox cub, whose coloration treacherously blended with its surroundings.
This tirelessly howling ball of snow-white fur with golden eyes and barely grown claws and fangs looked extremely frightened. And since no other foxes of its kind were nearby, Mirabella realized — the little one had somehow gotten separated from its pack and was looking for its mother.
— There, there, it's okay, — the girl responded tenderly, taking a piece of jerky the size of half a palm from her shoulder bag.
It wasn't a juicy rabbit steak, of course, but it was better than a chicken and cheese sandwich. The little one was undemanding, yet so greedy that it lightly nipped the hand of its new acquaintance.
And although the fox cub still looked scared, at least now it wasn't crying and even started wagging its bluish tail. The little one was letting it be known that it could be picked up and petted.
— Oh, you're so sweet, — Mirabella gently picked him up. — But where is your mommy?
The fox cub, who didn't understand a word of human speech, licked her in response, as if saying: "I don't know, go look!"
At least, that's what Mirabella wanted to think. Or maybe it had just accepted her as its mother, and this miracle would now live in her family's home?
No. Baron Vernon Geist would, at best, drive the little one away, and at worst — take him, raise him, only to later send him to slaughter and use his snow-white fur coat for his own vile purposes.
"No, that definitely can't happen!" — thought Mirabella, and decided to try to find the mother of her new friend. Or, at the very least, return him to a pack of his kind, where he would have a chance at a happy future.
Time was drawing towards evening, and the initial search yielded no results. Mirabella had to give in and secretly bring him home, intending to continue the next morning.
— I'll call you Cloudy, — Mirabella said to the fox cub, who by then had completely adjusted to the new reality.
At the baron's house, Cloudy ate his fill of chicken meat that Mirabella had obtained after dinner. However, the little animal had no intention of hiding quietly as the girl had hoped. On the contrary, during the night, he not only shredded his new friend's bedding but also managed to sneak into the hallway, where he caused a bit of chaos in the form of a broken vase, a torn canvas, and chewed-up furniture.
Thankfully, Mirabella discovered his absence in time, and early in the morning, Cloudy was sleeping soundly under her bed. That day, the barony came to the conclusion that a huge rat had moved into the house. Or even a whole family of them.
I'd like to say the story ended the next day, but that wasn't the case. For Lady Geist, it became a real ordeal. By day, she and Cloudy roamed the forest in unsuccessful attempts to find his kin, and at night, she had to keep a close eye on the little one to prevent him from running around the estate again.
And although Mirabella wasn't very good at the last task, the little rascal at least had the sense to hide from prying eyes. As if he sensed that only his newfound friend wished him well.
Almost a week passed this way. Mirabella was beginning to accept the thought that the Geist manor was Cloudy's new home. And that she would have to start an intra-family war just to protect him. But everything turned out quite differently.
While wandering through the forest once again, Mirabella and her tiny friend came across a lone snow-white polar wolf. Not exactly the kind of canine one would want to encounter. And this formidable-looking fellow seemed extremely hungry.
Mirabella had only her camping knife and a terrified Cloudy with her. Someone else might have tried to throw the fox cub at the predator, hoping it would buy them time and allow them to escape. But Lady Geist was not that kind of person.
She chose to let Cloudy go from her hands, so she could stand between him and the fearsome predator. If the plan worked, the wolf would waste time dealing with her and forget about the fox cub. Better for only one to die in this chaos than for two to perish. However, no one was fated to die that day.
As soon as the wolf lunged, seven adult winter foxes immediately ambushed him from their hiding places. Some bit his legs and withers, while others fiercely clawed at the rest of his body. And although the predator wasn't killed by the assault and even managed to violently shake off some of its attackers, it still chose to retreat and leave the battlefield.
So Mirabella found herself surrounded by snow-white foxes, gradually closing in a tight circle around her. It seemed like this couldn't be good either, but Cloudy was nudging his nose into her palm, as if trying to say: "It's okay, they won't hurt you."
And that was the truth. The foxes, somewhat disheveled from the fight, though looking at the girl warily, had no intention of attacking her. They just needed to make sure the little one was safe and that the human posed no threat to him.
Mirabella didn't know if Cloudy's parents were among these animals, or if this was a completely different pack. The girl understood one thing: he was safe now, and she could leave him in capable paws.
The pack of foxes followed Lady Geist all the way out of the forest. Given the tense situation, it was hard to tell whether they were escorting her to protect her, or out of fear that she would grab the little one and try to run off with him. The main thing was that the girl was unharmed, though she did get in trouble at home for sneaking off the estate and for the encounter with the wolf. On the other hand, the Geist family's attitude towards foxes changed from then on, because it was they who saved her from danger. The main thing was to omit the details of all the adventures with Cloudy.
From then on, snow foxes were officially recognized as friends of the Geist family. This led not only to the cancellation of what had seemed like a traditional snow fox hunting season, but also to a complete ban on clothing made from fox fur. Only real foxes had the legal right to wear that beauty.
As for Mirabella, she didn't recover immediately. On one hand, the girl had grown attached to Cloudy, and now it felt as if something important had been torn from her heart. Her soul constantly yearned for the forest, but strict parental control and personal fears after what she had been through made themselves known.
A year later, she finally found the strength to return to the clearing where she had first met Cloudy. She again had food and a basket for snowdrops with her.
While Mirabella was picking flowers, a fox crept up unnoticed behind her. Or rather, the snow-white little animal wasn't heading towards the girl, but towards her open bag lying nearby. Sticking its nose inside, it pulled out a tempting piece of jerky, as if it had been waiting just for him.
Hearing the rustle behind her, young Lady Geist jumped in surprise. But seeing the friendly fox before her, the girl let out a calm sigh.
— Hello, little friend, — she smiled, crouching down in front of him. The golden-eyed rascal somehow reminded her of Cloudy, only he was much larger. — Are you hungry?
The girl mechanically reached her hand out towards him:
— You remind me so much of my friend.
In response, the fox, having finished its meal, extended its snout to the girl's palm and pressed its nose into it.
— Cloudy, is that you? — Mirabella assumed naively.
In response, the fox came closer and licked her cheek. Perhaps the thought wasn't so naive after all?
That day, the girl spent a long time cuddling with her fluffy friend, happily petting him and feeding him everything from her bag. The next day, Mirabella escaped to the forest again, and the pleasant experience repeated. She kept going out again and again. But the fox wasn't always alone on different days. Sometimes there were two of them, occasionally a whole pack came. She was even lucky enough to meet little fox cubs, who were even more eager to play than their parents. The forest was now practically her second home.
But all good things must come to an end. Time passed, Mirabella grew older, and the day came when she had to leave her father's home and become a part of Viscount Lorn's family.
Few knew that on Mirabella's wedding day, as she left her homeland, a whole pack of snow foxes gathered at the edge of the forest. The animals were literally seeing off their old friend. A friend who not only returned a member of their family home but also restored their faith in human kindness.
So, I'll be really upset if the old coot ends up falling asleep or says the story is rubbish and Ida wasted his time on childish nonsense.
