Chapter 32: The Old Friends Reunite
Lutecia walked and jumped through the Spirit Forest, attentively looking at trees in hope of spotting squirrels.
Where there is one squirrel, there are many others too, for a squirrel’s presence indicates the presence of nuts...
When she got deep enough in the forest, she indeed caught a glimpse of a big fluffy tail amidst the tree branches.
Ah! There they are!
She ran to that particular tree. However, when she looked up, she couldn’t see anyone there.
So weird! I could’ve sworn I saw a squirrel tail...
As she watched the tree branches in surprise, she heard someone land on the ground from behind. A deep, strict voice reached her ears:
“Hey, you! What are you doing on the Squirrel Territory?!”
She started and turned back – there was a tall, muscled man with black hair, black squirrel ears, and a black squirrel tail standing before her, with his arms crossed. She gulped at the sight of such a giant squirrel man with a hostile attitude. She stepped back and raised her hands:
“I... I haven’t come with any bad intentions, sir...”
“Oh, really? I do not trust you filthy bunnies!” the squirrel man clenched his fists, “Either you’ll get out of here or you’re going to get it! I don’t care if you’re a woman. You women bunnies are just as irritating as men!”
“W... What are you talking about?”
Lutecia blinked in stupefaction as she made yet another step back.
D... Did the bunnies gain such a bad reputation while I was gone?
“Oh, so you’re not leaving? Well, don’t blame it on me!” the man bent down, prepared to attack.
Lutecia covered her mouth with her hands in fright. She was going to run off when a subtle womanly voice cried from above the trees:
“Honey, leave her alone! She doesn’t seem a thief.”
“A… thief?!”
Lutecia blinked – so, the rabbits had even started stealing from other spirits while she was gone? Just how low could they stoop?!
My father would never permit rabbits to steal from others. Damn that Feuer… Ugh!
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, dear,” the squirrel man shouted up at the trees, “I do not trust these bunnies’ appearances!”
“Ugh, you’re judging her by appearance yourself! Just because she’s a bunny, it doesn’t mean she’s a thief!”
A beautiful woman with brown hair and a brown squirrel tail jumped down the trees, landing in between Lutecia and the man. She smiled kindly at the bunny:
“I hope my husband didn’t scare you, Miss...”
“Sandy, stop that! We can’t trust her!”
“Ugh, Alex, enough with it!”
Lutecia picked up her big ears – he called her “Sandy”?!
“Excuse me...”
“Huh?” the squirrels looked at her.
“A... Are you perchance Sandra Nutts?”
The squirrel gasped in shock:
“We know each other?”
“I... I am Lutecia De Lapin. We were friends in our childhood if you remember...”
Hearing the name “Lutecia De Lapin”, the squirrel woman widened her eyes and let out a jovial cry:
“Ah! Lutecia, it’s you! Ah, I’ve missed you so much! I had no idea where you went. You have so much to tell me! We heard the bunnies were ruled by the Kaninchen Clan now and that... the De Lapin Clan went extinct. What happened to you?”
“Oh, it is indeed a sad story...” Lutecia sighed. “I am truly the last representative of my clan.”
“Aww, that’s so unfortunate!” Sandy dropped her ears down and put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, “I... I am sorry.”
“It is fine. I have a good life now. I’m actually married.”
“Ah, really? That’s awesome! Like me! Oh, I completely forgot to introduce you two!” she chuckled and looked at her black squirrel husband, who had been watching them in a daze for all this time, “Alex, this is my childhood friend, Lutecia. The one I’ve told you so much about, remember?” She turned back to her friend, “Lutecia, this is my husband – the most valiant of all squirrels, Alex Nutts!”
Lutecia shook Alex’s hand he had stretched out:
“It is nice to meet you, Alex!”
“It is a pleasure for me too, Princess Lutecia!” Alex smiled and even bowed slightly, showing his respect. “My wife has indeed told me a lot about you.”
“Hehe, I’m glad!” Lutecia’s ears jumped with happiness.
“So, who is your husband? Mind telling us?” Sandy playfully grinned, excited to see her old friend after so many years and hear that she had so much to tell.
Lutecia, upon remembering her lovely husband, blushed and cast her eyes down:
“It’s... It’s Huli Yuehong.”
However, this name didn’t cause the same happiness for the squirrels.
“What? Y... You mean, the Blood Moon Fox?” Sandy, dreaded, covered her mouth with a hand and cuddled with her no less shocked husband, who quickly embraced her to calm her down.
Lutecia blinked at them, unable to understand why they were so afraid of that fluffy fox. Living so long with those tailed foxes, she had completely forgotten that they caused terror into the hearts of simple harmless spirits like her, as they were both man-eaters and vicious predators.
“Lord Huli Yuehong, the god of all spirits...” Alex murmured, “You want to say that a tailed fox, a predator, a man-eater, and the ruler of the Transformation Force which equals the powers of the two grandest archangels, is your husband?!”