Chapter 33: The Fire-Fox Guardian Arrives

“Wow, such an extraordinary story!”

Sandy exclaimed while sipping her coffee. She and Alex had invited Lutecia to their den up in the trees. Of course, as De Lapin Princess was the most skilled at jumping out of all the existing rabbits, it was quite easy for her to access the squirrel den hidden high in the tree hollow. They sat at a table together, sipping coffee. Lutecia had just told them about her story and had left them both dumbfounded and even more shocked than before.

“I could never imagine that Blood Moon Fox would leave his hostage alive after that bunny king broke the treaty...” Alex murmured with stupefaction, “He’s usually known as quite a ruthless ruler. He only acts how the justice demands and justice is not always mild-hearted.”

“But, if we judge carefully and logically, in this situation, it was quite just to leave Lutecia alive, since she was purely innocent in this affair, and she has no blood ties with Feuer von Kaninchen.” Sandy put a hand to her chin.

“Yes, Sandy’s right.” Lutecia beamed, “And, I think he wanted to show me his gratitude too since I chose him over my fellow bunnies to teach my hidden skills to.”

“Wow, I’d never imagine he could be so loving and soft!” Sandy laughed. “Then, I guess he’s quite a devoted husband!”

“He truly is.” Lutecia affectionately placed her hands to her heart. She felt happy when they spoke well of her husband.

“Hmm... I still find it so hard to believe!” Alex chuckled. He was a warrior squirrel and had always fought stronger spirits to get his food and territory, so he couldn’t imagine strong spirits to be so soft towards weaker ones.

After they finished with the coffee and the nut cookies, Sandy grabbed Lutecia and waved a hand at Alex:

“We’re going to have a little walk, honey! Let’s say, a little girl time!”

Lutecia blushed and chuckled:

“Hehe... Goodbye, Alex! It was nice getting to know you!”

“Same here, Lutecia!” Alex smiled back and waved a hand, and then advised Sandy: “Don’t walk too far away in the dense forest, okay?”

“Duh, I’m not a child anymore, Alex!” Sandy laughed.

She and Lutecia walked out of the hollow and jumped down on the ground. They walked on, remembering the old, childhood days when they used to play around and have fun.

“It is so good to meet you again, Sandy... I missed you so much!” Lutecia beamed, finally completely happy with her life that bore so many difficulties in the past.

“Haha, you said it!” Sandy jumped with happiness, wagging her big fluffy squirrel tail, “I wondered how you were in all that Usagi Kingdom mess. It’s so good to find out you’re alright and happy with your life, and with such a mighty and scary husband...”

Lutecia laughed at such a joke of hers.

As they were thus walking and conversing, Lutecia’s big and sharp ears caught the sound of bushes rustling nearby. She understood it as a bad sign and stopped, making Sandy stop too.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Sandy asked.

“Listen...”

Lutecia whispered with concern, staring in the direction where she heard the sound come from. Sandy listened to the forest too, and then gasped:

“You’re right! It must be a predator!”

“Let’s run before it is too late.”

“Ah, no! The best is to access the trees! There it’s safer!”

Sandy, as a squirrel, felt the trees were the safest place to hide, so she pulled her friend towards them. They both jumped up and landed on a high branch. There, they hid and attentively looked down at the ground. The sounds ceased.

“Hmm, I think it’s gone...” Lutecia said.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure.”

The girls started. They looked aside and screamed – there was a giant Black Panther spirit man before them, with his claws ready and his fangs bared!

“Ah! A panther! It has reached us!”

Sandy began trembling – Lutecia was behind her, and the panther was before her, so there was nowhere to run anymore! Lutecia, as a bunny, couldn’t run on trees as fast as she and neither as fast as the panther. They both were doomed! She began crying:

“It’s my fault! If only I listened to you and we ran away instead of hiding in trees! We might’ve made it!”

Lutecia tried to keep her cool and concentrate on finding a way to escape if there was any. Right now, an instinct to protect her beloved friend had completely seized her, and she was ready to even sacrifice herself just to let Sandy get away. She blamed her own self in this incident – if she had been a little more attentive and prudent, she wouldn’t have let some mere panther deceive her hearing, she would’ve detected him earlier!

“Calm down, Sandy... We shall get out of this.”

Hearing their fearful encouragements of each other, the panther laughed and prepared his claws.

“You cannot get away from me now when you are on trees. The tree is my element!” he roared, turned into his Basic Ultimate form – a true Black Panther – and jumped at them.

Sandy screamed and closed her eyes, while Lutecia fearfully watched the panther in the mid-air, with her nose twitching. Her primal instinct of survival arose, and, as it often happens when desperate people hope on the help of third parties, she too, thought of such a strong third party in her mind. She yelled in distress:

“Yuehong!”

The girls felt fiery warmth before them. They reopened their eyes and gasped in shock – it was the familiar nine-tailed fox, all fired-up, with his red claws ready and red weapon fans in his hands, standing in between them and the panther in a battle stance! He had just dodged the stupefied panther’s claw attack.

“Ah!” Sandy hid behind Lutecia’s back.

Lutecia blinked at first, but then the loving warmth filled her heart – he had come, just as he promised he would.

The panther frowned with irritation and slight surprise:

“What the heck does this mean? I’m hunting my lunch! Move, you stupid fox!”

Yuehong faintly chuckled:

“I guess, child, you do not know who I am.”

“I don’t, and I don’t give a damn about tailed foxes – you are still foxes and can be eaten for dinner!”

Hearing the panther’s gruesome growls, Sandy and Lutecia trembled.

“Well then, I must declare that I cannot move, for these two girls are mine!”

Yuehong turned into his Basic Ultimate Fire Form too – the form of a true red nine-tailed fox. He roared in an infernal voice and dashed at the panther.