Fierce Fox

A beautiful red fox was in the clearing in front of me. It stood a foot taller than me. It possessed three tails that twitched and swirled behind it. I could feel the baleful aura coming off of it that separated it from a normal fox. This was the target of my hunt.

Even before I approached it, I felt the pressure in the air. It was as if Li Kai had strapped additional weights to my shoulders. It was intimidating. To this point, last life included, the biggest fight I had gotten into was a minor duster with another child. I was about to get into a fight with a wild animal that could very well be stronger than me. There were no safety rails. No one would save me if I failed. My heart was racing in fear and anticipation even before I stepped into battle.

I hesitated for just a moment. Almost ready to turn back and give up on cultivating. The desire to preserve my life almost persevered over the desire for power. Almost. The second the thought of giving up on my power entered my consciousness, my body, mind, and soul violently revolted. Give up on my power? Never! I steeled myself and rushed at the fox.

I thought I had carefully disguised my presence before rushing in, but the fox had been watching me all along. It expertly dodged to the side as I struck with my sword. Then it countered by springing at me with its jaws wide. I managed to block with my arm just in time. The fox's long canines dug into the weight on my arm. Makeshift armor, who knew? The weights weren't thick enough though and the canines still partially dug into my skin.

I tore my arm free, resulting in gashes on my forearm. I could see my red muscle through the gashes before blood quickly filled the wounds. I hoped the fox wasn't carrying any infectious diseases.

HP -53

HP 347/400

The system helpfully notified me that I was hurt like the bleeding gashes on my arm and the throbbing, stinging pain weren't proof enough.

HP -1

Crap, I was on a timer now. I had to end this battle and wrap the wound before I bled out. Damned fox! A single exchange and I was at a disadvantage.

I channeled my qi as my instructor had taught me. This didn't use my qi up. It only reinforced my basic strikes. I struck fiercely towards the fox. A blade-shaped wind flew from the sword. The vixen was still too quick, and dodged, the strike only grazed their front paw before continuing and blasting a crater into a nearby mound of Earth.

For tens of minutes, the fox and I fought in a delicate dance. It would gracefully dodge my attacks, while I would narrowly avoid its strikes. The surrounding trees and hills were getting trashed by our fierce battle.

My breathing was growing ragged, and my vision was blurry. Blood had stopped flowing out of my arm, but that wasn't a good thing. It had finally clotted more due to the lack of blood in my body than due to clotting factors.

HP 92/400

Not good. While I was briefly distracted from checking my status, the fox landed a solid hind foot kick on my abdomen. I went flying for tens of feet and crashed hard into the ground. The wind in my lungs was completely knocked out of me, I gasped desperately for air as I doubled over. My abdomen was in extreme pain.

HP -80

HP 12/400

The fox prowled around me. It was no longer fighting, it was toying with its prey. Was this going to be how I died in this life? I didn't want to see Nathan's ugly face again. My bruised stomach wouldn't be able to handle the nausea. That smug grin mocking me as if to tell me, I told you so.

No, I grew angry, I wasn't going to die this way. It was too pitiful. Wasn't this just some stupid entry test? Was I going to let this stupid test beat me? No! This fox was going to be my stepping stone.

For the first time, my anger aided me, my pain faded away. My strength returned, I even felt stronger than before. My mind focused on the one thing it needed to do. Fox, die for me.

I rose from the ground like a marionette on strings. My form was strange and unnatural. My sword was forgotten on the ground. A wide, wrathful grin appeared on my face twisting beauty into an aberration of horror. The fox sensed danger and snarled as it backed away.

I rushed at the fox. This time I was too fast for the fox to dodge. Now weaponless, I struck the fox's head hard to the side. This exposed an opening and I performed a high kick into the fox's abdomen, sending it skyward. Before it could land, I struck the falling figure of the fox propelling it into a tree. I quickly rushed over, pinned the fox down, and began pummeling every inch of the fox.

After several minutes my rage began to cool. My brain began working again and I realized as cathartic as it was to keep pummeling the fox, I was no nearer to killing it. I quickly slid the dagger out of my belt and sliced the fox's throat. For extra measure, I slammed the dagger into the fox's eye socket, burying it to the hilt. I then backed off quickly to avoid any death throes.

The fox took a few more labored breaths and then expired. The fight was finally over. As the relief set in, all the strength left my body and I crumpled to my knees. Was this how all my fights were going to be? I was at death's door! The whole fight, the fox was dominating me. It was only when I let my anger take over that I started to win.

I gained a tiny bit of my strength back and dragged myself to the pack I had set down before the battle. I began tending to the wound on my arm. First I washed it with water from my canteen. After the blood and dirt were cleared, I pulled out a sealed container with pieces of cloth soaked in a solution prepared by my father which allegedly sterilized the wound. Afterward, I applied a healing poultice, placed large cotton pads over the poultice, and finally wrapped everything tightly with a strip of fabric.

HP 11/400

I guzzled down the rest of the water in my canteen to help replace the blood that was lost. And finally tore into my jerky to aid with the same.

HP 15/400

Finally, I was out of immediate danger, but I still had work to do before I could rest. Li Kai needed proof of the kill. I could lug the head all the way back, but that would be heavy and attract other beasts, instead, I retrieved my dagger from its skull and split open its abdomen, I rooted around for a bit before finding a solid mass which I yanked out. This was its beast core. As a mortal beast core, it was crude and rudimentary. It could easily been mistaken for a calcified growth if it weren't for the high concentration of qi.

I picked up and sheathed my sword and was about to walk away from the scene when I heard some whimpering. It took me a bit to discover the source of the noise. An earthen mound had been completely destroyed in the battle, fully exposing a burrow.

At first, I thought I had imagined the noise. There were several fox kits, but they were all dead, crushed by debris in the battle. I felt a pang of guilt. That was why she, the fox, was fighting so hard, it was for her pups. For a moment emotions overwhelmed me, not my emotions, but the emotions of the fox mother. I howled to the sky in sorrow. And so the fox mother sang her last song in this world through me. An eerie, hair-raising melody of loss.

It was then that I heard the whimper again. I wasn't imagining it, I could hear it clearly this time. I started digging through the nest towards the sound. Removing rocks and fox corpses as I went. And there I found her. Underneath the bodies of her brothers and sisters was a small fox, red like her mother. She had been saved by her siblings. She was a little battered but still alive.

After having experienced the sorrow in the mother's song, I could no longer leave this little fox to her fate, nor could I brutally slay her. I could only bring her back with me and care for her.

I pulled out my last remaining jerky and presented it to the fox kit. She sniffed at it curiously and quickly consumed it when the smell identified it as food. I used the distraction of the food to begin petting her gently. By the time she finished consuming the jerky, she realized I did not mean her harm.

I picked her up and swiftly left the scene. The mortal beast's blood would soon attract predators. A mile away, I stopped at a creek to refill my canteen and clean my equipment. Then I climbed into a tree with a nice hollow to rest in.

As I was lying there, I stared into the big round eyes of my new companion. She was far too trusting and cute. She had been silent and obedient the entire journey so far.

"You need a name if you're going to stick with me, what about Little Red?"

She shook her head. Oh, she was intelligent, that might explain how she was adapting so quickly.

"Wilma then?"

She shook her head vigorously no.

"Agatha?"

She placed her paws on her face in a gesture of despair. That would be a no then.

"Fine, fine, what about Rosie?"

She poised, ready to shake her head no, but paused and cocked her head sideways in contemplation. Then gave me a single affirmative nod.

"Okay, Rosie, we'll be resting here for a few hours. Then you'll be going home with me. Rest up, it's a bit of a walk." I told her.

Rosie silently judged me. She knew full well she wasn't walking. Of course, she would be carried like the furry princess she is.

Rosie and I snuggled together and drifted to sleep in the tree hollow.