33. The War of Wolves and Foxes
097 – The War of Wolves and Foxes #1
Kublai’s claw traced a wobbly circle on the ground. I quickly realized it was his artistic attempt at a not-so-great rendition of humans.
Kublai drew a rough circle for the head and then scribbled a mountain shape on top.
— Over the last few centuries, a variety of humans have invaded this Eastern Forest. But there are definitely some who wear shining horns adorned with metals and gems, which they call crowns. It’s much easier to show you than to explain.
Kublai gestured towards Blanca, who waddled over with something clutched in her mouth.
She dropped it to the ground with a loud clank that tickled my ears.
“Wow, that’s a real crown!”
It was a golden headband. In the center, a large, red jewel sparkled, crafted into the shape of an eagle with its wings spread. It looked like a precious treasure that didn’t belong in this forest at all.
Kublai gazed down at the crown and said softly,
— This was the crown worn by a human during the last invasion, fifteen springs ago. You’re welcome to take a closer look.
Blanca picked it up again and trotted around the wolves, showing off the crown like a pageant winner.
— So… what’s the deal with this? Is it important? It doesn’t seem like a weapon or arrows. A shiny object might impress a raccoon, but we’re wolves!
The wolves nodded in agreement with Dalma’s remark. But Kublai clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
— It may not matter to us, but to humans, that crown is of utmost importance. It seems harmless enough, but it’s actually a powerful weapon. That crown burned our forest and took many of our pups away.
— A weapon?
— You call this a weapon?
The wolves kept their distance from the crown, looking uncertain. It seemed they had a significant fear of “weapons.”
“Wait a minute, didn’t they say that wolves fear the smell of gunpowder?”
I recalled a story from Seton’s Animal Book about a wolf king named Robo, who was savvy enough to know to be wary of the humans and their weapons.
“Knowing what to fear increases your chances of survival.”
I reflected on advice Ilgast had given me once: knowing when to be scared is not a shameful thing; it’s a crucial advantage in survival.
If you can avoid unnecessary fights and navigate tricky situations, that wisdom comes from a healthy sense of fear.
“Maybe these wolves are smarter than I thought. They’re not just ruling the East for nothing.”
I mentally raised my evaluation of Kublai and the wolf pack.
“So let’s hear what they have to say next.”
I tuned back into the animated chatter of the wolves.
Kublai spoke with conviction,
— That crown is indeed a weapon. Humans, under the influence of someone wearing it, will obey like they’re enchanted by a witch or a mythical creature. They’ll protect the one wearing it, and follow their orders without hesitation. Simply put, it’s a tool for controlling humans—think of it as an item bewitched with spells.
— Can’t we use it ourselves?
— That’s how we’ll control the humans!
The wolves chimed in with their suggestions.
But Kublai shook his head.
— Beasts cannot use this. It is purely a human tool. If a beast were to hold it, they’d be among the first targets for the humans to hunt down.
— Then why show it to us? You can’t just be saying we should be on guard.
The brown-furred wolf Dalma seemed eager to get to the bottom of Kublai’s intentions.
Blanca, the grey wolf, barked in agreement.
Kublai nodded at Blanca’s bark and replied,
— Right, Blanca. You’re right. This is a significant weapon for humans. However, it’s also their weakness. For humans, the one wearing that crown is their forest master. If we take them down first, they’ll flee in panic from the forest. They’ve been doing that all along.
— But aren’t their forest masters strong? Can we really take them down?
— That’s the key difference between humans and other animals. Their forest masters aren’t particularly powerful. Sometimes, they’re even weaker than the armored beasts. You’re perfectly capable of taking them down with your skills.
— They’re weak, you say?
— What do you mean the leader is weak? Do the humans follow the orders of the weak?
— I really can’t understand what humans are thinking. It’s no wonder they were chased out of this forest in ancient times.
“Now that’s a fascinating tale.”
I chuckled quietly under my fur, listening to the wolves’ meeting.
They seemed to plan to target the human leaders, likely the nobles or rulers, believing that it would disrupt their whole operation.
Whether that would actually work was debatable, but there must be a reason Kublai spoke so confidently.
“Targeting the leader must be an effective strategy in any world.”
— Now, as we wrap up this midnight meeting, does anyone have any questions?
Kublai asked like a tired professor ending his lecture.
“Just wrap it up already!”
I hoped no one would ask anything because I desperately wanted to get out of there. Just then, someone raised a paw.
It was none other than Dalma, the brown-furred wolf, who seemed to have a lot of questions and was a talkative one—definitely the top student of the wolves.
— So, I get how to deal with humans, but what about the foxes invading our territory?
— Foxes, right. I was just about to talk about that little Ishtar.
Kublai suddenly remembered something. Then his one eye was fixated on me.
— Blackpaw, you were in charge of scouting the southern territory and the foxes. What’s your take on this?
All eyes turned to me.
“Wait, you want me to figure out how to handle the foxes?”
I came to the Eastern Forest merely for some quick night hunting to level up and here I was with the authority to decide whether we should go to war with the foxes!
I nearly burst out laughing at how quickly things had escalated within a day.
— …Let’s go to war!
I thought about sowing discord between the foxes and wolves, aiming to weaken Kublai and that Ishtar character.
If two big shots fought each other, it would be the perfect opportunity for me, the third party, to swoop in and benefit.
“This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but brilliancy nonetheless!”
I grinned beneath my fur as I reminisced about all the lies and excuses I’d concocted.
— Sounds good, Blackpaw. If you say so, that’ll be our priority.
Kublai nodded soberly. Apparently, the wolf I had eaten was quite a trustworthy one among them.
“If he were an idiot, we might have ended up in a different situation. But wasn’t this guy a deserter? Why would someone in such an important position want to leave his pack?”
I found myself pondering about the wolf named Blackpaw I had eaten. But the wolves suddenly stood up, fur bristling, stirring me to rise as well.
— Today, the foxes will go extinct in this Eastern Forest!
The pack howled in response to Kublai’s shout,
— Awoo!
— Let’s k*ll those foxes!
— The foxes are my nemesis!
— A fox ate the snails I raised for two years!
— Let’s go, Blackpaw. Time to whack those nasty foxes!
The wolves sprang up and started darting off toward some unknown destination.
“Wait, we’re going right now!?”
I had thought any war would take a day or two to kick in—or maybe a week or even a month—but I never imagined they’d charge off in the moment a decision was made.
Kublai, gathering his might, stepped out of the cave, moving cautiously.
— Blackpaw, as you said, we need to resolve the issues in the Eastern Forest quickly. Let’s deal with the foxes and then discuss the impending human invasion. Let’s move!
Kublai’s words made cold sweat trickle down my forehead.
“Ugh… do I have to go, too?”
Right now?
*
In the stillness of the deep night, wolves raced through the forest.
Like typical predators, they seemed poised to hunt in a silent, grim manner, but these wolves let out howls loud enough to wake the dead.
— Ara ra ra rai!
— Ara ra rai!
Running at full speed through the forest trails, the wolves were like rapid cavalry and infantry armed with sharp fangs.
All other creatures held their breath, tucking their ears and tails into the bushes.
The wolves didn’t glance at or show the slightest interest in other animals.
Tonight, they weren’t out for a hunt; they were waging a war for their species’ future.
Leading the pack was the silver wolf, Borjigin, who howled loudly to rally the others, — Awoo!
— Kraaauu!
With that, all the wolves matched his call with a grand echoing sound.
“Whoa.”
As I found myself racing alongside the pack, I felt a chill run down my fur from their unity and fiery spirit.
“Let’s find out how the wolves and foxes clash. I’ll just hang back and watch from a tree.”
Since I had no excuse to escape right now, I decided to join the wolves in assaulting the foxes’ hideout.
And since most of the wolves had moved away from the cave, Mori and Leaf probably would have fled their nests by now.
“But this running is starting to rub my skin raw.”
While keeping up with the wolves, I noticed the fur covering my body might just flop off at any moment due to all the vigorous movements.
I was draped in a massive coat that resembled a winter overcoat from head to tail, shifting and flapping as I moved.
— Kraak, it smells like lettuce flowers. Hey, Blackpaw, stay in the back.
— Queue up at the rear with Kublai, you’re on defense.
The wolves kept pushing me further to the back.
While it was safer not to be in the spotlight, running with Kublai felt slightly pressured.
— Gyuing.
Yingyi, who was clinging to my back, squirmed around, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with all this running. I hushed softly to her.
— Just hang in there. If you stay quiet, I’ll snag you an extra lettuce flower later.
— Ying.
Yingyi seemed to get what I was saying and stopped moving. Just when I thought we had dodged a b*llet, Kublai, who was galloping right beside me, spoke up.
— You’re quite relaxed if you can chat while running at this speed. It seems you handle pollen well. Just like your brother, always running alongside me. It’s nostalgic, heading off to take down the foxes with his son.
Kublai mused as he looked at my fur.
— We’re near the fox den! Brace yourself!
Borjigin, leading the way, shouted loudly.
— Krrr.
The wolves’ growls and panting sounds intensified.
The wolf pack inflated into a massive balloon, ready to pop with just the prick of a needle.
— I can see it!
The wolves charged into the fox den in a wild rush, tearing through bushes, fur piles, and hay with their paws and teeth.
Soon, one by one, they raised their heads, looking utterly bewildered.
— Huh.
— It’s empty?
— Did they run away hearing we were coming?
Amidst the wolves’ murmurs, Kublai strolled through the empty fox den.
— There couldn’t have been no guards or sentries to escape this cave. What’s going on, Blackpaw? Did the foxes catch wind of something?
Kublai asked me about the whereabouts of the foxes.
“How the heck would I know?”
I was just as puzzled as the wolves.
At that moment, laughter erupted from somewhere nearby.
— Excellent. Truly excellent. Just as promised, you brought all the wolves with you, Blackpaw.
