Future Pet Shop

The Snow Fox let out two cries, which sounded a bit like cats fighting. It glanced back and forth between the pill Shen Yibin had tossed over and Shen Yibin himself, hesitating to move forward.

’It’s pretty wary,’ Shen Yibin thought as his gaze fell upon the wound on its front leg again. ’Looks like this little guy has suffered at the hands of humans before.’ Considering Snow Foxes typically only live within the Arctic Circle, a suspicion began to form in his mind. ’Could this Snow Fox have been captured in the Arctic and brought into the country? Did it then escape and hide here?’

The more he thought about it, the more sympathy he felt. He raised his hands to show he meant no harm, then slowly backed away until he was next to Hah’Er. Maphario also bravely poked his head out of Shen Yibin’s pocket, revealing half his face to watch the Snow Fox from a distance. The Snow Fox spotted Maphario and couldn’t help but lick its lips, subconsciously taking two steps forward. This terrified Maphario, who instantly shrank back into the pocket.

"Hmmph!" Hah’Er probably sensed the threat the Snow Fox posed to Maphario. This was his godson; how could he let some other creature frighten him? He immediately sat up straight, assuming a vigilant posture.

Seeing this display, the Snow Fox probably understood it wouldn’t be getting that meal. However, those two steps forward had brought it right next to the pill. It cast a reluctant glance at the pocket where Maphario was hiding, then lowered its head to sniff at the pill. The few pieces of dried fish from before had done nothing to fill its stomach, and with the added allure of the pill itself, it momentarily forgot the danger. With a flick of its tongue, it swallowed the pill whole.

’Finally, that’s taken care of. This actually went pretty smoothly,’ Shen Yibin thought, letting out a long sigh of relief. ’As long as it took the medicine, it should be fine.’ Not long after swallowing the pill, the Snow Fox swayed, then with a THUD, it collapsed onto the snow and began to snore. The rise and fall of its chest remained steady, as if it had simply fallen asleep.

Shen Yibin hurried over to the Snow Fox’s side and gently gathered it into his arms. ’In this icy weather, it would freeze solid in no time if left lying out in the open,’ he thought. ’I need to hold it against my chest to keep it warm.’

’Hmm, those few pieces of fish definitely weren’t enough. I wonder if I can find any food nearby?’ Shen Yibin looked around and soon spotted the small stream they had passed earlier. A thick layer of ice covered its surface. ’Perhaps that’s why the Snow Fox couldn’t catch any fish in the water?’ But for Shen Yibin, this wasn’t a difficult problem to solve. He just needed to break the ice. After all, his outdoor gear included a fishing line and hooks.

"Hah’Er, let’s go. We’re heading back to yesterday’s cave." Waiting for the Snow Fox to wake up and breaking the ice to fish would both take time. Shen Yibin figured they would probably have to spend another night in the cave.

He shouldered his large pack again, held the Snow Fox in his arms, and led Hah’Er back the way they came. When they reached the stream, there was a small pond. Shen Yibin set down his backpack, looked around, and found a rock. He temporarily handed the Snow Fox to Hah’Er, then lifted the rock with both hands and smashed it down hard on the ice. The ice on the stream was surprisingly thick; such a large rock only managed to create a few cracks without breaking through. But that was no problem, he would just have to try a few more times. Shen Yibin found another rock, raised it high, and aimed for the most densely cracked area. Meanwhile, Hah’Er stood by, holding the Snow Fox and staring blankly.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Maphario was so scared he was almost in tears. The Snow Fox’s large mouth was pointed right at his pocket. ’The moment this thing wakes up and opens its mouth, it’ll swallow me whole!’ he thought, squeaking his protests from inside the pocket.

"Hmm?" Hah’Er thought for a moment, then quickly turned the Snow Fox around, holding it from a different direction. Now, its fluffy tail was pointed at Maphario, but this did little to ease Maphario’s anxiety.

Shen Yibin couldn’t worry about that for now. ’With Hah’Er watching over him, the worst that could happen to Maphario is a little scare,’ he thought. ’Nothing bad will happen.’ His most urgent task was to break open the ice and catch some fish to fill the Snow Fox’s belly. After some effort, the ice finally broke. He pulled out his multi-tool, chopped down a tree branch, and used it to pry away the chunks of ice, revealing an irregularly shaped hole. Then, he unscrewed the cap on the end of the multi-tool’s handle and carefully took out the fishing hook and line stored inside.

He found some dried fish crumbs in his backpack to use as bait, tied the line to the branch, and dropped the hook into the ice hole. Shen Yibin sat quietly on the bank, his eyes fixed on the bobber without blinking. His fishing skills were mediocre at best; if he were anywhere else, he probably wouldn’t have caught anything so easily.

But the fish under the ice were starving and cold, so hungry that both their intelligence and their caution had plummeted. Seeing food right in front of them, how could they care about anything else? They immediately swarmed to snatch it up. The hook had been in the water for less than a minute when a fish took the bait!

With a flick of the branch, Shen Yibin sent a fish flying onto the bank, its white belly flashing. He picked up the fish, removed the hook, and tossed it aside. In this freezing weather, he wasn’t worried about it flopping back into the water. He dropped the hook back into the hole. By the time the third fish was on the line, the Snow Fox had finally woken up.

"Here, eat this to tide you over!" Shen Yibin picked up a fish and tossed it in front of the fox. The Snow Fox immediately leaped from Hah’Er’s arms, pinned the fish with its paws, and began tearing into it. It looked absolutely ravenous. In no time, it had devoured all three fish, but it still didn’t seem full.

So, Shen Yibin sat there fishing while the Snow Fox squatted beside him, its tongue hanging out. The moment a fish was pulled from the water, the fox would pounce on it. The two of them, one fishing and one eating, worked together with perfect coordination. It was just an unlucky day for the fish in the little pond.

After eating several fish in a row, the Snow Fox seemed to have finally filled its stomach. When the next fish was caught, it couldn’t be bothered with it. Instead, it ran over to Shen Yibin, hopped onto his lap, and curled up lazily in his arms.

"Just a minute," Shen Yibin said, gently stroking the fur on its back. "I’m going to catch a few more to make some hot soup later, and I’ll get some ready for your dinner tonight." He then continued to fish.

After about an hour, figuring he had caught enough fish, Shen Yibin finally got up. "Alright, let’s go back to the cave and get some rest!"

He shouldered his backpack once more and started walking toward the cave. The Snow Fox scrambled up the pack and onto Shen Yibin’s shoulder. It rested its head on his shoulder, its body propped up by the backpack, and its large tail wrapped directly around his neck.

’Wow, this Scarf sure is warm!’